Prompt-NER: Zero-shot Named Entity Recognition in Astronomy Literature via Large Language Models

This study delves into the application of Large Language Models (LLMs) for Named Entity Recognition (NER) tasks in the field of astronomy literature. To enhance the zero-shot recognition capabilities of LLMs for astronomical named entities, we propose a strategy called Prompt-NER. Prompt-NER includes five prompt elements: Task Descriptions, Entity Definitions, Task Emphasis, Task Examples, and Second Conversation. To assess the effectiveness of the Prompt-NER strategy, we utilize three representative LLMs (Claude-2, GPT-3.5, and LLaMA-2-70b) to identify telescope and celestial object named entities in astronomical literature. Our experiments are conducted based on two distinct datasets. The first dataset comprises 30 original PDF documents, which we split into paragraphs in sequential order, resulting in a second dataset consisting of 30 paragraph collections. Additionally, we incorporate 30 astronomical telegrams to diversify our experiments and assess the performance of LLMs based on Prompt-NER on concise, complete texts. Our experimental results indicate that the Prompt-NER strategy enables LLMs to effectively accomplish NER tasks in the field of astronomy, even without prior astronomical knowledge during training. We carefully analyze the experimental results, including the mechanism of different prompt elements and the influence of different features of long and short texts on their respective experimental results. This research provides experience for zero-shot NER tasks in astronomical literature and suggests future work in this area

Vasoconstrictive effect of Xinmailong injection in rat aorta

Background: Cockroach has been traditionally utilized in China for the therapy of cardiovascular  disorders, such as heart failure. The present study was aimed to assess the vasoconstrictive effect of  Xinmailong Injection (XML), a bioactive composite from American cockroach.Methodology: The isometric tensions of rat aortic rings were measured after acutely treated with XML. Meanwhile, the systemic blood pressures (SBPs) were recorded and the levels of the endothelium-derived cytokines in blood samples were detected after rats were administered with XML for 3 days. Protein expression for the L-type Ca2+ channels (Cav1.2) was also determined in rat thoracic aorta.Results: XML induced vasoconstrictions in rat aortic rings with or without endothelium. In addition, the vasoconstrictions due to the extracellular Ca2+ influx and the intracellular Ca2+ release were also  elevated by XML. After treatment with XML for 3 days, the level of prostacyclin (PGI2) was markedly increased whereas the levels of nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) were not significantly changed in rats. Furthermore, expression of the Cav1.2 protein was significantly enhanced in aorta but the SBPs of  rats were not influenced.Conclusion: XML plays an important role in regulating vascular tone. The increases of the extracellular  Ca2+ influx and the intracellular Ca2+ release may contribute to the vasoconstriction induced by XML. Our findings pave the ways to the better understandings of the therapeutic effects of XML on cardiovascular system.Key words: Xinmailong Injection; American cockroach; Vasoconstriction

Two-Dimensional Semiconducting Boron Monolayers

The two-dimensional boron monolayers were reported to be metallic both in previous theoretical predictions and experimental observations, however, we have firstly found a family of boron monolayers with the novel semiconducting property as confirmed by the first-principles calculations with the quasi-particle G0W0 approach. We demonstrate that the vanished metallicity characterized by the pz-derived bands cross the Fermi level is attributed to the motif of a triple-hexagonal-vacancy, with which various semiconducting boron monolayers are designed to realize the band-gap engineering for the potential applications in electronic devices. The semiconducting boron monolayers in our predictions are expected to be synthesized on the proper substrates, due to the similar stabilities to the ones observed experimentally.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

Chinese herbal injections in combination with radiotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Advanced pancreatic cancer (APC) is a fatal disease with limited treatment options. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of different Chinese herbal injections (CHIs) as adjuvants for radiotherapy (RT) in APC and compare their treatment potentials using network meta-analysis. We systematically searched three English and four Chinese databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from inception to July 25, 2023. The primary outcome was the objective response rate (ORR). Secondary outcomes included Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score, overall survival (OS), and adverse events (AEs). The treatment potentials of different CHIs were ranked using the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA). The Cochrane RoB 2 tool and CINeMA were used for quality assessment and evidence grading. Eighteen RCTs involving 1199 patients were included. Five CHIs were evaluated. Compound Kushen injection (CKI) combined with RT significantly improved ORR compared to RT alone (RR 1.49, 95 % CrI 1.21-1.86). Kanglaite (KLT) plus RT (RR 1.58, 95 % CrI 1.20-2.16) and CKI plus RT (RR 1.49, 95 % CrI 1.16-1.95) were associated with improved KPS score compared to radiation monotherapy, with KLT+RT being the highest rank (SUCRA 72.28 %). Regarding AEs, CKI plus RT was the most favorable in reducing the incidence of leukopenia (SUCRA 90.37 %) and nausea/vomiting (SUCRA 85.79 %). CKI may be the optimal choice of CHIs to combine with RT for APC as it may improve clinical response, quality of life, and reduce AEs. High-quality trials are necessary to establish a robust body of evidence. PROSPERO, CRD42023396828. [Abstract copyright: © 2023 Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V.