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The lack of precisely labeled data limits the development of supervised polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) image change detection. Therefore, semi-supervised deep learning methods have recently demonstrated their significant capability for PolSAR image change detection. Similarity Matching (SimMatch) improves the performance of semi-supervised learning tasks across different benchmark datasets and different settings. Introducing SimMatch into the field of PolSAR image change detection can improve the performance of semi-supervised PolSAR image change detection under limited labeled data conditions. Usually, semi-supervision solves the problem of insufficient labeled data by generating pseudo-labels. However, when the pseudo-label method is simply applied, the model will fit on the confident but wrong pseudo-labels, resulting in poor performance. SimMatch offers a solution by requiring the strongly augmented view to share the same semantic similarity (i.e. label prediction) and instance characteristics (i.e. similarity between instances) with a weak augmented view for more intrinsic feature matching. Besides, by using a labeled memory buffer, the two similarities can be isomorphically transformed with each other by introducing the aggregating and unfolding techniques. Therefore, the semantic and instance pseudo-labels can be mutually propagated, and then, the detection performance of the PolSAR image change detection is improved. Experimental results on real PolSAR datasets demonstrated that SimMatch is an effective semi-supervised PolSAR change detection method and its performance surpasses some well-known change detection methods. Compared to the fully-supervised algorithm CWNN, the semi-supervised SimMatch algorithm can improve accuracy by up to 14.4%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To explore the correlation between metabolic syndrome (MS) and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in noise-exposed workers. Methods Using the convenient sampling method, a total of 850 male noise-exposed workers in an automobile manufacturing enterprise were studied. The questionnaire survey and occupational health examination were combined to collect general demographic data, physical examination data, and other information. According to the results of high-frequency hearing loss, the noise-exposed workers were divided into the hearing loss group (326 workers) and the normal hearing group (524 workers). The single-factor analysis was used to compare the above data differences between the two groups. The binary multiple-factor logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors of NIHL in noise-exposed workers. Results The non-compliance rate of noise intensity in the enterprise was 39.47% (15/38), with the highest occurrences in the welding and painting posts. The morbidity of hearing loss was 38.35% (326/850), and the MS morbidity was 27.53% (234/850). The frequency of obesity, high-level triglyceride, high-level fasting blood glucose, hypertension, MS,and the contact noise level in the hearing loss group were higher than those in the normal hearing group (P < 0.05). The results of multiple-factor logistic regression showed that, compared with the workers with a noise exposure duration ≤ 5 years, the risk of NIHL in the workers with a noise exposure duration of 11 - 15 years or > 15 years increased to 1.553 and 1.727 times, respectively (P < 0.001). Compared with the workers without MS, the risk of NIHL in the workers with MS increased to 1.863 times (P < 0.001). The risk of NIHL increases by 1.567 times for each 1 dB(A) increase in noise level (P < 0.001). Conclusions There was a correlation between MS and NIHL. In addition to emphasizing control of noise level in the workplace, attention should also be paid to adopting a low-sugar, low-salt, and low-sodium diet, reducing the intake of saturated fatty acids, and strengthening physical exercise to effectively control the blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood lipid levels of workers so as to reduce the risk of NIHL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, there are some problems in the process of human motion recognition, such as poor timeliness and low fault tolerance rate. How to effectively identify the motion process accurately has become a hot spot in the optimization system. In the existing research studies, the recognition accuracy is not very good and the response time is long. To end this issue, the paper proposed an information processing system and optimization method of human motion recognition based on the GA-BP neural network algorithm. Firstly, a human motion recognition system based on dynamic capture recognition technology is designed, which realizes the recognition of motion information from common postures such as action span, speed change, motion trajectory, and other aspects in the process of human motion. Secondly, the proposed algorithm is used to comprehensively analyse and evaluate the motion state. Finally, experiments are designed to verify and analyse the results. Compared to some baseline methods in human motion recognition information systems, the system in this paper based on the GA-BP neural network algorithm has the advantages of higher data accuracy and response speed, which can quickly and accurately identify the muscle group change in the process of human motion, and it can also provide customized motion suggestions based on the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Eight extracts from common native allergens, Artemisia annua pollen, Platanus pollen, Humulus pollen, Betula platyphylla pollen, Ambrosia artemisiifolia pollen, Blattella germanica, cat dander and dog dander were developed for skin prick test (SPT). Since standardization and composition alone cannot guarantee that the allergen extracts are within the concentration range that give the best chance of a true diagnosis, it is necessary to explore the optimal diagnostic concentration (ODC) of allergens in SPT. Objective: To identify the optimal diagnostic concentration of eight allergen extracts in SPT and assess the safety of simultaneous administration. Patients and Methods: Patients with a history of allergic disease were enrolled in this two-part open-label, parallel study. In Study 1, 92 patients were enrolled into eight groups according to their disease-causing allergens and were given three increasing concentrations of the corresponding allergen. In Study 2, 20 patients were divided into two concentration groups and were given all of the eight allergens. Safety and sensitivity were evaluated to determine the optimal diagnostic concentration. Results: In Study 1, the sensitivity of seven allergen extracts was > 80% at middle and high concentrations, except for Ambrosia artemisiifolia pollen. The optimal diagnostic concentration (in DU/mL) for eight allergens was 33,333, 12,000, 8667, 50,000, 40,000, 3333, 7000, and 5000. In Study 2, the prevalence of adverse events in the two groups was 70% and 80%, respectively. A total of 10 wheals of 8 patients did not subside < 24 h after SPTs. Conclusion: The eight allergens showed high sensitivity and safety at a certain concentration, which was defined as optimal diagnostic concentration. The results support further clinical research of investigated allergens and our study offers a scheme to determine the ODC of allergens in SPT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanadium is an important rare element and has been widely used in metallurgical industry, aerospace industry and chemical industry due to its special physical and chemical properties. In this work we explored the feasibility of using forward osmosis (FO) to concentrate the vanadium leaching solution (VLS) using saturated sodium chloride as the draw solution. The effluent draw solution can be directly reused as a raw material in the vanadium production process without the need for regeneration. The VLS concentration performance was evaluated using commercial thin film composite (TFC) and cellulose triacetate (CTA) FO membranes. It was found that the FO water flux decline was due to the coupled effects of VLS concentration and fouling. TFC membrane exhibited higher initial water flux but also experienced more severe fouling and faster flux decline. Importantly, this study observed an existence of a critical concentration factor (CF) during VLS concentration. Below the critical CF, membrane fouling was mainly caused by surface crystallization and flux decline was relatively milder; above the critical CF, severe bulk crystallization occurred in the feed VLS, which caused significant membrane scaling and dramatical flux decline. The critical CF concept was further used to guide the FO operation for VLS concentration in this study. While severe membrane fouling at a CF above the critical value could be removed by a brief water rinse, operating the FO below the critical CF is preferred for which cyclic VLS concentration process was demonstrated to be feasible without the need for periodic membrane cleaning. Overall, the results suggest that the FO can be a promising solution for highly efficient and low-energy VLS concentration. Image 1 • FO was used for energy-efficient concentration of vanadium leaching solution (VLS). • The existence of a critical concentration factor (CF) was observed for VLS concentration by FO. • Below the critical CF membrane fouling was caused by surface crystallization and flux decline was mild. • Above the critical CF membrane was severely fouled due to bulk crystallization and flux decline was dramatic. • Operating the FO concentration processes below the critical CF is preferred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nedaplatin, a cisplatin analog, was developed to reduce the toxicity of cisplatin, whereas it can be cross-resistant with cisplatin in some circumstances. This study aimed to investigate the role of autophagy in nedaplatin induced cell death in cisplatin-resistant nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. Here, we showed that HNE1/DDP and CNE2/DDP cells were resistant to nedaplatin-induced cell death with reduced apoptotic activity. Nedaplatin treatment resulted in autophagosome accumulation and increased expression of LC3-II, indicating the induction of autophagy by nedaplatin in HNE1/DDP and CNE2/DDP cells. Inhibition of autophagy by Bafilomycin A1 (Baf A1) and 3-Methyladenine (3-MA) remarkably enhanced the antitumor efficacy of nedaplatin in HNE1/DDP and CNE2/DDP cells, suggesting that the resistance to nedaplatin-induced cell death was caused by enhanced autophagy in nedaplatin-resistant NPC cells. Additionally, Baf A1 enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and apoptosis induced by nedaplatin in HNE1/DDP cells. Mechanistically, nedaplatin treatment caused activation of ERK1/2 and suppression of Akt/mTOR signaling pathways. While inhibition of ERK1/2 by MEK1/2 inhibitor, U0126, could reduce the expression of LC3-II in nedaplatin-resistant NPC cells. Furthermore, suppression of ROS could inhibit nedaplatin-induced ERK activation in HNE1/DDP cells, indicating that ROS and ERK were involved in nedaplatin-induced autophagy. Together, these findings suggested that autophagy played a cytoprotective role in nedaplatin-induced cytotoxicity of HNE1/DDP and CNE2/DDP cells. Furthermore, our results highlighted a potential approach to restore the sensitivity of cisplatin-resistant nasopharyngeal cancer cells to nedaplatin in combination with autophagy inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To discover candidate biomarkers for diagnosis and detection of human laryngeal carcinoma and explore possible mechanisms of this cancer carcinogenesis, two-dimensional strong cation-exchange/reversed-phase nano-scale liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis was used to identify differentially expressed proteins between the laryngeal carcinoma tissue and the adjacent normal tissue. As a result, 281 proteins with significant difference in expression were identified, and four differential proteins, Profilin-1 (PFN1), Nucleolin (NCL), Cytosolic non-specific dipeptidase (CNDP2) and Mimecan (OGN) with different subcellular localization were selectively validated. Semiquantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting were performed to detect the expression of the four proteins employing a large collection of human laryngeal carcinoma tissues, and the results validated the differentially expressed proteins identified by the proteomics. Furthermore, we knocked down PFN1 in immortalized human laryngeal squamous cell line Hep-2 cells and then the proliferation and metastasis of these transfected cells were measured. The results showed that PFN1 silencing inhibited the proliferation and affected the migration ability of Hep-2 cells, providing some new insights into the pathogenesis of PFN1 in laryngeal carcinoma. Altogether, our present data first time show that PFN1, NCL, CNDP2 and OGN are novel potential biomarkers for diagnosis and therapeutic targets for laryngeal carcinoma, and PFN1 is involved in the metastasis of laryngeal carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pathogenic mechanisms underlying pituitary somatotroph adenoma formation, progression are poorly understood. To identify candidate tumor suppressor genes involved in pituitary somatotroph adenoma tumorigenesis, we used HG18 CpG plus Promoter Microarray in 27 human somatotroph adenomas and 4 normal human adenohypophyses. RASSF3 was found with frequent methylation of CpG island in its promoter region in somatotroph adenomas but rarely in adenohypophyses. This result was confirmed by pyrosequencing analysis. We also found that RASSF3 mRNA level correlated negatively to its gene promoter methylation level. RASSF3 hypermethylation and downregulation was also observed in rat GH3 and mouse GT1.1 somatotroph adenoma cell lines. 5-Aza-2′ deoxycytidine and trichostatin-A treatment induced RASSF3 promoter demethylation, and restored its expression in GH3 and GT1.1 cell lines. RASSF3 overexpression in GH3 and GT1.1 cells inhibited proliferation, induced apoptosis accompanied by increased Bax, p53, and caspase-3 protein and decreased Bcl-2 protein expression. We also found that the antitumor effect of RASSF3 was p53 dependent, and p53 knockdown blocked RASSF3-induced apoptosis and growth inhibition. Taken together, our results suggest that hypermethylation-induced RASSF3 silencing plays an important role in the tumorigenesis of pituitary somatotroph adenomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: The pathogenic mechanisms underlying pituitary adenoma formation, progression, and invasion are poorly understood. To identify candidate tumor suppressor genes, we selected somatotroph adenomas as representative of pituitary adenomas. Methods/ Results: We used genome-wide differential expression analysis in 15 invasive and 12 noninvasive somatotroph adenomas. HEPN1 reduction was more frequent in the invasive group, and this result was confirmed by qRT-PCR. To understand the function of HEPN1, the pituitary adenoma cell lines, GH3 and GT1.1, were stably transfected with short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting HEPN1 or ectogenic HEPN1 by lentivirus-mediated transfection. We found that HEPN1 overexpression in GH3 and GT1.1 cells inhibited cell proliferation, induced apoptosis, and attenuated invasive capacity, whereas HEPN1 silencing enhanced cell proliferation and invasion accompanied by decreased apoptosis. Western blot analysis revealed that HEPN1 overexpression decreased MMP-2, MMP-9, and Bcl-2 expression, but increased BAX, p53, and caspase-3 expression. In contrast, HEPN1 silencing increased MMP-2, MMP-9, and Bcl-2 expression, but decreased BAX, p53, and caspase-3 expression. Conclusion: Taken together, our results suggest that reduction of HEPN1 may play an important role in the progression of pituitary somatotroph adenomas. HEPN1 may thus be a candidate as a prognostic predictor or an anticancer therapeutic target for patients with somatotroph adenoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preparation of dialysate for hemodialysis (or dialysis) requires dilution of the dialysis concentrate with purified water. Present practice contains two steps: first to purify water, and then water is transported to clinic to mix with the dialysate concentrate before treatment. As a new forward osmosis dialysis hybrid process, based on osmotic dilution, is evaluated for decentralized health care systems. A commercial cellulose triacetate (CTA) and a tailor-made thin film composite (TFC) polyamide FO membranes were examined. The rejection of salts in tap water by the FO membranes was investigated, and the real rejections of various ions as a function of permeate flux were well described by using a irreversible thermodynamic model. The hollow fiber TFC FO membrane showed higher water flux and lower reverse salt flux than the CTA membrane in diluting process. Both steric hindrance and electrostatic repulsion explained the rejection behavior of the membranes to the ions. Higher rejections of anions were obtained than cations, which was attributed to the anions selection characteristics of the membranes. No obvious foulings or scalings were observed in a relatively long time osmotic dilution process over 5 repeated cycles. The stable, high efficient osmotic dilution process in hemodialysis holds a strong promise in reducing the consumption of purified water or even eliminating the water purification step. This work provides a potentially new platform hemodialysis which can be portable and implementable away from major hospitals and major clinics. Image 1 • Tap water was used to dilute dialysis concentrate based on forward osmosis. • Ion rejections versus flux were fit well using irreversible thermodynamic model. • Low reverse diffusion of components in dialysis concentrate was found. • Very light fouling after long time osmotic dilution could be cleaned by rinsing with caustic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, a forward osmosis (FO) process has been proposed to extract clean water from the micro-polluted feed containing heavy metal ions using biogas slurry as the draw solution, and then the diluted biogas slurry was directly utilized as a hydroponic solution to cultivate rice and leek without further treatment. In this process, the Cd2+ and Pb2+ ions, in the feed solution were effectively blocked by the FO membrane and the rejection coefficients were high to 98.5% and 97%, respectively. On basis of the high performance of FO membrane, the operation parameters of the FO process were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the FO process can extract enough clean water to dilute the biogas slurry, and the diluted biogas slurry can promote rice and leek to grow. The growth of the rice and leek in the diluted biogas slurry confirmed that the use of FO process is an effective way in water recovery and reuse for agricultural processes. Graphical abstract Schematic diagram of Biogas slurry-drawn FO experimental apparatus. fx1 Highlights • Pollution-free biogas slurry was used as draw solution of forward osmosis. • The rejection coefficients of Cd2+ and Pb2+ were high to be 98.5% and 97%, respectively. • Rice and leek cultivated with diluted biogas slurry grew well. • The operation parameters of forward osmosis process were optimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Service robot technology is increasingly gaining prominence in the field of artificial intelligence. However, persistent limitations continue to impede its widespread implementation. In this regard, human motion pose estimation emerges as a crucial challenge necessary for enhancing the perceptual and decision-making capacities of service robots., Method: This paper introduces a groundbreaking model, YOLOv8-ApexNet, which integrates advanced technologies, including Bidirectional Routing Attention (BRA) and Generalized Feature Pyramid Network (GFPN). BRA facilitates the capture of inter-keypoint correlations within dynamic environments by introducing a bidirectional information propagation mechanism. Furthermore, GFPN adeptly extracts and integrates feature information across different scales, enabling the model to make more precise predictions for targets of various sizes and shapes., Results: Empirical research findings reveal significant performance enhancements of the YOLOv8-ApexNet model across the COCO and MPII datasets. Compared to existing methodologies, the model demonstrates pronounced advantages in keypoint localization accuracy and robustness., Discussion: The significance of this research lies in providing an efficient and accurate solution tailored for the realm of service robotics, effectively mitigating the deficiencies inherent in current approaches. By bolstering the accuracy of perception and decision-making, our endeavors unequivocally endorse the widespread integration of service robots within practical applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Tang and Zhao.)

Objective: As a member of the S100 proteins family, the involvement of S100A11 has been suggested in a wide range of biological processes such as cell growth and motility, cell-cycle progression, transcription, differentiation and smooth muscle cell migration. However, the expression of S100A11 and its exact function in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) have not been elucidated., Methods: The protein and mRNA expression levels of S100A11 were analyzed in primary tumors and matched tumor-adjacent tissues of LSCC by western blotting and semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or quantitative real time PCR (Q-RT-PCR), respectively. Cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and wound-healing assays were performed to assess whether the knockdown of S100A11 by small interfering RNA (siRNA) could influence the biological behavior of human laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 cells in vitro., Results: We found that both protein and mRNA levels of S100A11 were overexpressed in laryngeal tumor tissues when compared to the corresponding noncancerous tissues. Further, it was demonstrated that the expression of S100A11 could induce migration but not proliferation of Hep-2 cells. Additionally, S100A11 altered a series of intracellular events, including the down-regulation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), CD44 and MMP2., Conclusions: These results highlight the significance of S100A11 in LSCC progression and suggest that the dysregulation of S100A11 might contribute to the metastatic progression of LSCC.

Background and Aims: The Glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) polymorphism have been considered a risk modifier for developing head and neck cancer (HNC) in many studies; however, the results of such studies are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible association between the GSTP1 Ile105Val polymorphism and risk of HNC., Method: We performed a search in the relevant electronic database and a meta-analysis based on 28 published case-control studies that included 6,404 cases and 6,523 controls. To take into account the possibility of heterogeneity across the studies, a Chi-square based I(2)-statistic test was performed. Crude pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were assessed using both fixed-effects and random-effects models., Results: The results of this meta-analysis showed that the GSTP1 Ile105Val polymorphism was not significantly associated with risk of HNC in the overall study population (pooled OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.92-1.09) or in subgroup analyses stratified by ethnicity, sample size, tumor site or publication year. Moreover, substantial evidence of heterogeneity among the studies was observed. Publication year was identified as the main cause of heterogeneity., Conclusion: This meta-analysis does not support a significant association between the GSTP1 Ile105Val polymorphism and risk of HNC.