The presence of confounding effects (or biases) is one of the most critical challenges in using deep learning to advance discovery in medical imaging studies. Confounders affect the relationship ...between input data (e.g., brain MRIs) and output variables (e.g., diagnosis). Improper modeling of those relationships often results in spurious and biased associations. Traditional machine learning and statistical models minimize the impact of confounders by, for example, matching data sets, stratifying data, or residualizing imaging measurements. Alternative strategies are needed for state-of-the-art deep learning models that use end-to-end training to automatically extract informative features from large set of images. In this article, we introduce an end-to-end approach for deriving features invariant to confounding factors while accounting for intrinsic correlations between the confounder(s) and prediction outcome. The method does so by exploiting concepts from traditional statistical methods and recent fair machine learning schemes. We evaluate the method on predicting the diagnosis of HIV solely from Magnetic Resonance Images (MRIs), identifying morphological sex differences in adolescence from those of the National Consortium on Alcohol and Neurodevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA), and determining the bone age from X-ray images of children. The results show that our method can accurately predict while reducing biases associated with confounders. The code is available at https://github.com/qingyuzhao/br-net .
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•The aroma-active compounds of Jasmine rice were identified.•Aroma-active compounds and taste components during storage were characterized.•Electronic tongue was applied to analyse ...the sensory differences during storage.•Prediction models of the taste component content during storage were established.
Despite the popularity of Jasmine rice, changes in the flavor of Jasmine rice in storage remain unclear. Herein, the major aroma-active compounds in Jasmine rice combined with odor activity values and detection frequencies analysis were discriminated. Furthermore, the major aroma-active compounds and taste components of rice stored were investigated. Results showed that seven components, namely, hexanal, octanal, nonanal, (E)-2-octenal, decanal, 1-heptanol, and 1-octanol were identified as major aroma-active compounds. Various volatiles in rice samples under different storage conditions increased at different rates, and high temperature promoted these changes. The main taste components of rice, such as soluble sugars and free amino acids, changed during storage. These changes may influence the sweet and umami tastes of stored rice. Electronic tongue was suited to classify Jasmine rice during storage and predict the values of umami and sweet amino acid, but was unsuited to predict the values of sucrose, glucose, fructose, and bitter amino acids.
Adzuki bean consumption has many health benefits, but its effects on obesity and regulating gut microbiota imbalances induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) have not been thoroughly studied. Mice were fed ...a low-fat diet, a HFD, and a HFD supplemented with 15% adzuki bean (HFD-AB) for 12 weeks. Adzuki bean supplementation significantly reduced obesity, lipid accumulation, and serum lipid and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels induced by HFD. It also mitigated liver function damage and hepatic steatosis. In particular, adzuki bean supplementation improved glucose homeostasis by increasing insulin sensitivity. In addition, it significantly reversed HFD-induced gut microbiota imbalances. Adzuki bean significantly reduced the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B); enriched the occurrence of Bifidobacterium, Prevotellaceae, Ruminococcus_1, norank_f_Muribaculaceae, Alloprevotella, Muribaculum, Turicibacter, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, and Lachnoclostridium; and returned HFD-dependent taxa (Desulfovibrionaceae, Bilophila, Ruminiclostridium_9, Blautia, and Ruminiclostridium) back to normal status. PICRUSt2 analysis showed that the changes in gut microbiota induced by adzuki bean supplementation may be associated with the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, sulfur, and cysteine and methionine; and LPS biosynthesis; and valine, leucine, and isoleucine degradation.
Tree-ring cellulose oxygen isotope (δ18O) in monsoon Asia (MA) is affected collectively by local hydroclimate and remote oceanic-atmospheric variations. Variations of tree-ring δ18O have been widely ...used for quantitative reconstructions of monsoon-season precipitation, relative humidity and drought severity. However, local hydroclimate and remote large-scale circulation's influences on tree-ring δ18O has not been fully resolved. Here, we collected 24 tree-ring δ18O chronologies covering the period of 1884–1999 across a wide range of MA and investigated the common signals of these chronologies using principal component analysis. The first principal component (PC1) of the 24 tree-ring δ18O chronologies explained 25.2% of the total variances and showed significant positive correlations with the observed Asian summer monsoon oxygen isotope index (r = 0.69) during the period of 1978–1999, suggesting that a common signal of precipitation δ18O does exist in MA and that it is highly correlated with El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) (r = 0.72) and the South Asian summer monsoon precipitation (r = −0.66). South Asian summer monsoon precipitation and ENSO are the main factors controlling this common signal of tree-ring δ18O across MA. PC1 of tree-ring δ18O chronologies in MA also depicted a negative (positive) correlation with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (Pacific Decadal Oscillation), indicating the large-scale circulation influences. After removing the large-scale circulation influences on tree-ring δ18O chronologies, however, the residual tree-ring δ18O chronologies exhibit negative correlations with the regional hydroclimate, highlighting the role local hydroclimate on the individual tree-ring δ18O variations.
•South Asian monsoon precipitation and ENSO control the common signal of 24 tree-ring oxygen isotope chronologies across Asia.•Local hydroclimate plays an important role on tree-ring oxygen isotope variations.•Combining multiple tree-ring δ18O records can increase climate signals and enhance the stability of climate signals.
For prevention of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, an effective vaccine is critical. Herein, several potential peptide epitopes from the spike protein of ...SARS-CoV-2 have been synthesized and covalently linked with the cross-reactive material (CRM197). Immunization of mice with the resulting conjugates induced high titers of IgG antibodies against the spike protein. Importantly, the post-immune sera effectively neutralized SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus, suggesting the epitopes identified are protective, and these conjugates are promising leads for anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development.
We investigated the effects of astaxanthin supplementation on the egg quality, antioxidant capacity, and ovarian aging of aged laying hens. Six groups of 68-wk-old Hy-line brown laying hens with six ...replications each, fifteen chickens in each replicate were fed for 12 wk. The control group was fed a basal diet, the positive control group was fed the basal diet supplemented with 100 mg/kg vitamin E, and the experimental groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with 15 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg, 45 mg/kg, or 60 mg/kg astaxanthin (Ax15, Ax30, Ax45, and Ax60, respectively). The results showed that astaxanthin accumulated in the egg yolks and improved egg yolk color (P < 0.01) and Haugh unit (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the experimental groups a higher number of follicles in the ovary and a lower rate of atresia (P < 0.01). Astaxanthin increased the expression of nuclear factor e2-related factor 2 (NRF2) in the ovary (P < 0.05), enhanced the antioxidant capacity of aged laying hens (P < 0.05), and reduced cellular apoptosis (P < 0.05). In addition, astaxanthin improved serum reproductive hormone levels (follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and progesterone) (P < 0.05) with a maximum value observed in Ax60. However, astaxanthin had no effects on estrogen level (P > 0.05). The expression of FSHR and CYP11A1 increased in the follicular granulosa cells (P < 0.05). Therefore, astaxanthin prevented ovarian aging by improving the antioxidant capacity of laying hens and promoting the production of reproductive hormones. The declining reproductive performance of laying hens in the late laying period may be improved with astaxanthin supplementation.
A strategy that informs on countries' potential losses due to lack of climate action may facilitate global climate governance. Here, we quantify a distribution of mitigation effort whereby each ...country is economically better off than under current climate pledges. This effort-sharing optimizing approach applied to a 1.5 °C and 2 °C global warming threshold suggests self-preservation emissions trajectories to inform NDCs enhancement and long-term strategies. Results show that following the current emissions reduction efforts, the whole world would experience a washout of benefit, amounting to almost 126.68-616.12 trillion dollars until 2100 compared to 1.5 °C or well below 2 °C commensurate action. If countries are even unable to implement their current NDCs, the whole world would lose more benefit, almost 149.78-791.98 trillion dollars until 2100. On the contrary, all countries will be able to have a significant positive cumulative net income before 2100 if they follow the self-preservation strategy.
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•Consumption of cooked mung bean prevents obesity in mice fed with a high-fat-diet.•Consumption of cooked mung bean ameliorates lipid metabolic disorders.•Consumption of cooked mung ...bean reduces the hepatic steatosis and adipocyte size.•The partial mechanism of mung bean’s beneficial effects involves gut microbiota.
Mung bean is shown having several health benefits, but a little bit of knowledge is known about its effects on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity or its relationship with gut microbiota composition changes. Here, it was observed that consumption of HFD supplemented with cooked mung bean (30%, w/w) for 12 weeks effectively alleviated body weight gain and lipid metabolic disorders, which was accompanied by a decrease in hepatic steatosis and adipocyte size. Furthermore, high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA revealed that mung bean supplementation prevented the HFD-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis, which was likely associated with the decreased relative abundance of several HFD-dependent taxa (Ruminiclostridium_9, Mucispirillum, Bilophila, Blautia, Ruminiclostridium, and Odoribacter), and the increased relative abundance of norank_f__Muribaculaceae. Spearman’s correlation analysis indicated that those genera were closely correlated with obesity-related indices. Collectively, the prevention of obesity by mung bean supplementation was at least partially mediated by structural modulation of gut microbiota.
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