134 research outputs found
Learning Social Image Embedding with Deep Multimodal Attention Networks
Learning social media data embedding by deep models has attracted extensive
research interest as well as boomed a lot of applications, such as link
prediction, classification, and cross-modal search. However, for social images
which contain both link information and multimodal contents (e.g., text
description, and visual content), simply employing the embedding learnt from
network structure or data content results in sub-optimal social image
representation. In this paper, we propose a novel social image embedding
approach called Deep Multimodal Attention Networks (DMAN), which employs a deep
model to jointly embed multimodal contents and link information. Specifically,
to effectively capture the correlations between multimodal contents, we propose
a multimodal attention network to encode the fine-granularity relation between
image regions and textual words. To leverage the network structure for
embedding learning, a novel Siamese-Triplet neural network is proposed to model
the links among images. With the joint deep model, the learnt embedding can
capture both the multimodal contents and the nonlinear network information.
Extensive experiments are conducted to investigate the effectiveness of our
approach in the applications of multi-label classification and cross-modal
search. Compared to state-of-the-art image embeddings, our proposed DMAN
achieves significant improvement in the tasks of multi-label classification and
cross-modal search
Efficient Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning with Lightweight Trusted Hardware
In this paper, we propose a new secure machine learning inference platform
assisted by a small dedicated security processor, which will be easier to
protect and deploy compared to today's TEEs integrated into high-performance
processors. Our platform provides three main advantages over the
state-of-the-art:
(i) We achieve significant performance improvements compared to
state-of-the-art distributed Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning (PPML)
protocols, with only a small security processor that is comparable to a
discrete security chip such as the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) or on-chip
security subsystems in SoCs similar to the Apple enclave processor. In the
semi-honest setting with WAN/GPU, our scheme is 4X-63X faster than Falcon
(PoPETs'21) and AriaNN (PoPETs'22) and 3.8X-12X more communication efficient.
We achieve even higher performance improvements in the malicious setting.
(ii) Our platform guarantees security with abort against malicious
adversaries under honest majority assumption.
(iii) Our technique is not limited by the size of secure memory in a TEE and
can support high-capacity modern neural networks like ResNet18 and Transformer.
While previous work investigated the use of high-performance TEEs in PPML,
this work represents the first to show that even tiny secure hardware with
really limited performance can be leveraged to significantly speed-up
distributed PPML protocols if the protocol can be carefully designed for
lightweight trusted hardware.Comment: IEEE S&P'24 submitte
Interferon-induced protein IFIT4 is associated with systemic lupus erythematosus and promotes differentiation of monocytes into dendritic cell-like cells
Exosomes as drug delivery system in gastrointestinal cancer
Gastrointestinal cancer is one of the most common malignancies with relatively high morbidity and mortality. Exosomes are nanosized extracellular vesicles derived from most cells and widely distributed in body fluids. They are natural endogenous nanocarriers with low immunogenicity, high biocompatibility, and natural targeting, and can transport lipids, proteins, DNA, and RNA. Exosomes contain DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids, and other bioactive components, which can play a role in information transmission and regulation of cellular physiological and pathological processes during the progression of gastrointestinal cancer. In this paper, the role of exosomes in gastrointestinal cancers is briefly reviewed, with emphasis on the application of exosomes as drug delivery systems for gastrointestinal cancers. Finally, the challenges faced by exosome-based drug delivery systems are discussed
Hierarchical aesthetic quality assessment using deep convolutional neural networks
Aesthetic image analysis has attracted much attention in recent years. However, assessing the aesthetic quality and assigning an aesthetic score are challenging problems. In this paper, we propose a novel framework for assessing the aesthetic quality of images. Firstly, we divide the images into three categories: “scene”, “object” and “texture”. Each category has an associated convolutional neural network (CNN) which learns the aesthetic features for the category in question. The object CNN is trained using the whole images and a salient region in each image. The texture CNN is trained using small regions in the original images. Furthermore, an A & C CNN is developed to simultaneously assess the aesthetic quality and identify the category for overall images. For each CNN, classification and regression models are developed separately to predict aesthetic class (high or low) and to assign an aesthetic score. Experimental results on a recently published large-scale dataset show that the proposed method can outperform the state-of-the-art methods for each category
Genetically determined blood pressure, antihypertensive drug classes, and frailty: A Mendelian randomization study
Observational studies have suggested that the use of antihypertensive drugs was associated with the risk of frailty; however, these findings may be biased by confounding and reverse causality. This study aimed to explore the effect of genetically predicted lifelong lowering blood pressure (BP) through different antihypertensive medications on frailty. One‐sample Mendelian randomization (MR) and summary data‐based MR (SMR) were applied. We utilized two kinds of genetic instruments to proxy the antihypertensive medications, including genetic variants within or nearby drugs target genes associated with systolic/diastolic BP, and expression level of the corresponding gene. Among 298,618 UK Biobank participants, one‐sample MR analysis observed that genetically proxied BB use (relative risk ratios, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.65–0.90; p = 0.001) and CCB use (0.83; 0.72–0.95; p = 0.007), equivalent to a 10‐mm Hg reduction in systolic BP, was significantly associated with lower risk of pre‐frailty. In addition, although not statistically significant, the effect directions of systolic BP through ACEi variants (0.72; 0.39–1.33; p = 0.296) or thiazides variants (0.74; 0.53–1.03; p = 0.072) on pre‐frailty were also protective. Similar results were obtained in analyses for diastolic BP. SMR of expression in artery showed that decreased expression level of KCNH2, a target gene of BBs, was associated with lower frailty index (beta −0.02, p = 2.87 × 10−4). This MR analysis found evidence that the use of BBs and CCBs was potentially associated with reduced frailty risk in the general population, and identified KCNH2 as a promising target for further clinical trials to prevent manifestations of frailty
G-quadruplex structures trigger RNA phase separation
Liquid–liquid phase separation plays an important role in a variety of cellular processes, including the formation of membrane-less organelles, the cytoskeleton, signalling complexes, and many other biological supramolecular assemblies. Studies on the molecular basis of phase separation in cells have focused on protein-driven phase separation. In contrast, there is limited understanding on how RNA specifically contributes to phase separation. Here, we described a phase-separation-like phenomenon that SHORT ROOT (SHR) RNA undergoes in cells. We found that an RNA G-quadruplex (GQ) forms in SHR mRNA and is capable of triggering RNA phase separation under physiological conditions, suggesting that GQs might be responsible for the formation of the SHR phase-separation-like phenomenon in vivo. We also found the extent of GQ-triggered-phase-separation increases on exposure to conditions which promote GQ. Furthermore, GQs with more G-quartets and longer loops are more likely to form phase separation. Our studies provide the first evidence that RNA can adopt structural motifs to trigger and/or maintain the specificity of RNA-driven phase separation
Metformin ameliorates ionizing irradiation-induced long-term hematopoietic stem cell injury in mice
AbstractExposure to ionizing radiation (IR) increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) not only by the radiolysis of water but also through IR-induced perturbation of the cellular metabolism and disturbance of the balance of reduction/oxidation reactions. Our recent studies showed that the increased production of intracellular ROS induced by IR contributes to IR-induced late effects, particularly in the hematopoietic system, because inhibition of ROS production with an antioxidant after IR exposure can mitigate IR-induced long-term bone marrow (BM) injury. Metformin is a widely used drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Metformin also has the ability to regulate cellular metabolism and ROS production by activating AMP-activated protein kinase. Therefore, we examined whether metformin can ameliorate IR-induced long-term BM injury in a total-body irradiation (TBI) mouse model. Our results showed that the administration of metformin significantly attenuated TBI-induced increases in ROS production and DNA damage and upregulation of NADPH oxidase 4 expression in BM hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). These changes were associated with a significant increase in BM HSC frequency, a considerable improvement in in vitro and in vivo HSC function, and complete inhibition of upregulation of p16Ink4a in HSCs after TBI. These findings demonstrate that metformin can attenuate TBI-induced long-term BM injury at least in part by inhibiting the induction of chronic oxidative stress in HSCs and HSC senescence. Therefore, metformin has the potential to be used as a novel radioprotectant to ameliorate TBI-induced long-term BM injury
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