Graph Distillation for Action Detection with Privileged Modalities

We propose a technique that tackles action detection in multimodal videos under a realistic and challenging condition in which only limited training data and partially observed modalities are available. Common methods in transfer learning do not take advantage of the extra modalities potentially available in the source domain. On the other hand, previous work on multimodal learning only focuses on a single domain or task and does not handle the modality discrepancy between training and testing. In this work, we propose a method termed graph distillation that incorporates rich privileged information from a large-scale multimodal dataset in the source domain, and improves the learning in the target domain where training data and modalities are scarce. We evaluate our approach on action classification and detection tasks in multimodal videos, and show that our model outperforms the state-of-the-art by a large margin on the NTU RGB+D and PKU-MMD benchmarks. The code is released at http://alan.vision/eccv18_graph/.Comment: ECCV 201

Negative and positive selection of antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes affected by the α3 domain of MHC I molecules

THE α1 and α2 domains of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules function in the binding and presentation of foreign peptides to the T-cell antigen receptor and control both negative and positive selection of the T-cell repertoire. Although the α3 domain of class I is not involved in peptide binding, it does interact with the T-cell accessory molecule, CDS. CDS is important in the selection of T cells as anti-CDS antibody injected into perinatal mice interfers with this process. We previously used a hybrid class I molecule with the α1/α2 domains from L^d and the α3 domain from Q7^b and showed that this molecule binds an L^d-restricted peptide but does not interact with CD8-dependent cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Expression of this molecule in transgenic mice fails to negatively select a subpopulation of anti-L^d cytotoxic T lymphocytes. In addition, positive selection of virus-specific L^d-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes does not occur. We conclude that besides the α1/α2 domains of class I, the α3 domain plays an important part in both positive and negative selection of antigen-specific cells

Beyond Transmitting Bits: Context, Semantics, and Task-Oriented Communications

Communication systems to date primarily aim at reliably communicating bit sequences. Such an approach provides efficient engineering designs that are agnostic to the meanings of the messages or to the goal that the message exchange aims to achieve. Next generation systems, however, can be potentially enriched by folding message semantics and goals of communication into their design. Further, these systems can be made cognizant of the context in which communication exchange takes place, thereby providing avenues for novel design insights. This tutorial summarizes the efforts to date, starting from its early adaptations, semantic-aware and task-oriented communications, covering the foundations, algorithms and potential implementations. The focus is on approaches that utilize information theory to provide the foundations, as well as the significant role of learning in semantics and task-aware communications

A mouse model for the Sézary syndrome

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Sézary syndrome is an aggressive leukemic form of cutaneous T cell lymphoma and there is no cure of this disease. Until now there is no true animal model for Sézary syndrome, by which new drugs against the disease could be tested.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Immune deficient CB-17 SCID beige mice were injected subcutaneously with HUT78 cells, a cell line, derived from a Sézary syndrome patient. Developing tumors were analyzed by immunohistochemistry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Injected HUT78 cells formed tumors at the site of injection. In contrast to the Sézary syndrome in man, no malignant cells were observed in the blood of tumor bearing CB-17 SCID beige mice. The tumors appeared 44-62 days after injection and tumor bearing mice survived further 25 - 62 days until they had to be euthanized according to the guidelines of the Swiss animal protection law, since the tumors had reached the maximal allowed size.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although the mouse model does not exactly match the human disease, it will be suited for tests of new substances for the treatment of the Sézary syndrome. The formation of an isolated tumor on the skin has the advantage that the effect of a potential drug can be directly monitored without the use of invasive methods.</p

Spherical montmorillonite-supported nano-silver as a self-sedimentary catalyst for methylene blue removal

Supported metal nanoparticles using various substrates have been proven as a highly efficient approach for solving the problems of aggregation and recyclability of metal nanoparticles. However, the reusability procedure often involved the abundant devices, which obviously increased the cost and heavily limited the large-scale application of metal nanoparticles. In this work, spherical montmorillonite was used firstly as the substrate for supporting silver nanoparticles on its surface through polydopamine chemistry method. The loading of silver nanoparticles with 40 nm in diameter was 15.2 wt% and the specific surface area of this prepared spherical montmorillonite supported silver nanoparticles catalyst was 45.3 m(2)/g, giving the catalyst an optimized apparent reduction rate constant k of 1.22 min(-1) for the reduction of methylene blue. Furthermore, the prepared catalyst with quickly self-sedimentary property in aqueous solution were conveniently recovered and reused without any devices involves. The spherical morphology and catalytic performance of prepared catalyst were almost unaltered after 5 cycles. Our research aims at opening a new avenue to easily realize the reusability of silver nanoparticles through using the substrate with the self-sedimentary property

SIRT1 associates with eIF2-alpha and regulates the cellular stress response

SIRT1 is a NAD+ dependent protein deacetylase known to increase longevity in model organisms. SIRT1 regulates cellular response to oxidative and/or genotoxic stress by regulating proteins such as p53 and FOXO. The eukaryotic initiation factor-2, eIF2, plays a critical role in the integrated stress response pathway. Under cellular stress, phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of eIF2 is essential for immediate shut-off of translation and activation of stress response genes. Here we demonstrate that SIRT1 interacts with eIF2α. Loss of SIRT1 results in increased phosphorylation of eIF2α. However, the downstream stress induced signaling pathway is compromised in SIRT1-deficient cells, indicated by delayed expression of the downstream target genes CHOP and GADD34 and a slower post-stress translation recovery. Finally, SIRT1 co-immunoprecipitates with mediators of eIF2α dephosphorylation, GADD34 and CreP, suggesting a role for SIRT1 in the negative feedback regulation of eIF2α phosphorylation

Genomic-Bioinformatic Analysis of Transcripts Enriched in the Third-Stage Larva of the Parasitic Nematode Ascaris suum

Differential transcription in Ascaris suum was investigated using a genomic-bioinformatic approach. A cDNA archive enriched for molecules in the infective third-stage larva (L3) of A. suum was constructed by suppressive-subtractive hybridization (SSH), and a subset of cDNAs from 3075 clones subjected to microarray analysis using cDNA probes derived from RNA from different developmental stages of A. suum. The cDNAs (n = 498) shown by microarray analysis to be enriched in the L3 were sequenced and subjected to bioinformatic analyses using a semi-automated pipeline (ESTExplorer). Using gene ontology (GO), 235 of these molecules were assigned to ‘biological process’ (n = 68), ‘cellular component’ (n = 50), or ‘molecular function’ (n = 117). Of the 91 clusters assembled, 56 molecules (61.5%) had homologues/orthologues in the free-living nematodes Caenorhabditis elegans and C. briggsae and/or other organisms, whereas 35 (38.5%) had no significant similarity to any sequences available in current gene databases. Transcripts encoding protein kinases, protein phosphatases (and their precursors), and enolases were abundantly represented in the L3 of A. suum, as were molecules involved in cellular processes, such as ubiquitination and proteasome function, gene transcription, protein–protein interactions, and function. In silico analyses inferred the C. elegans orthologues/homologues (n = 50) to be involved in apoptosis and insulin signaling (2%), ATP synthesis (2%), carbon metabolism (6%), fatty acid biosynthesis (2%), gap junction (2%), glucose metabolism (6%), or porphyrin metabolism (2%), although 34 (68%) of them could not be mapped to a specific metabolic pathway. Small numbers of these 50 molecules were predicted to be secreted (10%), anchored (2%), and/or transmembrane (12%) proteins. Functionally, 17 (34%) of them were predicted to be associated with (non-wild-type) RNAi phenotypes in C. elegans, the majority being embryonic lethality (Emb) (13 types; 58.8%), larval arrest (Lva) (23.5%) and larval lethality (Lvl) (47%). A genetic interaction network was predicted for these 17 C. elegans orthologues, revealing highly significant interactions for nine molecules associated with embryonic and larval development (66.9%), information storage and processing (5.1%), cellular processing and signaling (15.2%), metabolism (6.1%), and unknown function (6.7%). The potential roles of these molecules in development are discussed in relation to the known roles of their homologues/orthologues in C. elegans and some other nematodes. The results of the present study provide a basis for future functional genomic studies to elucidate molecular aspects governing larval developmental processes in A. suum and/or the transition to parasitism

Development of cordycepin formulations for preclinical and clinical studies

There is extensive literature on in vivo studies with cordycepin but these studies were generally conducted without validation of the various formulations, especially in terms of the solubility of cordycepin in the dosing vehicles used. Cordycepin is a promising drug candidate in multiple therapeutic areas and there is a growing interest in studies aimed at assessing the pharmacological activity of this compound in relevant animal disease models. It is likely that many reported in vivo studies used formulations in which cordycepin was incompletely soluble. This can potentially confound the interpretation of pharmacokinetics and efficacy results. Furthermore, the presence of particles in intravenously administered suspension can cause adverse effects and should be avoided. Here we present the results from our development of simple and readily applicable formulations of cordycepin based on quantitative solubility assessment. Homogeneous solutions of cordycepin were prepared in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at different pH levels, suitable as formulations for both intravenously and oral administration. For the purpose of high-dose oral administration we also developed propylene glycol (PPG)-based vehicles in which cordycepin is completely soluble. The stability of the newly developed formulations was also assessed, as well the feasibility of their sterilisation by filtration. Additionally, an HPLC-UV method for the determination of cordycepin in the formulations, which may also be useful for other purposes, was developed and validated. Our study could provide useful information for improvement of future preclinical and clinical studies involving cordycepin

Antisense oligonucleotides and all-trans retinoic acid have a synergistic anti-tumor effect on oral squamous cell carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Antisense oligonucleotides against hTR (As-ODN-hTR) have shown promising results as treatment strategies for various human malignancies. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is a signalling molecule with important roles in differentiation and apoptosis. Biological responses to ATRA are currently used therapeutically in various human cancers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-tumor effects of As-ODN-hTR combined with ATRA in vivo.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In situ human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) models were established by subcutaneous injection of Tca8113 cells. Mice were treated with sense oligonucleotides against hTR(S-ODN-hTR) alone, As-ODN-hTR alone, ATRA alone, As-ODN-hTR plus ATRA, or S-ODN-hTR plus ATRA. Tumor size and weight were assessed in the mice. Telomerase activity was detected by a TRAP assay, apoptotic cells were evaluated with a Tunel assay, the expression of apoptosis-related proteins (Bcl-2 and Bax) was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and ultrastructural morphological changes in the tumor specimen were examined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both As-ODN-hTR and ATRA can significantly inhibit tumor growth in this OSCC xenograft solid-tumor model, and the combination of the two agents had a synergistic anti-tumorogenic effect. We also demonstrated that this anti-tumor effect correlated with inhibition of telomerase activity. Furthermore, significant increases in the number of apoptotic cells, typical apoptotic morphology and a downregulation of the anti-apoptotic protein, bcl-2 were observed in the treated tissues.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The combination of As-ODN-hTR and ATRA has a synergistic anti-tumor effect. This anti-tumor effect can be mainly attributed to apoptosis induced by a decrease in telomerase activity. Bcl-2 plays an important role in this process. Therefore, combining As-ODN-hTR and ATRA may be an approach for the treatment of human oral squamous cell carcinoma.</p