Image Super-Resolution Reconstruction Based On L1/2 Sparsity

Based on image sparse representation in the shearlet domain, we proposed a L1/2 sparsity regularized unconvex variation model for image super-resolution. The L1/2 regularizer term constrains the underlying image to have a sparse representation in shearlet domain. The fidelity term restricts the consistency with the measured imaged in terms of the data degradation model. Then, the variable splitting algorithm is used to break down the model into a series of constrained optimization problems which can be solved by alternating direction method of multipliers. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, both in its visual effects and in quantitative terms

Conforming an Extracorporeal Lithotripter System for Video Urodynamic Studies

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency using existing fluoroscopic unit and lithotripter table of an extracorporeal lithotripter system for video urodynamic studies (VUDS) to determine anatomical abnormalities in patients with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD). Methods: The extracorporeal lithotripsy system was adapted to obtain optimum fluoroscopic view according to body shape and observed organs of patients. We reviewed the VUDS data of 25 patients with NLUTD. Results: “Christmas tree bladder” (CTB) was found in 5 (20%) patients. Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) and external detrusor sphincter dyssynergia (DESD) were detected in 3 (12%) and 4 (16%) patients, respectively. Four (16%) patients with normal coordination between detrusor contraction and external sphincter relaxation were proven by VUDS. CTB, VUR, or DESD was not observed in 10 (40%) patients with flaccid bladder. Hematuria, urinary tract infection, or autonomic dysreflexia did not occur in any of the patients. Conclusions: VUDS can discern anatomical abnormalities of the urinary tract, and patients in undeveloped areas of the world who have NLUTD can have easier access to VUDS because of the decreasing capital cost of VUDS

Image Super-Resolution Reconstruction Based on L1/2 Sparsity

Based on image sparse representation in the shearlet domain, we proposed a L1/2 sparsity regularized unconvex variation model for image super-resolution. The L1/2 regularizer term constrains the underlying image to have a sparse representation in shearlet domain. The fidelity term restricts the consistency with the measured imaged in terms of the data degradation model. Then, the variable splitting algorithm is used to break down the model into a series of constrained optimization problems which can be solved by alternating direction method of multipliers. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, both in its visual effects and in quantitative terms

Improving the Efficacy of Conventional Therapy by Adding Andrographolide Sulfonate in the Treatment of Severe Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background. Herb-derived compound andrographolide sulfonate (called Xiyanping injection) recommended control measure for severe hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) by the Ministry of Health (China) during the 2010 epidemic. However, there is a lack of good quality evidence directly comparing the efficacy of Andrographolide Sulfonate combination therapy with conventional therapy. Methods. 230 patients were randomly assigned to 7–10 days of Andrographolide Sulfonate 5–10 mg/Kg/day and conventional therapy, or conventional therapy alone. Results. The major complications occurred less often after Andrographolide Sulfonate (2.6% versus 12.1%; risk difference [RD], 0.94; 95% CI, 0.28–1.61; P=0.006). Median fever clearance times were 96 hours (CI, 80 to 126) for conventional therapy recipients and 48 hours (CI, 36 to 54) for Andrographolide Sulfonate combination-treated patients (χ2=16.57, P<0.001). The two groups did not differ in terms of HFMD-cause mortality (P=1.00) and duration of hospitalization (P=0.70). There was one death in conventional therapy group. No important adverse event was found in Andrographolide Sulfonate combination therapy group. Conclusions. The addition of Andrographolide Sulfonate to conventional therapy reduced the occurrence of major complications, fever clearance time, and the healing time of typical skin or oral mucosa lesions in children with severe HFMD

Going Public and Industrial Upgrading of Traditional Clusters in Developing Countries: Rethinking the Dynamics of the ‘Jinjiang Model’ in China

Extant literature concerns about industrial upgrading in developing countries, and stresses the importance of joining global production networks (GPN). Taking the perspective of the updating approach of GPN theory, this paper selects the case of China to combine local industrial upgrading with financial activities, and explores how going public triggers industrial upgrading in developing countries. In 2015, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 36 listed firms and their related partners in Jinjiang, a county-level city in China. The findings indicate that local lead firms in developing countries have been increasingly involved in the global financial market by going public, which in turn provides these countries with opportunities of industrial upgrading. However, it does not necessarily guarantee industrial upgrading. Whether or not going public can bring about industrial upgrading depends mainly on intrafirm coordination, reconfiguration of interfirm relationships, and extrafirm bargaining with local governments. This case study suggests that finance be integrated into GPN theory as some scholars suggest, and the impacts of local lead firms in developing countries on the dynamics or reconfiguration of GPN be taken consideration, especially in some specific sectors

The Dynamic Mechanism of Digitization of County Agriculture in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Analysis of Institutional Approach of Zhuo-Sang Mode in Litang County, Sichuan Province

Agriculture has been making a new turn toward digitization in developed areas. However, in the underdeveloped ethnic regions of western China, does digitization represent a valuable opportunity or a serious challenge? In this article, Litang County, Sichuan Province, located in the western high plateau region, was taken as an example, and text analysis of multi-source data was performed, including of policy documents, planning texts, website information of agricultural companies and government departments, and materials based on semi-structured interviews with local authorities and leading agricultural companies, with the purpose of discussing the dynamic mechanism of agricultural digitization in underdeveloped western counties. It was found that agricultural digitization in Litang has the following three typical characteristics: 1) full-chain digitization, that is, a closed-loop structure of data is formed through enterprise data centers, local data management platforms, and e-commerce platforms from various links such as vegetable and fruit breeding, planting, condensation logistics, and product sales; 2) multi-agent promotion, that is, agricultural companies, retailers, government departments and their agents, as well as social organizations, cooperate and promote each other in agricultural digital infrastructure construction, data technology application and data management, and agricultural resources integration; 3) coordination within and outside the county, namely timely response to the national rural revitalization strategy, corresponding poverty alleviation policies and local planning goals and action plans, coordination between the matching aid units and local departments and institutions in terms of the dual goals of economic benefits and poverty alleviation, and coordination between agricultural companies, social organizations, platform institutions and farmers, and other stakeholders within and outside the county. This study contributes to the establishment of a four-dimensional analysis framework of natural environment-market-institution-technology based on the institutional analysis of economic geography and enriches the research on economic geography in the field of agricultural digitalization. The main conclusions are as follows. First, the special natural environment in the high plateau area has shaped the constraint conditions and advantages of agricultural development in Litang, which encourages local companies to adopt a differentiation strategy, enter outside segment markets, and create a new evolutionary path using biological and digital technology. Second, the application of digital technology is not only beneficial to meet the needs of remote consumers for production information but also to provide feedback on timely changes in market demand for local agricultural companies, which is conducive to the adjustment and optimization of the decisions of agricultural producers. Technology investment increases production costs, which can be achieved by entering middle- and high-end markets to increase revenue. Third, the digital transformation of leader companies is not only the result of responding to or embedding national and local agricultural digitization strategies, but also puts forward potential requirements for the adjustment and optimization of local institutions and production organizations. Government and leadership companies jointly promote agricultural digitalization. In addition, the national matching poverty alleviation policy enables local governments to obtain scarce resources such as technology, capital, and market opportunities through external support, effectively reducing the risks and costs of digital transformation for leader companies, farmers, and other local production actors and promoting the spatial agglomeration of digital elements and resources through the external economies of the production network. However, it is crucial to take advantage of external support to cultivate local entrepreneurial talent and increase human capital for sustainable local development

Does Industrial Transfer Change the Spatial Structure of CO2 Emissions?&mdash;Evidence from Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region in China

As an important cause of global warming, CO2 emissions have become a research hotspot in recent years. Industrial transfer impacts regional CO2 emissions and is related to the low-carbon development of regional industries. Taking the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region (BTH region) as an example, this study analysed industrial transfer&rsquo;s direct and indirect impacts on CO2 emissions based on a mediating model and two-way fixed effect panel regression. The results obtained indicate that industrial transfer-in has promoted CO2 emissions to a small extent, and the positive impact of industrial transfer-in on CO2 emissions wanes over time. Industrial transfer affects CO2 emissions by acting on the economic level, on population size, and on urbanisation level, but the indirect effect is weaker than the direct effect. Industrial transfer does not lead to technological upgrading, but the latter is an effective means of carbon emission reduction. Industrial transfer-in has shown a positive effect on CO2 emissions for most cities, but there are exceptions, such as Cangzhou. In the future, the BTH region should maintain coordinated development among cities and improve the cooperative innovation mechanism for energy conservation and emission reduction