BSDF Importance Baking: A Lightweight Neural Solution to Importance Sampling General Parametric BSDFs

Parametric Bidirectional Scattering Distribution Functions (BSDFs) are pervasively used because of their flexibility to represent a large variety of material appearances by simply tuning the parameters. While efficient evaluation of parametric BSDFs has been well-studied, high-quality importance sampling techniques for parametric BSDFs are still scarce. Existing sampling strategies either heavily rely on approximations, resulting in high variance, or solely perform sampling on a portion of the whole BSDF slice. Moreover, many of the sampling approaches are specifically paired with certain types of BSDFs. In this paper, we seek an efficient and general way for importance sampling parametric BSDFs. We notice that the nature of importance sampling is the mapping between a uniform distribution and the target distribution. Specifically, when BSDF parameters are given, the mapping that performs importance sampling on a BSDF slice can be simply recorded as a 2D image that we name as importance map. Following this observation, we accurately precompute the importance maps using a mathematical tool named optimal transport. Then we propose a lightweight neural network to efficiently compress the precomputed importance maps. In this way, we have brought parametric BSDF important sampling to the precomputation stage, avoiding heavy runtime computation. Since this process is similar to light baking where a set of images are precomputed, we name our method importance baking. Together with a BSDF evaluation network and a PDF (probability density function) query network, our method enables full multiple importance sampling (MIS) without any revision to the rendering pipeline. Our method essentially performs perfect importance sampling. Compared with previous methods, we demonstrate reduced noise levels on rendering results with a rich set of appearances

Recent advances in research on aspartate β-hydroxylase (ASPH) in pancreatic cancer: A brief update

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly aggressive tumor, often difficult to diagnose and treat. Aspartate β-hydroxylase (ASPH) is a type II transmembrane protein and the member of α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase family, found to be overexpressed in different cancer types, including PC. ASPH appears to be involved in the regulation of proliferation, invasion and metastasis of PC cells through multiple signaling pathways, suggesting its role as a tumor biomarker and therapeutic target. In this review, we briefly summarize the possible mechanisms of action of ASPH in PC and recent progress in the therapeutic approaches targeting ASPH

Latest Study on the Relationship between Pathological Process of Inflammatory Injury and the Syndrome of Spleen Deficiency and Fluid Retention in Alzheimer’s Disease

Inflammation exists throughout the incidence and progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) differentiates the pathogenesis of AD as kidney essence deficiency and qi and blood deficiency as well as blood stasis in syndromes, whose action mechanisms are all associated with the intervention in its inflammatory process. Our preliminary studies both in clinic and in vitro have demonstrated that the syndrome of spleen deficiency and fluid retention has also been an important pathogenesis for the incidence and development of AD. Hence, the paper aims to further illustrate the correlation between inflammatory process in AD and the syndrome of spleen deficiency and fluid retention, laying solid foundation for the application of invigorating the spleen and eliminating the dampness in clinic, and enriching the theoretical connotation for AD prevention and treatment in TCM

A novel of new class II bacteriocin from Bacillus velezensis HN-Q-8 and its antibacterial activity on Streptomyces scabies

Potato common scab is a main soil-borne disease of potato that can significantly reduce its quality. At present, it is still a challenge to control potato common scab in the field. To address this problem, the 972 family lactococcin (Lcn972) was screened from Bacillus velezensis HN-Q-8 in this study, and an Escherichia coli overexpression system was used to obtain Lcn972, which showed a significant inhibitory effect on Streptomyces scabies, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 10.58 μg/mL. The stability test showed that Lcn972 is stable against UV radiation and high temperature. In addition, long-term storage at room temperature and 4°C had limited effects on its activity level. The antibacterial activity of Lcn972 was enhanced by Cu2+ and Ca2+, but decreased by protease K. The protein was completely inactivated by Fe2+. Cell membrane staining showed that Lcn972 damaged the cell membrane integrity of S. scabies. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations revealed that the hyphae of S. scabies treated with Lcn972 were deformed and adhered, the cell membrane was incomplete, the cytoplasm distribution was uneven, and the cell appeared hollow inside, which led to the death of S. scabies. In conclusion, we used bacteriocin for controlling potato common scab for the first time in this study, and it provides theoretical support for the further application of bacteriocin in the control of plant diseases

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of social support on turnover intention in clinical nurses

BackgroundNurse turnover has become a salient issue in healthcare system worldwide and seriously compromises patient outcomes. Social support is considered an effective contributor to alleviate nurse turnover intention (TI). However, the degree of correlation between social support and nurse TI remains elusive.AimsThis study aims to evaluate the strength of the effectiveness of social support on TI among nurses as well as its potential moderators.DesignThis systematic review and meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.MethodsTo obtained qualified studies, two researchers searched Embase, PubMed, Web of science, CINAHL, CNKI, WanFang, and Chinese Medical Journal Full Text Database from inception to January 6, 2024. Meta-analysis, publication bias, and sensitivity analysis were carried out on the included studies using CMA 3.0 software, and the moderating effect was verified through meta-analysis of variance (ANOVA).ResultsA total of 38 studies were obtained, involving 63,989 clinical nurses. The comprehensive effect size of the random effect model showed a significant medium negative correlation between social support and TI among nurses (p < 0.001). The sample size and TI measurement tools significantly moderated the correlation between social support and TI (p < 0.050). However, nurse department, gender, data collection time, and social support measurement tools did not moderate the correlation between the two variables.ConclusionSocial support is negatively associated with TI in nurses. Nursing administrators and the medical community should fully recognize the importance of social support for nurses and take corresponding measures to enhance it, thereby reducing TI and ensuring the stability of the nursing team

The genome evolution and domestication of tropical fruit mango

Background: Mango is one of the world’s most important tropical fruits. It belongs to the family Anacardiaceae, which includes several other economically important species, notably cashew, sumac and pistachio from other genera. Many species in this family produce family-specific urushiols and related phenols, which can induce contact dermatitis. Results: We generate a chromosome-scale genome assembly of mango, providing a reference genome for the Anacardiaceae family. Our results indicate the occurrence of a recent whole-genome duplication (WGD) event in mango. Duplicated genes preferentially retained include photosynthetic, photorespiration, and lipid metabolic genes that may have provided adaptive advantages to sharp historical decreases in atmospheric carbon dioxide and global temperatures. A notable example of an extended gene family is the chalcone synthase (CHS) family of genes, and particular genes in this family show universally higher expression in peels than in flesh, likely for the biosynthesis of urushiols and related phenols. Genome resequencing reveals two distinct groups of mango varieties, with commercial varieties clustered with India germplasms and demonstrating allelic admixture, and indigenous varieties from Southeast Asia in the second group. Landraces indigenous in China formed distinct clades, and some showed admixture in genomes. Conclusions: Analysis of chromosome-scale mango genome sequences reveals photosynthesis and lipid metabolism are preferentially retained after a recent WGD event, and expansion of CHS genes is likely associated with urushiol biosynthesis in mango. Genome resequencing clarifies two groups of mango varieties, discovers allelic admixture in commercial varieties, and shows distinct genetic background of landraces

The genome evolution and domestication of tropical fruit mango

Background: Mango is one of the world’s most important tropical fruits. It belongs to the family Anacardiaceae, which includes several other economically important species, notably cashew, sumac and pistachio from other genera. Many species in this family produce family-specific urushiols and related phenols, which can induce contact dermatitis. Results: We generate a chromosome-scale genome assembly of mango, providing a reference genome for the Anacardiaceae family. Our results indicate the occurrence of a recent whole-genome duplication (WGD) event in mango. Duplicated genes preferentially retained include photosynthetic, photorespiration, and lipid metabolic genes that may have provided adaptive advantages to sharp historical decreases in atmospheric carbon dioxide and global temperatures. A notable example of an extended gene family is the chalcone synthase (CHS) family of genes, and particular genes in this family show universally higher expression in peels than in flesh, likely for the biosynthesis of urushiols and related phenols. Genome resequencing reveals two distinct groups of mango varieties, with commercial varieties clustered with India germplasms and demonstrating allelic admixture, and indigenous varieties from Southeast Asia in the second group. Landraces indigenous in China formed distinct clades, and some showed admixture in genomes. Conclusions: Analysis of chromosome-scale mango genome sequences reveals photosynthesis and lipid metabolism are preferentially retained after a recent WGD event, and expansion of CHS genes is likely associated with urushiol biosynthesis in mango. Genome resequencing clarifies two groups of mango varieties, discovers allelic admixture in commercial varieties, and shows distinct genetic background of landraces

The Correlation between Thyrotropin and Dyslipidemia in a Population-based Study

This study investigated the relationship between serum thyrotrophin levels and dyslipidemia in subclinical hypothyroid and euthyroid subjects. A total of 110 subjects with subclinical hypothyroidism and 1,240 euthyroid subjects enrolled in this study. Patients with subclinical hypothyroidism had significantly lower high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels than those who were euthyroid. The lipid profiles were each categorized and mean thyrotrophin levels were higher in subjects in the dyslipidemia subclasses than subjects in the normal subclasses. Thyrotrophin was positively associated with serum triglyceride and negatively associated with serum HDL-C in women. Thyrotrophin was also positively associated with total cholesterol (TC) in the overweight population along with TC and LDL-C in overweight women. In the euthyroid population, thyrotrophin was positively associated with TC in the overweight population. In conclusion, serum thyrotrophin was correlated with dyslipidemia in subclinical hypothyroid and euthyroid subjects; the correlation was independent of insulin sensitivity

Dynamical Evolution of Planetary Systems

Planetary systems can evolve dynamically even after the full growth of the planets themselves. There is actually circumstantial evidence that most planetary systems become unstable after the disappearance of gas from the protoplanetary disk. These instabilities can be due to the original system being too crowded and too closely packed or to external perturbations such as tides, planetesimal scattering, or torques from distant stellar companions. The Solar System was not exceptional in this sense. In its inner part, a crowded system of planetary embryos became unstable, leading to a series of mutual impacts that built the terrestrial planets on a timescale of ~100 My. In its outer part, the giant planets became temporarily unstable and their orbital configuration expanded under the effect of mutual encounters. A planet might have been ejected in this phase. Thus, the orbital distributions of planetary systems that we observe today, both solar and extrasolar ones, can be different from the those emerging from the formation process and it is important to consider possible long-term evolutionary effects to connect the two.Comment: Review to appear as a chapter in the "Handbook of Exoplanets", ed. H. Deeg & J.A. Belmont