Decision-Based Marginal Total Variation Diffusion for Impulsive Noise Removal in Color Images

Impulsive noise removal for color images usually employs vector median filter, switching median filter, the total variation L1 method, and variants. These approaches, however, often introduce excessive smoothing and can result in extensive visual feature blurring and thus are suitable only for images with low density noise. A marginal method to reduce impulsive noise is proposed in this paper that overcomes this limitation that is based on the following facts: (i) each channel in a color image is contaminated independently, and contaminative components are independent and identically distributed; (ii) in a natural image the gradients of different components of a pixel are similar to one another. This method divides components into different categories based on different noise characteristics. If an image is corrupted by salt-and-pepper noise, the components are divided into the corrupted and the noise-free components; if the image is corrupted by random-valued impulses, the components are divided into the corrupted, noise-free, and the possibly corrupted components. Components falling into different categories are processed differently. If a component is corrupted, modified total variation diffusion is applied; if it is possibly corrupted, scaled total variation diffusion is applied; otherwise, the component is left unchanged. Simulation results demonstrate its effectiveness

Miniaturized-Element Frequency-Selective Rasorber Design Using Characteristic Modes Analysis

A dual-polarization frequency-selective rasorber with two absorptive bands at both sides of a passband is presented. Based on the characteristic mode analysis, a circuit analog absorber is designed using a lossy FSS that consists of miniaturized meander lines and lumped resistors. The positions and values of resistors are determined according to the analysis of modal significances and modal current. After that, the presented rasorber is designed by cascading of the lossy FSS and a lossless bandpass FSS. Equivalent circuits of the frequency-selective rasorber are modelled, and surface current distributions of both FSSs are illustrated to explain the operation mechanism. Measurement results show that, under the normal incidence, a minimum insertion loss of 0.27 dB is achieved at a passband around 6 GHz, and the absorption bands with an absorption rate higher than 80% are 2.5 to 4.6 GHz in the lower band and 7.7 to 12 GHz in the higher band, respectively. Our results exhibit good agreements between measurements and simulations

FPGA-Based Implementation of All-Digital QPSK Carrier Recovery Loop Combining Costas Loop and Maximum Likelihood Frequency Estimator

This paper presents an efficient all digital carrier recovery loop (ADCRL) for quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK). The ADCRL combines classic closed-loop carrier recovery circuit, all digital Costas loop (ADCOL), with frequency feedward loop, maximum likelihood frequency estimator (MLFE) so as to make the best use of the advantages of the two types of carrier recovery loops and obtain a more robust performance in the procedure of carrier recovery. Besides, considering that, for MLFE, the accurate estimation of frequency offset is associated with the linear characteristic of its frequency discriminator (FD), the Coordinate Rotation Digital Computer (CORDIC) algorithm is introduced into the FD based on MLFE to unwrap linearly phase difference. The frequency offset contained within the phase difference unwrapped is estimated by the MLFE implemented just using some shifter and multiply-accumulate units to assist the ADCOL to lock quickly and precisely. The joint simulation results of ModelSim and MATLAB show that the performances of the proposed ADCRL in locked-in time and range are superior to those of the ADCOL. On the other hand, a systematic design procedure based on FPGA for the proposed ADCRL is also presented

Performance of Combined Process of Air Flotation- Sedimentation - Biological Contact Oxidation - Membrane Biological Reactor Treating Heavy Oil Wastewater

A study of the treatment of heavy oil wastewater was carried out using the combined process of dissolved air flotation-sedimentation- biological contact oxidation - ultra-filtration membrane. When hydraulic retention times (HRT) was 18h, removal rates of COD, oil and suspended substance (SS) approached at 73~75%, 98%~99% and 100%, respectively. The diversity of bacterias was increased after air flotation, the betaproteobacteria dominated after enriched bacterias of BW-1， BW-2， BW-3，WSW-4,1-2-1 and 3-2-1 were added to contact oxidation tank. The combined process provided a suitable process in dealing with the complex heavy oil wastewater

Ultrawideband Frequency-Selective Absorber Designed with an Adjustable and Highly Selective Notch

In this paper, the working mechanism of a wideband absorber designed with an adjustable and highly selective notch band is studied, in which the narrow notch band is independently controlled by the lower lossless layer of the absorber, while the upper lossy layer loaded with lumped resistors realizes absorption. We present two instances with geometrically controlled and electrically controlled notch bands, respectively. Without decreasing absorption performance, the notch position can be flexibly adjusted throughout the entire frequency band by simply modifying the dimension of the lossless frequency-selective surface (FSS) or changing the capacitance of the varactor, i.e., using geometric control or electrical control. The narrow notch band allows two wide absorption bands to be retained on both sides; therefore, good stealth performance is still guaranteed. Equivalent circuit models (ECM) are proposed to further explain the principle. The frequency-domain simulation, ECM, time-domain simulation, and experimental results are in good agreement and validate the adjustability and high selectivity of the notched absorbers. At the end of this paper, an FSA-backed monopole antenna is simulated and measured, which clearly illustrates that these FSAs can serve as the ground plane for antennas and realize out-of-band RCS reduction

The association between socioeconomic status and health-related quality of life among young and middle-aged maintenance hemodialysis patients: multiple mediation modeling

ObjectiveTo explore the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES), illness perception, social functioning, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of young and middle-aged maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients and the internal mechanism of action.DesignA multicenter cross-sectional study.MethodsAn aggregate of 332 young and middle-aged MHD patients were enrolled from hemodialysis centers in four general hospitals in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, from June to December 2022. The questionnaires used included one for general demographic data, the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ), Social Dysfunction Screening Scale (SDSS), and the 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12).ResultsBoth SES and HRQoL were negatively correlated with illness perception and social functioning, respectively. SES was positively correlated with HRQoL. Illness perception was positively correlated with social functioning. The indirect effects of illness perception and social functioning on the relationship between SES and HRQoL were 0.33 and 0.31, making up 41.06% and 38.91% of the sum. The chain indirect effect of illness perception and social functioning was 0.10, making up 12.59% of the total effect, while gender did not play a moderating role.ConclusionIllness perception and social functioning may independently and accumulatively mediate the association between SES and HRQoL. Nurses should consider developing individual intervention program for young and middle-aged MHD patients with low SES, focusing on establishing targeted counseling and health education strategies corresponding to illness perception and social functioning to help patients improve their HRQoL

Diurnal regulation of SDG2 and JMJ14 by circadian clock oscillators orchestrates histone modification rhythms in Arabidopsis

Background: Circadian rhythms modulate growth and development in all organisms through interlocking transcriptional-translational feedback loops. The transcriptional loop involves chromatin modifications of central circadian oscillators in mammals and plants. However, the molecular basis for rhythmic epigenetic modifications and circadian regulation is poorly understood. Results: Here we report a feedback relationship between diurnal regulation of circadian clock genes and histone modifications in Arabidopsis. On one hand, the circadian oscillators CCA1 and LHY regulate diurnal expression of genes coding for the eraser (JMJ14) directly and writer (SDG2) indirectly for H3K4me3 modification, leading to rhythmic H3K4me3 changes in target genes. On the other hand, expression of circadian oscillator genes including CCA1 and LHY is associated with H3K4me3 levels and decreased in the sdg2 mutant but increased in the jmj14 mutant. At the genome-wide level, diurnal rhythms of H3K4me3 and another histone mark H3K9ac are associated with diurnal regulation of 20-30% of the expressed genes. While the majority (86%) of H3K4me3 and H3K9ac target genes overlap, only 13% of morning-phased and 22% of evening-phased genes had both H3K4me3 and H3K9ac peaks, suggesting specific roles of different histone modifications in diurnal gene expression. Conclusions: Circadian clock genes promote diurnal regulation of SDG2 and JMJ14 expression, which in turn regulate rhythmic histone modification dynamics for the clock and its output genes. This reciprocal regulatory module between chromatin modifiers and circadian clock oscillators orchestrates diurnal gene expression that governs plant growth and development

Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Insights into How Cotton Fiber Transitions to Secondary Wall Synthesis, Represses Lignification, and Prolongs Elongation

The morphogenesis of single-celled cotton fiber includes extreme elongation and staged cell wall differentiation. Designing strategies for improving cotton fiber for textiles and other uses relies on uncovering the related regulatory mechanisms. In this research we compared the transcriptomes and metabolomes of two Gossypium genotypes, Gossypium barbadense cv Phytogen 800 and G. hirsutum cv Deltapine 90. When grown in parallel, the two types of fiber developed similarly except for prolonged fiber elongation in the G. barbadense cultivar. The data were collected from isolated fibers between 10 to 28 days post anthesis (DPA) representing: primary wall synthesis to support elongation; transitional cell wall remodeling; and secondary wall cellulose synthesis, which was accompanied by continuing elongation only in G. barbadense fiber. Results: Of 206 identified fiber metabolites, 205 were held in common between the two genotypes. Approximately 38,000 transcripts were expressed in the fiber of each genotype, and these were mapped to the reference set and interpreted by homology to known genes. The developmental changes in the transcriptomes and the metabolomes were compared within and across genotypes with several novel implications. Transitional cell wall remodeling is a distinct stable developmental stage lasting at least four days (18 to 21 DPA). Expression of selected cell wall related transcripts was similar between genotypes, but cellulose synthase gene expression patterns were more complex than expected. Lignification was transcriptionally repressed in both genotypes. Oxidative stress was lower in the fiber of G. barbadense cv Phytogen 800 as compared to G. hirsutum cv Deltapine 90. Correspondingly, the G. barbadense cultivar had enhanced capacity for management of reactive oxygen species during its prolonged elongation period, as indicated by a 138-fold increase in ascorbate concentration at 28 DPA. Conclusions: The parallel data on deep-sequencing transcriptomics and non-targeted metabolomics for two genotypes of single-celled cotton fiber showed that a discrete developmental stage of transitional cell wall remodeling occurs before secondary wall cellulose synthesis begins. The data showed how lignification can be transcriptionally repressed during secondary cell wall synthesis, and they implicated enhanced capacity to manage reactive oxygen species through the ascorbate-glutathione cycle as a positive contributor to fiber length.National Science Foundation grant 1025947Cellular and Molecular Biolog