Visual Communication and Fashion Popularity Contagion in Social Networks

Fast fashion has emerged as a prevalent retail strategy shaping fashion popularity. However, due to the lack of historical records and the dynamics of fashion trends, existing demand prediction methods do not apply to new-season fast fashion sales forecasting. We draw on the Social Contagion Theory to conceptualize a sales prediction framework for fast fashion new releases. We posit that fashion popularity contagion comes from Source Contagion and Media Contagion, which refer to the inherent infectiousness of fashion posts and the popularity diffusion in social networks, respectively. We consider fashion posts as the contagion source that visually attracts social media users with images of fashion products. Graph Convolutional Network is developed to model the dynamic fashion contagion process in the topology structure of social networks. This theory-based deep learning method can incorporate the latest social media activities to offset the deficiency of historical fashion data in new seasons

A low-complexity and efficient encoder rate control solution for distributed residual video coding.

Existing encoder rate control (ERC) solutions have two technical limitations that prevent them from being widely used in real-world applications. One is that encoder side information (ESI) is required to be generated which increases the complexity at the encoder. The other is that rate estimation is performed at bit plane level which incurs computation overheads and latency when many bit planes exist. To achieve a low-complexity encoder, we propose a new ERC solution that combines an efficient encoder block mode decision (EBMD) for the distributed residual video coding (DRVC). The main contributions of this paper are as follows: 1) ESI is not required as our ERC is based on the analysis of the statistical characteristics of the decoder side information (DSI); 2) a simple EBMD is introduced which only employs the values of residual pixels at the encoder to classify blocks into Intra mode, Skip mode, and WZ mode; 3) an ERC solution using pseudo-random sequence scrambling is proposed to estimate rates for all WZ blocks at frame level instead of at bit plane level, i.e., only one rate is estimated; and 4) a quantization-index estimation algorithm (QIEA) is proposed to solve the problem of rate underestimation. The simulation results show that the proposed solution is not only low complex but also efficient in both the block mode decision and the rate estimation. Also, as compared to DISCOVER system and the state-of-the-art ERC solution, our solution demonstrates a competitive rate-distortion(RD)performance. Due to maintain the low-complexity nature of the encoder and have good RD performance, we believe that our ERC solution is promising in practice

Door and window detection in 3D point cloud of indoor scenes.

This paper proposes a 3D-2D-3D algorithm for doors and windows detection in 3D indoor environment of point cloud data. Firstly, by setting up a virtual camera in the middle of this 3D environment, a set of pictures are taken from different angles by rotating the camera, so that corresponding 2D images can be generated. Next, these images are used to detect and identify the positions of doors and windows in the space. To obtain point cloud data containing the doors and windows position information, the 2D information are then mapped back to the origin 3D point cloud environment. Finally, by processing the contour lines and crossing points, the features of doors and windows through the position information are optimized. The experimental results show that this "global-local" approach is efficient when detecting and identifying the location of doors and windows in 3D point cloud environment

A simple encoder scheme for distributed residual video coding.

Rate-Distortion (RD) performance of Distributed Video Coding (DVC) is considerably less than that of conventional predictive video coding. In order to reduce the performance gap, many methods and techniques have been proposed to improve the coding efficiency of DVC with increased system complexity, especially techniques employed at the encoder such as encoder mode decisions, optimal quantization, hash methods etc., no doubt increase the complexity of the encoder. However, low complexity encoder is a widely desired feature of DVC. In order to improve the coding efficiency while maintaining low complexity encoder, this paper focuses on Distributed Residual Video Coding (DRVC) architecture and proposes a simple encoder scheme. The main contributions of this paper are as follows: 1) propose a bit plane block based method combined with bit plane re-arrangement to improve the dependency between source and Side Information (SI), and meanwhile, to reduce the amount of data to be channel encoded 2) present a simple iterative dead-zone quantizer with 3 levels in order to adjust quantization from coarse to fine. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme outperforms DISCOVER scheme for low to medium motion video sequences in terms of RD performance, and maintains a low complexity encoder at the same time

Micro RNA expression profile and functional analysis reveal that mi R ‐382 is a critical novel gene of alcohol addiction

Alcohol addiction is a major social and health concern. Here, we determined the expression profile of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of rats treated with alcohol. The results suggest that multiple miRNAs were aberrantly expressed in rat NAc after alcohol injection. Among them, miR‐382 was down‐regulated in alcohol‐treated rats. In both cultured neuronal cells in vitro and in the NAc in vivo , we identified that the dopamine receptor D1 ( Drd1 ) is a direct target gene of miR‐382. Via this target gene, miR‐382 strongly modulated the expression of DeltaFosB. Moreover, overexpression of miR‐382 significantly attenuated alcohol‐induced up‐regulation of DRD1 and DeltaFosB, decreased voluntary intake of and preference for alcohol and inhibited the DRD1‐induced action potential responses. The results indicated that miRNAs are involved in and may represent novel therapeutic targets for alcoholism. The underlying molecular causes of alcohol addiction remain unclear. Many miRNAs are found modulated in the nucleus accumbens of rats chronically treated with alcohol. Specifically, miR‐382 is shown to regulate alcohol intake via DRD1 and DeltaFosB.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99635/1/emmm201201900-sm-0001-Review_Process_File.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99635/2/emmm201201900.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99635/3/emmm201202100-sm-0006-SourceData-S5.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99635/4/emmm201201900-sm-0002-SuppData-S1.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99635/5/emmm201202100-sm-0005-SourceData-S4.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99635/6/emmm201202100-sm-0004-SourceData-S3.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99635/7/emmm201202100-sm-0003-SourceData-S2.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99635/8/emmm201202100-sm-0007-SourceData-S6.pd

Synthesis of a Dual Functional Anti-MDR Tumor Agent PH II-7 with Elucidations of Anti-Tumor Effects and Mechanisms

Multidrug resistance mediated by P-glycoprotein in cancer cells has been a major issue that cripples the efficacy of chemotherapy agents. Aimed for improved efficacy against resistant cancer cells, we designed and synthesized 25 oxindole derivatives based on indirubin by structure-activity relationship analysis. The most potent one was named PH II-7, which was effective against 18 cancer cell lines and 5 resistant cell lines in MTT assay. It also significantly inhibited the resistant xenograft tumor growth in mouse model. In cell cycle assay and apoptosis assay conducted with flow cytometry, PH II-7 induced S phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis even in resistant cells. Consistently revealed by real-time PCR, it modulates the expression of genes related to the cell cycle and apoptosis in these cells, which may contributes to its efficacy against them. By side-chain modification and FITC-labeling of PH II-7, we were able to show with confocal microscopy that not only it was not pumped by P-glycoprotein, it also attenuated the efflux of Adriamycin by P-glycoprotein in MDR tumor cells. Real-time PCR and western blot analysis showed that PH II-7 down-regulated MDR1 gene via protein kinase C alpha (PKCA) pathway, with c-FOS and c-JUN as possible mediators. Taken together, PH II-7 is a dual-functional compound that features both the cytotoxicity against cancer cells and the inhibitory effect on P-gp mediated drug efflux

A Visual Navigation Perspective for Category-Level Object Pose Estimation

This paper studies category-level object pose estimation based on a single monocular image. Recent advances in pose-aware generative models have paved the way for addressing this challenging task using analysis-by-synthesis. The idea is to sequentially update a set of latent variables, e.g., pose, shape, and appearance, of the generative model until the generated image best agrees with the observation. However, convergence and efficiency are two challenges of this inference procedure. In this paper, we take a deeper look at the inference of analysis-by-synthesis from the perspective of visual navigation, and investigate what is a good navigation policy for this specific task. We evaluate three different strategies, including gradient descent, reinforcement learning and imitation learning, via thorough comparisons in terms of convergence, robustness and efficiency. Moreover, we show that a simple hybrid approach leads to an effective and efficient solution. We further compare these strategies to state-of-the-art methods, and demonstrate superior performance on synthetic and real-world datasets leveraging off-the-shelf pose-aware generative models

Photocatalytic Performance of a Novel MOF/BiFeO3 Composite

In this study, MOF/BiFeO3 composite (MOF, metal-organic framework) has been synthesized successfully through a one-pot hydrothermal method. The MOF/BiFeO3 composite samples, pure MOF samples and BiFeO3 samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and by UV–vis spectrophotometry. The results and analysis reveal that MOF/BiFeO3 composite has better photocatalytic behavior for methylene blue (MB) compared to pure MOF and pure BiFeO3. The enhancement of photocatalytic performance should be due to the introduction of MOF change the surface morphology of BiFeO3, which will increase the contact area with MB. This composing strategy of MOF/BiFeO3 composite may bring new insight into the designing of highly efficient photocatalysts

Lignin-based materials for electrochemical energy storage devices

Lignin is the most abundant aromatic polymer in nature, which is rich in a large number of benzene ring structures and active functional groups. The molecular structure of lignin has unique designability and controllability, and is a class of functional materials with great application prospects in energy storage and conversion. Here, this review firstly focuses on the concept, classification, and physicochemical property of lignin. Then, the application research of lignin in the field of electrochemical storage materials and devices are summarized, such as lignin-carbon materials and lignin-carbon composites in supercapacitors and secondary batteries. Finally, this review points out the bottlenecks that need to be solved urgently and the prospects for future research priorities

Monetary diet cost is positively associated with diet quality and obesity: an analysis of school-aged children in Southwest China

Background: Little is known about the relationships between diet cost, dietary intake and obesity in Chinese populations. This study explored how diet cost was related to diet quality and obesity among school-aged children in Southwest China. Methods: Data from a cross-sectional study was analysed. Diet cost was estimated based on dietary intake assessed with 24-h dietary recalls and retail food prices. Diet quality was measured using the Chinese Children Dietary Index. Body height, weight, waist circumference and skinfold thicknesses were measured, and their body mass index standard deviation score (BMISDS), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), fat mass index (FMI) and fat-free mass index (FFMI) were calculated. Multivariate regression models were used to explore the relevance of diet cost to diet quality and obesity. Results: After adjustment for potential confounders, a positive association was observed between diet quality and energy-adjusted diet cost (β = 0.143, 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.014–0.285, Pfor-trend = 0.0006). Energy-adjusted diet cost also showed a positive association with FMI (β = 0.0354, 95% CI: 0.0001–0.0709, Pfor-trend = 0.01), BMISDS (β = 0.0200, 95% CI: 0.0006–0.0394, Pfor-trend = 0.002) and WHtR (β = 0.0010, 95% CI: 0.0003–0.0017, Pfor-trend = 0.02). Conclusions: nergy-adjusted diet cost was independently and positively associated with diet quality and obesity among Chinese school-aged children