CROLoss: Towards a Customizable Loss for Retrieval Models in Recommender Systems

In large-scale recommender systems, retrieving top N relevant candidates accurately with resource constrain is crucial. To evaluate the performance of such retrieval models, Recall@N, the frequency of positive samples being retrieved in the top N ranking, is widely used. However, most of the conventional loss functions for retrieval models such as softmax cross-entropy and pairwise comparison methods do not directly optimize Recall@N. Moreover, those conventional loss functions cannot be customized for the specific retrieval size N required by each application and thus may lead to sub-optimal performance. In this paper, we proposed the Customizable Recall@N Optimization Loss (CROLoss), a loss function that can directly optimize the Recall@N metrics and is customizable for different choices of N. This proposed CROLoss formulation defines a more generalized loss function space, covering most of the conventional loss functions as special cases. Furthermore, we develop the Lambda method, a gradient-based method that invites more flexibility and can further boost the system performance. We evaluate the proposed CROLoss on two public benchmark datasets. The results show that CROLoss achieves SOTA results over conventional loss functions for both datasets with various choices of retrieval size N. CROLoss has been deployed onto our online E-commerce advertising platform, where a fourteen-day online A/B test demonstrated that CROLoss contributes to a significant business revenue growth of 4.75%.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures. Accepted by by CIKM 202

A stable aluminosilicate zeolite with intersecting three-dimensional extra-large pores

Anyone can then access the published paper FREE OF CHARGE by clicking on this link. Cualquier persona puede acceder al documento publicado de forma GRATUITA, accediendo a través del enlace: https://www.science.org/stoken/author-tokens/ST-242/full[EN] Zeolites are crystalline porous materials with important industrial applications, including uses in catalytic and adsorption-separation processes. Access into and out of their inner confined space, where adsorption and reactions occur, is limited by their pore apertures. Stable multidimensional zeolites with larger pores able to process larger molecules are in demand in the fine chemical industry and for the oil processing on which the world still relies for fuels. Currently known extra-large-pore zeolites display poor stability and/or lack pore multidimensionality, limiting their usefulness. We report ZEO-1, a robust, fully connected aluminosilicate zeolite with mutually intersecting three-dimensional extra-large plus three-dimensional large pores. ZEO-1 is stable up to 1000°C, has an extraordinary specific surface area (1000 square meters per gram), and shows potential as a catalytic cracking catalys.National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers: 21601004, 21776312, 22078364), the Natural Science Foundation of the Higher Education Institutions of Anhui Province, China (grant numbers: KJ2020A0585), and the Spanish Ministry of Science Innovation and Universities (MICIU) (PID2019-105479RB-I00 project, AEI, Spain and FEDER, EU). The cRED data was collected at the Electron Microscopy Center (EMC), Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry (MMK) in Stockholm University with the support of the Swedish Research Council (Grant No. 1444205) and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (KAW, 2012-0112) through the 3DEM-NATUR project. Use of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory was supported by the U. S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. W.F. gratefully acknowledges support from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division, under Award # DE-SC0019170.Peer reviewe

Stress Evolution During 3D Single-Layer Visco-Elastic Buckle Folding: Implications for the Initiation of Fractures

Buckle folds of sedimentary strata commonly feature a variety of different fracture sets. Some fracture sets including outer arc tensile fractures and inner arc shear fractures at the fold hinge zones are well understood by the extensional and compressional strain/stress pattern. However, other commonly observed fracture sets, including tensile fractures parallel to the fold axis, tensile fractures cutting through the limb, extensional faults at the fold hinge, and other shear fractures of various orientations in the fold limb, fail to be intuitively explained by the strain/stress regimes during the buckling process. To obtain a better understanding of the conditions for the initiation of the various fractures sets associated with single-layer cylindrical buckle folds, a 3D finite element modeling approach using a Maxwell visco-elastic rheology is utilized. The influences of three model parameters with significant influence on fracture initiation are considered: burial depth, viscosity, and permeability. It is concluded that these parameters are critical for the initiation of major fracture sets at the hinge zone with varying degrees. The numerical simulation results further show that the buckling process fails to explain most of the fracture sets occurring in the limb unless the process of erosional unloading as a post-fold phenomenon is considered. For fracture sets that only develop under unrealistic boundary conditions, the results demonstrate that their development is realistic for a perclinal fold geometry. In summary, a more thorough understanding of fractures sets associated with buckle folds is obtained based on the simulation of in-situ stress conditions during the structural development of buckle folds

The Inactivation of JAK2/STAT3 Signaling and Desensitization of M1 mAChR in Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy (MHE) and the Protection of Naringin Against MHE

Background: We previously reported that elevation of intracranial dopamine (DA) levels from cirrhotic livers is implicated in the pathogenesis of minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE). Intracellular events in neurons, which lead to memory loss in MHE by elevated DA, however, remain elusive. Methods: In our present study, an MHE rat model, a DA - intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) injected rat model and DA-treated primary cortical neurons (PCNs) were used to study this issue using behavioral tests, double-labeled fluorescent staining, immunoblotting, and semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Results: Cognitive impairment was observed in MHE rats and DA (10 µg, i.c.v.)-treated rats. The levels of DA in the cerebral cortex of both MHE and DA (10 µg)-treated rats were increased. DA conversely modulated the p-JAK2/p-STAT3 levels in PCNs. In accordance, DA downregulated an anacetylcholine-producing enzyme, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), and desensitized the M1-type muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M1 mAChR). Furthermore, naringin completely restored cognitive function in MHE/DA (10 µg)-treated models by activating the JAK2/STAT3 axis, paralleling the upregulation of ChAT and sensitization of M1 mAChR. Conclusions: We propose a hypothesis accounting for memory impairment related to MHE: DA-dependent inactivation of the JAK2/STAT3 axis causes memory loss through cholinergic dysfunction. Our findings provide not only a novel pathological hallmark in MHE but also a novel target in MHE therapy

Genome sequences reveal global dispersal routes and suggest convergent genetic adaptations in seahorse evolution

Seahorses have a circum-global distribution in tropical to temperate coastal waters. Yet, seahorses show many adaptations for a sedentary, cryptic lifestyle: they require specific habitats, such as seagrass, kelp or coral reefs, lack pelvic and caudal fins, and give birth to directly developed offspring without pronounced pelagic larval stage, rendering long-range dispersal by conventional means inefficient. Here we investigate seahorses’ worldwide dispersal and biogeographic patterns based on a de novo genome assembly of Hippocampus erectus as well as 358 re-sequenced genomes from 21 species. Seahorses evolved in the late Oligocene and subsequent circum-global colonization routes are identified and linked to changing dynamics in ocean currents and paleo-temporal seaway openings. Furthermore, the genetic basis of the recurring “bony spines” adaptive phenotype is linked to independent substitutions in a key developmental gene. Analyses thus suggest that rafting via ocean currents compensates for poor dispersal and rapid adaptation facilitates colonizing new habitats