Semantic2Graph: Graph-based Multi-modal Feature for Action Segmentation in Videos

Video action segmentation and recognition tasks have been widely applied in many fields. Most previous studies employ large-scale, high computational visual models to understand videos comprehensively. However, few studies directly employ the graph model to reason about the video. The graph model provides the benefits of fewer parameters, low computational cost, a large receptive field, and flexible neighborhood message aggregation. In this paper, we present a graph-based method named Semantic2Graph, to turn the video action segmentation and recognition problem into node classification of graphs. To preserve fine-grained relations in videos, we construct the graph structure of videos at the frame-level and design three types of edges: temporal, semantic, and self-loop. We combine visual, structural, and semantic features as node attributes. Semantic edges are used to model long-term spatio-temporal relations, while the semantic features are the embedding of the label-text based on the textual prompt. A Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) model is used to learn multi-modal feature fusion. Experimental results show that Semantic2Graph achieves improvement on GTEA and 50Salads, compared to the state-of-the-art results. Multiple ablation experiments further confirm the effectiveness of semantic features in improving model performance, and semantic edges enable Semantic2Graph to capture long-term dependencies at a low cost.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, 8 tables. This paper was submitted to IEEE Transactions on Multimedi

PERFORMANCE OF SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE INDICES DURING MARKET CRISIS IN NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPE

This paper investigates whether socially responsible investment indices in the United States, Canada, the Eurozone and the United Kingdom provide downside protection during market crisis when compared to their respective market indices. Socially responsible investment indices in US and Canada perform similarly to their market indices during market crisis periods between 2000 and 2014, offering neither downside protection nor excess return in overall market conditions.   In Eurozone, the socially responsible investment index we selected performs worse than their market index during both the Financial Crisis and the Euro Crisis but not during the Tech Bubble. In the United Kingdom, socially responsible investment index underperforms its respective market index during all crisis periods, including the Tech Bubble, Financial Crisis and the Euro Crisis but outperforms during non-crisis periods. Overall, we do not find that SRI indices offer downmarket protection in North America and Europe

A hybrid financial performance evaluation model for wealth management banks following the global financial crisis

The study constructs a hybrid approach to financial performance evaluation for wealth management (WM) banks affected by the global financial crisis from the middle of 2007 into 2008 utilizing an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR). Five aspects of multi-criteria group decision making including service, performance, professionalism, risk control, and consumers’ confidence (SPPRC) reveal that consumers’ confidence, risk control and service are the top three key factors for Taiwan’s seven main WM banks in evaluating the performance of banking managers. First published online: 09 Jul 201

Comparing the Apple iPad and non-Apple camp tablet PCs: a multicriteria decision analysis

This study mainly evaluates the performances of Tablet PCs such as the Apple iPad based on a benefits, opportunity, costs, and risks (BOCR) conceptual framework with qualitative and quantitative criteria. We apply four methods, namely, the multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) tools (grey relational analysis (GRA), the technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), the VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno (VIKOR) method, and fuzzy approach) to evaluate and select the tablet PCs’ rankings and then construct a tablet PCs evaluation performance model under an analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The empirical results reveal that a firm's revenue growth, capacity for profitability, product design and product function are highly important evaluation indexes. This indicates that Tablet PC companies should channel more efforts into their product innovation for creating revenue growth and maintaining customer loyalty. Finally, fuzzy AHP also leads to the same findings

Towards Optimizing with Large Language Models

In this work, we conduct an assessment of the optimization capabilities of LLMs across various tasks and data sizes. Each of these tasks corresponds to unique optimization domains, and LLMs are required to execute these tasks with interactive prompting. That is, in each optimization step, the LLM generates new solutions from the past generated solutions with their values, and then the new solutions are evaluated and considered in the next optimization step. Additionally, we introduce three distinct metrics for a comprehensive assessment of task performance from various perspectives. These metrics offer the advantage of being applicable for evaluating LLM performance across a broad spectrum of optimization tasks and are less sensitive to variations in test samples. By applying these metrics, we observe that LLMs exhibit strong optimization capabilities when dealing with small-sized samples. However, their performance is significantly influenced by factors like data size and values, underscoring the importance of further research in the domain of optimization tasks for LLMs

Hydrothermal–galvanic couple synthesis of directionally oriented BaTiO3 thin films on TiN-coated substrates

AbstractBaTiO3 films were synthesized on TiN-coated Si substrate below 100°C by a hydrothermal–galvanic couple technique in barium contained alkaline solutions. X-ray diffraction and electron backscatter diffraction results show that the BaTiO3 thin films were directionally oriented grown on the TiN/Si substrates, i.e., (111) BaTiO3 over (111) TiN. The surface morphologies revealed that BaTiO3 nucleated and grew over the TiN surface with a single layer. From kinetic analyses, the growth rates of BaTiO3 films prepared by the hydrothermal–galvanic couple technique were faster than a hydrothermal method. The galvanic effects were confirmed by investigating the induced currents and energies. The galvanic currents were generated and controlled by both the dissolution of TiN and the formation of BaTiO3. The output electric energies increased rapidly with the reaction time and leveled off at the full coverage of BaTiO3

Effect of Lower Extremity Bypass Surgery on Inflammatory Reaction and Endothelial Dysfunction in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia. The abnormalities in nutrient metabolism and elevated inflammatory mediators resulting from DM lead to impairment of wound healing and vulnerability to infection and foot ulcers. Diabetic lower limb ischemia often leads to limb necrosis. Lower extremity bypass surgery (LEBS) is indicated to prevent limb loss in patients with critical leg ischemia. This study investigated the alteration of inflammatory and endothelium dysfunction markers before and after LEBS in DM patients. Twenty one type 2 DM patients with LEBS were included. Blood was drawn before and at 1 day and 7 days after surgery in the patients. Plasma soluble cellular adhesion molecule levels and blood leukocyte integrin expressions were measured. Also, plasma concentrations of endothelin-1 and nitric oxide were analyzed to evaluate the vascular endothelial function. The results showed that there were no significant differences in plasma cellular adhesion molecules, endothelin-1 and nitric oxide levels, nor did any differences in leukocyte integrin expressions before and after the operation. These results suggest that the efficacy of LEBS on alleviating inflammatory reaction and improving endothelial function in DM patients was not obvious

Ocimum gratissimum Aqueous Extract Induces Apoptotic Signalling in Lung Adenocarcinoma Cell A549

Ocimum gratissimum (OG) is widely used as a traditional herb for its antibacterial activity in Taiwan. Recently, antitumor effect of OG on breast cancer cell is also reported; however, the effects of OG on human pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell A549 remain unclear. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether aqueous OG extract (OGE) affects viability of A549 cells and the signals induced by OGE in A549 cells. Cell viability assays revealed that OGE significantly and dose-dependently decreased the viability of A549 cell but not that of BEAS-2B cell. Morphological examination and DAPI staining indicated that OGE induced cell shrinkage and DNA condensation for A549 cells. Further investigation showed that OGE enhanced activation of caspase-3, caspase-9 and caspase-8 and increased protein level of Apaf-1 and Bak, but diminished the level of Bcl-2. Additionally, OGE inhibited the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) yet enhanced the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 MAP kinase (p38). In conclusion, our findings indicate that OGE suppressed the cell viability of A549 cells, which may result from the activation of apoptotic signaling and the inhibition of anti-apoptotic signaling, suggesting that OGE might be beneficial to lung carcinoma treatment

Vancomycin-Loaded Nanoparticles Enhance Sporicidal and Antibacterial Efficacy for Clostridium difficile Infection

Current antibiotic treatments fail to eliminate the Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) spores and induce dysbiosis and intestinal inflammation via off-target effect, which causes refractory C. difficile infection raise an unmet need for a spore-specific antimicrobial treatment. We developed a sporicidal and antimicrobial vancomycin-loaded spore-targeting iron oxide nanoparticle (van-IONP) that selectively binds to C. difficile spores. Cryo-electron microscopy showed that vancomycin-loaded nanoparticles can target and completely cover spore surfaces. They not only successfully delayed the germination of the spores but also inhibited ∼50% of vegetative cell outgrowth after 48 h of incubation. The van-IONPs also inhibited the interaction of spores with HT-29 intestinal mucosal cells in vitro. In a murine model of C. difficile infection, the van-IONP significantly protected the mice from infected by C. difficile infection, reducing intestinal inflammation, and facilitated superior mucosal viability compared with equal doses of free vancomycin. This dual-function targeted delivery therapy showed advantages over traditional therapeutics in treating C. difficile infection