Simultaneous VLBI Astrometry of H2O and SiO Masers toward the Semiregular Variable R Crateris

We obtained, for the first time, astrometrically registered maps of the 22.2 GHz H2O and 42.8, 43.1, and 86.2 GHz SiO maser emission toward the semiregular b-type variable (SRb) R Crateris, at three epochs (2015 May 21, and 2016 January 7 and 26) using the Korean Very-long-baseline Interferometry Network. The SiO masers show a ring-like spatial structure, while the H2O maser shows a very asymmetric one-side outflow structure, which is located at the southern part of the ring-like SiO maser feature. We also found that the 86.2 GHz SiO maser spots are distributed in an inner region, compared to those of the 43.1 GHz SiO maser, which is different from all previously known distributions of the 86.2 GHz SiO masers in variable stars. The different distribution of the 86.2 GHz SiO maser seems to be related to the complex dynamics caused by the overtone pulsation mode of the SRb R Crateris. Furthermore, we estimated the position of the central star based on the ring fitting of the SiO masers, which is essential for interpreting the morphology and kinematics of a circumstellar envelope. The estimated stellar coordinate corresponds well to the position measured by Gaia

ReFine: Re-randomization before Fine-tuning for Cross-domain Few-shot Learning

Cross-domain few-shot learning (CD-FSL), where there are few target samples under extreme differences between source and target domains, has recently attracted huge attention. Recent studies on CD-FSL generally focus on transfer learning based approaches, where a neural network is pre-trained on popular labeled source domain datasets and then transferred to target domain data. Although the labeled datasets may provide suitable initial parameters for the target data, the domain difference between the source and target might hinder fine-tuning on the target domain. This paper proposes a simple yet powerful method that re-randomizes the parameters fitted on the source domain before adapting to the target data. The re-randomization resets source-specific parameters of the source pre-trained model and thus facilitates fine-tuning on the target domain, improving few-shot performance.Comment: CIKM 2022 Short; 5 pages, 3 figures, 4 table

Cell type–dependent variation in paracrine potency determines therapeutic efficacy against neonatal hyperoxic lung injury

AbstractBackground aimsThe aim of this study was to determine the optimal cell type for transplantation to protect against neonatal hyperoxic lung injury. To this end, the in vitro and in vivo therapeutic efficacies and paracrine potencies of human umbilical cord blood–derived mesenchymal stromal cells (HUMs), human adipose tissue–derived mesenchymal stromal cells (HAMs) and human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells (HMNs) were compared.MethodsHyperoxic injury was induced in vitro in A549 cells by challenge with H2O2. Alternatively, hyperoxic injury was induced in newborn Sprague-Dawley rats in vivo by exposure to hyperoxia (90% oxygen) for 14 days. HUMs, HAMs or HMNs (5 × 105 cells) were given intratracheally at postnatal day 5.ResultsHyperoxia-induced increases in in vitro cell death and in vivo impaired alveolarization were significantly attenuated in both the HUM and HAM groups but not in the HMN group. Hyperoxia impaired angiogenesis, increased the cell death and pulmonary macrophages and elevated inflammatory cytokine levels. These effects were significantly decreased in the HUM group but not in the HAM or HMN groups. The levels of human vascular endothelial growth factor and hepatocyte growth factor produced by donor cells were highest in HUM group, followed by HAM group and then HMN group.ConclusionsHUMs exhibited the best therapeutic efficacy and paracrine potency than HAMs or HMNs in protecting against neonatal hyperoxic lung injury. These cell type-dependent variations in therapeutic efficacy might be associated or mediated with the paracrine potency of the transplanted donor cells

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Inonotus obliquus in Colitis Induced by Dextran Sodium Sulfate

A total of 28 male BALB/c mice (average weight 20.7 ± 1.6 g) were divided into 4 treatment groups and fed a commercial diet (A), a commercial diet + induced colitis by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) (B), Inonotus obliquus (IO) administration (C), and IO administration + induced colitis by DSS (D). IO treatment (C, D) decreased the expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT)1 compared to those of the colitis induced group (B). The expressions of IL-4 and STAT6 were decreased in group D compared to the colitis induced group (B). The serum immunoglobulin (Ig)E level decreased in IO treatment groups (C, D) compared to no IO treatment groups (A and B) although there was no significant difference between the IO treatment groups. Extract from IO itself had a weak cytotoxic effect on murine macrophage cell line (RAW264.7 cells). Extract from IO inhibited lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced, TNF-α, STAT1, pSTAT1, STAT6, and pSTAT6 production in RAW264.7 cells

Genetic diversity of Imjin virus in the Ussuri white-toothed shrew (Crocidura lasiura) in the Republic of Korea, 2004-2010

Recently, Imjin virus (MJNV), a genetically distinct hantavirus, was isolated from lung tissues of the Ussuri white-toothed shrew (Crocidura lasiura) captured near the demilitarized zone in the Republic of Korea. To clarify the genetic diversity of MJNV, partial M- and L-segment sequences were amplified from lung tissues of 12 of 37 (32.4%) anti-MJNV IgG antibody-positive Ussuri white-toothed shrews captured between 2004 and 2010. A 531-nucleotide region of the M segment (coordinates 2,255 to 2,785) revealed that the 12 MJNV strains differed by 0-12.2% and 0-2.3% at the nucleotide and amino acid levels, respectively. A similar degree of nucleotide (0.2-11.9%) and amino acid (0-3.8%) difference was found in a 632-nucleotide length of the L segment (coordinates 962 to 1,593) of nine MJNV strains. Phylogenetic analyses, based on the partial M and L segments of MJNV strains generated by the neighbor-joining and maximum likelihood methods, showed geographic-specific clustering, akin to the phylogeography of rodent-borne hantaviruses