82 research outputs found
DRPN: Making CNN Dynamically Handle Scale Variation
Based on our observations of infrared targets, serious scale variation along
within sequence frames has high-frequently occurred. In this paper, we propose
a dynamic re-parameterization network (DRPN) to deal with the scale variation
and balance the detection precision between small targets and large targets in
infrared datasets. DRPN adopts the multiple branches with different sizes of
convolution kernels and the dynamic convolution strategy. Multiple branches
with different sizes of convolution kernels have different sizes of receptive
fields. Dynamic convolution strategy makes DRPN adaptively weight multiple
branches. DRPN can dynamically adjust the receptive field according to the
scale variation of the target. Besides, in order to maintain effective
inference in the test phase, the multi-branch structure is further converted to
a single-branch structure via the re-parameterization technique after training.
Extensive experiments on FLIR, KAIST, and InfraPlane datasets demonstrate the
effectiveness of our proposed DRPN. The experimental results show that
detectors using the proposed DRPN as the basic structure rather than SKNet or
TridentNet obtained the best performances
Dynamic Background Reconstruction via MAE for Infrared Small Target Detection
Infrared small target detection (ISTD) under complex backgrounds is a
difficult problem, for the differences between targets and backgrounds are not
easy to distinguish. Background reconstruction is one of the methods to deal
with this problem. This paper proposes an ISTD method based on background
reconstruction called Dynamic Background Reconstruction (DBR). DBR consists of
three modules: a dynamic shift window module (DSW), a background reconstruction
module (BR), and a detection head (DH). BR takes advantage of Vision
Transformers in reconstructing missing patches and adopts a grid masking
strategy with a masking ratio of 50\% to reconstruct clean backgrounds without
targets. To avoid dividing one target into two neighboring patches, resulting
in reconstructing failure, DSW is performed before input embedding. DSW
calculates offsets, according to which infrared images dynamically shift. To
reduce False Positive (FP) cases caused by regarding reconstruction errors as
targets, DH utilizes a structure of densely connected Transformer to further
improve the detection performance. Experimental results show that DBR achieves
the best F1-score on the two ISTD datasets, MFIRST (64.10\%) and SIRST
(75.01\%)
CompeteAI: Understanding the Competition Behaviors in Large Language Model-based Agents
Large language models (LLMs) have been widely used as agents to complete
different tasks, such as personal assistance or event planning. While most work
has focused on cooperation and collaboration between agents, little work
explores competition, another important mechanism that fosters the development
of society and economy. In this paper, we seek to examine the competition
behaviors in LLM-based agents. We first propose a general framework to study
the competition between agents. Then, we implement a practical competitive
environment using GPT-4 to simulate a virtual town with two types of agents,
including restaurant agents and customer agents. Specifically, restaurant
agents compete with each other to attract more customers, where the competition
fosters them to transform, such as cultivating new operating strategies. The
results of our experiments reveal several interesting findings ranging from
social learning to Matthew Effect, which aligns well with existing sociological
and economic theories. We believe that competition between agents deserves
further investigation to help us understand society better. The code will be
released soon.Comment: Technical report; 21 page
Microstructure and mechanical properties of wire and arc additive manufactured thin wall with low-temperature transformation
Low-temperature transformation (LTT) welding wire was initially developed to mitigate residual stress in the weld. It could also be used for internal stress optimization in Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) process. In this study, a 26 layers LTT wall sample fabricated by using the WAAM technique was investigated. The microstructure of the LTT deposited wall includes elongated cellular martensite and reticular residual austenite. With the accumulation of deposition height, the prior austenite grain size increases, and the volume fraction of residual austenite and the density of dislocations in martensite decreases. According to the model of martensite transformation kinetics, the original austenite grain size is the main reason that affects the austenite fraction. In addition, the presence of a thermal cycle leads to the refinement of the martensitic microstructure and the increase in the boundary density, as well as the elimination of the sub-stable austenitic phase resulting in higher tensile properties in the middle samples than in the top ones. From the current work, it is clear that the unique thermal cycle treatment of WAAM is beneficial in improving the performance of LTT materials.</p
Period2 is associated with immune cell infiltration and is a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker for hepatocellular carcinoma
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) health challenge worldwide. Many studies showed that circadian rhythms play a critical role in tumor development. This study aimed to investigate the role of the circadian gene period2 (PER2) in HCC development and explore the possible mechanisms involved.Methods: From fresh HCC tissues and paired paracancerous tissues, we measured PER2 mRNA and protein expression levels and calculated the correlations between PER2 expression and clinicopathological parameters in patients with HCC. We used transcriptome data from The Cancer Genome Atlas to mine the PER2 gene, including single gene difference analysis, single gene co-expression analysis, gene set enrichment analysis, immune infiltration analysis, and methylation analysis to explore its role and mechanism in HCC occurrence and development.Results: PER2 expression levels were significantly lower in HCC tissues than in the paired paracancerous tissues. PER2 expression in HCC significantly correlated with neural invasion, Child-Pugh classification, and China liver cancer staging stage in HCC patients. The differentially expressed genes associated with PER2 were significantly enriched in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, transcriptional translation, amino acid metabolism, and other related pathways. PER2 expression levels significantly correlated with immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint genes and positively correlated with TP53 expression in HCC tissues. The DNA methylation status in eight CpG islands of the PER2 gene was associated with HCC outcomes.Conclusion: PER2 is a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and a promising therapeutic target in HCC
Electrical Switching of the Edge Current Chirality in Quantum Anomalous Hall Insulators
A quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulator is a topological state of matter, in
which the interior is insulating but electrical current flows along the edges
of the sample, in either clockwise (right-handed) or counter-clockwise
(left-handed) direction dictated by the spontaneous magnetization orientation.
Such chiral edge current (CEC) eliminates any backscattering, giving rise to
quantized Hall resistance and zero longitudinal resistance. In this work, we
fabricate mesoscopic QAH sandwich (i.e. magnetic topological insulator
(TI)/TI/magnetic TI) Hall bar devices and succeed in switching the CEC
chirality in QAH insulators through spin-orbit torque (SOT) by applying a
current pulse and suitably controlled gate voltage. The well-quantized QAH
states with opposite CEC chiralities are demonstrated through four- and
three-terminal measurements before and after SOT switching. Our theoretical
calculations show that the SOT that enables the magnetization switching can be
generated by both bulk and surface carriers in QAH insulators, in good
agreement with experimental observations. Current pulse-induced switching of
the CEC chirality in QAH insulators will not only advance our knowledge in the
interplay between magnetism and topological states but also expedite easy and
instantaneous manipulation of the QAH state in proof-of-concept
energy-efficient electronic and spintronic devices as well as quantum
information applications.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figures, comments are welcom
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Genome-wide association studies and expression-based quantitative trait loci analyses reveal roles of HCT2 in caffeoylquinic acid biosynthesis and its regulation by defense-responsive transcription factors in Populus.
3-O-caffeoylquinic acid, also known as chlorogenic acid (CGA), functions as an intermediate in lignin biosynthesis in the phenylpropanoid pathway. It is widely distributed among numerous plant species and acts as an antioxidant in both plants and animals. Using GC-MS, we discovered consistent and extreme variation in CGA content across a population of 739 4-yr-old Populus trichocarpa accessions. We performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) from 917 P. trichocarpa accessions and expression-based quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analyses to identify key regulators. The GWAS and eQTL analyses resolved an overlapped interval encompassing a hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA:shikimate hydroxycinnamoyl transferase 2 (PtHCT2) that was significantly associated with CGA and partially characterized metabolite abundances. PtHCT2 leaf expression was significantly correlated with CGA abundance and it was regulated by cis-eQTLs containing W-box for WRKY binding. Among all nine PtHCT homologs, PtHCT2 is the only one that responds to infection by the fungal pathogen Sphaerulina musiva (a Populus pathogen). Validation using protoplast-based transient expression system suggests that PtHCT2 is regulated by the defense-responsive WRKY. These results are consistent with reports of CGA functioning as an antioxidant in response to biotic stress. This study provides insights into data-driven and omics-based inference of gene function in woody species
CYP2C19 genotype and platelet aggregation test-guided dual antiplatelet therapy after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: A retrospective cohort study
BackgroundDual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is recommended in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery (OPCAB). Clopidogrel is less effective among patients with loss-of-function (LoF) of CYP2C19 alleles, while ticagrelor has direct effects on P2Y12 receptor. Whether a CYP2C19 genotype plus platelet aggregation test (PAgT)-guided DAPT after CABG could improve clinical outcomes remain uncertain.Materials and methodsFrom August 2019 to December 2020, 1,134 consecutive patients who underwent OPCAB received DAPT for 1 year after surgery in Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. According to the actual treatment they received in real-world, 382 (33.7%) of them received a traditional DAPT: aspirin 100 mg qd + clopidogrel 75 mg qd, no matter the CYP2C19 genotype and response in platelet aggregation test (PAgT). The other 752 (66.3%) patients received an individual DAPT based on CYP2C19 genotype and PAgT: aspirin 100 mg qd + clopidogrel 75 mg qd if CYP2C19 was extensive metabolizer, or moderate metabolizer but normal response in PAgT; aspirin 100 mg qd + ticagrelor 90 mg bid if CYP2C19 was poor metabolizer, or moderate metabolizer but no or low response in PAgT. One-year follow-up was achieved for all patients. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke. The safety outcome was thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) criteria major bleeding.ResultsCompared with the traditional DAPT group, the risk of MACE in the individual DAPT group was significantly lower (5.5 vs. 9.2%, HR 0.583; 95% CI, 0.371–0.915; P = 0.019), mainly due to the decreased risk of MI (1.7 vs. 4.2%, HR 0.407; 95% CI, 0.196–0.846; P = 0.016). The risk of TIMI major bleeding events was similar between the two groups (5.3 vs. 6.0%, RR 0.883; 95% CI, 0.537–1.453; P = 0.626).ConclusionFor patients who underwent OPCAB, individual DAPT (CYP2C19 genotype plus PAgT-guided strategy) was associated with a lower risk of MACE and a similar risk of major bleeding
Chronic itch development in sensory neurons requires BRAF signaling pathways
Chronic itch, or pruritus, is associated with a wide range of skin abnormalities. The mechanisms responsible for chronic itch induction and persistence remain unclear. We developed a mouse model in which a constitutively active form of the serine/threonine kinase BRAF was expressed in neurons gated by the sodium channel Nav1.8 (BRAF(Nav1.8) mice). We found that constitutive BRAF pathway activation in BRAF(Nav1.8) mice results in ectopic and enhanced expression of a cohort of itch-sensing genes, including gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) and MAS-related GPCR member A3 (MRGPRA3), in nociceptors expressing transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). BRAF(Nav1.8) mice showed de novo neuronal responsiveness to pruritogens, enhanced pruriceptor excitability, and heightened evoked and spontaneous scratching behavior. GRP receptor expression was increased in the spinal cord, indicating augmented coding capacity for itch subsequent to amplified pruriceptive inputs. Enhanced GRP expression and sustained ERK phosphorylation were observed in sensory neurons of mice with allergic contact dermatitis– or dry skin–elicited itch; however, spinal ERK activation was not required for maintaining central sensitization of itch. Inhibition of either BRAF or GRP signaling attenuated itch sensation in chronic itch mouse models. These data uncover RAF/MEK/ERK signaling as a key regulator that confers a subset of nociceptors with pruriceptive properties to initiate and maintain long-lasting itch sensation
A New Species and Two New Records of the Lichen Genus <i>Fissurina</i> from China
The lichenized fungal genus Fissurina with mostly slit-like lirellae, belongs to Graphidaceae and is mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. A total of 17 Fissurina species have been reported from China. During a survey of the lichen diversity of southern China, a new species Fissurina wuyinensis K.J. Shi, Z.F. Jia and X. Zhao, sp. nov. was found, which is characterized by a corticolous thallus without detected secondary substances, uncarbonized lirellae, and an exposed disc with pruina, muriform and amyloid ascospores. Furthermore, two new records of F. pseudostromatica, F. subcomparimuralis have been identified by morphological, anatomical, chemical and molecular studies. Phylogenetic analyses of three loci (ITS, nuLSU and mtSSU) supported the position of these species within Fissurina. Detailed morphological descriptions as well as high-resolution photographs of the morphology and anatomy of the three species are provided, as well as a comparison and discussion of the characteristics of similar species. The studied specimens were deposited in the Fungarium of the College of Life Sciences, Liaocheng University (LCUF)
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