Propheter: Prophetic Teacher Guided Long-Tailed Distribution Learning

The problem of deep long-tailed learning, a prevalent challenge in the realm of generic visual recognition, persists in a multitude of real-world applications. To tackle the heavily-skewed dataset issue in long-tailed classification, prior efforts have sought to augment existing deep models with the elaborate class-balancing strategies, such as class rebalancing, data augmentation, and module improvement. Despite the encouraging performance, the limited class knowledge of the tailed classes in the training dataset still bottlenecks the performance of the existing deep models. In this paper, we propose an innovative long-tailed learning paradigm that breaks the bottleneck by guiding the learning of deep networks with external prior knowledge. This is specifically achieved by devising an elaborated ``prophetic'' teacher, termed as ``Propheter'', that aims to learn the potential class distributions. The target long-tailed prediction model is then optimized under the instruction of the well-trained ``Propheter'', such that the distributions of different classes are as distinguishable as possible from each other. Experiments on eight long-tailed benchmarks across three architectures demonstrate that the proposed prophetic paradigm acts as a promising solution to the challenge of limited class knowledge in long-tailed datasets. Our code and model can be found in the supplementary material

Pathologic complete response of hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach after chemo-immunotherapy: A rare case report and literature review

BackgroundHepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach (HAS) is a highly malignant subtype of gastric carcinoma with specific clinicopathological features and extremely poor prognosis. We present an exceedingly rare case of complete response after chemo-immunotherapy.Case DescriptionA 48-year-old woman with highly elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level was found to have HAS verified by pathological examination based on gastroscopy. Computed tomography scan was done and TNM staging of the tumor was T4aN3aMx. Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) immunohistochemistry was performed, revealing a negative PD-L1 expression. Chemo-immunotherapy including oxaliplatin plus S-1 and PD-1 inhibitor terelizumab was given to this patient for 2 months until the serum AFP level decreased from 748.5 to 12.9 ng/mL and the tumor shrank. D2 radical gastrectomy was then performed and histopathology of the resected specimen revealed that the cancerous cells had disappeared. Pathologic complete response (pCR) was achieved and no evidence of recurrence has been found after 1 year of follow-up.ConclusionsWe, for the first time, reported an HAS patient with negative PD-L1 expression who achieved pCR from the combined chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Although no consensus has been reached regarding the therapy, it might provide a potential effective management strategy for HAS patient

Seismic metamaterial surface for broadband Rayleigh waves attenuation

Elastic metamaterials (EMMs) have been widely studied owing to their advantages in controlling the propagation of elastic waves. In the past decade, considerable efforts have been made to attenuate Rayleigh waves using EMMs. However, the complex nonlinear behaviour of soil renders the realisation of existing EMMs challenging in practical engineering. To overcome this limitation, we present a new seismic metamaterial surface (SMMS) to isolate Rayleigh waves over a broad frequency range of 3.2–19.2 Hz. First, we discuss the propagation velocity of Rayleigh waves in EMMs and determine a reasonable design range for the effective dynamic material properties of the SMMS for seismic surface wave attenuation. Then, we construct a unit cell and demonstrate that these properties, both in band gaps and negative bands, lie within this specified design range. The negative bands are initially introduced into Rayleigh wave mitigation. Finally, a new type of SMMS is presented and validated using numerical results and scaled experiments. The results show that the vertical deformation on the surface can be decreased by more than 96 %. The findings reported here open new avenues for protecting engineering structures from low-frequency seismic vibrations

The Potential Influence of Tree Crown Structure on the Ginkgo Harvest

Ginkgo biloba L. has significant health benefits and considerable economic value, but harvesting the fruit is highly labor-intensive. Mechanical vibration harvesting has been shown effective in harvesting various fruit types. In the study of vibration harvesting, the research on the vibration characteristics of fruit trees focuses on the natural frequency (resonance frequency), model, and damping coefficient, which are the main factors affecting the vibration characteristics of trees. But field harvesting experiments have shown that the tree structure may have an impact on the vibration characteristics of the fruit tree and the efficiency of mechanical harvesting. In addition, the research on the damping coefficient of fruit trees is mainly low-frequency damping, and the relevant results cannot be applied to the actual vibration harvesting frequency range. Applying a natural frequency with low damping coefficient to excite a tree can reduce additional energy dissipation. This study explored the influence of ginkgo crown structure on the vibration characteristics and the law of damping changes with frequency. After counting 273 ginkgo trees, two typical ginkgo crown structures, monopodial branching and sympodial branching, were selected to be analyzed for vibration spectrum and damping coefficient. The vibration models for different crown-shaped ginkgo trees were simulated to analyze the vibration state at different frequencies. For sympodial branching ginkgo trees, the consistency of natural frequencies at different branches was better than monopodial branching ginkgo trees. The finite element model analysis shows that monopodial branching ginkgo trees have mainly partial vibrations at different branches when vibrating at high frequencies. The high-frequency vibrations in sympodial branching reflect the better overall vibration of the canopy. The damping coefficients for the two crown types decreased with the increase in frequency. The monopodial branching damping coefficient was 0.0148–0.0298, and the sympodial branching damping coefficient was slightly smaller at 0.0139–0.0248. Based on the test results, the sympodial branching ginkgo tree has better vibration characteristics. The results indicate that controlling the crown structure of fruit trees to be sympodial branching by pruning may help improve the overall vibration characteristics of fruit trees

The vibrational response of simulated Ginkgo biloba fruit based on their frequency spectrum characteristics.

The most effective method for harvesting forest fruit is the mechanical vibration harvesting method. During the forced vibration process, the fruit will be shed from the tree when the inertia of the fruit is greater than the fruit's pedicel retention force. In order to study the movement response characteristics of the Ginkgo biloba fruit in depth, for a small Ginkgo biloba fruit tree, the frequency curve of the fruit tree had been obtained in this paper, based on the pulse hammer excitation method, and four resonant frequencies and four trough point frequencies, in the frequency range of 10 Hz~25 Hz, were determined as the test excitation frequency. Through a comparison test between the simulated fruit and the Ginkgo biloba fruit, both the simulated fruit and the real Ginkgo biloba fruit demonstrated good response consistency, and the results had shown that the simulated fruit could be used to replace the Ginkgo biloba fruit. The acceleration response of the resonant frequency and the trough point frequency for two test points of the two primary branches had also been analyzed. It was found that the resonant frequency caused an obvious harmonic response. For the same frequency, the fruit at some points produced a very strong vibrational response, while at other points the fruit was almost stationary. Therefore, it was difficult for a fruit tree to completely shed all its fruit through excitation at a single frequency. It was more difficult to induce a strong vibrational response of fruit on branches of higher stiffness. On the contrary, it was easier to induce a strong vibrational response on more flexible branches regardless of the resonant frequency or the trough point frequency excitation

Barriers and Implications of 5G Technology Adoption for Hospitals in Western China: Integrated Interpretive Structural Modeling and Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory Analysis

Background5G technology is gaining traction in Chinese hospitals for its potential to enhance patient care and internal management. However, various barriers hinder its implementation in clinical settings, and studies on their relevance and importance are scarce. ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify critical barriers hampering the effective implementation of 5G in hospitals in Western China, to identify interaction relationships and priorities of the above-identified barriers, and to assess the intensity of the relationships and cause-and-effect relations between the adoption barriers. MethodsThis paper uses the Delphi expert consultation method to determine key barriers to 5G adoption in Western China hospitals, the interpretive structural modeling to uncover interaction relationships and priorities, and the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method to reveal cause-and-effect relationships and their intensity levels. ResultsIn total, 14 barriers were determined by literature review and the Delphi method. Among these, “lack of policies on ethics, rights, and responsibilities in core health care scenarios” emerged as the fundamental influencing factor in the entire system, as it was the only factor at the bottom level of the interpretive structural model. Overall, 8 barriers were classified as the “cause group,” and 6 as the “effect group” by the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method. “High expense” and “organizational barriers within hospitals” were determined as the most significant driving barrier (the highest R–C value of 1.361) and the most critical barrier (the highest R+C value of 4.317), respectively. ConclusionsPromoting the integration of 5G in hospitals in Western China faces multiple complex and interrelated barriers. The study provides valuable quantitative evidence and a comprehensive approach for regulatory authorities, hospitals, and telecom operators, helping them develop strategic pathways for promoting widespread 5G adoption in health care. It is suggested that the stakeholders cooperate to explore and solve the problems in the 5G medical care era, aiming to achieve the coverage of 5G medical care across the country. To our best knowledge, this study is the first academic exploration systematically analyzing factors resisting 5G integration in Chinese hospitals, and it may give subsequent researchers a solid foundation for further studying the application and development of 5G in health care

Extension of the Improved Bounce-Back Scheme for Electrokinetic Flow in the Lattice Boltzmann Method

In this paper, an improved bounce-back boundary treatment for fluid systems in the lattice Boltzmann method [Yin, X.; Zhang J. J. Comput. Phys. 2012, 231, 4295–4303] is extended to handle the electrokinetic flows with complex boundary shapes and conditions. Several numerical simulations are performed to validate the electric boundary treatment. Simulations are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and capability of this method in dealing with complex surface potential situations, and simulated results are compared with analytical predictions with excellent agreement. This method could be useful for electrokinetic simulations with complex boundaries, and can also be readily extended to other phenomena and processes

Natural Dibenzo-α-Pyrones and Their Bioactivities

Natural dibenzo-α-pyrones are an important group of metabolites derived from fungi, mycobionts, plants and animal feces. They exhibit a variety of biological activities such as toxicity on human and animals, phytotoxicity as well as cytotoxic, antioxidant, antiallergic, antimicrobial, antinematodal, and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory properties. Dibenzo-α-pyrones are biosynthesized via the polyketide pathway in microorganisms or metabolized from plant-derived ellagitannins and ellagic acid by intestinal bacteria. At least 53 dibenzo-α-pyrones have been reported in the past few decades. This mini-review aims to briefly summarize the occurrence, biosynthesis, biotransformation, as well as their biological activities and functions. Some considerations related to synthesis, production and applications of dibenzo-α-pyrones are also discussed

Bone Marrow‐Derived GCA+ Immune Cells Drive Alzheimer's Disease Progression

Abstract Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age‐related degenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS), whereas the role of bone marrow immune cells in the pathogenesis of AD remains unclear. Here, the study reveals that compared to matched healthy individuals, AD patients have higher circulating grancalcin (GCA) levels, which negatively correlate with cognitive function. Bone marrow‐derived GCA+ immune cells, which secret abundant GCA and increase during aging, preferentially invaded the hippocampus and cortex of AD mouse model in a C‐C Motif Chemokine Receptor 10 (CCR10)‐dependent manner. Transplanting GCA+ immune cells or direct stereotaxic injection of recombinant GCA protein intensified amyloid plaque load and aggravated cognitive and memory impairments. In contrast, genetic ablation of GCA in the hematopoietic compartment improves cognitive and memory function. Mechanistically, GCA competitively binds to the low‐density lipoprotein receptor‐related protein 1 (LRP1) in microglia, thus inhibiting phagocytosis and clearance of Aβ and potentiating neuropathological changes. Importantly, GCA‐neutralizing antibody treatment rejuvenated cognitive and memory function and constrained AD progression. Together, the study demonstrates a pathological role of GCA+ immune cells instigating cognitive and memory decline, suggesting that GCA+ immune cells can be a potential target for innovative therapeutic strategies in AD

Alternariol 9-methyl ether from the endophytic fungus Alternaria sp. Samif01 and its bioactivities

Abstract One bioactive compound, identified as alternariol 9-methyl ether, was isolated from the crude extract of the endophytic fungus Alternaria sp. Samif01 residing in the roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. Alternariol 9-methyl ether was active against bacteria with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 25 to 75 µg/mL and median inhibitory concentration (IC50) values ranging from 16.00 to 38.27 µg/mL. The IC50 value of alternariol 9-methyl ether against spore germination of Magnaporthe oryzae was 87.18 µg/mL. Alternariol 9-methyl ether also showed antinematodal activity against Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and Caenorhabditis elegans with IC50 values of 98.17 µg/mL and 74.62 µg/mL, respectively. This work is the first report on alternariol 9-methyl ether and its biological activities from the endophytic fungus Alternaria sp. Samif01 derived from S. miltiorrhiza Bunge. The results indicate the potential of Alternaria sp. Samif01 as a source of alternariol 9-methyl ether and also support that alternariol 9-methyl ether is a natural compound with high potential bioactivity against microorganisms