Publications by authors named "Ning Qiang"

Kernel row number (KRN) is a major yield related trait for maize (Zea mays L.) and is also a major goal of breeders, as it can increase the number of kernels per plant. Thus, identifying new genetic factors involving in KRN formation may accelerate improving yield-related traits genetically.

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Heterozygous mutations in two genes encoding key regulators of development improve kernel row number in inbred and hybrid maize, revealing their potential for yield improvement.

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Multiple distinct specialized regions shape the architecture of maize leaves. Among them, the fringe-like and wedge-shaped auricles alter the angle between the leaf and stalk, which is a key trait in crop plant architecture. As planting density increased, a small leaf angle (LA) was typically selected to promote crop light capture efficiency and yield.

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: Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and deep learning to discover the spatial pattern of brain function, or functional brain networks (FBNs) has been attracted many reseachers. Most existing works focus on static FBNs or dynamic functional connectivity among fixed spatial network nodes, but ignore the potential dynamic/time-varying characteristics of the spatial networks themselves. And most of works based on the assumption of linearity and independence, that oversimplify the relationship between blood-oxygen level dependence signal changes and the heterogeneity of neuronal activity within voxels.

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Functional brain networks (FBNs) are spatial patterns of brain function that play a critical role in understanding human brain function. There are many proposed methods for mapping the spatial patterns of brain function, however they oversimplify the underlying assumptions of brain function and have various limitations such as linearity and independence. Additionally, current methods fail to account for the dynamic nature of FBNs, which limits their effectiveness in accurately characterizing these networks.

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Objective: To investigate the effect of sequential distalization on increasing gaps in the maxillary anterior teeth, focusing on the control of torque and three-dimensional teeth movement during anterior retraction with clear aligners in extraction cases.

Methods: We recruited 24 patients who were undergoing extraction bilateral maxillary first premolars with clear aligners. According to a predetermined increment in the spaces between the maxillary anterior teeth, the patients were divided into three groups: those with no gap (9 cases), a 0.

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Recently, deep learning models have achieved superior performance for mapping functional brain networks from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data compared with traditional methods. However, due to the lack of sufficient data and the high dimensionality of brain volume, deep learning models of fMRI tend to suffer from overfitting. In addition, existing methods rarely studied fMRI data augmentation and its application.

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Accurate genotyping of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is critical for the treatment planning of lung adenocarcinoma. Currently, clinical identification of EGFR genotyping highly relies on biopsy and sequence testing which is invasive and complicated. Recent advancements in the integration of computed tomography (CT) imagery with deep learning techniques have yielded a non-invasive and straightforward way for identifying EGFR profiles.

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Background: It has been recently shown that deep learning models exhibited remarkable performance of representing functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data for the understanding of brain functional activities. With hierarchical structure, deep learning models can infer hierarchical functional brain networks (FBN) from fMRI. However, the applications of the hierarchical FBNs have been rarely studied.

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The investigation of functional brain networks (FBNs) using task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (tfMRI) has gained significant attention in the field of neuroimaging. Despite the availability of several methods for constructing FBNs, including traditional methods like GLM and deep learning methods such as spatiotemporal self-attention mechanism (STAAE), these methods have design and training limitations. Specifically, they do not consider the intrinsic characteristics of fMRI data, such as the possibility that the same signal value at different time points could represent different brain states and meanings.

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Fiber tract segmentation is a prerequisite for tract-based statistical analysis. Brain fiber streamlines obtained by diffusion magnetic resonance imaging and tractography technology are usually difficult to be leveraged directly, thus need to be segmented into fiber tracts. Previous research mainly consists of two steps: defining and computing the similarity features of fiber streamlines, then adopting machine learning algorithms for fiber clustering or classification.

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Hybrid maize displays superior heterosis and contributes over 30% of total worldwide cereal production. However, the molecular mechanisms of heterosis remain obscure. Here we show that structural variants (SVs) between the parental lines have a predominant role underpinning maize heterosis.

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Improving osmotic stress tolerance is critical to help crops to thrive and maintain high yields in adverse environments. Here, we characterized a core subunit of the transport protein particle (TRAPP) complex, ZmBET5L1, in maize using knowledge-driven data mining and genome editing. We found that ZmBET5L1 can interact with TRAPP I complex subunits and act as a tethering factor to mediate vesicle aggregation and targeting from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus.

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Article Synopsis
  • Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a popular method for brain-computer interfaces, but current deep learning techniques struggle with accurately distinguishing brain states.
  • To tackle this issue, a new model called the Multiple Random Fragment Search-based Multilayer Recurrent Neural Network (MRFS-MRNN) is introduced, which uses an explainable MRNN module and a random fragment selection technique to enhance classification effectiveness and address issues of variability and overfitting.
  • The MRFS-MRNN model demonstrates impressive classification accuracy rates—95.18% for binary classification and 89.19% for four-category classification in individual subjects—while also showing strong performance in generalizing to new subjects and outperforming existing models.
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Despite increasing attention to the influence of unsteady-state volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on the adsorption of activated carbon, studies in this regard are rare. Therefore, in this study, an investigation into the migration and diffusion of unsteady-state VOCs on activated carbon adsorption beds under reverse ventilation was conducted. Here, reverse clean air was introduced when the activated carbon bed reached the penetration point.

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Maize early endosperm development is initiated in coordination with elimination of maternal nucellar tissues. However, the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we characterize a major quantitative trait locus for maize kernel size and weight that encodes an EXPANSIN gene, ZmEXPB15.

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers in neuroscience aim to model the relationship between brain function and cognition using functional brain networks, but deep learning approaches often struggle with limited data quality, leading to overfitting.
  • The study introduces a recurrent Wasserstein generative adversarial network (RWGAN) to effectively extract temporal and spatial features from fMRI data, overcoming the limitations of traditional methods.
  • Experimental results reveal that RWGAN performs better than traditional deep learning models, particularly on small datasets, and can generate synthetic data that still provides meaningful insights for brain representation.
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The ()-mediated phosphorylation of an adenosine diphosphate ribosylation factor (Arf) GTPase-activating protein (AGAP) forms a key regulatory module for the numbers of spikelets and kernels in the ear inflorescences of maize ( L.). However, the action mechanism of the KNR6-AGAP module remains poorly understood.

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers have identified a specific gene in maize, qEL7, that regulates ear length, flower number, and fertility, which are important factors for grain yield.
  • The gene identified encodes for an enzyme involved in ethylene production, influencing developmental processes in maize inflorescences.
  • Gene editing of this gene resulted in reduced ethylene production and increased grain yield, suggesting that manipulating ethylene levels could enhance productivity in maize and similar crops.
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. Recently, deep learning models have been successfully applied in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) modeling and associated applications. However, there still exist at least two challenges.

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Exploring the spatial patterns and temporal dynamics of human brain activity has been of great interest, in the quest to better understand connectome-scale brain networks. Though modeling spatial and temporal patterns of functional brain networks have been researched for a long time, the development of a unified and simultaneous spatial-temporal model has yet to be realized. For instance, although some deep learning methods have been proposed recently in order to model functional brain networks, most of them can only represent either spatial or temporal perspective of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data and rarely model both domains simultaneously.

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Presently, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) pollution control in China has entered the deep-water zone, facing difficult challenges. The cost-effectiveness of VOCs abatement alternatives will determine the final environmental benefits. Screening of abatement alternatives with good cost-effectiveness and performance is important to form a sound basis for VOCs emission abatement work to create sustainable and stable alternatives.

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Article Synopsis
  • Deep neural networks outperform traditional methods in analyzing fMRI data, but designing these networks manually is time-consuming and inefficient due to the complexity of fMRI images.
  • To address this, researchers proposed a novel framework called NAS-DBN, which uses Particle Swarm Optimization to automatically search for optimal neural architectures suited for volumetric fMRI data.
  • Experiments demonstrated that NAS-DBN not only achieved a 47.9% improvement in performance compared to manually designed networks but also effectively identified 260 functional brain networks while maintaining strong overlaps with established analysis models.
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