A Sparsity-Based InSAR Phase Denoising Algorithm Using Nonlocal Wavelet Shrinkage

An interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) phase denoising algorithm using the local sparsity of wavelet coefficients and nonlocal similarity of grouped blocks was developed. From the Bayesian perspective, the double-l1 norm regularization model that enforces the local and nonlocal sparsity constraints was used. Taking advantages of coefficients of the nonlocal similarity between group blocks for the wavelet shrinkage, the proposed algorithm effectively filtered the phase noise. Applying the method to simulated and acquired InSAR data, we obtained satisfactory results. In comparison, the algorithm outperformed several widely-used InSAR phase denoising approaches in terms of the number of residues, root-mean-square errors and other edge preservation indexes

Governance Infrastructure and Location of Foreign Direct Investment in the People’s Republic of China

Standard neoclassical theory predicts that capital should flow from rich to poor countries. However, Lucas (1990) points out that these capital flows are actually very modest, and nowhere near the levels predicted by theory. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) now receives more foreign capital in the form of foreign direct investment (FDI) than any other country, but statistics indicate that this inward FDI flows unequally to different regions. In this study, using hand-collected data on FDI for more than 200 cities, we examine whether the Lucas paradox of capital exists within the PRC. We adopt the dynamic panel data generalized method of moments (GMM) framework to avoid the potential endogeneity issue. Using both provincial- and city-level data, the empirical results show that FDI flows to the PRC, as proxied by total gross domestic product (GDP) and per capita GDP, favor rich regions over poor regions. We also find that regional economic growth has no significant impact on FDI. These findings support the existence of the Lucas paradox in the PRC. We demonstrate that this paradox is not driven by government policy and explore possible explanations for its existence.Governance infrastructure, the PRC, FDI flows, location

Business groups in China

We investigate whether business groups in China act as internal capital markets, in an environment that is characterized by a high level of government intervention, a weak legal system, and an underdeveloped financial market. We study how institutional factors, such as the ultimate owner and level of market development, shape the role of these business groups. We find that business groups help member firms overcome constraints in raising external capital, and that the internal capital market within a business group is more likely to be an alternative financing channel among state-owned firms than among private firms. We also find that the internal capital market is more likely to help those affiliated firms which are private, local government owned relative to those owned by central government, or located in regions with a well-developed institutional environment. We present evidence of the role of business groups in risk sharing among affiliated firms, but find that business group affiliation has no impact on firm accounting performance. This study sheds new light on the theory of the firm and its boundaries, and provides a better understanding of China's rapidly growing economy

The scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy of GaSb1- (x) Bi (x) films of a few-nanometer thickness grown by molecular beam epitaxy

The ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was used to characterize the GaSb1- (x) Bi (x) films of a few nanometers thickness grown by the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on the GaSb buffer layer of 100 nm with the GaSb (100) substrates. The thickness of the GaSb1- (x) Bi (x) layers of the samples are 5 and 10 nm, respectively. For comparison, the GaSb buffer was also characterized and its STM image displays terraces whose surfaces are basically atomically flat and their roughness is generally less than 1 monolayer (ML). The surface of 5 nm GaSb1- (x) Bi (x) film reserves the same terraced morphology as the buffer layer. In contrast, the morphology of the 10 nm GaSb1- (x) Bi (x) film changes to the mound-like island structures with a height of a few MLs. The result implies the growth mode transition from the two-dimensional mode as displayed by the 5 nm film to the Stranski-Krastinov mode as displayed by the 10 nm film. The statistical analysis with the scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) measurements indicates that both the incorporation and the inhomogeneity of Bi atoms increase with the thickness of the GaSb1- (x) Bi (x) layer

Anemia among Chinese patients with chronic kidney disease and its association with quality of life - results from the Chinese cohort study of chronic kidney disease (C-STRIDE)

Abstract Background Anemia is one of the common complications in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, there is no systematic investigation on the prevalence of anemia in CKD patients and its relationship with the quality of life in China. Methods The data for this study comes from baseline data from the Chinese Chronic Kidney Disease Cohort Study (C-STRIDE), which recruited predialysis CKD patients in China. The kidney disease quality of life summary (KDQOL-TM) was used to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Use linear regression model to estimate the relationship between hemoglobin level and quality of life. Results A total of 2921 patients were included in this study. The adjusted prevalence of hemoglobin (Hb) less than 100 g/L was 10.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.9,11.4%), and showed an increased trend through reduced eGFR levels from 4.0% (95%CI:2.3,5.9%) in the 45-60 ml/min/1.73m2 group to 23.4% (95%CI:20.5,26.2%) in the 15–29 ml/min/1.73m2 group. The prevalence of anti-anemia treatment was 34.0% (95%CI: 28.7,39.3%) and it is shown by reducing eGFR levels from 15.8% (95%CI:0,36.7%) in the 45-60 ml/min/1.73m2 group to 38.2% (95%CI: 30.7,45.2%) in the 15–29 ml/min/1.73m2 group. All five dimensions of the KDQOL scores in patients with CKD decreased as hemoglobin declined. After multivariable adjustments,the degrees of decrease became somewhat blunted. For example, compared with hemoglobin of ≥130 g/L, regression coefficients in the hemoglobin of < 100 g/L were − 0.047(95%CI: − 0.049,-0.045) for Symptoms and Problems(S), − 0.047(95%CI: − 0.049,-0.044) for Effects of the Kidney Disease(E), − 0.207(95%CI: − 0.212,-0.203) for Burden of the Kidney Disease(B), − 0.112(95%CI: − 0.115,-0.109) for SF-12 Physical Functioning (PCS), − 0.295(95%CI: − 0.299, -0.292) for SF-12 Mental Functioning (MCS), respectively. Conclusions In our cross-sectional analysis of patients with CKD in China, prevalence of both anemia and anti-anemia treatment increased with decreased eGFR. In addition, anemia was associated with reduced HRQoL.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/173572/1/12882_2021_Article_2247.pd

A metabolomic and pharmacokinetic study on the mechanism underlying the lipid-lowering effect of orally administered berberine (vol 11, pg 463, 2015)

Biochemistry &amp; Molecular BiologySCI(E)[email protected]; [email protected]