A review of parallel computing for large-scale remote sensing image mosaicking

Interest in image mosaicking has been spurred by a wide variety of research and management needs. However, for large-scale applications, remote sensing image mosaicking usually requires significant computational capabilities. Several studies have attempted to apply parallel computing to improve image mosaicking algorithms and to speed up calculation process. The state of the art of this field has not yet been summarized, which is, however, essential for a better understanding and for further research of image mosaicking parallelism on a large scale. This paper provides a perspective on the current state of image mosaicking parallelization for large scale applications. We firstly introduce the motivation of image mosaicking parallel for large scale application, and analyze the difficulty and problem of parallel image mosaicking at large scale such as scheduling with huge number of dependent tasks, programming with multiple-step procedure, dealing with frequent I/O operation. Then we summarize the existing studies of parallel computing in image mosaicking for large scale applications with respect to problem decomposition and parallel strategy, parallel architecture, task schedule strategy and implementation of image mosaicking parallelization. Finally, the key problems and future potential research directions for image mosaicking are addressed

The aqueous supramolecular chemistry of crown ethers

This mini-review summarizes the seminal exploration of aqueous supramolecular chemistry of crown ether macrocycles. In history, most research of crown ethers were focusing on their supramolecular chemistry in organic phase or in gas phase. In sharp contrast, the recent research evidently reveal that crown ethers are very suitable for studying abroad range of the properties and applications of water interactions, from: high water-solubility, control of Hofmeister series, “structural water”, and supramolecular adhesives. Key studies revealing more details about the properties of water and aqueous solutions are highlighted

The impact of cognitive training on cerebral white matter in community-dwelling elderly : one-year prospective longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging study

It has been shown that cognitive training (CogTr) is effective and recuperative for older adults, and can be used to fight against cognitive decline. In this study, we investigated whether behavioural gains from CogTr would extend to white matter (WM) microstructure, and whether training-induced changes in WM integrity would be associated with improvements in cognitive function, using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). 48 healthy community elderly were either assigned to multi-domain or single-domain CogTr groups to receive 24 sessions over 12 weeks, or to a control group. DTI was performed at both baseline and 12-month follow-up. Positive effects of multi-domain CogTr on long-term changes in DTI indices were found in posterior parietal WM. Participants in the multi-domain group showed a trend of long-term decrease in axial diffusivity (AD) without significant change in fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD) or radial diffusivity (RD), while those in the control group displayed a significant FA decrease, and an increase in MD and RD. In addition, significant relationships between an improvement in processing speed and changes in RD, MD and AD were found in the multi-domain group. These findings support the hypothesis that plasticity of WM can be modified by CogTr, even in late adulthood

Anti-oxidative effects of the biennial flower of Panax notoginseng against H2O2-induced cytotoxicity in cultured PC12 cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Radix notoginseng </it>is used in Chinese medicine to improve blood circulation and clotting; however, the pharmacological activities of other parts of <it>Panax notoginseng </it>have yet to be explored. The present study reports the anti-oxidative effects of various parts of <it>Panax notoginseng</it>.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Various parts of <it>Panax notoginseng</it>, including the biennial flower, stem-leaf, root-rhizome, fiber root and sideslip, were used to prepare extracts and analyzed for their anti-oxidation effects, namely suppressing xanthine oxidase activity, H₂O₂-induced cytotoxicity and H₂O₂-induced ROS formation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among various parts of the herb (biennial flower, stem-leaf, root-rhizome, fiber root and sideslip), the water extract of the biennial flower showed the strongest effects in (i) inhibiting the enzymatic activity of xanthine oxidase and (ii) protecting neuronal PC12 cells against H₂O₂-induced cytotoxicity. Only the water extracts demonstrated such anti-oxidative effects while the ethanol extracts did not exert significant effects in suppressing xanthine oxidase and H₂O₂-induced neuronal cytotoxicity.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present study demonstrates the biennial flower of <it>Panax notoginseng </it>to have neuroprotection effect on cultured neurons and the underlying protection mechanism may involve anti-oxidation.</p

Reconstructing Yeasts Phylogenies and Ancestors from Whole Genome Data

Phylogenetic studies aim to discover evolutionary relationships and histories. These studies are based on similarities of morphological characters and molecular sequences. Currently, widely accepted phylogenetic approaches are based on multiple sequence alignments, which analyze shared gene datasets and concatenate/coalesce these results to a final phylogeny with maximum support. However, these approaches still have limitations, and often have conflicting results with each other. Reconstructing ancestral genomes helps us understand mechanisms and corresponding consequences of evolution. Most existing genome level phylogeny and ancestor reconstruction methods can only process simplified real genome datasets or simulated datasets with identical genome content, unique genome markers, and limited types of evolutionary events. Here, we provide an alternative way to resolve phylogenetic problems based on analyses of real genome data. We use phylogenetic signals from all types of genome level evolutionary events, and overcome the conflicting issues existing in traditional phylogenetic approaches. Further, we build an automated computational pipeline to reconstruct phylogenies and ancestral genomes for two high-resolution real yeast genome datasets. Comparison results with recent studies and publications show that we reconstruct very accurate and robust phylogenies and ancestors. Finally, we identify and analyze the conserved syntenic blocks among reconstructed ancestral genomes and present yeast species

Effect of Eucommia ulmoides Leaf Extract on Growth Performance, Carcass Traits, Parameters of Oxidative Stress, and Lipid Metabolism in Broiler Chickens

Eucommia ulmoides bark has been traditionally used as a Chinese medicine to attenuate stress, but the leaf, which is rich in polyphenols and polysaccharides, has been rarely used. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Eucommia ulmoides leaf extracts (EULEs) on oxidative stress and meat quality of broilers. A total of 252 broilers were randomly divided into 3 treatments and fed with a control basal diet (CON), or a diet containing 250 mg/kg or 1,000 mg/kg of EULE for 51 days. Results showed that dietary supplementation of 250 mg/kg EULE increased significantly the average daily gain of broilers in the early stage (1–21 days), while 250 mg/kg or 1,000 mg/kg of EULE decreased the feed conversion ratio in the whole period (P &lt; 0.05). Supplementation of 250 mg/kg EULE reduced the level of MDA in the liver (P &lt; 0.05), while 1,000 mg/kg EULE decreased the serum level of MDA (P &lt; 0.05), and the HDL level in serum was increased by 250 mg/kg or 1,000 mg/kg EULE (P &lt; 0.05). Additionally, 250 mg/kg EULE decreased abdominal fat ratio and serum triglyceride (TC) level in broilers, while 250 or 1,000 mg/kg of EULE reduced drip loss in breast muscle (P &lt; 0.05), and 1,000 mg/kg EULE reduced the cooking loss in thigh muscle (P &lt; 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation of 250 mg/kg of EULE could attenuate oxidative stress and improve the growth performance and meat quality in broilers