ReSup: Reliable Label Noise Suppression for Facial Expression Recognition

Because of the ambiguous and subjective property of the facial expression recognition (FER) task, the label noise is widely existing in the FER dataset. For this problem, in the training phase, current FER methods often directly predict whether the label of the input image is noised or not, aiming to reduce the contribution of the noised data in training. However, we argue that this kind of method suffers from the low reliability of such noise data decision operation. It makes that some mistakenly abounded clean data are not utilized sufficiently and some mistakenly kept noised data disturbing the model learning process. In this paper, we propose a more reliable noise-label suppression method called ReSup (Reliable label noise Suppression for FER). First, instead of directly predicting noised or not, ReSup makes the noise data decision by modeling the distribution of noise and clean labels simultaneously according to the disagreement between the prediction and the target. Specifically, to achieve optimal distribution modeling, ReSup models the similarity distribution of all samples. To further enhance the reliability of our noise decision results, ReSup uses two networks to jointly achieve noise suppression. Specifically, ReSup utilize the property that two networks are less likely to make the same mistakes, making two networks swap decisions and tending to trust decisions with high agreement. Extensive experiments on three popular benchmarks show that the proposed method significantly outperforms state-of-the-art noisy label FER methods by 3.01% on FERPlus becnmarks. Code: https://github.com/purpleleaves007/FERDenois

Landscape composition and configuration relatively affect invasive pest and its associator across multiple spatial scales

Landscape structures affect pests, depending on compositional heterogeneity (the number and proportions of different habitats), configurational heterogeneity (spatial arrangement of habitats), and spatial scales. However, there is limited information on the relative effects of compositional and configurational heterogeneity on invasive pests and their associates (species that can benefit from invasive pests), and how they vary across spatial scales. In this study, we assayed the invasive pest Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) and its associated fly Drosophila melanogaster in 15 landscapes centered on mango orchards. We calculated landscape composition (forest percentage, mango percentage, and Shannon's diversity) and configuration (edge density) using two methods: spatial distance scales and combined scales. Spatial distance scales included buffer rings with radii of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 km, and combined scales referred to cutting or not cutting a smaller ring from larger ones. Our results shown that compositional heterogeneity positively affected B. dorsalis and D. melanogaster due to forest cover percentage, whereas configurational heterogeneity with high edge density negative effect on B. dorsalis. Forest cover had less of an effect on B. dorsalis than configurational heterogeneity, but the opposite effect was observed for D. melanogaster. Importantly, the direction and strength of forest cover and configurational heterogeneity to species did not vary with spatial distance scales or spatial combined scales. Thus, compositional and configurational heterogeneity exhibit differential effects on this invasive pest and its associator, and revealed that the relative effects of landscape structures are consistent across multiple scales. These results provide new insights into landscape effects on interconnected species using a diverse spatial-scale approach

UV-Ozone Treatment on Cs 2

Inverted configuration polymer solar cells (IPSCs) were prepared by using Cs2CO3 modified indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates as cathode and MoO3/Al as anode, ITO/Cs2CO3/P3HT:PCBM/MoO3/Al. The interfacial Cs2CO3 layers were conducted with annealing treatment and different time UV-Ozone treatment. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of IPSCs was improved to 1% when the UV-Ozone treatment time is 15 minutes, with the open-circuit voltage of 0.48 V, short-circuit current density of 5.4 mA/cm2, and fill factor of 39%. The improvement of IPSCs should be attributed to the increased electron transporting and collection ability of Cs2CO3 layer induced by UV-Ozone treatment. The underlying mechanism of PCE improvement was discussed in terms of series and shunt resistance of cells induced by UV-Ozone treatment on Cs2CO3 layer, and the mole ratio of Cs to O of Cs2CO3 layer with different UV-Ozone treatment was investigated by scanning electron microscopy operating in the mode for in situ energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectra

Inhibiting Receptor of Advanced Glycation End Products Attenuates Pressure Overload-Induced Cardiac Dysfunction by Preventing Excessive Autophagy

The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is involved in heart failure (HF) by mediating diverse pathologic processes, including the promotion of inflammation and autophagy. However, the role of RAGE in pressure overload-induced HF is not well understood. We found that stimulation of RAGE triggered the death of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs), while cell death was alleviated by ATG5 knockdown. Using transverse aortic constriction (TAC) in mice as a model of pressure overload-induced HF, we demonstrated that RAGE knockout or RAGE blockade attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis as well as cardiac dysfunction at 8 weeks after TAC. Importantly, RAGE knockout reversed upregulation of autophagy related proteins (LC3BII/I and Beclin 1) and reduced cardiomyocyte death, indicating that excessive autophagy after TAC was inhibited. Moreover, RAGE knockout or blockade reduced the upregulation of pp65-NFκB and BNIP3, which mediate autophagy. Taken together, these results suggest that RAGE plays an important role in the progression of HF by regulating autophagy. Therefore, inhibition of the RAGE-autophagy axis could be a promising new strategy for treatment of heart failure

AgentVerse: Facilitating Multi-Agent Collaboration and Exploring Emergent Behaviors in Agents

Autonomous agents empowered by Large Language Models (LLMs) have undergone significant improvements, enabling them to generalize across a broad spectrum of tasks. However, in real-world scenarios, cooperation among individuals is often required to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of task accomplishment. Hence, inspired by human group dynamics, we propose a multi-agent framework \framework that can collaboratively and dynamically adjust its composition as a greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts system. Our experiments demonstrate that \framework framework can effectively deploy multi-agent groups that outperform a single agent. Furthermore, we delve into the emergence of social behaviors among individual agents within a group during collaborative task accomplishment. In view of these behaviors, we discuss some possible strategies to leverage positive ones and mitigate negative ones for improving the collaborative potential of multi-agent groups. Our codes for \framework will soon be released at \url{https://github.com/OpenBMB/AgentVerse}.Comment: Work in progres

Ultraviolet Light Responsive N‐Nitroso Polymers for Antibacterial Nitric Oxide Delivery

AbstractThis study investigates the incorporation of active secondary amine moieties into the polymer backbone by co‐polymerizing 2,4,6‐tris(chloromethyl)‐mesitylene (TCM) with three diamines, namely 1,4‐diaminobutane (DAB), m‐phenylenediamine (MPD), and p‐phenylenediamine (PPD). This process results in the stabilisation of the amine moieties and the subsequently introduced nitroso groups. Charging bioactive nitric oxide (NO) into the polymers is accomplished by converting the amine moieties into N‐nitroso groups. The ability of the polymers to store and release NO depends on their structures, particularly the amounts of incorporated active secondary amines. With grafting photosensitive N‐nitroso groups into the polymers, the derived NO@polymers exhibit photoresponsivity. NO release is completely regulated by adjusting UV light irradiation. These resulting polymeric NO donors demonstrate remarkable bactericidal and bacteriostatic activity, effectively eradicating E. coli bacteria and inhibiting their growth. The findings from this study hold promising implications for combining NO delivery with phototherapy in various medical applications.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserve

Targeting PELP1 Attenuates Angiogenesis and Enhances Chemotherapy Efficiency in Colorectal Cancer

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Excessive angiogenesis is a distinct feature of colorectal cancer (CRC) and plays a pivotal role in tumor development and metastasis. Therefore, it is essential to clarify the underlying mechanism of angiogenesis. In this study, we found that the level of proline-, glutamic acid, and leucine-rich protein 1 (PELP1) was positively correlated with microvessel density (MVD). In vitro and in vivo assays further showed PELP1 regulated angiogenesis via the Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)/Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFA). Notably, we found that inhibition of PELP1 enhanced the efficacy of chemotherapy due to vascular normalization. Thus, targeting of PELP1 may be a potentially therapeutic strategy for CRC. ABSTRACT: Abnormal angiogenesis is one of the important hallmarks of colorectal cancer as well as other solid tumors. Optimally, anti-angiogenesis therapy could restrain malignant angiogenesis to control tumor expansion. PELP1 is as a scaffolding oncogenic protein in a variety of cancer types, but its involvement in angiogenesis is unknown. In this study, PELP1 was found to be abnormally upregulated and highly coincidental with increased MVD in CRC. Further, treatment with conditioned medium (CM) from PELP1 knockdown CRC cells remarkably arrested the function of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) compared to those treated with CM from wildtype cells. Mechanistically, the STAT3/VEGFA axis was found to mediate PELP1-induced angiogenetic phenotypes of HUVECs. Moreover, suppression of PELP1 reduced tumor growth and angiogenesis in vivo accompanied by inactivation of STAT3/VEGFA pathway. Notably, in vivo, PELP1 suppression could enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy, which is caused by the normalization of vessels. Collectively, our findings provide a preclinical proof of concept that targeting PELP1 to decrease STAT3/VEGFA-mediated angiogenesis and improve responses to chemotherapy due to normalization of vessels. Given the newly defined contribution to angiogenesis of PELP1, targeting PELP1 may be a potentially ideal therapeutic strategy for CRC as well as other solid tumors

Low-dose metformin reprograms the tumor immune microenvironment in human esophageal cancer:Results of a phase II clinical trial

PURPOSE: The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) has an important impact on response to cancer immunotherapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors. Specifically, an "infiltrated-excluded"/"cold" TIME is predictive of poor response. The antidiabetic agent metformin may influence anti-cancer immunity in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We analyzed matched pre- and post-treatment ESCC specimens in a phase II clinical trial of low-dose metformin treatment (250 mg/day) to evaluate direct anti-ESCC activity and TIME-reprogramming. Follow-up correlative studies using a carcinogen-induced ESCC mouse model were performed with short-term (1 week) or long-term (12 weeks) low-dose metformin (50 mg/kg/day) treatment. RESULTS: In the clinical trial, low-dose metformin did not affect proliferation or apoptosis in ESCC tumors as assayed by Ki67 and cleaved caspase-3 immunostaining. However, metformin reprogrammed the TIME towards "infiltrated-inflamed" and increased the numbers of infiltrated CD8+ cytotoxic T-lymphocyte and CD20+ B-lymphocyte. Further, an increase in tumor-suppressive (CD11c+) and a decrease in tumor-promoting (CD163+) macrophages were observed. Metformin augmented macrophage-mediated phagocytosis of ESCC cells in vitro. In ESCC mouse model, short-term metformin treatment reprogrammed the TIME in a similar fashion to humans, whereas long-term treatment further shifted the TIME towards an active state (e.g., reduction in CD4+ FoxP3+ Tregs) and inhibited ESCC growth. In both humans and mice, metformin triggered AMPK activation and STAT3 inactivation, and altered the production of effector cytokines (i.e. TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-10) in the immune cells. CONCLUSIONS: Low-dose metformin reprograms the TIME to an activated status and may be a suitable immune response modifier for further investigation in ESCC patients

Neoantigen-based cancer vaccination using chimeric RNA-loaded dendritic cell-derived extracellular vesicles

Cancer vaccines critically rely on the availability of targetable immunogenic cancer-specific neoepitopes. However, mutation-based immunogenic neoantigens are rare or even non-existent in subgroups of cancer types. To address this issue, we exploited a cancer-specific aberrant transcription-induced chimeric RNA, designated A-Pas chiRNA, as a possible source of clinically relevant and targetable neoantigens. A-Pas chiRNA encodes a recently discovered cancer-specific chimeric protein that comprises full-length astrotactin-2 (ASTN2) C-terminally fused in-frame to the antisense sequence of the 18th intron of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPPA). We used extracellular vesicles (EVs) from A-Pas chiRNA-transfected dendritic cells (DCs) to produce the cell-free anticancer vaccine DEXA-P . Treatment of immunocompetent cancer-bearing mice with DEXA-P inhibited tumour growth and prolonged animal survival. In summary, we demonstrate for the first time that cancer-specific transcription-induced chimeric RNAs can be exploited to produce a cell-free cancer vaccine that induces potent CD8+ T cell-mediated anticancer immunity. Our novel approach may be particularly useful for developing cancer vaccines to treat malignancies with low mutational burden or without mutation-based antigens. Moreover, this cell-free anticancer vaccine approach may offer several practical advantages over cell-based vaccines, such as ease of scalability and genetic modifiability as well as enhanced shelf life