Comparative study of methods for optimization of electromagnetic devices with uncertainty

This paper compares different probabilistic optimization methods dealing with uncertainties. Reliability-Based Design Optimization is presented as well as various approaches to calculate the probability of failure. They are compared in terms of precision and number of evaluations on mathematical and electromagnetic design problems to highlight the most effective methods

Task-Adaptive Tokenization: Enhancing Long-Form Text Generation Efficacy in Mental Health and Beyond

We propose task-adaptive tokenization as a way to adapt the generation pipeline to the specifics of a downstream task and enhance long-form generation in mental health. Inspired by insights from cognitive science, our task-adaptive tokenizer samples variable segmentations from multiple outcomes, with sampling probabilities optimized based on task-specific data. We introduce a strategy for building a specialized vocabulary and introduce a vocabulary merging protocol that allows for the integration of task-specific tokens into the pre-trained model's tokenization step. Through extensive experiments on psychological question-answering tasks in both Chinese and English, we find that our task-adaptive tokenization approach brings a significant improvement in generation performance while using up to 60% fewer tokens. Preliminary experiments point to promising results when using our tokenization approach with very large language models.Comment: Accepted at the main conference of The 2023 Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing; 8 page

You Are What You Annotate: Towards Better Models through Annotator Representations

Annotator disagreement is ubiquitous in natural language processing (NLP) tasks. There are multiple reasons for such disagreements, including the subjectivity of the task, difficult cases, unclear guidelines, and so on. Rather than simply aggregating labels to obtain data annotations, we instead try to directly model the diverse perspectives of the annotators, and explicitly account for annotators' idiosyncrasies in the modeling process by creating representations for each annotator (annotator embeddings) and also their annotations (annotation embeddings). In addition, we propose TID-8, The Inherent Disagreement - 8 dataset, a benchmark that consists of eight existing language understanding datasets that have inherent annotator disagreement. We test our approach on TID-8 and show that our approach helps models learn significantly better from disagreements on six different datasets in TID-8 while increasing model size by fewer than 1% parameters. By capturing the unique tendencies and subjectivity of individual annotators through embeddings, our representations prime AI models to be inclusive of diverse viewpoints.Comment: Accepted to Findings of EMNLP 202

Adrenomedullin expression in epithelial ovarian cancers and promotes HO8910 cell migration associated with upregulating integrin α5β1 and phosphorylating FAK and paxillin

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in women worldwide. Adrenomedullin (AM) is a multifunctional peptide which presents in various kinds of tumors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study, we characterized the expression and function of AM in epithelial ovarian cancer using immunohistochemistry staining. Exogenous AM and small interfering RNA (siRNA) specific for AM receptor CRLR were treated to EOC cell line HO8910. Wound healing assay and flow cytometry were used to measure the migration ability and expression of integrin α5 of HO8910 cells after above treatments. Western blot was used to examine the phosphorylation of FAK and paxillin.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that patients with high AM expression showed a higher incidence of metastasis, larger residual size of tumors after cytoreduction and shorter disease-free and overall survival time. Exogenous AM induced ovarian cancer cell migration in time- and dose- dependent manners. AM upregulated the expression of integrin α5 and phosphorylation of FAK, paxillin as well.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results suggested that AM contributed to the progression of EOC and had additional roles in EOC cell migration by activating the integrin α5β1 signaling pathway. Therefore, we presumed that AM could be a potential molecular therapeutic target for ovarian carcinoma.</p

Iterative Kriging-based Methods for Expensive Black-Box Models

Reliability-Based Design Optimization (RBDO) in electromagnetic field problems requires the calculation of probability of failure leading to a huge computational cost in the case of expensive models. Three different RBDO approaches using kriging surrogate model are proposed to overcome this difficulty by introducing an approximation of the objective function and constraints. These methods use different infill sampling criteria (ISC) to add samples in the process of optimization or/and in the reliability analysis. Several enrichment criteria and strategies are compared in terms of number of evaluations and accuracy of the solution

Nitrogen Fertilization Restructured Spatial Patterns of Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen in Switchgrass and Gamagrass Croplands in Tennessee USA

Nitrogen (N) fertilizers can potentially alter spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations in croplands such as switchgrass (SG: Panicum virgatum L.) and gamagrass (GG: Tripsacum dactyloides L.), but it remains unclear whether these effects are the same between crops and under different rates of fertilization. 13C and 15N are two important proxy measures of soil biogeochemistry, but they were rarely examined as to their spatial distributions in soil. Based on a three-year long fertilization experiment in Middle Tennessee, USA, the top mineral horizon soils (0–15 cm) were collected using a spatially explicit design within two 15-m2 plots under three fertilization treatments in SG and GG croplands. A total of 288 samples were collected based on 12 plots and 24 samples in each plot. The fertilization treatments were no N input (NN), low N input (LN: 84 kg N ha−1 in urea) and high N input (HN: 168 kg N ha−1 in urea). The SOC, TN, SOC/TN (C: N), δ13C and δ15N were quantified and their within-plot variations and spatial distributions were achieved via descriptive and geostatistical methods. Results showed that SG generally displayed 10~120% higher plot-level variations in all variables than GG, and the plot-level variations were 20~77% higher in NN plots than LN and HN plots in SG but they were comparable in unfertilized and fertilized plots in GG. Relative to NN, LN and HN showed more significant surface trends and spatial structures in SOC and TN in both croplands, and the fertilization effect appeared more pronounced in SG. Spatial patterns in C: N, δ13C and δ15N were comparable among different fertilization treatments in both croplands. The descending within-plot variations were also identified among variables (SOC \u3e TN \u3e δ15N \u3e C: N \u3e δ13C). This study demonstrated that N fertilizations generally reduced the plot-level variance and simultaneously re-established spatial structures of SOC and TN in bioenergy croplands, which little varied with fertilization rate but was more responsive in switchgrass cropland

The Fat Mass and Obesity Associated Gene, FTO, Is Also Associated with Osteoporosis Phenotypes

Obesity and osteoporosis are closely correlated genetically. FTO gene has been consistently identified to be associated with obesity phenotypes. A recent study reported that the mice lacking Fto could result in lower bone mineral density (BMD). Thus, we hypothesize that the FTO gene might be also important for osteoporosis phenotypes. To test for such a hypothesis, we performed an association analyses to investigate the relationship between SNPs in FTO and BMD at both hip and spine. A total of 141 SNPs were tested in two independent Chinese populations (818 and 809 unrelated Han subjects, respectively) and a Caucasian population (2,286 unrelated subjects). Combining the two Chinese samples, we identified 6 SNPs in FTO to be significantly associated with hip BMD after multiple testing adjustments, with the combined P values ranged from 4.99×10−4–1.47×10−4. These 6 SNPs are all located at the intron 8 of FTO and in high linkage disequilibrium. Each copy of the minor allele of each SNP was associated with increased hip BMD values with the effect size (beta) of ∼0.025 and ∼0.015 in the Chinese sample 1 and 2, respectively. However, none of these 6 SNPs showed significant association signal in the Caucasian sample, by presenting some extent of ethnic difference. Our findings, together with the prior biological evidence, suggest that the FTO gene might be a new candidate for BMD variation and osteoporosis in Chinese populations

Synchronous fluorescence detection of nitrite in meat products based on dual-emitting dye@MOF and its portable hydrogel test kit.

peer reviewedA novel ratiometric fluorescent nanoprobe (Rh6G@UIO-66-NH2) was fabricated for efficient nitrite (NO2-) detection in the present study. When NO2- was introduced, it interacted with the amino groups on the surface of Rh6G@UIO-66-NH2, forming diazonium salts that led to the quenching of blue fluorescence. With this strategy, a good linear relationship between NO2- concentration and the fluorescent intensity ratio of the nanoprobe in the range of 1-100 μM was established, with a detection limit of 0.021 μM. This dual-readout nanosensor was applied to analyze the concentration of NO2- in real meat samples, achieving satisfactory recovery rates of 94.72-104.52%, highlighting the practical potential of this method. Furthermore, a portable Gel/Rh6G@UIO-66-NH2 hydrogel test kit was constructed for on-spot dual-mode detection of NO2-. This kit allows for convenient colorimetric analysis and fluorometric detection when used in conjunction with a smartphone. All the photos taken with the portable kit was converted into digital information using ImageJ software. It provides colorimetric and fluorescent visual detection of NO2- over a range of 0.1-1.5 mM, achieving a direct quantitative tool for NO2- identification. This methodology presents a promising strategy for NO2- detection and expands the application prospects for on-spot monitoring of food safety assessment.Beijing Science and Technology Planning ProjectNational Key Research and Development Program of Chin

Identification of crucial modules and genes associated with backfat tissue development by WGCNA in Ningxiang pigs

Fat deposition is an economically important trait in pigs. Ningxiang pig, one of the four famous indigenous breeds in China, is characterized by high fat content. The underlying gene expression pattern in different developmental periods of backfat tissue remains unclear, and the purpose of this investigation is to explore the potential molecular regulators of backfat tissue development in Ningxiang pigs. Backfat tissue (three samples for each stage) was initially collected from different developmental stages (60, 120, 180, 240, 300, and 360 days after birth), and histological analysis and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) were then conducted. Fragments per kilobase of transcript per million (FPKM) method was used to qualify gene expressions, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Furthermore, strongly co-expressed genes in modules, which were named by color, were clustered by Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) based on dynamic tree cutting algorithm. Gene ontology (GO) and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment were subsequently implemented, and hub genes were described in each module. Finally, QPCR analysis was employed to validate RNA-seq data. The results showed that adipocyte area increased and adipocyte number decreased with development of backfat tissue. A total of 1,024 DEGs were identified in five comparison groups (120 days vs. 60 days, 180 days vs. 120 days, 240 days vs. 180 days, 300 days vs. 240 days, and 360 days vs. 300 days). The turquoise, red, pink, paleturquoise, darkorange, and darkgreen module had the highest correlation coefficient with 60, 120, 180, 240, 300, and 360 days developmental stage, while the tan, black and turquoise module had strong relationship with backfat thickness, adipocyte area, and adipocyte number, respectively. Thirteen hub genes (ACSL1, ACOX1, FN1, DCN, CHST13, COL1A1, COL1A2, COL6A3, COL5A1, COL14A1, OAZ3, DNM1, and SELP) were recognized. ACSL1 and ACOX1 might perform function in the early developmental stage of backfat tissue (60 days), and FN1, DCN, COL1A1, COL1A2, COL5A1, COL6A3, and COL14A1 have unignorable position in backfat tissue around 120 days developmental stage. Besides, hub genes SELP and DNM1 in modules significantly associated with backfat thickness and adipocyte area might be involved in the process of backfat tissue development. These findings contribute to understand the integrated mechanism underlying backfat tissue development and promote the progress of genetic improvement in Ningxiang pigs

Selection of Anti-Sulfadimidine Specific ScFvs from a Hybridoma Cell by Eukaryotic Ribosome Display

BACKGROUND:Ribosome display technology has provided an alternative platform technology for the development of novel low-cost antibody based on evaluating antibiotics derived residues in food matrixes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:In our current studies, the single chain variable fragments (scFvs) were selected from hybridoma cell lines against sulfadimidine (SM(2)) by using a ribosome library technology. A DNA library of scFv antibody fragments was constructed for ribosome display, and then mRNA-ribosome-antibody (MRA) complexes were produced by a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system. The synthetic sulfadimidine-ovalbumin (SM(2)-OVA) was used as an antigen to pan MRA complexes and putative scFv-encoding genes were recovered by RT-PCR in situ following each panning. After four rounds of ribosome display, the expression vector pCANTAB5E containing the selected specific scFv DNA was constructed and transformed into Escherichia coli HB2151. Three positive clones (SAS14, SAS68 and SAS71) were screened from 100 clones and had higher antibody activity and specificity to SM(2) by indirect ELISA. The three specific soluble scFvs were identified to be the same molecular weight (approximately 30 kDa) by Western-blotting analysis using anti-E tag antibodies, but they had different amino acids sequence by sequence analysis. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:The selection of anti-SM(2) specific scFv by in vitro ribosome display technology will have an important significance for the development of novel immunodetection strategies for residual veterinary drugs