973 research outputs found
1002-101 Pyrroloquinoline quinone decreases myocardial infarct size and improves cardiac function in rat models of ischemia and ischemia-reperfusion
SuperpixelGraph: Semi-automatic generation of building footprint through semantic-sensitive superpixel and neural graph networks
Most urban applications necessitate building footprints in the form of
concise vector graphics with sharp boundaries rather than pixel-wise raster
images. This need contrasts with the majority of existing methods, which
typically generate over-smoothed footprint polygons. Editing these
automatically produced polygons can be inefficient, if not more time-consuming
than manual digitization. This paper introduces a semi-automatic approach for
building footprint extraction through semantically-sensitive superpixels and
neural graph networks. Drawing inspiration from object-based classification
techniques, we first learn to generate superpixels that are not only
boundary-preserving but also semantically-sensitive. The superpixels respond
exclusively to building boundaries rather than other natural objects, while
simultaneously producing semantic segmentation of the buildings. These
intermediate superpixel representations can be naturally considered as nodes
within a graph. Consequently, graph neural networks are employed to model the
global interactions among all superpixels and enhance the representativeness of
node features for building segmentation. Classical approaches are utilized to
extract and regularize boundaries for the vectorized building footprints.
Utilizing minimal clicks and straightforward strokes, we efficiently accomplish
accurate segmentation outcomes, eliminating the necessity for editing polygon
vertices. Our proposed approach demonstrates superior precision and efficacy,
as validated by experimental assessments on various public benchmark datasets.
A significant improvement of 8% in AP50 was observed in vector graphics
evaluation, surpassing established techniques. Additionally, we have devised an
optimized and sophisticated pipeline for interactive editing, poised to further
augment the overall quality of the results
IPS Observation System for Miyun 50m Radio Telescope and Its Acceptance Observation
Ground-based observation of Interplanetary Scintillation(IPS) is an important
approach of monitoring solar wind. A ground-based IPS observation system is
newly implemented on 50m radio telescope, Miyun station, National Astronomical
Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences(NAOC). This observation system is
constructed for purpose of observing the solar wind speed and scintillation
index by using the normalized cross-spectrum of simultaneous dual-frequency IPS
measurement. The system consists of a universal dual-frequency front-end and a
dual-channel multi-function back-end specially designed for IPS. After careful
calibration and testing, IPS observations on source 3C273B and 3C279 are
successfully carried out. The preliminary observation results show that this
newly developed observation system is capable of doing IPS observation.The
system sensitivity for IPS observation can reach over 0.3Jy in terms of IPS
polarization correlator with 4MHz bandwidth and 2s integration time.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure
A broad-spectrum substrate for the human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases and its use for investigating glucuronidation inhibitors
Strong inhibition of the human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase enzymes (UGTs) may lead to undesirable effects, including hyperbilirubinaemia and drugiherb-drug interactions. Currently, there is no good way to examine the inhibitory effects and specificities of compounds toward all the important human UGTs, side-by-side and under identical conditions. Herein, we report a new, broad-spectrum substrate for human UGTs and its uses in screening and characterizing of UGT inhibitors. Following screening a variety of phenolic compound(s), we have found that methylophiopogonanone A (MOA) can be readily O-glucuronidated by all tested human UGTs, including the typical N-glucuronidating enzymes UGT1A4 and UGT2B10. MOA-O-glucuronidation yielded a single mono-O-glucuronide that was biosynthesized and purified for structural characterization and for constructing an LC-UV based MOA-O-glucuronidation activity assay, which was then used for investigating MOA-O-glucuronidation kinetics in recombinant human UGTs. The derived K-m values were crucial for selecting the most suitable assay conditions for assessing inhibitory potentials and specificity of test compound(s). Furthermore, the inhibitory effects and specificities of four known UGT inhibitors were reinvestigated by using MOA as the substrate for all tested UGTs. Collectively, MOA is a broad-spectrum substrate for the human UGTs, which offers a new and practical tool for assessing inhibitory effects and specificities of UGT inhibitors. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe
Regression of atherosclerosis in cholesterol-fed rabbits: Effects of fish oil and verapamil
AbstractPrevious studies have shown that either fish oil or verapamil can attenuate the development of atherosclerosis in the lipid-fed rabbit. The present study was designed to evaluate the individual and combined effects of these two interventions on regression.Seventy New Zealand rabbits in seven groups (10 each) were fed a 0.3% cholesterol diet for 10 weeks. Control group C10 was then killed. Control group C20 was fed a 0.3% cholesterol diet and the other five groups were fed a normal diet for an additional 10 weeks. Group F in three treated groups received 2 ml/day of fish oil (Proto-Chol, eicosapentaenoic acid, 180 mg/ml and docosahexaenoic acid, 120 mg/ml) by gavage. Group V received verapamil, 2 g/1,000 ml drinking water, and group FV received both fish oil and verapamil for an additional 10 weeks. Group CF (control for fish oil) received 2 ml/day of water by gavage and group CV (control for verapamil) received water without gavage for an additional 10 weeks.The percent of aortic and pulmonary atherosclerosis was measured by planimetry of sudanophilic lesions. The percent of aortic lesions in the four control groups (C20, C10, CF and CV) was 57 ± 22, 40 ± 15, 40 ± 14 and 33 ± 25%, respectively. The fish oil or verapamil groups (F, V, FV) showed a significant reduction in aortic lesions: 15 ± 17%, p < 0.05; 16 ± 12%, p < 0.05; and 26 ± 24%, p = NS, respectively. The area of pulmonary artery lesions was significantly higher in the control group (CF, 24 ± 9%) than in group F (11 ± 9%, p < 0.05), group V (12 ± 9%, p < 0.05) and group FV (17 ± 14%, p = NS).These data demonstrate that either fish oil or verapamil can decrease atherosclerosis in cholesterol-fed rabbits placed on a normal diet. However, there was no additive effect of fish oil and verapamil. Although not statistically significant, there was a suggestive antagonistic effect between fish oil and verapamil
- …