Tracking Objects as Pixel-wise Distributions

Multi-object tracking (MOT) requires detecting and associating objects through frames. Unlike tracking via detected bounding boxes or tracking objects as points, we propose tracking objects as pixel-wise distributions. We instantiate this idea on a transformer-based architecture, P3AFormer, with pixel-wise propagation, prediction, and association. P3AFormer propagates pixel-wise features guided by flow information to pass messages between frames. Furthermore, P3AFormer adopts a meta-architecture to produce multi-scale object feature maps. During inference, a pixel-wise association procedure is proposed to recover object connections through frames based on the pixel-wise prediction. P3AFormer yields 81.2\% in terms of MOTA on the MOT17 benchmark -- the first among all transformer networks to reach 80\% MOTA in literature. P3AFormer also outperforms state-of-the-arts on the MOT20 and KITTI benchmarks.Comment: Accepted in ECCV22 as an oral presentation paper. The code&project page is at https://github.com/dvlab-research/ECCV22-P3AFormer-Tracking-Objects-as-Pixel-wise-Distribution

Evidence that APP gene copy number changes reflect recombinant vector contamination [preprint]

Mutations that occur in cells of the body, called somatic mutations, cause human diseases including cancer and some neurological disorders1. In a recent study published in Nature, Lee et al.2 (hereafter “the Lee study”) reported somatic copy number gains of the APP gene, a known risk locus of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), in the neurons of AD-patients and controls (69% vs 25% of neurons with at least one APP copy gain on average). The authors argue that the mechanism of these copy number gains was somatic integration of APP mRNA into the genome, creating what they called genomic cDNA (gencDNA). We reanalyzed the data from the Lee study, revealing evidence that APP gencDNA originates mainly from contamination by exogenous APP recombinant vectors, rather from true somatic retrotransposition of endogenous APP. Our reanalysis of two recent whole exome sequencing (WES) datasets—one by the authors of the Lee study3 and the other by Park et al.4—revealed that reads claimed to support APP gencDNA in AD samples resulted from contamination by PCR products and mRNA, respectively. Lastly, we present our own single-cell whole genome sequencing (scWGS) data that show no evidence for somatic APP retrotransposition in AD neurons or in neurons from normal individuals of various ages

Comparison of the effects of different percentages of soy protein in the diet on patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy: systematic reviews and network meta-analysis

BackgroundDietary soy protein (SP) is a potential intervention for protecting the kidneys and improving glucose and lipid metabolism. However, whether this effect is related to the percentage of SP intake remains unclear.ObjectiveThis study aims to review and analyze the results of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy (T2DN) who received diets with different percentages of SP.MethodsThe databases: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (CBM), WanFang, Weipu (VIP), and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched until February 2023, for RCTs on T2DN and SP.ResultsA total of six studies comprising 116 participants were included. The interventions were classified as 0% SP, 35% SP, and 100% SP. To improve serum creatinine (Scr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), 24-h urine total protein (24hUTP), and glomerular filtration rate (GFR), a 35% SP diet was the most effective, compared to a 0% SP diet, which showed a mean difference of −154.00 (95% confidence interval: −266.69, −41.31) for 24hUTP. Although it had significant benefits for 24hUTP, great heterogeneity was observed. To improve the glycolipid metabolism-related markers such as cholesterol (CHO), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), fasting blood glucose (FPG), and weight, the 35% SP diet demonstrated superior efficacy compared to the 0% SP diet. Specifically, the mean difference for CHO was −0.55 (95% confidence interval: −1.08, −0.03), and for LDL-C, it was −17.71 (95% confidence interval: −39.67, −4.24). The other indicators were not statistically significant. Most studies had concerns regarding the risk of bias.ConclusionThe findings of this study demonstrate that both 35% and 100% SP diets are more effective than a diet with no SP in improving renal function and glucolipid metabolism in patients with T2DN. As a result, a diet incorporating 35% SP may be the optimal choice for individuals with T2DN.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=352638, identifier CRD42022352638

Disruption of RFX family transcription factors causes autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disability, and dysregulated behavior

Purpose We describe a novel neurobehavioral phenotype of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability, and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) associated with de novo or inherited deleterious variants in members of the RFX family of genes. RFX genes are evolutionarily conserved transcription factors that act as master regulators of central nervous system development and ciliogenesis. Methods We assembled a cohort of 38 individuals (from 33 unrelated families) with de novo variants in RFX3, RFX4, and RFX7. We describe their common clinical phenotypes and present bioinformatic analyses of expression patterns and downstream targets of these genes as they relate to other neurodevelopmental risk genes. Results These individuals share neurobehavioral features including ASD, intellectual disability, and/or ADHD; other frequent features include hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli and sleep problems. RFX3, RFX4, and RFX7 are strongly expressed in developing and adult human brain, and X-box binding motifs as well as RFX ChIP-seq peaks are enriched in the cis-regulatory regions of known ASD risk genes. Conclusion These results establish a likely role of deleterious variation in RFX3, RFX4, and RFX7 in cases of monogenic intellectual disability, ADHD and ASD, and position these genes as potentially critical transcriptional regulators of neurobiological pathways associated with neurodevelopmental disease pathogenesis

Triple-Scale Structured, Superhydrophobic and Highly Oleophobic Surfaces

We prepared triple-scale structured, superhydrophobic films via a layer-by-layer particle deposition approach: large silica particles (1.2 μm in diameter) were first partially embedded in an epoxy matrix, followed by electrostatic deposition of medium (180 nm) and small (20 nm) particles. Mechanical robustness of the triple-scale structured coating was enhanced by SiCl4-based cross-linking between silica particles. After chemical modification with a perfluoroalkyl silane, the triple-scale structured surface was turned superhydrophobic, on which the contact angle (CA) and roll-off angle were 167 ± 3° and [similar]1° for 10 μL water droplets, and 171 ± 1° and 6 ± 2° for 1 μL water droplets, respectively. The triple-scale surface roughness was especially effective in achieving low roll-off angles for small droplets. The triple-scale structure demonstrated much higher stability for the non-wetting Cassie state for water over a dual-scale structure, as experimentally verified by a compression test. In addition, the triple-scale structured surface was also highly oleophobic, as evidenced by high CAs for hexadecane (134 ± 3°) and ethanol–water mixtures (advancing CA above 150° when the surface tension was greater than 35 mN m−1)

Highly efficient and air-stable Eu(II)-containing azacryptates ready for organic light-emitting diodes

Though divalent-europium-based complexes are promising materials for next-generation light-emitting devices, their poor air stability limits their applicability. Here, the authors report the design of air stable divalent-europium-based complexes for efficient organic light-emitting diodes