A Foggy Weather Simulation Algorithm for Traffic Image Synthesis Based on Monocular Depth Estimation.

This study addresses the ongoing challenge for learning-based methods to achieve accurate object detection in foggy conditions. In response to the scarcity of foggy traffic image datasets, we propose a foggy weather simulation algorithm based on monocular depth estimation. The algorithm involves a multi-step process: a self-supervised monocular depth estimation network generates a relative depth map and then applies dense geometric constraints for scale recovery to derive an absolute depth map. Subsequently, the visibility of the simulated image is defined to generate a transmittance map. The dark channel map is then used to distinguish sky regions and estimate atmospheric light values. Finally, the atmospheric scattering model is used to generate fog simulation images under specified visibility conditions. Experimental results show that more than 90% of fog images have AuthESI values of less than 2, which indicates that their non-structural similarity (NSS) characteristics are very close to those of natural fog. The proposed fog simulation method is able to convert clear images in natural environments, providing a solution to the problem of lack of foggy image datasets and incomplete visibility data.

Distribution, contamination and provenance of heavy metals in sediments from the nearshore area of Weihai City, eastern Shandong Peninsula, China.

We analyzed eight heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, Hg, As, and Ni) in 85 seabed sediments off the coast of Weihai City, eastern Shandong Peninsula, China, to reveal their distributions, enrichment status, and pollutant sources. Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, As, and Ni were enriched in all bays in both the inner and outer waters. However, Cd and Hg were more abundant in Weihai Bay, followed by Rongcheng Bay and Chaoyang Port, with denser populations and more developed industries near the coast. Most areas exhibited slight contamination with As and Pb, with relatively severe contamination in localized areas. Moreover, Weihai Bay showed slight contamination with Cd, Zn, and Hg. Heavy metals are largely influenced by the discharge of anthropogenic pollutants along the coast. It is recommended to implement strict control measures on the discharge of waste into the sea, and ensure the sustainable development of the marine ecological environment.

Assessment of heavy metal contamination in surface sediments off the Dongying coast, Bohai Sea.

In this study, 214 surface sediment samples were collected from the offshore area of the Dongying coast and were analysed for heavy metals; particularly, their concentrations and pollution status were evaluated. The copper (Cu) and chromium (Cr) distributions were similar, their concentrations were the highest in the northeast areas and the Xiaoqing River estuary, where dominated by fine-grained sediments. Higher concentrations of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As) were generally found in the offshore area of the study location, and the highest Cd concentration was observed in the Xiaoqing River estuary. The sediments were not polluted by Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cr; they were not polluted or moderately polluted by Cd and As. Results of the principal component analysis indicated that Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cr were derived from natural sources and Cd and As were derived from anthropogenic sources.

Application of nano-carbon and titanium clip combined labeling in robot-assisted laparoscopic transverse colon cancer surgery.

BACKGROUND: Robot-assisted laparoscopic transverse colon tumor surgery requires precise tumor localization. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of nano-carbon and titanium clip combination labeling methods in robot-assisted transverse colon tumor surgery. METHODS: From January 2018 to January 2019, the clinical data of 16 patients who come from FuZhou, China underwent preoperative nano-carbon and titanium clip combined with robot-assisted laparoscopic transverse colon cancer surgery were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 16 patients, no signs of abdominal pain, fever, or diarrhea were observed after colonoscopy. Two titanium clips were seen on all of the 16 patients' abdominal plain films. Nano-carbon staining sites were observed during the operation, and no staining disappeared or abdominal cavity contamination. All patients underwent R0 resection. The average number of lymph nodes harvsted was 18.23 ± 5.04 (range, 9-32). The average time to locate the lesion under the laparoscopic was 3.03 ± 1.26 min (range, 1-6 min), and the average operation time was 321.43 ± 49.23 min (range, 240-400 min). All were consistent with the surgical plan, and there was no intraoperative change of surgical procedure or conversion to open surgery. CONCLUSION: Preoperative colonoscopy combined with nano-carbon and titanium clip is safe and effective in robot-assisted transverse colon cancer surgery. A At the same time, the labeling method shows potential in shortening the operation time, ensuring sufficient safety margin and reducing complications.

Ingested a fish bone-induced ileal perforation: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Gastrointestinal perforation due to foreign body intake is rare and often secondary to unintentional intake; hence, a misdiagnosis is likely. Herein, we report a case of perforation of the ileum due to fish bone. CASE PRESENTATION: A 57-year-old woman presented with right lower abdominal pain. She did not provide any information about having a history of swallowing foreign bodies. Surgery for uterine fibroids and subtotal gastrectomy was performed 6 years ago. DIAGNOSIS: Laboratory tests and imaging examination showed normal results. During laparotomy, a fish bone was found at the end of the ileum. Two senior radiologists re-evaluated the computed tomography scan, and confirmed the presence of the suspected foreign body. INTERVENTIONS: Partial intestinal resection and manual ileum end anastomosis were performed. OUTCOMES: The patient recovered well after surgery and recalled that she had eaten fish the night before experiencing abdominal pain. CONCLUSION: An accurate diagnosis of complications due to fish bone intake, often secondary to the unintentional intake, is quite challenging. Detailed history-taking about the patient's diet and eating habits is therefore important. Clinical manifestations are mainly determined by the location of perforation, which typically occurs at the junction of the ileum and rectal sigmoid colon. Imaging examination and surgery are often used for definite diagnosis.

Environmental magnetic parameter characteristics as indicators of heavy metal pollution in the surface sediments off the Zhoushan Islands in the East China Sea.

The pollution of continental shelf sea sediments has always been an important issue for scientists because it can directly affect marine life and marine ecology. Thus, we carried out detailed studies of environmental magnetism and heavy metals in 145 surface sediment samples from the area southeast of the Zhoushan Islands in the East China Sea. The magnetic minerals in the sediments are mainly magnetite with a small amount of goethite and hematite. The magnetic mineral particles are mainly pseudosingle domain and contain a certain amount of superparamagnetic particles. The distribution of the magnetic mineral content shows a gradual decreasing trend from land to sea, which is closely related to the sediment transport pattern. The anhysteretic remanent magnetization (χARM) and χARM ratio to magnetic susceptibilities (χARM/χ) were more sensitive than other indexes to sediment pollution and could be used as indicators for environmental pollution in the nearshore area. Additionally, a correlation analysis with the major elements showed that the χARM ratio to saturation isothermal remanence (χARM/SIRM) can well explain the sources of terrigenous sediment. Therefore, the environmental magnetic parameters in the continental shelf area can be used as a precursor for geochemical research and provide data support for further research.

Assessment of heavy metal contamination in surface sediments from the nearshore zone, southern Jiangsu Province, China.

We determined the heavy metal concentrations and evaluated the pollution status of 213 surface sediment samples collected from the nearshore zone of southern Jiangsu Province, China. The distributions of lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) were similar, and their concentrations were highest in tidal creeks dominated by fine-grained sediments, such as the Dawanhong and Wangcanghong creeks and the outer part of Lanshayang Creek. The spatial distributions of chromium (Cr) and cadmium (Cd) were similar, with high concentrations south of Yangkou Port and Haozhi Port. Copper (Cu) concentrations were high off the coast of Rudong. The sediments were not polluted by Cu, but were weakly polluted by Cd, Cr, Pb, and Zn. The results of principal component analysis indicated that Pb and Zn were mainly from natural sources, Cd and Cr were from anthropogenic sources, and Cu was from a mixture of natural and anthropogenic sources.

Duodenum Exclusion Alone Is Sufficient to Improve Glucose Metabolism in STZ-Induced Diabetes Rats.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have found that metabolic surgery can significantly improve glucose homeostasis; however, the intrinsic mechanisms remain unclear. Accumulating evidence suggests that duodenal bypass plays a crucial role in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Here, we aimed to evaluate the effect of duodenal reflux on glucose metabolism in T2DM. METHODS: A high-fat diet and low-dose streptozotocin (STZ) administration were used to induce T2DM in male rats, which were assigned to three experimental groups: sham operation (SO; n = 10), new duodenal-jejunal bypass (NDJB; n = 10), and new duodenal-jejunal bypass with a tube (NDJBT; n = 10). Weight, food intake, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) results, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) levels, and histopathology were assessed before or after surgery. Plain abdominal radiography was performed 1 week after the operation. RESULTS: Plain abdominal radiography indicated the occurrence of contrast agent reflux into the duodenum. The body weight and food intake in all three groups did not significantly differ before and after surgery. The NDJB and particularly the NDJBT groups exhibited better glucose tolerance, lower fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels, lower area under the curves for OGTT (AUCOGTT) values, and higher GLP-1 levels, as compared with the sham group postoperatively. The villus height and crypt depth were both shorter in the biliopancreatic limb after NDJBT, as compared with those after SO and NDJB. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, exclusion of the duodenum alone and tube placement can effectively prevent duodenal reflux and improve glucose homeostasis, which further suggests that the duodenum plays an important role in T2DM.

Historical trends of trace metals in muddy deposit along the Zhejiang coast, East China Sea: response to economic development and hypoxia.

One sediment core spanning approximately 138 years was taken from the muddy deposits along the Zhejiang coast of the East China Sea, which is located in a hypoxic zone south of the Yangtze River estuary. When the sources of the trace metals in the core were analyzed, the three geochemical sources were identified as lithogenic, anthropogenic, and reductive deposits based on both principal component analysis and the ratios of terrigenous elements. The temporal distribution of the enrichment factor of copper in the sediment core matches the timeline of economic development and national policy in China. The rapid increase in human activity and economic development in the Yangtze River catchment accounts for the enrichment of copper in the sediment core. Based on the vertical distribution of arsenic concentration, the hypoxic zone south of the Yangtze River estuary may have not only existed, but worsened since 1875.

Spatio-temporal distribution and environmental risk of sedimentary heavy metals in the Yangtze River Estuary and its adjacent areas.

Twenty-five surface sediments and one sediment core sample were collected from the study area. Grain size, major elements, and heavy metals were determined. The content of fine-grained sediments (silt and clay), as well as the concentrations of major elements and heavy metals, showed seaward decreasing trends, with high content in the coastal areas of the East China Sea (ECS) and south west of Jeju Island. Low enrichment factor (EF) and geoaccumulation index (Igeo) values were found, indicating that the ecological risk of heavy metals was low. The EF values obtained from the high-resolution sedimentary records of heavy metals in the Yangtze River Estuary could be divided into Stage 1 (1950s to the late 1970s) and Stage 2 (late 1970s to the current sampling day), which coincided with economic development of the Yangtze River Basin, implementation of environmental protection, and impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam.

Kinetics of apoptosis and expression of apoptosis-related proteins in rat CA3 hippocampus cells after experimental diffuse brain injury.

The present study examined kinetics of apoptosis and expression of apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3 in the CA3 hippocampus cells after diffuse brain injury (DBI) induced experimentally in rats. Percentage of apoptotic cells and expressions of above proteins were examined by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Substantial neuronal apoptosis was documented in the CA3 hippocampus cells after DBI (22.26 ± 2.97% at 72 h after DBI vs. 2.92 ± 0.88% in sham-operated animals). Expression of Bc1-2 decreased, while expression of Bax and caspase-3 increased after DBI, with caspase-3 expression peaking after that of Bax (72 vs. 48 h, respectively). Further, the Bc1-2/Bax expression ratio decreased prior to increase of caspase-3 expression. In conclusion, cell apoptosis and altered expressions of Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3 are present in the CA3 region of hippocampus after experimental DBI. Changes in the Bc1-2/Bax expression ratio may facilitate activation of caspase-3 and aggravate neuronal apoptosis after brain injury.

Therapeutic effects of astragalus polysaccharides on inflammation and synovial apoptosis in rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disease, is characterized by pronounced inflammation and cell accumulation within affected joints. Beneficial effects of active ingredients of the astragalus root (Radix astrogali) in treatment of immunological diseases have been previously observed, but the mechanisms are not well understood. This study aims to evaluate therapeutic effects and the mechanisms of astragalus polysaccharides (APS) on adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) in rats. METHODS: Effects of treatment of AA rats with increasing doses of APS, Tripterygium glycosides (positive control) and saline (negative control) on swelling, arthritic index, synovial cell accumulation, serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), synovial apoptosis and immunostaining for Bcl-2 and Bax were determined. RESULTS: APS treatment reduced cell accumulation, swelling and arthritic index of the joints and serum concentrations of TNF-α and IL1-ß in a dose-dependent manner in AA rats. Synovial cell apoptosis was elevated in response to APS treatment and accompanied by increased staining for pro-apoptotic Bax protein and decreased staining for anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein. CONCLUSIONS: APS treatment reduced multiple indices of arthritis in rats with AA. Results support further investigation of therapeutic effects of APS in treatment of RA and other autoimmune diseases.

[Regulation of Astragalus heteropolysaccharides on synoviocytes apoptosis and proinflammatory cytokine secretion of rats with adjuvant arthritis].

This study is to observe anti-inflammation mechanism of Astragalus heteropolysaccharides (AHPS) on rats with adjuvant arthritis (AA). Rats were treated with AHPS (1 000, 500, and 250 mg x kg(-10, ig) and Tripterygium wilfordii polyglycolide (TWP, 60 mg x kg(-1), ig), separately. TNF-alpha and IL-1beta contents in serum were determined with radioimmunoassay, pathomorphologic changes of synovium of knee joint were observed by histological section with HE staining, synoviocyte apoptosis of knee joint of rats was analyzed by Tunel detection, and Bax and Bcl-2 positive expression were detected by immunohistochemical method. The results were as follows: (1) both AHPS and TWP could improve significantly primary and secondary clinical symptoms of rats with AA and inflammatory response in articular synovium; (2) the contents of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta in serum of rats with AA increased significantly composed with those in groups treated with AHPS (1 000 and 500 mg x kg(-1)), and the amount of synoviocyte apoptosis decreased significantly (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05); (3) the positive expression of Bax in synovium of rats with AA was a little bit higher than that in normal control (P > 0.05), but the positive expression of Bcl-2 significantly increased (P < 0.01). AHPS (1 000 and 500 mg x kg(-1)) could up-regulate positive expression of Bax and down-regulate the positive expression of Bcl-2 significantly (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The results show that AHPS can evidently decrease TNF-alpha and IL-1beta level in serum of rats with AA, which is one of molecular mechanisms that AHPS has anti-inflammatory properties. AHPS can induce synoviocyte apoptosis of rats with AA, which is achieved by the regulating effect of AHPS on the positive expression of Bax and Bcl-2.

[Effects of Astragalus heteropolysaccharides on erythrocyte immune adherence function of mice with adjuvant-induced arthritis].

Astragalus heteropolysaccharides (AHPS) is obtained from the dried roots of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge var. mongholious (Bunge) Hsiao. In the present study, we observed its effects on erythrocyte immune adherence function in mice with adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA). The mice were treated intragastrically with AHPS of 1 000, 500, and 250 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) separately and treated with tripterygium glycosides (TG) of 60 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) as positive control. The number of complement receptor type 1 (CR1) on erythrocyte, the concentration of circulating immune complex (CIC) in serum and the amount of immune complex (IC) deposition in synovium of knee joint were determined by flow cytometry, polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) precipitation and ponceau S (P-S) staining and fluorescent immunohistochemistry respectively. The pathological change of knee joint was evaluated by histological section. The results showed that both AHPS and TG improved significantly the primary and secondary local or systemic symptoms of the mice with AA and reduced the synovium hyperplasia, inflammatory cell infiltrate, pannus and cartilage demolish of knee joint, and AHPS of 1 000, 500, and 250 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) could significantly increase the number of CR1 on erythrocyte, improve the elimination of CIC in the peripheral blood and reduce the deposition of IC in joint synovium in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). The results indicate that one of the therapeutic effective mechanisms of AHPS on mice with AA could be to increase gene expression of CR1 of mice with AA.