Static compressive tracking.

This paper presents the Static Computational Optical Undersampled Tracker (SCOUT), an architecture for compressive motion tracking systems. The architecture uses compressive sensing techniques to track moving targets at significantly higher resolution than the detector array, allowing for low cost, low weight design and a significant reduction in data storage and bandwidth requirements. Using two amplitude masks and a standard focal plane array, the system captures many projections simultaneously, avoiding the need for time-sequential measurements of a single scene. Scenes with few moving targets on static backgrounds have frame differences that can be reconstructed using sparse signal reconstruction techniques in order to track moving targets. Simulations demonstrate theoretical performance and help to inform the choice of design parameters. We use the coherence parameter of the system matrix as an efficient predictor of reconstruction error to avoid performing computationally intensive reconstructions over the entire design space. An experimental SCOUT system demonstrates excellent reconstruction performance with 16X compression tracking movers on scenes with zero and nonzero backgrounds.

Genetics and imaging to assess oocyte and preimplantation embryo health.

Two major criteria are currently used in human assisted reproductive technologies (ART) to evaluate oocyte and preimplantation embryo health: (1) rate of preimplantation embryonic development; and (2) overall morphology. A major gene that regulates the rate of preimplantation development is the preimplantation embryo development (Ped) gene, discovered in our laboratory. In mice, presence of the Ped gene product, Qa-2 protein, results in a fast rate of preimplantation embryonic development, compared with a slow rate of preimplantation embryonic development for embryos that are lacking Qa-2 protein. Moreover, mice that express Qa-2 protein have an overall reproductive advantage that extends beyond the preimplantation period, including higher survival to birth, higher birthweight, and higher survival to weaning. Data are presented that suggest that Qa-2 increases the rate of development of early embryos by acting as a cell-signalling molecule and that phosphatidylinositol-32 kinase is involved in the cell-signalling pathway. The most likely human homologue of Qa-2 has recently been identified as human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G. Data are presented which show that HLA-G, like Qa-2, is located in lipid rafts, implying that HLA-G also acts as a signalling molecule. In order to better evaluate the second criterion used in ART (i.e. overall morphology), a unique and innovative imaging microscope has been constructed, the Keck 3-D fusion microscope (Keck 3DFM). The Keck 3DFM combines five different microscopic modes into a single platform, allowing multi-modal imaging of the specimen. One of the modes, the quadrature tomographic microscope (QTM), creates digital images of non-stained transparent cells by measuring changes in the index of refraction. Quadrature tomographic microscope images of oocytes and preimplantation mouse embryos are presented for the first time. The digital information from the QTM images should allow the number of cells in a preimplantation embryo to be counted non-invasively. The Keck 3DFM is also being used to assess mitochondrial distribution in mouse oocytes and embryos by using the k-means clustering algorithm. Both the number of cells in preimplantation embryos and mitochondrial distribution are related to oocyte and embryo health. New imaging data obtained from the Keck 3DFM, combined with genetic and biochemical approaches, have the promise of being able to distinguish healthy from unhealthy oocytes and embryos in a non-invasive manner. The goal is to apply the information from our mouse model system to the clinic in order to identify one and only one healthy embryo for transfer back to the mother undergoing an ART procedure. This approach has the potential to increase the success rate of ART and to decrease the high, and undesirable, multiple birth rate presently associated with ART.

Familial handedness and access to words, meaning, and syntax during sentence comprehension.

We compared right-handed familial dextral (FS-) and familial sinistral (FS+) participants who were aged either 10-13 years (children) or 18-23 years (adults). In word probe and associative probe tasks, FS+ adults responded faster than all other groups and FS+ children responded more slowly than all other groups. In the word probe task, only the FS- adults showed a significant effect of the serial position of the target word. We interpret these differences to support an analysis-by-synthesis model of comprehension in which individuals who differ in familial handedness and age emphasize different linguistic representations during comprehension. In general, FS+ individuals focus on words and meaning, while FS- individuals focus on syntactic representations. In FS+ individuals, age-related experiences with language produce a shift in responding from compositional meaning to words and their associations. In FS- individuals, age-related experiences with language produce a shift toward responding based more on detailed syntactic representations, including the serial order of words and possibly the structural roles of clauses.

Word-monitoring tasks interact with levels of representation during speech comprehension.

Researchers frequently use data from monitoring tasks to argue that constraints on meaning facilitate lower-level processes. An alternate hypothesis is that the processing level that a monitoring task requires interacts with discourse-level processing. Subjects monitored spoken sentences for a synonym (semantic match), a nonsense word (phonological match), or a rhyme (phonologically and semantically constrained matching). The critical targets appeared at the beginning of the final clause in two-clause sentences that began with if, which signals a semantic analysis at the discourse level, or with though, which maintains a surface representation. Synonym-monitoring times were faster for if than for though, nonsense word-monitoring times were faster for though than for if, and rhyme-monitoring times did not differ for if and though. The results show that conjunctions influence how listeners allocate attention to semantic versus phonological information, implying that listeners form these kinds of information independently.

Epidermal and dermal phospholipids of the human eyelid: a 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.

The phospholipids of the skin are difficult to quantify because they represent only a small fraction of the skin tissue. In this study, 31P nuclear magnetic resonance, which permits precise profiling of these phospholipids, was used to compare the phospholipids of upper eyelid epidermal and dermal lipid extracts (n = 13 profiles). Phospholipid profiles included alkylacylphosphatidylcholine (AAPC), dihydrosphingomyelin (DHSM), diphosphatidylglycerol (cardiolipin), ethanolamine plasmalogen (EPLAS), lysophosphatidylcholine, phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, sphingomyelin, and uncharacterized phospholipids (U1 and U2, particularly enriched in the epidermis). The computed phospholipid metabolic index (n = 86 indexes) findings can be summarized as follows: a lower content of the en-ol and ether phospholipids in the epidermis relative to the dermis, internal compensation among the component phospholipids so as to maintain the choline functional group ratio, and a greater concentration of hydroxyl-containing functional groups in the epidermis. A membrane index (fmem) value of -0.37 for the epidermis deviated considerably from the value of -0.06 characteristic of living membranes and the dermis. The production of the reduced phosphatides, EPLAS and AAPC, indicates the use of alternative pathways between the two tissues. Relative to the dermis, increased PC in the epidermis coupled with decreased DHSM, EPLAS, and AAPC are factors enabling the epidermis of eyelid tissue to be an effective water barrier.

Common elbow fractures in children.

Approximately 75 percent of all fractures sustained by children occur in the upper extremities and frequently occur during a fall onto an outstretched hand. The majority of these injuries involve the wrist and forearm, but the elbow alone accounts for approximately 10 percent of all fractures in children. Elbow fractures in children are challenging because of the abundance of unossified cartilage and the high potential for limb-threatening damage to neurovascular structures. Common types of elbow fractures include supracondylar, lateral condylar, medial epicondylar, radial neck and transphyseal fractures.

Incidence of adolescent injuries in junior high school football and its relationship to sexual maturity.

Previous recommendations for adolescents have stated that sexually immature athletes may have a higher potential for injury when competing with their more sexually mature peers. However, studies document a higher injury rate among adolescent athletes with increasing age. This study was designed to see whether a relationship exists between sexual maturity based on Tanner stage and the incidence of adolescent injuries in a collision sport where the injury rates are highest. Three hundred and forty junior high school football athletes, ages 11-15, were observed prospectively for injury over two consecutive football seasons. Tanner staging of all of these athletes was performed at the preparticipation physical exam before the start of each season. Fifty-five injuries were noted for this time period. The overall injury rate was 16%. A direct correlation was observed between higher Tanner stages and increased injury rates. Adolescent athletes who have recently experienced sexual maturation may be at higher risk of injury in contact sports.

Complications of porous spherical orbital implants.

PURPOSE: To determine the complications observed with using porous spherical orbital implants (hydroxyapatite and porous polyethylene) and the factors leading to their occurrence. METHODS: A total of 101 cases of porous spherical orbital implantation by five ophthalmic surgeons were reviewed retrospectively. The demographic data, diagnosis, prior surgery, type and technique of surgery, implant characteristics and prosthesis fitting were described in patients with complications. RESULTS: Eleven of the 101 patients had implant exposure. There were six male (1 with bilateral involvement) and four female patients, ranging in age from 2 to 71 years. Preoperative diagnosis included trauma in five patients, nontrauma in five, and tumor in one. Seven had prior eye surgeries. Three patients underwent evisceration, whereas eight underwent enucleation. Eight hydroxyapatite and three porous polyethylene implants were used with diameters of 16 to 20 mm. Three were unwrapped, six were wrapped in sclera, and two were wrapped in preserved fascia. Exposures, which generally occurred within 1 year, were grouped into small (1-5 mm), medium (6-10 mm), and large (> 10 mm). One delayed case occurred after drilling. Small stable exposures were managed conservatively. Larger exposures were managed either by implant revision or replacement. All patients were fit ultimately with a prosthesis. Histopathologic findings of explanted spheres showed fibrovascularization limited to the periphery with moderate inflammatory reaction. CONCLUSION: Complications were significantly higher in cases of eviscerations than enucleations. Complications occurred in implants either unwrapped or wrapped in homologous grafts. None of the autologous wrapping had exposure. Secondary procedures may initiate exposure when fibrovascular status of implant is inadequate.

Thumb duplication, 66 years' experience--a review of surgical complications.

Fifty-four supernumerary thumbs excisions were followed for an average of 9 years for results of their surgical management, which consisted of simple excision (16 patients), reconstructive procedures (33 patients), or central wedge resections (5 patients). Half of all simple excisions and reconstructive procedures gave unacceptable results, most were salvaged. These were primarily joint deviations, joint instabilities, and bony prominences. All of our central wedge resections gave unacceptable results that were not salvageable--short, stiff, fat thumbs with nail deformities. We feel this procedure should probably be reserved for cases where both digits of the supernumerary thumbs are severely hypoplastic.

Congenital dislocation of the hip.

Neonatal hip dysplasia remains a difficult condition to diagnose and treat. Early periodic infant hip examination is the primary screening tool, but subtle hip instabilities can go undetected until fixed dislocations are discovered when the child begins to walk. Early nonoperative intervention in the neonatal period is usually effective using a Pavlik-type harness. For infants in whom this disorder is discovered after walking age, surgery is often needed to successfully reduce the hip. Radiographic evaluation of neonatal hip dysplasia is often difficult, but the evolving use of ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging is making this easier. The role of ultrasound as a primary screening device in the United States remains to be defined.

Periocular xanthogranulomas associated with severe adult-onset asthma.

This article describes six patients who presented, usually bilaterally, with yellow-orange, elevated, indurated, and nonulcerated xanthomatous eyelid lesions, typically extending into the anterior orbital fat, and sometimes involving the extraocular muscles and the lacrimal gland. Because the eyelids remained intact and because the process did not reach the deep orbital and perioptic connective tissues, visual acuity was well preserved. There is cosmetic morbidity and occasionally motility restriction with advancing involvement of the extraocular muscles. All patients had variably severe adult-onset asthma that required treatment with systemic prednisone and inhalants. No evidence of Erdheim-Chester disease was found in any patient, but the appearance in one patient, after 25 years of follow-up, of a separate subcutaneous necrobiotic xanthogranulomatous lesion in the mandibular region with an associated paraproteinemia, suggests that at least some of our cases might be a mild form of necrobiotic xanthogranuloma. For this reason, we would suggest repeated periodic serum protein immunoelectrophoretic studies as well as evaluation for lymphoma. Therapy probably should consist of low doses of periorbital radiotherapy coupled with high doses of corticosteroids. Should this not be successful, then systemic administration of corticosteroids with chemotherapeutic agents might be efficacious, as in necrobiotic xanthogranuloma.

Eyelid reanimation for the treatment of paralytic lagophthalmos: historical perspectives and current applications of the gold weight implant.

Gold weight implants have been used for over 30 years in the setting of eyelid rehabilitation following facial nerve paralysis; however, there has been a renewed interest by ophthalmologists in this reanimation technique in recent years. This article reviews the history of gold weight eyelid implantation and presents the results of gold weight eyelid implantation over a 15-month period in 23 patients. A 92% success rate was obtained (average follow-up, 12 months). Surgical technique and indications are discussed along with postoperative complications.

Hidradenoma papilliferum of the upper eyelid arising from the apocrine gland of Moll.

Hidradenoma papilliferum is derived from apocrine sweat glands and was originally described as a tumor located in the anogenital area. The authors recently examined a 78-year-old man with a hidradenoma papilliferum at the margin of the upper eyelid. While the tumor was located in the dermis, serial sections showed a connection to the epidermis and neoplastic cells partially replacing a gland of Moll. There were glandular structures with luminal cells that showed apical decapitation-type secretion, indicating the apocrine origin of the tumor. The luminal cells also contained granules that stained with periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) stain and were diastase resistant. Results of examination of the duct-forming cells by transmission electron microscopy showed adluminal villi, focal decapitation secretion, luminal cytoplasmic debris, and electron-dense cytoplasmic secretory granules. Because the apocrine glands of Moll are localized adjacent to the eyelid cilia, hidradenoma papilliferum and other tumors of apocrine origin should be considered in the clinical setting of a mass at the eyelid margin.

Dermis fat graft in eviscerated sockets.

Following evisceration, three patients who experienced extrusion of synthetic orbital implant underwent socket reconstruction using an autogenous dermis fat graft. An incision into the fundus of the existing sclera was necessary to provide for an adequate vascular bed for a composite fat graft, although the anterior ring of existing sclera with extraocular muscle attachments was not disturbed. Conjunctival reepithelialization of the dermal surface and enhancement of orbital volume occurred in each case. Furthermore, the autogenous fat graft retained the original excellent globe motility that was present before the socket reconstruction. After an average follow-up of 18 months, the volume restoration, integrity of conjunctival epithelium and fornices, and the graft viability have remained unchanged. As with alloplastic orbital implant extrusions in enucleated sockets, autogeneous dermis fat grafts can be useful in managing extrusions in previously eviscerated sockets.

Osteomyelitis of the orbit. A case report.

With the advent of the antibiotic era, the incidence of osteomyelitis has decreased remarkably. However, cases of trauma-induced orbital cellulitis, abscess, fistula formation, and osteomyelitis may still occur. The following case is illustrative of the chronicity of problems (8-year course) caused by retained orbital wooden foreign bodies.

The effect of age on aqueous humor formation in man.

The rate of aqueous formation was measured with fluorophotometry in a group of 113 normal human subjects who ranged in age from 20 to 83 years. A slight decrease in the rate of aqueous humor formation with aging was detected, but the rate was remarkably stable. The rate of aqueous humor formation was more stable than intraocular pressure or anterior chamber volume in this group and more stable than the tonographic C value reported by other investigators.

Immediate effect of epinephrine on aqueous formation in the normal human eye as measured by fluorophotometry.

Epinephrine hydrochloride (1%) and an identical-appearing placebo were instilled into the right/left eye pairs (random assignment) of 24 young normal subjects. Aqueous humor flow (measured by fluorophotometry over a 7 hr period), intraocular pressure, and (in 10 subjects) tonographic facility of outflow were measured. The effects of epinephrine were to lower intraocular pressure (2.8 mm Hg +/- 1.9, mean +/- S.D.), raise the facility of outflow (37.4% +/- 21.7), and increase the rate of formation of aqueous humor (18.6% +/- 18.1). By comparing tonographic and fluorophotometric data in the same subjects, it was postulated that epinephrine increases the rate of outflow via the pressure-insensitive (uveoscleral, uveovortex) outflow pathway.