Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PDAS: Probability-Driven Adaptive Streaming for Short Video

To improve Quality of Experience (QoE) for short video applications, most commercial companies adopt preloading and adaptive streaming technologies concurrently. Though preloading can reduce rebuffering, it may greatly waste bandwidth if the downloaded video chunks are not played. Also, each short video's downloading competes against others, which makes the existing adaptive streaming technologies fail to optimize the QoE for all videos. In this paper, we propose PDAS, a Probability-Driven Adaptive Streaming framework, to minimize the bandwidth waste while guaranteeing QoE simultaneously. We formulate PDAS into an optimization problem, where a probabilistic model is designed to describe the swiping events. Then, the maximum preload size is controlled by the proposed probability-driven max-buffer model, which reduces the bandwidth waste by proactively sleeping. At last, the optimization problem is solved by jointly deciding the preload order and preload bitrate. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that PDAS achieves almost 22.34% gains on QoE and 22.80% reductions on bandwidth usage against the existing methods. As for online evaluation, PDAS ranks first in the ACM MM 2022 Grand Challenge: Short Video Streaming.
Gene therapy for cystic fibrosis: Challenges and prospects

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a life-threatening autosomal-recessive disease caused by mutations in a single gene encoding cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). CF effects multiple organs, and lung disease is the primary cause of mortality. The median age at death from CF is in the early forties. CF was one of the first diseases to be considered for gene therapy, and efforts focused on treating CF lung disease began shortly after the CFTR gene was identified in 1989. However, despite the quickly established proof-of-concept for CFTR gene transfer in vitro and in clinical trials in 1990s, to date, 36 CF gene therapy clinical trials involving ∼600 patients with CF have yet to achieve their desired outcomes. The long journey to pursue gene therapy as a cure for CF encountered more difficulties than originally anticipated, but immense progress has been made in the past decade in the developments of next generation airway transduction viral vectors and CF animal models that reproduced human CF disease phenotypes. In this review, we look back at the history for the lessons learned from previous clinical trials and summarize the recent advances in the research for CF gene therapy, including the emerging CRISPR-based gene editing strategies. We also discuss the airway transduction vectors, large animal CF models, the complexity of CF pathogenesis and heterogeneity of CFTR expression in airway epithelium, which are the major challenges to the implementation of a successful CF gene therapy, and highlight the future opportunities and prospects.
Post-error adjustments depend causally on executive attention: Evidence from an intervention study

Detecting and correcting execution errors is crucial for safe and efficient goal-directed behavior. Despite intensive investigations on error processing, the cognitive foundations of this process remain unclear. Based on the presumed relation between executive attention (EA) and error processing, we implemented a seven-day EA intervention by adopting the Posner cueing paradigm to test the potential causal link from EA to error processing in healthy adults. The experimental group (high EA, HEA) was trained on the Posner cueing paradigm, with a ratio of invalid cue (IC) trials to valid cue (VC) trials of 5:1 and a corresponding ratio of 1:1 in the active control group (low EA, LEA). We found that the EA intervention improved EA across intervention sessions. Critically, after the EA intervention, the HEA group showed that post-error accuracy (PEA) was restored to the same level as the post-correct accuracy (in comparison with the LEA group). However, post-error slowing and the flanker effect were not modulated by the EA intervention. Furthermore, we observed that the changes in the accuracy of VC trials positively predicted the changes in PEA and that the two groups were classified according to the changes in PEA with a 61.3% accuracy. Based on these results, we propose that EA causally drives error processing. And the capabilities of the “actively catch” more attention resources and the automatic mismatch processing developed after EA intervention is transferable to error processing, thereby directly resulting in the gains in post-error adjustments. Our work informs the potential cognitive mechanisms underlying this causal link.
Cardiac-specific knockdown of Bhlhe40 attenuates angiotensin II (Ang II)-Induced atrial fibrillation in mice

Atrial fibrosis and atrial inflammation are associated with the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AF). Basic helix–loop–helix family member E40 (Bhlhe40) is an important transcription factor, which is involved in tumors, inflammation, apoptosis, viral infection, and hypoxia. However, its role and molecular mechanism in AF remain unclear. In this study, a mouse model of AF was induced by Ang II infusion. The atrial diameter was evaluated using echocardiography. Induction and duration of AF were measured by programmed electrical stimulation. Atrial structural remodeling was detected using routine histologic examinations. Our results showed that Bhlhe40 was significantly upregulated in angiotensin II (Ang II)-stimulated atrial cardiomyocytes and atrial tissues and in tissues from patients with AF. Cardiac-specific knockdown of Bhlhe40 in mice by a type 9 recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV9)-shBhlhe40 significantly ameliorated Ang II-induced atrial dilatation, atrial fibrosis, and atrial inflammation, as well as the inducibility and duration of AF. Mechanistically, cardiac-specific knockdown of Bhlhe40 attenuated Ang II-induced activation of NF-κB/NLRP3, TGF-1β/Smad2 signals, the increased expression of CX43, and the decreased expression of Kv4.3 in the atria. This is the first study to suggest that Bhlhe40 is a novel regulator of AF progression, and identifying Bhlhe40 may be a new therapeutic target for hypertrophic remodeling and heart failure.
Freeze-drying platforms design for batch fabrication of Haversian system mimicking scaffolds with enhanced osteogenesis

The Haversian system is one of the most important pathways to repair bone defects, and it is the basic guarantee for the repair of bone defects, which means that the formation of the Haversian system indicates repairing of the defects. The integration of structure and function for tissue engineering scaffolds is of great importance in mimicking native bone tissue. However, in contrast to the increasing demands, how to rapidly prepare various sizes of such Haversian system mimicking scaffolds in batch becomes a major challenge. In this study, we designed three types of platforms with different sizes in combination with the freeze-drying approach. Chitosan/type I collagen composite materials were used to study the structure, morphology, and performance of the production, and the effects of the controlled architecture on osteogenesis. Results showed that the physicochemical effects of the mass fabricated scaffolds of various sizes met the requirements of bone repair materials. In addition, the scaffolds had good cytocompatibility and excellent in vivo bone repair performance, which have potential clinical applications.
Environmental factors indirectly reduce phytoplankton community stability via functional diversity

The biodiversity-stability relationship is a fundamental subject of ecological research. Considerable evidence demonstrates that biodiversity can either increase or decrease stability. Most relevant research mainly focuses on grassland and forest ecosystems. The biodiversity-stability relationship in aquatic ecosystems and the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. To fill the gap, we conducted a year-long study on the phytoplankton of reservoir ecosystems in the Xiangxi Bay of Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) to test the following hypotheses: (H1) phytoplankton species richness and functional diversity directly reduce phytoplankton community stability in reservoir ecosystems; (H2) nutrient enrichment and water temperature increasing directly reduce phytoplankton community stability; and (H3) nutrients and water temperature indirectly reduce phytoplankton community stability via biodiversity. The structural equation model (SEM) found that functional diversity (community-weighted means of traits and functional divergence) had significant negative correlations with phytoplankton community stability (p < 0.05), while the species diversity had no significant correlation with phytoplankton community stability (p > 0.05). This finding partially supported the hypothesis H1, which suggested that the functional diversity had a closer tie with stability than the species diversity. SEM did not find any direct effect of environmental factors on phytoplankton community stability, which rejected our hypothesis H2. Instead, SEM found that water temperature and phosphate decreased phytoplankton community stability by increasing the first principal component of the community-weighted means of traits (CWM_PC1), which supported hypothesis H3. Further analysis showed that the increased water temperature and phosphate concentration can promote “r-strategists” species (larger CWM_PC1), which are less resistant to environmental disturbances, therefore decreasing the phytoplankton community stability. Our study highlights the importance of functional diversity in maintaining the relationship between biodiversity and stability in the phytoplankton community, which may provide a mechanistic understanding of the biodiversity-stability relationships in aquatic ecosystems.
Iron overload accelerated lipid metabolism disorder and liver injury in rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Background/aims Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common liver diseases worldwide. Iron overload has been implicated in chronic non-communicable liver diseases, but its relationship with NAFLD remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the underlying roles of iron overload in the development of NAFLD. Methods Male Sprague Dawley rats were fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) and/or iron for 8, 12, and 20 weeks. Some rats fed with HFD plus iron also received intraperitoneal injection of deferoxamine (DFO) for 8 weeks. Liver steatosis, lipid metabolism and injury were evaluated. Results A NAFLD model, including typical liver steatosis, was established by feeding rats with a HFD, while iron overload alone is not enough to induce severe NAFL. Compared with rats fed a HFD, excess iron further increased lipid accumulation, serum levels of lipids, enzymes of liver function, and expression levels of CD36 and FAS in rat liver. In addition, iron overload decreased the activities of antioxidative enzymes in liver compared with HFD rats. The levels of CPT1 and the ratios of p-ACC/ACC were also decreased by iron overload. DFO effectively reversed the abnormal lipid metabolism and liver damage induced by a high-fat, high-iron diet. Conclusion A HFD plus iron overload might synergistically aggravate lipid metabolism disorders, liver injury, and oxidative damage, compared with a HFD alone. DFO might help to alleviate lipid metabolism dysfunction and improve the pathogenesis of NAFLD.
Central Asia daily extreme precipitation in observations and gridded datasets: A threshold criteria perspective

The extreme precipitation threshold is fundamental to extreme precipitation research, directly affecting the cognition of extreme characteristics. Based on the daily precipitation data of 62 meteorological stations from 1985 to 2005, this study uses parametric and non-parametric approaches to determine the extreme precipitation threshold in Central Asia, analyzes the statistics and spatial distribution of different threshold criteria, and discusses the trend of extreme precipitation. The capability of the grid dataset of APHRODITE and GPCC in the extreme precipitation analysis in Central Asia is evaluated from the threshold perspective. The results are as follows: 1) Contrary to the parametric approach, the threshold determined by the percentile indices in the warm season is slightly higher than in the cold season. The mean threshold of the warm (cold) season in Central Asia is defined by the 95th percentile index and the 10-year return period, which are 14.0 mm (13.5 mm) and 24.2 mm (25.7 mm), respectively. 2) The spatial distribution of extreme precipitation threshold in Central Asia is higher in the southeast and lower in the north during the cold season; In the warm season, it is high in the north and southwest and low in the center. 3) Although both APHRODITE and GPCC datasets can basically reproduce the spatial distribution of extreme precipitation threshold, they underestimate the magnitude of the threshold, especially APHRODITE. 4) There is no obvious extreme precipitation trend in Central Asia during the study period. Furthermore, the trend in characteristics of extreme precipitation based on different thresholds shows a consistent trend in time but not spatially. We suggest that the threshold selection should adjust the balance between sufficient samples and extreme values according to actual conditions. The results of this study can provide a reference for extreme precipitation threshold criteria under specific application conditions in Central Asia.
Integrating network pharmacology and experimental verification to decipher the immunomodulatory effect of Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tang against poly (I:C)-induced pulmonary inflammation

Graphical Abstract Pulmonary inflammation caused by respiratory tract viral infections is usually associated with acute exacerbation of respiratory diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Therefore, maintaining the pulmonary immune homeostasis is particular important for prevention of the acute exacerbation. Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tang (BZYQT), a traditional Chinese medicine formula, has been broadly used to improve respiratory and gastrointestinal disorders in China for over 700 years. Previously, we have found the regulatory activity of BZYQT on the lower respiratory immune system, while its potential effects during pulmonary inflammation remain unknown. Thus, the current study focused on deciphering its immunomodulatory effect and potential mechanism against pulmonary inflammation by using a viral RNA analogue, poly (I:C), induced murine pulmonary inflammation model and BEAS-2B cell model coupled with network pharmacology. Inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were counted through microscope examination according to the cell’s morphology and staining characteristics; protein and gene levels of inflammatory mediators were determined with Elisa and quantitative PCR, respectively; network pharmacology was conducted based on 46 BZYQT-related potential bioactive components, pulmonary inflammation and immune-related targets. Our results indicated that the recruitment of neutrophils and the expression of Adgre1 (encoding the F4/80, which is a macrophage marker) in the lung induced by poly (I:C) were significantly reduced after BZYQT treatment, and these effects were further demonstrated to be related to the interference of leukocyte transendothelial migration from the decreased levels of CXCL10, IL-6, TNF-α, CXCL2, ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and E/P-selectins. Furthermore, BZYQT inhibited the CXCL10, TNF-α, and IFN-β expression of poly (I:C)-challenged BEAS-2B cells in a dose-dependent manner. Through integrating results from network pharmacology, experiments, and the published literature, isoliquiritigenin, Z-ligustilide, atractylenolide I, atractylenolide III, formononetin, ferulic acid, hesperidin, and cimigenoside were presumed as the bioactive components of BZYQT against pulmonary inflammation. Overall, our findings demonstrated that BZYQT possesses a pronounced immunomodulatory effect on poly (I:C)-induced pulmonary inflammation, which provides a pharmacological basis for BZYQT in the treatment of respiratory disorders.
X-QUEST: A COMPREHENSIVE X-RAY STUDY OF LOCAL ULIRGs AND QSOs

We present results from the X-ray portion of a multi-wavelength study of local ULIRGs and QSOs called QUEST (Quasar–ULIRG Evolution STudy). The data consist of new and archival X-ray data on 40 ULIRGs and 26 Palomar Green (PG) QSOs taken with Chandra and XMM-Newton. A combination of traditional and hardness ratio spectral fitting methods is used to characterize the X-ray properties of these objects. The absorption-corrected 2–10 keV to bolometric luminosity ratios of the ULIRGs and PG QSOs suggest that the likelihood for dominant nuclear activity increases along the merger sequence from “cool” ULIRGs, “warm” ULIRGs, infrared-bright QSOs, and infrared-faint QSOs. The starburst dominates the total power in ULIRGs prior to the merger, and this is followed by rapid black hole growth during and after coalescence. These results are in general agreement with those obtained in the mid-infrared with Spitzer and recent numerical simulations.
Receptor subunit compositions underly distinct potencies of a muscle relaxant in fast and slow muscle fibers

A line of studies in the 1960s–1980s suggested that muscle relaxants do not work uniformly on all skeletal muscles, though its mechanism has not been clarified. We showed here that a classical non-depolarizing muscle relaxant pancuronium inhibits fast muscle fibers at lower concentration compared to slow muscle fibers in zebrafish. The difference of effective concentration was observed in locomotion caused by tactile stimulation as well as in synaptic currents of the neuromuscular junction induced by motor neuron excitation. We further showed that this difference arises from the different composition of acetylcholine receptors between slow and fast muscle fibers in the neuromuscular junction of zebrafish. It will be interesting to examine the difference of subunit composition and sensitivity to muscle relaxants in other species.
Identifying enhancer-driven subtype-specific prognostic markers in breast cancer based on multi-omics data

Breast cancer is a cancer of high complexity and heterogeneity, with differences in prognosis and survival among patients of different subtypes. Copy number variations (CNVs) within enhancers are crucial drivers of tumorigenesis by influencing expression of their targets. In this study, we performed an integrative approach to identify CNA-driven enhancers and their effect on expression of target genes in four breast cancer subtypes by integrating expression data, copy number data and H3K27ac data. We identified 672, 555, 531, 361 CNA-driven enhancer-gene pairs and 280, 189, 113 and 98 CNA-driven enhancer-lncRNA pairs in the Basal-like, Her2, LumA and LumB subtypes, respectively. We then reconstructed a CNV-driven enhancer-lncRNA-mRNA regulatory network in each subtype. Functional analysis showed CNA-driven enhancers play an important role in the progression of breast cancer subtypes by influencing P53 signaling pathway, PPAR signaling pathway, systemic lupus erythematosus and MAPK signaling pathway in the Basal-like, Her2, LumA and LumB subtypes, respectively. We characterized the potentially prognostic value of target genes of CNV-driven enhancer and lncRNA-mRNA pairs in the subtype-specific network. We identified MUM1 and AC016876.1 as prognostic biomarkers in LumA and Basal-like subtypes, respectively. Higher expression of MUM1 with an amplified enhancer exhibited poorer prognosis in LumA patients. Lower expression of AC016876.1 with a deleted enhancer exhibited poorer survival outcomes of Basal-like patients. We also identified enhancer-related lncRNA-mRNA pairs as prognostic biomarkers, including AC012313.2-MUM1 in the LumA, AC026471.4-PLK5 in the LumB, AC027307.2-OAZ1 in the Basal-like and AC022431.1-HCN2 in the Her2 subtypes. Finally, our results highlighted target genes of CNA-driven enhancers and enhancer-related lncRNA-mRNA pairs could act as prognostic markers and potential therapeutic targets in breast cancer subtypes.
Pathogenic variants of ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency: Nation-wide study in Japan and literature review

Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD) is an X-linked disorder. Several male patients with OTCD suffer from severe hyperammonemic crisis in the neonatal period, whereas others develop late-onset manifestations, including hyperammonemic coma. Females with heterozygous pathogenic variants in the OTC gene may develop a variety of clinical manifestations, ranging from asymptomatic conditions to severe hyperammonemic attacks, owing to skewed lyonization. We reported the variants of CPS1, ASS, ASL and OTC detected in the patients with urea cycle disorders through a nation-wide survey in Japan. In this study, we updated the variant data of OTC in Japanese patients and acquired information regarding genetic variants of OTC from patients with OTCD through an extensive literature review. The 523 variants included 386 substitution (330 missense, 53 nonsense, and 3 silent), eight deletion, two duplication, one deletion-insertion, 55 frame shift, two extension, and 69 no category (1 regulatory and 68 splice site error) mutations. We observed a genotype–phenotype relation between the onset time (neonatal onset or late onset), the severity, and genetic mutation in male OTCD patients because the level of deactivation of OTC significantly depends on the pathogenic OTC variants. In conclusion, genetic information about OTC may help to predict long-term outcomes and determine specific treatment strategies, such as liver transplantation, in patients with OTCD.
The intergenerational succession and financialization of Chinese family enterprises: Considering the influence of heirs’ growing experience

As a mixed-methods research in economics and psychology, this study aimed to analyze the influence from the intergenerational succession on the financialization level including asset financialization and revenue financialization, and further test the moderating effect of the heirs’ typical growing experience according to The Imprinting Theory, based on the 2009–2020 annual data of listed family enterprises of China. There were two key findings. First, the effect of Chinese family enterprises’ intergenerational succession on asset financialization was positively significant while the effect on revenue financialization was not significant, indicating that the financialization behavior has not brought about effective financial profits. Second, among the heirs’ typical growing experiences, their parents’ entrepreneurial experience during their childhood, oversea study experience, and MBA education experience had the significantly positive moderating effects on the influence from intergeneration succession to asset financialization level of Chinese family enterprises, which was an important internal mechanism for the heirs to promote the financialization process of family enterprises.
Principles of Nonlinear Optical Spectroscopy

1. Introduction 2. Quantum Dynamics in Hilbert Space 3. The Density Operator and Quantum Dynamics in Liouville Space 4. Quantum Electrodynamics, Optical Polarization, and Nonlinear Spectroscopy 5. Nonlinear Response Functions and Optical Susceptibilities 6. The Optical Response Functions of a Multilevel System with Relaxation 7. Semiclassical Simulation of the Optical Response Functions 8. The Cumulant Expansion and the Multimode Brownian Oscillator Model 9. Fluorescence, Spontaneous-Raman and Coherent-Raman Spectroscopy 10. Selective Elimination of Inhomogeneous Broadening Photon Echoes 11. Resonant Gratings, Pump-Probe, and Hole Burning Spectroscopy 12. Wavepacket Dynamics in Liouville Space The Wigner Representation 13. Wavepacket Analysis of Nonimpulsive Measurements 14. Off-Resonance Raman Scattering 15. Polarization Spectroscopy Birefringence and Dichroism 16. Nonlinear Response of Molecular Assemblies The Local-Field Approximation 17. Many Body and Cooperative Effects in the Nonlinear Response