AnycostFL: Efficient On-Demand Federated Learning over Heterogeneous Edge Devices

In this work, we investigate the challenging problem of on-demand federated learning (FL) over heterogeneous edge devices with diverse resource constraints. We propose a cost-adjustable FL framework, named AnycostFL, that enables diverse edge devices to efficiently perform local updates under a wide range of efficiency constraints. To this end, we design the model shrinking to support local model training with elastic computation cost, and the gradient compression to allow parameter transmission with dynamic communication overhead. An enhanced parameter aggregation is conducted in an element-wise manner to improve the model performance. Focusing on AnycostFL, we further propose an optimization design to minimize the global training loss with personalized latency and energy constraints. By revealing the theoretical insights of the convergence analysis, personalized training strategies are deduced for different devices to match their locally available resources. Experiment results indicate that, when compared to the state-of-the-art efficient FL algorithms, our learning framework can reduce up to 1.9 times of the training latency and energy consumption for realizing a reasonable global testing accuracy. Moreover, the results also demonstrate that, our approach significantly improves the converged global accuracy.Comment: Accepted to IEEE INFOCOM 202

Strong Association Between Two Polymorphisms on 15q25.1 and Lung Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis

Background: The association between polymorphisms on 15q25.1 and lung cancer has been widely evaluated; however, the studies have yielded contradictory results. We sought to investigate this inconsistency by performing a comprehensive meta-analysis on two polymorphisms (CHRNA3 gene: rs1051730 and AGPHD1 gene: rs8034191) on 15q25.1. Methods: Data were extracted from 15 and 14 studies on polymorphisms rs1051730 and rs8034191 involving 12301/14000 and 14075/12873 lung cancer cases/controls, respectively. The random-effects model was applied, addressing heterogeneity and publication bias. Results: The two polymorphisms followed Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for all studies (P\u3e0.05). For rs1051730-G/A, carriers of A allele had a 36% increased risk for lung cancer (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.27–1.46; P\u3c0.0005), without heterogeneity (P = 0.258) or publication bias (PEgger = 0.462). For rs8034191-T/C, the allelic contrast indicated that C allele conferred a 23% increased risk for lung cancer (95% CI: 1.08–1.4; P = 0.002), with significant heterogeneity (P\u3c0.0005), without publication bias (PEgger = 0.682). Subgroup analyses suggested that the between-study heterogeneity was derived from ethnicity, study design, matched information, and lung cancer subtypes. For example, the association of polymorphisms rs1051730 and rs8034191 with lung cancer was heterogeneous between Caucasians (OR = 1.32 and 1.22; 95% CI: 1.25–1.44 and 1.05–1.42; PP = 0.237 and 0.934, respectively) under the allelic model, and this association was relatively strengthened under the dominant model. There was no observable publication bias for both polymorphisms. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that CHRNA3 gene rs1051730-A allele and AGPHD1 gene rs8034191-T allele might be risk-conferring factors for the development of lung cancer in Caucasians, but not in East-Asians

Urinary loss of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates as revealed by metabolomics studies:an underlying mechanism to reduce lipid accretion by whey protein ingestion?

[Image: see text] Whey protein intake is associated with the modulation of energy metabolism and altered body composition both in human subjects and in animals, but the underlying mechanisms are not yet elucidated. We fed obesity-prone C57BL/6J mice high-fat diets with either casein (HF casein) or whey (HF whey) for 6 weeks. At equal energy intake and apparent fat and nitrogen digestibility, mice fed HF whey stored less energy as lipids, evident both as lower white adipose tissue mass and as reduced liver lipids, compared with HF-casein-fed mice. Explorative analyses of 48 h urine, both by (1)H NMR and LC–MS metabolomic platforms, demonstrated higher urinary excretion of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates citric acid and succinic acid (identified by both platforms), and cis-aconitic acid and isocitric acid (identified by LC–MS platform) in the HF whey, relative to in the HF-casein-fed mice. Targeted LC–MS analyses revealed higher citric acid and cis-aconitic acid concentrations in fed state plasma, but not in liver of HF-whey-fed mice. We propose that enhanced urinary loss of TCA cycle metabolites drain available substrates for anabolic processes, such as lipogenesis, thereby leading to reduced lipid accretion in HF-whey-fed compared to HF-casein-fed mice

The interplay between host innate immunity and hepatitis E virus

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection represents an emerging global health issue, whereas the clinical outcomes vary dramatically among different populations. The host innate immune system provides a first-line defense against the infection, but dysregulation may partially contribute to severe pathogenesis. A growing body of evidence has indicated the active response of the host innate immunity to HEV infection both in experimental models and in patients. In turn, HEV has developed sophisticated strategies to counteract the host immune system. In this review, we aim to comprehensively decipher the processes of pathogen recognition, interferon, and inflammatory responses, and the involvement of innate immune cells in HEV infection. We further discuss their implications in understanding the pathogenic mechanisms and developing antiviral therapies

A novel method of interference source direction-finding with an existing single antenna beam in communication satellites

Interference has recently become a critical factor in communication satellite performance, and the interference source location is one of the most important factors in resolving this issue. The article proposes an innovative method of interference source direction-finding suitable for communication satellites with an existing single antenna beam and single radio frequency (RF) channel, which utilizes the symmetry of the antenna pattern to search for interference sources. Compared to traditional position methods with time-frequency-synchronized multi-satellites or a directing antenna array in a single satellite, the method does not require any particular direction-finding payload in communication satellites and shares existing antennas and RF channels with communication systems in satellites. The ability to find the direction of the interference source is a software-defined function in the communication processor. The proposed method provides a novel way to solve the problems of interference source direction-finding with the least engineering complexity, and it has excellent coexistence with other existing systems in communication satellites. The computer simulation and out-field experiment results in this article show that the method has excellent performance with high direction-finding resolution within extensive coverage, offering significant value and bright prospects for resolving the growing interference issues in communication satellites

Evolution of Complex Thallus Alga: Genome Sequencing of Saccharina japonica

Saccharina, as one of the most important brown algae (Phaeophyceae) with multicellular thallus, has a very remarkable evolutionary history, and globally accounts for most of the economic marine aquaculture production worldwide. Here, we present the 580.5 million base pairs of genome sequence of Saccharina japonica, whose current assembly contains 35,725 protein-coding genes. In a comparative analysis with Ectocarpus siliculosus, the integrated virus sequence suggested the genome evolutionary footprints, which derived from their co-ancestry and experienced genomic arrangements. Furthermore, the gene expansion was found to be an important strategy for functional evolution, especially with regard to extracelluar components, stress-related genes, and vanadium-dependent haloperoxidases, and we proposed a hypothesis that gene duplication events were the main driving force for the evolution history from multicellular filamentous algae to thallus algae. The sequenced Saccharina genome paves the way for further molecular studies and is useful for genome-assisted breeding of S. japonica and other related algae species

Mechanism of herpesvirus UL24 protein regulating viral immune escape and virulence

Herpesviruses have evolved a series of abilities involved in the process of host infection that are conducive to virus survival and adaptation to the host, such as immune escape, latent infection, and induction of programmed cell death for sustainable infection. The herpesvirus gene UL24 encodes a highly conserved core protein that plays an important role in effective viral infection. The UL24 protein can inhibit the innate immune response of the host by acting on multiple immune signaling pathways during virus infection, and it also plays a key role in the proliferation and pathogenicity of the virus in the later stage of infection. This article reviews the mechanism by which the UL24 protein mediates herpesvirus immune escape and its effects on viral proliferation and virulence by influencing syncytial formation, DNA damage and the cell cycle. Reviewing these studies will enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis of herpesvirus infection and provide evidence for new strategies to combat against viral infection