System Utterance Generation by Label Propagation over Association Graph of Words and Utterance Patterns for Open-Domain Dialogue Systems

A novel graph-based utterance generation method for open-domain dialogue systems is proposed in this paper. After an association graph of words and utterance patterns from a dialogue corpus is constructed, a label propa-gation algorithm is used for generating system utterances from the words and utterance pat-terns in the association graph that are found to strongly correlate with the words and ut-terance patterns that appeared in previous user utterances. We also propose a crowdsourcing framework for collecting annotated chat data so that we can implement our method in a cost effective manner. Crowdsourcing is also used for conducting subjective evaluations and the results will show that the proposed method can not only provide interesting and informative responses but it also can appropriately expand the topics by comparing them to a well-known chat system in Japanese.

Biallelic C1QBP Mutations Cause Severe Neonatal-, Childhood-, or Later-Onset Cardiomyopathy Associated with Combined Respiratory-Chain Deficiencies

Complement component 1 Q subcomponent-binding protein (C1QBP; also known as p32) is a multi-compartmental protein whose precise function remains unknown. It is an evolutionary conserved multifunctional protein localized primarily in the mitochondrial matrix and has roles in inflammation and infection processes, mitochondrial ribosome biogenesis, and regulation of apoptosis and nuclear transcription. It has an N-terminal mitochondrial targeting peptide that is proteolytically processed after import into the mitochondrial matrix, where it forms a homotrimeric complex organized in a doughnut-shaped structure. Although C1QBP has been reported to exert pleiotropic effects on many cellular processes, we report here four individuals from unrelated families where biallelic mutations in C1QBP cause a defect in mitochondrial energy metabolism. Infants presented with cardiomyopathy accompanied by multisystemic involvement (liver, kidney, and brain), and children and adults presented with myopathy and progressive external ophthalmoplegia. Multiple mitochondrial respiratory-chain defects, associated with the accumulation of multiple deletions of mitochondrial DNA in the later-onset myopathic cases, were identified in all affected individuals. Steady-state C1QBP levels were decreased in all individuals’ samples, leading to combined respiratory-chain enzyme deficiency of complexes I, III, and IV. C1qbp−/− mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) resembled the human disease phenotype by showing multiple defects in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Complementation with wild-type, but not mutagenized, C1qbp restored OXPHOS protein levels and mitochondrial enzyme activities in C1qbp−/− MEFs. C1QBP deficiency represents an important mitochondrial disorder associated with a clinical spectrum ranging from infantile lactic acidosis to childhood (cardio)myopathy and late-onset progressive external ophthalmoplegia

Supramolecular hydrogels with multi-cylindrical lamellar bilayers: Swelling-induced contraction and anisotropic molecular diffusion

Novel, supramolecular, anisotropic hydrogels (called MC-PDGI gels) are presented in this study. These MC-PDGI gels consist of multi-cylindrical lipid bilayers aligned in a uniaxial manner and embedded in a soft hydrogel matrix. The bilayers and the hydrogel interact weakly due to hydrogen bonding. These MC-PDGI gels swell after exposure to water, which causes their volume and diameter to increase while simultaneously causing their length to decrease. This anisotropic swelling-induced contraction behavior is the result of competition between the isotropic elasticity of the hydrogel matrix and the interfacial tension of the lipid bilayers. Moreover, the MC-PDGI gels exhibit unique quasi one-dimensional diffusion behavior owing to the difficulty of molecular penetration through the multi-layered lipid bilayers. These materials would be useful for prolonged drug release or as an actuator. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved