Co-GAIL: Learning Diverse Strategies for Human-Robot Collaboration

We present a method for learning a human-robot collaboration policy from human-human collaboration demonstrations. An effective robot assistant must learn to handle diverse human behaviors shown in the demonstrations and be robust when the humans adjust their strategies during online task execution. Our method co-optimizes a human policy and a robot policy in an interactive learning process: the human policy learns to generate diverse and plausible collaborative behaviors from demonstrations while the robot policy learns to assist by estimating the unobserved latent strategy of its human collaborator. Across a 2D strategy game, a human-robot handover task, and a multi-step collaborative manipulation task, our method outperforms the alternatives in both simulated evaluations and when executing the tasks with a real human operator in-the-loop. Supplementary materials and videos at https://sites.google.com/view/co-gail-web/homeComment: CoRL 202

Recent Advances in pH-Responsive Freshness Indicators Using Natural Food Colorants to Monitor Food Freshness

Recently, due to the enhancement in consumer awareness of food safety, considerable attention has been paid to intelligent packaging that displays the quality status of food through color changes. Natural food colorants show useful functionalities (antibacterial and antioxidant activities) and obvious color changes due to their structural changes in different acid and alkali environments, which could be applied to detect these acid and alkali environments, especially in the preparation of intelligent packaging. This review introduces the latest research on the progress of pH-responsive freshness indicators based on natural food colorants and biodegradable polymers for monitoring packaged food quality. Additionally, the current methods of detecting food freshness, the preparation methods for pH-responsive freshness indicators, and their applications for detecting the freshness of perishable food are highlighted. Subsequently, this review addresses the challenges and prospects of pH-responsive freshness indicators in food packaging, to assist in promoting their commercial application

FGF/FGFR Signaling in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: From Carcinogenesis to Recent Therapeutic Intervention

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer, ranking third in cancer deaths worldwide. Over the last decade, several studies have emphasized the development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) to target the aberrant pathways in HCC. However, the outcomes are far from satisfactory due to the increasing resistance and adverse effects. The family of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and its receptors (FGFR) are involved in various biological processes, including embryogenesis, morphogenesis, wound repair, and cell growth. The aberrant FGF/FGFR signaling is also observed in multiple cancers, including HCC. Anti-FGF/FGFR provides delightful benefits for cancer patients, especially those with FGF signaling alteration. More and more multi-kinase inhibitors targeting FGF signaling, pan-FGFR inhibitors, and selective FGFR inhibitors are now under preclinical and clinical investigation. This review summarizes the aberrant FGF/FGFR signaling in HCC initiating, development and treatment status, and provide new insights into the treatment of HCC

Pretreatment albumin/fibrinogen ratio as a promising predictor for the survival of advanced non small-cell lung cancer patients undergoing first-line platinum-based chemotherapy

Abstract Background This study aimed to identify potential predictive factors for the survival of advanced non small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients undergoing first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Methods A total of 270 advanced NSCLC patients who underwent first-line platinum-based chemotherapy from June, 2011 to June, 2015 were enrolled. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of the albumin-to-fibrinogen ratio (AFR) for overall survival (OS). The predictive factors for survival were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses via the Cox proportional hazards regression model. The OS and progression free survival (PFS) results were determined via the Kaplan–Meier method using the log-rank analysis. Results Based on the results of the ROC curve analysis, 8.02 was accepted as the cut-off AFR value for OS. The metastasis stage (M0 vs M1a/b, HR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.15–2.59, P = 0.020) and AFR (≤8.02 vs > 8.02, HR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.09–2.78, P = 0.025) were two independent risk factors for PFS by multivariate Cox regression analysis. The AFR (≤8.02 vs > 8.02, HR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.11–2.59, P = 0.029) was a significant predictive factor for OS in advanced NSCLC patients. The PFS (P = 0.008) and OS (P = 0.003) in the high AFR group were significantly improved compared with those in the low AFR group via the Kaplan–Meier method using the log-rank analysis. Conclusions The AFR could be a potential effective predictive factor for the survival in advanced NSCLC patients undergoing first-line platinum-based chemotherapy

Preparation of pH-Responsive Films from Polyvinyl Alcohol/Agar Containing Cochineal for Monitoring the Freshness of Pork

This study reported the production of pH-responsive films based on 8 wt% polyvinyl alcohol solution/0.2 wt% agar solution incorporated with cochineal-loaded starch particles (CSN) (2, 4, 6 and 8 wt% on agar basis) by a casting process. Results revealed that CSN presented obvious color changes over the pH range of 2–12. FTIR, XRD spectra and SEM micrographs presented that the incorporation of CSN formed new hydrogen bonds with a matrix and a tighter network structure. A certain improvement was observed in the color stability, swelling index and functional properties (antimicrobial and antioxidant activities) but water solubility, water vapor permeability and water contact angle of the pH-responsive films were decreased by the addition of CSN. The release of cochineal was a rate-limiting step following the Korsmeyer-Peppas model. The agar/polyvinyl alcohol film containing 6% CSN (PVA/GG-6) exhibited the best sensitivity for ammonia detection and its limit of detection was 35.4 ppm (part per million) for ammonia. The application trials showed that the PVA/GG-6 film presented different color changes for pork freshness. Hence, these pH-responsive films can be used as potential packaging materials for tracking the freshness of protein-rich fresh food in a non-destructive way

DataSheet_1_Identification of necroptosis-related subtypes, development of a novel signature, and characterization of immune infiltration in colorectal cancer.docx

IntroductionNecroptosis, a type of programmed cell death, has recently been extensively studied as an important pathway regulating tumor development, metastasis, and immunity. However, the expression patterns of necroptosis-related genes (NRGs) in colorectal cancer (CRC) and their potential roles in the tumor microenvironment (TME) have not been elucidated.MethodsWe explored the expression patterns of NRGs in 1247 colorectal cancer samples from genetics and transcriptional perspective. Based on a consensus clustering algorithm, we identified NRG molecular subtypes and gene subtypes, respectively. Furthermore, we constructed a necroptosis-related signature for predicting overall survival time and verified the predictive ability of the model. Using the ESTIMATE, CIBERSORT, and ssGSEA algorithms, we assessed the association between the above subtypes, scores and immune infiltration. ResultsMost NRGs were differentially expressed between CRC tissues and normal tissues. We found that distinct subtypes exhibited different NRGs expression, patients’ prognosis, immune checkpoint gene expression, and immune infiltration characteristics. The scores calculated from the necroptosis-related signature can be used to classify patients into high-risk and low-risk groups, with the high-risk group corresponding to reduced immune cell infiltration and immune function, and a greater risk of immune dysfunction and immune escape. DiscussionOur comprehensive analysis of NRGs in CRC demonstrated their potential role in clinicopathological features, prognosis, and immune infiltration in the TME. These findings help us deepen our understanding of NRGs and the tumor microenvironment landscape, and lay a foundation for effectively assessing patient outcomes and promoting more effective immunotherapy.</p

Additional file 1 of HGF-mediated elevation of ETV1 facilitates hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis through upregulating PTK2 and c-MET

Additional file 1: Supplementary materials. FigureS1. (A) ETV1expression in LIHC and correlation of ETV1 expression with overallsurvival were analyzed in LIHC according to the data of The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA). (B) CellCounting Kit-8 (CCK8) assay assessing the cell proliferation of theETV1-overexpressing PLC/PRF/5 cells and ETV1-knockdown MHCC97H cells. (C) Colony formation assay showing the proliferationof the indicated HCC cells. Therepresentative photos were shown and the cell numbers were quantified. (D-F) Tumorgrowth of the indicated HCC cells was assessed by subcutaneous xenograft tumormodels. The tumor volume and weight were shown in (D) and (E), the representative images of Ki67 were shownin (F). n = 5 in each group. (G) The correlation between ETV1 expression and PTK2 or MET expression inTCGA-LIHC and GEO database. *p < 0.05, ****p < 0.0001. Data were shown as Mean ± SD. Figure S2. ETV1 binding sites withinthe promoter regions of PTK2. Thesequences highlighted in yellow represent the three binding sites of ETV1 onthe PTK2 promoter, and the arrow represents the transcription initiation sites.The   mutagenesis of the promoter sequencewere annotated. Figure S3. ETV1binding sites within the promoter regions of MET. The sequenceshighlighted in yellow represent the four binding sites of ETV1 onthe MET promoter, and the arrow represents the transcription initiation sites.The mutagenesis of the promoter sequence were annotated. Figure S4. (A-C) Western blotverifying PTK2 and MET knockdown effect in PLC/PRF/5-ETV1 cells and ELK1knockdown effect in PLC/PRF/5 cells. FigureS5. (A) The expression levels of MTDH, RHOA, TCF4 and MCL1 were determined in the indicated cells by real-time PCR. (B) Westernblotting assays of MTDH, RHOA, TCF4 and MCL1 in the indicated cells transfected with lentivirus. (C) The migratingand invasive capability of the indicated cells was determined via transwellassay. Figure S6. (A) The level of ETV1 in the PLC/PRF/5 cells upon HGFtreatment with/without ERK1/2 knockdown. Figure S7. Transcription factors binding siteswithin the promoter regions of ETV1. The sequences highlighted in blue represent the four binding sites ofELK1 on the ETV1 promoter. The yellow highlighted sequences representthe one binding site of ETS1 onthe ETV1 promoter. The sequenceshighlighted in grey represent the binding site of SP1 on the ETV1promoter. The red highlighted sequences represent the binding site of NF-ΚB1 onthe ETV1 promoter. The pink highlighted sequences represent the bindingsequence of STAT3 on the ETV1 promoter. The arrows representtranscription start sites. The mutagenesis of the promoter sequence wereannotated. Figure S8. (A)Representative IHC staining of ETV1 is shown. (B) Pearsoncorrelation analyses between ETV1 IHC score and the levels of serum HGF in HCCpatients. n=30. (C) The correlation between ETV1 expression and HGF expression inTCGA-LIHC and GEO database.(D) The correlation between ETV1expression and ELK1 expression in TCGA-LIHC and GEO database. Figure S9. Effectof ERK1/2 inhibitor on HGF-mediated HCC cell migration and invasion. (A)Transwell assays displayed the migratory and invasive capacity of theindicated cells upon HGF treatment. (B) Transwell assays displayed themigratory and invasive capacity of the indicated cells. Supplementary Table S1. List of genesdifferentially expressed in PLC/PRF/5-ETV1 versus PLC/PRF/5-Control cells usinga human liver cancer PCR array. Supplementary Table S2. List of genes differentially expressed in MHCC97H-shETV1 versusMHCC97H-shControl cells using a human liver cancer PCR array. Supplementary Table S3. Primer sequences usedin the study. Supplementary Table S4. Knockdown shRNA sequencesused in this study. Supplementary Table S5. Correlation between PTK2 expression and clinicopathologicalcharacteristics of HCCs in two independent cohorts of human HCC tissues. Supplementary Table S6. Correlationbetween c-MET expression and clinicopathological characteristics of HCCs in twoindependent cohorts of human HCC tissues