Novel and Diverse Recommendations by Leveraging Linear Models with User and Item Embeddings

[Abstract] Nowadays, item recommendation is an increasing concern for many companies. Users tend to be more reactive than proactive for solving information needs. Recommendation accuracy became the most studied aspect of the quality of the suggestions. However, novel and diverse suggestions also contribute to user satisfaction. Unfortunately, it is common to harm those two aspects when optimizing recommendation accuracy. In this paper, we present EER, a linear model for the top-N recommendation task, which takes advantage of user and item embeddings for improving novelty and diversity without harming accuracy.This work was supported by project RTI2018-093336-B-C22 (MCIU & ERDF), project GPC ED431B 2019/03 (Xunta de Galicia & ERDF) and accreditation ED431G 2019/01 (Xunta de Galicia & ERDF). The first author also acknowledges the support of grant FPU17/03210 (MCIU)Xunta de Galicia; ED431B 2019/03Xunta de Galicia; ED431G 2019/0

Moving the shared memory closer to the processors: DDM

Multiprocessors with shared memory are considered more general and easier to program than message-passing machines. The scalability is, however, in favor of the latter. There are a number of proposals showing how the poor scalability of shared memory multiprocessors can be improved by the introduction of private caches attached to the processors. These caches are kept consistent with each other by cache-coherence protocols. In this paper we introduce a new class of architectures called Cache Only Memory Architectures (COMA). These architectures provide the programming paradigm of the shared-memory architectures, but are believed to be more scal- able. COMAs have no physically shared memory; instead, the caches attached to the processors contain all the memory in the system, and their size is therefore large. A datum is allowed to be in any or many of the caches, and will automatically be moved to where it is needed by a cache-coherence protocol, which also ensures that the last copy of a datum is never lost. The location of a datum in the machine is completely decoupled from its address. We also introduce one example of COMA: the Data Diffusion Machine (DDM). The DDM is based on a hierarchical network structure, with processor/memory pairs at its tips. Remote accesses generally cause only a limited amount of traffic over a limited part of the machine. The architecture is scalable in that there can be any number of levels in the hierarchy, and that the root bus of the hierarchy can be implemented by several buses, increasing the bandwidth

Clinical use of prognostic markers in head- and neck cancer

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is a heterogeneous group of tumors where squamous cell carcinoma is the most dominant. In 2020, 1640 new cases of HNC were reported in Sweden which accounted for 2.3% of the total cancer incidence. In Sweden, as in other Nordic countries, HNC is a relatively uncommon form of cancer, but in global terms it is a significant group of disease. The dominant etiological factor for HNC is traditionally smoking but in 2007 human papillomavirus (HPV) was recognized as carcinogenic to oropharyngeal cancer (OPSCC), which include tonsillar- (TSCC) and base of tongue cancer (BOTSCC). Human papillomavirus (HPV) are small DNA viruses, best known for its role in cervical cancer and its prevention with HPV-vaccines. But they are also linked to the tonsillar cancer and cancer of the base of tongue. Today there are more than 170 known types of HPV, but only a fraction infects the mucosal surfaces and only a few of these types oncogenic. The most common oncogenic types in HNC are HPV 16, 31 and 33. In the last decades there has been a sharp rise in tonsillar cancer and cancer of the base of tongue (TSCC, BOTSCC). HPV is the dominating cause of this. HPV- induced oropharyngeal cancers (OPSCC) correlates strongly to better prognosis. A disease with worse prognosis is hypopharyngeal cancer (HPSCC), here the role of HPV is more unclear. In study 1 we wanted to see if HPV can be used as a marker for OPSCC in fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of cervical neck masses. This in a prospective setting where 66 patients with cervical masses were tested for HPV in their FNAC-sample. All 17 patients who had HPV-positive OPSCC as final diagnosis also had HPV in FNAC. No patients with benign neck masses had HPV in FNAC. The challenge of distinguishing a cystic metastasis of an HPV-positive OPSCC from a branchial cleft cyst, which is a benign condition, is well known. It is also known that the neck metastases of HPV-positive OPSCC are HPV-positive and that HPV-DNA in the FNAC correlates to an HPV positive OPSCC. It has not been investigated if HPV-DNA also can be present in benign neck cysts. In study 2 we wanted to see if branchial cleft cysts could be HPV-positive. From 112 patients diagnosed with branchial cleft cyst under the years 2007-2015 DNA was extracted from formalin fixed paraffin embedded surgically resected material. None of the branchial cleft cysts contained HPV-DNA. In the third study we evaluated the expression of immune related proteins and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in tumor samples compared to normal tissue and in relation to HPV-status and clinical outcome in patients with HPSCC. Fresh frozen tissue from 33 patients were analyzed for protein expression by the Proseek immuno-oncology immunoassay. Tumors, especially HPV-positive, had more immunological activity than normal tissue. In addition to this, 144 formalin-fixed biopsies, from patients with HPSCC, were analyzed for CD8+ TILs in relation to clinical outcome. Patients with high numbers of CD8+TILS hade improved clinical outcome OPSCC are often diagnosed with presence of metastases in the neck and different strategies has been used for treatment of the neck after radio/chemoradiotherapy, (RT/CRT). The impact of RT/CRT in the tissue of the neck makes surgery of the neck surgically complicated and the risk of long-term side effect increases why more reduced surgery would benefit the patient. I the fourth study all patients diagnosed with TSCC and BOTSCC between 2017 and 2021 in the County of Stockholm were identified through the Swedish Cancer Registry. 217 patients who had post-treatment PET-CT or salvage ND were assessed included for further analysis including HPV and p16 status. Neck dissection was performed in 36 patients due to PET-CT criteria, the result of PET-CT was compared to pathological report from the neck specimen regarding location of metastases with viable cancer. In total, 26/36 patients examined by PET-CT and treated with ND had no sign of viable cancer. In 8/36 patients, the localization of metastasis in histopathological examination and the PET-CT was consistent. Thus, in two of the 10 patients with viable tumor the viable tumor cells was found in cervical lymph nodes other than those seen in PET-CT; both tumors were HPV-DNA and p16-positive Conclusions for the thesis are: HPV DNA in FNAC of neck masses is a strong indicator of TSCC or BOTSCC and was not present in any benign conditions or other malignant masses. HPV-DNA is absent in FFPEs of branchial cleft cysts. HPSCC have higher expression of immune related protein than normal tissue, and the expression was even higher in HPV-positive tumors. High numbers of CD8+ TILs in HPSCC are related to better clinical outcome. Reduced neck dissection after post treatment PET-CT may be feasible for patients with TSCC or BOTSCC

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Social Economy as the Means to Help Achieve the Targets of Sustainable Development Goal 14

There are practical challenges for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. In a number of policies, social economy (SE) entities can play a central role in terms of achieving their targets. One possible method of implementing several of the SDGs is through the promotion of such entities, as these have already proved to be a successful method for achieving different objectives related to a better quality of life and sustainability (i.e., the creation of jobs, reducing inequality, local investment, responsible social practices, or environmental protection). However, it is not immediately obvious that these entities can also help implement SDG 14, which aims to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.” The purpose of this paper is to empower sustainable small-scale fishing (SSF) through SE policies by means of a transdisciplinary approach. SSF is a sector that tends to be firmly rooted in local communities, with its traditions and values coinciding with those of the SE. Thus, SE entities can be an important asset to “Provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets.” Therefore, different public policies in the area of SSF are proposed here in order to ensure they are implemented correctly.This research was funded by the University of the Basque Country GIU 18/147 Research group and MINECO DER2015-63533-C1

A Total Cost Analysis of the Return Process Online and in Store

We become more and more connected to the Internet and companies need to use new channels to reach customers. Online shopping has become an important activity in customers’ shopping behaviour and there is a need for fashion retailers to examine their logistics process. Depending on which return policies a company have returns can generate a significant cost. It is therfore interesting for companies to calculate the total cost of returns and to examine the effects of different return policies

Use of cognitive mapping in the diagnosis of tolerance failure

The management of construction tolerances is a necessary and routine part of the construction activity and is normally brought to our attention only when failures are reported. In a study of tolerance management, the authors found widespread evidence of the same failures and the reasons for them. There seems to be no shortage of experience of the effects of failures in tolerances or of knowledge about how to avoid them. The situation is frustrating for all involved, especially the owner, end-users, designers and operatives. In questioning practitioner experts in this field, the authors identified a misalignment in the perception of ‘problem, cause and effect’. In workshops involving experts from various construction backgrounds, the issue of tolerance management and, in particular, failures and their causes were examined. The experts were introduced to the concept of fault diagnosis using backwards-chaining ‘cause and effect’ analysis. Experts were then asked to undertake several analyses of their own of preselected failures using a cognitive mapping tool. The purpose of the study is to see how useful the method is among the experts and later be able to identify the root causes to the issues of tolerance management. The preliminary results showed that the experts were initially reluctant to break with discussing the effects and what they saw as the solutions, but gradually began to trace the causes backwards until they believed they had identified the root causes. The results show a possibility to reach beyond the obvious problems and therefore as a consequence be able to find a new approach in the following steps of the research process. This is a proven working method for research problems where the interaction with partners in the industry is of great importance

Role of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in regulation of GABAergic transmission and acute response to ethanol

Mounting evidence indicates that ethanol (EtOH) exposure activates neuroimmune signaling. Alterations in pro-inflammatory cytokines after acute and chronic EtOH exposure have been heavily investigated. In contrast, little is known about the regulation of neurotransmission and/or modulation by anti-inflammatory cytokines in the brain after an acute EtOH exposure. Recent evidence suggests that interleukin-10 (IL-10), an anti-inflammatory cytokine, is upregulated during withdrawal from chronic EtOH exposure. In the present study, we show that IL-10 is increased early (1 h) after a single intoxicating dose of EtOH (5 g/kg, intragastric) in Sprague Dawley rats. We also show that IL-10 rapidly regulates GABAergic transmission in dentate gyrus neurons. In brain slice recordings, IL-10 application dose-dependently decreases miniature inhibitory postsynaptic current (mIPSC) area and frequency, and decreases the magnitude of the picrotoxin sensitive tonic current (Itonic), indicating both pre- and postsynaptic mechanisms. A PI3K inhibitor LY294002 (but not the negative control LY303511) ablated the inhibitory effects of IL-10 on mIPSC area and Itonic, but not on mIPSC frequency, indicating the involvement of PI3K in postsynaptic effects of IL-10 on GABAergic transmission. Lastly, we also identify a novel neurobehavioral regulation of EtOH sensitivity by IL-10, whereby IL-10 attenuates acute EtOH-induced hypnosis. These results suggest that EtOH causes an early release of IL-10 in the brain, which may contribute to neuronal hyperexcitability as well as disturbed sleep seen after binge exposure to EtOH. These results also identify IL-10 signaling as a potential therapeutic target in alcohol-use disorders and other CNS disorders where GABAergic transmission is altered