Type IIs restriction based combinatory modulation technique for metabolic pathway optimization

Additional file 1: Table S1. Oligonucleotides used in this study

SelfOdom: Self-supervised Egomotion and Depth Learning via Bi-directional Coarse-to-Fine Scale Recovery

Accurately perceiving location and scene is crucial for autonomous driving and mobile robots. Recent advances in deep learning have made it possible to learn egomotion and depth from monocular images in a self-supervised manner, without requiring highly precise labels to train the networks. However, monocular vision methods suffer from a limitation known as scale-ambiguity, which restricts their application when absolute-scale is necessary. To address this, we propose SelfOdom, a self-supervised dual-network framework that can robustly and consistently learn and generate pose and depth estimates in global scale from monocular images. In particular, we introduce a novel coarse-to-fine training strategy that enables the metric scale to be recovered in a two-stage process. Furthermore, SelfOdom is flexible and can incorporate inertial data with images, which improves its robustness in challenging scenarios, using an attention-based fusion module. Our model excels in both normal and challenging lighting conditions, including difficult night scenes. Extensive experiments on public datasets have demonstrated that SelfOdom outperforms representative traditional and learning-based VO and VIO models.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, in submissio

Dietary Calcium but Not Elemental Calcium from Supplements Is Associated with Body Composition and Obesity in Chinese Women

We assessed whether dietary calcium intake or calcium supplements associated with body composition and obesity in a Chinese population.A cross-sectional survey was performed in a population of 8940, aged 20 to 74 y. 8127 participants responded (90.9%). Height, weight, fat mass (FM), waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference were measured. Obesity definition: body mass index (BMI) ≥28 kg/m(2) (overall obesity); WC ≥85 cm for men or ≥80 cm for women (abdominal obesity І) and waist hip ratio (WHR) ≥0.90 for men or ≥0.85 for women (abdominal obesity П). The data on dietary calcium and calcium supplements were collected using food-frequency questionnaire and self-report questionnaire. Multivariate linear and multivariable logistic regressions were used to examine the associations between dietary calcium intake or calcium supplements and body composition and obesity.The average dietary calcium intake of all subjects was 430 mg/d. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, among women only, negative associations were observed between habitual dietary calcium intake and four measures of body composition (β, -0.086, P<0.001 for BMI; β, -0.072, P<0.001 for WC; β, -0.044, P<0.05 for WHR; and β, -0.058, P<0.01 for FM, respectively) and both measures of abdominal obesity (Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.86, 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 0.80-0.93; P<0.001, for abdominal obesity I; OR = 0.92, 95% CI, 0.86-0.99; P = 0.026, for abdominal obesity II). These associations were not observed among men (P>0.05). Similarly, among both men and women, we did not observe significant associations between calcium supplements and any measures of body composition or abdominal obesity (P>0.05).Dietary calcium from food rather than elemental calcium from calcium supplements has beneficial effects on the maintenance of body composition and preventing abdominal obesity in Chinese women

Effects of acute administration of different doses of methylphenidate on cognition in healthy young

Os chamados ampliadores cognitivos têm sido ampla e crescentemente utilizados por indivíduos saudáveis, que apesar de não apresentarem nenhum tipo de patologia, buscam por melhoras no desempenho cognitivo. Um fármaco utilizado para este fim é o metilfenidato, droga de primeira escolha para tratamento do transtorno de déficit de atenção e hiperatividade (TDAH). O presente estudo visou verificar o efeito da administração aguda de diferentes doses de metilfenidato (10, 20 e 40 mg e placebo) sobre uma ampla gama de funções cognitivas em jovens saudáveis. Participaram do estudo 36 jovens universitários ou graduados, tendo sido realizados testes de atenção, memória operacional, episódica e semântica. Não foram observadas diferenças no desempenho dos sujeitos em nenhum dos testes. Houve efeito na auto-avaliação de bem estar, sendo este efeito dose dependente – 40 mg > placebo. De acordo com a literatura recente, medicações psicoestimulantes, como o metilfenidato, produzem melhoras no desempenho quando os processos cognitivos estão abaixo de um nível ótimo o que não era o caso dos sujeitos do presente estudo. Sendo assim, a impressão que o metilfenidato melhora o desempenho cognitivo em pessoas jovens e saudáveis se deve provavelmente ao efeito subjetivo de bem estar.The so called cognitive enhancers have been widely and increasingly used by healthy individuals, who despite not having any kind of pathology, seek improvements in cognitive performance. A drug used for this purpose is methylphenidate, a first choice drug for the treatment of the attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of acute administration of different doses of methylphenidate (10, 20 and 40 mg and placebo) in a wide range of cognitive functions in healthy young subjects. Participated in the study 36 university students or graduates, and were applied tests of attention, working memory, episodic and semantic memory. There were no differences among the groups in any of the tests. Significant effect on self-assessment of well being was observed, and this effect was dose dependent - 40 mg> placebo. According to recent literature, psychostimulant medications such as methylphenidate, produce improvements in performance when cognitive processes are below an optimal level which was not the case of the subjects of this study. Thus, the impression that methylphenidate improves cognitive performance in healthy young people is probably due to the effect of subjective well-being.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Associação Fundo de Incentivo à Psicofarmacologia (AFIP)BV UNIFESP: Teses e dissertaçõe

Glycine in the prevention of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis lesions: experimental study in rats

Objetivo: Avaliar o efeito da glicina no intestino e em órgãos à distância num modelo experimental de enterocolite necrosante neonatal em ratos recém-nascidos. Métodos: Foram utilizados ratos Wistar recém-nascidos distribuídos em três grupos: G1: controle, G2: animais submetidos a hipóxia-reoxigenação (H-R), G3: animais submetidos a hipóxia-reoxigenação após uma infusão intraperitoneal de glicina 5%.Segmentos intestinais foram preparados para análise histológica, imunohistoquímica com caspase 3 clivada e lamina A clivada, como marcadores para apoptose e dosagem tecidual de Malondialdeído (MDA). O fígado foi preparado para avaliação imunohistoquímica e dosagem de malondialdeído tecidual, e os rins foram preparados para avaliação imunohistoquímica. Resultados: A dosagem de MDA tecidual mostrou que o grupo de animais submetido a H-R apresentou valores maiores do que o grupo previamente submetido à injeção intraperitoneal de glicina (p < 0,05). O índice apoptótico pela avaliação da caspase 3 clivada e lamina A clivada foi maior nos animais submetidos à H-R do que nos animais que receberam previamente glicina em todos os órgãos examinados, porém nos rins a avaliação pela lamina A clivada não foi significante, quando da avaliação estatística. A análise histológica não mostrou diferença estatística entre o grupo H-R e o previamente submetido à injeção de glicina. Conclusões: A glicina foi capaz de reduzir os efeitos deletérios da hipóxiareoxigenação, quando se considerou como critério de avaliação a dosagem de MDA e os índices de apoptose celular e não influenciou, estatisticamente, as alterações histológicas.Objective: To evaluate the effect of glycine on the intestine and in distant organs, in an experimental model of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis in rats. Methods: Newborn Wistar rats were utilized, distributed into three groups: G1: control, G2: animals subjected to hypoxia-reoxygenation (H-R), G3: animals subjected to hypoxia-reoxygenation after intraperitoneal infusion of 5% glycine. Intestinal segments were prepared for histological analysis, immunohistochemistry using cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved lamina-A as markers for apoptosis, and tissue assaying for malonaldehyde (MDA). The liver and kidneys were prepared for immunohistochemical evaluation and the liver alone for tissue MDA assaying. Results: Tissue MDA assaying showed that the animals subjected to H-R alone presented higher values than did those previously subjected to glycine infusion (p < 0.05). The apoptosis index from evaluation of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved lamina-A was greater in the animals subjected to H-R alone than in those previously subjected to glycine infusion, in all the organs examined. However, in the kidneys the findings from cleaved lamina-A did not present any statistical difference. The histological analysis did not show any statistical difference between the group with H-R alone and the group previously subjected to glycine infusion. Conclusions: Glycine was capable of reducing the deleterious effects from hypoxiareoxygenation, when the MDA assay and cell apoptosis index were considered as the evaluation criteria.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)BV UNIFESP: Teses e dissertaçõe

Genotype and environment factors driven licorice growth and rhizospheric soil fungal community changes

IntroductionLicorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.) is a widely recognized significant form of medicine in China, with a long-standing history and extensive usage. It is considered the oldest and most prevalent herbal medicine in China. Currently, the licorice market is confronted with the primary challenges of mixed genotypes, inconsistent quality, and inadequate glycyrrhizic acid content.MethodsWe conducted field experiments to investigate the impact of various cultivation locations on the growth characteristics, active ingredients, rhizospheric soil physicochemical properties and fungal communities of licorice that ten different genotypes.ResultsThe findings indicated significant variations in these parameters across ten different genotypes of licorice originating from two distinct production regions. The growth characteristics of licorice were primarily influenced by genotype, whereas the active ingredients of licorice were mainly influenced by environmental factors and soil physicochemical properties. Furthermore, the rhizospheric soil physicochemical properties of licorice plants were more influenced by environmental factors than genotypes. Additionally, the distribution of rhizospheric soil fungi in licorice plants of the same genotype exhibited significant variations across different cultivation areas. The utilization of structural equation model synthesis reveals variations in the quantity and strength of pathways that influence the growth characteristics, active ingredients, and rhizospheric soil microbial community of licorice across different cultivation regions.DiscussionBased on the main results, according to its growth characteristics and active ingredients, Z009 proved to be the most suitable genotype for cultivation in Jingtai. From a perspective centered on the active ingredient, Z010 proved to be the most optimal genotype for licorice cultivation in both production areas. Our study aims to enhance the understanding of the ecological adaptability of various genotypes of licorice resources and to identify appropriate licorice genotypes for specific cultivation regions. This research holds significant practical implications for enhancing the yield and quality of licorice, thereby improving its overall development

Semi-Inclusive B\to K(K^*) X Decays with Initial Bound State Effects

The effects of initial $b$ quark bound state for the semi-inclusive decays $B\to K(K^*) X$ are studied using light cone expansion and heavy quark effective theory methods. We find that the initial bound state effects on the branching ratios and CP asymmetries are small. In the light cone expansion approach, the CP-averaged branching ratios are increased by about 2% with respect to the free $b$-quark decay. For $\bar B^0 \to K^- (K^{*-}) X$, the CP-averaged branching ratios are sensitive to the phase $\gamma$ and the CP asymmetry can be as large as 7% (14%), whereas for $B^-\to \bar K^0 (\bar K^{*0})X$ the CP-averaged branching ratios are not sensitive to $\gamma$ and the CP asymmetries are small ($< 1$). The CP-averaged branching ratios are predicted to be in the ranges $(0.53 \sim 1.5)\times 10^{-4}$ [$(0.25 \sim 2.0)\times 10^{-4}$] for $\bar B^0 \to K^- (K^{*-})X$ and $(0.77 \sim 0.84)\times 10^{-4}$ [$(0.67 \sim 0.74)\times 10^{-4}$] for $B^-\to \bar K^0 (\bar K^{*0}) X$, depending on the value of the CP violating phase $\gamma$. In the heavy quark effective theory approach, we find that the branching ratios are decreased by about 10% and the CP asymmetries are not affected. These predictions can be tested in the near future.Comment: 29 pages, 12 ps figure

Trajectories of the Hippocampal Subfields Atrophy in the Alzheimer’s Disease: A Structural Imaging Study

BackgroundThe hippocampus and hippocampal subfields have been found to be diversely affected in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and early stages of Alzheimer’s disease by neuroimaging studies. However, our knowledge is still lacking about the trajectories of the hippocampus and hippocampal subfields atrophy with the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.ObjectiveTo identify which subfields of the hippocampus differ in the trajectories of Alzheimer’s disease by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to determine whether individual differences on memory could be explained by structural volumes of hippocampal subfields.MethodsFour groups of participants including 41 AD patients, 43 amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients, 35 subjective cognitive decline (SCD) patients and 42 normal controls (NC) received their structural MRI brain scans. Structural MR images were processed by the FreeSurfer 6.0 image analysis suite to extract the hippocampus and its subfields. Furthermore, we investigated relationships between hippocampal subfield volumes and memory test variables (AVLT-immediate recall, AVLT-delayed recall, AVLT-recognition) and the regression model analyses were controlled for age, gender, education and eTIV.ResultsCA1, subiculum, presubiculum, molecular layer and fimbria showed the trend toward significant volume reduction among four groups with the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Volume of left subiculum was most strongly and actively correlated with performance across AVLT measures.ConclusionThe trend changes in the hippocampus subfields and further illustrates that SCD is the preclinical stage of AD earlier than aMCI. Future studies should aim to associate the atrophy of the hippocampal subfields in SCD with possible conversion to aMCI or AD with longitudinal design

Optimal mathematical programming and variable neighborhood search for k-modes categorical data clustering

The conventional k-modes algorithm and its variants have been extensively used for categorical data clustering. However, these algorithms have some drawbacks, e.g., they can be trapped into local optima and sensitive to initial clusters/modes. Our numerical experiments even showed that the k-modes algorithm could not identify the optimal clustering results for some special datasets regardless the selection of the initial centers. In this paper, we developed an integer linear programming (ILP) approach for the k-modes clustering, which is independent to the initial solution and can obtain directly the optimal results for small-sized datasets. We also developed a heuristic algorithm that implements iterative partial optimization in the ILP approach based on a framework of variable neighborhood search, known as IPO-ILP-VNS, to search for near-optimal results of medium and large sized datasets with controlled computing time. Experiments on 38 datasets, including 27 synthesized small datasets and 11 known benchmark datasets from the UCI site were carried out to test the proposed ILP approach and the IPO-ILP-VNS algorithm. The experimental results outperformed the conventional and other existing enhanced k-modes algorithms in literature, updated 9 of the UCI benchmark datasets with new and improved results

Correction: Dou et al. Public Concern and Awareness of National Parks in China: Evidence from Social Media Big Data and Questionnaire Data. <i>Sustainability</i> 2023, <i>15</i>, 2653

The authors would like to make the following corrections about the published paper [...