DSFNet: Convolutional Encoder-Decoder Architecture Combined Dual-GCN and Stand-alone Self-attention by Fast Normalized Fusion for Polyps Segmentation

In the past few decades, deep learning technology has been widely used in medical image segmentation and has made significant breakthroughs in the fields of liver and liver tumor segmentation, brain and brain tumor segmentation, video disc segmentation, heart image segmentation, and so on. However, the segmentation of polyps is still a challenging task since the surface of the polyps is flat and the color is very similar to that of surrounding tissues. Thus, It leads to the problems of the unclear boundary between polyps and surrounding mucosa, local overexposure, and bright spot reflection. To counter this problem, this paper presents a novel U-shaped network, namely DSFNet, which effectively combines the advantages of Dual-GCN and self-attention mechanisms. First, we introduce a feature enhancement block module based on Dual-GCN module as an attention mechanism to enhance the feature extraction of local spatial and structural information with fine granularity. Second, the stand-alone self-attention module is designed to enhance the integration ability of the decoding stage model to global information. Finally, the Fast Normalized Fusion method with trainable weights is used to efficiently fuse the corresponding three feature graphs in encoding, bottleneck, and decoding blocks, thus promoting information transmission and reducing the semantic gap between encoder and decoder. Our model is tested on two public datasets including Endoscene and Kvasir-SEG and compared with other state-of-the-art models. Experimental results show that the proposed model surpasses other competitors in many indicators, such as Dice, MAE, and IoU. In the meantime, ablation studies are also conducted to verify the efficacy and effectiveness of each module. Qualitative and quantitative analysis indicates that the proposed model has great clinical significance.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, 3 table

Effect of Protamex Hydrolysis on Foaming Properties and Structural Properties of Corn Glutelin

The effects of different durations of hydrolysis with Protemex on the foaming properties, surface tension, physicochemical properties and static rheological properties of corn glutelin were determined. The results showed that the solubility and foaming properties of corn glutelin were significantly improved by Protamex hydrolysis. The foaming capacity of the 120 min hydrolysate was highest, which was 2.8 times higher than that of corn glutelin, and its foam stability was also good. The hydrolysate had the lowest surface tension and the highest apparent viscosity. The microscopic morphology of the foam formed was fine and uniform, with a thick protein film. With the prolongation of hydrolysis time, the average particle size of corn glutelin hydrolysates decreased continuously, the endogenous fluorescence intensity and surface hydrophobicity increased gradually, while the surface net charge decreased first and then increased. The results of Raman spectroscopy showed that after appropriate hydrolysis, the α-helix content decreased, and the random coil and β-angle contents increased; the peak intensity ratio of tyrosine residues (I850/I830) increased, and the peak intensity of tryptophan residues (I760) decreased. Nevertheless, the β-folding content changed little. Long-time hydrolysis significantly increased the content of random coil and decreased the peak intensity ratio of tyrosine residues (I850/I830). Therefore, restricted hydrolysis can change the structure and interface properties of corn glutelin, improve its foam properties, and consequently increase the potential utilization rate of corn gluten meal in the food field

Ion rectification based on gel polymer electrolyte ionic diode

Biological ion channels rely on ions as charge carriers and unidirectional ion flow to produce and transmit signals. To realize artificial biological inspired circuitry and seamless human-machine communication, ion-transport-based rectification devices should be developed. In this research, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) are assembled to construct a novel ionic diode, enabling ion rectification through ion-diffusion/migration that emulates biological systems. This ion rectification results from the different diffusion/migration behaviors of mobile ions transporting in the GPE heterojunction. The electrical tests of the GPE heterojunction reveal outstanding rectifying ratio of 23.11. The GPE ionic diode operates in wide temperature window, from -20 °C (anti-freezing) to 125 °C (thermal tolerance). The absence of redox reactions is verified in the cyclic voltammogram. The GPE ionic diodes are used to construct ionic logic gates for signal communication. Furthermore, rectification of a triboelectric nanogenerator and potential for synaptic devices are demonstrated.Ministry of Education (MOE)Published versionThe project is funded by the Ministry of Education Tier 1 Grant Award No. RT15/20

Solid‐State and Flexible Black Electrochromic Devices Enabled by Ni‐Cu Salts Based Organohydrogel Electrolytes

Abstract Solid‐state black electrochromic devices (ECDs) are promising for smart window applications, particularly when privacy protection and low leakage are required. Herein, a Ni–Cu salts/poly(vinyl alcohol) based organohydrogel electrolyte is developed with superior visible‐light transparency (83.8%), ionic conductivity (0.11 mS cm−1), and mechanical properties (tensile strength: 11.1 kPa, breaking strain: 242.6%). Due to the high viscosity of the organohydrogel electrolyte, a homogeneous Ni–Cu alloy film with a surface roughness of around 11.2 nm can be electrodeposited under −3 V for 5 min, and the resulting black color can be retained for over 350 min with a transmittance increase of only 5% at the voltage‐off state. The solid‐state rigid ECD exhibits an outstanding optical contrast between the transparent and colored states (visible light transmittance: 70.8% vs 0.085%), excellent cycling stability with over 90% retention of optical contrast after 2000 cycles. Finally, a flexible ECD is fabricated with the organohydrogel electrolyte and annealed indium tin oxide (ITO)‐coated polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) films as flexible and durable electrodes. It exhibits good mechanical flexibility with transmittance modulation degradation of 10% after 800 bending cycles and switching stability for 400 cycles with up to 43% optical contrast

Heat-insulating black electrochromic device enabled by reversible nickel-copper electrodeposition

An electrochromic device (ECD), which can switch between black and transmissive states under electrical bias, is a promising candidate for smart windows due to its color neutrality and excellent durability. Most of the black ECDs are achieved through a reversible electrodeposition and dissolution mechanism; however, they typically suffer from relatively poor cycling stability and a slow coloration/bleaching time. Herein, we present a heat-insulating black ECD with a gel electrolyte that operates via reversible Ni-Cu electrodeposition and dissolution. With the adoption of a Cu alloying strategy and a compatible gel electrolyte, this two-electrode ECD (5.0 cm × 2.5 cm) can achieve a cycling stability of 1500 cycles with transmittance modulation up to 55.2% in short coloration (6.2 s) and bleaching times (13.2 s) at a wavelength of 550 nm. Additionally, the ECD can be switched from the transparent state (visible light transmittance: 0.566) to the opaque state (visible light transmittance: 0.003) within 1 min, reaching transmittance less than 5% across the visible-near-infrared spectrum (400-2000 nm) to efficiently block solar heat. Besides, in the voltage-off state, the black Ni-Cu alloy film can be sustained for more than 60 min (at room temperature, λ = 550 nm). Under infrared irradiation (170 W/m2) for 30 min, the black ECD blocks up to 35.0% of infrared radiation, which not only effectively prevents the heat transmission for energy management but also finds potential applications for promoting indoor human health and indoor farming.Ministry of Education (MOE)National Research Foundation (NRF)This work was funded by the Ministry of Education AcRF Tier 1 (2021-T1-002-115) and the Campus for Research Excellent and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), National Research Foundation, Singapore

Comparison Between the Fecal Bacterial Microbiota of Healthy and Diarrheic Captive Musk Deer

Diarrhea constitutes one of the most common diseases affecting the survival of captive musk deer and is usually caused by an imbalance in intestinal microbiota. Currently, research regarding the structure and function of intestinal microbiota in diarrheic musk deer is lacking. Therefore, in the present study, high-throughput 16S-rRNA gene sequencing was used to analyze the intestinal microbiota in feces of healthy captive musk deer (HMD) (n = 8) and musk deer with mild (MMD) (n = 8), and severe (n = 5) (SMD) diarrhea to compare the difference in intestinal microbiota of musk deer under various physiological conditions. The results showed that the diversity of HMD fecal microbiota was significantly higher than that of the two diarrhea samples. β Diversity results indicated that there were extremely significant differences in bacterial communities between the HMD sample and the MMD and SMD samples. However, no significant difference was found between the two diarrhea samples. LefSe analysis showed that the degree of intestinal physiological dysfunction in musk deer was correlated with the types of major pathogens. The main pathogen in the MMD group is Escherichia–Shigella, whereas Fusobacterium is the main pathogen in the SMD group. PICRUSt functional profile prediction indicated that the intestinal microbiota disorder could also lead to changes in the abundance of genes in metabolic pathways of the immune system. Altogether, this study provides a theoretical basis for the exploration of treatments for diarrhea in captive musk deer, which is of considerable significance to the implementation of the musk deer release into the wild program

Comparative Analysis of the Gut Microbiota Composition between Captive and Wild Forest Musk Deer

The large and complex gut microbiota in animals has profound effects on feed utilization and metabolism. Currently, gastrointestinal diseases due to dysregulated gut microbiota are considered important factors that limit growth of the captive forest musk deer population. Compared with captive forest musk deer, wild forest musk deer have a wider feeding range with no dietary limitations, and their gut microbiota are in a relatively natural state. However, no reports have compared the gut microbiota between wild and captive forest musk deer. To gain insight into the composition of gut microbiota in forest musk deer under different food-source conditions, we employed high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing technology to investigate differences in the gut microbiota occurring between captive and wild forest musk deer. Both captive and wild forest musk deer showed similar microbiota at the phylum level, which consisted mainly of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, although significant differences were found in their relative abundances between both groups. α-Diversity results showed that no significant differences occurred in the microbiota between both groups, while β-diversity results showed that significant differences did occur in their microbiota compositions. In summary, our results provide important information for improving feed preparation for captive forest musk deer and implementing projects where captive forest musk deer are released into the wild

Musk gland seasonal development and musk secretion are regulated by the testis in muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)

Abstract Background The muskrat is a seasonal breeder. Males secrete musk to attract females during the breeding season. The testosterone binding to the androgen receptor (AR) in musk glands of muskrat may play an important role conducting the musk secretion process. Methods The musk gland, testis and blood samples of musk rats are collected in both breeding and non-breeding seasons. Some part of the samples are kept in liquid nitrogen for transcriptome analysis and Western blotting test. Some part of the samples are kept in 70% alcohol for histology experiment, blood samples are kept at −20 °C for the serum testosterone measurement experiment. Results This study demonstrates that the quantity of secreted musk, the volume of the musk glands, the diameter of the gland cells and AR expression are all higher during the breeding season than at other times (p < 0.01). StAR, P450scc and 3β-HSD expression in the Leydig cells of the testis were also higher during this season, as was serum testosterone. AR was also observed in the gland cells of two other musk-secreting animals, the musk deer and small Indian civet, in their musk glands. These results suggest that the testes and musk glands co-develop seasonally. Conclusion The musk glands’ seasonal development and musk secretion are regulated by the testes, and testosterone plays an important role in the seasonal development of musk glands