DualVD: An Adaptive Dual Encoding Model for Deep Visual Understanding in Visual Dialogue

Different from Visual Question Answering task that requires to answer only one question about an image, Visual Dialogue involves multiple questions which cover a broad range of visual content that could be related to any objects, relationships or semantics. The key challenge in Visual Dialogue task is thus to learn a more comprehensive and semantic-rich image representation which may have adaptive attentions on the image for variant questions. In this research, we propose a novel model to depict an image from both visual and semantic perspectives. Specifically, the visual view helps capture the appearance-level information, including objects and their relationships, while the semantic view enables the agent to understand high-level visual semantics from the whole image to the local regions. Futhermore, on top of such multi-view image features, we propose a feature selection framework which is able to adaptively capture question-relevant information hierarchically in fine-grained level. The proposed method achieved state-of-the-art results on benchmark Visual Dialogue datasets. More importantly, we can tell which modality (visual or semantic) has more contribution in answering the current question by visualizing the gate values. It gives us insights in understanding of human cognition in Visual Dialogue.Comment: Accepted by the Thirty-Fourth AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI-2020

Human airway organoids as 3D in vitro models for a toxicity assessment of emerging inhaled pollutants: Tire wear particles

Three-dimensional (3D) structured organoids have become increasingly promising and effective in vitro models, and there is an urgent need for reliable models to assess health effects of inhaled pollutants on the human airway. In our study, we conducted a toxicity assessment of human airway organoids (hAOs) for tire wear particles (TWPs) as an emerging inhaled pollutant. We induced primary human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) to generated human airway organoids, which recapitulated the key features of human airway epithelial cells including basal cells, ciliated cells, goblet cells, and club cells. TWPs generated from the wearing of tire treads were considered a major source of emerging inhaled road traffic-derived non-exhaust particles, but their health effect on the lungs is poorly understood. We used human airway organoids to assess the toxicology of tire wear particles on the human airway. In an exposure study, the inhibitory effect of TWPs on the growth of human airway organoids was observed. TWPs induced significant cell apoptosis and oxidative stress in a dose-dependent manner. From the qPCR analysis, TWPs significantly up-regulated the expression pf genes involved in the inflammation response. Additionally, the exposure of TWPs reduced SCGB1A1 gene expression associated with the function of the club cell and KRT5 gene expression related to the function of basal cells. In conclusion, this was first study using human airway organoids for a toxicological assessment of TWPs, and our findings revealed that human airway organoids provide an evaluation model of inhaled pollutants potentially affecting the lungs

Obstructive sleep apnea affects lacrimal gland function

Purpose: To determine the effect of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) on lacrimal gland function and its mechanism. Methods: Male mice aged seven to eight weeks were housed in cages with cyclic intermittent hypoxia to mimic OSA, and the control group was kept in a normal environment. Slit-lamp observation, fluorescein staining, and corneal sensitivity detection are used to assess cornea changes. Tear secretion was detected by phenol red cotton thread, and the pathological changes of lacrimal gland were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining, oil red O staining, cholesterol and triglyceride kits, immunofluorescence staining, immunohistochemical staining, real-time polymerase chain reaction, transmission electron microscopy, and Western blot. Results: Studies revealed a decreased tear secretion, corneal epithelial defects and corneal hypersensitivity. Myoepithelial cell damage, abnormal lipid accumulation, reduced cell proliferation, increased apoptosis and inflammatory cell infiltration in the lacrimal gland were also seen. Hifα and NF-κB signaling pathways, moreover, were activated, while Pparα was downregulated, in the lacrimal glands of OSA mice. Fenofibrate treatment significantly alleviated pathological changes of the lacrimal gland induced by OSA. Conclusion: OSA disturbs the Hifα/Pparα/NF-κB signaling axis, which affects lacrimal gland structure and function and induces dry eye

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Evaluation of Treatment Effect Modification by Post-randomization Biomarker-defined Principal Strata with Application to Vaccine Efficacy Trials

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2017In vaccine studies, investigators are often interested in studying effect modifiers of clinical treatment efficacy by biomarker-based principal strata, which is useful for selecting biomarker study endpoints for evaluating treatments in new trials, exploring biological mechanisms of clinical treatment efficacy, and studying mediators of treatment efficacy. Such post-randomization effect modification research has been referred to as principal surrogate evaluation. Towards this goal, many methods have been developed for a two-phase sampling design, motivated by trials in HIV vaccine research. However, new challenges have arisen in Dengue vaccine efficacy trials, including pre-trial disease exposure and long time span between baseline and when post vaccination antibody neutralization titers are measured. Motivated by these challenges, my dissertation research aims at addressing some limitations of existing literature and developing new methods for principal stratification effect modification analysis to accommodate broader vaccine efficacy trial designs

Crustacean zooplankton community in relation to physicochemical factors and phytoplankton of 13 waterbodies located in the Yangtze River delta

The relationship between crustacean zooplankton community and environmental factors remains a hot topic in eutrophication bio-monitoring subject. Most water bodies in the Yangtze River delta are mesotrophic/eutrophic, which has attracted much attention from ecologists. Nevertheless, previous studies on crustacean zooplankton community in this region only focused on their relation to physicochemical factors excluding phytoplankton. In this study, the crustacean zooplankton abundance and environmental factors (physicochemical factors and phytoplankton abundance) were investigated in Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter in 13 waterbodies (8 lakes and 5 reservoirs) located in the Yangtze River delta. Results showed that NO2−–N and TN in Spring, SD and TP in Summer had significant difference (P < 0.05) between 8 lakes and 5 reservoirs. That may be related to microbial communities and macrophytes. All 13 studied water bodies were dominated by cyanophyta, whose Microcystis may determine the dominance of Bosmina fatalis. Moreover, eutrophic level should be in relation to the significant difference of plankton between 8 lakes and 5 reservoirs. Finally, five factors (cyanophyta, SD, WT, pH and DO) were significantly correlated with crustacean zooplankton abundance. That indicated the metabolism, reproduction, development and competitors of crustacean zooplankton were affected by these five factors. This research provided basic data of the 13 water bodies and studied the relationship between zooplankton and physicochemical factors as well as phytoplankton, providing scientific basis for the monitoring of eutrophic waterbodies located in the Yangtze river delta.NO2−–N and TN in Spring, SD and TP in Summer had significant difference between 8 lakes and 5 reservoirs located in the Yangtze River delta (P < 0.05). All 13 studied water bodies were dominated by cyanophyta, whose Microcystis may determine the dominance of Bosmina fatalis. Eutrophic level should be in relation to the significant difference of plankton between 8 lakes and 5 reservoirs (P < 0.05). Five factors (cyanophyta, SD, WT, pH and DO) were significantly correlated with crustacean zooplankton abundance (P < 0.05). This research provided basic data of the 13 water bodies and studied the relationship between zooplankton and physicochemical factors as well as phytoplankton, providing scientific basis for the monitoring of eutrophic waterbodies located in the Yangtze river delta

Diversity of the Bosmina (Cladocera: Bosminidae) in China, revealed by analysis of two genetic markers (mtDNA 16S and a nuclear ITS)

Abstract Background China is an important biogeographical zone in which the genetic legacies of the Tertiary and Quaternary periods are abundant, and the contemporary geography environment plays an important role in species distribution. Therefore, many biogeographical studies have focused on the organisms of the region, especially zooplankton, which is essential in the formation of biogeographical principles. Moreover, the generality of endemism also reinforces the need for detailed regional studies of zooplankton. Bosmina, a group of cosmopolitan zooplankton, is difficult to identify by morphology, and no genetic data are available to date to assess this species complex in China. In this study, 48 waterbodies were sampled covering a large geographical and ecological range in China, the goal of this research is to explore the species distribution of Bosmina across China and to reveal the genetic information of this species complex, based on two genetic markers (a mtDNA 16S and a nuclear ITS). The diversity of taxa in the Bosmina across China was investigated using molecular tools for the first time. Results Two main species were detected in 35 waterbodies: an endemic east Asia B. fatalis, and the B. longirostris that has a Holarctic distribution. B. fatalis had lower genetic polymorphism and population differentiation than B. longirostris. B. fatalis was preponderant in central and eastern China, whereas B. longirostris was dominated in western China. The third lineage (B. hagmanni) was only detected in a reservoir (CJR) of eastern China (Guangdong province). Bosmina had limited distribution on the Tibetan plateau. Conclusions This study revealed that the biogeography of Bosmina appear to be affected by historical events (Pleistocene glaciations) and contemporary environment (such as altitude, eutrophication and isolated habitat)

The Global, Regional, and National Burdens of Cervical Cancer Attributable to Smoking From 1990 to 2019: Population-Based Study

BackgroundCervical cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Smoking is one of the risk factors for cervical cancer. Understanding the global distribution of the disease burden of cervical cancer attributable to smoking and related changes is of clear significance for the prevention and control of cervical cancer in key populations and for tobacco control. As far as we know, research on the burden of cervical cancer attributable to smoking is lacking. ObjectiveWe estimated the disease burden and mortality of cervical cancer attributable to smoking and related trends over time at the global, regional, and national levels. MethodsData were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease study website. Age-standardized rates were used to facilitate comparisons of mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) at different levels. The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was used to assess trends in the age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) and the age-standardized DALY rate (ASDR). A Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate correlations between the sociodemographic index and the age-standardized rates. ResultsIn 2019, there were 30,136.65 (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 14,945.09-49,639.87) cervical cancer–related deaths and 893,735.25 (95% UI 469,201.51-1,440,050.85) cervical cancer–related DALYs attributable to smoking. From 1990 to 2019, the global burden of cervical cancer attributable to smoking showed a decreasing trend around the world; the EAPCs for ASMR and ASDR were –2.11 (95% CI –2.16 to –2.06) and –2.22 (95% CI –2.26 to –2.18), respectively. In terms of age characteristics, in 2019, an upward trend was observed for age in the mortality of cervical cancer attributable to smoking. Analysis of the trend in DALYs with age revealed an initially increasing and then decreasing trend. From 1990 to 2019, the burden of disease in different age groups showed a downward trend. Among 204 countries, 180 countries showed downward trends, 10 countries showed upward trends, and the burden was stable in 14 countries. The Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between sociodemographic index and the age-standardized rates of cervical cancer attributable to smoking (ρ=–0.228, P<.001 for ASMR and ρ=–0.223, P<.001 for ASDR). ConclusionsAn increase over time in the absolute number of cervical cancer deaths and DALYs attributable to smoking and a decrease over time in the ASMR and ASDR for cervical cancer attributable to smoking were observed in the overall population, and differences in these variables were also observed between countries and regions. More attention should be paid to cervical cancer prevention and screening in women who smoke, especially in low- and middle-income countries