FAIR: A Causal Framework for Accurately Inferring Judgments Reversals

Artificial intelligence researchers have made significant advances in legal intelligence in recent years. However, the existing studies have not focused on the important value embedded in judgments reversals, which limits the improvement of the efficiency of legal intelligence. In this paper, we propose a causal Framework for Accurately Inferring case Reversals (FAIR), which models the problem of judgments reversals based on real Chinese judgments. We mine the causes of judgments reversals by causal inference methods and inject the obtained causal relationships into the neural network as a priori knowledge. And then, our framework is validated on a challenging dataset as a legal judgment prediction task. The experimental results show that our framework can tap the most critical factors in judgments reversal, and the obtained causal relationships can effectively improve the neural network's performance. In addition, we discuss the generalization ability of large language models for legal intelligence tasks using ChatGPT as an example. Our experiment has found that the generalization ability of large language models still has defects, and mining causal relationships can effectively improve the accuracy and explain ability of model predictions

The Attenuation of Moutan Cortex on Oxidative Stress for Renal Injury in AGEs-Induced Mesangial Cell Dysfunction and Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Nephropathy Rats

Oxidative stress (OS) has been regarded as one of the major pathogeneses of diabetic nephropathy (DN) through damaging kidney which is associated with renal cells dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate whether Moutan Cortex (MC) could protect kidney function against oxidative stress in vitro or in vivo. The compounds in MC extract were analyzed by HPLC-ESI-MS. High-glucose-fat diet and STZ (30 mg kg−1) were used to induce DN rats model, while 200 μg mL−1 AGEs were for HBZY-1 mesangial cell damage. The treatment with MC could significantly increase the activity of SOD, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), and catalase (CAT). However, lipid peroxidation malondialdehyde (MDA) was reduced markedly in vitro or in vivo. Furthermore, MC decreased markedly the levels of blood glucose, serum creatinine, and urine protein in DN rats. Immunohistochemical assay showed that MC downregulated significantly transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGF-β2) protein expression in renal tissue. Our data provided evidence to support this fact that MC attenuated OS in AGEs-induced mesangial cell dysfunction and also in high-glucose-fat diet and STZ-induced DN rats

Efficacy of a smartphone-based care support programme in improving post-traumatic stress in families with childhood cancer: Protocol of a randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION: Diagnosis and treatment represent distressing experiences for the families of children with cancer. Psychosocial challenges are faced by these families in China because of limited health services and resources for psychosocial oncology care. Effective interventions tailored to the knowledge level and cultural values of this population are needed. The goal of this study is to evaluate a smartphone-based care support (SBCS) programme for the families of children with cancer in China. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A parallel randomised controlled trial will be conducted to examine the efficacy of an evidence-based and culturally tailored SBCS programme for the families of children with cancer in China. A total of 180 families will be recruited. The intervention will consist of an introduction session and four main sessions and will be conducted sequentially on a single weekend day. Participating families will be included in the intervention group. The post-traumatic stress and quality of life of families will be evaluated at baseline, during the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and 2 and 6 months after the intervention. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval for this protocol has been obtained from the Nursing and Behavioural Medicine Research Ethics Review Committee, Xiangya School of Nursing, Central South University (Protocol #: E2020125). The findings of the trial will be disseminated through conference presentations and publications in peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2000040510

One-2-3-45++: Fast Single Image to 3D Objects with Consistent Multi-View Generation and 3D Diffusion

Recent advancements in open-world 3D object generation have been remarkable, with image-to-3D methods offering superior fine-grained control over their text-to-3D counterparts. However, most existing models fall short in simultaneously providing rapid generation speeds and high fidelity to input images - two features essential for practical applications. In this paper, we present One-2-3-45++, an innovative method that transforms a single image into a detailed 3D textured mesh in approximately one minute. Our approach aims to fully harness the extensive knowledge embedded in 2D diffusion models and priors from valuable yet limited 3D data. This is achieved by initially finetuning a 2D diffusion model for consistent multi-view image generation, followed by elevating these images to 3D with the aid of multi-view conditioned 3D native diffusion models. Extensive experimental evaluations demonstrate that our method can produce high-quality, diverse 3D assets that closely mirror the original input image. Our project webpage: https://sudo-ai-3d.github.io/One2345plus_page

Developing a class of dual atom materials for multifunctional catalytic reactions

Dual atom catalysts, bridging single atom and metal/alloy nanoparticle catalysts, offer more opportunities to enhance the kinetics and multifunctional performance of oxygen reduction/evolution and hydrogen evolution reactions. However, the rational design of efficient multifunctional dual atom catalysts remains a blind area and is challenging. In this study, we achieved controllable regulation from Co nanoparticles to CoN4 single atoms to Co2N5 dual atoms using an atomization and sintering strategy via an N-stripping and thermal-migrating process. More importantly, this strategy could be extended to the fabrication of 22 distinct dual atom catalysts. In particular, the Co2N5 dual atom with tailored spin states could achieve ideally balanced adsorption/desorption of intermediates, thus realizing superior multifunctional activity. In addition, it endows Zn-air batteries with long-term stability for 800 h, allows water splitting to continuously operate for 1000 h, and can enable solar-powered water splitting systems with uninterrupted large-scale hydrogen production throughout day and night. This universal and scalable strategy provides opportunities for the controlled design of efficient multifunctional dual atom catalysts in energy conversion technologies

A novel risk model based on cuproptosis-related lncRNAs predicted prognosis and indicated immune microenvironment landscape of patients with cutaneous melanoma

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is an aggressive form of malignancy with poor prognostic value. Cuproptosis is a novel type of cell death regulatory mechanism in tumors. However, the role of cuproptosis-related long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in CM remains elusive. The cuproptosis-related lncRNAs were identified using the Pearson correlation algorithm. Through the univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis, the prognosis of seven lncRNAs associated with cuproptosis was established and a new risk model was constructed. ESTIMATE, CIBERSORT, and single sample gene set enrichment analyses (ssGSEA) were applied to evaluate the immune microenvironment landscape. The Kaplan–Meier survival analysis revealed that the overall survival (OS) of CM patients in the high-risk group was remarkably lower than that of the low-risk group. The result of the validated cohort and the training cohort indicated that the risk model could produce an accurate prediction of the prognosis of CM. The nomogram result demonstrated that the risk score based on the seven prognostic cuproptosis-related lncRNAs was an independent prognostic indicator feature that distinguished it from other clinical features. The result of the immune microenvironment landscape indicated that the low-risk group showed better immunity than high-risk group. The immunophenoscore (IPS) and immune checkpoints results conveyed a better benefit potential for immunotherapy clinical application in the low-risk groups. The enrichment analysis and the gene set variation analysis (GSVA) were adopted to reveal the role of cuproptosis-related lncRNAs mediated by the immune-related signaling pathways in the development of CM. Altogether, the construction of the risk model based on cuproptosis-related lncRNAs can accurately predict the prognosis of CM and indicate the immune microenvironment of CM, providing a new perspective for the future clinical treatment of CM

Single-nanowire spectrometers.

Spectrometers with ever-smaller footprints are sought after for a wide range of applications in which minimized size and weight are paramount, including emerging in situ characterization techniques. We report on an ultracompact microspectrometer design based on a single compositionally engineered nanowire. This platform is independent of the complex optical components or cavities that tend to constrain further miniaturization of current systems. We show that incident spectra can be computationally reconstructed from the different spectral response functions and measured photocurrents along the length of the nanowire. Our devices are capable of accurate, visible-range monochromatic and broadband light reconstruction, as well as spectral imaging from centimeter-scale focal planes down to lensless, single-cell-scale in situ mapping.EPSRC (EP/M013812/1, EP/L016087/1), the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, CRUK Pioneer Award (C55962/A24669), , Business Finland (A-Photonics), Academy of Finland, ERC (834742), EU Horizon 2020 (820423), the Cambridge Trust, the Royal Society

Structural basis of DNA gyrase inhibition by antibacterial QPT-1, anticancer drug etoposide and moxifloxacin

New antibacterials are needed to tackle antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Type IIA topoisomerases (topo2As), the targets of fluoroquinolones, regulate DNA topology by creating transient double-strand DNA breaks. Here we report the first co-crystal structures of the antibacterial QPT-1 and the anticancer drug etoposide with Staphylococcus aureus DNA gyrase, showing binding at the same sites in the cleaved DNA as the fluoroquinolone moxifloxacin. Unlike moxifloxacin, QPT-1 and etoposide interact with conserved GyrB TOPRIM residues rationalizing why QPT-1 can overcome fluoroquinolone resistance. Our data show etoposide’s antibacterial activity is due to DNA gyrase inhibition and suggests other anticancer agents act similarly. Analysis of multiple DNA gyrase co-crystal structures, including asymmetric cleavage complexes, led to a ‘pair of swing-doors’ hypothesis in which the movement of one DNA segment regulates cleavage and religation of the second DNA duplex. This mechanism can explain QPT-1’s bacterial specificity. Structure-based strategies for developing topo2A antibacterials are suggested