Manifold Preserving Guided Diffusion

Despite the recent advancements, conditional image generation still faces challenges of cost, generalizability, and the need for task-specific training. In this paper, we propose Manifold Preserving Guided Diffusion (MPGD), a training-free conditional generation framework that leverages pretrained diffusion models and off-the-shelf neural networks with minimal additional inference cost for a broad range of tasks. Specifically, we leverage the manifold hypothesis to refine the guided diffusion steps and introduce a shortcut algorithm in the process. We then propose two methods for on-manifold training-free guidance using pre-trained autoencoders and demonstrate that our shortcut inherently preserves the manifolds when applied to latent diffusion models. Our experiments show that MPGD is efficient and effective for solving a variety of conditional generation applications in low-compute settings, and can consistently offer up to 3.8x speed-ups with the same number of diffusion steps while maintaining high sample quality compared to the baselines

Sex-Related Differences in the Relationship between Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption and Cardiorespiratory Fitness: Results from Chinese Cross-Sectional Study on Children

Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption continues to increase among children, with adverse health effects, and China is no exception. Our study investigates the association between SSB consumption and cardiopulmonary fitness. We used stratified whole group sampling to investigate and test SSB consumption and cardiopulmonary fitness in 21,055 children aged 13–15 years in China. A chi-square test and one-way ANOVA were used to compare different categories of SSB consumption. General linear regression analysis and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the relationship between different SSB consumption and cardiopulmonary fitness in Chinese children. Our research results show the proportions of Chinese children with SSB consumption ≤ 1 time/week, 2–4 times/week, and ≥5 times/week were 33.3%, 52.8%, and 13.9%, respectively. VO2max in children consuming ≥ 5 times/week was lower than those consuming 2–4 times/week and ≤2 times/week of SSB by 0.15 and 0.301 mL·kg−1·min−1, with statistically significant differences (F-value 18.807, p < 0.001). After relevant confounders were adjusted, children in the SSB consumption ≥ 5 times/week group had a higher risk of developing poorer cardiopulmonary fitness than those in the SSB consumption ≤ 1 time/week group (OR: 1.336, 95% CI: 1.181, 1.511) (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the consumption of SSBs among children aged 13–15 in China is higher than the recommended intake by the World Health Organization, and boys are higher than girls. In addition, after adjusting for relevant confounders, the association between SSB consumption and an increased risk of poor cardiorespiratory fitness remained. The relationship between SSB consumption and cardiopulmonary fitness was higher in girls compared with boys

Attention priority map of face images in human early visual cortex

PURPOSE: Attention priority maps are topographic representations that is utilized for attention selection and guidance of task-related behavior during visual processing. Previous studies have identified attention priority maps of simple artificial stimuli in multiple cortical and subcortical areas, while investigating neural correlates of priority maps of natural stimuli is complicated by the complexity of multi-dimensional stimulus information, the difficulty of behaviorally characterizing priority maps of natural stimuli and the possible influence of spatial structure of natural stimuli on priority maps. METHODS: Here, we overcame these challenges by reconstructing the topographic representations of face stimuli from fMRI BOLD signals in early visual areas V1-V3 based on voxel-wise population receptive field models and behaviorally characterizing the priority maps as the first saccadic eye movement patterns when subjects performed an image matching task. We used face stimuli because the spatial structure of face components is consistent, which allows effective reconstruction of topographic representation and easy examination of the possible influence of image configuration on priority maps. RESULTS: We found that the first saccadic eye movement patterns could be well predicted from the reconstructed topographic representations in early visual areas. Moreover, face inversion modulated the coupling between the first saccadic target pattern and the reconstructed representations in V2/3 but not in V1. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings thus provide novel evidence for priority maps of natural stimuli in early visual areas and extend the traditional attention priority map theory by revealing another critical factor that affects priority maps in extrastriate cortex in addition to physical salience and task goal relevance, namely the configuration of stimulus image.</p

Quadratic Function based Price Adjustment Strategy on Monitoring Process of Power Consumption Load in Smart Grid

Based on the data collected from smart meters, electricity pricing models can be developed to balance power supply and demand in each time slot and obtain the optimal consumption loads and prices. However, in real life, users’ reserved consumption requirement loads sometimes deviate significantly from the optimal consumption loads obtained from models, which results in overloaded power systems or even power cuts. To address this issue, an Engineering Process Control monitoring strategy has been proposed in this paper to minimize the difference between the optimal and the users’ reserved consumption requirement loads. We proposed an exponential weighted moving average model to predict the load difference in future time slots, and also developed a novel quadratic function based demand response mechanism to adjust the power price for power providers. The demand response mechanism can be used to adjust the price in the future time slots when the predicted demand exceeds the upper or lower boundary. Simulation results indicate that the quadratic function adjustment strategy has excellent performance in a practical power market in Singapore. Compared with the linear function based adjustment method, the proposed quadratic function based adjustment method decreases the adjustment times and standard errors of residuals, and increases the social welfare and power suppliers’ profits under the same boundary conditions. In addition, the performance of the proposed strategy demonstrated its competency in peak-cutting and valley-filling and balancing energy provision with demands

DataSheet1_Distributed energy storage participating in power trading mechanism for power system flexibility.docx

In the paper of the participation of multiple types of market members, such as photovoltaics, wind power, and distributed energy storage, in market-based trading, the development of new power systems hinges on strengthening the adaptability of power systems to accommodate various types of market participants and improving their flexibility. The establishment of a modern power system also faced major challenges. Such as how to achieving collaborative operation between the main grid, regional distribution networks, and distributed power generation and consumption devices, and how to improving the flexibility of grid operation, and how to increasing device utilization, and reducing operating costs. In view of above-mentioned issues, this study proposed employing the traceability and anti-tampering features of blockchain technology tackle the issue of establishing mutual trust among different types of market participants and, considering the high volatility of new energy output, studies the configuration of a flexible power system in response to output deviations resulting from day-ahead forecasting-intraday operation (DAF-IDO). A market-based trading mechanism involving multiple types of market participants has been established to smooth out the deviation in output from different types of participants, improving the economic benefits of system operation. This study has made innovative contributions as follows: First, this study employed blockchain technology to enable the participation of various types of market participants in trading activities together. Second, this study proposed a method for determining DAF-IDO energy storage action deviations to allow regional distribution networks based on distribution network operators to quantitatively calculate their energy storage supply and demand, providing crucial methodological support for their participation in market trading in the future. Third, the study developed a trading mechanism based on combinatorial auctions for multiple types of market participants, and incorporated an valley compensation mechanism into the pricing mechanism to encourage active and autonomous participation of users, while also considering the economic benefits of all parties involved. Ultimately, numerical simulations were conducted to verify the feasibility and rationality of the trading mechanism, taking into account the DAF-IDO energy storage action deviations while multiple regional networks are participating.</p

Causal role of immune cells in schizophrenia: Mendelian randomization (MR) study

Abstract Background Complex immune-brain interactions that affect neural development, survival and function might have causal and therapeutic implications for psychiatric illnesses. However, previous studies examining the association between immune inflammation and schizophrenia (SCZ) have yielded inconsistent findings. Methods Comprehensive two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed to determine the causal association between immune cell signatures and SCZ in this study. Based on publicly available genetic data, we explored causal associations between 731 immune cell signatures and SCZ risk. A total of four types of immune signatures (median fluorescence intensities (MFI), relative cell (RC), absolute cell (AC), and morphological parameters (MP)) were included. Comprehensive sensitivity analyses were used to verify the robustness, heterogeneity, and horizontal pleiotropy of the results. Results After FDR correction, SCZ had no statistically significant effect on immunophenotypes. It was worth mentioning some phenotypes with unadjusted low P-values, including FSC-A on NKT (β = 0.119, 95% CI = 0.044 ~ 0.194, P = 0.002), DN (CD4-CD8-) NKT %T cell (β = 0.131, 95% CI = 0.054 ~ 0.208, P = 9.03 × 10− 4), and SSC-A on lymphocytes (β = 0.136, 95% CI = 0.059 ~ 0.213, P = 5.43 × 10− 4). The causal effect of SCZ IgD on transitional was estimated to 0.127 (95% CI = 0.051 ~ 0.203, P = 1.09 × 10− 3). SCZ also had a causal effect on IgD+ %B cell (β = 0.130, 95% CI = 0.054 ~ 0.207, P = 8.69 × 10− 4), and DP (CD4+CD8+) %T cell (β = 0.131, 95% CI = 0.054 ~ 0.207, P = 8.05 × 10− 4). Furthermore, four immunophenotypes were identified to be significantly associated with SCZ risk: naive CD4+ %T cell (OR = 0.986, 95% CI = 0.979 ~ 0.992, P = 1.37 × 10− 5), HLA DR on CD14− CD16− (OR = 0.738 (95% CI = 0.642 ~ 0.849, P = 2.00 × 10− 5), CD33dim HLA DR+ CD11b− AC (OR = 0.631, 95% CI = 0.529 ~ 0.753, P = 3.40 × 10− 7) and activated & resting Treg % CD4 Treg (OR = 0.937, 95% CI = 0.906 ~ 0.970, P = 1.96 × 10− 4). Conclusions Our study has demonstrated the close connection between immune cells and SCZ by genetic means, thus providing guidance for future clinical research