Visual Uniqueness: An Unsupervised Contrast Learning Approach

This paper develops an unsupervised machine learning model that scores a product image on its visual uniqueness. Based on large-scale images of Airbnb properties in New York City, our model used contrastive loss and random data augmentation to compute the visual uniqueness of a property image automatically. The model achieves 88.10% accuracy on a hold-out set. We identified key image features that make a room unique. Leveraging the advanced explainable AI techniques to generate interpretable uniqueness heatmaps, we found certain decorations (e.g., pillows, paintings) may help enhance room uniqueness. Next, we validated the model against human perceptions via two lab studies and an eye-tracking controlled experiment: both the model-predicted uniqueness and key image features are consistent with human judgment. We discussed discriminative validity between uniqueness and aesthetics. This research offers important managerial implications for individual hosts to optimize the visual presentation to stand out in the crowded market

MIXED-FLOW PUMP OPTIMISATION AND FLOW CHARACTERISTICS BASED ON THE ‘DUAL CARBON’ GOALS

Urban water supply and drainage, the shipbuilding industry, the petrochemical industry and other professional fields rely heavily on mixed-flow pumps. Enhancing the efficiency of mixed-flow pumps is crucial for achieving the ‘dual carbon’ goals and promote energy saving and emission reduction. In this study, the guide vane and impeller of the mixed-flow pump were optimised, focusing on its low head and effectiveness in power plants. The performance of the original and optimised pumps was then evaluated under various flow rate conditions, and their hydraulic performance was compared. Results showed that the efficiency of the optimised mixed-flow pump was improved, resulting in effective enhancement of energy loss in the pump passage. The optimised guide vane facilitated smoother water flow into the outlet pipeline, achieving energy savings, emission reduction and contributing to the realisation of the ‘dual carbon’ goals

The impact of an abandoned mercury mine on the environment in the Xiushan region, Chongqing, southwestern China

Mercury contamination is a serious problem in the Hg mining area of Xiushan County, Chongqing, southwestern China. The concentrations of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in paddy soil, surface water, and rice (grain) samples were determined to investigate the regional distribution of Hg contamination. Simultaneously, gaseous elemental Hg (GEM) in ambient air near the sampling sites was measured. The total Hg concentrations in surface water were highly elevated, ranging from 13 to 2390 ng/L, and the total MeHg concentrations varied between 0.17 and 1.1 ng/L. The dissolved Hg and MeHg concentrations in surface water ranged from 4.7 to 470 ng/L and 0.14–0.35 ng/L, respectively. High THg and MeHg concentrations were also obtained in paddy soils from mining areas, ranging from 0.45 to 68 μg/g and 0.13–4.8 ng/g, respectively. Similar to the high concentrations in water and soil, the THg concentration in rice (grain) ranged from 4.7 to 550 ng/g and MeHg from 2.9 to 26 ng/g. Elevated Hg concentrations in rice, as a staple food of local residents, confirmed that rice consumption could be a vital pathway for MeHg exposure to native people. Humic acid and fulvic acid had significant correlations with soil MeHg, implying that they have important roles that influence MeHg production in soil. The spatial distribution characteristics of Hg and MeHg pollution in the local environment indicated their origins from historic Hg mining sites in the Xiushan area.acceptedVersio

The impact of an abandoned mercury mine on the environment in the Xiushan region, Chongqing, southwestern China

Mercury contamination is a serious problem in the Hg mining area of Xiushan County, Chongqing, southwestern China. The concentrations of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in paddy soil, surface water, and rice (grain) samples were determined to investigate the regional distribution of Hg contamination. Simultaneously, gaseous elemental Hg (GEM) in ambient air near the sampling sites was measured. The total Hg concentrations in surface water were highly elevated, ranging from 13 to 2390 ng/L, and the total MeHg concentrations varied between 0.17 and 1.1 ng/L. The dissolved Hg and MeHg concentrations in surface water ranged from 4.7 to 470 ng/L and 0.14–0.35 ng/L, respectively. High THg and MeHg concentrations were also obtained in paddy soils from mining areas, ranging from 0.45 to 68 μg/g and 0.13–4.8 ng/g, respectively. Similar to the high concentrations in water and soil, the THg concentration in rice (grain) ranged from 4.7 to 550 ng/g and MeHg from 2.9 to 26 ng/g. Elevated Hg concentrations in rice, as a staple food of local residents, confirmed that rice consumption could be a vital pathway for MeHg exposure to native people. Humic acid and fulvic acid had significant correlations with soil MeHg, implying that they have important roles that influence MeHg production in soil. The spatial distribution characteristics of Hg and MeHg pollution in the local environment indicated their origins from historic Hg mining sites in the Xiushan area.acceptedVersio

Dual antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients at high bleeding risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: To date, it has not been ascertained whether shortening the duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) can benefit high bleeding risk (HBR) patients. This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to investigate the safety and efficacy of short (≤ 3 months) DAPT in HBR patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: The PubMed, Embase, and Clinical Trials databases were searched from inception until November 2021 to identify studies that evaluated the safety and efficacy of short DAPT in HBR patients implanted with new-generation drug-eluting stents (DES). Primary endpoints included major bleeding, definite or probable stent thrombosis (ST), and myocardial infarction (MI), while secondary endpoints included all-cause death and ischemic stroke. Based on the fixed and random effect model, the risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval of each endpoint were measured. Results: Five observational studies and one randomized controlled trial were included, involving 15,432 HBR patients. Short DAPT for HBR patients undergoing PCI had a lower incidence of major bleeding in comparison with standard (> 3 months) DAPT (2.3% vs. 3.2%, RR 0.64 [0.44, 0.95], p = 0.03), while short DAPT was comparable to standard DAPT with regard to definite or probable ST (0.4% vs. 0.3%, RR 1.31 [0.77, 2.23], p = 0.32) and MI (2.4% vs. 2.0%, RR 1.17 [0.95, 1.45], p = 0.14). Conclusions: Among HBR patients implanted with new-generation DES, short DAPT was associated with reduced risk of major bleeding without significantly increasing the risk of definite or probable ST and MI in comparison with standard DAPT

Pancreatic Stellate Cells: A Rising Translational Physiology Star as a Potential Stem Cell Type for Beta Cell Neogenesis

The progressive decline and eventual loss of islet β-cell function underlies the pathophysiological mechanism of the development of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The recovery of functional β-cells is an important strategy for the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Based on similarities in developmental biology and anatomy, in vivo induction of differentiation of other types of pancreatic cells into β-cells is a promising avenue for future diabetes treatment. Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs), which have attracted intense research interest due to their effects on tissue fibrosis over the last decade, express multiple stem cell markers and can differentiate into various cell types. In particular, PSCs can successfully differentiate into insulin- secreting cells in vitro and can contribute to tissue regeneration. In this article, we will brings together the main concepts of the translational physiology potential of PSCs that have emerged from work in the field and discuss possible ways to develop the future renewable source for clinical treatment of pancreatic diseases

Titanium Nitride Film on Sapphire Substrate with Low Dielectric Loss for Superconducting Qubits

Dielectric loss is one of the major decoherence sources of superconducting qubits. Contemporary high-coherence superconducting qubits are formed by material systems mostly consisting of superconducting films on substrate with low dielectric loss, where the loss mainly originates from the surfaces and interfaces. Among the multiple candidates for material systems, a combination of titanium nitride (TiN) film and sapphire substrate has good potential because of its chemical stability against oxidization, and high quality at interfaces. In this work, we report a TiN film deposited onto sapphire substrate achieving low dielectric loss at the material interface. Through the systematic characterizations of a series of transmon qubits fabricated with identical batches of TiN base layers, but different geometries of qubit shunting capacitors with various participation ratios of the material interface, we quantitatively extract the loss tangent value at the substrate-metal interface smaller than $8.9 \times 10^{-4}$ in 1-nm disordered layer. By optimizing the interface participation ratio of the transmon qubit, we reproducibly achieve qubit lifetimes of up to 300 $\mu$s and quality factors approaching 8 million. We demonstrate that TiN film on sapphire substrate is an ideal material system for high-coherence superconducting qubits. Our analyses further suggest that the interface dielectric loss around the Josephson junction part of the circuit could be the dominant limitation of lifetimes for state-of-the-art transmon qubits

Allogeneic platelet-rich plasma for knee osteoarthritis in patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia : a randomized clinical trial

The treatment of painful KOA in adult patients with ITP has not been well studied yet. We conducted a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of intra-articular allogeneic PRP injections on symptoms and joint structure in patients with KOA and ITP. 80 participants were randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to allogeneic PRP group or saline group. The primary outcome was the WOMAC total score at 12 months post-injection. The number of patients in each group who achieved MCID of primary outcome showed a statistically significant difference only at 3-month (27/39 vs. 5/39, p = 0.001) and 6-month (15/39 vs. 3/38, p = 0.032). The difference in WOMAC total score exceeded the MCID only at 3 month (mean difference of -15.1 [95% CI -20.7 to -9.5], p < 0.001). Results suggest that allogeneic PRP was superior to placebo only with respect to symptoms at 3-month of follow-up.peer-reviewe