SQLdepth: Generalizable Self-Supervised Fine-Structured Monocular Depth Estimation

Recently, self-supervised monocular depth estimation has gained popularity with numerous applications in autonomous driving and robotics. However, existing solutions primarily seek to estimate depth from immediate visual features, and struggle to recover fine-grained scene details with limited generalization. In this paper, we introduce SQLdepth, a novel approach that can effectively learn fine-grained scene structures from motion. In SQLdepth, we propose a novel Self Query Layer (SQL) to build a self-cost volume and infer depth from it, rather than inferring depth from feature maps. The self-cost volume implicitly captures the intrinsic geometry of the scene within a single frame. Each individual slice of the volume signifies the relative distances between points and objects within a latent space. Ultimately, this volume is compressed to the depth map via a novel decoding approach. Experimental results on KITTI and Cityscapes show that our method attains remarkable state-of-the-art performance (AbsRel = $0.082$ on KITTI, $0.052$ on KITTI with improved ground-truth and $0.106$ on Cityscapes), achieves $9.9\%$, $5.5\%$ and $4.5\%$ error reduction from the previous best. In addition, our approach showcases reduced training complexity, computational efficiency, improved generalization, and the ability to recover fine-grained scene details. Moreover, the self-supervised pre-trained and metric fine-tuned SQLdepth can surpass existing supervised methods by significant margins (AbsRel = $0.043$, $14\%$ error reduction). self-matching-oriented relative distance querying in SQL improves the robustness and zero-shot generalization capability of SQLdepth. Code and the pre-trained weights will be publicly available. Code is available at \href{https://github.com/hisfog/SQLdepth-Impl}{https://github.com/hisfog/SQLdepth-Impl}.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

Transcriptome sequencing and analysis of major genes involved in calcium signaling pathways in pear plants (Pyrus calleryana Decne.)

Candidate genes involved in calcium signaling pathways in pear plants. (XLS 98 kb

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of folate receptor-targeting amphiphilic copolymer-modified liposomes loaded with docetaxel

Xiang Li1, Xin Tian2, Jing Zhang3, Xu Zhao1, Xiaohui Chen1, Youhong Jiang2, Dongkai Wang1, Weisan Pan11Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang; 2The Second Laboratory of Cancer Research Institution, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang; 3Key Laboratory of Modern Preparation of TCM, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, ChinaBackground: The purpose of this study was to develop folate-poly (PEG-cyanoacrylate-co-cholesteryl cyanoacrylate) (FA-PEG-PCHL)-modified freeze-dried liposomes for targeted chemotherapy using docetaxel as a model drug.Methods: FA-PEG-PCHL was synthesized and its cytotoxicity was evaluated by CCK-8 assay in L929. Docetaxel-loaded liposomes modified by FA-PEG-PCHL were prepared by an organic solvent injection method and lyophilized to obtain freeze-dried FA-PEG-PCHL-docetaxel liposomes (FA-PDCT-L). Two carcinoma cell lines (MCF-7 and A-549 cells) were cultured with docetaxel solution, conventional docetaxel-loaded liposomes, or FA-PDCT-L, and the cytotoxicity and apoptosis was evaluated for each preparation. The uptake of the docetaxel preparations into MCF-7 cells was studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to study the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution characteristics of the preparations.Results: The existence of an enlarged fixed aqueous layer on the surface of the liposomes was affirmed by zeta potential analysis. The entrapment efficiency and particle size distribution were almost the same as those of docetaxel-loaded liposomes. The drug release profile showed that the release rate was faster at higher molecular weight of the polymer. Compared with docetaxel solution and docetaxel-loaded liposomes, FA-PDCT-L demonstrated the strongest cytotoxicity against two carcinoma cell lines, the greatest intracellular uptake especially in the nucleus, as well as the most powerful apoptotic efficacy. In pharmacokinetic studies, the area under the plasma concentration-time curve of FA-PDCT-L was increased 3.82 and 6.23 times in comparison with the values for the docetaxel-loaded liposomes and docetaxel solution, respectively. Meanwhile, a lower concentration of docetaxel was observed for FA-PDCT-L in the liver and spleen, and a significantly higher concentration of FA-PDCT-L in tumors suggested that the presence of FA-PEG-PCHL on the liposomes resulted in greater accumulation of the drug in tumor tissue.Conclusion: Liposomes modified by FA-PEG-PCHL could be one of the promising suspensions for the delivery of antitumor drugs in cancer.Keywords: folate-poly (PEG-cyanoacrylate-co-cholesteryl cyanoacrylate), docetaxel, freeze-dried liposomes, tumor targetin

Hybrid enhancements by polydopamine and nanosilica on carbon fibre reinforced polymer laminates under marine environment

© 2018 Elsevier. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This author accepted manuscript is made available following 24 month embargo from date of publication (June 2018) in accordance with the publisher’s archiving policyIn this study, two enhancement methods, i.e., toughen the epoxy matrix by commercially available nanosilica and enhance the interfaces of fibres and matrix by autoxidation of dopamine were applied together in carbon fibre reinforced polymer laminates with potential large-scale applicability. Significant enhancements were found for Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness and interlaminar shear strength with the combined addition of nanosilica and polydopamine in the laminates. The enhancement mechanism is proposed as well. Salt spray tests were applied in this study to simulate a marine environment for the laminates. Model I interlaminar fracture toughness and interlaminar shear strength both decreased under the simulated marine environment with an increase in immersion time, but the deterioration was significantly mitigated when nanosilica and polydopamine were added together with still much higher mechanical properties measured after 3 weeks of salt spray immersion than in neat laminate without salt spray immersion, providing promising evidence for maritime engineering applications of such laminates

Analysis of gut microbiota and immune-related genes during sea cucumber (<em>Apostichopus japonicus</em>) response to dietary supplementation with <em>Codonopsis pilosula</em>

The gut microbiota composition of sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicas) was investigated using high-throughput sequencing techniques. The mRNA expression of complement component 3 and lysozyme genes was evaluated using quantitative fluorescence PCR. Sea cucumbers were fed with a basal diet (control group) and an experimental diet supplemented with Codonopsis pilosula (experimental group) for 30 days. The results showed that the alpha diversity of the gut microbiota was changed in different indices, including Chao1, the abundance-based coverage estimator, the Shannon index, and Good's coverage. Dietary C. pilosula promoted the proliferation of the Flavobacteriaceae family of the Proteobacteria phylum and reduced the relative abundance of the Verrucomicrobiaceae family of the Verrucomicrobia phylum. We concluded that dietary C. pilosula supplementation could alter the network interactions among different microbial functional groups by changing the ecological network's microbial community composition and biological evolution. A positive effect on A. japonicus immune responses in the gut was seen via increasing the mRNA expression of the complement component 3 and lysozyme genes. It seems to happen via modulating the balance in gut microbiota

Tough, self-healable and tissue-adhesive hydrogel with tunable multifunctionality

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.An ideal hydrogel for biomedical engineering should mimic the intrinsic properties of natural tissue, especially high toughness and self-healing ability, in order to withstand cyclic loading and repair skin and muscle damage. In addition, excellent cell affinity and tissue adhesiveness enable integration with the surrounding tissue after implantation. Inspired by the natural mussel adhesive mechanism, we designed a polydopamine–polyacrylamide (PDA–PAM) single network hydrogel by preventing the overoxidation of dopamine to maintain enough free catechol groups in the hydrogel. Therefore, the hydrogel possesses super stretchability, high toughness, stimuli-free self-healing ability, cell affinity and tissue adhesiveness. More remarkably, the current hydrogel can repeatedly be adhered on/stripped from a variety of surfaces for many cycles without loss of adhesion strength. Furthermore, the hydrogel can serve as an excellent platform to host various nano-building blocks, in which multiple functionalities are integrated to achieve versatile potential applications, such as magnetic and electrical therapies

Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE), Life and Health

Light has profoundly impacted modern medicine and healthcare, with numerous luminescent agents and imaging techniques currently being used to assess health and treat diseases. As an emerging concept in luminescence, aggregation-induced emission (AIE) has shown great potential in biological applications due to its advantages in terms of brightness, biocompatibility, photostability, and positive correlation with concentration. This review provides a comprehensive summary of AIE luminogens applied in imaging of biological structure and dynamic physiological processes, disease diagnosis and treatment, and detection and monitoring of specific analytes, followed by representative works. Discussions on critical issues and perspectives on future directions are also included. This review aims to stimulate the interest of researchers from different fields, including chemistry, biology, materials science, medicine, etc., thus promoting the development of AIE in the fields of life and health

Adaptive immune response-modifying and antimicrobial properties of Andrographis paniculata and andrographolide

Andrographis paniculata (AP) is a traditional herbal medicine which is widely used for the treatment of many diseases in Asia. Recently, various biological activities of AP extract or andrographolide (AND), such as immunostimulatory activity, anti-inflammatory effect, cytokine induction or deduction, a potential cancer therapeutic agent and T cell activation suppression, have been reported. However the potential of AP extract or AND to stimulate the specific or adaptive immune response using microbial vaccines has not been determined. In this project, AND has been purified from AP and its identity confirmed by the melting point, colour test, TLC, UV absorption spectrum, ESI-MS and H-NMR. An aqueous and two ethanolic extracts of Andrographis paniculata and AND, an active principle of Andrographis paniculata, were investigated for their antimicrobial activity against nine bacterial species in vitro using the disc diffusion method. It was discovered that neither the aqueous extract nor AND were bacteriostatic or bactericidal against S. typhimurium, E. coli, S. sonnei, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, S. pneumoniae, S. pyogenes, L. pneumophila or B. pertussis but the two ethanolic extracts of AP were bacteriostatic against L. pneumophila and B. pertussis. It was also observed that the ethanol extract of AP and AND stimulated both antibody and cell-mediated immunity (CMI) responses to a killed S. typhimurium vaccine. Mice were vaccinated with either one dose or two doses of killed S. typhimurium vaccine. They were fed two different quantities of an ethanol extract of AP or AND for 14 days in mice immunised with one dose of the vaccine, and for 28 days in mice immunised with two doses of vaccine, respectively. Both the extract and AND significantly increased the IgG antibody titres against S. typhimurium, with the increase in antibody titres being statistically significant in the two dose vaccine group. Although not statistically significant, there was also a substantial increase in the IgG antibody titres in the one dose vaccine group. Splenocyte cultures from mice from both the immunisation groups treated with the extract or AND stimulated with the S. typhimurium lysate showed a significant increase in the production of IFN-γ in both 14 and 28 day AP extract or AND treatment groups. The increase indicates the induction of a cell-mediated immune response. To confirm the immunomodulatory potential of AP extract and determine the immunomodulatory potential of AND, experiments were conducted using mouse salmonellosis as a model system. Mice were vaccinated with two doses of killed S. typhimurium vaccine by intraperitoneal (i/p) route and orally dosed with AP extract at 25 mg/kg bodyweight or AND at 4 mg/kg bodyweight for total 28 days, followed by oral challenge with virulent S. typhimurium. Both AP extract and AND substantially increased the survival rate by 50% after mice were challenged with 10 fold of a sublethal dose (1.5x10 6 cfu) of virulent S. typhimurium. They also promoted clearance of S. typhimurium from challenged mice by days 8 or 12 post-challenge with 1.5x10 cfu virulent S. typhimurium respectively. Sera IgG, IgA antibody titres against S. typhimurium and IFN-γ or IL-2 were detected after the mice were challenged by the oral route with a sublethal dose (1.5x10 cfu) of virulent S. typhimurium for 12 days. It was thus concluded that both Andrographis paniculata and AND not only elicited both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in the mouse model, but also increased the protective efficacy against salmonellosis on mice vaccinated with inactivated S. typhimurium. Therefore the ability of Andrographis paniculata and AND to promote acquired immunity, particularly in inducing CMI may be important in protection against intracellular pathogen infection