Sea Fog Dissipation Prediction in Incheon Port and Haeundae Beach Using Machine Learning and Deep Learning.

Sea fog is a natural phenomenon that reduces the visibility of manned vehicles and vessels that rely on the visual interpretation of traffic. Fog clearance, also known as fog dissipation, is a relatively under-researched area when compared with fog prediction. In this work, we first analyzed meteorological observations that relate to fog dissipation in Incheon port (one of the most important ports for the South Korean economy) and Haeundae beach (the most populated and famous resort beach near Busan port). Next, we modeled fog dissipation using two separate algorithms, classification and regression, and a model with nine machine learning and three deep learning techniques. In general, the applied methods demonstrated high prediction accuracy, with extra trees and recurrent neural nets performing best in the classification task and feed-forward neural nets in the regression task.

Coastal Visibility Distance Estimation Using Dark Channel Prior and Distance Map Under Sea-Fog: Korean Peninsula Case.

Commercial visibility sensors among meteorological sensors estimate the visibility distance based on transmission, backward scattering, and forward scattering principle. These optical visibility sensors yield comparatively accurate local visibility distance. However, it is still difficult to obtain comprehensive visibility information for a wide area, such as the coast or harbor due to the sensor structure using straightness and scattering properties of light. In this paper, we propose a novel visibility distance estimation method using dark channel prior (DCP) and distance map based on a camera image. The proposed method improves the local limit of optical visibility sensor and detects the visibility distance of a wide area more precisely. First, the dark channel for an input sea-fog image is calculated. The binary transmission image is obtained by applying a threshold to the estimated transmission from the dark channel. Then, the sum of the distance values of pixels, corresponding to the sea-fog boundary, is averaged, in order to derive the visibility distance. This paper also proposes a novel air-light and transmission estimation technique in order to extract the visibility distance for an abnormal sea-fog image, including any light source, such as sunlight, reflection light, and illumination light, etc. The estimated visibility distance was compared with optical visibility distance of an optical visibility sensor and their agreement was evaluated.

Reciprocal interactions of Fgf10/Fgfr2b modulate the mouse tongue epithelial differentiation.

The molecular mechanisms for epithelial differentiation have been studied by observing skin development in embryogenesis, but the early signaling modulations involved in tongue epithelial differentiation are not completely understood. Based on the gene expression patterns of the Fgf signaling molecules and previous results from Fgf10 and Fgfr2b knockout mice, it was hypothesized that there would be fundamental signaling interactions through the epithelial Fgfr2b and its mesenchymal ligand Fgf10 to regulate tongue epithelium differentiation. To elucidate these reciprocal interactions in tongue epithelial differentiation, this study employed an in vitro tongue organ culture system with antisense-oligodeoxynucleotides (AS-ODNs) and recombinant protein-soaked bead implantation for the loss-of-function and gain-of-function studies. Functional analysis of Fgf signaling revealed precise reciprocal interactions, which showed that mesenchymal Fgf10 rather than Fgf7 modulates tongue epithelial differentiation via Fgfr2b in a temporal- and spatial-specific manner.

The effect of low glucose degradation product dialysis solution on epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs) undergo a transition from an epithelial phenotype to a mesenchymal phenotype (EMT) during peritoneal dialysis (PD). That transition may be directly related to failure of peritoneal membrane function. OBJECTIVE: In a randomized prospective controlled study, we investigated the effect of low glucose degradation product (GDP) dialysis solution on the transition of HPMCs. METHODS: Among new continuous ambulatory PD patients, 60 patients completed a 12-month protocol (low-GDP solution group, n = 32; high-GDP solution group, n = 28). At the 1st, 6th, and 12th months, HPMCs drained from overnight effluent were cultured on T25. When they had nearly reached confluence, cell scores were measured blindly by the same person (score 1 = cobblestone-shaped HPMCs, score 2 = mixed, score 3 = fibroblast dominant). Cell scores and clinical indices, including peritoneal markers, were compared between the low-GDP and high-GDP groups at the 1st, 6th, and 12th months. The factors associated with EMT were analyzed with generalized estimating equations using STATA 7.0 (STATA Corp., College Station, Texas, USA). In addition, vimentin and cytokeratin 8/18 stains were used to verify EMT in cultured cells and peritoneal specimens in some patients. RESULTS: (1) The low-GOP group showed higher dialysate cancer antigen 125 levels from the 1st to 12th months (55.4 +/- 24.8 vs 8.8 +/- 1.7, 56.7 +/- 28.1 vs 22.1 +/- 11.3, and 54.2 +/- 28.2 vs 24.6 +/- 16.5 U/mL, at the 1st, 6th, and 12th months, respectively; all p = 0.000). (2) The low-GOP group showed lower cell scores at the 1st, 6th, and 12th months (1.22, 1.22, and 1.56 vs 1.61, 1.75, and 2.14; p < 0.05, p < 0.01, and p < 0.01, respectively). (3) At the 12th month, the number of fibroblast-dominant cultures (score 3) was significantly lower in the low-GOP group [4/32 (12.5%) patients vs 14/28 (50%), p < 0.05]. (4) Both cobblestone-shaped HPMCs and fibroblastoid cells were positively stained with cytokeratin and vimentin. (5) There were many cytokeratin- and vimentin-positive cells in the submesothelial area in the peritoneal biopsy specimens. (6) The consistent factor associated with EMT was only high-GOP solution (60 patients, n = 178, beta coefficient 0.312, p = 0.000; 46 patients, n = 137, beta coef: 0.228, p = 0.000) and not numbers of peritonitis episodes, duration of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and/or angiotensin receptor blocker medication, or diabetes. CONCLUSION: Low-GDP solution showed beneficial effects such as rapid remesothelialization and less EMT in the peritoneum with time on PD.