Improving Multi-turn Emotional Support Dialogue Generation with Lookahead Strategy Planning

Providing Emotional Support (ES) to soothe people in emotional distress is an essential capability in social interactions. Most existing researches on building ES conversation systems only considered single-turn interactions with users, which was over-simplified. In comparison, multi-turn ES conversation systems can provide ES more effectively, but face several new technical challenges, including: (1) how to adopt appropriate support strategies to achieve the long-term dialogue goal of comforting the user's emotion; (2) how to dynamically model the user's state. In this paper, we propose a novel system MultiESC to address these issues. For strategy planning, drawing inspiration from the A* search algorithm, we propose lookahead heuristics to estimate the future user feedback after using particular strategies, which helps to select strategies that can lead to the best long-term effects. For user state modeling, MultiESC focuses on capturing users' subtle emotional expressions and understanding their emotion causes. Extensive experiments show that MultiESC significantly outperforms competitive baselines in both dialogue generation and strategy planning. Our codes are available at https://github.com/lwgkzl/MultiESC.Comment: Accepted by the main conference of EMNLP 202

Implementation of carbon pricing in an aging world calls for targeted protection schemes

Understanding the impact of climate fiscal policies on vulnerable groups is a prerequisite for equitable climate mitigation. However, there has been a lack of attention to the impacts of such policies on the elderly, especially the low-income elderly, in existing climate policy literature. Here, we quantify and compare the distributional impacts of carbon pricing on different age-income groups in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan and then on different age groups in other 28 developed countries. We find that the elderly are more vulnerable to carbon pricing than younger groups in the same income group. In particular, the low-income elderly and elderly in less wealthy countries face greater challenges because carbon pricing lead to both higher rate of increase in living cost among low-income elderly and greater income inequality within the same age group. In addition, the low-income elderly would benefit less than the younger groups within the same income group in the commonly proposed carbon revenues recycling schemes. The high vulnerability of the low-income elderly to carbon pricing calls for targeted social protection along with climate mitigation polices toward an aging world

Implementation of carbon pricing in an aging world calls for targeted protection schemes

Understanding the impact of climate fiscal policies on vulnerable groups is a prerequisite for equitable climate mitigation. However, there has been a lack of attention to the impacts of such policies on the elderly, especially the low-income elderly, in existing climate policy literature. Here, we quantify and compare the distributional impacts of carbon pricing on different age–income groups in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan and then on different age groups in other 28 developed countries. We find that the elderly are more vulnerable to carbon pricing than younger groups in the same income group. In particular, the low-income elderly and elderly in less wealthy countries face greater challenges because carbon pricing lead to both higher rate of increase in living cost among low-income elderly and greater income inequality within the same age group. In addition, the low-income elderly would benefit less than the younger groups within the same income group in the commonly proposed carbon revenues recycling schemes. The high vulnerability of the low-income elderly to carbon pricing calls for targeted social protection along with climate mitigation polices toward an aging world

Microbial Metabolism of Naringin and the Impact on Antioxidant Capacity

Naringin is a dietary flavonoid glycoside with broad bioactivities, and it has been found to undergo extensive microbial metabolism in human gut. Microbial metabolites are believed to play an important role in the overall bioactivity of naringin. However, knowledge is scarce about its microbial metabolism in laboratory rats, which are the most commonly used animal model for naringin-related biomedical studies. Herein, we profiled the microbial metabolism of naringin in rat by an in vitro anaerobic fermentation combined with LC-MS/MS methods. A total of 35 microbial metabolites were identified, and corresponding metabolic pathways were proposed. Naringin and its metabolites were further quantified in fermentation samples. Rhoifolin, neoeriocitrin, neohesperidin, naringenin, methylated naringin, and hydroxylated naringin were detected as the primary microbial metabolites. Moreover, antioxidant capacity assays suggested that fermentation-associated microbial metabolites exhibited higher antioxidant activity than original naringin. Obtained results contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the microbial metabolism and antioxidant capacity of naringin

China’s Rare Earths Production Forecasting and Sustainable Development Policy Implications

Because of their unique physical and chemical properties, Rare earth elements (REEs) perform important functions in our everyday lives, with use in a range of products. Recently, the study of China’s rare earth elements production has become a hot topic of worldwide interest, because of its dominant position in global rare earth elements supply, and an increasing demand for rare earth elements due to the constant use of rare earth elements in high-tech manufacturing industries. At the same time, as an exhaustible resource, the sustainable development of rare earth elements has received extensive attention. However, most of the study results are based on a qualitative analysis of rare earth elements distribution and production capacity, with few studies using quantitative modeling. To achieve reliable results with more factors being taken into consideration, this paper applies the generic multivariant system dynamics model to forecast China’s rare earth elements production trend and Hubbert peak, using Vensim software based on the Hubbert model. The results show that the peak of China’s rare earth elements production will appear by 2040, and that production will slowly decline afterwards. Based on the results, the paper proposes some policy recommendations for the sustainable development of China’s—and the world’s—rare earth elements market and rare earth-related industries

Critical Quality Control Methods for a Novel Anticoagulant Candidate LFG-Na by HPSEC-MALLS-RID and Bioactivity Assays

A low molecular weight fucosylated glycosaminoglycan sodium (LFG-Na) is a novel anticoagulant candidate from the sea cucumber Holothuria fuscopunctata that selectively inhibits intrinsic tenase (iXase). The molecular weight, molecular weight distribution and bioactivities are the critical quality attributes of LFG-Na. The determination of these quality attributes of such an oligosaccharides mixture drug is challenging but critical for the quality control process to ensure its safety and efficacy in clinical use. Herein, the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of LFG-Na were successfully determined using high performance size exclusion chromatography coupled with multi angle laser light scattering and refractive index detector (HPSEC-MALLS-RID). Comparing to the conventional method, HPSEC-MALLS-RID based on the refractive index increment (dn/dc) did not require the reference substances to establish the calibration curve. The acceptance criteria of LFG-Na were established, the weight-average molecular weight (Mw) should be 4000 to 6000 Da, the polydispersity (Mw/Mn) < 1.40, and the fraction with molecular weights of 1500 to 8000 Da should be no less than 80% of the total. HPSEC-MALLS-RID was also utilized for the determination of the starting material native fucosylated glycosaminoglycan (NFG) to choose a better manufacturing process. Furthermore, APTT assay was selected and the potency of anti-iXase, referring to the parallel line assay (PLA) method, was established to clarify the consistency of its biological activities. The results suggest that HPSEC-MALLS-RID and bioactivity assays are critical quality control methods for multi-component glycosaminoglycan LFG-Na. The methods also provide a feasible strategy to control the quality of other polysaccharide medicines

Unexpected side effects of the EU Ship Recycling Regulation call for global cooperation on greening the shipbreaking industry

The recent European Union Ship Recycling Regulation and other existing conventions aimed to reduce harmful environmental and health impacts of ship shipbreaking, may push the shipbreaking industry further to South Asian countries, where ecosystem and public health are threatened due to the lack of monitoring for dirty beaching methods for ship breaking. Such unsustainable patterns may continue to expand due to the mismatch of economic beneficiaries and environmental costs in the shipbreaking industry, the ineffectiveness of existing conventions and regulations, and the prospect of a large number of ships to be dismantled in the near future. Our study focuses on these emerging issues and raises the urgency of joint actions for the shipbreaking industry

Integrated Analysis of Transcriptome and Metabolome Reveals the Regulation of Chitooligosaccharide on Drought Tolerance in Sugarcane (<i>Saccharum</i> spp. Hybrid) under Drought Stress

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrid) is an important crop for sugar and biofuels, and often suffers from water shortages during growth. Currently, there is limited knowledge concerning the molecular mechanism involved in sugarcane response to drought stress (DS) and whether chitooligosaccharide could alleviate DS. Here, we carried out a combined transcriptome and metabolome of sugarcane in three different treatment groups: control group (CG), DS group, and DS + chitooligosaccharide group (COS). A total of 12,275 (6404 up-regulated and 5871 down-regulated) differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified when comparing the CG and DS transcriptomes (T_CG/DS), and 2525 (1261 up-regulated and 1264 down-regulated) DEGs were identified in comparing the DS and COS transcriptomes (T_DS/COS). GO and KEGG analysis showed that DEGs associated with photosynthesis were significantly enriched and had down-regulated expression. For T_DS/COS, photosynthesis DEGs were also significantly enriched but had up-regulated expression. Together, these results indicate that DS of sugarcane has a significantly negative influence on photosynthesis, and that COS can alleviate these negative effects. In metabolome analysis, lipids, others, amino acids and derivatives and alkaloids were the main significantly different metabolites (SDMs) observed in sugarcane response to DS, and COS treatment reduced the content of these metabolites. KEGG analysis of the metabolome showed that 2-oxocarboxylic acid metabolism, ABC transporters, biosynthesis of amino acids, glucosinolate biosynthesis and valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis were the top-5 KEGG enriched pathways when comparing the CG and DS metabolome (M_CG/DS). Comparing DS with COS (M_DS/COS) showed that purine metabolism and phenylalanine metabolism were enriched. Combined transcriptome and metabolome analysis revealed that pyruvate and phenylalanine metabolism were KEGG-enriched pathways for CG/DS and DS/COS, respectively. For pyruvate metabolism, 87 DEGs (47 up-regulated and 40 down-regulated) and five SDMs (1 up-regulated and 4 down-regulated) were enriched. Pyruvate was closely related with 14 DEGs (|r| > 0.99) after Pearson’s correlation analysis, and only 1 DEG (Sspon.02G0043670-1B) was positively correlated. For phenylalanine metabolism, 13 DEGs (7 up-regulated and 6 down-regulated) and 6 SDMs (1 up-regulated and 5 down-regulated) were identified. Five PAL genes were closely related with 6 SDMs through Pearson’s correlation analysis, and the novel.31257 gene had significantly up-regulated expression. Collectively, our results showed that DS has significant adverse effects on the physiology, transcriptome, and metabolome of sugarcane, particularly genes involved in photosynthesis. We further show that COS treatment can alleviate these negative effects

Purification and functional validation of LtCas12a protein

Summary: Here, we present a protocol for generating LtCas12a protein recognizing distinct TTNA (N represented A, T, C, G) protospacer adjacent motif sequence. We describe steps for transforming and harvesting bacterial cells and protein purification including nickel affinity chromatography and dialysis. We then detail procedures for verification of LtCas12a with cis- and trans-cleavage activities.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Chen et al. (2023).1 : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics

High dietary iron disrupts iron homeostasis and induces amyloid-β and phospho-τ expression in the hippocampus of adult wild-type and APP/PS1 transgenic mice

Background: Brain iron deposition is a feature of Alzheimer disease and may contribute to its development. However, the relative contribution of dietary iron remains unclear.Objectives: We investigated the impact of high dietary iron on brain pathological changes and cognitive function in adult wild-type (WT) mice and amyloid precursor protein/presenilin 1 (APP/PS1) double transgenic mice.Methods: Male WT mice and APP/PS1 mice aged 10 wk were fed either a control diet (66 mg Fe/kg) (WT-Ctrl and APP/PS1-Ctrl) or a high iron diet (14 g Fe/kg) (WT-High Fe and APP/PS1-High Fe) for 20 wk. Iron concentrations in brain regions were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Brain iron staining and amyloid-beta (A beta) immunostaining were performed. Protein expressions in the hippocampus were determined by immunoblotting. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde concentration were examined. Cognitive functions were tested with the Morris water maze system.Results: In the hippocampus, APP/PS1-High Fe mice had significantly higher iron concentration (2.5-fold) and ferritin (2.0-fold) than APP/PS1-Ctrl mice (P < 0.001), and WT-High Femice had significantly higher ferritin (2.0-fold) than WT-Ctrl mice (P < 0.001). Interestingly, APP/PS1 mice had significantly higher iron concentration (2-3-fold) and ferritin (2-2.5-fold) than WT mice fed either diet (P < 0.001). Histological analysis indicated that iron accumulated in the hippocampal dentate gyrus region in APP/PS1 mice, consistent with the pattern of A beta deposition. For both mouse strains, iron treatment induced A beta and phospho-tau expression (1.5-3-fold) in the hippocampus, but had little impact on oxidative stress and cognitive function. Furthermore, APP/PS1 mice had significantly lower SOD activity and higher malondialdehyde concentration than WT mice in the hippocampus (P < 0.0001), paralleled by apparent cognitive dysfunction.Conclusions: Dietary iron overload induces iron disorder and A beta and phospho-tau expression in the hippocampus of adult WT and APP/PS1 transgenic mice