SCALE method for single-cell ATAC-seq analysis via latent feature extraction.

Single-cell ATAC-seq (scATAC-seq) profiles the chromatin accessibility landscape at single cell level, thus revealing cell-to-cell variability in gene regulation. However, the high dimensionality and sparsity of scATAC-seq data often complicate the analysis. Here, we introduce a method for analyzing scATAC-seq data, called Single-Cell ATAC-seq analysis via Latent feature Extraction (SCALE). SCALE combines a deep generative framework and a probabilistic Gaussian Mixture Model to learn latent features that accurately characterize scATAC-seq data. We validate SCALE on datasets generated on different platforms with different protocols, and having different overall data qualities. SCALE substantially outperforms the other tools in all aspects of scATAC-seq data analysis, including visualization, clustering, and denoising and imputation. Importantly, SCALE also generates interpretable features that directly link to cell populations, and can potentially reveal batch effects in scATAC-seq experiments

Entropy-Based Model for Interpreting Life Systems in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treats qi as the core of the human life systems. Starting with a hypothetical correlation between TCM qi and the entropy theory, we address in this article a holistic model for evaluating and unveiling the rule of TCM life systems. Several new concepts such as acquired life entropy (ALE), acquired life entropy flow (ALEF) and acquired life entropy production (ALEP) are propounded to interpret TCM life systems. Using the entropy theory, mathematical models are established for ALE, ALEF and ALEP, which reflect the evolution of life systems. Some criteria are given on physiological activities and pathological changes of the body in different stages of life. Moreover, a real data-based simulation shows life entropies of the human body with different ages, Cold and Hot constitutions and in different seasons in North China are coincided with the manifestations of qi as well as the life evolution in TCM descriptions. Especially, based on the comparative and quantitative analysis, the entropy-based model can nicely describe the evolution of life entropies in Cold and Hot individuals thereby fitting the Yin–Yang theory in TCM. Thus, this work establishes a novel approach to interpret the fundamental principles in TCM, and provides an alternative understanding for the complex life systems

CLIPVG: Text-Guided Image Manipulation Using Differentiable Vector Graphics

Considerable progress has recently been made in leveraging CLIP (Contrastive Language-Image Pre-Training) models for text-guided image manipulation. However, all existing works rely on additional generative models to ensure the quality of results, because CLIP alone cannot provide enough guidance information for fine-scale pixel-level changes. In this paper, we introduce CLIPVG, a text-guided image manipulation framework using differentiable vector graphics, which is also the first CLIP-based general image manipulation framework that does not require any additional generative models. We demonstrate that CLIPVG can not only achieve state-of-art performance in both semantic correctness and synthesis quality, but also is flexible enough to support various applications far beyond the capability of all existing methods.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, AAAI202

GRB 211211A-like Events and How Gravitational Waves May Tell Their Origin

GRB 211211A is a rare burst with a genuinely long duration, yet its prominent kilonova association provides compelling evidence that this peculiar burst was the result of a compact binary merger. However, the exact nature of the merging objects, whether they were neutron star pairs, neutron star-black hole systems, or neutron star-white dwarf systems, remains unsettled. This Letter delves into the rarity of this event and the possibility of using current and next-generation gravitational wave detectors to distinguish between the various types of binary systems. Our research reveals an event rate density of $\gtrsim 5.67^{+13.04}_{-4.69} \times 10^{-3}\ \rm Gpc^{-3} yr^{-1}$ for GRB 211211A-like GRBs, which is significantly smaller than that of typical long and short GRB populations. We further calculated that if the origin of GRB 211211A is a result of a neutron star-black hole merger, it would be detectable with a significant signal-to-noise ratio, given the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA designed sensitivity. On the other hand, a neutron star-white dwarf binary would also produce a considerable signal-to-noise ratio during the inspiral phase at decihertz and is detectable by next-generation space-borne detectors DECIGO and BBO. However, to detect this type of system with millihertz space-borne detectors like LISA, Taiji, and TianQin, the event must be very close, approximately 3 Mpc in distance or smaller.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Preparation of total flavonoids from loquat flower and its protective effect on acute alcohol-induced liver injury in mice

AbstractThis study aimed to research the preparation techniques of total flavones from loquat flower (TFLF), its anti-oxidation capacity, and its protective effect on hepatic injury. The best extraction parameters by orthogonal experimentation were water at 100°C, extraction time 2.5 hours, solid/liquid ratio 1:20, and three decoctions. The chromogenic reaction to the flavones showed that loquat flowers mainly contained flavone, flavonol, and flavanone compounds combining ortho-phenolic hydroxyl group structure in the 10–30% ethanol fraction. The anti-oxidant capacity of O2−· was 26.09% and of OH−·was 83.01% by salicylic acid and pyrogallol auto-oxidation. Compared with the model group, TFLF lowered the levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, triglyceride, and malondialdehyde and liver index significantly, and upregulated the expression of adipose triglyceride lipase and Heine oxygenase-1 mRNA. The present findings suggest that TFLF has protective effect on acute alcoholinduced liver injury in mice and may be related to its antioxidant and free-radical scavenging activity

Dimethyl 2,5-bis­(5-hexyl­thio­phen-2-yl)benzene-1,4-dioate

In the title compound, C30H38O4S2, the centroid of the benzene ring lies on a center of inversion. The thio­phene ring is aligned at 49.8 (1)° with respect to the benzene ring. The alkyl chain adopts an extended zigzag conformation

(5-Bromo-2-hy­droxy­phen­yl)(4-propyl­cyclo­hex­yl)methanone

In the title compound, C16H21BrO2, the cyclo­hexane ring adopts a chair conformation. The hy­droxy and carbonyl groups are involved in an intra­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond. In the crystal, weak C—H⋯O inter­actions link the mol­ecules into zigzag chains along [010]