This paper presents the block arithmetic coding for image compression (BACIC) algorithm: a new method for lossless bilevel image compression which can replace JBIG, the current standard for bilevel image compression. BACIC uses the block arithmetic coder (BAC): a simple, efficient, easy-to-implement, variable-to-fixed arithmetic coder, to encode images. BACIC models its probability estimates ad...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of Ginkgo biloba treatment (EGb 761, 200 mg kg-1 day-1) administered from day 0 to 20 of pregnancy on maternal reproductive performance and on the maternal and fetal liver antioxidant systems of streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats. On day 21 of pregnancy, the adult rats (weighing approximately 250 +/- 50 g, minimum number = 13/grou...

OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of the Baby's Mouth early dental care prevention and promotion program in preventing oral diseases (caries, gingivitis, or malocclusions) in children attended since 2010. METHODS This was a cross-sectional and cohort study that assessed 252 children between 36 and 60 months of age in both sexes. The children were divided into three groups: G1: effective partic...

Objective: High-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) decreases the risk for development of coronary arterial lesions (CAL) in Kawasaki disease (KD) while patients resistant to IVIG have higher risk. This study is aimed to investigate an additional therapy affects the risk for CAL in IVIG resistant KD. Design: The information from 11,510 children with KD was collected by the nationwide survey ...

BACKGROUND Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy in the developed countries. Clinical studies have shown that early stage uterine serous carcinoma (USC) has outcomes similar to early stage high grade endometrioid adenocarcinoma (EAC-G3) than to early stage low grade endometrioid adenocarcinoma (EAC-G1). However, little is known about the origin of these different clinical...

Genetic improvements have significantly contributed to wheat production. Five wheat cultivars-widely grown in north China in the 1950s, 1990s, or 2010s-were grown in field experiments conducted in the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 growing seasons. This study evaluated the genetic progress in wheat grain yield and its related traits in north China and explored how breeding and selection have influence...

Polymorphisms in drug-metabolizing enzymes might not completely explain inter-individual differences in toxicity profiles of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) that receive folinic acid/5-fluorouracil/oxaliplatin (FOLFOX4). Recent data indicate that the immune system could contribute to FOLFOX4 outcomes. In light of the immune inhibitory nature of human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G), a non-cla...

Two modifications of Gaussian-4 (G4) theory [L. A. Curtiss et al., J. Chem. Phys. 126, 084108 (2007)] are presented in which second- and third-order perturbation theories are used in place of fourth-order perturbation theory. These two new methods are referred to as G4(MP2) and G4(MP3), respectively. Both methods have been assessed on the G3/05 test set of accurate experimental data. The averag...

Two hundred and twenty three subjects from a Schistosoma mansoni low morbidity endemic area and nine hospitalized hepatosplenic patients were submitted to stool test and clinical examination and abdomen ultrasound assessments. According to stool examination and ultrasound results, they were grouped as follows: G1 -- 63 Schistosoma mansoni egg-negative individuals; G2 -- 141 egg-positive patient...

H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was one of the most important avian diseases in poultry production of China, especially in Guangdong province. In recent years, new H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) still emerged constantly, although all poultry in China were immunized with H5N1 vaccinations compulsorily. To better understand the pathogenicity and transmission ...