Multitask Learning on Graph Neural Networks: Learning Multiple Graph Centrality Measures with a Unified Network

The application of deep learning to symbolic domains remains an active research endeavour. Graph neural networks (GNN), consisting of trained neural modules which can be arranged in different topologies at run time, are sound alternatives to tackle relational problems which lend themselves to graph representations. In this paper, we show that GNNs are capable of multitask learning, which can be naturally enforced by training the model to refine a single set of multidimensional embeddings $\in \mathbb{R}^d$ and decode them into multiple outputs by connecting MLPs at the end of the pipeline. We demonstrate the multitask learning capability of the model in the relevant relational problem of estimating network centrality measures, focusing primarily on producing rankings based on these measures, i.e. is vertex $v_1$ more central than vertex $v_2$ given centrality $c$?. We then show that a GNN can be trained to develop a \emph{lingua franca} of vertex embeddings from which all relevant information about any of the trained centrality measures can be decoded. The proposed model achieves $89\%$ accuracy on a test dataset of random instances with up to 128 vertices and is shown to generalise to larger problem sizes. The model is also shown to obtain reasonable accuracy on a dataset of real world instances with up to 4k vertices, vastly surpassing the sizes of the largest instances with which the model was trained ($n=128$). Finally, we believe that our contributions attest to the potential of GNNs in symbolic domains in general and in relational learning in particular.Comment: Published at ICANN2019. 10 pages, 3 Figure

Development And Characterization Of Microsatellite Markers For Piptadenia Gonoacantha (fabaceae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Premise of the study: Microsatellite primers were designed for Piptadenia gonoacantha (Fabaceae) and characterized to estimate genetic diversity parameters. The species is a native tree from the Atlantic Forest biome commonly used in forest restoration; it has medicinal potential and the wood is economically useful. Methods and Results: Twenty-eight microsatellite loci were identified from an enriched genomic library. Fifteen loci resulted in successful amplifications and were characterized in a natural population of 94 individuals. Twelve loci were polymorphic, with allele numbers ranging from three to 15 per locus, and expected and observed heterozygosities ranging from 0.2142 to 0.8325 and 0.190 to 0.769, respectively. Conclusions: The developed markers will be used in further studies of population genetics of P. gonoacantha, aimed at conservation and management of the species in natural populations and in forest restoration projects.32Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)FAPESP [Biota/FAPESP-11/50296-8]CNPq [CNPq-140036/2011-3

Global millets improvement and its relevance to India and developing world

Sorghum and millets are the important food and fodder crops predominantly in semi-arid regionsaregaining importance in a woridthat is increasingly becoming populous, malnourished and facing large climatic uncertainties. These crops are adapted to range of temperatures, moisture- regimes and input conditions supplying food and feed to millions of dryland farmers, particularly in the developing world. Besides they also form important raw material for potable alcohol and starch production in industrialized countries. Among these crops, sorghum is the world's fifth most important cereal, in terms of both production and area planted. Millet, a general category for several species of small-grained cereal crops, is the world's seventh most important cereal grain (FAO, 1995). Roughly 90 percent of the world's sorghum area and 95 percent of the world's millet area lie in the developing countries, mainly in Africa and Asia (Table 1). These crops are primarily grown in agro-ecologies subjected to low rainfall and drought. Most such areas are unsuitable for the production of other grains unless irrigation is available. Sorghum is widely grown both for food and as a feed grain, while millet is produced almost entirely for food. These crops are also moving to new niches like rice-fallow sorghums in India..

Major vascular traumas to the neck, upper limbs, and chest: Clinical presentation, diagnostic approach, and management strategies

Major vascular traumas to the neck, upper limbs, and chest may arise from penetrating and/or blunt mechanisms, resulting in a range of clinical scenarios. Lesions to the carotid arteries may also lead to neurologic complications, such as stroke. The increasing use of invasive arterial access for diagnostic and/or interventional purposes has increased the rate of iatrogenic injuries, which usually occur in older and hospitalized patients. Bleeding control and restoration of perfusion represent the two main goals of treatment for vascular traumatic lesions. Open surgery still represents the gold standard for most lesions, although endovascular approaches have increasingly emerged as feasible and effective options, particularly for management of subclavian and aortic injuries. In addition to advanced imaging (including ultrasound, contrast-enhanced cross-sectional imaging, and arteriography) and life support measures, multidisciplinary care is required, particularly in the setting of concomitant injuries to the bones, soft tissues, or other vital organs. Modern vascular surgeons should be familiar with the whole armamentarium of open and endovascular techniques needed to manage major vascular traumas safely and promptly

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of the Nicotinergic Peptides SLURP-1 and SLURP-2 on Human Intestinal Epithelial Cells and Immunocytes

A search for novel and more efficient therapeutic modalities of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is one of the most important tasks of contemporary medicine. The anti-inflammatory action of nicotine in IBD might be therapeutic, but its toxicity due to off-target and nonreceptor effects limited its use and prompted a search for nontoxic nicotinergic drugs. We tested the hypothesis that SLURP-1 and -2—the physiological nicotinergic substances produced by the human intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) and immunocytes—can mimic the anti-inflammatory effects of nicotine. We used human CCL-241 enterocytes, CCL-248 colonocytes, CCRF-CEM T-cells, and U937 macrophages. SLURP-1 diminished the TLR9-dependent secretion of IL-8 by CCL-241, and IFNγ-induced upregulation of ICAM-1 in both IEC types. rSLURP-2 inhibited IL-1β-induced secretion of IL-6 and TLR4- and TLR9-dependent induction of CXCL10 and IL-8, respectively, in CCL-241. rSLURP-1 decreased production of TNFα by T-cells, downregulated IL-1β and IL-6 secretion by macrophages, and moderately upregulated IL-10 production by both types of immunocytes. SLURP-2 downregulated TNFα and IFNγR in T-cells and reduced IL-6 production by macrophages. Combining both SLURPs amplified their anti-inflammatory effects. Learning the pharmacology of SLURP-1 and -2 actions on enterocytes, colonocytes, T cells, and macrophages may help develop novel effective treatments of IBD

Development and characterization of microsatellite markers for Piptadenia Gonoacantha (fabaceae)

Microsatellite primers were designed for Piptadenia gonoacantha (Fabaceae) and characterized to estimate genetic diversity parameters. The species is a native tree from the Atlantic Forest biome commonly used in forest restoration; it has medicinal potential and the wood is economically useful. Twenty-eight microsatellite loci were identified from an enriched genomic library. Fifteen loci resulted in successful amplifications and were characterized in a natural population of 94 individuals. Twelve loci were polymorphic, with allele numbers ranging from three to 15 per locus, and expected and observed heterozygosities ranging from 0.2142 to 0.8325 and 0.190 to 0.769, respectively. The developed markers will be used in further studies of population genetics of P. gonoacantha, aimed at conservation and management of the species in natural populations and in forest restoration projects32CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP140036/2011-3sem informaçãoBiota/FAPESP-11/50296-

Clinical usefulness of tomographic standards for covid-19 pneumonia diagnosis : experience from a Brazilian reference center

Background: COVID-19 is a new disease and the most common complication is pneumonia.The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) proposed an expert consensus for imagingclassification for COVID-19 pneumonia.Objective: To evaluate sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and reproducibility of chest CT stan-dards in the beginning of the Brazilian COVID-19 outbreak.Methods: Cross-sectional study performed from March 1st to April 14th, 2020. Patients withsuspected COVID-19 pneumonia submitted to RT-PCR test and chest computed tomography(CT) were included. Tw o thoracic radiologists blinded for RT-PCR and clinical and laboratoryresults classified every patient scan according to the RSNA expert consensus. A third thoracicradiologist also evaluated in case of discordance, and consensus was reached among thethree radiologists. A typical appearance was considered a positive chest CT for COVID-19pneumonia. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated.Cohen’s kappa coefficient was used to evaluate intra- and inter-rater agreements.Results: A total of 159 patients were included (mean age 57.9 ± 18.0 years; 88 [55.3%] males):86 (54.1%) COVID-19 and 73 (45.9%) non-COVID-19 patients. Eighty (50.3%) patients had apositive CT for COVID-19 pneumonia. Sensitivity and specificity of typical appearance were88.3% (95%CI, 79.9–93.5) and 94.5% (95%CI, 86.7–97.8), respectively. Intra- and inter-rateragreement were assessed (Cohen’s kappa = 0.924, P = 0.06; Cohen’s kappa=0.772, P = 0.05,respectively)