Sequential Recommendation with Relation-Aware Kernelized Self-Attention

Recent studies identified that sequential Recommendation is improved by the attention mechanism. By following this development, we propose Relation-Aware Kernelized Self-Attention (RKSA) adopting a self-attention mechanism of the Transformer with augmentation of a probabilistic model. The original self-attention of Transformer is a deterministic measure without relation-awareness. Therefore, we introduce a latent space to the self-attention, and the latent space models the recommendation context from relation as a multivariate skew-normal distribution with a kernelized covariance matrix from co-occurrences, item characteristics, and user information. This work merges the self-attention of the Transformer and the sequential recommendation by adding a probabilistic model of the recommendation task specifics. We experimented RKSA over the benchmark datasets, and RKSA shows significant improvements compared to the recent baseline models. Also, RKSA were able to produce a latent space model that answers the reasons for recommendation.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, AAA

Effective and scalable software compatibility testing

Today’s software systems are typically composed of multiple components, each with different versions. Software compat-ibility testing is a quality assurance task aimed at ensuring that multi-component based systems build and/or execute correctly across all their versions ’ combinations, or config-urations. Because there are complex and changing interde-pendencies between components and their versions, and be-cause there are such a large number of configurations, it is generally infeasible to test all potential configurations. Con-sequently, in practice, compatibility testing examines only a handful of default or popular configurations to detect prob-lems; as a result costly errors can and do escape to the field. This paper presents a new approach to compatibility test-ing, called Rachet. We formally model the entire config-uration space for software systems and use the model to generate test plans to sample a portion of the space. In this paper, we test all direct dependencies between components and execute the test plan efficiently in parallel. We present empirical results obtained by applying our approach to two large-scale scientific middleware systems. The results show that for these systems Rachet scaled well and discovered in-compatibilities between components, and that testing only direct dependences did not compromise test quality

Combined magnetic resonance imaging and photodynamic therapy using polyfunctionalised nanoparticles bearing robust gadolinium surface units

A robust dithiocarbamate tether allows novel gadolinium units based on DOTAGA (q = 1) to be attached to the surface of gold nanoparticles (2.6 ‐ 4.1 nm diameter) along with functional units offering biocompatibility, targeting and photodynamic therapy. A dramatic increase in relaxivity (r1) per Gd unit from 5.01 mM−1 s−1 in unbound form to 31.68 mM−1 s−1 (10 MHz, 37 °C) is observed when immobilised on the surface due to restricted rotation and enhanced rigidity of the Gd complex on the nanoparticle surface. The single‐step synthetic route provides a straightforward and versatile way of preparing multifunctional gold nanoparticles, including examples with conjugated zinc‐tetraphenylporphyrin photosensitizers. The lack of toxicity of these materials (MTT assays) is transformed on irradiation of HeLa cells for 30 minutes (PDT), leading to 75% cell death. In addition to passive targeting, the inclusion of units capable of actively targeting overexpressed folate receptors illustrates the potential of these assemblies as targeted theranostic agents

Anonymizing at-home fitness: enhancing privacy and motivation with virtual reality and try-on

IntroductionThis study aimed to address privacy concerns associated with video conferencing tools used in home-based exercise training. To that end, a method that could anonymize participants' appearances and exercise environments during at-home fitness sessions was proposed.MethodsThis method combines virtual reality for 3-D human-model rendering using key-points tracking with a virtual try-on system enhanced by UV mapping and instance segmentation. To validate the proposed method, we conducted a user study by recruiting participants to assess effectiveness of virtual reality and virtual try-on in terms of privacy protection, self-confidence, and coaching satisfaction.ResultsExperimental results demonstrated the effectiveness and improved user experience of using virtual reality or virtual try-on in remote fitness, particularly in enhancing privacy protection and self-confidence with statistical significance. However, no significant differences were noted in coaching satisfaction.DiscussionThese findings confirmed the efficacy of our proposed approach. We believe that the proposed approach can significantly contribute to the future of remote fitness training, offering a more secure and engaging environment for users, thereby potentially increasing adherence to fitness regimens and overall physical wellbeing

Polyfunctionalised nanoparticles bearing robust gadolinium surface units for high relaxivity performance in MRI

The first example of an octadentate gadolinium unit based on DO3A (hydration number q = 1) with a dithiocarbamate tether has been designed and attached to the surface of gold nanoparticles (around 4.4 nm in diameter). In addition to the superior robustness of this attachment, the restricted rotation of the Gd complex on the nanoparticle surface leads to a dramatic increase in relaxivity (r1) from 4.0 mM‐1 s‐1 in unbound form to 34.3 mM‐1 s‐1 (at 10 MHz, 37 °C) and 22 ± 2 mM‐1s‐1 (at 63.87 MHz, 25 °C) when immobilised on the surface. The ‘one‐pot’ synthetic route provides a straightforward and versatile way of preparing a range of multifunctional gold nanoparticles. The incorporation of additional surface units improving biocompatibility (PEG and thioglucose units) and targeting (folic acid) lead to little detrimental effect on the high relaxivity observed for these non‐toxic multifunctional materials. In addition to the passive targeting attributed to gold nanoparticles, the inclusion of a unit capable of targeting the folate receptors overexpressed by cancer cells, such as HeLa cells, illustrates the potential of these assemblies

PKCε-mediated ERK1/2 activation involved in radiation-induced cell death in NIH3T3 cells

AbstractProtein kinase C (PKC) isoforms play distinct roles in cellular functions. We have previously shown that ionizing radiation activates PKC isoforms (α, δ, ε, and ζ), however, isoform-specific sensitivities to radiation and its exact mechanisms in radiation mediated signal transduction are not fully understood. In this study, we showed that overexpression of PKC isoforms (α, δ, ε, and ζ) increased radiation-induced cell death in NIH3T3 cells and PKCε overexpression was predominantly responsible. In addition, PKCε overexpression increased ERK1/2 activation without altering other MAP-kinases such as p38 MAPK or JNK. Co-transfection of dominant negative PKCε (PKCε-KR) blocked both PKCε-mediated ERK1/2 activation and radiation-induced cell death, while catalytically active PKCε construction augmented these phenomena. When the PKCε overexpressed cells were pretreated with PD98059, MEK inhibitor, radiation-induced cell death was inhibited. Co-transfection of the cells with a mutant of ERK1 or -2 (ERK1-KR or ERK2-KR) also blocked these phenomena, and co-transfection with dominant negative Ras or Raf cDNA revealed that PKCε-mediated ERK1/2 activation was Ras–Raf-dependent. In conclusion, PKCε-mediated ERK1/2 activation was responsible for the radiation-induced cell death

Choice of recipient vessels in muscle-sparing transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap breast reconstruction: A comparative study

Background Thoracodorsal vessels (TDVs) and internal mammary vessels (IMVs) have both been widely employed as recipient vessels for use in free muscle-sparing transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (MS-TRAM) flaps. However, whether TDVs or IMVs are preferable as recipient vessels for autologous breast reconstruction with a free MS-TRAM flap remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes when TDVs were used as recipient vessels to those obtained when IMVs were used as recipient vessels for autologous breast reconstruction with a free MS-TRAM flap. Methods A retrospective matched-cohort study was performed. We retrospectively reviewed data collected from patients who underwent a free MS-TRAM flap for autologous breast reconstructions after mastectomy between March 2003 and June 2013. After a one-to-one matching using age, 100 autologous breast reconstructions were selected in this study. Of the 100 breast reconstructions, 50 flaps were anastomosed to TDVs and 50 to IMVs. Patient demographics and clinical outcomes including operation time, length of hospital stay, postoperative complications, and aesthetic score were compared between the two groups. Results No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in patient demographics and clinical outcomes, including the complication rates and aesthetic scores. There were no major complications such as total or partial flap loss in either group. Conclusions The results of our study demonstrate that both TDVs and IMVs were safe and efficient as recipient vessels in terms of the complication rates and aesthetic outcomes