Coupling multiple views of relations for recommendation

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015. Learning user/item relation is a key issue in recommender system, and existing methods mostly measure the user/item relation from one particular aspect, e.g., historical ratings, etc. However, the relations between users/items could be influenced by multifaceted factors, so any single type of measure could get only a partial view of them. Thus it is more advisable to integrate measures from different aspects to estimate the underlying user/item relation. Furthermore, the estimation of underlying user/item relation should be optimal for current task. To this end, we propose a novel model to couple multiple relations measured on different aspects, and determine the optimal user/item relations via learning the optimal way of integrating these relation measures. Specifically, matrix factorization model is extended in this paper by considering the relations between latent factors of different users/items. Experiments are conducted and our method shows good performance and outperforms other baseline methods

Link Mining for Kernel-based Compound-Protein Interaction Predictions Using a Chemogenomics Approach

Virtual screening (VS) is widely used during computational drug discovery to reduce costs. Chemogenomics-based virtual screening (CGBVS) can be used to predict new compound-protein interactions (CPIs) from known CPI network data using several methods, including machine learning and data mining. Although CGBVS facilitates highly efficient and accurate CPI prediction, it has poor performance for prediction of new compounds for which CPIs are unknown. The pairwise kernel method (PKM) is a state-of-the-art CGBVS method and shows high accuracy for prediction of new compounds. In this study, on the basis of link mining, we improved the PKM by combining link indicator kernel (LIK) and chemical similarity and evaluated the accuracy of these methods. The proposed method obtained an average area under the precision-recall curve (AUPR) value of 0.562, which was higher than that achieved by the conventional Gaussian interaction profile (GIP) method (0.425), and the calculation time was only increased by a few percent

The correlation between endometrial thickness and outcome of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) outcome

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To evaluate the relationship between endometrial thickness on day of human chorionic gonadotrophin administration (hCG) and pregnancy outcome in a large number of consecutive in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) cycles.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A retrospective cohort study including all patients who had IVF-ET from January 2003–December 2005 conducted at a tertiary center.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 2464 cycles were analysed. Pregnancy rate (PR) was 35.8%. PR increased linearly (r = 0.864) from 29.4% among patients with a lining of less than or equal to 6 mm, to 44.4% among patients with a lining of greater than or equal to 17 mm. ROC showed that endometrial thickness is not a good predictor of PR, so a definite cut-off value could not be established (AUC = 0.55).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There is a positive linear relationship between the endometrial thickness measured on the day of hCG injection and PR, and is independent of other variables. Hence aiming for a thicker endometrium should be considered.</p

Efficient IP-level network topology capture

International audienceLarge-scale distributed traceroute-based measurement sys- tems are used to obtain the topology of the internet at the IP-level and can be used to monitor and understand the behavior of the net- work. However, existing approaches to measuring the public IPv4 net- work space often require several days to obtain a full graph, which is too slow to capture much of the network's dynamics. This paper presents a new network topology capture algorithm, NTC, which aims to bet- ter capture network dynamics through accelerated probing, reducing the probing load while maintaining good coverage. There are two novel as- pects to our approach: it focuses on obtaining the network graph rather than a full set of individual traces, and it uses past probing results in a new, adaptive, way to guide future probing. We study the performance of our algorithm on real traces and demonstrate outstanding improved performance compared to existing work.Les systèmes de mesure distribué à grande échelle basés sur l'outil Traceroute sont utilisés pour obtenir la topologie de l'internet au niveau IP et peuvent être utilisés pour surveiller et comprendre le comportement du réseau sous-jascent. Cependant, les approches existantes pour mesurer l'espace public IPv4 du réseau Internet nécessitent souvent plusieurs jours pour obtenir un graphe complet, ce qui est trop lent pour capturer une grande partie de la dynamique du réseau. Cet article présente un nouvel algorithme pour la capture de la topologie du réseau, NTC, visant à cibler la dynamique du réseau à travers l'accélération de sondage, ce qui réduit la charge de la mesure, tout en maintenant une bonne couverture. Il ya deux nouveaux aspects à notre approche: l'algorithme se concentre sur l'obtention du graphe du réseau plutôt que d'effectuer un ensemble complet de traces individuelles, et il utilise les résultats de sondage précédentes de façon à adapter la mesure et de réduire les sondes envoyées. Nous étudions les performances de notre algorithme sur des traces réelles et démontrons la performance accrue de notre approche par rapport aux travaux existants

MiRNA-Mediated Control of HLA-G Expression and Function

HLA-G is a non-classical HLA class-Ib molecule expressed mainly by the extravillous cytotrophoblasts (EVT) of the placenta. The expression of HLA-G on these fetal cells protects the EVT cells from immune rejection and is therefore important for a healthy pregnancy. The mechanisms controlling HLA-G expression are largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that miR-148a and miR-152 down-regulate HLA-G expression by binding its 3′UTR and that this down-regulation of HLA-G affects LILRB1 recognition and consequently, abolishes the LILRB1-mediated inhibition of NK cell killing. We further demonstrate that the C/G polymorphism at position +3142 of HLA-G 3′UTR has no effect on the miRNA targeting of HLA-G. We show that in the placenta both miR-148a and miR-152 miRNAs are expressed at relatively low levels, compared to other healthy tissues, and that the mRNA levels of HLA-G are particularly high and we therefore suggest that this might enable the tissue specific expression of HLA-G

Epidemiología de la hepatozoonosis canina en Buenos Aires (Argentina) durante el período 2002-2008

La hepatozoonosis canina es una enfermedad transmitida por garrapatas causada por un protozoario del género Hepatozoon. Esta enfermedad fue descripta en Asia, Europa, Sud y Norte América. Desde el primer reporte en Buenos Aires (Argentina) en 1999, se observo un progresivo aumento en la tasa de infección y en la actualidad puede encontrarse en un gran número de perros. El presente estudio se enfoca en la descripción de algunas características epidemiológicas de la infección por Hepatozoon en Buenos Aires durante los últimos años.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Expression of PRB, FKBP52 and HB-EGF Relating with Ultrasonic Evaluation of Endometrial Receptivity

Background: To explore the molecular basis of the different ultrasonic patterns of the human endometrium, and the molecular marker basis of local injury. Methodology/Principal Findings: The mRNA and protein expression of FKBP52, progesterone receptor A (PRA), progesterone receptor B (PRB), and HB-EGF were detected in different patterns of the endometrium by real-time RTPCR and immunohistochemistry. There were differences in the mRNA and protein expression of FKBP52, PRB, and HB-EGF in the triple line (Pattern A) and homogeneous (Pattern C) endometrium in the window of implantation. No difference was detected in PRA expression. After local injury, the mRNA expression of HB-EGF significantly increased. In contrast, there was no difference in the mRNA expression of FKBP52, PRB, or PRA. The protein expression of FKBP52, PRB, and HB-EGF increased after local injury. There was no difference in the PRA expression after local injury. Conclusions: PRB, FKBP52, and HB-EGF may be the molecular basis for the classification of the ultrasonic patterns. HB-EGF may be the molecular basis of local injury. Ultrasonic evaluation on the day of ovulation can be effective in predicting the outcome of implantation

Monozygotic multiple gestation following in vitro fertilization: analysis of seven cases from Japan

We present a series of monozygous multiple gestations achieved following in vitro fertilization (IVF): one case of monochorionic triplet pregnancy and six cases of dizygotic triplet pregnancy. From September 2000 to December 2006, all patients achieving clinical pregnancy by ART were reviewed (n = 2433). A 37 year-old woman who delivered a healthy singleton after IVF returned two years later for FET, and a single blastocyst was transferred. This also resulted in pregnancy, but TV-USG revealed a single gestational sac with three distinct amniotic sacs, each containing a distinct fetal pole with cardiac activity. This pregnancy was electively terminated at nine weeks' gestation. An additional six cases of dizygotic triplets established after fresh embryo transfer (no ICSI or assisted hatching) are also described. Of these, one resulted in a miscarriage at eight weeks' gestation and five patients have an ongoing pregnancy. This case series suggests the incidence of dizygotic/monochorionic triplets following IVF is approximately 10 times higher than the expected rate in unassisted conceptions, and underscores the importance of a conservative approach to lower the number of embryos at transfer. The role of embryo transfer technique and in vitro culture media in the twinning process requires further study

HCV IRES manipulates the ribosome to promote the switch from translation initiation to elongation.

The internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) drives noncanonical initiation of protein synthesis necessary for viral replication. Functional studies of the HCV IRES have focused on 80S ribosome formation but have not explored its role after the 80S ribosome is poised at the start codon. Here, we report that mutations of an IRES domain that docks in the 40S subunit's decoding groove cause only a local perturbation in IRES structure and result in conformational changes in the IRES-rabbit 40S subunit complex. Functionally, the mutations decrease IRES activity by inhibiting the first ribosomal translocation event, and modeling results suggest that this effect occurs through an interaction with a single ribosomal protein. The ability of the HCV IRES to manipulate the ribosome provides insight into how the ribosome's structure and function can be altered by bound RNAs, including those derived from cellular invaders

Reproducibility over a 1-month period of 1H-MR spectroscopic imaging NAA/Cr ratios in clinically stable multiple sclerosis patients

N-acetylaspartate/creatine (NAA/Cr) ratios, assessed with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, are increasingly used as a surrogate marker for axonal dysfunction and degeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS). The purpose of this study was to test short-time reproducibility of NAA/Cr ratios in patients with clinically stable MS. In 35 MS patients we analysed NAA/Cr ratios obtained with 1H-MR spectroscopic imaging at the centrum semiovale either with lateral ventricles partially included (group 1; n=15) or more cranially with no ventricles included (group 2; n=20). To test short-term reproducibility of the NAA/Cr measurements, patients were scanned twice 4 weeks apart. We determined mean NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios of 12 grey matter and 24 white matter voxels. Mean NAA/Cr ratios of both the white and grey matter did not change after 4 weeks. Overall 4-week reproducibility of the NAA/Cr ratio, expressed as coefficient of variation, was 4.8% for grey matter and 3.5% for white matter. Reproducibility of cranial scanning of the ventricles was slightly better than with cerebrospinal fluid included. Our study shows good short-term reproducibility of NAA/Cr ratio measurements in the centrum semiovale, which supports the reliability of this technique for longitudinal studies