Multi-Cue Event Information Fusion for Pedestrian Detection With Neuromorphic Vision Sensors

Neuromorphic vision sensors are bio-inspired cameras that naturally capture the dynamics of a scene with ultra-low latency, filtering out redundant information with low power consumption. Few works are addressing the object detection with this sensor. In this work, we propose to develop pedestrian detectors that unlock the potential of the event data by leveraging multi-cue information and different fusion strategies. To make the best out of the event data, we introduce three different event-stream encoding methods based on Frequency, Surface of Active Event (SAE) and Leaky Integrate-and-Fire (LIF). We further integrate them into the state-of-the-art neural network architectures with two fusion approaches: the channel-level fusion of the raw feature space and decision-level fusion with the probability assignments. We present a qualitative and quantitative explanation why different encoding methods are chosen to evaluate the pedestrian detection and which method performs the best. We demonstrate the advantages of the decision-level fusion via leveraging multi-cue event information and show that our approach performs well on a self-annotated event-based pedestrian dataset with 8,736 event frames. This work paves the way of more fascinating perception applications with neuromorphic vision sensors

Association between polymorphisms in the coagulation factor VII gene and coronary heart disease risk in different ethnicities: a meta-analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous studies have examined the association between polymorphisms in the coagulation factor VII gene and the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), but those studies have been inconclusive. This study was conducted to assess the associations between these polymorphisms and CHD and evaluated the associations in different ethnicities.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Literature-based searching was conducted to collect data and two methods, namely fixed-effects and random-effects, were performed to pool the odds ratio (OR), together with the 95% confidence interval (CI). Publication bias and between-study heterogeneity were also examined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Thirty-nine case-control studies of the three polymorphisms, R353Q (rs6046), HVR4 and -323Ins10 (rs36208070) in factor VII gene and CHD were enrolled in this meta-analysis, including 9,151 cases of CHD and 14,099 controls for R353Q, 2,863 cases and 2,727 controls for HVR4, and 2,862 cases and 4,240 controls for -323Ins10. Significant association was only found in Asian population for R353Q (Q vs R), with pooled OR of 0.70(95%CI: 0.55, 0.90). For the -323Ins10 polymorphism (10 vs 0), we found significant associations in both Asian and European populations, with pooled ORs of 0.74(95%CI: 0.61, 0.88) and 0.63(95%CI: 0.53, 0.74), respectively. Marginal significant association was found between HVR4 (H7 vs H5+H6) and CHD (OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.78, 1.00). There was no evidence of publication bias, but between-study heterogeneity was found in the analyses.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The -323Ins10 polymorphism in factor VII gene is significantly associated with CHD in both Asian and European populations, while R353Q polymorphism showed trend for association with CHD in Asians. Lack of association was found for HVR4 polymorphism. Further studies are needed to confirm the association, especially for -323Ins10 polymorphism.</p

Genome-wide identification of RNA modification-related single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract Background RNA modification plays important roles in many biological processes, such as gene expression control. The aim of this study was to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms related to RNA modification (RNAm-SNPs) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as putative functional variants. Methods We examined the association of RNAm-SNPs with RA in summary data from a genome-wide association study of 19,234 RA cases and 61,565 controls. We performed eQTL and pQTL analyses for the RNAm-SNPs to find associated gene expression and protein levels. Furthermore, we examined the associations of gene expression and circulating protein levels with RA using two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis methods. Results A total of 160 RNAm-SNPs related to m6A, m1A, A-to-I, m7G, m5C, m5U and m6Am modifications were identified to be significantly associated with RA. These RNAm-SNPs were located in 62 protein-coding genes, which were significantly enriched in immune-related pathways. RNAm-SNPs in important RA susceptibility genes, such as PADI2, SPRED2, PLCL2, HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-DRB1, HLA-DPB1, TRAF1 and TXNDC11, were identified. Most of these RNAm-SNPs showed eQTL effects, and the expression levels of 26 of the modifiable genes (e.g., PADI2, TRAF1, HLA-A, HLA-DRB1, HLA-DPB1 and HLA-B) in blood cells were associated with RA. Circulating protein levels, such as CFB, GZMA, HLA-DQA2, IL21, LRPAP1 and TFF3, were affected by RNAm-SNPs and were associated with RA. Conclusion The present study identified RNAm-SNPs in the reported RA susceptibility genes and suggested that RNAm-SNPs may affect RA risk by affecting the expression levels of corresponding genes and proteins. </jats:sec

Genome-wide identification of cell type-specific susceptibility genes for Juvenile dermatomyositis through the analysis of N6-methyladenosine-associated SNPs

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have pinpointed genetic loci associated with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM). Functional genes within the GWAS loci may be cell type-specific, but their identity remains largely unknown. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) plays a pivotal role in regulating various cellular processes and is linked to autoimmune diseases. This study aimed to underscore the potential functional genes within the GWAS loci through the analysis of m6A-associated SNPs (m6A-SNPs), specifically within relevant cell types. JDM-associated m6A-SNPs were identified from the GWAS summary dataset. The correlation between m6A-SNPs and gene expression was assessed through bulk tissue and single-cell eQTL analyses. To further investigate the relationship between gene expression and JDM, Mendelian randomization analysis was employed. Additionally, differential expression analyses were conducted on bulk tissues, as well as single-cell transcriptomic data comprising 6 JDM patients and 11 juvenile controls (99,396 cells). Seven m6A-SNPs associated with JDM were identified. Bulk tissue analysis revealed differential expression of HLA-DPA1, HLA-DPB1, MICB, HLA-A, HLA-F, HLA-DQB2, HLA-DRB5, TAP2, PSMB9, MICA, AIF1, and DDX39B influenced by m6A-SNPs, all showing associations with JDM in both differential expression and Mendelian randomization analyses. In single-cell analysis, the six m6A-SNPs within the HLA locus acted as cell-type-specific eQTLs, correlating with the expression of HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, HLA-DPB1, HLA-DQA1, HLA-DQB1 and HLA-DRB1 in myeloid, T or B cells. Notably, these genes displayed abnormal expression in T, B, and myeloid cells of JDM patients. The present study identified m6A-SNPs within JDM susceptibility genes, shedding light on the intricate interplay between m6A-SNPs, gene expression, and JDM

Phosphorylation-related SNPs influence lipid levels and rheumatoid arthritis risk by altering gene expression and plasma protein levels

Abstract Objectives Phosphorylation-related single-nucleotide polymorphisms (phosSNPs) are missense SNPs that may influence protein phosphorylation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of phosSNPs on lipid levels and RA. Methods We examined the association of phosSNPs with lipid levels and RA in large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and performed random sampling and fgwas analyses to determine whether the phosSNPs associated with lipid levels and RA were significantly enriched. Furthermore, we performed QTL analysis and Mendelian randomization analysis to obtain additional evidence to be associated with the identified phosSNPs and genes. Results We found 483 phosSNPs for lipid levels and 243 phosSNPs for RA in the GWAS loci (P &amp;lt; 1.0 × 10−5). SNPs associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, Total cholesterol (TC) and RA were significantly enriched with phosSNPs. Almost all of the identified phosSNPs showed expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) effects. A total of 48 protein QTLs and 9 metabolite QTLs were found. The phosSNP rs3184504 (p.Trp262Arg) at SH2B3 was significantly associated with RA, SH2B3 expression level, and plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, TC, hypoxanthine and 80 proteins, including beta-2-microglobulin. SH2B3 was differentially expressed between RA cases and controls in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and synovial tissues. Mendelian randomization analysis showed that SH2B3 expression level was significantly associated with TC level and RA. Plasma beta-2-microglobulin level was causally associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, TC levels and RA. Conclusion The findings suggested that phosSNPs may play important roles in lipid metabolism and the pathological mechanisms of RA. PhosSNPs may influence lipid levels and RA risk by altering gene expression and plasma protein levels. </jats:sec

Promoter DNA Methylation in GWAS-Identified Genes as Potential Functional Elements for Blood Pressure: An Observational and Mendelian Randomization Study

Genome-wide association studies have identified numerous genetic loci for blood pressure (BP). However, the relationships of functional elements inside these loci with BP are not fully understood. This study represented an effort to determine if promoter DNA methylations inside BP-associated loci were associated with BP.We conducted a cross-sectional study investigating the association between promoter DNA methylations of 10 candidate genes and BP in 1,241 Chinese individuals. Twenty-one genomic fragments in the CpG Islands were sequenced. The associations of methylation levels with BP and hypertension were assessed in regression models. Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was then applied to find supporting evidence for the identified associations.A total of 413 DNA methylation sites were examined in an observational study. Methylation levels of 24 sites in PRDM6, IGFBP3, SYT7, PDE3A, TBX2 and C17orf82 were significantly associated with BP. Methylation levels of PRDM6 and SYT7 were significantly associated with hypertension. Methylation levels of five sites (including cg06713098) in IGFBP3 were significantly associated with DBP. MR analysis found associations between the methylation levels of six CpG sites (cg06713098, cg14228300, cg23193639, cg21268650, cg10677697 and cg04812164) around the IGFBP3 promoter and DBP. Methylation levels of cg14228300 and cg04812164 were associated with SBP. By further applying several MR methods we showed that the associations may not be due to pleiotropy. Association between IGFBP3 mRNA levels in blood cells and BP was also found in MR analysis. This study identified promoter methylation as potential functional element for BP. The identified methylations may be involved in the regulatory pathway linking genetic variants to BP.</jats:p

Identification of Phosphorylation Associated SNPs for Blood Pressure, Coronary Artery Disease and Stroke from Genome-wide Association Studies

Purpose: Phosphorylation-related SNP (phosSNP) is a non-synonymous SNP that might influence protein phosphorylation status. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of phosSNPs on blood pressure (BP), coronary artery disease (CAD) and ischemic stroke (IS). Methods: We examined the association of phosSNPs with BP, CAD and IS in shared data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and tested if the disease loci were enriched with phosSNPs. Furthermore, we performed quantitative trait locus analysis to find out if the identified phosSNPs have impacts on gene expression, protein and metabolite levels. Results: We found numerous phosSNPs for systolic BP (count=148), diastolic BP (count=206), CAD (count=20) and IS (count=4). The most significant phosSNPs for SBP, DBP, CAD and IS were rs1801131 in MTHFR, rs3184504 in SH2B3, rs35212307 in WDR12 and rs3184504 in SH2B3, respectively. Our analyses revealed that the associated SNPs identified by the original GWAS were significantly enriched with phosSNPs and many well-known genes predisposing to cardiovascular diseases contain significant phosSNPs. We found that BP, CAD and IS shared for phosSNPs in loci that contain functional genes involve in cardiovascular diseases, e.g., rs11556924 (ZC3HC1), rs1971819 (ICA1L), rs3184504 (SH2B3), rs3739998 (JCAD), rs903160 (SMG6). Four phosSNPs in ADAMTS7 were significantly associated with CAD, including the known functional SNP rs3825807. Moreover, the identified phosSNPs seemed to have the potential to affect transcription regulation and serum levels of numerous cardiovascular diseases-related proteins and metabolites. Conclusion: The findings suggested that phosSNPs may play important roles in BP regulation and the pathological mechanisms of CAD and IS. </jats:sec

Assessment of Passive Solar Heating Systems&rsquo; Energy-Saving Potential across Varied Climatic Conditions: The Development of the Passive Solar Heating Indicator (PSHI)

This study aims to evaluate the energy-saving potential of passive solar heating systems in diverse global climates and introduce a new indicator, the passive solar heating indicator (PSHI), to enhance the efficiency of building designs. By collecting climate data from 600 cities worldwide through a simulation model, the present study employs polynomial regression to analyze the impact of outdoor temperature and solar radiation intensity on building energy savings. It also uses K-means cluster analysis to scientifically categorize cities based on their energy-saving potential. The findings underscore the benefits of both direct and indirect solar heating strategies in different climates. Significantly, the PSHI shows superior predictive accuracy and applicability over traditional indices, such as the irradiation temperature difference ratio (ITR) and the irradiation degree hour ratio (C-IDHR), especially when outdoor temperatures are close to indoor design temperatures. Moreover, the application of a cluster analysis provides hierarchical guidance on passive heating designs globally, paving the way for more accurate and customized energy-efficient building strategies