Desktop-size robots are becoming commonly used in many fields such as caring, education and entertainment. But factors that affect human perception of desktop-size robots and their interaction are ...still unclear. The study examined the impact of robot behavior and appearance on the Robot Social Attributes Scale (RoSAS) during a virtual human-robot interaction study. The results showed that robots with human-like behavior were perceived more positively than those with random behavior, but the appearance of the robot did not have a significant impact on perception. The findings suggest that the design of humanlike behavior should be prioritized in future HRI studies and robot design. Real-world experiments are also recommended to verify the findings for the application of desktop-size robots in the healthcare field.
We present a hybrid predictive coding framework designed for the prediction of future video frames. This model draws its conceptual foundation inspired from the predictive coding theories within the ...realm of cognitive science. The framework is imbued with a novel amalgamation of bottom-up and top-down information flows, fostering heightened interconnectivity among diverse tiers between prediction and reality. Notably, conventional predictive coding models primarily entail hierarchical event anticipation rather than prospective prediction. To address this limitation, our proposed model adopts a multi-scale paradigm, characterized by a Coarse-to-Fine schema. In relation to the network architecture, we integrate the encoder-decoder network within the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) module. This integration facilitates the sharing of ultimate encoded high-level semantic insights across varying strata of the neural network. Consequently, a profound interplay is established between the prevailing input and the historical LSTM states. This stands in stark contrast to the conventional Encoder-LSTM-Decoder configuration. The outcome is an erudite grasp of temporal and spatial dependencies, thereby engendering more verisimilar predictions. Empirical evaluations of our approach on benchmark datasets KTH.
It has generally proven challenging to produce functional β cells in vitro. Here, we describe a previously unidentified protein C receptor positive (Procr+) cell population in adult mouse pancreas ...through single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). The cells reside in islets, do not express differentiation markers, and feature epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition characteristics. By genetic lineage tracing, Procr+ islet cells undergo clonal expansion and generate all four endocrine cell types during adult homeostasis. Sorted Procr+ cells, representing ∼1% of islet cells, can robustly form islet-like organoids when cultured at clonal density. Exponential expansion can be maintained over long periods by serial passaging, while differentiation can be induced at any time point in culture. β cells dominate in differentiated islet organoids, while α, δ, and PP cells occur at lower frequencies. The organoids are glucose-responsive and insulin-secreting. Upon transplantation in diabetic mice, these organoids reverse disease. These findings demonstrate that the adult mouse pancreatic islet contains a population of Procr+ endocrine progenitors.
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•Procr+ pancreatic islet progenitors are identified in adult mice•They are multipotent, generating new β, α, δ, and PP cells during adult homeostasis•Procr+ progenitors can form functional islet organoids in vitro in clonal density•These organoids can be expanded for long-term in vitro and reverse diabetes in vivo
Identification of a lineage of progenitor cells in the adult pancreas that can give rise to all four endocrine cell types and be cultured to functional pancreatic islet organoids that contain mature β cells and can reverse diabetes in mice upon transplantation.
The prevalence of Metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Sichuan of China has not yet been estimated. Meanwhile the association among anxiety, subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and MetS was less well-studied. ...The data was retrieved retrospectively from Health Promotion Center of West China Hospital database between 2014 and 2017. Internal validation by randomizing into training and testing panel by 9:1 and external validation with National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHNES) were conducted. 19006 subjects were included into analysis, and 3530 (18.6%) of them were diagnosed with MetS. In training panel, age, sex (male), SCH (presence), SAS score, alcohol (Sometimes & Usual) and smoking (Active) were identified as independent risk factors for MetS, which was confirmed in testing panel internally. NHNES data validated externally the association between free thyroxine (fT4) and MetS components. The C-indices of predicting MetS nomogram were 0.705 (95% CI: 0.696-0.714) and 0.728 (95% CI: 0.701-0.754) in training and testing panel respectively. In conclusion, MetS prevalence was 18.6% in Sichuan. SCH and anxiety may be associated with MetS independently. A risk scale-based nomogram with accurate and objective prediction ability was provided for check-up practice, but more cohort validation was needed.
Insulin production is required for glucose homeostasis. Pancreatic islet β cells are the only cells that produce insulin in humans; however, generation of functional β cells in vitro from embryonic ...or adult tissues has been challenging. Here, we describe isolation of pancreatic islet progenitors from adult mice, which enables the efficient generation and long-term expansion of functional islet organoids in vitro. This protocol starts with purification of protein C receptor (Procr)-expressing islet progenitors. Coculture with endothelial cells generates islet organoids in vitro that can be expanded by passage. Functional maturation is achieved as a consequence of a prolonged culture period and cyclic glucose stimulation. Primary islet organoids form in 7-10 days. Subsequently, each passage takes 1 week, with the final maturation step requiring 3 weeks of additional culture. The resulting organoids are predominantly composed of β cells but also contain small proportions of α, δ and pancreatic polypeptide cells. The organoids sense glucose and secrete insulin. This approach thus provides a strategy for β cell generation in vitro and an organoid system to study islet regeneration and diseases.
Background
Except conventional treatments, research on medical approach for radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RR-DTC) was considered particularly challenging. Sorafenib, a novel ...biological agent, has been widely studied in the treatment of RR-DTC for years. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the efficiency and safety of treating RR-DTC patients with sorafenib.
Methods
An electronic search on PubMed/Medline and Embase was carried out to search associated articles. Fixed-effects or random-effects models were chose according to the heterogeneity.
Results
A total of 15 eligible studies (636 patients) were included. As shown by the only randomised clinical trial-DECISION, sorafenib significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared with placebo in patients with progressive RR-DTC. The pooled analysis indicated that there were 26% patients (95% CI: 0.19–0.34) achieved partial response (PR), and 44% patients (98% CI: 0.39–0.48) achieved stable disease (SD). The most frequent adverse effects (AEs) observed included hand-foot syndrome (HFS), diarrhoea, fatigue, alopecia, weight loss (WS) and rash, the incidence of all grades AEs for which were 71%, 60%, 59%, 55%, 51% and 50%, respectively. There were 68% patients (252/368), who had a dose reduction because of the drug toxicities and AEs.
Conclusions
Sorafenib could improve PFS in patients with progressive RR-DTC, comparing with placebo. Due to the resistance to conventional treatments, sorafenib is considered as a promising treatment for RR-DTC by most physicians specialised in this field. However, the use of sorafenib should be cautious due to a high incidence of AEs caused by the agent. More effective agents with less toxicities are warranted.
•A method to classify and quantify factors affecting site contamination is proposed.•Potential pollution source is key factor in determining the distribution of pollution.•Soil permeability is the ...dominant factor influencing the diffusion of heavy metals.
Smelting activities are the main pathway for the anthropogenic release of heavy metals (HMs) into the soil-groundwater environment. It is vital to identify the factors affecting HMs pollution to better prevent and manage soil pollution. The present study conducted a comprehensive investigation of HMs in soil from a large abandoned Zn smelting site. An integrated approach was proposed to classify and quantify the factors affecting HMs pollution in the site. Besides, the quantitative relationship between hydrogeological characteristics, pollution transmission pathways, smelting activities and HMs pollution was established. Results showed that the soils were highly contaminated by HMs with a pollution index trend of As > Zn > Cd > Pb > Hg. In identifying the pollution hotspots, we conclude that the pollution hotspots of Pb, As, Cd, and Hg present a concentrated distribution pattern. Geo-detector method results showed that the dominant driving factors for HMs distribution and accumulation were the potential pollution source and soil permeability. Additionally, the main drivers are variable for different HMs, and the interaction among factors also enhanced soil HMs contamination. Our analysis illustrates how the confounding influences from complex environmental factors can be distilled to identify key factors in pollution formation to guide future remediation strategies.
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Ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) undergoes recurring ovulatory rupture and repair. The OSE replenishing mechanism post ovulation remains unclear. Here we report that the expression of Protein C ...Receptor (Procr) marks a progenitor population in adult mice that is responsible for OSE repair post ovulation. Procr+ cells are the major cell source for OSE repair. The mechanism facilitating the rapid re-epithelialization is through the immediate expansion of Procr+ cells upon OSE rupture. Targeted ablation of Procr+ cells impedes the repairing process. Moreover, Procr+ cells displayed robust colony-formation capacity in culture, which we harnessed and established a long-term culture and expansion system of OSE cells. Finally, we show that Procr+ cells and previously reported Lgr5+ cells have distinct lineage tracing behavior in OSE homeostasis. Our study suggests that Procr marks progenitor cells that are critical for OSE ovulatory rupture and homeostasis, providing insight into how adult stem cells respond upon injury.
Mineral dissolution and mechanical deformation of granite are two main mechanisms that affect permeability evolution of rock fracture. In this study, two water flow-through experiments with large ...granite fractures were conducted at 200 °C with a constant flow rate for 24 h, under confining pressures of 5 and 10 MPa, respectively. Water pressure and temperature were measured, fracture aperture and permeability were calculated, and chemical element concentrations in effluent water were tested for mechanism analysis. The permeability fluctuates up and down between 2.62 × 10
−12
and 3.16 × 10
−12
m
2
at confining pressure of 5 MPa; while it decreased monotonously by 24% from 1.92 × 10
−12
to 1.45 × 10
−12
m
2
at a confining pressure of 10 MPa. The heat transfer rates at both experiments stay stable at about 0.25 J/s. The mass concentration of Ca, Na, K, and Si in effluent water are between 5 to 23 mg/L, indicating slight dissolution of Ca-plagioclase, Na-plagioclase, and K-feldspar, as well as possible precipitation of minor amount of kaolinite or quartz. The total amount of free-face dissolution and pressure dissolution are similar at 5 and 10 MPa. The geochemical reaction counts for only small part of the aperture change, while the mechanical deformation counts the major part of the aperture change.
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