Pseudo session-based recommendation with hierarchical embedding and session attributes

Recently, electronic commerce (EC) websites have been unable to provide an identification number (user ID) for each transaction data entry because of privacy issues. Because most recommendation methods assume that all data are assigned a user ID, they cannot be applied to the data without user IDs. Recently, session-based recommendation (SBR) based on session information, which is short-term behavioral information of users, has been studied. A general SBR uses only information about the item of interest to make a recommendation (e.g., item ID for an EC site). Particularly in the case of EC sites, the data recorded include the name of the item being purchased, the price of the item, the category hierarchy, and the gender and region of the user. In this study, we define a pseudo--session for the purchase history data of an EC site without user IDs and session IDs. Finally, we propose an SBR with a co-guided heterogeneous hypergraph and globalgraph network plus, called CoHHGN+. The results show that our CoHHGN+ can recommend items with higher performance than other methods.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figures, 5 table

Crystallization processes of Sb100−xZnx (0 ≤ x ≤ 70) amorphous films for use as phase change memory materials

The phase change processes of as-deposited Sb-Zn films were investigated. The as-deposited amorphous SbZn film showed an unusual increase in resistance during heating, which was attributed to crystallization of the metastable SbZn phase. Further heating up to more than 300oC resulted in a structural transformation into the stable SbZn phase accompanied by a drop in resistance as in conventional phase change materials. Even though off-stoichiometric Sb-rich films exhibited crystallization into the metastable phase as well, the precipitation of Sb crystalline grains caused an undesirable drop in resistance at temperatures lower than that of the SbZn film. A memory device using an SbZn film showed typical switching behavior and successfully switched from the amorphous to crystal state and vice versa by the application of an electric pulse. These results revealed that stoichiometric SbZn film is a promising novel phase change material for phase change memory with high thermal stability

Improving the induction fold of riboregulators for cyanobacteria

<p>Cyanobacteria are ideal cellular factories for biochemical production because of their ability to fix CO₂ by photosynthesis and convert this molecule into biochemicals. Previously, we engineered a riboregulator that enables post-transcriptional gene regulation in the cyanobacterium <i>Synechocystis</i> sp. PCC 6803. Here, we improved the riboregulator by designing two RNA species, taRNA and crRNA, to enhance its induction fold. We inserted nucleotides into the crRNA loop to enhance intermolecular hybridization and successfully improved its induction fold. The engineered riboregulator exhibited a higher induction fold than the previously engineered riboregulator in both <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Synechocystis</i> sp. PCC 6803. This improved riboregulator can be used to control gene expression over a wide dynamic range in cyanobacteria.</p

Risk factor of pneumonitis on dose-volume relationship for chemoradiotherapy with durvalumab: Multi-institutional research in Japan

Objectives: To estimate appropriate dose-volume parameters for avoidance of pneumonitis in use of chemoradiotherapy and durvalumab for treatment of lung cancer. Materials and methods: Patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by durvalumab at 9 centers were enrolled in the study. Three-dimensional radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiotherapy, and proton beam therapy were used. The frequency and severity of pneumonitis and the dose-volume relationship for normal lung were evaluated. Univariable and multivariable analyses were conducted to identify risk factors. A covariate adjusted hazard ratio was then estimated for the percentages of normal lung volume irradiated at ≥ X Gy (Vx) (X = 5–40) and lung volume non-irradiated at ≥ X Gy (X = 5–40), with the covariates selected in the variable selection. Cumulative incidence functions and covariate adjusted hazard ratios were also estimated for dichotomized variables, with estimated cut-off points. Results: A total of 91 patients were enrolled in the study. The median time from the start of radiotherapy to development of pneumonitis was 4.1 months. Pneumonitis was observed in 80 patients (88%), including grade 2 or severe pneumonitis in 31 (34%) and ≥ grade 3 pneumonitis in 11 (12%). Pneumonitis was inside the irradiation field in 73 of the 80 patients (91%). The selected factors for ≥ grade 2 pneumonitis were V20, and primary site (upper lobe) in multivariable analysis. The cut off value of V20 was 18.99%, and there was a significant difference between V20 of < 18.77 and ≥ 18.77. Conclusion: Though there are some limitation of this study, the basic concept of concurrent chemoradiotherapy with an emphasis on V20 remains unchanged in use of durvalumab. However, we recommend reduction of V20 to as small a value as possible in use of this therapy

Tracking the 3D Rotational Dynamics in Nanoscopic Biological Systems.

The rotation of an object cannot be fully tracked without understanding a set of three angles, namely, roll, pitch, and yaw. Tracking these angles as a three-degrees-of-freedom (3-DoF) rotation is a fundamental measurement, facilitating, for example, attitude control of a ship, image stabilization to reduce camera shake, and self-driving cars. Until now, however, there has been no method to track 3-DoF rotation to measure nanometer-scale dynamics in biomolecules and live cells. Here we show that 3-DoF rotation of biomolecules can be visualized via nitrogen-vacancy centers in a fluorescent nanodiamond using a tomographic vector magnetometry technique. We demonstrate application of the method to three different types of biological systems. First, we tracked the rotation of a single molecule of the motor protein F1-ATPase by attaching a nanodiamond to the γ-subunit. We visualized the 3-step rotation of the motor in 3D space and, moreover, a delay of ATP binding or ADP release step in the catalytic reaction. Second, we attached a nanodiamond to a membrane protein in live cells to report on cellular membrane dynamics, showing that 3D rotational motion of the membrane protein correlates with intracellular cytoskeletal density. Last, we used the method to track nonrandom motions in the intestine of . Collectively, our findings show that the method can record nanoscale 3-DoF rotation in vitro, in cells, and even in vivo. 3-DoF rotation tracking introduces a new perspective on microscopic biological samples, revealing in greater detail the functional mechanisms due to nanoscale dynamics in molecules and cells

CRISIS AFAR: an international collaborative study of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and service access in youth with autism and neurodevelopmental conditions

BackgroundHeterogeneous mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic are documented in the general population. Such heterogeneity has not been systematically assessed in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). To identify distinct patterns of the pandemic impact and their predictors in ASD/NDD youth, we focused on pandemic-related changes in symptoms and access to services.MethodsUsing a naturalistic observational design, we assessed parent responses on the Coronavirus Health and Impact Survey Initiative (CRISIS) Adapted For Autism and Related neurodevelopmental conditions (AFAR). Cross-sectional AFAR data were aggregated across 14 European and North American sites yielding a clinically well-characterized sample of N = 1275 individuals with ASD/NDD (age = 11.0 ± 3.6&nbsp;years; n females = 277). To identify subgroups with differential outcomes, we applied hierarchical clustering across eleven variables measuring changes in symptoms and access to services. Then, random forest classification assessed the importance of socio-demographics, pre-pandemic service rates, clinical severity of ASD-associated symptoms, and COVID-19 pandemic experiences/environments in predicting the outcome subgroups.ResultsClustering revealed four subgroups. One subgroup-broad symptom worsening only (20%)-included youth with worsening across a range of symptoms but with service disruptions similar to the average of the aggregate sample. The other three subgroups were, relatively, clinically stable but differed in service access: primarily modified services (23%), primarily lost services (6%), and average services/symptom changes (53%). Distinct combinations of a set of pre-pandemic services, pandemic environment (e.g., COVID-19 new cases, restrictions), experiences (e.g., COVID-19 Worries), and age predicted each outcome subgroup.LimitationsNotable limitations of the study are its cross-sectional nature and focus on the first six months of the pandemic.ConclusionsConcomitantly assessing variation in changes of symptoms and service access during the first phase of the pandemic revealed differential outcome profiles in ASD/NDD youth. Subgroups were characterized by distinct prediction patterns across a set of pre- and pandemic-related experiences/contexts. Results may inform recovery efforts and preparedness in future crises; they also underscore the critical value of international data-sharing and collaborations to address the needs of those most vulnerable in times of crisis