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In order to solve the problem that the traditional feature extraction methods rely on manual design, the research method is changed from the traditional method to the deep learning method based on convolutional neural networks. The experimental results show that the larger average DTW occurs near the 55th calculation, that is, about the 275th frame of the video. In the 55th calculation, the joint angle with the largest DTW distance is the right knee joint. A multiscene action similarity analysis algorithm based on human joint points has been realized. In the fitness scene, by analyzing the joint angle through cosine similarity, the time of fitness key posture in the action sequence can be recognized. In the sports scene, through the similarity analysis of joint angle sequences by the DTW algorithm, we can get the similarity between people's actions in the sports video and the joint positions with large differences in some time intervals, and the real validity of the experiment is verified. The accuracy of motion recognition before and after the improvement is 95.2% and 97.1%, which is 0.19% higher than that before the improvement. The methods and results are widely used in the fields of sports recognition, movement specification, sports training, health management, and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Red mud is a strong alkaline solid waste pollutant produced in the process of aluminum smelting, which causes great pollution to the regional groundwater environment due to its high content of fluorine and aluminum and high concentration of strong alkali. In this study, fluoride ion was selected as the model contaminant, and a numerical model of the groundwater flow field and solute transport was developed using GMS software to simulate and analyze the migration patterns of fluoride contaminants caused by the red mud pit for the fractured karst geohydrological conditions. The results demonstrated that the groundwater model and flow pattern were mainly controlled by atmospheric precipitation recharge, given flow boundary conditions and leakage of rivers and drains. When the concentration of fluorine pollutants in the red mud yard was 60.0 mg/L, the maximum migration distance of F− in the groundwater of the ordovician limestone aquifer was 473, 1160, 1595 and 1750 m after 1, 5, 10 and 15 years of bottom leakage, and the additional transport distances were 687, 435 and 155 m every 5 years, respectively. The range of F− pollution plume was 0.37 km2, 1.15 km2, 1.95 km2 and 2.14 km2, respectively and the range of newly added pollution plume was 0.78 km2, 0.80 km2 and 0.19 km2, respectively, every five years. Both indicated that with the extension of time, the migration and diffusion rate of pollutants slow down, and the diffusion volume increased first and then decreased. The F− pollution plume spread from the red mud pit to the northeast, which was consistent with the flow of groundwater. The high-concentration pollution plume was mainly distributed in the Ordovician limestone fractured aquifer in the northeast. This study revealed the migration law of red mud pollutants, and provided a scientific decision-making basis for the prevention and control of red mud groundwater pollution in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assignment or exclusion of an individual to specific populations or cultivars based on molecular genetic markers provides an attractive approach for varietal identification at the individual level in cross-pollinated plant species. The objectives of this study were (i) to explore the molecular diversity and relationships between Australasian perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) populations; (ii) to investigate accuracy of assignment of individuals to different types of populations including ecotypic, nonrestricted--and restricted-based cultivars; and (iii) to determine the effect of variable number of SSR loci and different statistical analysis methods on assignment accuracy. Eight forage perennial ryegrass populations comprising 48 individual plants per population were genotyped with 29 simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker loci. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 3.72 to 6.76. The mean observed heterozygosity varied from 0.419 to 0.538. Various genetic distance estimates and clustering methods obtained results consistent with breeding history. Genetic variation among (8.7%) and within populations (91.3%) was significant. Accuracy of individual assignment differed by population type, and it was higher (>90%) for restricted-based cultivars than for ecotypic and nonrestricted-based populations. These results indicate that SSR marker profiles can be effectively used to assign individuals for outbreeding populations such as perennial ryegrass. The approach used in this study may be useful for ryegrass germplasm management issues such as cultivar identification at the individual level.

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is an idiopathic psychiatric disorder with a heritable component and a substantial public health impact. Although abnormalities in total brain volumetric measures (TBVMs) have been found in patients with SCZ, it is still unknown whether these abnormalities have a causal effect on the risk of SCZ. Here, we performed a Mendelian randomization (MR) study to investigate the possible causal associations between each TBVM and SCZ risk. Specifically, genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics of total gray matter volume, total white matter volume, total cerebrospinal fluid volume, and total brain volume were obtained from the United Kingdom Biobank database (33,224 individuals), and SCZ GWAS summary statistics were provided by the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (150,064 individuals). The main MR analysis was conducted using the inverse variance weighted method, and other MR methods, including MR-Egger, weighted median, simple mode, and weighted mode methods, were performed to assess the robustness of our findings. For pleiotropy analysis, we employed three approaches: MR-Egger intercept, MR-PRESSO, and heterogeneity tests. No TBVM was causally associated with SCZ risk according to the MR results, and no significant pleiotropy or heterogeneity was found for instrumental variables. Taken together, this study suggested that alterations in TBVMs were not causally associated with the risk of SCZ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional image-based visual servoing leads to image singularities that might cause control instabilities. To avoid this problem, in this paper, the image moments are used as features for visual servoing, where the Jacobian matrix is full rank and upper triangular. Thus, it has the maximal decoupled structure and simplifies the controller. The general analytical form of the interaction matrix or the Jacobian matrix considering the camera parameters related to any image moments is derived in this paper. As a servoing controller, an optimal visual PD controller is presented to improve the performance of the visual servoing system instead of the P controller, which is the method extensively used in visual servoing. A genetic algorithm-based PD parameters tuning method is applied to obtain the optimal parameters. The method proposed is used to align the micropeg and hole, and the simulation results show that the object can reach its desired position faster and more smoothly. Index Terms--Genetic algorithm, image moments, optimal visual proportional-derivative (PD) controller, visual servoing.

A dynamic model which describes the impulse behavior of concentrated grounds at high currents is described in this paper. This model is an extension of previous models in that it can successfully account for the surge behavior of concentrated grounds over a much wider range of current densities. It is able to describe the well known effect of ionization of soil as well as the observed effect of discrete breakdowns and filamentary arc paths at much higher currents. Results of verification against experimental results are also presented. Index Terms--Breakdown, concentrated grounds, ionization, sparking.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorders that are highly heritable and are associated with impaired dynamic functional connectivity (DFC). However, the molecular mechanisms behind DFC alterations remain largely unknown. Eighty-eight patients with ASDs and 87 demographically matched typical controls (TCs) from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange II database were included in this study. A seed-based sliding window approach was then performed to investigate the DFC changes in each of the 29 seeds in 10 classic resting-state functional networks and the whole brain. Subsequently, the relationships between DFC alterations in patients with ASDs and their symptom severity were assessed. Finally, transcription-neuroimaging association analyses were conducted to explore the molecular mechanisms of DFC disruptions in patients with ASDs. Compared with TCs, patients with ASDs showed significantly increased DFC between the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and left fusiform/lingual gyrus, between the DLPFC and the superior temporal gyrus, between the right frontal eye field (FEF) and left middle frontal gyrus, between the FEF and the right angular gyrus, and between the left intraparietal sulcus and the right middle temporal gyrus. Moreover, significant relationships between DFC alterations and symptom severity were observed. Furthermore, the genes associated with DFC changes in ASDs were identified by performing gene-wise across-sample spatial correlation analysis between gene expression extracted from six donors' brain of the Allen Human Brain Atlas and case-control DFC difference. In enrichment analysis, these genes were enriched for processes associated with synaptic signaling and voltage-gated ion channels and calcium pathways; also, these genes were highly expressed in autistic disorder, chronic alcoholic intoxication and several disorders related to depression. These results not only demonstrated higher DFC in patients with ASDs but also provided novel insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying these alterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an effective therapy for recurrent Clostridium difficile infections and chronic gastrointestional infections. However, the risks of FMT and the selection process of suitable donors remain insufficiently characterized. The eligibility rate for screening, underlying microbial basis, and core ethical issues of stool donors for FMT are yet to be elucidated in China. Results: The potential stool donors were screened from December 2017 to December 2019 with the help of an online survey, clinical assessments, and stool and blood testing. Bioinformatics analyses were performed, and the composition and stability of gut microbiota in stool obtained from eligible donors were dynamically observed using metagenomics. Meanwhile, we build a donor microbial evaluation index (DoMEI) for stool donor screening. In the screening process, we also focused on ethical principles and requirements. Of the 2071 participants, 66 donors were selected via the screening process (3.19% success rate). Although there were significant differences in gut microbiota among donors, we found that the changes in the gut microbiota of the same donor were typically more stable than those between donors over time. Conclusions: DoMEI provides a potential reference index for regular stool donor re-evaluation. In this retrospective study, we summarised the donor recruitment and screening procedure ensuring the safety and tolerability for FMT in China. Based on the latest advances in this field, we carried out rigorous recommendation and method which can assist stool bank and clinicians to screen eligible stool donor for FMT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pro-oncogene ETS-1 (E26 transformation-specific sequence 1) is a key regulator of the proliferation and invasion of cancer cells. The present work examined the correlation of the aberrant expression of ETS-1 with histological or clinical classification of astrocytoma: grade I (pilocytic astrocytoma), grade II (diffuse astrocytoma), grade III (anaplastic astrocytoma), and grade IV (glioblastoma multiforme). MicroRNA, miR-338-5p, was predicted by an online tool (miRDB) to potentially target the 3' untranslated region of ETS-1; this was confirmed by multi-assays, including western blot experiments or the point mutation of the targeting sites of miR-338-5p in ETS-1's 3'untralation region (3'UTR). The expression of miR-338-5p was negatively associated with that of ETS-1 in astrocytoma, and deficiency of miR-338-5p would mediate aberrant expression of ETS-1 in astrocytoma. Mechanistically, hypermethylation of miR-338-5p by DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) resulted in repression of miR-338-5p expression and the aberrant expression of ETS-1. Knockdown or deactivation of DNMT1 decreased the methylation rate of the miR-338-5p promoter, increased the expression of miR-338-5p, and repressed the expression of ETS-1 in astrocytoma cell lines U251 and U87. These results indicate that hypermethylation of the miR-338-5p promoter by DNMT1 mediates the aberrant expression of ETS-1 related to disease severity of patients with astrocytoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate VEGF and Ang-2 level changes in the systemic circulation after laser photocoagulation in premature infants with ROP. Methods: Eleven infants (4 girls and 7 boys) had serum levels determined for VEGF and Ang-2, collected 1 day prior to and 7 days after ROP laser therapy. Serum levels of VEGF and Ang-2 were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Serum VEGF levels were significantly lower at 7 days after laser therapy compared to that at 1 day prior to laser therapy (p = 0.045). Serum Ang-2 levels increased significantly at 7 days after laser therapy compared with that at 1 day prior to laser therapy (p = 0.046). Conclusions: Serum VEGF levels in patients with ROP were suppressed and Ang-2 levels elevated significantly after laser therapy. The results suggest that changes in VEGF and Ang-2 serum levels may reflect regression and treatment of ROP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polydatin (PD), a monocrystalline compound isolated from the root and rhizome of Polygonum cuspidatum, is widely used in inhibiting the inflammatory response and oxidative stress. PD has an anti‐inflammatory effect on colitis mice; however, information regulating the mechanism by which maintains the intestinal epithelium barrier is currently scarce. Here, we assessed the anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant of PD in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced macrophages in vitro, and explored its effects on inhibiting intestinal inflammation and maintaining the intestinal epithelium barrier in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)‐induced colitis mice. Results showed that PD reduced the level of proinflammatory cytokines and enzymes, including tumor necrosis factor‐α, interleukin‐4 (IL‐4), IL‐6, cyclooxygenase‐2, and inducible nitric oxide synthase, in LPS‐induced macrophages, and improved the expression level of IL‐10. PD maintained the expression of tight junction proteins in medium (LPS‐induced macrophages medium)‐induced MCEC cells. Additionally, PD inhibited the phosphorylation of nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB), p65, extracellular signal‐regulated kinase‐1/2, c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase, and p38 signaling pathways in LPS‐induced macrophages and facilitated the phosphorylation of AKT and the nuclear translocation of Nrf2, improving the expression of HO‐1 and NQO1. Furthermore, PD ameliorated the intestinal inflammatory response and improved the dysfunction of the colon epithelium barrier in DSS‐induced colitis mice. Taken together, our results indicated that PD inhibited inflammation and oxidative stress, maintained the intestinal epithelium barrier, and the protective role of PD was associated with the NF‐κB p65, itogen‐activated protein kinases, and AKT/Nrf2/HO‐1/NQO1 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The state of health (SOH) is essential for the safety and reliability of lithium-ion batteries in different applications. Moreover, the inconsistency of battery cells in battery packs is inevitable. To determine the SOH difference is even more challenging without the calculation of the SOH of each battery cell. To solve the problem, this article proposes a novel relative SOH (rSOH) estimation method based on wavelet analysis, and the SOH differences for series-connected lithium-ion battery cells in the battery pack can be obtained. It should be noted that no battery model is needed in this method. The more accessible battery voltage of each battery cell is sufficient to obtain the SOH differences, without SOH estimation for each battery cell. With the wavelet analysis, more detailed information of the battery cells is obtained. The rSOH is then introduced as the index of the SOH difference, and the estimation procedure is further analyzed. Finally, experimental validations are conducted by different aged battery cells. The different state of charge conditions and different driving cycles are applied to show the robustness of the proposed method. The experimental results show that the rSOH estimation error is limited within 5%, equivalently with less than 1% SOH estimation error, thus proving the effectiveness of the proposed rSOH estimation method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]