MFFRand: Semantic Segmentation of Point Clouds Based on Multi-Scale Feature Fusion and Multi-Loss Supervision

With the application of the random sampling method in the down-sampling of point clouds data, the processing speed of point clouds has been greatly improved. However, the utilization of semantic information is still insufficient. To address this problem, we propose a point cloud semantic segmentation network called MFFRand (Multi-Scale Feature Fusion Based on RandLA-Net). Based on RandLA-Net, a multi-scale feature fusion module is developed, which is stacked by encoder-decoders with different depths. The feature maps extracted by the multi-scale feature fusion module are continuously concatenated and fused. Furthermore, for the network to be trained better, the multi-loss supervision module is proposed, which could strengthen the control of the training process of the local structure by adding sub-losses in the end of different decoder structures. Moreover, the trained MFFRand network could be connected to the inference network by different decoder terminals separately, which could achieve the inference of different depths of the network. Compared to RandLA-Net, MFFRand has improved mIoU on both S3DIS and Semantic3D datasets, reaching 71.1% and 74.8%, respectively. Extensive experimental results on the point cloud dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of our method

MFFRand: Semantic Segmentation of Point Clouds Based on Multi-Scale Feature Fusion and Multi-Loss Supervision

With the application of the random sampling method in the down-sampling of point clouds data, the processing speed of point clouds has been greatly improved. However, the utilization of semantic information is still insufficient. To address this problem, we propose a point cloud semantic segmentation network called MFFRand (Multi-Scale Feature Fusion Based on RandLA-Net). Based on RandLA-Net, a multi-scale feature fusion module is developed, which is stacked by encoder-decoders with different depths. The feature maps extracted by the multi-scale feature fusion module are continuously concatenated and fused. Furthermore, for the network to be trained better, the multi-loss supervision module is proposed, which could strengthen the control of the training process of the local structure by adding sub-losses in the end of different decoder structures. Moreover, the trained MFFRand network could be connected to the inference network by different decoder terminals separately, which could achieve the inference of different depths of the network. Compared to RandLA-Net, MFFRand has improved mIoU on both S3DIS and Semantic3D datasets, reaching 71.1% and 74.8%, respectively. Extensive experimental results on the point cloud dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of our method

Biofortification and phytoremediation of selenium in China

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for humans and animals but at high concentrations, Se becomes toxic to organisms due to Se replacing sulfur in proteins. Selenium biofortification is an agricultural process that increases the accumulation of Se in crops, through plant breeding, genetic engineering, or use of Se fertilizers. While Se phytoremediation is a green biotechnology to clean up Se-contaminated environments, primarily through phytoextraction and phytovolatilization. By integrating Se phytoremediation and biofortification technologies, Se-enriched plant materials harvested from Se phytoremediation can be used as Se-enriched green manures or other supplementary sources of Se for producing Se-biofortified agricultural products. Earlier studies primarily aimed at enhancing efficacy of phytoremediation and biofortification of Se based on natural variation in progenitor or identification of unique plant species. In this review, we discuss promising approaches to improve biofortification and phytoremediation of Se using knowledge acquired from model crops. We also explored the feasibility of applying biotechnologies such as inoculation of microbial strains for improving the efficiency of biofortification and phytoremediation of Se. The key research and practical challenges that remain in improving biofortification and phytoremediation of Se have been highlighted, and the future development and uses of Se-biofortified agricultural products in China has also been discussed

Molecular analysis and phenotypic study in 14 Chinese families with Bietti crystalline dystrophy.

To investigate the clinical features and cytochrome P450 family 4 subfamily V polypeptide 2 (CYP4V2) gene mutations in 14 Chinese families with Bietti crystalline dystrophy (BCD).Seventeen patients from 14 unrelated Chinese families with BCD were recruited for complete clinical ophthalmic examination and genetic study. The 11 exons of CYP4V2 were amplified from genomic DNA of all patients and their family members by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and then sequenced. Exons of TIMP3 were also sequenced in BCD patient associated with choroidal neovascularization (CNV). One hundred and seventy unrelated healthy Chinese subjects were screened for mutations in CYP4V2.All 17 patients with BCD had mutations in CYP4V2; one of these mutations was novel (c.219T>A, p.F73L) and four other mutations had been reported. The p.F73L mutation was a commonly detected mutation in our study (seven out of 34 alleles), either in the homozygous state or in the heterozygous state. Among the patients, considerable phenotypic variability was detected, both within and between families. Screening of TIMP3 did not find any mutation in the BCD patient associated with CNV.The novel CYP4V2 c.219T>A (p.F73L) mutation may be another recurrent mutation in Chinese patients with BCD. Our study expands the mutation spectrum of CYP4V2 and characterizes novel genotype-phenotype associations in Chinese patients with BCD

Fast two-stage charge equaliser based on state-of-charge (SOC) balancing for series-connected supercapacitors

New energy storage vehicles which use supercapacitors (SCs) as the unique source of traction power are developing rapidly recently. To satisfy the operating voltage requirement of energy storage vehicle, hundreds of SCs are needed to be connected in series. In this case, there is a voltage imbalance between the energy storage cells during rapid charging, resulting in reduced energy efficiency and service life of the energy storage device. A layered equalisation scheme is proposed to solve the problem of voltage imbalance. A single-input multiple-output synchronous rectification equalising circuit is proposed to ensure voltage consistency of series supercapacitor monomer in bottom module. The proposed circuit resolves the existing slow balancing speed and low-voltage balancing precision problems in the current supercapacitor equalising circuits. Meanwhile, an equalisation strategy based on module SOC is adopted to solve voltage imbalance problem of the upper supercapacitor module. The results of MATLAB/Saber co-simulation and experiment demonstrate that the layered equalisation system achieves the target of fast equilibrium and high precision balance

The value of bioimpedance analysis in the assessment of hydration and nutritional status in children on chronic peritoneal dialysis

Bioimpedance analysis (BIA)–body composition monitoring (BCM) has been used to evaluate the hydration and nutritional status of adults and children on dialysis. However, its clinical application still has challenges, so further exploration is valuable. We used BIA-BCM to evaluate the hydration and nutritional status of children undergoing chronic peritoneal dialysis from 1 July 2021 to 31 December 2022 in the Children’s Hospital of Fudan University to explore the clinical value of this method. A total of 84 children on chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD) were included. In the PD group, 16 (19.05%) and 31 (36.90%) had mild and severe overhydration (OH), respectively; 41.27% (26/63) had a low lean tissue index (LTI). In the PD group, patients with relative OH (Re-OH) > 5.6% had significantly higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) and SBP z score (SBPz). Patients with LTI > 12% had significantly higher body mass index (BMI) and BMI z score (BMIz). Canonical correlation analysis indicated a linear relationship (ρ = 0.708) between BIA-BCM hydration and the clinical hydration indicator and a linear relationship (ρ = 0.995) between the BIA-BCM nutritional indicator and the clinical nutritional indicator. A total of 56% of children on chronic peritoneal dialysis had OH, and 41% had a low LTI. In PD patients, SBP and SBPz were correlated with BIA-BCM Re-OH, and BMI and BMIz were correlated with BIA-BCM LTI. BIA-BCM indicators have good clinical value in evaluating hydration and nutrition

Ocular phenotype of patient P6.1.

<p>(A) Fundus photograph of right eye shows crystalline deposits with retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and choriocapillaris atrophy and macular hole. (B) Late phase of fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) of right eye shows choriocapillaris-RPE complex atrophy, while macular leakage is not shown. (<b>C</b>) Spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) of right eye shows a lamellar hole attributable to macular cysts. (D) Fundus photograph of left eye shows crystalline deposits with RPE and choriocapillaris atrophy. (E) Late phase of FFA of left eye shows choriocapillaris-RPE complex atrophy, while partial reservation of choriocapillaris in macular is noted (white arrow). (F) SD-OCT of left eye shows thinning of the neuroretina, disturbed organization of the RPE-photoreceptor outer/inner segment layer, increased backscatter, and intraretinal hyperrefractive spot related to crystalline deposit (white arrow).</p