Identifying and characterizing secreted virulence proteins are fundamental for deciphering microbial pathogenicity. Here, the authors introduce a practical training framework to improve protein language model representations by integrating biological features and prior information through contrastive learning.
Discover how machine learning and artificial intelligence are changing science and the world with the latest AI news, features and articles.
Conflict between humans and AI is front and center in AMC’s sci-fi series “Humans,” which returned for its third season on Tuesday (June 5). In the new episodes, conscious synthetic humans face hostile people who treat them with suspicion, fear and hatred. Violence roils as Synths find themselves fighting for not only basic rights but their very survival, against those who view them as less than human and as a dangerous threat. [Can Machines Be Creative? Meet 9 AI ‘Artists’]
Even in the real world, not everyone is ready to welcome AI with open arms. In recent years, as computer scientists have pushed the boundaries of what AI can accomplish, leading figures in technology and science have warned about the looming dangers that artificial intelligence may pose to humanity, even suggesting that AI capabilities could doom the human race.
But why are people so unnerved by the idea of AI?
How are neural networks “expressing themselves” through original paintings, songs, and fiction?
From Alan Turing’s seminal paper to the advent of ChatGPT, here are 12 pivotal moments in the history of artificial intelligence.
Researchers using intracranial electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings from deep within the brain found that meditation led to changes in activity in the amygdala and hippocampus, key brain regions involved in emotional regulation and memory.
The study, conducted by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published Tuesday, February 4, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may help explain the positive impact these practices have and could contribute to the development of meditation-based approaches for improving memory and emotional regulation.
Previous research has shown that meditation—a set of mental techniques to focus attention and awareness—can improve mental well-being and potentially help improve psychiatric diseases like anxiety and depression. In combination with its beneficial clinical effect, previous brain research has shown a connection between meditative practice and brain activity. Yet the specific neural activity underlying meditative practices and their positive effects is still not well understood.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer, affecting millions of people worldwide. Due to the complexity and variability of the disease, there are major challenges in the treatment of HCC in its intermediate and advanced stages; despite advances in various treatment modalities, there are still gaps in our understanding of effective therapeutic strategies. Key findings from several studies have shown that the combination of immunotherapy and targeted therapy has a synergistic anti-tumor effect, which can significantly enhance efficacy with a favorable safety profile. In addition, other studies have identified potential biomarkers of therapeutic response, such as tumor protein 53 (TP53) and CTNNB1 (encoding β-conjugated proteins), thus providing personalized treatment options for patients with intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. The aim of this article is to review the recent advances in the treatment of intermediate and advanced HCC, especially targeted immune-combination therapy, chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy (CAR-T cell therapy), and gene therapy for these therapeutic options that fill in the gaps in our knowledge of effective treatment strategies, providing important insights for further research and clinical practice.
Hepatocellular carcinoma is a common malignant tumor, ranking sixth and fifth in incidence globally and in China, respectively. It ranks among the top three in mortality and has long been recognized as a global challenge. HCC is the most common type of liver cancer, accounting for 75% to 80% of cases. Its incidence and mortality vary significantly across regions, which is closely related to risk factors such as viral hepatitis (e.g., hepatitis B and C), alcoholic and non-alcoholic cirrhosis, and fatty liver. Treatment options for HCC include surgical resection, percutaneous anhydrous ethanol injection, Transcatheter arterial embolization (TACE), ablative therapy, chemotherapy and liver transplantation. Early stage HCC can be completely cured by surgery, but about 70% of patients have progressed to an intermediate and advanced stage at the time of diagnosis and are unable to undergo surgery.
Scientists used high-resolution 3D X-ray imaging to uncover major structural and immune changes in the gut of Alzheimer’s disease models, suggesting a potential early biomarker.
There are only four super star clusters in all the Local Group: rarities today. Here’s what the youngest, the just-discovered N79, shows us.
