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The recognition of fish species holds significant importance in aquaculture and marine biology. However, it is a challenging problem due to the high similarity among intra-genus species. Existing recognition methods primarily seek prominent features of the species. However, we believe that the diverse levels of similarity between a species and other species can also function as implicit characteristics for that specific species. Based on this perspective, we propose a dual-branch fusion network for fine-grained fish species recognition utilizing inter-species similarity. This approach consists of a backbone network and two branches for coarse- and fine-grained recognition. In the coarse-grained branch, we designed a guidance matrix and species similarity labels to facilitate the generation of species similarity information. In the fine-grained branch, features from the backbone network are fused with similarity information to achieve precise recognition. Finally, fine-tuning the neural network through loss functions. We conduct experimental validation on three publicly available fish datasets, yielding excellent accuracy outcomes. Code is available at https://github.com/xingxing317/fish_classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multidimensional Floquet-driven alignment systems with dynamical symmetry present various exotic phenomena and applications. However, there are challenges in directly characterizing large-spin dynamical symmetry from spectra. Here, we first observe the symmetry-protected selection rules of dynamical high-dimensional parity in a large-spin (F = 4) system. We theoretically construct a Floquet-driven alignment system that can be used to reveal high-dimensional spatiotemporal symmetry. In the experiment, the system is implemented in Cs atomic gas subjected to two-dimensional Floquet-modulated magnetic resonance driving. By developing Floquet detection protocols of alignment double-sided spectra, we directly verify symmetry-protected selection rules of dynamical high-dimensional parity for large-spin systems. This work advances the exploration of dynamical symmetry to large spins, and unravels a universal Floquet scheme for the investigation of symmetry-protected selection rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing interest in filter pruning of convolutional neural networks stems from its inherent ability to effectively compress and accelerate these networks. Currently, filter pruning is mainly divided into two schools: norm-based and relation-based. These methods aim to selectively remove the least important filters according to predefined rules. However, the limitations of these methods lie in the inadequate consideration of filter diversity and the impact of batch normalization (BN) layers on the input of the next layer, which may lead to performance degradation. To address the above limitations of norm-based and similarity-based methods, this study conducts empirical analyses to reveal their drawbacks and subsequently introduces a groundbreaking complex hybrid weighted pruning method. By evaluating the correlations and norms between individual filters, as well as the parameters of the BN layer, our method effectively identifies and prunes the most redundant filters in a robust manner, thereby avoiding significant decreases in network performance. We conducted comprehensive and direct pruning experiments on different depths of ResNet using publicly available image classification datasets, ImageNet and CIFAR-10. The results demonstrate the significant efficacy of our approach. In particular, when applied to the ResNet-50 on the ImageNet dataset, achieves a significant reduction of 53.5% in floating-point operations, with a performance loss of only 0.6%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) in firefighting foam can effectively extinguish oil fire. However, AFFF will be phased out due to the presence of persistent organic pollutants such as perfluorooctane sulfonates. It is necessary to explore environment-friendly foam extinguishing agent. Silicone surfactant is a kind of environmentally friendly surfactants with high surface activity, which can be used as a substitute for fluorocarbon surfactant. In this study, silicone surfactant and cationic surfactant were combined to adsorb nanosilica particles to form a multiphase system. The foaming property and foam stability of the multiphase system were tested by stirring method. The foam suppression effect on fuel vapor, fire extinguishing, and burn-back performance was tested by self-designed foam suppression device and foam generating device of porous glass with recyclable liquid supply. The experimental results show that foam stability is enhanced and the foaming property is slightly decreased after the addition of nanoparticles. When the component of three-phase foam reaches the optimum, its suppression effect on fuel vapor is better than that of two-phase foam. The results of fire extinguishing and burn-back performance test showed that the fire extinguishing effect of three-phase foam was slightly worse than that of AFFF, but it has extremely strong burn-back performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the changes in the liver volume and function after direct intrahepatic portocaval shunt (DIPS) in patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) with diffuse hepatic vein (HV) occlusion. Methods: The clinical data of 29 patients with BCS who underwent DIPS for intractable ascites caused by diffuse hepatic vein occlusion in the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University were analysed retrospectively; the patients included 8 males and 21 females, with an average age of 33.3 ± 6.3 years. The patients underwent abdominal CT scanning and liver function examinations before DIPS, and 1 week, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after DIPS. The changes of the liver volume and liver function before and after DIPS were compared. Results: All 29 patients underwent DIPS successfully. 28 patients survived during the follow-up of 12–33 months, with a median follow-up of 16 months. The patients' liver function were significantly improved at 3, 6 and 12 months after the operation compared to before the operation (P < 0.05). The liver volumes measured before the operation and 1 week, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after the operation were 2124.586 ± 420.889 cm3, 1926.263 ± 372.268 cm3, 1480.592 ± 183.061 cm3, 1461.904 ± 153.027 cm3 and 1469.286 ± 148.549 cm3, respectively. Compared with the preoperative liver volume, the liver volume had decreased significantly at 1 week, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after the operation (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the liver volumes at 6 and 12 months after the operation (P = 0.35). Conclusions: Direct intrahepatic portocaval shunt has achieved satisfactory clinical results in the treatment of BCS with diffuse hepatic vein occlusion. The congestive hepatomegaly was gradually reduced after the operation. The liver volume (which was defined as the clinical efficacy in this study) remained stable after 6 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better understand the effects of nonionic silicones and polymers on the wetting and foaming properties of anionic and nonionic hydrocarbon surfactants and different forces between molecules, nonionic silicone surfactant (GT-248), polymer (HPMC), anionic surfactant (AES), and nonionic surfactants (APG0810) were selected. The CMC ratio is used as a reference to determine the concentration ratio of the APG0810/GT-248 and AES/GT-248 compound solutions, after which HPMC was added to form a compound solution to test the wetting and foaming properties of the compound solution. The results showed that GT-248 obtained a high density of methyl groups on the surface of the solution due to its excellent spreadability and good flexibility of the siloxane chain, effectively reduces the surface tension and wetting time of AES and APG0810 solutions. But in terms of foam performance, after adding GT-248 to solution, the foam stability of AES solution is enhanced, the foam height of AES solution was reduced by 33.7%, the foam stability of APG0810 solution is weakened a lot, and the foam height of APG0810 solution was reduced by 85.4%. Mainly because of the difference in electronegativity between the AES and APG0810 head groups, the strong electronegativity between the AES head groups resulted in a smaller number of GT-248 insertions in the liquid film, which weakened the defoaming effect of GT-248. The weak interaction between the head groups of APG0810 resulted in a higher amount of GT-248 in the liquid film, and thus, the foam performance was greatly reduced. After the AES/GT-248 compound solution was preferred, by comparing the viscosity, surface tension, and the half-life of the foam, it was found that the addition of low concentration of polymer effectively improved the half-life of the foam without affecting the foaming properties, and the final choice of 4:1(AES/GT-248) + 1mgHPMC and 2:1(AES/GT-248) + 1mgHPMC composite solutions can be used as a superior dust suppression material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution mechanism behind low cycle fatigue crack propagation behavior subject to overload was investigated by experimental and numerical methods. The retardation effect after the overload application was investigated by using compact tension (CT) specimens. An analysis model was established to consider accumulative plastic damage for CT specimen under single tensile overload. An elastic-plastic numerical model is established, and the stress-strain field near the crack tip is quantified by different numerical parameters. The crack opening displacement was got to reflect the influence of overload on plasticity-induced crack closure, and the evolution mechanism and accumulative plastic damage were investigated by exploring the residual compressive stress near the crack tip. The results show that the residual compressive stress produced by the tensile overload has great influence on the retardation effect, and the large plastic deformation near the crack front region after an overload witnesses a more significant crack closure phenomenon. The magnitude of residual compressive stress near crack tip increases with the increasing overload ratio, that sharpens the retardation effect after single tensile overload. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the anatomical variations of the superior transverse scapular ligament (STSL) for better understanding the possible predisposing factors for suprascapular nerve entrapment. Methods: The study was using fifty 10% formalin solution-fixed human cadaveric shoulders. After dissection of the suprascapular region, the length, medial width, lateral width and middle width of the suprascapular opening were measured for each STSL. Results: The STSL displayed six types as: (1) band-shaped in 11 cases; (2) fan-shaped in 27 cases; (3) triangular-shaped in 5 cases; (4) linear type in 2 cases; (5) bifid in 1 case; (6) absent in 1 case. The ossified type of STSL was found in 3 cases. There were statistically significant differences in the length (P = 0.009), medial width (P = 0.001), lateral width (P = 0.029) of the three types of fan-shaped, band-shaped and triangular-shaped. However, there was no statistical difference in the middle width of the suprascapular opening of the three types (P = 0.340). Conclusion: Knowing the morphological features and variations of the STSL is important for better understanding the anatomical conditions, which could be taken into consideration during open suprascapular operations or arthroscopic decompressions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To increase its domestic gas production and achieve cleaner end-use utilization of its coal resources, China is actively promoting its coal-to-gas (CTG) industry. However, one of the major concerns for CTG development is the consequent significant water usage. To better understand this aspect, this paper presents a quantitative assessment of the water footprint (WF) for China's CTG industry. The results show that the WF of CTG in China is typically in the region of 0.055 m3 water per cubic meter of produced gas. In addition, the analysis of the components of this WF indicates that most of the water resources are used both in the process of CTG production itself, and also in the dilute discharge of pollutants. In terms of the planned production capacity of China's CTG projects, this paper finds that the water use in some regions of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Liaoning may account 30–40% of regional water resources, which means the large-scale development of CTG projects may present significant risks to regional water resources. Therefore, this paper suggests that the status of regional water availability should be one of the key factors considered by policy makers in order to achieve sustainable development of the country's CTG industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interface wave traveling along the boundary of two materials has been studied for nearly a century. However, experiments, engineering applications, and interface wave applications to the non-destructive inspection of interlaminar composite have developed slowly. In this research, an experiment that applies Stoneley waves (a type of interfacial wave between two solid half-spaces) is implemented to detect the damage in a multilayer structure. The feasibility of this method is also verified. First, the wave velocity and wave structure of Stoneley waves at a perfectly bonded aluminum-steel interface are obtained by solving the Stoneley wave dispersion equation of two elastic half-spaces. Thereafter, an experiment is conducted to measure the Stoneley wave velocity of an aluminumsteel laminated beam and to locate interlaminar cracks by referring to the Stoneley wave velocity and echo wave time. Results indicate that the location error is less than 2%. Therefore, Stoneley waves show great potential as a non-destructive inspection method of a multilayer structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interlaminar defect is a major form of damage in metal layer composite pipes which are widely used in petroleum and chemical industry. In this paper, a Stoneley wave method is presented to detect interlaminar damage in laminated pipe structure. Stoneley wave possesses some good characteristics, such as high energy and large displacement at the interface and non-dispersive in the high-frequency, so the sensitivity of detecting interlaminar damage can be improved and the higher frequency can be used in damage detection compared with Lamb waves. Additionally, as the frequency increases, the wavelength of the Stoneley wave reduces. Thus, its ability to detect small defects at the interface is enhanced. Finite element model of metal layer composite pipe with interlaminar damage is used to simulate wave propagation of Lamb waves and Stoneley wave, respectively. The damage location is calculated by using the Stoneley wave signal obtained from finite element model, and then the results are compared with the actual damage locations. The simulation examples demonstrate that the Stoneley wave method can better identify the interlaminar damage in laminated pipe structure compared with Lamb waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the influence of brominated furanones on the biofilm (BF) formation by Escherichia coli ( E. coli) on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material, and to provide new ways of surface modification of materials to clinically prevent biomaterial centered infection. Three brominated furanones, dissolved in ethanol, furanone-1(3,4-dibromo-5-hydroxyl-furanone), furanone-2(4-bromo-5-(4-methoxypheny)-3-(methylamino)-furanone), and furanone-3(3,4-dibromo-5,5-dimethoxypheny-2(5H)-furanone) with representative chemical structure, were coated on the surfaces of separate PVC materials (1 × 1 cm), respectively. The surface-modified PVC materials were incubated with E. coli and for controls, 75 % ethanol-treated PVC materials were used. This treatment played as control group. The cultivation incubations were for 6, 12, 18, and 24 h. The thickness of bacterial BF and bacterial community quantity unit area on the PVC materials was determined by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and the surface structure of bacterial BF formation was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results of CLSM indicated the thickness of bacterial BF and bacterial community quantity unit area on PVC materials treated with furanone-3 were significantly lower than that of control at all time points ( P < 0.05), whereas, the differences between furanone-1 and furanone-2 groups and control group were not significantly different ( P > 0.05). The results of SEM indicated that after 6 h incubation, the quantity of bacterial attachment to the surface of PVC material treated with furanone-3 was lower than the control group. By 18 h incubation there was completely formed BF structure on the surface of control PVC material. However, there was no significant BF formation on the surface of PVC material treated with furanone-3. The impact of different brominated furanones on SA biofilm formation on the surface of PVC materials are different, furanone-3 can inhibit E. coli biofilm formation on the surface of PVC material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the influence of brominated furanones on the formation of Staphylococcus aureus (SA) biofilm on PVC thus providing new avenues of research on the surface modification of materials and clinical treatment of biomaterial-centered infection. Three brominated furanones (furanone-1, furanone-2, and furanone-3) were coated on the surface of PVC material. Both the modified PVC materials and SA were co-cultivated together. To assess the thickness of bacterial biofilm and bacterium colony unit area on PVC materials, confocal laser scanning microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to observe the surface structure of SA biofilm formation. All treatments were compared with the control group which was not coated with furanones. PVC materials coated with furanone-1 had an increase in bacterial biofilm as well as SA colony area when compared with control. However, there was no significant difference between treating with furanone-1 and furanone-3 ( P > 0.05). The impact of different brominated furanones on SA biofilm formation on the surface of PVC materials is different, furanone-1 can promote the SA biofilm formation on the surface of PVC material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physiological stress suffered by patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) may result in a shift in leukocyte differential toward a decreased percentage of lymphocytes ( L%). The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic value of a low L% in CHD. One hundred forty patients evaluated in our department between 2007 and 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Thirty-eight patients had primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and 102 patients had elective PCI. Various statistical analyses were used to examine the association between a low L% or other clinical characteristics and CHD. Univariate analysis showed that low L% was significantly related to ACS compared with stable CHD or control. White blood cell (WBC) count, C-reactive protein (CRP) and left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) were also correlated with CHD. Multivariate analysis and logistic regression analysis revealed that L%, CRP, WBC count and LVSD were all independently significant risk factors to have predictive value for CHD and 1 year major adverse cardiac events (MACE). A low L% could be used as an independent predictor for ACS on admission and is associated with MACE during clinical follow-up in CHD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract   Aims Glaucoma is a common neurodegenerative disease that affects retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons. Little is known of the synaptic degeneration involved in the pathophysiology of glaucoma. Here we used an experimental ocular hypertension model in rats to investigate this issue. Methods Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) was induced by laser coagulation of the episcleral and limbal veins. RGCs were retrogradely labeled with Fluoro-Gold (FG). The c-fos protein was used as a neuronal connectivity marker. Expression of c-fos in the retinas was investigated by immunohistochemistry at 5 days and 2 weeks after the induction of ocular hypertension. Both surviving RGCs as revealed by retrograde FG-labeled and c-fos-labeled RGCs were counted. Results The c-fos protein was mainly expressed in the nuclei and nucleoli of cells in the ganglion cell layer and inner nuclear layer in the normal retina. We also confirmed that c-fos was also expressed in the nuclei and nucleoli of RGCs retrogradely labeled with FG. There was no significant RGC loss at 5 days but about 13% RGC loss at 2 weeks after the induction of ocular hypertension. The number of RGCs expressing c-fos was significantly lower in the experimental animals at both 5 days and 2 weeks than normal. Conclusion Our study suggests that there is synaptic disconnection for RGCs after ocular hypertension and it may precede the cell death in the early stage. It may provide insight into novel therapeutic strategies to slow the progress of glaucoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we utilized computational fluid dynamic (CFD) techniques to construct a numerical simulation of nasal cavity airflow pre and post virtual functional endoscopic surgery (FESS). A healthy subject was selected, and CFD techniques were then applied to construct an anatomically and proportionally accurate three-dimensional nasal model based on nasal CT scans. A virtual FESS intervention was performed numerically on the normal nasal model using Fluent software. Navier-Stokes and continuity equations were used to calculate and compare airflow, velocity, distribution and pressure in both the pre and post FESS models. In the post-FESS model, there was an increase in airflow distribution in the maxillary, ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses, and a 13% increase through the area connecting the middle meatus and the surgically opened ethmoid. There was a gradual decrease in nasal resistance in the posterior ethmoid sinus region following FESS. These findings highlight the potential of this technique as a powerful preoperative assessment tool to aid clinical decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To examine the role of atorvastatin on volume-overload-induced heart failure and to test the hypothesis that atorvastatin inhibits MMP-2 and 9 expression in heart failure with non-ischemic etiology. Methods: Arteriovenous (AV) fistula-treated rats were administered with atorvastatin (3 mg·kg-1·d-1) or vehicle for 17 weeks. Ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure were assessed by echocardiography, B-type natriuretic peptide BNP mRNA level and morphological measurement. MMP-2, 9 expression were measured by Western blot and zymography. Results: Atorvastatin decreased left ventricular end diastolic diameter from 6.86±0.51 mm to 6.28±0.37 mm ( P<0.05), increased fractioning shortening from 41.4%±4.5% to 52.7%±4.2% ( P<0.01), decreased ratio of BNP/GAPDH mRNA level from 0.43±0.03 to 0.27±0.03 ( P<0.05). Similar data were observed for morphological measurement. Protein expression and enzyme activity of MMP-2 and 9 in the left ventricle tissue were significantly increased 18 weeks after surgery and atorvastatin also prevented those changes. Conclusion: Left ventricular remodeling induced by AV fistula was profoundly changed by atorvastatin treatment. Hypertrophy was attenuated and global function was improved. These positive effects of atorvastatin on heart failure were associated with decreased MMP-2 and 9 protein expression and enzyme activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fluctuation of temperature and flow in the melt is responsible for striations in the formed crystal. The purpose of this paper is to study the instability of the Marangoni flow with numerical simulation. The driving force considered in the flow is the surface tension only. The results show Marangoni flow is one of the factors that cause striations in the formed crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses Internet-based software that China's Ministry of Science and Technology developed to measure savings that people can make in energy use and emissions on a daily basis. Called the Counter of Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction, the software is said to reduce the lag in public participation in improving energy-related environmental conditions. The software addresses areas of family life and habits that include water use, cooking, use of paper, use of environmentally-friendly products, home-appliance use, and clothes washing.

Drug addiction is considered an aberrant form of learning, and drug-associated memories evoked by the presence of associated stimuli (drug context or drug-related cues) contribute to recurrent craving and reinstatement. Epigenetic changes mediated by DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) have been implicated in the reconsolidation of fear memory. Here, we investigated the role of DNMT activity in the reconsolidation of cocaine-associated memories. Rats were trained over 10 days to intravenously self-administer cocaine by nosepokes. Each injection was paired with a light/tone conditioned stimulus (CS). After acquisition of stable self-administration behaviour, rats underwent nosepoke extinction (10 d) followed by cue-induced reactivation and subsequent cue-induced and cocaine-priming + cue-induced reinstatement tests or subsequently tested to assess the strength of the cocaine-associated cue as a conditioned reinforcer to drive cocaine seeking behaviour. Bilateral intra-basolateral amygdala (BLA) infusion of the DNMT inhibitor5-azacytidine (5-AZA, 1 μg per side) immediately following reactivation decreased subsequent reinstatement induced by cues or cocaine priming as well as cue-maintained cocaine-seeking behaviour. In contrast, delayed intra-BLA infusion of 5-AZA 6 h after reactivation or 5-AZA infusion without reactivation had no effect on subsequent cue-induced reinstatement. These findings indicate that memory reconsolidation for a cocaine-paired stimulus depends critically on DNMT activity in the BLA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]