ELECRec: Training Sequential Recommenders as Discriminators

Sequential recommendation is often considered as a generative task, i.e., training a sequential encoder to generate the next item of a user's interests based on her historical interacted items. Despite their prevalence, these methods usually require training with more meaningful samples to be effective, which otherwise will lead to a poorly trained model. In this work, we propose to train the sequential recommenders as discriminators rather than generators. Instead of predicting the next item, our method trains a discriminator to distinguish if a sampled item is a 'real' target item or not. A generator, as an auxiliary model, is trained jointly with the discriminator to sample plausible alternative next items and will be thrown out after training. The trained discriminator is considered as the final SR model and denoted as \modelname. Experiments conducted on four datasets demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approach.Comment: Accepted to SIGIR 202

Design of sliding mode controller based on radial basis function neural network for spacecraft autonomous proximity

Since the dynamic model of spacecraft has the characteristics of non-linear, kinematic couplings, uncertainties and nonstationary disturbance, it has become a challenging problem to accurately control the relative position and attitude of the spacecraft. A radial basis function neural network (RBFNN)-based sliding mode controller (SMC) is proposed for trajectory tracking of spacecraft autonomous proximity in this paper. Firstly, a six degree-of-freedom (DOF) relative motion dynamics model is developed for close proximity operations. The modified Rodrigues parameters are applied to solve the problem of singularity. Then, a SMC that does not require accurate model information is designed. RBFNN is used to adaptively eliminated the model uncertainty impacts on the system. Finally, the stability of the relative motion dynamics is proved via Lyapunov stability theory. Simulation results illustrate that the method can attenuate the attitude and position errors, reduce the chattering of the input and decrease the overshoot of the control torque effectively

Preparation and Characterization of Polyurethane/Nanocopper Composites and Their Application in Intrauterine Devices

A novel intrauterine devices material, polyurethane/nano-copper (PU/NC) nanocomposite, was prepared. The structure, morphology, copper ion (Cu2+) release rate, and water absorption of PU/NC nanocomposites were investigated. The results indicated that the nanocoppers were uniformly dispersed in the matrix. The release rates of Cu2+ of PU/NC nanocomposites remained stable during the experimentation time. These results indicated that the PU/NC nanocomposites have a great potential to replace current commercial intrauterine devices materials

Preparation and Characterization of Polyurethane/Nanocopper Composites and Their Application in Intrauterine Devices

A novel intrauterine devices material, polyurethane/nano-copper (PU/NC) nanocomposite, was prepared. The structure, morphology, copper ion (Cu 2+ ) release rate, and water absorption of PU/NC nanocomposites were investigated. The results indicated that the nanocoppers were uniformly dispersed in the matrix. The release rates of Cu 2+ of PU/NC nanocomposites remained stable during the experimentation time. These results indicated that the PU/NC nanocomposites have a great potential to replace current commercial intrauterine devices materials

Astragalin Suppresses Inflammatory Responses and Bone Destruction in Mice With Collagen-Induced Arthritis and in Human Fibroblast-Like Synoviocytes

Astragalin, as a bioactive flavonoid with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and protective properties, provides a potential agent for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this study, its therapeutic efficacy and the underlying mechanisms were explored using DBA/1J mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). It was demonstrated that astragalin could significantly attenuate inflammation of CIA mice. The effects were associated with decreased severity of arthritis (based on the arthritis index), joint swelling and reduced bone erosion and destruction. Furthermore, astragalin treatment suppressed the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8), and inhibited the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1, MMP-3, and MMP-13) in chondrocytes and synovial cells of CIA mice. Fibroblast-like synoviocytes derived from RA patients (MH7A cells) were applied to verify these effects. In vitro, astragalin inhibited the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1, MMP-3, and MMP-13) dose-dependently in TNF-α-induced MH7A cells, with no apparent cytotoxicity. Furthermore, astragalin suppressed the phosphorylation of p38, JNK, and the activation of c-Jun/AP-1 in TNF-α-induced MH7A cells. In conclusion, it has proven that astragalin could attenuate synovial inflammation and joint destruction in RA at least partially by restraining the phosphorylation of MAPKs and the activating of c-Jun/AP-1. Therefore, astragalin can be a potential therapeutic agent for RA

Microbial profiling identifies potential key drivers in gastric cancer patients

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the world. Microbiota is believed to be associated with GC. Growing evidences showed Helicobacter pylori played a key role in GC development. However, little was known about the microbiota in gastric juices and tissues in GC patients, and thus it was difficult to understand other potential microbial causation for GC. Here, we collected the gastric juice and surgically removed gastric tissues from GC patients to give insight into GC microbiota. Most microbes identified in the gastric samples were opportunistic pathogens or resident flora of the human microbiota. Further network analyses identified five opportunistic pathogens as keystone species. H. pylori is the direct cause of GC, but other opportunistic microbes might also function in GC development. The microbiota in the gastric juice and gastric tissue of the GC patients were complex, and some dominant opportunistic pathogens contributed to the GC development. This study introduces microbiota in gastric juice, gastric normal tissue and gastric cancer tissue of GC patients, and highlights the potential keystone microbes functioned during GC development

Herb-Drug Interaction: Effects of Relinqing® Granule on the Pharmacokinetics of Ciprofloxacin, Sulfamethoxazole, and Trimethoprim in Rats

Relinqing granule (RLQ) is the best-selling Chinese patent drug for treatment of urinary system diseases. In this study, the effects of RLQ on the pharmacokinetics of ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, and trimethoprim in SD rats were investigated. Rats were randomly divided into control group 1, control group 2, RLQ group 1, and RLQ group 2. RLQ group 1 and RLQ group 2 were treated orally with RLQ for 7 days, and rats were treated with the same volume of water in control group 1 and control group 2. Then, RLQ group 1 and control group 1 were given intragastrically ciprofloxacin on day 8, while RLQ group 2 and control group 2 were given intragastrically sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim on day 8. Blood samples were collected and determined. There was no significant influence of pharmacokinetic parameters of trimethoprim on two groups. But some pharmacokinetic parameters of ciprofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole in RLQ pretreated rats were evidently altered (P < 0.05), which indicated that absorption of ciprofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole in RLQ pretreated rats was significantly affected. It indicated the coadministration of RLQ would have an influence on the efficacy of ciprofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole, and the doses of ciprofloxacin tablet and compound sulfamethoxazole tablet need adjustment

A Neuroimaging Marker Based on Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Cognitive Impairment Due to Cerebral White Matter Lesions

Background: The peak width of skeletonized mean diffusivity (PSMD) is a new, fully automated, robust imaging marker for cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), strongly associated with processing speed. However, it has never been applied to cerebral white matter lesions (WMLs). Our study aimed to investigate the correlation between PSMD and cognition, particularly in the executive function of patients with WMLs.Methods: A total of 111 WML patients and 50 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled, and their demographic information and cardiovascular disease risk factors were recorded. Subjects were divided into three groups: WMLs with normal cognition (WMLs-NC), WMLs with vascular cognitive impairment (WMLs-VCI), and HCs. They underwent conventional head magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), followed by neuropsychological and psychological examinations, including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the executive function tests. We compared executive function and PSMD among the three groups and analyzed the correlation between PSMD and cognitive function in all subjects.Results: There were no significant differences in demographic characteristics (age, sex, education level, and cardiovascular disease risk factors) among the three groups (P &gt; 0.05), but there were significant differences in global cognition (P &lt; 0.0001), executive function (P &lt; 0.0001), and PSMD (P &lt; 0.0001). The average PSMD value (×10−4 mm2/s) was 2.40 ± 0.23, 2.68 ± 0.30, and 4.51 ± 0.39 in the HC, WMLs-NC, and WMLs-VCI groups, respectively. There was no correlation between PSMD and cognition in the HC group, but PSMD was significantly correlated with MoCA scores (r = −0.3785, P &lt; 0.0001) and executive function (r = −0.4744, P &lt; 0.0001) in the WMLs-NC group and in the WMLs-VCI group (r = −0.4448, P &lt; 0.0001 and r = −0.6279, P &lt; 0.0001, respectively).Conclusions: WML patients have higher PSMD and worse cognitive performance than HCs, and PSMD is strongly associated with global cognition and executive functions in WML patients. This result provides new insights into the pathophysiology of cognitive impairment in WML patients. PSMD could be a surrogate marker for disease progression and could thus be used in therapeutic trials involving WML patients

Use of Chlorella for the Treatment of the Soft-shelled Turtle Processing Wastewater

Abstract: The capability of Chlorella vulgaris to remove nitrogen in the form of ammonium ions from the softshelled turtle processing wastewater in a local agricultural products limited company (in Hangzhou, China) was studied. The soft-shelled turtle processing wastewater was found to include high concentrations of nitrogen (107.63±4.84 mg/L) in the form of ammonium (NH 4 + ) with the small amounts of nitrite (0.32±0.04 mg/L on annual average) at pH 6.7 and to be suitable for growing Chlorella vulgaris. When Chlorella vulgaris was cultivated in a batch mode, a majority of the nitrogen concentration was dramatically removed after a lag-phase period. The total biomass weight gained during the entire cultivation period balanced out well with the nitrogen removed from the culture medium. These results indicate that Chlorella vulgaris has potential to remove nitrogen (i.e., ammonium ion) and nitrite at a reasonable uptake rate from wastewater while being cultivated using the soft-shelled turtle processing wastewater