A Spatial-Temporal Video Quality Assessment Method via Comprehensive HVS Simulation.

The quality of videos is the primary concern of video service providers. Built upon deep neural networks, video quality assessment (VQA) has rapidly progressed. Although existing works have introduced the knowledge of the human visual system (HVS) into VQA, there are still some limitations that hinder the full exploitation of HVS, including incomplete modeling with few HVS characteristics and insufficient connection among these characteristics. In this article, we present a novel spatial-temporal VQA method termed HVS-5M, wherein we design five modules to simulate five characteristics of HVS and create a bioinspired connection among these modules in a cooperative manner. Specifically, on the side of the spatial domain, the visual saliency module first extracts a saliency map. Then, the content-dependency and the edge masking modules extract the content and edge features, respectively, which are both weighted by the saliency map to highlight those regions that human beings may be interested in. On the other side of the temporal domain, the motion perception module extracts the dynamic temporal features. Besides, the temporal hysteresis module simulates the memory mechanism of human beings and comprehensively evaluates the video quality according to the fusion features from the spatial and temporal domains. Extensive experiments show that our HVS-5M outperforms the state-of-the-art VQA methods. Ablation studies are further conducted to verify the effectiveness of each module toward the proposed method. The source code is available at https://github.com/GZHU-DVL/HVS-5M.

Boosting Activity and Selectivity of UiO-66 through Acidity/Alkalinity Functionalization in Dimethyl Carbonate Catalysis.

The acid-base properties of supports have an enormous impact on catalytic reactions to regulate the selectivity and activity of supported catalysts. Herein, a train of Pd-X-UiO-66 (X = NO2 , NH2 , and CH3 ) catalysts with different acidity/alkalinity functional groups and encapsulated Pd(II) species is first developed, whose activities in dimethyl carbonate (DMC) catalysis are then investigated in details. Thereinto, the Pd-NO2 -UiO-66 catalyst with acidity functionalization exhibits the best catalytic behavior: the DMC selectivity stemmed from methyl nitrite (MN) is up to 68%, the conversion of CO is 73.4%. The obtained experimental results demonstrate that the NO2 group not only affected the interaction between X-UiO-66 and Pd(II) active sites but also play an indispensable role in the adsorption and activation of MN and CO, which remarkably promote the formation of the COOCH3 * intermediate and DMC product.

Emerging catalysts for the ambient synthesis of ethylene glycol from CO2 and its derivatives.

Ethylene glycol (EG), a useful chemical raw material, has been widely applied in many aspects of modern society. The conventional preparation of ethylene glycol mainly uses the petroleum route at high temperatures and pressure. More and more approaches have been developed to synthesize EG from CO2 and its derivatives under mild conditions. In this review, the ambient synthesis of EG from thermocatalysis, photocatalysis, and electrocatalysis is highlighted. The coal-to-ethylene glycol technology, one of the typical thermal catalysis routes for EG preparation, is relatively mature. However, it still faces some problems to be solved in industrialization. The recent progress in the development of coal-to-ethylene glycol technology is introduced. The main focus is on how to realize the preparation of EG under mild conditions. The strategies include doping promoters, modification of supports, design of catalysts with special structures, etc. Furthermore, the emerging technological progress of photocatalytic and electrocatalytic ethylene glycol synthesis under ambient conditions is introduced. Compared with the thermal catalytic reaction, the reaction conditions are milder. However, there are still many problems in large-scale production. Finally, we propose future development issues and related prospects for the ambient synthesis of EG using different catalytic routes.

Pig farm biogas slurry can effectively reduce the pH of saline-alkali soils.

Pig farm biogas slurry is being increasingly used as a potent organic fertilizer for sustainable agriculture under circular economy. However, the effect of biogas slurry on soil pH is currently controversial, and the underlying mechanisms especially in saline-alkali soils are not well understood. A saline-alkali soil (pH = 9.2, EC = 2.0 ms/cm) was selected for soil column (0-50 cm) experiments with (BS) and without (CK) addition of pig farm biogas slurry to investigate the soil pH change and its driving factors. Our results show that the soil pH under CK ranged between 9.1 and 9.5 across different soil depths. Compared to CK, the BS-treated soil had lower pH at 0-20 cm depth and higher pH at 20-30 cm depth (P < 0.01). The soil NH4+-N concentrations were negatively correlated with pH values under BS (P < 0.01), indicating that the oxidation of ammonium mainly contributed to the decrease of soil pH. Interestingly, the anions, such as Cl-, SO42- and NO3-, were accumulated in the topsoil (0-20 cm) under BS, resulting in the changed correlations of these anions with Na+ when compared to the control. FT-IR and 13C-NMR spectra uncovered that carboxyl, amide C, and total alkyl C groups may be responsible for reducing pH of the saline-alkali soil tested. The soil surface morphology confirmed a much tighter granular aggregate microstructure when mixing the biogas slurry with the soil. Overall, we concluded that from the perspective of soil pH, the utilization of biogas slurry for improving saline-alkali soil is feasible and sustainable.

Ambient-pressure synthesis of ethylene glycol catalyzed by C60-buffered Cu/SiO2.

Bulk chemicals such as ethylene glycol (EG) can be industrially synthesized from either ethylene or syngas, but the latter undergoes a bottleneck reaction and requires high hydrogen pressures. We show that fullerene (exemplified by C60) can act as an electron buffer for a copper-silica catalyst (Cu/SiO2). Hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate over a C60-Cu/SiO2 catalyst at ambient pressure and temperatures of 180° to 190°C had an EG yield of up to 98 ± 1%. In a kilogram-scale reaction, no deactivation of the catalyst was seen after 1000 hours. This mild route for the final step toward EG can be combined with the already-industrialized ambient reaction from syngas to the intermediate of dimethyl oxalate.

[Research progress on genus Clinopodium].

The plants of genus Clinopodium are perennial herbs of Labiatae, which are widely distributed in the world and have a promising medicinal value. Modern researches have shown flavonoids, triterpenoid saponins, terpene glycosides, terpenoids, volatile oils and phenylpropanoids are the main compounds in the plants, presenting various pharmacological effects such as hemostasis, anti-bacteria, anti-inflammation, immunoregulation, reducing blood glucose, antioxidation, and anti-tumor effects. The preparations made of those plants are mainly used for treatment of various bleeding diseases in clinical application. In this review, we systematically summarized the research progress on taxonomy, resource distribution, chemical compositions, pharmacological activities, and clinical application of the medicinal plants of genus Clinopodium. This review provides references and scientific basis for further research and development of genus Clinopodium.

CO2 hydrogenation to high-value products via heterogeneous catalysis.

Recently, carbon dioxide capture and conversion, along with hydrogen from renewable resources, provide an alternative approach to synthesis of useful fuels and chemicals. People are increasingly interested in developing innovative carbon dioxide hydrogenation catalysts, and the pace of progress in this area is accelerating. Accordingly, this perspective presents current state of the art and outlook in synthesis of light olefins, dimethyl ether, liquid fuels, and alcohols through two leading hydrogenation mechanisms: methanol reaction and Fischer-Tropsch based carbon dioxide hydrogenation. The future research directions for developing new heterogeneous catalysts with transformational technologies, including 3D printing and artificial intelligence, are provided.

Impact of cross-correlated sine-Wiener noises in the gene transcriptional regulatory system.

We studied fluctuation-induced switching processes in the gene transcriptional regulatory system under cross-correlated sine-Wiener (CCSW) noises. It is numerically demonstrated that the increase of the multiplicative noise intensity A and cross-correlation time τ in CCSW noises can reduce the concentration of the TF-A monomer and switch to an "off" state. In addition, when the cross-correlation time τ is small, the increase of the additive noise intensity B leads to a switch of the process from "off"→"on". Simultaneously, the increase of the cross-correlation intensity λ of CCSW noises contributes to maintaining the current state. When the cross-correlation time is large, the high concentration state has two peaks and the stationary probability distribution presents a three-peak structure.

Transportation Spherical Watermarking.

During the past twenty years, there has been a great interest in the study of spread spectrum (SS) watermarking. However, it is still a challenging task to design a secure and robust SS watermarking method. In this paper, we first define a family of secure SS watermarking methods, named as spherical watermarking (SW). The watermarked correlation of SW is defined to be uniformly distributed on a spherical surface, and this makes SW be key-secure against the watermarked-only attack. Then, we propose an implementation of SW, called transportation SW (TSW), which is designed to decrease embedding distortion in a recursive manner using the transportation theory, meanwhile keeping the security of SW. Moreover, we present a theoretical analysis of the embedding distortion and robustness of the proposed method. Finally, extensive experiments are conducted on simulated signals and real images. The experimental results show that TSW is more robust than existing secure SS watermarking methods.

[Expression of Extracellular Matrix Protein Reelin in Patients with Multiple Myeloma and Its Relationship with Prognosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of extracellular matrix protein Reelin (RELN) and its relationship with the prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma. METHODS: The mononuclear cells were collected from bone marrows of multiple myeloma patients by Ficoll gradient density centrifugation, the CD138+ cells were then purified by flow cytometry, the mRNA level of RELN was detected by real time PCR. The myeloma patients were divided into 2 groups according to the relative expression levels of RELN. Then the relationship of RELN expression level with clinical data was analyzed statistically. RESULTS: The high expression of RELN significantly correlated with the percentage of CD138+ cells, progress-free and total survival, but did not correlate significantly with DS (P>0.05) and ISS stages (P>0.05). The RELN high expression group showed higher levels of serum M protein, uric acid and serum calcium, lower hemoglobin, and more abnormal FISH results (including RB1 deletion, 1q21 amplification, IgH recombination, P53 deletion, D13S319 deletion) than those in RELN low expression group. CONCLUSION: Reelin correlates with the progression of multiple myeloma.

A Study on the Security Levels of Spread-Spectrum Embedding Schemes in the WOA Framework.

Security analysis is a very important issue for digital watermarking. Several years ago, according to Kerckhoffs' principle, the famous four security levels, namely insecurity, key security, subspace security, and stego-security, were defined for spread-spectrum (SS) embedding schemes in the framework of watermarked-only attack. However, up to now there has been little application of the definition of these security levels to the theoretical analysis of the security of SS embedding schemes, due to the difficulty of the theoretical analysis. In this paper, based on the security definition, we present a theoretical analysis to evaluate the security levels of five typical SS embedding schemes, which are the classical SS, the improved SS (ISS), the circular extension of ISS, the nonrobust and robust natural watermarking, respectively. The theoretical analysis of these typical SS schemes are successfully performed by taking advantage of the convolution of probability distributions to derive the probabilistic models of watermarked signals. Moreover, simulations are conducted to illustrate and validate our theoretical analysis. We believe that the theoretical and practical analysis presented in this paper can bridge the gap between the definition of the four security levels and its application to the theoretical analysis of SS embedding schemes.

Tuning different kinds of entangled metal-organic frameworks by modifying the spacer group of aliphatic dicarboxylate ligands and the reactant ratio.

Taking advantage of the conformational flexibility of the bpp ligand and aliphatic dicarboxylic acids, six interesting entangled coordination polymers, {[Cd(fum)(bpp)(H2O)]·(H2O)}n (), {[Cd(fum)(bpp)2]·(H2O)5}n (), {[Cd2(suc)1.5(bpp)2(NO3)(H2O)2]·6H2O}n (), {[Cd(suc)(bpp)2]·(H2O)1.5}n (), {[Cd2(glu)2(bpp)3]·10H2O}n (), and {Cd(adp)(bpp)(H2O)}n () have been prepared and structurally characterized (bpp = 1,3-bi(4-pyridyl)propane, fum = fumaric, suc = succinate, glu = glutaric, adp = adipic). Compounds and are comprised of undulated 2D 4(4)-sql networks. In the structure of compound , two identical undulated layers are parallelly interpenetrated with each other to give a 2D → 2D interpenetrating framework. For , the dangling arms projected from 2D layers are intercalated into the neighboring sheets, producing a 2D → 3D polythreading framework. Compound shows a rare example of a 2D self-penetrating framework with a (3,4)-connected (4(2)·6(3)·8)(4(2)·6) topology. Compound presents an unusual 2D self-threading network with a novel 4-connected {4(2)·6(3)·8} topology. Compound displays a 3D self-penetrating system based on a 2D → 3D parallel polycatenation array. Compound exhibits an unprecedented 3D self-penetrating structure having both 1D + 1D → 1D polycatenation and 3D + 3D → 3D interpenetration characteristics. A comparison of these six compounds demonstrates that both the different spacer lengths of the aliphatic dicarboxylates and reactant ratios appear to play a significant role in the assembly of entangled frameworks. In addition, thermal stabilities and photoluminescence properties of have been examined in the solid state at room temperature.

Multiple rice microRNAs are involved in immunity against the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are indispensable regulators for development and defense in eukaryotes. However, the miRNA species have not been explored for rice (Oryza sativa) immunity against the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, the most devastating fungal pathogen in rice production worldwide. Here, by deep sequencing small RNA libraries from susceptible and resistant lines in normal conditions and upon M. oryzae infection, we identified a group of known rice miRNAs that were differentially expressed upon M. oryzae infection. They were further classified into three classes based on their expression patterns in the susceptible japonica line Lijiangxin Tuan Hegu and in the resistant line International Rice Blast Line Pyricularia-Kanto51-m-Tsuyuake that contains a single resistance gene locus, Pyricularia-Kanto 51-m (Pikm), within the Lijiangxin Tuan Hegu background. RNA-blot assay of nine of them confirmed sequencing results. Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay showed that the expression of some target genes was negatively correlated with the expression of miRNAs. Moreover, transgenic rice plants overexpressing miR160a and miR398b displayed enhanced resistance to M. oryzae, as demonstrated by decreased fungal growth, increased hydrogen peroxide accumulation at the infection site, and up-regulated expression of defense-related genes. Taken together, our data indicate that miRNAs are involved in rice immunity against M. oryzae and that overexpression of miR160a or miR398b can enhance rice resistance to the disease.

Using alkaline-earth metal ions to tune structural variations of 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate coordination polymers.

Alkaline-earth metal ions were used to tune four new heterometallic frameworks, {[Cd(2.07)Mg(0.93)(BTC)(2)(H(2)O)(4)]·2H(2)O}(n) (1), {[Cd(2)Ca(BTC)(2)(H(2)O)(4)]·2H(2)O}(n) (2), {[Cd(2)Sr(BTC)(2)(H(2)O)(5)]·H(2)O}(n) (3) and [Cd(6)Ba(3)(BTC)(3)(H(2)O)(10)](n) (4) (H(3)BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid), synthesized from H(3)BTC and the corresponding metal salts. Single-crystal X-ray analysis shows that compound 1 is a three-dimensional (3D) framework based on heterometallic Cd-O-Cd-O-Mg inorganic chain subunits, compounds 2 and 3 are basically isostructural and feature a 3D framework based on Ca(II) or Sr(II) polyhedrons decorated with Cd-O-Cd inorganic chains. Compound 4 is a 3D framework templated by disordered inorganic hydrate Ba(II) ions, and also features inorganic Cd-O-Cd chains, which are connected together through corner sharing with the {Cd(1)O(6)} polyhedrons by {Ba(1)O(6)} polyhedrons, giving rise to a rare heterometallic 3D inorganic skeleton. Moreover, the solid-state fluorescence of compounds 1-4 and NLO properties of compounds 2-4 have also been investigated at room temperature.

[Short fusion and long fusion for degenerative lumbar scoliosis with lumbar stenosis].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the indications, surgical techniques and prognostic factors of short fusion versus long fusion for elder patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients undergoing different kinds of surgical procedures for lumbar spinal scoliosis between June 2005 and October 2010 were recruited for this retrospective study. The mean patient age at surgery was 64.2 years (range: 61 - 75). The short fusion group included 13 patients and the long fusion group 25 patients. RESULTS: There were a variety of treatment methods of degenerative scoliosis based on the symptomatology and radiological measurements of scoliosis and stenosis. Thirty-eight patients were followed up for an average of 37 months. The number of fused levels was 2.8 ± 0.7 segments in the short fusion group versus 5.1 ± 1.4 in the long fusion group. The average preoperative Cobb angle was 18.6° (range: 12 - 27) in the short fusion group versus 33.5° (range: 3 - 42) in the long fusion group. The correction of Cobb angle averaged 40% in the short fusion group versus 67% in the long fusion group. Clinical symptoms and functional tolerance for daily activities improved postoperatively. Radiographic evaluations showed reduced deformity on the frontal and sagittal planes. There were no infections, pseudoarthrosis, instrument-related failures or reoperations. CONCLUSIONS: Long segment fusion is superior to its short segment counterpart in correcting scoliotic curvature and coronal imbalance and improving rotational subluxation of apical vertebra. Careful perioperative preparation is essential in the treatment of elder patients with lumbar spinal scoliosis.

Natural and anthropogenic lead in soils and vegetables around Guiyang city, southwest China: a Pb isotopic approach.

Soils, vegetables and rainwaters from three vegetable production bases in the Guiyang area, southwest China, were analyzed for Pb concentrations and isotope compositions to trace its sources in the vegetables and soils. Lead isotopic compositions were not distinguishable between yellow soils and calcareous soils, but distinguishable among sampling sites. The highest (207)Pb/(206)Pb and (208)Pb/(206)Pb ratios were found for rainwaters (0.8547-0.8593 and 2.098-2.109, respectively), and the lowest for soils (0.7173-0.8246 and 1.766-2.048, respectively). The (207)Pb/(206)Pb and (208)Pb/(206)Pb ratios increased in vegetables in the order of roots

[The application of molecular differential diagnoses platform in identification of the respiratory pathogens].

AIM: To establish a MDD (molecular differential diagnoses) platform for diagnosing the pathogens that may cause respiratory infection by combination of the advanced Tem-PCR(Target enriched multiplex PCR)with xMAP(multiple analyses profiling), and to evaluate the reliability and further use the platform to test clinic samples. METHODS: 22 throat swab specimen from outpatient patients of respiratory department in First Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University and 20 respiratory tract lavage fluid specimen from inpatients of respiratory department in Affiliated Children Hospital of Suzhou University were collected, and the nucleic acids of the samples were amplified by Tem-PCR and xMAP. RESULTS: Testing of the the known samples showed that the platform had excellent specificity and sensitivity. Testing of the clinic samples showed that the positive rate of the respiratory tract lavage fluid specimen was 63.6%, higher than that of the throat swab specimen, and that the positive rate of RNA pathogens was higher than that of DNA pathogens. CONCLUSION: A reliable MDD platform for detection of respiratory pathogens has been established with high-throughput detection capacity.

Multifunctional homochiral lanthanide camphorates with mixed achiral terephthalate ligands.

Seven homochiral lanthanide camphorates with mixed achiral terephthalate ligands, namely, {Ln(2)(cam)(2)(bdc)(H(2)O)(2)}·DMF [Ln = Sm (1), Eu (2), Gd (3), Tb (4), Dy (5), Ho (6), Er (7); d-H(2)cam = d-(+)-camphoric acid; H(2)bdc = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid; DMF = N,N'-dimethylformamide], have been solvothermally synthesized. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that compounds 1-7 are isostructural and crystallize in orthorhombic, chiral space group P2(1)2(1)2(1). These structures feature three-dimensional open frameworks based on rodlike [Ln(2)(OCO)(6)(H(2)O)(2)](n) secondary building units, with the guest DMF molecules occupying the void space of the host {Ln(2)(cam)(3)(bdc)(H(2)O)(2)} framework. The photophysical and magnetic properties of some of these complexes have been investigated. Notably, the terbium compound 4 is highly emissive with a quantum yield of 63.68%. Additionally, thermogravimetric analyses, variable-temperature IR spectroscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction of 2 as a representative were performed to determine its thermal stability, which indicates that the framework still remains intact until 300 °C.

Ag(I)-mediated in situ dehydrogenative coupling of 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole into 3,3'-azobis(1,2,4-triazole) in Cd(II) coordination polymers.

Ag(I)-mediated in situ generation of 3,3'-azobis(1,2,4-triazole) (AzTAZ) from 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (AmTAZ) through dehydrogenative coupling has been realized during the crystallization process of two Cd(II) coordination polymers with novel topological architectures: a (3, 4, 5)-connected (4 x 6(2))(2)(4 x 6(7) x 8(2))(2)(6(5) x 10) net for [Cd(2)(AmTAZ)(2)(AzTAZ)](n) (1) and a 4-connected (6(2) x 8(4))(6(4) x 8(2))(6(5) x 8)(2) net for [Cd(AzTAZ)(2)(H(2)O)](n) (2), whereas AmTAZ retains its original form in a heterometallic complex, [Ag(2)Cd(AmTAZ)(4)](n) (3).

Temperature-controlled syntheses of substituted 1,2,4-triazolelead(II) complexes: active lone pair and N-H...X (X = Cl, Br, I) hydrogen bonds.

Three isomorphous lead(II) complexes with a new {N(3)SX}-coordinated (X = Cl, Br, I) mode have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction. The structural analyses reveal that the coordination environment around the center metal is distinctly influenced by the stereochemical 6s(2) lone pair and N-H...X hydrogen bonds. Additionally, doubly deprotonated trzS(2-) (HtrzSH = 1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol) generated in situ via deamination and dehydrazination of ahtrzS(-) (ahtrzSH = 4-amino-3-hydrazino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole) was first observed in a semiconducting three-dimensional coordination network at higher reaction temperature.