EPCFormer: Expression Prompt Collaboration Transformer for Universal Referring Video Object Segmentation

Audio-guided Video Object Segmentation (A-VOS) and Referring Video Object Segmentation (R-VOS) are two highly-related tasks, which both aim to segment specific objects from video sequences according to user-provided expression prompts. However, due to the challenges in modeling representations for different modalities, contemporary methods struggle to strike a balance between interaction flexibility and high-precision localization and segmentation. In this paper, we address this problem from two perspectives: the alignment representation of audio and text and the deep interaction among audio, text, and visual features. First, we propose a universal architecture, the Expression Prompt Collaboration Transformer, herein EPCFormer. Next, we propose an Expression Alignment (EA) mechanism for audio and text expressions. By introducing contrastive learning for audio and text expressions, the proposed EPCFormer realizes comprehension of the semantic equivalence between audio and text expressions denoting the same objects. Then, to facilitate deep interactions among audio, text, and video features, we introduce an Expression-Visual Attention (EVA) mechanism. The knowledge of video object segmentation in terms of the expression prompts can seamlessly transfer between the two tasks by deeply exploring complementary cues between text and audio. Experiments on well-recognized benchmarks demonstrate that our universal EPCFormer attains state-of-the-art results on both tasks. The source code of EPCFormer will be made publicly available at https://github.com/lab206/EPCFormer.Comment: The source code will be made publicly available at https://github.com/lab206/EPCForme

Factors affecting the early establishment of neonatal intestinal flora and its intervention measures

In recent years, it has become evident that early-life intestinal flora plays a pivotal role in determining human health. Consequently, it is imperative to explore the establishment of neonatal intestinal flora and its influencing factors. Early neonatal intestinal flora is influenced by a multitude of factors, including maternal and infant-related factors, as well as external environment. This review summarizes the colonization mechanism of intestinal flora in the early life of newborns and discussed their influence on the establishment of neonatal intestinal flora, taking into account factors such as delivery mode, gestational age and feeding mode. Additionally, this review delves into the natural or artificial reconstruction of intestinal flora colonization defects in infants born via cesarean section and premature infants, with the goal of establishing a theoretical foundation for preventing and treating issues related to neonatal intestinal flora colonization and associated diseases

Physical and mental health impairments experienced by operating surgeons and camera-holder assistants during laparoscopic surgery: a cross-sectional survey

IntroductionSurgeons may experience physical and mental health problems because of their jobs, which may lead to chronic muscle damage, burnout, or even withdrawal. However, these are often ignored in camera-holder assistants during laparoscopic surgery. We aimed to analyze the differences between operating surgeons and camera-holder assistants.MethodsFrom January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, a cross-sectional survey was conducted to evaluate the muscle pain, fatigue, verbal scolding, and task load for operating surgeons and camera-holder assistants. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, the Space Administration Task Load Index, and the Surgical Task Load Index (SURG-TLX) were combined in the questionnaire.Results2,184 operations were performed by a total of 94 operating surgeons and 220 camera assistants. 81% of operating surgeons and 78% of camera-holder assistants reported muscle pain/discomfort during the procedure. The most affected anatomic region was the shoulders for operating surgeons, and the lower back for camera-holder assistants. Intraoperative fatigue was reported by 41.7% of operating surgeons and 51.7% of camera-holder assistants. 55.2% of camera-holder assistants reported verbal scolding from the operating surgeons, primarily attributed to lapses in laparoscope movement coordination. The SURG-TLX results showed that the distributions of mental, physical, and situational stress for operating surgeons and camera-holder assistants were comparable.ConclusionLike operating surgeons, camera-holder assistants also face similar physical and mental health impairments while performing laparoscopic surgery. Improvements to the working conditions of the camera-holder assistant should not be overlooked

The 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine Landscape of Prostate Cancer

Analysis of DNA methylation is a valuable tool to understand disease progression and is increasingly being used to create diagnostic and prognostic clinical biomarkers. While conversion of cytosine to 5-methylcytosine (5mC) commonly results in transcriptional repression, further conversion to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) is associated with transcriptional activation. Here we perform the first study integrating whole-genome 5hmC with DNA, 5mC, and transcriptome sequencing in clinical samples of benign, localized, and advanced prostate cancer. 5hmC is shown to mark activation of cancer drivers and downstream targets. Furthermore, 5hmC sequencing revealed profoundly altered cell states throughout the disease course, characterized by increased proliferation, oncogenic signaling, dedifferentiation, and lineage plasticity to neuroendocrine and gastrointestinal lineages. Finally, 5hmC sequencing of cell-free DNA from patients with metastatic disease proved useful as a prognostic biomarker able to identify an aggressive subtype of prostate cancer using the genes TOP2A and EZH2, previously only detectable by transcriptomic analysis of solid tumor biopsies. Overall, these findings reveal that 5hmC marks epigenomic activation in prostate cancer and identify hallmarks of prostate cancer progression with potential as biomarkers of aggressive disease. SIGNIFICANCE: In prostate cancer, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine delineates oncogene activation and stage-specific cell states and can be analyzed in liquid biopsies to detect cancer phenotypes. See related article by Wu and Attard, p. 3880.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Preparation and performance of homogenous braids-reinforced poly (p-phenylene terephthamide) hollow fiber membranes

A novel homogenous braid-reinforced (HBR) poly (p-phenylene terephthamide) (PPTA) hollow fiber membrane was prepared in this study. The effects of PPTA concentration on the morphologies and properties of the membranes were further investigated. The results showed that when the PPTA concentration was 2.0 wt%, the cross-sectional morphology of satisfactory interfacial bonding was achieved and the permeation was still maintained at about 200 (L·m−2·h−1) after ultrasonic vibration. In addition, the tensile force exceeded 600 N, which indicated that the homogeneous effect effectively improved the poor mechanical properties and interfacial bonding. In addition, the HBR PPTA hollow fiber membranes were applied to simulate the membrane bioreactor system to explore the control factors of membrane fouling. The results demonstrated that the average removal of total phosphorus and NH4 +–N was above 49% and 96%, respectively; meanwhile, the operating time was up to 120 days. Furthermore, it was easier to nearly remove the pollutants by chemical cleaning

2型糖尿病患者接种增强剂次灭活COVID‐19疫苗后的抗体反应

Abstract Background The immunogenicity of booster inactivated COVID‐19 vaccines in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has remained unclear. Our study aims to investigate the antibody response to inactivated COVID‐19 vaccine following booster vaccination in patients with T2DM. Methods A total of 201 patients with T2DM and 102 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. The levels of anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 total antibodies, anti‐receptor‐binding domain (RBD)‐specific IgG, neutralizing antibody (NAb) toward SARS‐CoV‐2 wild type (WT), and NAb toward SARS‐CoV‐2 Omicron BA.4/5 subvariant were measured to evaluate the vaccine‐induced immunological responses. Results The titers of anti‐RBD‐specific IgG (p = 0.018) and inhibition rates of NAb toward WT (p = 0.007) were significantly decreased in patients with T2DM compared to HCs after booster vaccination for more than 6 months. Both HCs and patients with T2DM showed poor resistance against BA.4/5 due to the detected inhibition rates being lower than the positive threshold. The levels of anti‐RBD‐specific IgG were positively associated with the proportions of CD3+CD4−CD8− T cells (p = 0.045), and patients with T2DM who had anti‐RBD‐specific IgG positivity showed higher proportions of CD3+CD4−CD8− T cells compared to those negative (p = 0.005). Conclusions Patients with T2DM showed impaired antibody responses after booster vaccination for more than 6 months. Decreased anti‐BA.4/5 responses give rise to the possibility of breakthrough infections for both patients with T2DM and HCs

Numerical modeling and simulation of the electric breakdown of rocks immersed in water using high voltage pulses

Selective breakdown of mineralized particles by using high-voltage pulses (HVP) has been reported, yet its mechanisms are not fully understood, and the HVP setting factors affecting its efficacy in ore pre-concentration for the mining industry are not established. This study investigates the electro-dynamic mechanisms of electric breakdown by using the time-transient dielectric breakdown model and the finite-difference numerical method. Monte-Carlo method with random sampling is applied to calculate breakdown probabilities. The model and the selected parameters have been validated by the published experimental data of the electric breakdown of mineralized synthetic particles. The simulations of pulse rising time from 150\ua0ns to 1\ua0μs showed that the HVP breakdown threshold of rock particles gradually increased as the pulse rising time decreased. This suggests that to minimize the mis-breakdown of barren rocks in the HVP-enabled ore pre-concentration application, it is important to use a generator with a short pulse rising time. Shorter pulses also led to a higher probability of the internal breakdown of the mineralized particles. The simulations indicate that inhomogeneity of conductivity in an ore particle caused the streamers to bend toward the area of inclusion with high conductivity in a host rock matrix, which increased the probabilities of the breakdown of this mineralized particle. This phenomenon was more pronounced as conductivity rose. High-conductivity inclusions can reduce the minimum voltages required for the breakdown of the mineralized particles

Ultrasound-assisted pH-shifting to construct a stable aqueous solution of paprika oleoresin using egg yolk low-density lipoprotein as a natural liposome-like nano-emulsifier

In this study, a stable aqueous solution of paprika oleoresin (PO, the natural colorant extracted from the fruit peel of Capsicum annuum L) was constructed. The solubility of PO in an alkline aqueous solution (pH 10.95–11.10) increased rapidly. However, the aqueous solution of PO (pH 12.00) was unstable, obvious stratification was observed, and the color retention rate was only 52.99% after 28 days of storage. Chicken egg yolk low-density lipoprotein (LDL) was added combined with ultrasonic treatment to improve the stability of LDL-PO solution. The method could decrease the turbidity by 17.5 %, reduce the average particle size of the LDL-PO solution (13.9%), and enhance the interaction and combination of LDL and PO. The prepared PO aqueous solution was used in yogurt, egg white gel, fish balls and soymilk, and it could significantly improve the color of products and provided potential health benefits

Controllable Nanostructure Formation through Enthalpy-Driven Assembly of Polyoxometalate Clusters and Block Copolymers

The coassembly of block copolymers (BCPs) with nanoscale inorganic objects is an important route to fabricate nanostructured polymer composites. However, the immiscibility of inorganic/polymeric interface is a recurring challenge to overcome, particularly for inorganic clusters, such as the polyoxometalates (POMs)/BCPs system. In this paper, we present a general method to incorporate POMs into BCP matrices, in which a POM cluster is embedded as a core in a supramolecular star polymer (SSP) whose arms possess the same chemical composition as a BCP segment. Because of the enthalpic interaction between SSP arms and BCP segments, the SSP can carry POM into BCP matrices to realize their coassembly. By this way, we successfully localize a Keggin-type POM cluster [CoW₁₂O₄₀]^6– modified with polystyrene (PS) arms into the PS domain of poly­(styrene-<i>b</i>-ethylene oxide) micelles, which induces the formation of a series of hybrid micelles with spherical, toroidal, and bicontinuous structures. The morphological transition of micelles can be adjusted by the length of PS arms and the content of cluster cores. The mechanism is studied by both experimental methods and simulations. An unconventional mechanism for toroid formation is disclosed for the first time, which follows a sphere–rosary–toroid pathway. Furthermore, the electrostatically bonded structure of SSP is found to play a crucial role on this pathway. These results not only pave the way for fabricating cluster–polymer nanocomposites with controllable structures but also provide new insights into comprehending the self-assembly behavior of complex polymer systems

Metal mixture and osteoporosis risk: Insights from plasma metabolite profiling

The pathophysiology of osteoporosis (OP) is influenced by exposure to nonessential harmful metals and insufficient or excessive intake of necessary metals. Investigating multiple plasma metals, metabolites, and OP risk among older adults may reveal novel clues of underlying mechanisms for metal toxicity on bone mass. A total of 294 adults ≥ 55 years from Wuhan communities were included. Plasma concentrations of 23 metals and metabolites were measured via inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and global metabolite detection. To investigate the relationships between plasma metals, OP risk, and OP-related metabolites, three different statistical techniques were used: generalized linear regression model, two-way orthogonal partial least-squares analysis (O2PLS), and weighted quantile sum (WQS). The mean ages were 66.82 and 66.21 years in OP (n = 115) and non-OP (n = 179) groups, respectively. Of all 2999 metabolites detected, 111 differential between-group members were observed. The OP risk decreased by 58.5% (OR=0.415, 95% CI: 0.237, 0.727) per quartile increment in the WQS index indicative of metal mixture exposure. Consistency remained for bone mineral density (BMD) measurements. The O2PLS model identified the top five OP-related metabolites, namely, DG(18:2_22:6), 3-phenoxybenzoic acid, TG(16:1_16:1_22:6), TG(16:0_16:0_20:4), and TG(14:1_18:2_18:3), contributing most to the joint covariation between the metal mixture and metabolites. Significant correlations between each of them and the metal mixture were found using WQS regression. Furthermore, the five metabolites mediated the associations of the metal mixtures, BMD, and OP risk. Our findings shed additional light on the mediation functions of plasma metabolites in the connection between multiple metal co-exposure and OP pathogenesis and offer new insights into the probable mechanisms underpinning the bone effects of the metal mixture