3D-Aware Visual Question Answering about Parts, Poses and Occlusions

Despite rapid progress in Visual question answering (VQA), existing datasets and models mainly focus on testing reasoning in 2D. However, it is important that VQA models also understand the 3D structure of visual scenes, for example to support tasks like navigation or manipulation. This includes an understanding of the 3D object pose, their parts and occlusions. In this work, we introduce the task of 3D-aware VQA, which focuses on challenging questions that require a compositional reasoning over the 3D structure of visual scenes. We address 3D-aware VQA from both the dataset and the model perspective. First, we introduce Super-CLEVR-3D, a compositional reasoning dataset that contains questions about object parts, their 3D poses, and occlusions. Second, we propose PO3D-VQA, a 3D-aware VQA model that marries two powerful ideas: probabilistic neural symbolic program execution for reasoning and deep neural networks with 3D generative representations of objects for robust visual recognition. Our experimental results show our model PO3D-VQA outperforms existing methods significantly, but we still observe a significant performance gap compared to 2D VQA benchmarks, indicating that 3D-aware VQA remains an important open research area.Comment: Accepted by NeurIPS202

Genome-wide association study of maize resistance to Pythium aristosporum stalk rot

Stalk rot, a severe and widespread soil-borne disease in maize, globally reduces yield and quality. Recent documentation reveals that Pythium aristosporum has emerged as one of the dominant causal agents of maize stalk rot. However, a previous study of maize stalk rot disease resistance mechanisms and breeding had mainly focused on other pathogens, neglecting P. aristosporum. To mitigate crop loss, resistance breeding is the most economical and effective strategy against this disease. This study involved characterizing resistance in 295 inbred lines using the drilling inoculation method and genotyping them via sequencing. By combining with population structure, disease resistance phenotype, and genome-wide association study (GWAS), we identified 39 significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with P. aristosporum stalk rot resistance by utilizing six statistical methods. Bioinformatics analysis of these SNPs revealed 69 potential resistance genes, among which Zm00001d051313 was finally evaluated for its roles in host defense response to P. aristosporum infection. Through virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) verification and physiological index determination, we found that transient silencing of Zm00001d051313 promoted P. aristosporum infection, indicating a positive regulatory role of this gene in maize’s antifungal defense mechanism. Therefore, these findings will help advance our current understanding of the underlying mechanisms of maize defense to Pythium stalk rot

Efficacy and safety of combined immunotherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery in NSCLCBM patients and a novel prognostic nomogram: A real-world study

ObjectiveTo explore the effectiveness of combined immunotherapy (IT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and address the gap between evidence-based clinical practice and academic knowledge of optimal timing of IT relative to SRS. In addition, to meet the unmet need for an up-to-date prognostic assessment model in the era of IT.MethodsThe data of 86 non-small cell lung cancer brain metastasis (NSCLCBM) patients treated with SRS to 268 brain metastases (BMs) were retrospectively extracted from our hospital database. The Kaplan–Meier analysis was employed for overall survival (OS) and a log-rank test for comparison between groups. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to identify the significant prognostic factors. The prognostic nomogram was established utilizing the rms package of R software.ResultsIT was found to be associated with improved OS (from BM diagnosis: HR 0.363, 95% CI 0.199 - 0.661, P < 0.001; from SRS: HR 0.472, 95% CI 0.260 - 0.857, P = 0.014). Individuals who received IT in combination with SRS had better OS than those who didn’t (from the day of BM diagnosis: 16.8 vs. 8.4 months, P = 0.006; from the day of SRS: 12 vs. 7 months, P = 0.037). Peri-SRS timing of IT administration was a significant prognostic factor for OS (from BM diagnosis: HR 0.132, 95% CI 0.034 - 0.517, P = 0.004; from SRS: HR 0.14, 95% CI 0.044 - 0.450, P = 0.001). Initiating IT after SRS led to superior OS than concurrent or before (from BM diagnosis: 26.5 vs. 14.1 vs. 7.1 months; from SRS: 21.4 vs. 9.9 vs. 4.1 months, respectively). Additionally, we build a nomogram incorporating IT, cumulative intracranial tumor volume (CITV), and recursive partitioning analysis (RPA), demonstrating a remarkable prognosis prediction performance for SRS-treated NSCLCBM patients.ConclusionPeri-SRS IT is a promising approach in treating NSCLCBM, as improved OS was observed without significantly increasing adverse events. Receipt of IT post-SRS was associated with superior OS than those who received IT concurrently or before. Incorporating IT and CITV into the RPA index could augment its prognosis assessment value for SRS-treated NSCLCBM patients, predominantly in the wild-type

3D-printed integrative probeheads for magnetic resonance

射频探头前端作为核磁共振设备的核心部件之一，极大程度的决定着系统实验性能的优劣。探头前端通常由射频线圈、射频电路及样品检测管道等部分组成。现有的射频线圈制作技术主要是通过手工或机械手段按照所需的线圈形状进行绕制。但是，当线圈结构较为复杂、不规则，或体积尺寸较小时，常规绕制方法便难以满足结构设计和制造的精度需求，因此造成线圈性能的劣化，增大检测区域的射频场不均匀性，对核磁共振检测产生负面影响。本研究中，利用3D打印熔融沉积制造或光敏树脂选择性固化技术精确加工出一体化磁共振探头前端，使用常温液态金属填充线圈模型管路形成射频线圈，搭建出稳定的一体化磁共振射频探头。利用高精度3D打印和液态金属灌注技术制备出包含有射频线圈和定制化样品管道结构在内的一体化磁共振射频探头前端，克服了传统磁共振三维微型线圈成型困难、与样品腔匹配程度差等问题，提高了探头的信噪比，为定制化的磁共振检测提供了新思路。 该工作由厦门大学电子科学与技术学院陈忠教授、游学秋副研究员和孙惠军高级工程师共同指导完成，博士研究生谢君尧为论文第一作者。厦门大学电子科学与技术学院黄玉清高级工程师、王忻昌副教授、倪祖荣助理教授、硕士研究生张德超，化学化工学院杨朝勇教授、博士研究生李星锐，萨本栋微米纳米科学技术研究院陈宏教授为合作作者。【Abstract】Magnetic resonance (MR) technology has been widely employed in scientific research, clinical diagnosis and geological survey. However, the fabrication of MR radio frequency probeheads still face difficulties in integration, customization and miniaturization. Here, we utilized 3D printing and liquid metal filling techniques to fabricate integrative radio frequency probeheads for MR experiments. The 3D-printed probehead with micrometer precision generally consists of liquid metal coils, customized sample chambers and radio frequency circuit interfaces. We screened different 3D printing materials and optimized the liquid metals by incorporating metal microparticles. The 3D-printed probeheads are capable of performing both routine and nonconventional MR experiments, including in situ electrochemical analysis, in situ reaction monitoring with continues-flow paramagnetic particles and ions separation, and small-sample MR imaging. Due to the flexibility and accuracy of 3D printing techniques, we can accurately obtain complicated coil geometries at the micrometer scale, shortening the fabrication timescale and extending the application scenarios.The work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants U1632274, 11761141010, U1805261, 11475142, 22073078, and 61801411), and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2017M622075).研究工作得到国家自然科学基金、中国博士后科学基金等项目支持

Efficient and stable catalyst of alpha-FeOOH for NO oxidation from coke oven flue gas by the catalytic decomposition of gaseous H2O2

Goethite (alpha-FeOOH) possesses excellent catalytic activity, high selectivity and good stability as a catalyst for NO oxidation through the catalytic decomposition of gaseous H2O2. HO2 center dot/O-2(center dot) as the primary reactive oxygen species is involved in the NO oxidation process together with center dot OH, and N2O5 is found for the first time in the products of NO oxidation

Shearer parameter optimization and low energy consumption mining based on 3D point cloud characterization of coal wall

Abstract To achieve efficient and low energy consumption mining under different cutting depths of a shearer, a multiparameter coupling optimization method for the shearer based on three‐dimensional (3D) characterization of the coal wall was proposed. First, a seven‐axis absolute articulated arm measuring machine was used to obtain 3D point cloud data of the coal wall, and then the 3D of the coal wall surface was reconstructed by using segmentation, filtering, and stitching processing, thereby obtaining the average thickness of different coal wall areas. Second, through the quadratic rotation regression orthogonal combination experiment, the optimal combination of drum speed, traction speed, and cutting depth was obtained, further obtaining the order of primary and secondary influences, and the regression model. Moreover, a particle swarm optimization algorithm was used to obtain the optimal drum speed and finally, the laboratory and field test experiments were conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed optimization algorithm in reducing the cutting energy consumption of shearer. The experiment results show that the given optimization algorithm can adaptively optimize the traction speed and drum speed based on the corresponding cutting depth, which significantly reduces the cutting specific energy consumption of the shearer. Thus, it provided an important technical means for the shearer to achieve low energy consumption and efficient mining

J. Phys. Chem. C

An amine-functionalized metal organic framework, TEPA-MIL-101, was prepared by grafting tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) on the coordinatively unsaturated Cr(III) sites of MIL-101 for the selective adsorption of CO2 over CO. The adsorbents were characterized using various techniques. The results indicate that the TEPA molecule was successfully grafted on Cr(III) without destroying the intrinsic structure of MIL-101. Isotherms for CO2 and CO adsorption on MIL-101 and TEPA-MIL-101 were obtained to determine the effects of the grafted TEPA on the CO2 adsorption capacity and selectivity. The results show that the CO2 capacity on TEPA-MIL-101 was higher than that on MIL-101 at lower pressures, whereas the CO capacity sharply decreased. The selectivity for CO2 over CO was clearly improved from 1.77 to 70.2 at 298 K and total pressure 40 kPa. The density functional theory calculation for the adsorption of CO2 and CO on TEPA indicates that the bonding energy of CO2 is obviously higher than that of CO. Analysis of the cyclic adsorption performance reveals the high stability of the adsorbent. On the basis of the experimental and simulation results, the grafting of amines on coordinatively unsaturated sites of metal organic frameworks is an effective method of achieving selective adsorption of CO2 over CO.An amine-functionalized metal organic framework, TEPA-MIL-101, was prepared by grafting tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) on the coordinatively unsaturated Cr(III) sites of MIL-101 for the selective adsorption of CO2 over CO. The adsorbents were characterized using various techniques. The results indicate that the TEPA molecule was successfully grafted on Cr(III) without destroying the intrinsic structure of MIL-101. Isotherms for CO2 and CO adsorption on MIL-101 and TEPA-MIL-101 were obtained to determine the effects of the grafted TEPA on the CO2 adsorption capacity and selectivity. The results show that the CO2 capacity on TEPA-MIL-101 was higher than that on MIL-101 at lower pressures, whereas the CO capacity sharply decreased. The selectivity for CO2 over CO was clearly improved from 1.77 to 70.2 at 298 K and total pressure 40 kPa. The density functional theory calculation for the adsorption of CO2 and CO on TEPA indicates that the bonding energy of CO2 is obviously higher than that of CO. Analysis of the cyclic adsorption performance reveals the high stability of the adsorbent. On the basis of the experimental and simulation results, the grafting of amines on coordinatively unsaturated sites of metal organic frameworks is an effective method of achieving selective adsorption of CO2 over CO