Search

Aiming at the problems of poor quality of restored images and large number of model parameters in the current occluded face image restoration, a lightweight face image restoration model based on multi-scale feature fusion with improved U-Net, LM-UNET, was proposed. Firstly, the original convolution was replaced by a depthwise separable convolution to enhance the feature expression ability of the model for different channels and contextual information. Secondly, a multi-scale feature attention fusion module was designed in the jump connection to fully fuse the information of different scale features, and the embedded residual block reduced the semantic gap between features to improve the repair accuracy of the model. Finally, a positional attention module was introduced to enhance the salient information of the face image, and improve the model’s effective extraction ability of facial positional pixel information of the model. The algorithm was trained, validated and tested on the occluded face dataset MFD generated based on the CK+ dataset, and the PSNR of the repaired image reached 30.49 dB and SSIM reached 96.85%. The experimental results of comparing the model with the other models show that the model has better image quality and visual effect for restoration of the face in the presence of occlusion.

The rule of rites was the fundamental pattern of the governance in the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties(i.e. the Three Dynasties). As a complex system of political and cultural practices with political, religious and moral attributes, rites legitimately and structurally underpinned the royal regime, therefore ensuring regime stability, integrating social relations, and enhancing recognition of cultural and political identities. Ritual traditions of the Three Dynasties went beyond extrinsic rites and institutions to include intrinsic spiritual traditions, e.g. divinity of the Heaven, conformity with ancestral heritage, and derivative moral values such as the pursuit of ethics and rewards for benevolence. Also included were the sense of blood relationships, the sense of clanship, the sense of ethics and the sense of filial piety and fraternal duty based on ancestral worship. Through the enlightenment of ritual music, the sense of rites was internalized as the collective value and cultural identity of the members of a society. Therefore, early nations that were founded upon rites functioned as a community of politics, culture and morality. Rites, having been internalized as cultural elements of the Chinese people, shaped the ways of thinking and behavior. It is fair to say that rites have served as the fundamental bedrock for the continuity of the Chinese civilization.

To investigate the effects of cigarette structure parameters on the air flow field inside the cigarette, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method was adopted to simulate the air flow process inside a cigarette. The effects of viscous resistance coefficients of cigarette materials and cigarette length on the mouth end pressure drop and the ventilation rates of cigarette paper and filter were analyzed, and the correlation equations, which can quantitatively describe the coupling effect of cigarette structure parameters on the air field inside cigarette, were established. The results showed that: 1) The pressure drop was positively correlated with the viscosity resistance coefficients of cut tobacco, filter, cigarette paper and plug wrapper, the ventilation rate of cigarette paper was positively correlated with the viscosity resistance coefficients of cut tobacco and plug wrapper, and the ventilation rate of filter was positively correlated with the viscosity resistance coefficients of cut tobacco, filter and cigarette paper. 2) As the cigarette length decreased or the cigarette diameter increased, the pressure drop and the ventilation rates of the cigarette paper and filter decreased. 3) As the number of ventilation holes increased, the pressure drop and the ventilation rate of the cigarette paper decreased, while the ventilation rate of the filter increased. As the distance between the ventilation holes and the mouth end increased, the pressure drop and the ventilation rate of the cigarette paper increased, while the ventilation rate of the filter decreased. 4) The correlation coefficients of the established correlation equations were all higher than 0.93, and the relative errors between the predicted and measured values were small, which could accurately describe the coupling effect of cigarette structure parameters on the air flow field inside the cigarette. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a plasma emission spectroscopy analysis technique using laser as the excitation source, which has been used for the quantitative analysis of rare earth elements. However, the sensitivity and accuracy of quantitative analysis still need to be improved due to large difference in rare earth ore matrix and low element content. In this paper, a double-pulse LIBS system using a single laser beam splitting system was proposed, and combined with the partial least squares regression(PLSR) algorithm to realize the quantitative analysis of rare earth elements La, Dy, Yb and Y in rare earth ore samples. Compared with the conventional basic calibration method, the relative root mean square prediction errors(RMSEP) of La, Dy, Yb and Y elements were reduced from 0.0061%, 0.0037%, 0.0045% and 0.0280% to 0.0044%, 0.0016 %, 0.0029% and 0.0134%, respectively. The mean relative prediction error(AREP) decreased from 10.88%, 15.27%, 6.42% and 17.20% to 6.67%, 3.62%, 4.10% and 7.98%, respectively. Therefore, the combination of double-pulse LIBS and PLSR method can effectively improve the quantitative analysis ability of LIBS for rare earth ores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The prevalence of multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) is continuously increasing among older adults in China, but few studies have explored complex pattern of MCCs from perspectives of patient demand and disease management. Objective This study aims to investigate the pattern distributions, correlates, and treatment burdens of MCCs. Methods Data were obtained from the 2018 and 2020 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) waves, and the study sample included older adults aged≥60 years old (n=15 349). The generalized ordered logit model and the generalized linear model were used to examine correlates of MCCs complex pattern and its associations with outpatient/inpatient utilization and expenditure, respectively. All statistical analyses were weighted except for sample size. Results Among the total sample of 15 349 older adults, there were 7 147 in 2018 and 8 202 in 2020; 2 054 participants[13.0%, defined as the relatively healthy group (RH group) ] had none of 12 chronic conditions defined in this study, 5 228 participants [33.7%, defined as the simple chronic illness group (SCI group) ] had 1-5 non-complex chronic conditions, 6 737 participants [44.7%, defined as the minor complex chronic illness group (MiCCI group) ] had 1-2 complex chronic conditions, and

Objective To investigate the effect of lenvatinib on the autophagy and migration of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue. Methods Primary CAFs from HCC patients were isolated and cultured and were then treated with an equal volume of DMSO (DMSO group) or 46 nmol/L lenvatinib (lenvatinib group) for 72 h. Transcriptomic sequencing and the omics analysis of drug targets were performed for the two groups, and GO functional enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed for differentially expressed genes and peptides. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the effect of lenvatinib on autophagy of CAFs, and Transwell assay and wound hea-ling assay were used to observe the effect of lenvatinib on the migration ability of CAFs. Results The differentially expressed genes and peptides between the DMSO group and the lenvatinib group were mainly enriched in the functions and pathways such as cell migration and autophagy. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the lenvatinib group had a significantly higher number of autophagosomes than the DMSO group (t=5.376,P

Background: A reasonable and standardized dietary plan and procedure can help patients recovering quickly from lung cancer surgery. The aim of this study is to optimize the diet plan and procedure mainly based on medium chain triglyceride (MCT) diet and explore its clinical advantages for postoperative lung cancer patients., Methods: From October 2023 to December 2023, a total of 156 patients were collected, who underwent lung cancer surgery in Lung Cancer Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University. The patients were randomized into MCT group (76 cases) and routine diet (RD) group (80 cases). Clinical symptoms, biochemical index, postoperative hospitalization time and cost, dietary satisfaction and hospitalization comfort between the two groups were analyzed., Results: The mean anus exhausting time in MCT group [24.00 (9.75, 36.97) h] was significantly shorter than that in RD group [28.50 (24.00, 48.00) h] (P<0.001). And the incidence of dizziness (18.42%), nausea and vomiting (6.58%) in MCT group were remarkably lower than those in RD group (51.25%, 31.25%) (P<0.001). Hospitalization comfort score in MCT group [(16.74±1.70)] was significantly higher than that in RD group [(14.83±2.34)] (P=0.016). Meanwhile, the average hospitalization cost in MCT group [(39,701.82±8105.47)¥] showed an obvious decrease compared with RD group [(44,511.79±9593.19)¥] (P=0.007)., Conclusions: Optimizing the dietary plan and procedure mainly based on MCT diet for postoperative lung cancer patients can help the recovery of gastrointestinal function and improve hospitalization comfort, which promoted overall postoperative rehabilitation of patients with lung cancer surgery.

Objective: To study the transfection and expression of pleiotrophin (Ptn) gene in mice adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) so as to provide a new approach for the treatment of ischemic injury., Methods: ADSCs from clean inbred C57BL/6W mice (weighing, 15-20 g) were isolated and cultured in vitro. The cell surface markers (CD29 and CD44) of ADSCs were identified by flow cytometry. The ADSCs were transfected with plasmid pIRES2-LEGFPN1 (containing Ptn gene coding sequence) as experimental group (group A) and with plasmid pLEGFP-N1 (containing GFP gene coding sequence) as control group (group B). After ADSCs were transfected by different plasmids respectively, the cells containing Ptn gene were selected by G418 (the best selected concentration was 200 microg/mL), and the immunophenotype of the cells was identified by flow cytometry after transfection. Meanwhile, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot were used to analyse the expression levels of Ptn mRNA and PTN protein in selected cells., Results: The mice ADSCs were isolated and cultured successfully in vitro. The positive rates of the cell surface markers CD29 and CD44 of ADSCs were 99.5% and 95.8%, respectively; the double positive rate of CD44 and CD29 was 93.6%. The positive rates of the cell surface markers CD29 and CD44 of ADSCs were 99.1% and 95.6%, respectively after transfection of Ptn gene; the double positive rate of CD44 and CD29 was 93.4%. The expression levels of Ptn gene and PTN protein in group A were significantly higher than those in group B (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: The ADSCs can be stablely transfected by Ptn gene, the transfected ADSCs can express PTN protein highly, which is a new idea for tissue engineering of vascular reconstruction.