A Novel Fast and Robust Binary Affine Invariant Descriptor for Image Matching

As the current binary descriptors have disadvantages of high computational complexity, no affine invariance, and the high false matching rate with viewpoint changes, a new binary affine invariant descriptor, called BAND, is proposed. Different from other descriptors, BAND has an irregular pattern, which is based on local affine invariant region surrounding a feature point, and it has five orientations, which are obtained by LBP effectively. Ultimately, a 256 bits binary string is computed by simple random sampling pattern. Experimental results demonstrate that BAND has a good matching result in the conditions of rotating, image zooming, noising, lighting, and small-scale perspective transformation. It has better matching performance compared with current mainstream descriptors, while it costs less time

Effect and Process Conditions of Cold Plasma Combined withL-Glutamic Acid and Salt Stress on Germination and Enrichment ofγ-Aminobutyric Acid in Adzuki Bean

This study aimed to investigate the effect of cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) treatment combined with salt stress on the enrichment of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in adzuki beans after germination. The effect of CAPP voltage, frequency, and duration of treatment of seeds, on their GABA content during germination was investigated using adzuki beans as raw material. In addition, the method of germination using L-glutamic acid (L-Glu) combined with salt stress was used to investigate the effect of single factors (germination time and concentrations of CaCl2, L-Glu, and NaCl) on enrichment of GABA. The optimal process conditions for enrichment of GABA using response surface optimization experiments were also determined. The results showed that the treatment of seeds with CAPP technology had a beneficial effect on their germination and enrichment of GABA. The CAPP treatment was more effective under the following conditions: voltage of 90 kV, frequency of 120 Hz, and duration of 20 min. When the germination time was 58 h and the CaCl2, L-Glu, and NaCl concentrations were 4.4 mmol/L, 3.2 mg/mL, and 66 mmol/L, respectively, the GABA content of germinated adzuki beans was 160.23±2.91 mg/100 g, which was 7.12 times higher than that of ungerminated adzuki beans. This method is efficient, reliable, cost-effective, and provides a technical reference for the industrial production of GABA-rich foods

The Local Brain Abnormalities in Patients With Transient Ischemic Attack: A Resting-State fMRI Study

Background: Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is an important risk factor for stroke. Despite the transient episodes of clinical symptoms, brain alterations are still observed in patients with TIA. However, the functional mechanism of transient ischemia is still unclear. Here, we employed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to explore the functional abnormalities in patients with TIA.Methods: 48 TIA patients and 41 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in the study. For each participant, we collected rs-fMRI data and clinical/physiological/biochemical data. Amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and degree centrality (DC) were then calculated. Two sample t-tests were performed to compare the ALFF, ReHo, and DC maps between the two groups. Furthermore, a correlation analysis was performed to explore the relationship between local brain abnormalities and clinical/physiological/biochemical characteristics tests in TIA patients.Results: Compared with the HCs, the TIA patients exhibited decreased ALFF in the left middle temporal gyrus, decreased DC in the triangular part of right inferior frontal gyrus, and no significant statistical difference in ReHo. No correlation was found between local abnormalities and clinical/physiological/biochemical scores in the patients with TIA.Conclusion: Collectively, we found decreased ALFF and DC in patients with TIA which provide evidence for local brain dysfunctions and may help to understand the pathological mechanism for the disease

SHP-2 Promotes the Maturation of Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells Through Akt and ERK1/2 Signaling In Vitro

Background: Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) differentiate into oligodendrocytes (OLs), which are responsible for myelination. Myelin is essential for saltatory nerve conduction in the vertebrate nervous system. However, the molecular mechanisms of maturation and myelination by oligodendrocytes remain elusive. Methods and Findings: In the present study, we showed that maturation of oligodendrocytes was attenuated by sodium orthovanadate (a comprehensive inhibitor of tyrosine phosphatases) and PTPi IV (a specific inhibitor of SHP-2). It is also found that SHP-2 was persistently expressed during maturation process of OPCs. Down-regulation of endogenous SHP-2 led to impairment of oligodendrocytes maturation and this effect was triiodo-L-thyronine (T3) dependent. Furthermore, overexpression of SHP-2 was shown to promote maturation of oligodendrocytes. Finally, it has been identified that SHP-2 was involved in activation of Akt and extracellular-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) induced by T3 in oligodendrocytes

Embracing the Market: Entry into Self-Employment in Transitional China, 1978-1996

This paper introduces labor market transition as an intervening process by which the macro institutional transition to a market economy alters social stratification outcome. Rather than directly addressing income distribution, it examines the pattern of workers’ entry into self-employment in reform-era China (1978-1996), focusing on rural-urban differences and the temporal trend. Analyses of data from a national representative survey in China show that education, party membership and cadre status all deter urban workers’ entry into self-employment, while education promotes rural workers’ entry into self-employment. As marketization proceeds, the rate of entry into self-employment increases in both rural and urban China, but urban workers are increasingly more likely to take advantages of the new market opportunities. In urban China, college graduates and cadres are still less likely to be involved in self-employment, but they are becoming more likely to do so in the later phase of reform. The diversity of transition scenarios is attributed to rural-urban differences in labor market structures.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39897/3/wp512.pd

T-S Fuzzy Model-Based Approximation and Filter Design for Stochastic Time-Delay Systems with Hankel Norm Criterion

This paper investigates the Hankel norm filter design problem for stochastic time-delay systems, which are represented by Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model. Motivated by the parallel distributed compensation (PDC) technique, a novel filtering error system is established. The objective is to design a suitable filter that guarantees the corresponding filtering error system to be mean-square asymptotically stable and to have a specified Hankel norm performance level γ. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory and the Itô differential rule, the Hankel norm criterion is first established by adopting the integral inequality method, which can make some useful efforts in reducing conservativeness. The Hankel norm filtering problem is casted into a convex optimization problem with a convex linearization approach, which expresses all the conditions for the existence of admissible Hankel norm filter as standard linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated via a numerical example

COVID-19 and Eating Problems in Daily Life: The Mediating Roles of Stress, Negative Affect and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

Background The COVID-19 pandemic poses a challenge to individuals\u27 mental health. People worldwide are experiencing increased stress, negative affect, and posttraumatic stress symptoms, which may lead to eating problems. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the perceived severity of COVID-19 on eating problems and the mediating effects of stress/negative affect/posttraumatic stress symptoms both at the personal level and interpersonal level. Methods: During the COVID-19 outbreak, a total of 108 college students were recruited to report their perceived severity of COVID-19, stress, negative affect, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and eating problems three times a day for seven consecutive days using Ecological Momentary Assessment. Results: State perceived severity of COVID-19 predicted fewer subsequent eating problems in daily life at the personal level. Both state negative affect and posttraumatic stress symptoms were positively associated with eating problems in daily life. At the interpersonal level, trait-like perceived severity of COVID-19, stress, negative affect, and posttraumatic stress symptoms were positively associated with overall eating problems. There were no mediating effects of stress/negative affect/posttraumatic stress symptoms on the relations between perceived severity of COVID-19 and eating problems at the personal/interpersonal level. Conclusions: The perceived severity of COVID-19, stress, negative affect, and posttraumatic stress symptoms might increase the risk of eating problems

Effects of Antimony Stress on Photosynthesis and Growth of Acorus calamus

This study was aimed to explore that effects of Sb on physiological parameters of Acorus calamus and the possibility of using A. calamus as a remediation plant. A. calamus potted experiments were conducted using different concentrations (0, 250, 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg) of antimony potassium tartrate (Sb3+) (marked as CK, T1, T2, T3, and T4, respectively) and potassium pyroantimonate (Sb5+) (marked as CK, T′1, T′2, T′3, and T′4, respectively). The effects of Sb stress (Sb3+ and Sb5+) on leaf photosynthetic pigments, biomass, photosynthetic characteristics and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of potted A. calamus were studied. With the rise of Sb3+ concentration from T1 to T4, the leaf pigment contents (chlorophyll a, b, carotenoid), plant height, dry weight, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), evaporation rate (E), PSII maximum photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), and PSII electron transfer quantum yield rate (ΦPSII) of A. calamus all reduced, while intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) significantly increased. The reduction of Pn was mainly induced by non-stomatal limitation. Chlorophyll a/b ratio increased significantly versus the control, while carotenoid/chlorophyll ratio (Car/Chl) first decreased and then increased. The leaf Chl a, Chl b, Car, plant height, dry weight, Pn, Gs, E, Fv/Fm, and ΦPSII all maximized in T′1 (250 mg/kg), but were not significantly different from the control. As the Sb5+ concentration increased from T′2 to T′4, the above indices all decreased and were significantly different from the control. Moreover, intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) decreased significantly. The reduction of Pn was caused by non-stomatal limitation, indicating the mesophyll cells were damaged. The Car/Chl ratio was stable within 0–500 mg/kg Sb, but decreased in T3 and T4, and rose in T′3 and T′4. After Sb3+ and Sb5+ treatments, translocation factor varied 19.44–27.8 and 19.44–24.86%, respectively. In conclusion, different form Sb3+ treatment, Sb5+ treatment showed a Hormesi effect, as low-concentration treatment promoted A. calamus growth, but high-concentration treatment inhibited its growth. The two forms of Sb both caused unfavorable effects on A. calamus, but the seedlings did not die and were modestly adaptive and Sb-accumulative. A. calamus, which is easily maintained and cultivated, can serve as a good candidate for phytoremediation of water contaminated with Sb

A parameter-dependent approach to observer-based H ∞ control for networked control LPV systems

We address the observer-based H ∞ controller design problem for networked control LPV (NC LPV) systems, which are network-based systems that depend on unknown but measurable time-varying parameters. According to the analysis of the special issues brought by introducing network into LPV systems and the state reconstruction based on the observer, a new augmented model is established with two independent time-varying delays, which can carry out the controller and observer collaborative design effectively. Based on the parameter-dependent Lyapunov stability theory, a sufficient condition is proposed to ensure that the closed-loop system is asymptotically stable with a guaranteed H ∞ performance level γ, in which the coupling between Lyapunov function matrices and the system matrices existed. By using the Projection Lemma and introducing a slack matrix, the decoupling is achieved successfully, which refers to reducing conservatism. In the present study, the condition for stability analysis and control synthesis is formulated in terms of the parameterized linear matrix inequality (PLMI), which is infinite-dimensional and can be transformed into finite by using the basis function method and gridding technique. A numerical example is given to demonstrate the high validity and merit of the proposed approach. © 2014 Yanhui Li et al

A Parameter-Dependent Approach to Observer-Based ∞ Control for Networked Control LPV Systems

We address the observer-based ∞ controller design problem for networked control LPV (NC LPV) systems, which are networkbased systems that depend on unknown but measurable time-varying parameters. According to the analysis of the special issues brought by introducing network into LPV systems and the state reconstruction based on the observer, a new augmented model is established with two independent time-varying delays, which can carry out the controller and observer collaborative design effectively. Based on the parameter-dependent Lyapunov stability theory, a sufficient condition is proposed to ensure that the closedloop system is asymptotically stable with a guaranteed ∞ performance level , in which the coupling between Lyapunov function matrices and the system matrices existed. By using the Projection Lemma and introducing a slack matrix, the decoupling is achieved successfully, which refers to reducing conservatism. In the present study, the condition for stability analysis and control synthesis is formulated in terms of the parameterized linear matrix inequality (PLMI), which is infinite-dimensional and can be transformed into finite by using the basis function method and gridding technique. A numerical example is given to demonstrate the high validity and merit of the proposed approach