Nonlinear Deblurring for Low-Light Saturated Image.

Single image deblurring has achieved significant progress for natural daytime images. Saturation is a common phenomenon in blurry images, due to the low light conditions and long exposure times. However, conventional linear deblurring methods usually deal with natural blurry images well but result in severe ringing artifacts when recovering low-light saturated blurry images. To solve this problem, we formulate the saturation deblurring problem as a nonlinear model, in which all the saturated and unsaturated pixels are modeled adaptively. Specifically, we additionally introduce a nonlinear function to the convolution operator to accommodate the procedure of the saturation in the presence of the blurring. The proposed method has two advantages over previous methods. On the one hand, the proposed method achieves the same high quality of restoring the natural image as seen in conventional deblurring methods, while also reducing the estimation errors in saturated areas and suppressing ringing artifacts. On the other hand, compared with the recent saturated-based deblurring methods, the proposed method captures the formation of unsaturated and saturated degradations straightforwardly rather than with cumbersome and error-prone detection steps. Note that, this nonlinear degradation model can be naturally formulated into a maximum-a posterioriframework, and can be efficiently decoupled into several solvable sub-problems via the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). Experimental results on both synthetic and real-world images demonstrate that the proposed deblurring algorithm outperforms the state-of-the-art low-light saturation-based deblurring methods.

The feasibility of recycling drinking water treatment residue as suspended substrate for the removal of excess P and N from natural water.

Eutrophication of natural water commonly involves the pollution of both P and N. Here, we developed a new application of drinking water treatment residuals (DWTRs) for suspensions that permits the simultaneous removal of excess P and N from natural water and demonstrates that DWTRs recycling can provide a means for eutrophication control. Based on 364-day continuous flow tests, the suspension application of DWTRs effectively adsorbed P from overlying water under various conditions, decreasing total P concentrations from 0.0739 ± 0.0462 to 0.0111 ± 0.0079-0.0149 ± 0.0106 mg L-1, which achieved a class Ⅱ level of the China surface water quality standards during the tests. The total N concentrations were also reduced from 1.46 ± 0.63-1.52 ± 0.63 to 0.435 ± 0.185-0.495 ± 0.198 mg L-1, which achieved a class Ⅲ level during the stable stage of the tests. N removal was closely related to doses of DWTRs and aeration intensities. Effective N removal was mediated by the enriched microbial communities in the suspended DWTRs with simple, stable, and resilient networks, including many taxa associated with the N cycle (e.g., Rhodoplanes, Brevibacillus, and Pseudomonas). Further analysis indicated that both effective P adsorption and functional microbial community construction were closely related to Fe and Al in DWTRs. Suspension application prevented the burial effect of solids sinking from overlying water, which aided the ability of DWTRs to control pollution, and is potentially applicable to other materials for natural water remediation.

[Priligy combined with behavioral therapy and psychological counseling for primary premature ejaculation].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of priligy (dapoxetine hydrochloride) combined with behavioral therapy and psychological counseling in the treatment of primary premature ejaculation (PPE). METHODS: A total of 202 PPE patients diagnosed from 2017 to 2018 were randomized into a control (n = 100) and an experimental group (n = 102), the former treated with oral priligy at 30 mg 1－3 hours before anticipated sexual activity, and the latter by the same medication combined with 30-minute behavioral therapy and psychological counseling once a month for two times. The therapeutic effects were evaluated according to the Premature Ejaculation Profile (PEP) scores of the patients at 1 and 2 months of treatment. RESULTS: After 1 month of treatment, both groups of the patients showed significant improvement, as compared with the baseline, in the PEP scores on personal distress related to ejaculation (P < 0 05), interpersonal difficulty related to ejaculation (P < 0.05) and satisfaction with sexual intercourse (P < 0.05) but not on perceived control over ejaculation (P > 0.05). At 2 months, however, the patients' scores on all the four PEP items were dramatically improved, even more significantly in the experimental than in the control group, as on perceived control over ejaculation (2.73 ± 0.95 vs 2.22 ± 0.68, P < 0.05), personal distress related to ejaculation (2.97 ± 1.07 vs 2.57 ± 0.69, P < 0.05), interpersonal difficulty related to ejaculation (3.19 ± 1.03 vs 2.77 ± 0.69, P < 0 05) and satisfaction with sexual intercourse (2.85 ± 0.99 vs 2.35 ± 0.63, P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence rate of adverse events between the experimental and control groups (21.6% vs 20.0%, P > 0.05), and all the symptoms were relieved within 24 hours. CONCLUSIONS: Priligy combined with behavioral therapy and psychological counseling is more effective than priligy alone in improving the sexual function of PPE patients, raise their interest in sexual life and increase the intimacy between the partners, and can even achieve clinical cure in some patients.

[Protective effect of lycopene on human spermatozoa during cryopreservation and its mechanism].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effect of lycopene against cryopreservation injury of post-thawing human sperm and its mechanism. METHODS: Semen samples were collected from 25 volunteers, each sample equally divided into four parts to be cryopreserved with cryoprotectant only (Ly0 control) or cryoprotectant + lycopene at the concentrations of 2 (Ly2), 5 (Ly5), and 10 µmol/L (Ly10), respectively. Before and after thawing, the semen samples were subjected to computer-assisted semen analysis ( CASA) for sperm kinematics, flow cytometry for sperm apoptosis, thiobarbituric acid assay for malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, and JC-1 fluorescent staining for the sperm mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). RESULTS: After cryopreservation, sperm motility was markedly decreased in all the groups (P < 0.01). The rate of sperm apoptosis was significantly lower in the Ly5 group than in the Ly0 control ([25.68 ± 4.36]% vs [33.26 ± 4.78]%, P < 0.05), while sperm MMP remarkably higher in the former than in the latter ([66.18 ± 14.23]% vs [55.24 ± 12.31]%, P < 0.05). The Ly2, Ly5 and Ly10 groups showed no statistically significance differences in the MDA level from the Ly0 control (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Addition of lycopene at a proper concentration to cryoprotectant may reduce oxidative damage to sperm mitochondria in the freezing-thawing process, attenuate oxidative stress injury induced by reactive oxygen species to sperm plasma membrane, and improve the anti-apoptosis ability of sperm.

Simple method of measuring laser peak intensity inside femtosecond laser filament in air.

Measurement of laser intensity inside a femtosecond laser filament is a challenging task. In this work, we suggest a simple way to characterize laser peak intensity inside the filament in air. It is based on the signal ratio measurement of two nitrogen fluorescence lines, namely, 391 nm and 337 nm. Because of distinct excitation mechanisms, the signals of the two fluorescence lines increase with the laser intensity at different orders of nonlinearity. An empirical formula has been deduced according to which laser peak intensity could be simply determined by the fluorescence ratio.

Impressive laser intensity increase at the trailing stage of femtosecond laser filamentation in air.

The longitudinal distribution of the laser peak intensity inside a half meter long femtosecond laser filament in air is studied by measuring the signal ratio of two nitrogen fluorescence lines, 391 nm and 337 nm. The experimental results reveal that laser peak intensity initially remains almost constant (~4.3 × 10(13) W/cm2) inside the filament. However, before the end of the filament, surprisingly the laser intensity undergoes dramatic increase. A maximum intensity as high as 2.8×10(14) W/cm2 could be reached. The experimental result is unexpected by the conventional intensity clamping scenario, according to which the laser peak intensity would feature low variation along a filament. The experimental result is then interpreted as being due to the generation of a short pulse at trailing stage of the filamentation with reduced diameter. This phenomenon might be of great interest owing to its potential application in high-order-harmonic generation and producing isolated single attosecond laser pulse through simple experimental approach.

Multiple filamentation generated by focusing femtosecond laser with axicon.

Multiple filamentation has been observed when focusing a femtosecond laser pulse into a methanol solution with an axicon. It is found that multiple long filaments are located on the central spot and ring structures of the quasi-Bessel beam created by the axicon. Since the quasi-Bessel profile is determined by the axicon properties, the axicon has been suggested as a simple optics to control multiple filaments.

Monochromatic light-enhanced photocatalytic CO2 reduction based on exciton properties of two-dimensional lead halide perovskites.

Converting CO2 into valuable solar fuels through photocatalysis has been considered a green and sustainable technology that is promising for alleviating global warming and providing energy in an environmentally friendly manner. However, traditional photocatalysts generally suffer from low surface-reactive reaction sites, inefficient light harvesting and rapid recombination of electron-hole pairs. Lead halide perovskite materials have been considered ideal semiconductor photocatalysts for photocatalytic CO2 reduction due to their tunable band gaps, strong light absorption, and low cost. Herein, a series of L2Csn-1PbnX3n+1 (L = ba, ha, oa; X = Cl, Br, I; n = 1, 2) 2D layered perovskites were synthesized by a facile solvothermal method. The effects of alkyl amine chain length, halogen atoms and inorganic layer number on their properties were studied. More importantly, these 2D materials were used as photocatalysts for CO2 reduction without any sacrificial agents. These 2D perovskites exhibited markedly increased performance in comparison with 3D bulk materials, benefitting from the larger surface-area-to-volume ratio and faster and more efficient exciton dissociation, which achieved the highest CO yield of 158.69 µmol g-1 h-1 and CH4 yield of 6.9 µmol g-1 h-1 through the design of the photocatalytic system. In addition, the influence of light source conditions on photocatalysis was studied systematically, including light source intensity and wavelength. The experimental results indicated that an appropriate solvent, high light intensity and monochromatic light source matching the wavelength of exciton absorption can effectively improve the photocatalytic efficiency.

Needle urethral self-insertion for nine years in an adolescent boy.

Self-insertion of needles into the urethra is rare among children, especially in adolescents with no evident history of mental illness. It is usually an urological emergency condition and needs surgery as soon as possible. The case we report here is a 14 year-old boy with urethral self-insertion of a sewing needle which was lodged in urethra for 9 years. The needle was successfully removed by urethrocystoscope with a surgical grasper. Our objective of this case report is to remind urologists and pediatrician of the possibility of urethral foreign bodies and recommend scrotal ultrasonography as the first examination modality.

Habitat heterogeneity induces regional differences in sediment nitrogen fixation in eutrophic freshwater lake.

Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in sediments is an important source of bioavailable nitrogen in aquatic systems. However, the effect of habitat change caused by eutrophication on nitrogen fixation within sediments is still unclear. In this study, nitrogen fixation rates and diazotroph diversities in sediments with heterogeneous ecological status in one eutrophic lake were investigated by using an isotope tracer method and sequencing of nitrogen-fixing (nif) genes. The results showed that both nitrogenase activity (NA) and nifH abundance in sediments of blooms area were higher than those in vegetation-dominated habitats. Correlation analysis showed that NA was correlated closely to nifH abundance, dissolved sulfide, and iron. The diazotrophic assemblage contained mainly Proteobacterial sequences belonging to Cluster I and III, and the variations of diazotrophic community could be explained by total nitrogen content, total phosphorus content, organic matters, sulfides, ammonium and iron content. Moreover, the co-occurrence network analysis showed the Alphaproteobacteria shaped the major interactions in diazotrophic community, and sediment properties had stronger effect on diazotrophic community in cyanobacteria-dominated habitat. This study revealed that habitat heterogeneity in eutrophic lakes shaped different succession of BNF in sediments and cyanobacterial blooms significantly improved the nitrogen-fixing activity in sediments, which broadened our understanding of nitrogen cycle and nutrient management in eutrophic freshwater lakes.

Benign testicular cavernous hemangioma presenting with acute onset: A case report.

Cavernous hemangioma is a congenital, benign vascular tumor that occurs in the deep dermis and subcutaneous tissue. Testicular cavernous hemangioma is extremely rare, mostly occurring during childhood or adolescence. Testicular cavernous hemangioma is a benign tumor that appears as a slowly growing painless mass. In rare cases, it may be associated with acute testicular infarction or torsion with acute onset. We herein report the case of a patient with an atypical presentation of testicular cavernous hemangioma, characterized by acute painful testicular enlargement triggered by minor injury. The patient underwent right radical orchiectomy, and histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of testicular cavernous hemangioma. Although this is a rare tumor, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of testicular tumors.

Portraying polarization state of terahertz pulse generated by a two-color laser field in air.

By using an electro-optic sampling technique, the instantaneous field vector of the terahertz (THz) pulse generated by mixing a near-IR femtosecond pulse and its second harmonic in air has been studied. The polarization of the investigated THz pulse is found to be predominantly linear and orthogonal to that of the second harmonic, revealing the major role of chi((3))(xyxy) during the four-wave mixing process.

Silencing of MALAT1 inhibits migration and invasion by sponging miR­1­3p in prostate cancer cells.

Prostate cancer is a common malignancy with a high mortality rate. Long non­coding RNA metastasis associated with lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) has been reported to serve tumor­promoting roles. However, the underlying mechanism requires further examination. In the present study, it was demonstrated that MALAT1 was increased while microRNA (miR/miRNA)­1­3p was decreased in prostate cancer cell lines. The silencing of MALAT1 inhibited migration, invasion and epithelial­mesenchymal transition, when epithelial (E)­cadherin expression level was increased, and neural (N)­cadherin, vimentin, Slug and Snail expression levels were decreased. Dual­luciferase reporter assay results demonstrated that miR­1­3p bound to MALAT1 and coronin 1C (CORO1C) 3' untranslated region, and MALAT1 competed with CORO1C for the binding sites of miR­1­3p. MALAT1 inhibited the expression of miR­1­3p and vice versa. MALAT1 knockdown induced the decline of CORO1C, which was subsequently recovered by the miR­1­3p inhibitor. In addition, by inhibiting miR­1­3p or overexpressing CORO1C, the silencing of MALAT1­induced phenotypic alterations were restored. In conclusion, MALAT1 serving as a degradable miRNA sponge, may sequester miR­1­3p from CORO1C and by silencing MALAT1, migration, invasion and epithelial­mesenchymal transition may be inhibited in prostate cancer cells. MALAT1 and CORO1C may serve as novel clinical therapeutic targets for prostate cancer.

Silencing of lncRNA MALAT1 inhibits cell cycle progression via androgen receptor signaling in prostate cancer cells.

Prostate cancer is the second common cancer in men with high morbidity and mortality. Androgen receptor (AR) signaling plays a crucial role in occurrence and development of prostate cancer. In this study, we demonstrated that lncRNA metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) was increased in prostate cancer cells after androgen stimulation, as well as AR. The silencing of MALAT1 inhibited dihydrotestosterone (DHT) administration-induced acceleration of proliferation and cell cycle progression, and increase of AR expression in prostate cancer cells. MALAT1 bound to miR-320b and negatively regulated its expression, and vice versa. AR is a target of miR-320b. The phenotypic changes induced by silencing of MALAT1 were abolished by miR-320b inhibition or AR overexpression. Additionally, MALAT1 knockdown also suppressed the tumorigenesis of prostate cancer cells in nude mice. In summary, the silencing of MALAT1 inactivated AR signaling by sponging miR-320b, and inhibited proliferation and cell cycle progression in prostate cancer cells, suggesting that MALAT1 may be a new target in diagnosis and therapy of prostate cancer in clinic.