Fast and easy blind deblurring using an inverse filter and PROBE

PROBE (Progressive Removal of Blur Residual) is a recursive framework for blind deblurring. Using the elementary modified inverse filter at its core, PROBE's experimental performance meets or exceeds the state of the art, both visually and quantitatively. Remarkably, PROBE lends itself to analysis that reveals its convergence properties. PROBE is motivated by recent ideas on progressive blind deblurring, but breaks away from previous research by its simplicity, speed, performance and potential for analysis. PROBE is neither a functional minimization approach, nor an open-loop sequential method (blur kernel estimation followed by non-blind deblurring). PROBE is a feedback scheme, deriving its unique strength from the closed-loop architecture rather than from the accuracy of its algorithmic components

Detection of mild to moderate influenza A/H7N9 infection by China's national sentinel surveillance system for influenza-like illness: case series

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In-situ FT-IR study of high pressure syngas conversion over Rh/SiO2 and Rh/NaY catalysts

High pressure syngas [V(CO) : V(H-2) = 1] conversion over unpromoted Rh catalyst supported on silica and zeolite NaY were studied at 250 degreesC with an in-situ. IR cell that avoided contamination of iron carbonyls. Change of the syngas pressure produced no effect on the IR spectrum of Rh/SiO2; bridged and linear CO on Rh clusters were the only detectable surface species under 0.1 to 1.0 MPa of flowing syngas. In addition to the bridged and linear CO species, two types of dicarbonyls [Rh(I)(CO)(2)] and a small amount of Rh-6(CO)(16) were formed when Rh/NaY was exposed to 0.1 MPa syngas. Increasing of the syngas pressure to 1. 0 MPa over Rh/NaY resulted in transformation of the dicarbonyls to Rh-6(CO)(16) and probably a mononuclear medium carbonyl featuring an absorption 2042 cm(-1). The detectable reaction products adsorbed on Rh/NaY catalyst under 1.0 MPa were monodentate and bidentate acetates. These surface species were maintained even after releasing the syngas pressure back to 0.1 MPa. Thus, a remarkable difference exists in the effect of syngas pressure on the strtucture of Rh catalysts: reconstruction of Rh catalyst under high pressure of syngas occurs in zeolite NaY but not on silica. Reactivity of the adsorbed surface species toward hydrogen after the catalyst reconstruction suggests that the monodentate acetate groups are responsible for the selective formation of acetic acid from syngas over the Rh/NaY catalyst

Efficient and Scalable Purification of Cardiomyocytes from Human Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells by VCAM1 Surface Expression

RATIONALE: Human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells (hESCs/hiPSCs) are promising cell sources for cardiac regenerative medicine. To realize hESC/hiPSC-based cardiac cell therapy, efficient induction, purification, and transplantation methods for cardiomyocytes are required. Though marker gene transduction or fluorescent-based purification methods have been reported, fast, efficient and scalable purification methods with no genetic modification are essential for clinical purpose but have not yet been established. In this study, we attempted to identify cell surface markers for cardiomyocytes derived from hESC/hiPSCs. METHOD AND RESULT: We adopted a previously reported differentiation protocol for hESCs based on high density monolayer culture to hiPSCs with some modification. Cardiac troponin-T (TNNT2)-positive cardiomyocytes appeared robustly with 30-70% efficiency. Using this differentiation method, we screened 242 antibodies for human cell surface molecules to isolate cardiomyocytes derived from hiPSCs and identified anti-VCAM1 (Vascular cell adhesion molecule 1) antibody specifically marked cardiomyocytes. TNNT2-positive cells were detected at day 7-8 after induction and 80% of them became VCAM1-positive by day 11. Approximately 95-98% of VCAM1-positive cells at day 11 were positive for TNNT2. VCAM1 was exclusive with CD144 (endothelium), CD140b (pericytes) and TRA-1-60 (undifferentiated hESCs/hiPSCs). 95% of MACS-purified cells were positive for TNNT2. MACS purification yielded 5-10×10(5) VCAM1-positive cells from a single well of a six-well culture plate. Purified VCAM1-positive cells displayed molecular and functional features of cardiomyocytes. VCAM1 also specifically marked cardiomyocytes derived from other hESC or hiPSC lines. CONCLUSION: We succeeded in efficiently inducing cardiomyocytes from hESCs/hiPSCs and identifying VCAM1 as a potent cell surface marker for robust, efficient and scalable purification of cardiomyocytes from hESC/hiPSCs. These findings would offer a valuable technological basis for hESC/hiPSC-based cell therapy

The generalized Hamiltonian model for the shafting transient analysis of the hydro turbine generating sets.

yesTraditional rotor dynamics mainly focuses on the steady- state behavior of the rotor and shafting. However, for systems such as hydro turbine generating sets (HTGS) where the control and regulation is frequently applied, the shafting safety and stabilization in transient state is then a key factor. The shafting transient state inevitably involves multiparameter domain, multifield coupling, and coupling dynamics. In this paper, the relative value form of the Lagrange function and its equations have been established by defining the base value system of the shafting. Takingthe rotation angle and the angular speed of the shafting as a link, the shafting lateral vibration and generator equations are integrated into the framework of generalized Hamiltonian system. The generalized Hamiltonian control model is thus established. To make the model more general, additional forces of the shafting are taken as the input excitation in proposed model. The control system of the HTGS can be easily connected with the shafting model to form the whole simulation system of the HTGS. It is expected that this study will build a foundation for the coupling dynamics theory using the generalized Hamiltonian theory to investigate coupling dynamic mechanism among the shafting vibration, transient of hydro turbine generating sets, and additional forces of the shafting.National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos. 51179079 and 5083900

Genome structure of cotton revealed by a genome-wide SSR genetic map constructed from a BC1 population between gossypium hirsutum and G. barbadense

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cotton, with a large genome, is an important crop throughout the world. A high-density genetic linkage map is the prerequisite for cotton genetics and breeding. A genetic map based on simple polymerase chain reaction markers will be efficient for marker-assisted breeding in cotton, and markers from transcribed sequences have more chance to target genes related to traits. To construct a genome-wide, functional marker-based genetic linkage map in cotton, we isolated and mapped expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeats (EST-SSRs) from cotton ESTs derived from the A₁, D₅, (AD)₁, and (AD)₂genome.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 3177 new EST-SSRs developed in our laboratory and other newly released SSRs were used to enrich our interspecific BC₁genetic linkage map. A total of 547 loci and 911 loci were obtained from our EST-SSRs and the newly released SSRs, respectively. The 1458 loci together with our previously published data were used to construct an updated genetic linkage map. The final map included 2316 loci on the 26 cotton chromosomes, 4418.9 cM in total length and 1.91 cM in average distance between adjacent markers. To our knowledge, this map is one of the three most dense linkage maps in cotton. Twenty-one segregation distortion regions (SDRs) were found in this map; three segregation distorted chromosomes, Chr02, Chr16, and Chr18, were identified with 99.9% of distorted markers segregating toward the heterozygous allele. Functional analysis of SSR sequences showed that 1633 loci of this map (70.6%) were transcribed loci and 1332 loci (57.5%) were translated loci.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This map lays groundwork for further genetic analyses of important quantitative traits, marker-assisted selection, and genome organization architecture in cotton as well as for comparative genomics between cotton and other species. The segregation distorted chromosomes can be a guide to identify segregation distortion loci in cotton. The annotation of SSR sequences identified frequent and rare gene ontology items on each chromosome, which is helpful to discover functions of cotton chromosomes.</p

Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinase A Regulates the Alternative Splicing of CaMKIIδ

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMK) IIδ is predominantly expressed in the heart. There are three isoforms of CaMKIIδ resulting from the alternative splicing of exons 14, 15, and 16 of its pre-mRNA, which is regulated by the splicing factor SF2/ASF. Inclusion of exons 15 and 16 or of exon 14 generates δA or δB isoform. The exclusion of all three exons gives rise to δC isoform, which is selectively increased in pressure-overload-induced hypertrophy. Overexpression of either δB or δC induces hypertrophy and heart failure, suggesting their specific role in the pathogenesis of hypertrophy and heart failure. It is well known that the β-adrenergic-cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) pathway is implicated in heart failure. To determine the role of PKA in the alternative splicing of CaMKIIδ, we constructed mini-CaMKIIδ genes and used these genes to investigate the regulation of the alternative splicing of CaMKIIδ by PKA in cultured cells. We found that PKA promoted the exclusion of exons 14, 15, and 16 of CaMKIIδ, resulting in an increase in δC isoform. PKA interacted with and phosphorylated SF2/ASF, and enhanced SF2/ASF's activity to promote the exclusion of exons 14, 15, and 16 of CaMKIIδ, leading to a further increase in the expression of δC isoform. These findings suggest that abnormality in β-adrenergic-PKA signaling may contribute to cardiomyopathy and heart failure through dysregulation in the alternative splicing of CaMKIIδ exons 14, 15, and 16 and up-regulation of CaMKIIδC

Synthesis and characterization of CuO nanowires by a simple wet chemical method

We report a successful synthesis of copper oxide nanowires with an average diameter of 90 nm and lengths of several micrometers by using a simple and inexpensive wet chemical method. The CuO nanowires prepared via this method are advantageous for industrial applications which require mass production and low thermal budget technique. It is found that the concentration and the quantity of precursors are the critical factors for obtaining the desired one-dimensional morphology. Field emission scanning electron microscopy images indicate the influence of thioglycerol on the dispersity of the prepared CuO nanowires possibly due to the stabilization effect of the surface caused by the organic molecule thioglycerol. The Fourier transform infrared spectrum analysis, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis, and X-ray photoemission spectrum analysis confirm clearly the formation of a pure phase high-quality CuO with monoclinic crystal structure

Rhizome Severing Increases Root Lifespan of Leymus chinensis in a Typical Steppe of Inner Mongolia

Root lifespan is an important trait that determines plants' ability to acquire and conserve soil resources. There have been several studies investigating characteristics of root lifespan of both woody and herbaceous species. However, most of the studies have focused on non-clonal plants, and there have been little data on root lifespan for clonal plants that occur widely in temperate grasslands.We investigated the effects of rhizome severing on overall root lifespan of Leymus chinensis, a clonal, dominant grass species in the temperate steppe in northern China, in a 2-year field study using modified rhizotron technique. More specifically, we investigated the effects of rhizome severing on root lifespan of roots born in different seasons and distributed at different soil depths. Rhizome severing led to an increase in the overall root lifespan from 81 to 103 days. The increase in root lifespan exhibited spatial and temporal characteristics such that it increased lifespan for roots distributed in the top two soil layers and for roots born in summer and spring, but it had no effect on lifespan of roots in the deep soil layer and born in autumn. We also examined the effect of rhizome severing on carbohydrate and N contents in roots, and found that root carbohydrate and N contents were not affected by rhizome severing. Further, we found that root lifespan of Stipa krylovii and Artemisia frigida, two dominant, non-clonal species in the temperate steppe, was significantly longer (118 d) than that of L. chinensis (81 d), and this value became comparable to that of L. chinensis under rhizome severing (103 d).We found that root lifespan in dominant, clonal L. chinensis was shorter than for the dominant, non-clonal species of S. krylovii and A. frigida. There was a substantial increase in the root lifespan of L. chinensis in response to severing their rhizomes, and this increase in root lifespan exhibited temporal and spatial characteristics. These findings suggest that the presence of rhizomes is likely to account for the observed short lifespan of clonal plant species in the temperate steppe