Analysis of a new variational model for image multiplicative denoising

In this paper, we study the mathematical properties of a new variational model for image multiplicative noise removal. Some important properties of the model, including the lower semicontinuity, the differential property, the convergence and regularization property, are established for the first time. The existence and uniqueness of a solution for the problem as well as a comparison principle have also been established

Papel de la bahía de Jiaozhou como una fuente/depósito de CO2 durante un ciclo estacional

The seasonal evolution of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and CO2 air-sea fluxes in the Jiaozhou Bay was investigated by means of a data set from four cruises covering a seasonal cycle during 2003 and 2004. The results revealed that DIC had no obvious seasonal variation, with an average concentration of 2035 µmol kg-1 C in surface water. However, the sea surface partial pressure of CO2 changed with the season. pCO2 was 695 µatm in July and 317 µatm in February. Using the gas exchange coefficient calculated with Wanninkhof’s model, it was concluded that the Jiaozhou Bay was a source of atmospheric CO2 in spring, summer, and autumn, whereas it was a sink in winter. The Jiaozhou Bay released 2.60 x 1011 mmol C to the atmosphere in spring, 6.18 x 1011 mmol C in summer, and 3.01 x 1011 mmol C in autumn, whereas it absorbed 5.32 x 1010 mmol C from the atmosphere in winter. A total of 1.13 x 1012 mmol C was released to the atmosphere over one year. The behaviour as a carbon source/sink obviously varied in the different regions of the Jiaozhou Bay. In February, the inner bay was a carbon sink, while the bay mouth and the outer bay were carbon sources. In June and July, the inner and outer bay were carbon sources, but the strength was different, increasing from the inner to the outer bay. In November, the inner bay was a carbon source, but the bay mouth was a carbon sink. The outer bay was a weaker CO2 source. These changes are controlled by many factors, the most important being temperature and phytoplankton. Water temperature in particular was the main factor controlling the carbon dioxide system and the behaviour of the Jiaozhou Bay as a carbon source/sink. The Jiaozhou Bay is a carbon dioxide source when the water temperature is higher than 6.6°C. Otherwise, it is a carbon sink. Phytoplankton is another controlling factor that may play an important role in behaviour as a carbon source or sink in regions where the source or sink nature is weaker.La evolución estacional del carbono inorgánico disuelto (DIC) y el intercambio de flujos de CO2 aire-mar en la bahía de Jiaozhou han sido investigados a partir de datos obtenidos en 4 campañas oceanográficas que cubren un ciclo estacional entre 2003 y 2004. Los resultados muestran que el DIC no presenta una clara variación estacional con una concentración promedio de 2035 μmol kg-1 C en el agua de superficie. No obstante la presión parcial de CO2 en el agua superficial cambiaba con la estación. La PCO2 era de 695 μatm en Julio y 317 μatm en febrero. Utilizando el coeficiente de intercambio de gases calculado con el modelo de Wanninkhof concluíamos que la bahía de Jiaozhou era una fuente de CO2 a la atmósfera en primavera, verano y otoño, mientras que era un depósito de CO2 en invierno. La bahía proporcionaba 2.60 × 1011 mmol C a la atmósfera en primavera, 6.18 × 1011 mmol C en verano, y 3.01 × 1011 mmol C in otoño, mientras absorbia 5.32 × 1010 mmol C desde la atmósfera en invierno. Un total de 1.13 × 1012 mmol C eran liberados a la atmósfera durante un año. El comportamiento como fuente/depósito de carbono, obviamente era diferente en las distintas regiones de la bahía de Jiaozhou. En Febrero, la parte interior de la bahía era un depósito para el carbono, mientras que la desembocadura y la parte exterior actuaba como fuente de carbono. En Junio y Julio, las partes interna y externa de la bahía eran fuentes de carbono, pero la intensidad era diferente, incrementando desde la parte interior a la exterior de la bahía. En Noviembre, la parte interior de la bahía era fuente de carbono, pero la desembocadura de la bahía se comportaba como depósito de carbono. El exterior de la bahía era una fuente poco importante de CO2. Estos cambios están controlados por muchos factores, siendo los mas importantes la temperatura y el fitoplancton. Especialmente, la temperatura del agua era el factor principal en el control del dióxido de carbono en el sistema y del comportamiento de la bahía de Jiaozhou como fuente/depósito de carbono. La bahía de Jiaozhou es una fuente de dióxido de carbono cuando la temperatura del agua es mas alta que 6.6ºC. Si no es así es un depósito de carbono. El fitoplancton es el otro factor de control que puede jugar un papel importante en el comportamiento como fuente o depósito de carbono en regiones donde el carácter de fuente o depósito es debil.

Synthesis and evaluation of the SERS effect of Fe3O4–Ag Janus composite materials for separable, highly sensitive substrates

Fe3O4–Ag Janus composites were synthesized using a two-step solvothermal method. The optimal growth process was determined by investigating the relationship between the particle morphologies and reaction time. Magnetic and Raman spectroscopic measurements showed that the as-synthesized Janus composites have both good magnetic response and significant surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effects, as well as reproducibility. The calculated Raman enhancement factor reached an unprecedented magnitude of 109 compared with the values of other Fe3O4–Ag compounds. Furthermore, the SERS effect was exhibited even at a concentration of probe molecules as low as 10−13 M. This demonstrates that the as-synthesized Fe3O4–Ag Janus composite particles have promise for application as separable, highly sensitive SERS substrates

Nonconservative behavior of dissolved molybdenum and its potential role in nitrogen cycling in the Bohai and Yellow Seas

Molybdenum plays an important role in marine biological activity, especially in nitrogen cycling as a cofactor for N2 fixation and nitrate reductase. However, the dissolved Mo (dMo) behavior and its interaction with N cycling in the coastal waters is still unclear. In this study, the dMo concentrations and parameters related to Mo distribution and N cycling in surface and bottom seawaters of the Bohai (BS) and Yellow Seas (YS) were examined. The results showed that dMo concentrations ranged from 36.4 nmol L-1 to 125.0 nmol L-1, most of which deviated significantly from the conservative line, indicating nonconservative behavior of Mo relative to salinity. The highest dMo concentrations occurring in 36°N section of north of the South YS (SYS), were close to conservative value (105 nmol L-1). Significant depletion up to 40-50 nmol L-1 of dMo mainly appeared in the BS, NYS and south of the SYS, suggesting the possible removal of dMo by biological utilization and particle adsorption. Particularly, the increasing dMo concentrations away the Yellow River estuary indicated that freshwater dilution was one of reasons for dMo distributions in the BS. The similar spatial distribution of dMo and dissolved Mn concentrations suggested the possible scavenging by MnOx phases for Mo removal. The negative correlation between dMo and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentrations in surface seawaters suggested that biological uptake was involved in dMo removal. The depleted dMo in most of sites corresponded with the higher nitrite concentrations, implying the possible involvement of nitrate reduction process. Although the highest N2 fixation rates and relative abundances of cyanobacteria appeared in 36°N section, corresponding with the conservative dMo, suggesting that Mo may play a minor role in N2 fixation process there. The ten-folds of relative abundance of bacteria with nitrate reduction function than that with N2 fixation function suggested that dMo seems to play more important role in nitration reduction than nitrogen fixation in the BS and YS

Calculating the Mean Amplitude of Glycemic Excursions from Continuous Glucose Data Using an Open-Code Programmable Algorithm Based on the Integer Nonlinear Method

The mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGE) is an essential index for glycemic variability assessment, which is treated as a key reference for blood glucose controlling at clinic. However, the traditional “ruler and pencil” manual method for the calculation of MAGE is time-consuming and prone to error due to the huge data size, making the development of robust computer-aided program an urgent requirement. Although several software products are available instead of manual calculation, poor agreement among them is reported. Therefore, more studies are required in this field. In this paper, we developed a mathematical algorithm based on integer nonlinear programming. Following the proposed mathematical method, an open-code computer program named MAGECAA v1.0 was developed and validated. The results of the statistical analysis indicated that the developed program was robust compared to the manual method. The agreement among the developed program and currently available popular software is satisfied, indicating that the worry about the disagreement among different software products is not necessary. The open-code programmable algorithm is an extra resource for those peers who are interested in the related study on methodology in the future

Heterotypic cell-cell interaction of human stem cells for neural differentiation of hybrid spheroids

Organoids, the condensed 3-D tissues emerged at the early stage of organogenesis, are a promising approach to regenerate functional and vascularized organ mimics [1]. While incorporation of heterotypic cell types such as human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) derived neural progenitors aid neural organ development, the interactions of secreted factors during neurogenesis have not been well understood. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of the composition and structure of 3-D hybrid spheroids of hiPSCs and hMSCs on dorsal cortical differentiation and the secretion of extracellular matrices and trophic factors in vitro. The hybrid spheroids were formed at different hiPSC:hMSC ratios (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, 0:100) using direct mixing or pre-hiPSC aggregation method, which generated dynamic spheroid structure. The cellular organization, proliferation, neural marker expression, the secretion of extracellular matrix proteins and the cytokines were characterized. The incorporation of MSCs upregulated Nestin and β-tubulin III expression (the dorsal cortical identity was shown by Pax6 and TBR1 expression), matrix remodeling proteins and the secretion of transforming growth factor-β1 and prostaglandin E2. This study indicates that the appropriate composition and structure of hiPSC-MSC spheroids promote neural differentiation and trophic factor and matrix secretion due to the heterotypic cell-cell interactions. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract