Sonicverse: A Multisensory Simulation Platform for Embodied Household Agents that See and Hear

Developing embodied agents in simulation has been a key research topic in recent years. Exciting new tasks, algorithms, and benchmarks have been developed in various simulators. However, most of them assume deaf agents in silent environments, while we humans perceive the world with multiple senses. We introduce Sonicverse, a multisensory simulation platform with integrated audio-visual simulation for training household agents that can both see and hear. Sonicverse models realistic continuous audio rendering in 3D environments in real-time. Together with a new audio-visual VR interface that allows humans to interact with agents with audio, Sonicverse enables a series of embodied AI tasks that need audio-visual perception. For semantic audio-visual navigation in particular, we also propose a new multi-task learning model that achieves state-of-the-art performance. In addition, we demonstrate Sonicverse's realism via sim-to-real transfer, which has not been achieved by other simulators: an agent trained in Sonicverse can successfully perform audio-visual navigation in real-world environments. Sonicverse is available at: https://github.com/StanfordVL/Sonicverse.Comment: In ICRA 2023. Project page: https://ai.stanford.edu/~rhgao/sonicverse/. Code: https://github.com/StanfordVL/sonicverse. Gao and Li contributed equally to this work and are in alphabetical orde

Проблемы формирования механизма мотивации персонала промышленного предприятия

Цель данной работы — углубление теоретических положений проблемы мотивации и разработка механизмов мотивации, стимулирования труда персонала промышленных предприятий в условиях формирования рыночных отношений.Исследованы теоретические и практические аспекты мотивации персонала, её структура и содержание. Разработаны критерии оценки эффективности систем мотивации персонала, модель формирования и мониторинга системы мотивации на основе уточненных факторов РичиМартина, трудовой концепции работника, построения «мотивационного профиля бюллетеня работника».Досліджені теоретичні і практичні аспекти мотивації персоналу, її структура і зміст. Розроблені критерії оцінки ефективності систем мотивації персоналу, модель формування і моніторингу системи мотивації на основі уточнених чинників Ричи-Мартіна, трудової концепції працівника, побудови «мотиваційного профілю бюлетеня працівника».The theoretical and practical aspects of motivation, its structure and content. Develop criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of staff motivation, a model of monitoring and incentive system based on the corrected factors Richie Martin, working the concept of worker, building a «motivational profile employee newsletter

Genome sequence of the insect pathogenic fungus Cordyceps militaris, a valued traditional chinese medicine

Species in the ascomycete fungal genus Cordyceps have been proposed to be the teleomorphs of Metarhizium species. The latter have been widely used as insect biocontrol agents. Cordyceps species are highly prized for use in traditional Chinese medicines, but the genes responsible for biosynthesis of bioactive components, insect pathogenicity and the control of sexuality and fruiting have not been determined. Here, we report the genome sequence of the type species Cordyceps militaris. Phylogenomic analysis suggests that different species in the Cordyceps/Metarhizium genera have evolved into insect pathogens independently of each other, and that their similar large secretomes and gene family expansions are due to convergent evolution. However, relative to other fungi, including Metarhizium spp., many protein families are reduced in C. militaris, which suggests a more restricted ecology. Consistent with its long track record of safe usage as a medicine, the Cordyceps genome does not contain genes for known human mycotoxins. We establish that C. militaris is sexually heterothallic but, very unusually, fruiting can occur without an opposite mating-type partner. Transcriptional profiling indicates that fruiting involves induction of the Zn2Cys6-type transcription factors and MAPK pathway; unlike other fungi, however, the PKA pathway is not activated.https://doi.org/10.1186/gb-2011-12-11-r11

Cyclosporine Biosynthesis in Tolypocladium inflatum Benefits Fungal Adaptation to the Environment

The cycloundecapeptide cyclosporin A (CsA) was first isolated from the insect-pathogenic fungus Tolypocladium inflatum for its antifungal activity and later developed as an immunosuppressant drug. However, the full biosynthetic mechanism of CsA remains unknown and has puzzled researchers for decades. In this study, the biosynthetic gene cluster is suggested to include 12 genes encoding enzymes, including the nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) (SimA) responsible for assembling the 11 amino acid substrates of cyclosporine and a polyketide synthase (PKS) (SimG) to mediate the production of the unusual amino acid (4R)-4-[(E)-2butenyl]-4-methyl-L-threonine (Bmt). Individual deletion of 10 genes, isolation of intermediates, and substrate feeding experiments show that Bmt is biosynthesized by three enzymes, including SimG, SimI, and SimJ. The substrate D-alanine is catalyzed from L-alanine by alanine racemase SimB. Gene cluster transcription is regulated by a putative basic leucine zipper (bZIP)-type protein encoded by the cluster gene SimL. We also found that the cluster cyclophilin (SimC) and transporter (SimD) genes contribute to the tolerance of CsA in the CsA-producing fungus. We also found that cyclosporine production could enable the fungus to outcompete other fungi during cocultivation tests. Deletion of the CsA biosynthetic genes also impaired fungal virulence against insect hosts. Taking all the data together, in addition to proposing a biosynthetic pathway of cyclosporines, the results of this study suggest that CsA produced by this fungus might play important ecological roles in fungal environment interactions. IMPORTANCE The cyclopeptide cyclosporin A was first isolated from the filamentous fungus Tolypocladium inflatum showing antifungal activity and was later developed as an immunosuppressant drug. We report the biosynthetic mechanism of cyclosporines that are mediated by a cluster of genes encoding NRPS and PKS controlled by a bZIP-type transcriptional regulator. The two unusual amino acids Bmt and D-Ala are produced by the PKS pathway and alanine racemase, respectively. The cyclophilin and transporter genes jointly contribute to fungal self-protection against cyclosporines. Cyclosporine confers on T. inflatum the abilities to outcompete other fungi in competitive interactions and to facilitate fungal infection of insect hosts, which therefore benefits fungal adaptations to different environments

High throughput profiling of the cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera immunotranscriptome during the fungal and bacterial infections

Background: Innate immunity is essential in defending against invading pathogens in invertebrates. The cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) is one of the most destructive lepidopteran pests, which causes enormous economic losses in agricultural production worldwide. The components of the immune system are largely unknown in this insect. The application of entomopathogens is considered as an alternative to the chemical insecticides for its control. However, few studies have focused on the molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions between pest insects and their pathogens. Here, we investigated the immunotranscriptome of H. armigera larvae and examined gene expression changes after pathogen infections. This study provided insights into the potential immunity-related genes and pathways in H. armigera larvae.Results: Here, we adopted a high throughput RNA-seq approach to determine the immunotranscriptome of H. armigera larvae injected with buffer, fungal pathogen Beauveria bassiana, or Gram-negative bacterium Enterobacter cloacae. Based on sequence similarity to those homologs known to participate in immune responses in other insects, we identified immunity-related genes encoding pattern recognition receptors, signal modulators, immune effectors, and nearly all members of the Toll, IMD and JAK/STAT pathways. The RNA-seq data indicated that some immunity-related genes were activated in fungus- and bacterium-challenged fat body while others were suppressed in B. bassiana challenged hemocytes, including the putative IMD and JAK-STAT pathway members. Bacterial infection elevated the expression of recognition and modulator genes in the fat body and signal pathway genes in hemocytes. Although fat body and hemocytes both are important organs involved in the immune response, our transcriptome analysis revealed that more immunity-related genes were induced in the fat body than that hemocytes. Furthermore, quantitative real-time PCR analysis confirmed that, consistent with the RNA-seq data, the transcript abundances of putative PGRP-SA1, Serpin1, Toll-14, and Spz2 genes were elevated in fat body upon B. bassiana infection, while the mRNA levels of defensin, moricin1, and gloverin1 were up-regulated in hemocytes.Conclusions: In this study, a global survey of the host defense against fungal and bacterial infection was performed on the non-model lepidopteran pest species. The comprehensive sequence resource and expression profiles of the immunity-related genes in H. armigera are acquired. This study provided valuable information for future functional investigations as well as development of specific and effective agents to control this pest.Peer reviewedEntomology and Plant Patholog

The second International Symposium on Fungal Stress: ISFUS

The topic of ‘fungal stress’ is central to many important disciplines, including medical mycology, chronobiology, plant and insect pathology, industrial microbiology, material sciences, and astrobiology. The International Symposium on Fungal Stress (ISFUS) brought together researchers, who study fungal stress in a variety of fields. The second ISFUS was held in May 8-11 2017 in Goiania, Goiás, Brazil and hosted by the Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública at the Universidade Federal de Goiás. It was supported by grants from CAPES and FAPEG. Twenty-seven speakers from 15 countries presented their research related to fungal stress biology. The Symposium was divided into seven topics: 1. Fungal biology in extreme environments; 2. Stress mechanisms and responses in fungi: molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysics, and cellular biology; 3. Fungal photobiology in the context of stress; 4. Role of stress in fungal pathogenesis; 5. Fungal stress and bioremediation; 6. Fungal stress in agriculture and forestry; and 7. Fungal stress in industrial applications. This article provides an overview of the science presented and discussed at ISFUS-2017.Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) 2010/06374-1, 2013/50518-6, 2014/01229-4Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) PQ2 302312/2011-0, PQ1D 308436/2014-8Coordenação de Aperfeiçoãmento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) PAEP 88881.123209/2016-01Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás Brazil 20171026700011

Evolution of Urban Spatial Clusters in China: A Graph-Based Method Using Nighttime Light Data

An urban spatial cluster (USC) describes one or more geographic agglomerations and the linkages among cities. USCs are conventionally delineated based on predefined administrative boundaries of cities, without considering the dynamic and evolving nature of the spatial extent of USCs. This study uses Defense Meteorological Satellite Program/Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) nighttime light (NTL) satellite images to quantitatively detect and characterize the evolution of USCs. We propose a dynamic minimum spanning tree (DMST) and a subgraph partitioning method to identify the evolving USCs over time, which considers both the spatial proximity of urban built-up areas and their affiliations with USCs at the previous snapshot. China is selected as a case study for its rapid urbanization process and the cluster-based economic development strategy. Four DMSTs are generated for China using the urban built-up areas extracted from DMSP/OLS NTL satellite images collected in 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012. Each DMST is partitioned into various subtrees and the urban built-up areas connected by the same subtree are identified as a potential USC. By inspecting the evolution of USCs over time, three different types of USCs are obtained, including newly emerging, single-core, and multicore clusters. Using the rank-size distribution, we find that large-sized USCs have greater development than medium- and small-sized USCs. A clear directionality and heterogeneity are observed in the expansions of the ten largest USCs. Our study provides further insight for the understanding of urban system and its spatial structures, and assists policymakers in their planning practices at national and regional scales

Gene Expression Profiling for Diagnosis of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Multicenter, Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 12–20% of all breast cancers. Diagnosis of TNBC is sometimes quite difficult based on morphological assessment and immunohistochemistry alone, particularly in the metastatic setting with no prior history of breast cancer.Methods: Molecular profiling is a promising diagnostic approach that has the potential to provide an objective classification of metastatic tumors with unknown primary. In this study, performance of a novel 90-gene expression signature for determination of the site of tumor origin was evaluated in 115 TNBC samples. For each specimen, expression profiles of the 90 tumor-specific genes were analyzed, and similarity scores were obtained for each of the 21 tumor types on the test panel. Predicted tumor type was compared to the reference diagnosis to calculate accuracy. Furthermore, rank product analysis was performed to identify genes that were differentially expressed between TNBC and other tumor types.Results: Analysis of the 90-gene expression signature resulted in an overall 97.4% (112/115, 95% CI: 0.92–0.99) agreement with the reference diagnosis. Among all specimens, the signature correctly classified 97.6% of TNBC from the primary site (41/42) and lymph node metastasis (41/42) and 96.8% of distant metastatic tumors (30/31). Furthermore, a list of genes, including AZGP1, KRT19, and PIGR, was identified as differentially expressed between TNBC and other tumor types, suggesting their potential use as discriminatory markers.Conclusion: Our results demonstrate excellent performance of a 90-gene expression signature for identification of tumor origin in a cohort of both primary and metastatic TNBC samples. These findings show promise for use of this novel molecular assay to aid in differential diagnosis of TNBC, particularly in the metastatic setting

Insertion of an Esterase Gene into a Specific Locust Pathogen (Metarhizium acridum) Enables It to Infect Caterpillars

An enduring theme in pathogenic microbiology is poor understanding of the mechanisms of host specificity. Metarhizium is a cosmopolitan genus of invertebrate pathogens that contains generalist species with broad host ranges such as M. robertsii (formerly known as M. anisopliae var. anisopliae) as well as specialists such as the acridid-specific grasshopper pathogen M. acridum. During growth on caterpillar (Manduca sexta) cuticle, M. robertsii up-regulates a gene (Mest1) that is absent in M. acridum and most other fungi. Disrupting M. robertsii Mest1 reduced virulence and overexpression increased virulence to caterpillars (Galleria mellonella and M. sexta), while virulence to grasshoppers (Melanoplus femurrubrum) was unaffected. When Mest1 was transferred to M. acridum under control of its native M. robertsii promoter, the transformants killed and colonized caterpillars in a similar fashion to M. robertsii. MEST1 localized exclusively to lipid droplets in M. robertsii conidia and infection structures was up-regulated during nutrient deprivation and had esterase activity against lipids with short chain fatty acids. The mobilization of stored lipids was delayed in the Mest1 disruptant mutant. Overall, our results suggest that expression of Mest1 allows rapid hydrolysis of stored lipids, and promotes germination and infection structure formation by M. robertsii during nutrient deprivation and invasion, while Mest1 expression in M. acridum broadens its host range by bypassing the regulatory signals found on natural hosts that trigger the mobilization of endogenous nutrient reserves. This study suggests that speciation in an insect pathogen could potentially be driven by host shifts resulting from changes in a single gene