Principled Multilayer Network Embedding

Multilayer network analysis has become a vital tool for understanding different relationships and their interactions in a complex system, where each layer in a multilayer network depicts the topological structure of a group of nodes corresponding to a particular relationship. The interactions among different layers imply how the interplay of different relations on the topology of each layer. For a single-layer network, network embedding methods have been proposed to project the nodes in a network into a continuous vector space with a relatively small number of dimensions, where the space embeds the social representations among nodes. These algorithms have been proved to have a better performance on a variety of regular graph analysis tasks, such as link prediction, or multi-label classification. In this paper, by extending a standard graph mining into multilayer network, we have proposed three methods ("network aggregation," "results aggregation" and "layer co-analysis") to project a multilayer network into a continuous vector space. From the evaluation, we have proved that comparing with regular link prediction methods, "layer co-analysis" achieved the best performance on most of the datasets, while "network aggregation" and "results aggregation" also have better performance than regular link prediction methods

Research on Safety Services Capability Model for ATC service in ATM Division

AbstractBased on the differences of operation characters between ATC service and manufacturing industry, this paper researched the implication of safety services capability of ATC service by combining the latest implication of process capability and safety. And this paper established the elemental composition system made of safety services capability of ATC service, which is composed of 4 second-level elements and 15 third-level index. The 4 second-level index includes personnel capability, equipment capability, environmental capability and management capability. Considering the fuzziness of each index, the value of services capability of ATC service was confirmed by fuzzymatter- element analysis method and entropy weighting method. With evaluating ATC service of ATM division by this safety services capability model, it was indicated that this ATM division possessed strong safety services capability, personnel capability. Equipment capability was stronger than environment capability. It was conformed to the fact. The evidences showed that this safety services capability model for ATC service is practical, feasible, and conformed to the level of actual safety services capability of ATC service

An Improved StatCom Model for Power Flow Analysis

The StatCom is traditionally modeled for power flow analysis as a PV or PQ bus depending on its primary application. The active power is either set to zero (neglecting the StatCom losses) or calculated iteratively. The StatCom voltage and reactive power compensation are usually related through the magnetics of the StatCom. This traditional power flow model of the StatCom neglects the impact of the high-frequency effects and the switching characteristics of the power electronics on the active power losses and the reactive power injection (absorption). In this paper, the authors propose a new StatCom model appropriate for power flow analysis derived directly from the dynamic model of the StatCom. The proposed model can therefore account for the high-frequency effects and power electronic losses, and more accurately predict the active and reactive power outputs of the StatCom

Exploring the curriculum development in content and language integrated learning: A systematic review

Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) is a booming innovation pervading many educational settings. The global spread of CLIL is being practiced in classrooms the world over. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of systematic curricula for CLIL, despite its widespread adoption. Furthermore, the majority of teachers are implementing CLIL without the support of suitable published materials or resource banks. To explore and explain the curriculum development in CLIL, 281 studies from 2009 to 2019 were reviewed systematically, focusing on peer-reviewed English-language journals. We identified studies through using 'Content and Language Integrated Learning' and CLIL as the search terms in the ProQuest Research Library and EBSCOhost databases. Selected articles were organized into five inquiry areas and analyzed thematically, inspired by the curriculum development model proposed by Pawlas and Oliva: 1) CLIL philosophy; 2) CLIL goals; 3) CLIL plan; 4) CLIL implementation; and 5) CLIL evaluation. Based on these themes, Boyer's scholarship of integration was introduced to propose a holistic model for CLIL curriculum development

Internalin profiling and multilocus sequence typing suggest four Listeria innocua subgroups with different evolutionary distances from Listeria monocytogenes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ecological, biochemical and genetic resemblance as well as clear differences of virulence between <it>L. monocytogenes </it>and <it>L. innocua </it>make this bacterial clade attractive as a model to examine evolution of pathogenicity. This study was attempted to examine the population structure of <it>L. innocua </it>and the microevolution in the <it>L. innocua</it>-<it>L. monocytogenes </it>clade via profiling of 37 internalin genes and multilocus sequence typing based on the sequences of 9 unlinked genes <it>gyrB</it>, <it>sigB</it>, <it>dapE</it>, <it>hisJ</it>, <it>ribC</it>, <it>purM</it>, <it>gap</it>, <it>tuf </it>and <it>betL</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>L. innocua </it>was genetically monophyletic compared to <it>L. monocytogenes</it>, and comprised four subgroups. Subgroups A and B correlated with internalin types 1 and 3 (except the strain 0063 belonging to subgroup C) and internalin types 2 and 4 respectively. The majority of <it>L. innocua </it>strains belonged to these two subgroups. Subgroup A harbored a whole set of <it>L. monocytogenes</it>-<it>L. innocua </it>common and <it>L. innocua</it>-specific internalin genes, and displayed higher recombination rates than those of subgroup B, including the relative frequency of occurrence of recombination versus mutation (ρ/θ) and the relative effect of recombination versus point mutation (r/m). Subgroup A also exhibited a significantly smaller exterior/interior branch length ratio than expected under the coalescent model, suggesting a recent expansion of its population size. The phylogram based on the analysis with correction for recombination revealed that the time to the most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) of <it>L. innocua </it>subgroups A and B were similar. Additionally, subgroup D, which correlated with internalin type 5, branched off from the other three subgroups. All <it>L. innocua </it>strains lacked seventeen virulence genes found in <it>L. monocytogenes </it>(except for the subgroup D strain L43 harboring <it>inlJ </it>and two subgroup B strains bearing <it>bsh</it>) and were nonpathogenic to mice.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>L. innocua </it>represents a young species descending from <it>L. monocytogenes </it>and comprises four subgroups: two major subgroups A and B, and one atypical subgroup D serving as a link between <it>L. monocytogenes </it>and <it>L. innocua </it>in the evolutionary chain. Although subgroups A and B appeared at approximately the same time, subgroup A seems to have experienced a recent expansion of the population size with higher recombination frequency and effect than those of subgroup B, and might represent the possible evolutionary direction towards adaptation to enviroments. The evolutionary history in the <it>L. monocytogenes</it>-<it>L. innocua </it>clade represents a rare example of evolution towards reduced virulence of pathogens.</p

Impact of honey on radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

© Annals of Palliative Medicine. Background: Oral mucositis is one of the most frequent, irreversible and distressing complications faced by head and neck cancer (HNC) patients undergoing radiotherapy. Several studies have investigated the role of honey in the prevention and alleviation of radiation-induced oral mucositis in HNC patients, however, a definitive conclusion has not yet been generated. We performed this updated systematic review and metaanalysis to determine whether honey can prevent and alleviate radiation-induced oral mucositis in HNC patients. Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) through October 2019. We searched and selected literature, extracted data and assessed risk of bias accordingly, and then conducted statistical analyses with RevMan software version 5.3. Results: Seven trials involving 412 patients were included in the final analysis. Meta-analyses showed that honey did not decrease the incidence of radiation-induced oral mucositis [(relative risk (RR), 0.69; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.40-1.18; P=0.18]; however, relieved the severity of oral mucositis (RR, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.13-0.38; P \u3c 0.001), maintained or increased weight (RR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.33-2.77; P \u3c 0.001) and reduced the treatment interruption related to oral mucositis (RR, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.02-0.97; P=0.05). Qualitative analysis also revealed a decreased incidence of oral mucositis in the honey group. Conclusions: Based on limited evidence, honey may have a clinical benefit against radiation-induced oral mucositis in HNC patients. However, future trials with large-scale and rigorous methods are warranted to further establish the role of honey in the management of radiation-induced oral mucositis

Knockdown of lncRNA-PANDAR suppresses the proliferation, cell cycle and promotes apoptosis in thyroid cancer cells

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to show important regulatory roles in various human cancers. Lnc-RNA PANDAR is a novel identified lncRNA that was previously reported to show abnormal expression pattern in various cancers. However, little is known of its expression and biological function in thyroid cancer. Here, we used the quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to determine the expression of PANDAR in 64 thyroid cancer tissues. We found that expression of PANDAR was up-regulated in thyroid cancer tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues. Functional assays in vitro demonstrated that knockdown of PANDAR could inhibit proliferation, cell cycle progression, induces the apoptosis, inhibit invasion of thyroid cancer cells. Thus, our study provides evidence that PANDAR may function as a potential target for treatment for patients with thyroid cancer

Deciphering the causal association and co-disease mechanisms between psoriasis and breast cancer

BackgroundPrior research has indicated a link between psoriasis and the susceptibility to breast cancer (BC); however, a definitive causal relationship remains elusive. This study sought to elucidate the causal connection and shared underlying mechanisms between psoriasis and BC through bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) and bioinformatic approaches.MethodsWe employed a bidirectional MR approach to examine the potential causal connection between psoriasis and BC. Genetic data pertaining to psoriasis and BC were sourced from extensive published genome-wide association studies. The inverse -variance weighted or wald ratio served as the primary method for estimating causal effects. Sensitivity analysis of the MR results was applied with multiple methods. Leveraged datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus and the Cancer Genome Atlas repositories to identify common differentially expressed genes, shedding light on the shared mechanisms underlying these two conditions.ResultsThe MR analysis revealed that when considering psoriasis as an exposure factor, the incidences of BC (OR=1.027) and estrogen receptor negative (ER-) BC (OR=1.054) were higher than in the general population. When using Her2+ BC as an exposure factor, the risk of psoriasis was 0.822 times higher (OR=0.822) than in the general population. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the results were robust. Transcriptome analysis showed that CXCL13 and CCL20 were activated in both BC and psoriasis. Both diseases were also linked to neutrophil chemotaxis, the IL-17 pathway, and the chemokine pathway.ConclusionThe results suggest that psoriasis may increase the risk of BC, especially ER- BC, while reverse MR suggests a decreased risk of psoriasis in Her2+ BC. Transcriptome analysis revealed a shared mechanism between psoriasis and BC

Age at menarche and risk of major cardiovascular diseases: Evidence of birth cohort effects from a prospective study of 300,000 Chinese women

AbstractBackgroundPrevious studies of mostly Western women have reported inconsistent findings on the association between age at menarche and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Little is known about the association in China where there has been a large intergenerational decrease in women's mean age at menarche.MethodsThe China Kadoorie Biobank recruited 302,632 women aged 30–79 (mean 50.5)years in 2004–8 from 10 diverse regional sites across China. During 7years follow-up, 14,111 incident cases of stroke, 14,093 of coronary heart disease (CHD), and 3200 CVD deaths were reported among 281,491 women who had no prior history of CVD at baseline. Cox regression yielded adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) relating age at menarche to CVD risks.ResultsThe mean (SD) age of menarche was 15.4 (1.9)years, decreasing from 16.2 (2.0) among women born before 1940 to 14.7 (1.6) for those born during the 1960s–1970s. The patterns of association between age at menarche and CVD risk appeared to differ between different birth cohorts, with null associations in older generations but U-shaped or weak positive associations in younger women, especially those born after the 1960s. After minimizing the potential confounding effects from major CVD risk factors, both early and late menarche, compared with menarche at age 13years, were associated with increased risk of CVD morbidity and mortality, which was more pronounced in younger generations.ConclusionAmong Chinese women the associations between age at menarche and risk of CVD differed by birth cohort, suggesting other factors may underpin the association