Live Programming Environment for Deep Learning with Instant and Editable Neural Network Visualization

Artificial intelligence (AI) such as deep learning has achieved significant success in a variety of application domains. Several visualization techniques have been proposed for understanding the overall behavior of the neural network defined by deep learning code. However, they show visualization only after the code or network definition is written and it remains complicated and unfriendly for newbies to build deep neural network models on a code editor. In this paper, to help user better understand the behavior of networks, we augment a code editor with instant and editable visualization of network model, inspired by live programming which provides continuous feedback to the programmer

The Effect of Virtual Team Characteristics in Co-creation on the Quality of UGC Videos

Co-creation is a newly emerging video production method on the UGC video platform. Based on the transactive memory systems and social capital theory, this paper describes the characteristics of the virtual team formed in the co-creation, and further explores the influence of virtual team characteristics and member characteristics on video quality. This paper collects 49,785 Bilibili co-creation video data, and uses natural language processing methods and quantitative analysis methods to carry out empirical research. The study found that the specialization of virtual teams has an inverted U-shaped impact on video quality, while coordination has a positive impact and credibility has a negative impact. Additionally, the trendiness and fame of team members can enhance the inverted U-shaped impact of specialization, and fame also enhance the impact of coordination. The research results provide theoretical support for creators and managers to optimize the co-creation mode on UGC platforms

DualMotion: Global-to-Local Casual Motion Design for Character Animations

Animating 3D characters using motion capture data requires basic expertise and manual labor. To support the creativity of animation design and make it easier for common users, we present a sketch-based interface DualMotion, with rough sketches as input for designing daily-life animations of characters, such as walking and jumping.Our approach enables to combine global motions of lower limbs and the local motion of the upper limbs in a database by utilizing a two-stage design strategy. Users are allowed to design a motion by starting with drawing a rough trajectory of a body/lower limb movement in the global design stage. The upper limb motions are then designed by drawing several more relative motion trajectories in the local design stage. We conduct a user study and verify the effectiveness and convenience of the proposed system in creative activities.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, under submission, video is here https://youtu.be/-tk8q8LSiL

Effect of Dietary Phytase Transgenic Corn on Physiological Characteristics and the Fate of Recombinant Plant DNA in Laying Hens

The study aimed to evaluate the potential effects of feeding with phytase transgenic corn (PTC) on organ weight, serum biochemical parameters and nutrient digestibility, and to determine the fate of the transgenic DNA in laying hens. A total of 144 50-week-old laying hens were grouped randomly into 2 treatments, with 8 replicates per treatment and 9 hens per replicate. Each treatment group of hens was fed with diets containing 62.4% non-transgenic conventional corn (CC) or PTC for 16 weeks. The phytase activity for CC was 37 FTU/kg of DM, whereas the phytase activity for PTC was 8,980 FTU/kg of DM. We observed that feeding PTC to laying hens had no adverse effect on organ weight or serum biochemical parameters (p>0.05). A fragment of a poultry-specific ovalbumin gene (ov) was amplified from all tissues of hens showing that the DNA preparations were amenable to PCR amplification. Neither the corn-specific invertase gene (ivr) nor the transgenic phyA2 gene was detected in the breast muscle, leg muscle, ovary, oviduct and eggs. The digestibility data revealed no significant differences between the hens that received the CC- and PTC-based diets in the digestibility of DM, energy, nitrogen and calcium (p>0.05). Phosphorus digestibility of hens fed the PTC-based diet was greater than that of hens fed the CC-based diet (58.03% vs 47.42%, p<0.01). Based on these results, it was concluded that the PTC had no deleterious effects on the organ weight or serum biochemical parameters of the laying hens. No recombinant phyA2 gene was detected in muscle tissues and reproductive organs of laying hens. The novel plant phytase was efficacious in improving the phosphorus digestibility of laying hens

Chronic Alcohol Causes Alteration of Lipidome Profiling in Brain

Much efforts have been tried to clarify the molecular mechanism of alcohol-induced brain damage from the perspective of genome and protein; however, the effect of chronic alcohol exposure on global lipid profiling of brain is unclear. In the present study, by using Q-TOF/MS-based lipidomics approach, we investigated the comprehensive lipidome profiling of brain from the rats orally administrated with alcohol daily, continuously for one year. Through systematically analysis of all lipids in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and striatum region, we found that long-term alcohol exposure profoundly modified brain lipidome profiling. Notably, three kinds of lipid classes, glycerophospholipid (GP), glycerolipid (GL) and fatty acyls (FA), were significantly increased in these two brain regions. Interestingly, most of the modified lipids were involved in synthetic pathways of endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which may result in ER stress-related metabolic disruption. Moreover, alcohol-modified lipid species displayed long length of carbon chain with high degree of unsaturation. Taken together, our results firstly present that chronic alcohol exposure markedly modifies brain lipidomic profiling, which may activate ER stress and eventually result in neurotoxicity. These findings provide a new insight into the mechanism of alcohol-related brain damage.Peer reviewe

Operation Loop-Based Optimization Model for Resource Allocation to Military Countermeasures versus Probabilistic Threat

Weapons development planning is an unstructured and complex multi-criteria decision-making problem, especially in antagonistic environments. In this paper, the defender’s decision was modelled as a high complexity non-linear optimization problem with limited resources. An operation loop with realistic link rules was first proposed to model the cooperation relationships among weapons in the defense system. The system dynamics principle was used to characterize the dynamic behavior of the nodes in a complex weapons network. Then, we used cumulative threat and development risk to measure different planning solutions by considering the opponent and uncertainties in the development process. Next, an improved Differential Evolution (DE) and Non-Dominated Sorting Differential Evolution (NSDE) were designed to determine the optimal planning solutions for a single objective and multi-objective. The compromise solution, based on the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), was used to evaluate the Pareto solution set of the multi-objective. Finally, an illustrative case was studied to verify the feasibility and validity of the proposed model

Design and Construction Method of High-low Span Cross Support System for Frame Structures

Taking a high-rise frame-shear wall structure project in Jilin Province as an example, combined with current specifications, standards, and regulations, this paper proposes the design and construction method of the scaffold support system for the high-low span and high formwork between the basement and the main structure；In the construction, the side formwork of the high-low span beam adopts the method of suspending formwork, and the combination of fixing support and drawing bolts on both sides. The floor slab is poured first, followed by the high-low span, and the pouring is carried out in layers and sections, ensuring the quality of the project and shortening the construction period. After construction verification, the various acceptance values are better than the current engineering acceptance evaluation standard values, and it is safe and reliable. This provides a reference for the design and construction of similar high-low span and high-formwork projects in frame structures

Design of a Liquid‐Driven Laser Scanner with Low Voltage Based on Liquid‐Infused Membrane

Laser energy is commonly used in tissue ablation, wound suturing, and other precise manipulations during surgery. However, currently available laser scanners require further improvements in terms of miniaturization, driving voltage, and stability to steer the laser beam accurately within a constrained environment. Herein, the development of a liquid‐driven laser scanner installed on the end effector of a continuum endoscope to perform fast and reliable laser steering is proposed. The developed laser scanner is 7 mm in diameter and 7 mm in length, and it is actuated with a voltage lower than 15 V due to the liquid‐infused membrane. The miniature size and low driving voltage of the proposed laser scanner facilitate safe laser‐assisted surgery in confined spaces. A theoretical model is established to predict laser spot position quantitatively, and laser steering ability is also tested experimentally. The fiber‐delivered laser beam can be steered for 21.2° (±10.6°) with a standard deviation of 0.3° in 1000 cycles, demonstrating excellent stability. A laser steering speed of up to 27.3 mm s−1 and a reflection loss of less than 3.1% are achieved