The recent clinical successes of immune checkpoint blockade and chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapies represent a turning point in cancer immunotherapy. These successes also underscore the ...importance of understanding basic tumor immunology for successful clinical translation in treating patients with cancer. The Reviews in this Review Series focus on current developments in cancer immunotherapy, highlight recent advances in our understanding of basic aspects of tumor immunology, and suggest how these insights can lead to the development of new immunotherapeutic strategies.
Extracting ships from complex backgrounds is the bottleneck of ship detection in high-resolution optical satellite images. In this letter, we propose a nearly closed-form ship rotated bounding box ...space used for ship detection and design a method to generate a small number of highly potential candidates based on this space. We first analyze the possibility of accurately covering all ships by labeling rotated bounding boxes. Moreover, to reduce search space, we construct a nearly closed-form ship rotated bounding box space. Then, by scoring for each latent candidate in the space using a two-cascaded linear model followed by binary linear programming, we select a small number of highly potential candidates. Moreover, we also propose a fast version of our method. Experiments on our data set validate the effectiveness of our method and the efficiency of its fast version, which achieves a close detection rate in near real time.
Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), representing most of the leukocyte population in solid tumors, demonstrate great phenotypic heterogeneity and diverse functional capabilities under the influence ...of the local tumor microenvironment. These anti-inflammatory and protumorigenic macrophages modulate the local microenvironment to facilitate tumor growth and metastasis. In this review, we examine the origin of TAMs and the complex regulatory networks within the tumor microenvironment that facilitate the polarization of TAMs toward a protumoral phenotype. More extensively, we evaluate the mechanisms by which TAMs mediate angiogenesis, metastasis, chemotherapeutic resistance and immune evasion. Lastly, we will highlight novel interventional strategies targeting TAMs in preclinical studies and in early clinical trials that have significant potential in improving efficacy of current chemotherapeutic and/or immunotherapeutic approaches.
Kaolinization of 2:1 type clay minerals commonly occurs in the supergene environments of the Earth, which plays critical roles in many geochemical and environmental processes. However, the ...transformation mechanism involved and the specific behavior of 2:1 type swelling and non-swelling clay minerals during kaolinization remain poorly understood. In this study, laboratory experiments on the kaolinization of montmorillonite (swelling), illite (non-swelling), and rectorite (partially swelling) were carried out to investigate the kaolinization mechanism of 2:1 type clay minerals and to evaluate whether swelling and non-swelling layers of 2:1 type clay minerals perform differently or not in their kaolinization processes. The results show that montmorillonite, illite, and rectorite in acidic Al3+-containing solutions can be transformed into kaolinite, whereas such transformation is hard to take place in Al3+-free solutions. Part of the Al3+ in the solutions was exchanged into the interlayer spaces of swelling clay minerals at the early stage and resulted in the formation of hydroxy-aluminosilicate (HAS) interlayers, but they show no influence on the transformation process. Interstratified kaolinite-smectite (K-S), kaolinite-illite (K-I), and kaolinite-rectorite (K-R) formed as the intermediate phases during the transformations of the three different precursor minerals, respectively. The results obtained in this study demonstrate that 2:1 type clay minerals, including both swelling and non-swelling ones, can be transformed into kaolinite via a local dissolution-crystallization mechanism, which starts mainly from the layer edges rather than the basal surfaces. Due to different dissolution rates from domain to domain within a precursor mineral particle, the layers with a low dissolution rate become "splints," while the dissolved elements are concentrated between two "splints," leading to precipitation of kaolinite along the basal surfaces of precursor minerals. The size and stacking order of the newly formed kaolinite strongly depend on the morphology and property of the precursor minerals. These findings not only are of importance for better understanding the transformation procedures between different clay minerals and the mechanisms involved but also provide new insights for well understanding mineral-water interactions that are central to all geochemical processes.
Rotated region based CNN for ship detection Liu, Zikun; Hu, Jingao; Weng, Lubin ...
2017 IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP),
09/2017
Conference Proceeding
The state-of-the-art object detection networks for natural images have recently demonstrated impressive performances. However the complexity of ship detection in high resolution satellite images ...exposes the limited capacity of these networks for strip-like rotated assembled object detection which are common in remote sensing images. In this paper, we embrace this observation and introduce the rotated region based CNN (RR-CNN), which can learn and accurately extract features of rotated regions and locate rotated objects precisely. RR-CNN has three important new components including a rotated region of interest (RRoI) pooling layer, a rotated bounding box regression model and a multi-task method for non-maximal suppression (NMS) between different classes. Experimental results on the public ship dataset HRSC2016 confirm that RR-CNN outperforms baselines by a large margin.
Trace elements in molybdenite can provide important information regarding the composition of ore-forming fluid and the evolution and genesis of ore deposits. However, the occurrence states and ...behavior of relatively incompatible trace elements (e.g., Pb and Os) in natural molybdenite remain ambiguous. Here, we report an abnormally high enrichment of Pb and layered PbS precipitate within molybdenite grains from the Huanglongpu carbonatite-hosted Mo-Pb deposit in the Qinling orogenic belt of Northern China. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and related nanobeam techniques were applied to characterize the occurrence states of Pb within molybdenite at the atomic scale. The results show that up to several weight percent of Pb can be incorporated into the molybdenite structure during initial crystallization, which can lead to the formation of screw dislocations and 3R/disordered stacking of S-Mo-S sandwich layers. Observations using a scanning transmission electron microscope also reveal that Pb diffuses from the host molybdenite into the layered PbS precipitates under prolonged electron beam irradiation. Pb-bearing molybdenite tends to transform into a Pb-poor ordered 2H1 polytype upon Pb exsolution during cooling. Pb preferentially exsolves along the (001) plane of molybdenite and is stored in structural defects (e.g., dislocation loops) and grain boundaries, resulting in nano-scale Pb heterogeneities in molybdenite. Further coarsening of the exsolved Pb results in the formation of layered PbS precipitates along the (001) plane of molybdenite. This study provides an example of the consequences of the incorporation and exsolution of incompatible trace elements in molybdenite and demonstrates that careful mineralogical examination is required to interpret geochemical data obtained by in situ analysis techniques.
The interaction between astrocytes and microglia plays a vital role in the damage and repair of brain lesions due to traumatic brain injury (TBI). Recent studies have shown that exosomes act as ...potent mediators involved in intercellular communication.
In the current study, the expression of inflammatory factors and miR-873a-5p in the lesion area and oedema area was evaluated in 15 patients with traumatic brain injury. Exosomes secreted by astrocytes were detected by immunofluorescence, Western blot and electron microscopy. A mouse model of TBI and an in vitro model of LPS-induced primary microglia were established to study the protective mechanism of exosomes from miR-873a-5p overexpressing in TBI-induced nerve injury.
We discovered that exosomes derived from activated astrocytes promote microglial M2 phenotype transformation following TBI. More than 100 miRNAs were detected in these astrocyte-derived exosomes. miR-873a-5p is a major component that was highly expressed in human traumatic brain tissue. Moreover, miR-873a-5p significantly inhibited LPS-induced microglial M1 phenotype transformation and the subsequent inflammation through decreased phosphorylation of ERK and NF-κB p65. This effect also greatly improved the modified neurological severity score (mNSS) and attenuated brain injury in a strictly controlled cortical impact mouse model.
Taken together, our research indicates that miRNAs in the exosomes derived from activated astrocytes play a key role in the astrocyte-microglia interaction. miR-873a-5p, as one of the main components of these astrocyte-derived exosomes, attenuated microglia-mediated neuroinflammation and improved neurological deficits following TBI by inhibiting the NF-κB signalling pathway. These findings suggest a potential role for miR-873a-5p in treating traumatic brain injury.
While noble metals often occur as minor components in host minerals in various ore deposits, little theoretical assessment exists to predict the occurrence of these metals. Here, we probe the ...fundamental controls responsible for the occurrence of trace elements in host minerals through first-principles calculations. We apply the theoretical model to understanding the debated issues concerning the occurrence of gold (Au) in pyrite, in which the valence of Au is ascribed to either positive or negative values. Our results indicate that (1) both positive and negative valent Au may occur in pyrite and (2) higher sulfur fugacity and lower temperature lead to more Au+ occupying Fe sites in pyrite. These findings suggest that chemical states and speciation of the Au in host pyrite are ultimately controlled by temperature and sulfur fugacity, providing insight into the formation conditions of ore deposits and facilitating strategy design for beneficiation.
Multiphase oxidation of methane sulfinic acid (MSIA) by ozone (O3) in deliquesced aerosol particles is an important but poorly constrained reaction in the marine boundary layer, hindering the ...accurate prediction of radiative forcing of natural aerosols. Large uncertainties arise from the unmeasured reaction rate constant for the aerosol multiphase reaction between O3 and methanesulfinate (MSI−), the dominant MSIA species in sea salt aerosols. Here, we directly measured kMSI−+O3 ${\mathrm{k}}_{{\text{MSI}}^{-}+{\mathrm{O}}_{3}}$ by performing flow cell experiments coupled with a Raman spectroscopy to investigate the kinetics of multiphase oxidation of MSI− by O3 in pH‐buffered deliquesced aerosol particles relevant to marine atmospheric conditions. kMSI−+O3 ${\mathrm{k}}_{{\text{MSI}}^{-}+{\mathrm{O}}_{3}}$ for aerosol particles was determined to be (2.2 ± 0.5) × 107 M−1 s−1, 10 times the value in dilute solutions. This higher rate constant would increase the yield of methane sulfonic acid from multiphase oxidation of MSIA and has important implications for accurate modeling of sulfur species.
Plain Language Summary
Atmospheric oxidation of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in the marine atmosphere ultimately forms methane sulfonic acid and sulfate aerosols, directly contributing to the global radiative forcing. They can also modify the properties of clouds and indirectly impact the climate. The poor understanding of the kinetics and mechanisms of atmospheric oxidation of DMS and its oxidation products in the marine atmosphere gives rise to large uncertainties in predicting the global radiative forcing. One of the key reactions is the multiphase oxidation of methane sulfinic acid (MSIA) and its deprotonated form methanesulfinate (MSI−) in deliquesced aerosol particles by ozone (O3). However, the reaction rate constant for MSI− and O3 in aerosol particles has never been experimentally determined. In this study, we conducted well‐controlled experiments and show that the reaction rate constant for MSI− and O3 in aerosol particles is 10 times that used in atmospheric models. The new kinetic data provides a better constraint on the product distributions from the multiphase oxidation of MSIA and should be incorporated into atmospheric models to improve the prediction of the radiative forcing of natural aerosols and clouds in the marine atmosphere.
Key Points
The kinetics of multiphase oxidation of MSI− by O3 was investigated in pH‐buffered aerosol droplets coupling with Raman characterization
The rate constant of MSI− and O3 in deliquesced aerosol particles was determined to be 10 times that used in chemical transport models
The reaction between MSI− and O3 would dominate the aqueous oxidation of MSIA species by O3 in the marine atmosphere
Cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized the field of oncology in recent years. Harnessing the immune system to treat cancer has led to a large growth in the number of novel immunotherapeutic ...strategies, including immune checkpoint inhibition, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy and cancer vaccination. In this review, we will discuss the current landscape of immuno-oncology research, with a focus on elements that influence immunotherapeutic outcomes. We will also highlight recent advances in basic aspects of tumor immunology, in particular, the role of the immunosuppressive cells within the tumor microenvironment in regulating antitumor immunity. Lastly, we will discuss how the understanding of basic tumor immunology can lead to the development of new immunotherapeutic strategies.