Dialogizer: Context-aware Conversational-QA Dataset Generation from Textual Sources

To address the data scarcity issue in Conversational question answering (ConvQA), a dialog inpainting method, which utilizes documents to generate ConvQA datasets, has been proposed. However, the original dialog inpainting model is trained solely on the dialog reconstruction task, resulting in the generation of questions with low contextual relevance due to insufficient learning of question-answer alignment. To overcome this limitation, we propose a novel framework called Dialogizer, which has the capability to automatically generate ConvQA datasets with high contextual relevance from textual sources. The framework incorporates two training tasks: question-answer matching (QAM) and topic-aware dialog generation (TDG). Moreover, re-ranking is conducted during the inference phase based on the contextual relevance of the generated questions. Using our framework, we produce four ConvQA datasets by utilizing documents from multiple domains as the primary source. Through automatic evaluation using diverse metrics, as well as human evaluation, we validate that our proposed framework exhibits the ability to generate datasets of higher quality compared to the baseline dialog inpainting model.Comment: Accepted to EMNLP 2023 main conferenc

MP2D: An Automated Topic Shift Dialogue Generation Framework Leveraging Knowledge Graphs

Despite advancements in on-topic dialogue systems, effectively managing topic shifts within dialogues remains a persistent challenge, largely attributed to the limited availability of training datasets. To address this issue, we propose Multi-Passage to Dialogue (MP2D), a data generation framework that automatically creates conversational question-answering datasets with natural topic transitions. By leveraging the relationships between entities in a knowledge graph, MP2D maps the flow of topics within a dialogue, effectively mirroring the dynamics of human conversation. It retrieves relevant passages corresponding to the topics and transforms them into dialogues through the passage-to-dialogue method. Through quantitative and qualitative experiments, we demonstrate MP2D's efficacy in generating dialogue with natural topic shifts. Furthermore, this study introduces a novel benchmark for topic shift dialogues, TS-WikiDialog. Utilizing the dataset, we demonstrate that even Large Language Models (LLMs) struggle to handle topic shifts in dialogue effectively, and we showcase the performance improvements of models trained on datasets generated by MP2D across diverse topic shift dialogue tasks.Comment: 20 page

GnRH peripherally modulates nociceptor functions, exacerbating mechanical pain

The function of peripheral nociceptors, the neurons that relay pain signals to the brain, are frequently tuned by local and systemic modulator substances. In this context, neurohormonal effects are emerging as an important modulatory mechanism, but many aspects remain to be elucidated. Here we report that gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), a brain-specific neurohormone, can aggravate pain by acting on nociceptors in mice. GnRH and GnRHR, the receptor for GnRH, are expressed in a nociceptor subpopulation. Administration of GnRH and its analogue, localized for selectively affecting the peripheral neurons, deteriorated mechanical pain, which was reproducible in neuropathic conditions. Nociceptor function was promoted by GnRH treatment in vitro, which appears to involve specific sensory transient receptor potential ion channels. These data suggest that peripheral GnRH can positively modulate nociceptor activities in its receptor-specific manner, contributing to pain exacerbation. Our study indicates that GnRH plays an important role in neurohormonal pain modulation via a peripheral mechanism

Associations of fasting glucose and glycated hemoglobin with vitamin D levels according to diabetes mellitus status in Korean adults

OBJECTIVES According to previous studies, vitamin D deficiency might increase the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). However, few studies have examined whether vitamin D continues to affect glucose control after DM diagnosis. Therefore, we examined the association between vitamin D and glucose levels in individuals with and without DM. METHODS We analyzed data for 32,943 adults aged 19 years and older from the 2008 to 2014 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Patients were classified into 3 groups according to the 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration. DM was defined as a fasting glucose level ≥126 mg/dL, current use of DM medications or insulin injections, or a self-reported diagnosis of DM by a doctor. RESULTS In male DM patients, the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level increased significantly as vitamin D levels became severely deficient. In male and postmenopausal female with abnormal HbA1c, those with severe vitamin D deficiency had significantly higher HbA1c levels (p for trend=0.004 and 0.022 for male and postmenopausal female, respectively). Significant differences were found between participants with normal and abnormal HbA1c levels in both male and female. However, regardless of sex or menopausal status, there was no significant association between vitamin D and fasting glucose in any of the fasting glucose subgroups. CONCLUSIONS Male and female with abnormal HbA1c levels showed markedly elevated blood glucose when they also had vitamin D deficiency. A more distinct difference was observed in the HbA1c subgroups than in the fasting glucose subgroups

Comparative and experimental studies on the relationship between body size and countershading in caterpillars

Countershading is a gradient of colouration in which the illuminated dorsal surfaces are darker than the unilluminated ventral surface. It is widespread in the animal kingdom and endows the body with a more uniform colour to decrease the chance of detection by predators. Although recent empirical studies support the theory of survival advantage conferred by countershading, this camouflage strategy has evolved only in some of the cryptic animals, and our understanding of the factors that affect the evolution of countershading is limited. This study examined the association between body size and countershading using lepidopteran larvae (caterpillars) as a model system. Specifically, we predicted that countershading may have selectively evolved in large-sized species among cryptic caterpillars if (1) large size constrains camouflage which facilitates the evolution of a trait reinforcing their crypsis and (2) the survival advantage of countershading is size-dependent. Phylogenetic analyses of four different lepidopteran families (Saturniidae, Sphingidae, Erebidae, and Geometridae) suggest equivocal results: countershading was more likely to be found in larger species in Saturniidae but not in the other families. The field predation experiment assuming avian predators did not support size-dependent predation in countershaded prey. Collectively, we found only weak evidence that body size is associated with countershading in caterpillars. Our results suggest that body size is not a universal factor that has shaped the interspecific variation in countershading observed in caterpillars.N

Single-cell transcriptome sequencing of plant leaf expressing anti-HER2 VHH–FcK cancer therapeutic protein

Abstract The transgenic plant is a promising strategy for the production of highly valuable biotherapeutic proteins such as recombinant vaccines and antibodies. To achieve an efficient level of protein production, codon sequences and expression cassette elements need to be optimized. However, the systematical expression of recombinant proteins in plant biomass can generally be controlled for the production of therapeutic proteins after the generation of transgenic plants. Without understanding the transgene expression patterns in plant tissue, it is difficult to enhance further production levels. In this study, single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis of transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaf, expressing an immunotherapeutic llama antibody against breast cancer, anti-HER2 VHH–Fc, was conducted to obtain data on the expression pattern of tissue-specific cells. These high-quality scRNA-seq data enabled the identification of gene expression patterns by cell types, which can be applied to select the best cell types or tissues for the high production of these recombinant antibodies. These data provide a foundation to elucidate the mechanisms that regulate the biosynthesis of recombinant proteins in N. tabacum

Association between urinary iodine concentration and the risk of papillary thyroid cancer by sex and age: a case–control study

Abstract Previous studies on dietary iodine intake and the risk of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) have demonstrated inconsistent results. We aimed to evaluate the association between urinary iodine concentration (UIC), a surrogate biomarker for dietary iodine intake, and the risk of thyroid cancer stratified by sex and age in an iodine-sufficient area. A hospital-based case–control study was conducted in Seoul, South Korea. A total of 492 cases of newly diagnosed PTC and 595 controls were included. Compared with the lowest quartile of creatine-adjusted UIC (< 159.3 μg/gCr), the highest quartile (≥ 1037.3 μg/gCr) showed an increased risk of PTC (odds ratio [OR] 1.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04–2.13), especially in those who were < 45 years old (p trend = 0.01) compared with those who were ≥ 45 years old (p trend = 0.48). For those who were < 45 years old, a positive association between creatinine-adjusted UIC and the risk of PTC was observed in both men (q4 vs. q1, OR 4.27, 95% CI 1.14–18.08) and women (OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.04–3.78). For those who were ≥ 45 years old, no association was found in any sex. Creatinine-adjusted UIC was positively associated with the risk of PTC, especially in those who were younger than 45 years for both men and women

Estimating three-dimensional current fields in the Yeosu Bay using coastal acoustic tomography system

Observation of current speeds in coastal seas is crucial because it can provide useful information for ship operations, fishing activities, and rapid responses to marine disasters. Coastal acoustic tomography (CAT) is a technology that can continuously monitor environmental changes such as current velocity and water temperature using reciprocal acoustic signals between CAT stations in coastal seas. This technology is different from traditional pointwise or intermittent sectional observations in that it can produce time-varying two- or three-dimensional current fields. The results of previous studies using CAT systems have been limited to reproducing horizontal maps of depth-averaged two-dimensional current fields. Utilizing results from a high-resolution coastal ocean model, this study developed a novel technique for estimating three-dimensional (3-D) current fields by combining the inverse method with an artificial intelligence (AI) model. Following three steps are the procedure for the test of estimating the 3-D current fields. First, utilizing the ray tracing model ‘Bellhop,’ reciprocal travel times among five CAT stations using the coastal ocean model outputs are computed. These five stations correspond to the locations where in-situ CAT systems were established for continuous monitoring of current changes in Yeosu Bay, Korea. Subsequently, the range-averaged currents at the five layers were estimated by incorporating this travel time difference data into an AI model trained using the same coastal ocean model outputs. Finally, the inverse method is applied to each layer to estimate the 3-D current fields. The validation results revealed that the newly developed method performed well in both summer and winter. Time-varying two-layer-like current fields were reasonably produced, occasionally revealing an out-of-phase relationship between the upper and lower layers depending on the tidal phases. This method yielded average root-mean-squared errors of less than 4 cm/s on six simulation paths for acoustic signal propagation. Furthermore, when the same method was applied to in-situ CAT observations, the average correlation coefficient (R) of the along-channel current of each layer was found to be approximately 0.9 or higher. These results suggest that this novel method can be effectively applied to the continuous monitoring of 3-D current fields in coastal seas using a CAT system

Diabetes and COVID-19: IDF perspective in the Western Pacific Region

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic, the highest risk level in the infectious disease alert phase, on 11 March 2020. In the Western Pacific Region (WPR), 192,016 confirmed cases with 7125 deaths had been reported as of 8 June 2020. In people with diabetes COVID-19 can be more difficult to treat due to the wide fluctuations in blood glucose levels or presence of comorbidities such as diabetes complications, including cardiovascular disease and renal damage, which are recognized risks for adverse outcomes. National diabetes associations and governments have established guidelines for subjects with diabetes in relation to COVID-19, and are trying to supply emergency and their regularly required medical products for them. The WPR is so large and composed of such diverse countries and COVID-19 situations, no one conclusion or program applies. Instead we could see a diverse COVID-19 pandemic profile in the WPR, and several creative diagnostic and therapeutic measures undertaken. This includes drive-through screening facilities, high-speed RT-PCR technologies, convalescent patients' plasma therapy, which potentially had some positive contributions in combatting COVID-19 in the WPR as well as globally. Although the numbers of confirmed cases are currently decreasing in the region, the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, and many experts are recommending to prepare measures for potential second or third waves of COVID-19

The mechanism behind enhanced reactivity of unsaturated phosphorus(v) electrophiles towards thiols

Vinyl- and ethynyl phosphorus(v) electrophiles are a versatile class of thiol-reactive reagents suitable for cysteine-selective peptide and protein modifications, especially for the generation of antibody conjugates. Herein we investigated the reactivity of various P(v) reagents towards thiol addition. Complementing previous studies, we observed that the heteroatoms X (X = S, O, NH) as well as the vinyl- vs. ethynyl-substituent bound to phosphorus greatly influence the overall reactivity. These experimentally observed trends, as well as the high Z-selectivity for thiol additions to ethynyl derivatives, were further elucidated using DFT calculations. Hyperconjugation was a key means of stabilizing the intermediate generated upon the thiol addition, thus determining both the reactivity and stereoselectivity of unsaturated P(v) electrophiles. Specifically, the energetically low-lying sigma antibonding orbital of the P-S bond more readily stabilizes the electron density from the lone pair (LP) of the generated carbanion, rendering the phosphonothiolates more reactive compared to the derivatives bearing oxygen and nitrogen. Our studies provide a detailed mechanistic picture for designing P(v)-based electrophiles with fine-tuned reactivity profiles.11Nsciescopu