Multi-Task Recommendations with Reinforcement Learning

In recent years, Multi-task Learning (MTL) has yielded immense success in Recommender System (RS) applications. However, current MTL-based recommendation models tend to disregard the session-wise patterns of user-item interactions because they are predominantly constructed based on item-wise datasets. Moreover, balancing multiple objectives has always been a challenge in this field, which is typically avoided via linear estimations in existing works. To address these issues, in this paper, we propose a Reinforcement Learning (RL) enhanced MTL framework, namely RMTL, to combine the losses of different recommendation tasks using dynamic weights. To be specific, the RMTL structure can address the two aforementioned issues by (i) constructing an MTL environment from session-wise interactions and (ii) training multi-task actor-critic network structure, which is compatible with most existing MTL-based recommendation models, and (iii) optimizing and fine-tuning the MTL loss function using the weights generated by critic networks. Experiments on two real-world public datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of RMTL with a higher AUC against state-of-the-art MTL-based recommendation models. Additionally, we evaluate and validate RMTL's compatibility and transferability across various MTL models.Comment: TheWebConf202

Evaluation Indicator System for China’s Agricultural Industrial Safety

On the basis of new characteristics and trend of China’s agricultural development in the post-WTO period, combining analysis of factors influencing agricultural industrial safety, this paper builds an evaluation indicator system for China’s agricultural industrial safety by scientific indicator system design method. This indicator system includes risk factor indicators (showing risk degree) and capacity factor indicators (showing guaranteeing ability), and consists of 7 subsystems: consumption safety, production safety, industrial controlling capacity, industrial development capacity, industrial development environment, government functions and industrial foundation condition. Risk factor is divided into 5 levels: higher risk, high risk, medium risk, low risk and lower risk; guarantee risk is also divided into five levels: strong, healthy, normal, weak and disabled. According to the overall evaluation score obtained from weighting sum, the agricultural industrial safety includes 5 types: very safe, safe, basically safe, not safe and hazardous. This evaluation indicator system is expected to providing theoretical reference for evaluating China’s agricultural industrial safety

Stochastic Models and Control of Anchoring Mechanisms for Grasping in Microgravity

Robots equipped with anchoring mechanisms have attractive applications in asteroid exploration. However, complex application scenarios bring great challenges to the modeling and control of anchoring mechanisms. This paper presents a grasping model and control method for an anchoring mechanism for asteroid exploration. First, the structure of the anchoring mechanism is demonstrated. Second, stochastic grasping models based on surface properties are established. The effectiveness of the grasping model is verified by experiments. A stiffness-modeling method of the microspine is proposed. On this basis, the stochastic grasping model of the anchoring mechanism is established, and the grasping cloud diagram of the anchoring mechanism is drawn. Third, in order to reduce the collision force between the anchor mechanism and the asteroid surface, a control method for the anchoring mechanism in the movement process is proposed based on the motion mode of the asteroid-exploration robot. Finally, a prototype is developed, and the experimental results validate the motion ability of the robot and the control method

A solitary osteolytic lesion with pathological fracture in the cervical spine - a case report

Abstract Background Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disorder. The treatment options vary depending on how many organs are involved and how extensive the disease is. In this report, a case of LCH with isolated 6th cervical vertebra (C6) collapse was presented. This case was treated with anterior corpectomy and instrumented fusion, followed by local radiotherapy (RT), with a good clinical outcome up to postoperative six months. Case presentation This was a 47-year-old female patient with a complaint of neck pain and bilateral shoulder pain for two months before consultation. She was initially treated with analgesics, but the pain was persistent. Further radiological evaluations revealed an osteolytic lesion within the C6 vertebral body with a pathological fracture. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast of the cervical spine revealed diffused hypointense signal changes on the T1-weighted images and hyperintense signal changes on the T2-weighted images in the C6 vertebral body, with significant contrast-enhanced infiltration signals. Furthermore, in positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT), focal hypermetabolism and abnormal uptake signals were seen only in the C6 vertebral body. The patient underwent an anterior cervical corpectomy with instrumented fusion. The histopathological results confirmed the diagnosis of LCH. The patient reported significant pain relief on postoperative day one. Moreover, she was treated by local RT at postoperative one month. Good clinical outcomes were achieved in the form of no pain and recovery in neck mobility up to postoperative six months. No evidence of recurrence was observed at the final follow-up. Conclusions This case report describes a treatment option for a solitary C6 collapse with LCH managed by anterior corpectomy and instrumented fusion, followed by local RT, with a good clinical outcome at postoperative six months. More studies are needed to elucidate whether such a treatment strategy is superior to surgery or RT alone

Performance investigation of indoor thermal environment and air handling unit in a hub airport terminal

Airport terminal is a typical large space building with large high interspaces and multitudinous functional zones. The task of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system is to ensure the thermal environment of these zones with different functions. A typical terminal in cold region of China is investigated in present paper, where indoor environment and performance of air conditioning system in summer are emphasized. The results indicate that the indoor temperature and humidity parameters at a height of 1.5 m in each zone of the terminal can be effectively controlled. The indoor temperature at a height of 1.5 varies in the range of 24~27°C, and the temperature difference is 0.5~4.9°C in the vertical direction. The temperature at the top of the terminal is greatly affected by the outdoor temperature where is higher and fluctuates obviously, while the temperature at the height of the occupant area is lower and more stable under the control of the air-conditioning system. The indoor carbon dioxide concentration is also at a reasonable level, all below 900 ppm, indicating that the equivalent outdoor air volume per capita is greater than 35 m3/h. Even in the case of high load caused by flight delays, the thermal environment in the terminal can be basically controlled at a comfortable level. As for the air handling unit, air handling process is tested to investigate the cooling capacity. The results show that the actual water supply of the AHU is relatively higher than the set value, but the air volume is almost equal to the set value which leads to an unsatisfactory energy efficiency. The tested energy efficiency ratio (EER) of AHU is only 5~7, almost approaching to that of the cooling plant. Reducing air flow rate could greatly improve the EER of the current air-conditioning system

New-onset syncope in diabetic patients treated with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors versus dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors: a Chinese population-based cohort study.

Background and aims: Syncope is a symptom posing an important diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, and generate significant cost for the healthcare system. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) have demonstrated beneficial cardiovascular effects, but their possible effects on incident syncope have not been fully investigated. This study compared the effects between SGLT2i and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP4i) on new-onset syncope.Methods: This was a retrospective, territory-wide cohort study enrolling type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients treated with SGLT2i or DPP4i between January 1st, 2015, and December 31st, 2020, in Hong Kong, China. The outcomes were hospitalization of new-onset syncope, cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality. Multivariable Cox regression and different approaches using the propensity score were applied to evaluate the association between SGLT2i and DPP4i with incident syncope and mortality.Results: After matching, a total of 37 502 patients with T2DM were included (18 751 SGLT2i users versus 18 751 DPP4i users). During a median follow-up of 5.56 years, 907 patients were hospitalized for new-onset syncope (2.41%), and 2346 patients died from any cause (6.26%), among which 471 deaths (1.26%) were associated with cardiovascular causes. Compared to DPP4i users, SGLT2i therapy was associated with a 51% lower risk of new-onset syncope (HR, 0.49; 95%CI [0.41-0.57], P < 0.001), 65% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality (HR, 0.35; 95%CI [0.26-0.46], P < 0.001), and a 70% lower risk of all-cause mortality (HR, 0.30; 95%CI [0.26-0.34], P < 0.001) in the fully adjusted model. Similar associations with syncope were observed for dapagliflozin (HR, 0.70; 95%CI [0.58-0.85], P < 0.001), canagliflozin (HR, 0.48; 95%CI [0.36-0.63], P < 0.001) and ertugliflozin (HR, 0.45; 95%CI [0.30-0.68], P < 0.001), but was attenuated for empagliflozin (HR, 0.79; 95%CI [0.59-1.05], P = 0.100) after adjusting for potential confounders. The subgroup analyses suggested that, compared to DPP4i, SGLT2i was associated with a significantly decreased risk of incident syncope among T2DM patients, regardless of gender, age, glucose control status, Charlson comorbidity index, and the association remained constant amongst those with common cardiovascular drugs and most antidiabetic drugs at baseline.Conclusions: Compared to DPP4i, SGLT2i was associated with a significantly lower risk of new-onset syncope in patients with T2DM, regardless of gender, age, degree of glycaemic control, and comorbidity burden

PKU-3: An HCl-Inclusive Aluminoborate for Strecker Reaction Solved by Combining RED and PXRD

A novel microporous aluminoborate, denoted as PKU-3, was prepared by the boric acid flux method. The structure of PKU-3 was determined by combining the rotation electron diffraction and synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction data with well resolved ordered Cl^– ions in the channel. Composition and crystal structure analysis showed that there are both proton and chlorine ions in the channels. Part of these protons and chlorine ions can be washed away by basic solutions to activate the open pores. The washed PKU-3 can be used as an efficient catalyst in the Strecker reaction with yields higher than 90%

A three‐lncRNA signature of pretreatment biopsies predicts pathological response and outcome in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy

Abstract Background Current strategies are insufficient to predict pathologically complete response (pCR) for esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCCs) before treatment. Here, we aim to develop a novel long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) signature for pCR and outcome prediction of ESCCs through a multicenter analysis for a Chinese population. Methods Differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) between pCRs and less than pCR (<pCR) in the pretreated cancer biopsies were identified from 28 cases in Guangzhou cohort and verified from 30 cases in Beijing discovery cohort. Then a prediction model was built through Fisher's linear discriminant analysis (FLDA) of 67 cases in Beijing training cohort. Then an internal cohort and an integrated external cohort (Zhengzhou and Anyang cohorts) were used to validate the predictive accuracy. The prognostic value of this signature was also evaluated. Results Twelve DELs were identified from Guangzhou cohort and six lncRNAs were verified. Then, a classifier of three lncRNAs (SCAT1, PRKAG2‐AS1, and FLG‐AS1) was established and achieved a high accuracy with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.952 in the training cohort, which was well validated in the internal validation cohort and external cohort with the AUCs of 0.856 and 0.817, respectively. Furthermore, the predictive score was identified as the only independent predictor for pCR. Patients with high discriminant score showed a significantly longer overall and relapse‐free survival (P < .05). Conclusions We developed the first and applicable three‐lncRNA signature of pCR and outcome prediction, which is robust and reproducible in multicenter cohorts for ESCCs with nCRT