Frame-Recurrent Video Super-Resolution

Recent advances in video super-resolution have shown that convolutional neural networks combined with motion compensation are able to merge information from multiple low-resolution (LR) frames to generate high-quality images. Current state-of-the-art methods process a batch of LR frames to generate a single high-resolution (HR) frame and run this scheme in a sliding window fashion over the entire video, effectively treating the problem as a large number of separate multi-frame super-resolution tasks. This approach has two main weaknesses: 1) Each input frame is processed and warped multiple times, increasing the computational cost, and 2) each output frame is estimated independently conditioned on the input frames, limiting the system's ability to produce temporally consistent results. In this work, we propose an end-to-end trainable frame-recurrent video super-resolution framework that uses the previously inferred HR estimate to super-resolve the subsequent frame. This naturally encourages temporally consistent results and reduces the computational cost by warping only one image in each step. Furthermore, due to its recurrent nature, the proposed method has the ability to assimilate a large number of previous frames without increased computational demands. Extensive evaluations and comparisons with previous methods validate the strengths of our approach and demonstrate that the proposed framework is able to significantly outperform the current state of the art.Comment: Accepted at CVPR 201

Dysbiosis In Epizootic Shell Disease Of The American Lobster (Homarus Americanus)

Epizootic shell disease (ESD) in the American lobster ( Homarus americanus) is continuing to affect the southern New England lobster population, and the etiology of the disease has not been well defined. We hypothesized that a dysbiotic shift in the shell microbial biofilm played a key part in the etiology of the disease. We analyzed the community structure of the surface microflora of apparently healthy and diseased lobsters using multitag pyrosequencing to correlate the abundance of key taxa within the lesions. Discriminant analysis (DA) was used to identify taxa in the microbial community that were associated with diseased and healthy states. Among the 170 bacterial taxa that were identified, 58 were helpful in determining the diseased and healthy states. The remaining 112 were not significantly different between the 2 states. The genus Aquimarina was present in high abundance in both healthy and diseased lobsters, but had a significantly higher abundance on animals in the diseased state. However, DA demonstrated that this genus does not strongly discriminate between the diseased and healthy state. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that there was significant strain diversity of this genus in all the samples analyzed. Our results indicate that the lesions seen in ESD may be viewed as being correlated with a polymicrobial component rather than being caused by a discrete pathogen

Towards Federated Learning Under Resource Constraints via Layer-wise Training and Depth Dropout

Large machine learning models trained on diverse data have recently seen unprecedented success. Federated learning enables training on private data that may otherwise be inaccessible, such as domain-specific datasets decentralized across many clients. However, federated learning can be difficult to scale to large models when clients have limited resources. This challenge often results in a trade-off between model size and access to diverse data. To mitigate this issue and facilitate training of large models on edge devices, we introduce a simple yet effective strategy, Federated Layer-wise Learning, to simultaneously reduce per-client memory, computation, and communication costs. Clients train just a single layer each round, reducing resource costs considerably with minimal performance degradation. We also introduce Federated Depth Dropout, a complementary technique that randomly drops frozen layers during training, to further reduce resource usage. Coupling these two techniques enables us to effectively train significantly larger models on edge devices. Specifically, we reduce training memory usage by 5x or more in federated self-supervised representation learning and demonstrate that performance in downstream tasks is comparable to conventional federated self-supervised learning

Cu2+-induced self-assembly and amyloid formation of a cyclic d,l-α-peptide: Structure and function

In a wide spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases, self-assembly of pathogenic proteins to cytotoxic intermediates is accelerated by the presence of metal ions such as Cu2+. Only low concentrations of these early transient oligomeric intermediates are present in a mixture of species during fibril formation, and hence information on the extent of structuring of these oligomers is still largely unknown. Here, we investigate dimers as the first intermediates in the Cu2+-driven aggregation of a cyclic D,L-alpha-peptide architecture. The unique structural and functional properties of this model system recapitulate the self-assembling properties of amyloidogenic proteins including beta-sheet conformation and cross-interaction with pathogenic amyloids. We show that a histidine-rich cyclic D,L-alpha-octapeptide binds Cu2+ with high affinity and selectivity to generate amyloid-like cross-beta-sheet structures. By taking advantage of backbone amide methylation to arrest the self-assembly at the dimeric stage, we obtain structural information and characterize the degree of local order for the dimer. We found that, while catalytic amounts of Cu2+ promote aggregation of the peptide to fibrillar structures, higher concentrations dose-dependently reduce fibrillization and lead to formation of spherical particles, showing self-assembly to different polymorphs. For the initial self-assembly step to the dimers, we found that Cu2+ is coordinated on average by two histidines, similar to self-assembled peptides, indicating that a similar binding interface is perpetuated during Cu2+-driven oligomerization. The dimer itself is found in heterogeneous conformations that undergo dynamic exchange, leading to the formation of different polymorphs at the initial stage of the aggregation process

Antidepressants for cognitive impairment in schizophrenia - A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Cognitive impairment in schizophrenia is disabling, but current treatment options remain limited. Objective: To meta-analyze the efficacy and safety of adjunctive antidepressants for cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Data sources and study selection: PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library databases were searched until 12/2013 for randomized controlled trials comparing antidepressant augmentation of antipsychotics with placebo regarding effects on cognitive functioning in schizophrenia. Data extraction: Two authors independently extracted data. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were calculated for continuous outcomes and risk ratios for categorical outcomes. SMDs of individual cognitive tests were pooled on a study level within domains (primary outcome) and across domains. When results were heterogeneous, random instead of fixed effects models were used. Results: We meta-analyzed 11 studies (duration=8.7 +/- 3.7 weeks) including 568 patients (mean age=39.5 +/- 6.9 years, males=67.2%, illness duration=12.5 +/- 8.0 years). Antidepressants included mirtazapine (4 studies; n=126), citalopram (2 studies; n=231), fluvoxamine (1 study; n=47), duloxetine (1 study; n=40), mianserin (1 study; n=30), bupropion (1 study; n=61), and reboxetine (1 study; n=33). Statistically significant, but clinically negligible, advantages were found for pooled antidepressants compared to placebo in executive function (Hedges\u27 g=0.17, p=0.02) and a composite cognition score (Hedges\u27 g=0.095, p=0.012). Depression improved with serotonergic antidepressants (p=0.0009) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (p=0.009), but not with pooled antidepressants (p=0.39). Sedation was more common with pooled antidepressants (p=0.04). Conclusion: Adjunctive antidepressants do not demonstrate clinically significant effects on cognition in schizophrenia patients, however, larger studies, preferably in euthymic schizophrenia patients and using full neurocognitive batteries, are needed to confirm this finding. (C) 2014 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved

The transcription factors Ets1 and Sox10 interact during murine melanocyte development

Melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells, arise from multipotent neural crest (NC) cells during embryogenesis. Many genes required for melanocyte development were identified using mouse pigmentation mutants. The variable spotting mouse pigmentation mutant arose spontaneously at the Jackson Laboratory. We identified a G-to-A nucleotide transition in exon 3 of the Ets1 gene in variable spotting, which results in a missense G102E mutation. Homozygous variable spotting mice exhibit sporadic white spotting. Similarly, mice carrying a targeted deletion of Ets1 exhibit hypopigmentation; nevertheless, the function of Ets1 in melanocyte development is unknown. The transcription factor Ets1 is widely expressed in developing organs and tissues, including the NC. In the chick, Ets1 is required for the expression of Sox10, a transcription factor critical for the development of various NC derivatives, including melanocytes. We show that Ets1 is required early for murine NC cell and melanocyte precursor survival in vivo. Given the importance of Ets1 for Sox10 expression in the chick, we investigated a potential genetic interaction between these genes by comparing the hypopigmentation phenotypes of single and double heterozygous mice. The incidence of hypopigmentation in double heterozygotes was significantly greater than in single heterozygotes. The area of hypopigmentation in double heterozygotes was significantly larger than would be expected from the addition of the areas of hypopigmentation of single heterozygotes, suggesting that Ets1 and Sox10 interact synergistically in melanocyte development. Since Sox10 is also essential for enteric ganglia development, we examined the distal colons of Ets1 null mutants and found a significant decrease in enteric innervation, which was exacerbated by Sox10 heterozygosity. At the molecular level, Ets1 was found to activate an enhancer critical for Sox10 expression in NC-derived structures. Furthermore, enhancer activation was significantly inhibited by the variable spotting mutation. Together, these results suggest that Ets1 and Sox10 interact to promote proper melanocyte and enteric ganglia development from the NC

Conservative versus early surgical treatment in the management of pyogenic spondylodiscitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis [Abstract]

Oral e-Poster Presentations - Booth 2: Spine 1 (Trauma&Misc), September 25, 2023, 10:00 AM - 10:40 AM Background: Spondylodiscitis is a prevalent type of spinal infection, with pyogenic spondylodiscitis being the most common subtype. While antibiotic therapy is the standard treatment, some argue that early surgery can aid in infection clearance, improve survival rates, and prevent long-term complications such as deformities. However, others view early surgery as excessively risky. Due to the high mortality rate of up to 20%, it is crucial to determine the most effective treatment. Methods: The primary objective of this study was to compare the mortality rate, relapse rate, and length of hospital stay for conservative and early surgical treatments of pyogenic spondylodiscitis, including determinants of outcomes. The study was registered on PROSPERO with the registration number CRD42022312573. The databases MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, PubMed, and JSTOR were searched for original studies comparing conservative and early surgical treatments of pyogenic spondylodiscitis. The included studies were assessed using the ROBINS-1 tool, and eligible studies were evaluated using meta-analyses, influence, and regression analyses. Results: The systematic review included 31 studies. The meta-analysis, which had a pooled sample size of 10,954 patients from 21 studies, found that the pooled mortality rate among patients treated with early surgery was 8%, while the rate was 13% for patients treated conservatively. The mean proportion of relapse/failure was 15% for patients treated with early surgery and 21% for those treated conservatively. Furthermore, the analysis concluded that early surgical treatment is associated with a 40% and 39% risk reduction in relapse/failure and mortality rates, respectively, when compared to conservative management. Additionally, early surgical treatment resulted in a 7.75-day reduction in length of hospital stay per patient (p<0.01). The most highly significant predictors of treatment outcome were found to be intravenous drug use, diabetes, the presence of an epidural abscess, positive cultures, location of infection, and age (p<0.001). Conclusions: Overall, early surgical management was found to be consistently significantly more effective than conservative management in terms of relapse/failure and mortality rates when treating pyogenic spondylodiscitis, particularly for non-spinal epidural abscess spondylodiscitis

SIC-8000 versus hetastarch as a submucosal injection fluid for endoscopic mucosal resection: a randomized controlled trial

Background and Aims Viscous solutions provide a superior submucosal cushion for endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). SIC-8000 (Eleview, Aries Pharmaceuticals, La Jolla, Calif) is a commercially available FDA approved solution but hetastarch is also advocated. We performed a randomized trial comparing SIC-8000 to hetastarch as submucosal injection agents for colorectal EMR. Methods This was a single-center double-blinded randomized controlled trial performed at a tertiary referral center. Patients were referred to our center with flat or sessile lesions measuring ≥15 mm in size. The primary outcome measures were the Sydney Resection Quotient (SRQ) and the rate of en bloc resections. Secondary outcomes were total volume needed for a sufficient lift, number of resected pieces, and adverse events. Results There were 158 patients with 159 adenomas (84 SIC-8000 and 75 hetastarch) and 57 serrated lesions (30 SIC-8000 and 27 hetastarch). SRQ was significantly better in the SIC-8000 group compared with hetastarch group (9.3 vs 8.1, p=0.001). There was no difference in the proportion of lesions with en bloc resections. The total volume of injectate was significantly lower with SIC-8000 (14.8 mL vs 20.6 mL, p=0.038) Conclusions SIC-8000 is superior to hetastarch for use during EMR in terms of SRQ and total volume needed, although the absolute differences were small

A Composite Metric for Benchmarking Site Performance in TAVR: Results from the STS/ACC TVT Registry

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a transformative therapy for aortic stenosis. Despite rapid improvements in technology and techniques, serious complications remain relatively common and are not well described by single outcome measures. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is site-level variation in TAVR outcomes in the United States using a novel 30-day composite measure. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study using data from the STS/ACC TVT Registry to develop a novel ranked composite performance measure that incorporates mortality and serious complications. The selection and rank order of the complications for the composite was determined by their adjusted association with 1-year outcomes. Sites whose risk-adjusted outcomes were significantly more or less frequent than the national average based on a 95% probability interval were classified as performing worse or better than expected. Results: The development cohort consisted of 52,561 patients who underwent TAVR between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2017. Based on the associations with 1-year risk-adjusted mortality and health status, we identified four periprocedural complications to include in the composite risk model in addition to mortality. Ranked empirically according to severity, these included stroke, major, life-threatening or disabling bleeding, stage III acute kidney injury, and moderate or severe peri-valvular regurgitation. Based on these ranked outcomes, we found that there was significant site-level variation in quality of care in TAVR in the United States. Overall, better than expected site performance was observed in 25/301 (8%) of sites; performance as expected was observed in 242/301 sites (80%); and worse than expected performance was observed in 34/301 (11%) of sites. Thirty-day mortality, stroke, major, life-threatening or disabling bleeding, and moderate or severe peri-valvular leak were each substantially more common in sites with worse than expected performance as compared with other sites. There was good aggregate reliability of the model. Conclusions: There are substantial variations in the quality of TAVR care received in the United States, and 11% of sites were identified as providing care below the average level of performance. Further study is necessary to determine structural, process-related, and technical factors associated with high- and low-performing sites