3,636 research outputs found
CCSPNet-Joint: Efficient Joint Training Method for Traffic Sign Detection Under Extreme Conditions
Traffic sign detection is an important research direction in intelligent
driving. Unfortunately, existing methods often overlook extreme conditions such
as fog, rain, and motion blur. Moreover, the end-to-end training strategy for
image denoising and object detection models fails to utilize inter-model
information effectively. To address these issues, we propose CCSPNet, an
efficient feature extraction module based on Transformers and CNNs, which
effectively leverages contextual information, achieves faster inference speed
and provides stronger feature enhancement capabilities. Furthermore, we
establish the correlation between object detection and image denoising tasks
and propose a joint training model, CCSPNet-Joint, to improve data efficiency
and generalization. Finally, to validate our approach, we create the CCTSDB-AUG
dataset for traffic sign detection in extreme scenarios. Extensive experiments
have shown that CCSPNet achieves state-of-the-art performance in traffic sign
detection under extreme conditions. Compared to end-to-end methods,
CCSPNet-Joint achieves a 5.32% improvement in precision and an 18.09%
improvement in [email protected]
A new Agkistrodon halys venom-purified protein C activator prevents myocardial fibrosis in diabetic rats
Aim To assess the effects of protein C activator (PCA) from
Agkistrodon halys snake venom on cardiac fibrosis in streptozotocin
(STZ) induced diabetic rat model, and investigate
the mechanisms of its action.
Methods PCA was identified by one-dimensional reversed
phase liquid chromatography – mass spectrometry/mass
spectrometry. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (120-140 g) were
randomly assigned to negative control (NC) and diabetic
group. Diabetes was induced by STZ in high-fat diet fed
rats. Diabetic group was subdivided into three groups: diabetic
group (DM), diabetic group treated with PCA (0.5, 2,
and 8 mg/kg), and diabetic group treated with metformin
(5 mg/kg, positive control). NC and DM groups received
the same volume of distilled water. Left ventricular mass
index (LVWI) and collagen volume fraction were measured
by hematoxylin and eosin and Masson staining. Transforming
growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) and interleukin 1 beta
(IL-1β) levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent
assay.
Results The diabetic rat model was successfully established
by STZ induction and high-fat diet. Glucose level,
LVWI, TGF-β1 and IL-1β level, and collagen volume fraction
were significantly reduced in diabetic rats treated by PCA
in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.050), especially in the
high dose (8 mg/kg) group (P < 0.010), compared to diabetes
group. The high dose PCA had the same effect as
metformin positive control in reducing the level of fasting
blood glucose. PCA decreased the expression of MMP-2
and reduced that of TIMP-2.
Conclusion Our results indicate that PCA has anti-fibrotic
effects and that it may be used to treat myocardial fibrosis
Laves-phase evolution during aging in fine grained heat-affected zone of a tungsten-strengthened 9% Cr steel weldment
The precipitation and coarsening of Laves-phase in the fine grained heat-affected zone (FGHAZ) of a 9% Cr steel P92 welded joint during thermal aging at 923 K were investigated and compared to the base metal (BM), in order to clarify their effects on the Type IV fracture. Laves-phase precipitated mostly on the prior austenite grain boundaries of the FGHAZ. In comparison with BM, FGHAZ contained more grain boundary areas and can provide more nucleation sites for Laves-phase, resulting in an accelerated precipitation and rapidly reaching to the around 1.0% of saturated volume fraction. The coarsening of Laves-phase precipitates in FGHAZ was also much faster than that in BM, enhanced by the contribution of grain boundary diffusion resulted from its finer prior austenite grains. The FGHAZ had denser and smaller Laves-phase precipitates during the precipitation period in comparison with BM, obviously improved the creep strength by precipitation hardening. However, this effect in FGHAZ reduced sharply during coarsening owing to its coarsening rate greater than that of BM. In addition to the initial coarse polygonal subgrains with low dislocation density in FGHAZ produced by the weld thermal cycle and subsequent tempering in post-weld heat treatment (PWHT), coarse Laves-phase precipitates on grain boundaries formed in the long-term thermal aging, contributing to the formation of the creep cavities, can also play a key role in Type IV fracture of welded joint in 9% Cr steels
Reduced Striatal Dopamine Transporters in People with Internet Addiction Disorder
In recent years, internet addiction disorder (IAD) has become more prevalent worldwide and the recognition of its devastating impact on the users and society has rapidly increased. However, the neurobiological mechanism of IAD has not bee fully expressed. The present study was designed to determine if the striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) levels measured by 99mTc-TRODAT-1 single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) brain scans were altered in individuals with IAD. SPECT brain scans were acquired on 5 male IAD subjects and 9 healthy age-matched controls. The volume (V) and weight (W) of bilateral corpus striatum as well as the 99mTc-TRODAT-1 uptake ratio of corpus striatum/the whole brain (Ra) were calculated using mathematical models. It was displayed that DAT expression level of striatum was significantly decreased and the V, W, and Ra were greatly reduced in the individuals with IAD compared to controls. Taken together, these results suggest that IAD may cause serious damages to the brain and the neuroimaging findings further illustrate IAD is associated with dysfunctions in the dopaminergic brain systems. Our findings also support the claim that IAD may share similar neurobiological abnormalities with other addictive disorders
Trifluoromethyl-phenyl-triazolyl derivative of beta-bisabolol induces cell death in ME-180 cervical cancer cells through induction of apoptosis and ROS generation
The aim of the current investigation was to design, synthesize and demonstrate the anticancer and apoptotic activity of trifluoromethyl-phenyl-triazolyl derivative of beta-bisabolol (TTB) in ME-180 human cervical cancer cells. MTT and clonogenic assays were used to evaluate the cell viability and colony formation tendencies of the cells respectively. Phase contrast and fluorescence microscopic investigations were used to evaluate the effect of TTB on cellular morphology and apoptosis. Flow cytometric analysis using fluorescent CM-DCFH2-DA were used to study the effect of TTB on reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. The results revealed that TTB significantly inhibited the proliferation of ME-180 human cervical cancer cells in a time-dependent as well as dose-dependent manner. TTB has the capacity to inhibit both anchorage dependent as well as anchorage independent growth of ME-180 cervical cancer cells. TTB-treated cells revealed chromatin condensation, fragmented nuclei and nuclear shrinkage. A 3-fold increase of ROS production was seen after 72 ?M TTB treatment.
Video Clip of Methodology:
Phase contrast microscopic study: 2 min Full Screen Alternat
Ultra-high Q alumina optical microresonators in the UV and blue bands
UV and visible photonics enable applications ranging from spectroscopic
sensing to communication and quantum information processing. Photonics
structures in these wavelength regimes, however, tend to experience higher loss
than their IR counterpart. Particularly in the near-UV band, on-chip optical
microresonators have not yet achieved a quality factor beyond 1 million. Here
we report ultra-low-loss photonic waveguides and resonators patterned from
alumina thin films prepared by a highly scalable atomic layer deposition
process. We demonstrate ultra high Q factor of 1.510 at 390nm,
a record value at UV bands, and 1.910 at 488.5nm
Preparation of N-, O-, and S-tri-doped biochar through one-pot pyrolysis of poplar and urea formaldehyde and its enhanced removal of tetracycline from wastewater
In this study, biochar was prepared via hybrid doping of N, O, and S by applying one-pot pyrolysis of poplar wood and S-containing urea formaldehyde at 900 °C. Different doping ratios were adopted, and the contents of O, N, and S were in the ranges of 2.78 – 5.56 %, 2.16 – 4.92 %, and 1.42 – 4.98 %, respectively. This hybrid doping significantly enhanced the efficiency of the removal of tetracycline (40 mg/L) from wastewater to 71.84 % in comparison with that attained by using normal poplar biochar (29.45 %). The adsorption kinetics and isotherms indicated that the adsorption process was favorable and was dominated by chemisorption instead of physisorption; the dominant adsorption process may be justified by the existence of abundant functional groups. The adsorption capacity was barely related to the surface area (R2 = 0.478), while it was closely related to the concentration of graphitic N (R2 = 0.985) because graphitic N enhanced the π–π interactions. The adsorption capacity was also highly related to the proportion of oxidized N and oxidized S owing to hydrogen bonding, which may have overlapped with the contribution of O-containing functional groups. This study presents a simple hybrid doping method for biochar modification and provides fundamental insights into the specific effects of O-, N- and S-containing functional groups on the performance of biochar for tetracycline removal
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