Previous Submission Research Articles

Homeopathic potencies can regulate the growth and toxicity of Raphidiopsis raciborskii (cyanobacteria) and are traceably by solvatochromic dyes

Introduction: Cyanobacteria are found worldwide and can produce cyanotoxins. Since homeopathic potencies can modulate toxicity in different biological models, this study proposes to investigate whether cyanobacteria toxins might also be the case. Objectives: a) to investigate if homeopathic potencies can improve the resilience of Artemia franciscana (brine shrimp) embryos to saxitoxin (cyanotoxin) and to control the growth of Raphidiopsis raciborskii in vitro; b) to verify if physicochemical parameters can be used to track homeopathic potencies in seawater or cyanobacteria medium, with special focus on the interaction with solvatochromic dyes. Method: Artemia franciscana cysts were cultivated in seawater in 96-well plates to evaluate the hatching rate, vitality, and gene expression of heat shock proteins (Hsp), after being challenged with R. raciborskii extract containing 2.5 µg/liter of saxitoxin and treated with different homeopathic potencies chosen from a screening process. Cultures of R. raciborskii maintained in ASM-1 medium were equally treated with previously screened homeopathic potencies, and their growth was monitored as a function of time. The physicochemical properties of treated water were evaluated by interacting with solvatochromic dyes and measuring pH, conductivity, and temperature. Results: A lower rate of hatching of Artemia franciscana cysts was observed after treatment with Nitric acidum 6cH (p=0.03), and a complete toxicity reversal with increased Hsp 26 and p26 gene expression was seen after treatment with Isotherapic (R. raciborskii extract) 200cH (p≤0.02). Nitric acidum 200cH and Mercurius solubilis 30cH limited the exponential growth of cyanobacteria (p≤0.003) regardless of their concentration. Coumarin 7 was a marker for Nitric acidum 6cH and Isotherapic (R. raciborskii extract) 200cH, even when inserted into seawater. Nile red was a marker for Nitric acidum 200cH and Mercurius solubilis 30cH, even when inserted into ASM-1 medium (p≤0.05). An increase in pH and endo/exothermal effects of the ASM-1 medium was observed after these treatments (p≤0.007). The physicochemical analyzes were optimized after the previous submission of the samples to a constant unidirectional 2400 Gauss magnetic flow. Conclusion: The Isotherapic 200cH improved Artemia franciscana bioresilience to saxitoxin itself; Nitric acidum 200cH and Mercurius solubilis 30cH limited the growth of R. raciborskii. In all cases, those homeopathic potencies that showed biological effects were traceable in the aqueous medium using solvatochromic dyes, especially when the samples were subjected to the magnetic field.

Evaluation of Submission Limits and Regression Penalties to Improve Student Behavior with Automatic Assessment Systems

Objectives . Automatic assessment systems are widely used to provide rapid feedback for students and reduce grading time. Despite the benefits of increased efficiency and improved pedagogical outcomes, an ongoing challenge is mitigating poor student behaviors when interacting with automatic assessment systems including numerous submissions, trial-and-error, and relying on marking feedback for problem solving. These behaviors negatively affect student learning as well as have significant impact on system resources. This research quantitatively examines how utilizing submission policies such as limiting the number of submissions and applying regression penalties can reduce negative student behaviors. The hypothesis is that both submission policies will have a significant impact on student behavior and reduce both the number of submissions and regressions in student performance. The research questions evaluate the impact on student behavior, determine which submission policy is the most effective, and what submission policy is preferred by students. Participants . The study involved two course sections in two different semesters consisting of a total of 224 students at the University of British Columbia, a research-intensive university. The students were evaluated using an automated assessment system in a large third year database course. Study Methods . The two course sections used an automated assessment system for constructing database design diagrams for assignments and exams. The first section had no limits on the number of submissions for both assignments and exams. The second section had limits for the exams but no limits on assignments. On the midterm, participants were randomly assigned to have either a restriction on the total number of submissions or unlimited submissions but with regression penalties if a graded answer was lower than a previous submission. On the final exam, students were given the option of selecting their submission policy. Student academic performance and submission profiles were compared between the course sections and the different submission policies. Findings. Unrestricted use of automatic grading systems results in high occurrence of undesirable student behavior including trial-and-error guessing and reduced time between submissions without sufficient independent thought. Both submission policies of limiting maximum submissions and utilizing regression penalties significantly reduce these behaviors by up to 85%. Overall, students prefer maximum submission limits, and demonstrate improved behavior and educational outcomes. Conclusions . Automated assessment systems when used for larger problems related to design and programming have benefits when deployed with submission restrictions (maximum attempts or regression penalty) for both improved student learning behaviors and to reduce the computational costs for the system. This is especially important for summative assessment but reasonable limits for formative assessments are also valuable.

Isključiva elektronska prijava osnivanja privrednog društva

In this paper, the author presents a new regime of exclusive electronic registration of formation of companies. In this way, the incorporation procedure will be possible without the obligation of the applicant of the registration application to be present before the authority responsible for the registration of the establishment of companies. Since the process of establishment is enabled in a way that takes place almost entirely electronically, future founders will have the possibility of very eficient, fast, and easy establishment of companies. However, the introduction of a mandatory, instead of the previous optional electronic submission of a registration application might open some issues that have not been discussed much in the domestic professional and scientifc circles so far.

Addressing Persistent Vaccine Hesitancy in a Military Community Through a Physician-Led Intervention.

ABSTRACTIntroductionFollowing the identification of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China, the virus has spread rapidly around the world causing severe illness and death. Several vaccines were found to be safe and effective and made available first to those most at risk and then to the general public. Despite the safety and efficacy profiles, vaccine hesitancy remains a significant barrier to widespread immunity. Within the military community at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, we provided multiple physician-led educational seminars to address vaccination concerns and decrease vaccine hesitancy.Materials and MethodsThe authors presented a PowerPoint presentation of the available vaccinations, their safety data, and efficacy, followed by a town hall-style question-and-answer period where questions were presented from the previous submission, as well as real-time submissions through Facebook Live. The questions were fielded by specialists in Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease, Pulmonary-Critical Care, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Rheumatology. The entire presentation was streamed through Facebook Live and was freely available. Following the presentation, an online survey was provided for willing participants to complete which included demographic data and addressed their previous and current attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccinations and their opinions on the presentation. Data from the survey were then analyzed through IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 to find any associations or risk factors for hesitancy.ResultsThere were 73 respondents to the assessment, most of which were nonmedical. Of the 73, the majority (45) had already received a vaccine for COVID-19. Of those unvaccinated, 17 did not want a vaccination before or after the seminar. Two did change their mind about being receptive to vaccination, and one changed from receptive to hesitant. The only statistically significant risk factors for vaccine hesitancy were those with a moderate to great amount of trust in their health care provider compared to those with little to no trust (73% vs. 4%, P < .001).ConclusionsOur intervention was limited in its effectiveness to address vaccine hesitancy late in the pandemic, with our study limited by our small sample size. Regardless, it identified a peculiar discrepancy with those with the most trust in health care providers being the most likely to be vaccine-hesitant. This highlights the importance of the information that trusted health care providers are providing to their patients and may identify more effective routes to address vaccine hesitancy in the future.

Inference of Local Climate Zones from GIS Data, and Comparison to WUDAPT Classification and Custom-Fit Clusters

A GIS-based approach is used in this study to obtain a better LCZ map of Berlin in comparison to the remote-sensing-based WUDAPT L0 approach. The LCZ classification of land use/cover can be used, among other applications, to characterize the urban heat island. An improved fuzzy logic method is employed for the purpose of classification of the zone properties to yield the GIS-LCZ map over 100 m × 100 m grid tiles covering the Berlin region. The zone properties are calculated from raster and vector datasets with the aids of the urban multi-scale environmental predictor (UMEP), QGIS and Python scripts. The standard framework is modified by reducing the threshold for the zone property impervious fraction for LCZ E to better detect paved surfaces in urban areas. Another modification is the reduction in the window size in the majority filter during post-processing, compared to the WUDAPT L0 method, to retain more details in the GIS-LCZ map. Moreover, new training areas are generated considering building height information. The result of the GIS-LCZ approach is compared to the new training areas for accuracy assessment, which shows better overall accuracy compared to that of the WUDAPT L0 method. The new training areas are also submitted to the LCZ generator and the resulting LCZ-map gives a better overall accuracy value compared to the previous (WUDAPT) submission. This study shows one shortcoming of the WUDAPT L0 method: it does not explicitly use building height information and that leads to misclassification of LCZs in several cases. The GIS-LCZ method addresses this shortcoming effectively. Finally, an unsupervised machine learning method, k-means clustering, is applied to cluster the grid tiles according to their zone properties into custom classes. The custom clusters are compared to the GIS-LCZ classes and the results indicate that k-means clustering can identify more complex city-specific classes or LCZ transition types, while the GIS-LCZ method always divides regions into the standard LCZ classes.

Editor Advice on Writing a Good Manuscript

With the advancing technology and expanding ophthalmology researches, more and more manuscripts were received by our journal concerning different aspects of ophthalmology. By reviewing our previous submission received, hereby we summarize some advices on improving an ophthalmology manuscript writing. Valuable content and results still require a good presentation and writing to lead it towards successful publication. We hope this editorial would help authors understand how they should write a manuscript so that not only has it a good chance of being accepted, but also of being well received and appreciated by the readers if it is published.

Engaging with Aging: A Qualitative Study of Age-Related Changes and Adaptations

Engaging with Aging is an emerging framework proposed by Carnevali which provides a new lens to understand an active, conscious daily living process of coping with age-related changes (ARCs) taken on by older adults. Study aims were to 1) describe the ARCs experienced by community-dwelling older adults; 2) identify the strategies and resources used by older adults to accommodate the daily living challenges caused by the associated ARCs; and 3) evaluate the framework of EWA based on findings from aims 1 and 2. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 29 participants aged 64 to 98 online due to COVID-19 restrictions. We used a virtual card sort to assist data gathering. Fifteen ARCs (e.g., changes in hearing, changes in stability, changes in sleep, etc.) were mentioned by participants and their corresponding adaptations were discussed. We found that older adults linked their adaptations to their ARCs based on their changing capacities and needs. Commonly used adaptations included conserving energy, utilizing tools or technology, and being more conscious before and while taking actions. The challenges caused by COVID-19 in implementing the adaptations were also discussed (e.g., increased difficulty in understanding others due to mask-wearing). Our study substantiates the EWA framework by showing the commonality among older adults in linking ARCs with adaptations. Implications for clinicians and researchers include using EWA to help older adults identify personalized solutions that fit their capacities. Our study is late-breaking as we recently finished data analysis and the information included was not yet available by the previous submission deadline.

Engaging with Aging: A Qualitative Study of Age-Related Changes and Adaptations

Engaging with Aging is an emerging framework proposed by Carnevali which provides a new lens to understand an active, conscious daily living process of coping with age-related changes (ARCs) taken on by older adults. Study aims were to 1) describe the ARCs experienced by community-dwelling older adults; 2) identify the strategies and resources used by older adults to accommodate the daily living challenges caused by the associated ARCs; and 3) evaluate the framework of EWA based on findings from aims 1 and 2. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 29 participants aged 64 to 98 online due to COVID-19 restrictions. We used a virtual card sort to assist data gathering. Fifteen ARCs (e.g., changes in hearing, changes in stability, changes in sleep, etc.) were mentioned by participants and their corresponding adaptations were discussed. We found that older adults linked their adaptations to their ARCs based on their changing capacities and needs. Commonly used adaptations included conserving energy, utilizing tools or technology, and being more conscious before and while taking actions. The challenges caused by COVID-19 in implementing the adaptations were also discussed (e.g., increased difficulty in understanding others due to mask-wearing). Our study substantiates the EWA framework by showing the commonality among older adults in linking ARCs with adaptations. Implications for clinicians and researchers include using EWA to help older adults identify personalized solutions that fit their capacities. Our study is late-breaking as we recently finished data analysis and the information included was not yet available by the previous submission deadline.

Prior and Prejudice

Modern machine learning and computer science conferences are experiencing a surge in the number of submissions that challenges the quality of peer review as the number of competent reviewers is growing at a much slower rate. To curb this trend and reduce the burden on reviewers, several conferences have started encouraging or even requiring authors to declare the previous submission history of their papers. Such initiatives have been met with skepticism among authors, who raise the concern about a potential bias in reviewers' recommendations induced by this information. In this work, we investigate whether reviewers exhibit a bias caused by the knowledge that the submission under review was previously rejected at a similar venue, focusing on a population of novice reviewers who constitute a large fraction of the reviewer pool in leading machine learning and computer science conferences. We design and conduct a randomized controlled trial closely replicating the relevant components of the peer-review pipeline with $133$ reviewers (master's, junior PhD students, and recent graduates of top US universities) writing reviews for $19$ papers. The analysis reveals that reviewers indeed become negatively biased when they receive a signal about paper being a resubmission, giving almost 1 point lower overall score on a 10-point Likert item (Δ = -0.78, 95% CI = [-1.30, -0.24]) than reviewers who do not receive such a signal. Looking at specific criteria scores (originality, quality, clarity and significance), we observe that novice reviewers tend to underrate quality the most.

Alternative purification protocols of mixed pyridines in the presence of trans-N,N′-bis(9-phenyl-9-xanthenyl)cyclohexane-1,4-diamine

In this communication, we reveal that the host compound trans-N,N′-bis(9-phenyl-9-xanthenyl)cyclohexane-1,4-diamine (1,4-DAX) possesses the ability to purify 2-methylpyridine (2MP)/pyridine (PYR) and 3-methylpyridine (3MP)/PYR binary mixtures by enclathrating PYR almost exclusively, even when such mixtures contained as little as approximately 30% PYR. For example, when these solutions were prepared with equimolar quantities of the two guests, complexes contained as much as 92.4 and 96.4% PYR, respectively. Furthermore, 1,4-DAX was capable of forming a mixed complex with as high as 87.8% PYR from an equimolar ternary mixture containing 2MP, 3MP and PYR through host‒guest complexation. This work complements that of trans-N,N′-bis(9-phenyl-9-xanthenyl)cyclohexane-1,2-diamine (1,2-DAX) and trans-N,N′-bis(9-phenyl-9-thioxanthenyl)cyclohexane-1,2-diamine (1,2-DAT), disclosed in a previous submission, where 4-methylpyridine (4MP) and 2MP, correspondingly, were the preferred guest solvents. Interestingly, trans-N,N′-bis(9-phenyl-9-thioxanthenyl)cyclohexane-1,4-diamine (1,4-DAT) showed no inclusion tendencies under such conditions. Successfully-formed inclusion complexes were subjected to crystal X-ray diffraction analyses in order to understand the preference of 1,4-DAX for 4MP and PYR. Thermal analyses of these complexes were, however, less informative.

Detection of a rare mutation in a Noonan syndrome suspected patient

Noonan syndrome (NS) is a genetic autosomal dominant condition, caused by mutations in PTPN11 and other genes. The aim of this report is to highlight a finding of a rare mutation in the RAF1 gene in a six-year-old child evaluated for Noonan Syndrome. An Ampliseq Research Panel covering A2ML1, BRAF, CBL, HRAS, KRAS, MAP2K1, MAP2K2, NRAS, PTPN11, RAF1, RIT1, SHOC2, SOS1 and SPRED1 genes was used on the Ion Torrent platform. Out of 54 variants detected, a single nucleotide missense mutation c.483T&amp;gt;G in the RAF1 gene was classified as likely pathogenic, based on a single previous submission to Clinvar. Further investigations may shed light on the possible role of this variant in the pathogenesis of Noonan Syndrome and other RASopathies.

Complementary host behaviour of trans-cyclohexane-1,4-diamine derivatives during recrystallization processes from mixed anilines

trans-N,N′-Bis(9-phenyl-9-xanthenyl)cyclohexane-1,4-diamine (1,4-DAX) and trans-N,N′-bis(9-phenyl-9-thioxanthenyl)cyclohexane-1,4-diamine (1,4-DAT) proved to be highly effective host compounds for the enclathration of aniline (ANI), N-methylaniline (NMA) and N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) guest solvents: only DMA was not included and only when using 1,4-DAT. When the host compounds were recrystallized from mixtures of these guests, it was revealed that host selectivities were in the order NMA > ANI > DMA and NMA > DMA > ANI for 1,4-DAX and 1,4-DAT, respectively. Single crystal diffraction experiments were employed to identify the host⋯guest interactions responsible for guest retention in these complexes, while thermal analyses proved futile for the determination of their relative thermal stabilities since most of them displayed poor stability even at room temperature. The selectivity data presented here complement the results obtained when the host compounds employed were 1,2-DAX and 1,2-DAT, as per a previous submission, where DMA was significantly preferred. Since NMA and DMA may be prepared from ANI, the resultant products often have one or more of these anilines present as impurities. This work therefore demonstrates that by utilizing the appropriate host compound, these solvents may be purified through host‒guest chemistry principles.

Mind the (submission) gap: EPSR gender data and female authors publishing perceptions

The publication pattern of EPSR confirms the findings of established scholarship on gender and publishing; women publish less than men (roughly, 30% to 70%). This gap reflects a previous submission gap; i.e., men submit even much more than women do. EPSR editorial process does not show signs of discrimination: single or leading female authors have significantly lower desk rejection rates than their male counterparts in similar configurations. Women though, are underrepresented as peer reviewers and EPSR has taken measures to redress this situation. Looking at women authors perceptions, findings (that cannot be considered representative), are consistent with existing scholarship. Women authors perceive themselves as more perfectionist and more risk adverse, they also perceive that they can dedicate less time to research, and they express mistrust in the blind review process. As a general conclusion, whilst reversing the gender gap requires structural action beyond and before the editorial process, journal editors must consider forms to secure more extensive women inclusion in publications.

The Impact of College and University Advertising Expenditures on Key Performance Indicators Using Business Analytics Modeling

The Impact of College and University Advertising Expenditures on Key Performance Indicators Using Business Analytics Modeling

Digitising Experience: The Creation and Application of Immersive Simulations in the Context of Social Work Training

as previous submission

Hypothetical Constants for Mass Generation and Reduction in the Electromagnetic Spectrum: A Yield of Quotients appears Consistent with Mass Energy Equivalence

Hypothetical mass generation and reduction constants are derived considering a particular conceptual framework, presence versus absence of mass. A mass generation constant accounts for dissipation. Another for reduction, accounts for masses which would otherwise be in motion before dissipation. It's important to note that there is no data generated or presented; that is, the foregoing exposition is theoretical and also contains a significant correction to the previous submission. A comparison is made between masses at a hypothetical vertex and those presumed to divert away from it in space time. At the vertex, identical, equal mass pairs are thought to be unchanged, perhaps force resistant for some time. Otherwise, masses which descend away from the vertex are hypothesized to decrease down the electromagnetic spectrum with a related function. That is, in a mathematical arrangement established in the foregoing, equal masses at the vertex yield light speed and its exact reciprocal. A question later ensues whether or not masses, surrounding the hypothetical pair at the vertex, are in line for immolation in such a way that maintains or protects the pair from forces such as those from a black hole. Accordingly, unequal descending masses, per the approach provided, do not appear to establish such exact points as those at vertex unless conservation eventually ensues. It is then proposed that unequal descending masses from the vertex may establish points of conservation at exactly 94.8% inside and outside a conserved hole. As such, an ideal situation appears established for reciprocal energy and negligible mass. A further consideration was whether conservation, establishing the latter percentage, occurs under a premise that some unequal masses descending down the spectrum are captured by others and paired. The latter was further based on a calculation, with use of constants, that the hypothetical generation speed of one of the unequal masses is exactly equal to its speed, at another point, where its paired arrangement may suggest mass capture. Accordingly, a further question was whether or not this mass is captured, at its point of generation, by the second unequal mass at c. Upon hypothetical pairing, the next challenge was to consider how masses are reduced. That is, where the vertex demonstrates a mathematical reciprocal yield of time per negligible mass at 1/c, no masses can be reduced as there can be no boundary between the yield of the vertex and that of any new equal pair with the same value. Accordingly, unequal mass pairs are suggested to match the closest possible point, by approximation, to the 1/c reciprocal yield at the vertex where there is thought to be a newly established boundary and an influx of mass accepted. Hence, where there was previously a void of reciprocal mass energy, despite presence of mass, a new reciprocal measure accommodates time taken for masses crossing the boundary to become negligible. It follows that this closest point of approximation possible to c and its reciprocal measure are established, as mentioned by conservation. Exact conservation and reciprocal energy, established by unequal descending masses, appear to fit with an idea that reactive forces by mass enveloping an equal pair, at the vertex, may help divert the equal pair from a change in its inert state for as long as possible. This was important to consider per special relativity suggesting a tendency for inert mass to resist change. Accordingly, the last two formulas include generation and reduction constants coupled with the two descending mass factors. The two unequal mass factors, per hypothetical pairing, are meant to account for a mathematical threshold at which this important aspect of special relativity may be maintained at the limits of space time. Hence, a last formula demonstrates this premise that unique masses for m may remain unchanged at such thresholds, as at the vertex, despite being subject to mass reduction. The latter is schematized by respective constants and a foregoing final formula. The equal mass pair at the vertex and one of the unequal masses considered to be conserved, inside and outside a hypothetical hole, were thought to remain unchanged for at least some time. That is, after a boundary is established to create a link to a reciprocal yield, time per distance at the vertex, a delay appears established during which the schema indicates a 5 unit reduction of all other masses. While this mass does not appear initially subject to the mathematical boundary, unless in a paired relationship with another at c, it was thought to be conserved, when alone, for some time to enhance pairing and further reciprocal energy inside a hole. Hence, the presence of the unequal pair establishing conservation was factored into two formulas for generation and reduction. Last, use of the same mass m, for all numbers, yields two separate quotients consistent with mass equivalence.

Association Between Sex and Opiate and Benzodiazepine Prescription Among Patients With CKD: Research Letter.

Background:Opiate and benzodiazepine use is associated with increased mortality and poorer transplant outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).Objective:To determine the predictors of opiate and benzodiazepine prescription in people with kidney disease.Design:Cross-sectional, observational study.Setting:Outpatient clinics at Kingston Health Sciences Centre or at affiliated sites as of June 2017.Patients:Individuals with CKD being treated at clinics or with various dialysis modalities at Kingston Health Sciences Centre and affiliated sites.Measurements:The total number of regular opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions was recorded for each patient. Patients were stratified based on clinical (eg, dialysis modality) and demographic (sex, age, diabetes mellitus [DM], ethnicity) characteristics, as elicited below.Methods:We evaluated opiate and benzodiazepine use by chart review in the following patient groups: conventional hemodialysis (HD) (n = 359), home hemodialysis (HHD) (n = 21), peritoneal dialysis (PD) (n = 95), patients attending the multidisciplinary chronic kidney disease clinic (MCKDC) (n = 322), and kidney transplant (KT) recipients (n = 176). Opiates and benzodiazepines were classified according to the American Hospital Formulary Service system. Patients were also stratified as white (n = 855), indigenous (n = 66), or all others (n = 48).Results:The mean age was 66.2 ± 14.9 years, 602 (61.9%) were men, and 439 (45.1%) had DM. Opiates were prescribed to 223 patients (22.9%), most frequently to HD (32.3%), followed by MCKDC (20.8%), HHD (19.0%), PD (14.7%), and KT (12.5%) (P < .001). The independent predictors of opiate prescription included DM (odds ratio [OR], 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4-2.6; P < 0.001), conventional HD (vs all other treatment modalities) (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.3-2.5; P < .001), and female sex (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.0-1.9; P = .041) after adjustment for age and ethnicity (R2 = 0.037, P < .001). Benzodiazepines were prescribed to 106 patients (10.9%), most frequently to HD (15.9%), followed by HHD (9.5%), KT (9.1%), MCKDC (7.5%), and PD (7.4%) (P = .005). The independent predictors of benzodiazepine use included female sex (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.5-3.4; P < .001) and dialysis modality (excluding MCKDC and KT) (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2-2.8; P = .006) after adjustment for ethnicity, DM, and age (R2 = 0.027, P < .001).Limitations:We were not able to ascertain the indication for prescription of these drugs or patient adherence.Conclusions:Women with kidney disease are significantly more likely to be prescribed opiates and benzodiazepines than men with kidney disease. Further research is required to determine whether these medications contribute to increased morbidity and mortality in women with kidney disease.Trial Registration:This manuscript does not meet the criteria for requiring registration or a statement of written consent from study participants. The previous submission of this manuscript already made mention of Research Ethics Board approval.

Unifying Task-Oriented Knowledge Graph Learning and Recommendation

Incorporating knowledge graphs (KGs) into recommender systems (knowledge-aware recommendation) to improve the recommendation accuracy and explainability has attracted considerable research efforts. However, existing methods largely assume that KGs are complete when transferring knowledge from them, which may lead to suboptimal performance for those KGs, can be hardly complete in real-life scenarios. In this paper, we present a robustly co-learning model (RCoLM) that takes the incompleteness nature of KGs into consideration when incorporating them into recommendation. The RCoLM aims at transferring knowledge between recommendation task and knowledge graph completion (KG completion) task by utilizing a <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">transfer learning</i> model. An earlier version of this paper appeared in KDD 2019. This version is an extension of the previous submission and two major innovations are presented here. At first, distinct from previous knowledge-aware recommendation methods, which mainly focus on transferring knowledge from KGs to item recommendations, the RCoLM attempts to exploit user-item interactions from recommendations for KG completion, and unifies the two tasks in a joint model for mutual enhancements. Second, the RCoLM provides a general task-oriented negative sampling strategy on KG completion task, which further improves the adaptive ability of the proposed algorithm and plays an essential role for obtaining superior performance in various sub-tasks of the KG completion. The extensive experiments on two real-world public datasets demonstrate that RCoLM outperforms not only state-of-the-art knowledge-aware recommendation methods but also existing KG completion methods.

Eagle XG® glass: Optical constants from 196 to 1688 nm (0.735–6.33 eV) by spectroscopic ellipsometry

Corning® Eagle XG® glass is widely used in the manufacture of electronic displays. In a previous submission, the authors reported its optical constants from 230 to 1690 nm (0.73–5.39). This spectral range reflected the fact that at a thickness of 0.5 mm, the material had zero transmission below 230 nm. These previously reported optical constants relied on a simple curve fitting approach that consisted of low- and high-energy poles, Tauc-Lorentz (T-L), and Gaussian oscillators. While the model agreed with the experimental data over the selected spectral range, it showed a sharp decrease in absorption when extrapolated to shorter wavelengths, which seemed physically unreasonable. To improve upon this earlier model, the authors have now obtained transmission data down to 196 nm using thin (100 and 200 μm) samples of the glass. Using this data, the optical constants were modeled using a T-L oscillator, 2–3 Gaussian oscillators, and a pole in the infrared. The center energies of the Gaussian oscillators corresponded approximately to previously reported absorptions from iron and tin in silicate glasses, and the band gap of the T-L oscillator was fixed at 5.8 eV, corresponding approximately to previously reported values of the onset of intrinsic absorptions. The resonance energy of the T-L oscillator was initially fixed at 12 eV following published values for fused silica, after which it was allowed to vary. The optical constants for the 100 and 200 μm samples could be fit simultaneously using the same model, but slight adjustments to the amplitude and broadening of the Gaussian oscillators were required to fit the transmission data of standard 0.5 mm (500 μm) Eagle XG. The authors attribute this apparent difference in the optical properties of these nominally identical materials, which were manufactured at different sites, to differences in the concentrations of iron and tin. Iron is a trace impurity in Eagle XG, and tin is a minor constituent. These have a profound effect on the ultraviolet absorption of glass. For the simultaneous fit of the 100 and 200 μm thick samples, our approach gave an unweighted mean squared error (MSE) of 1.19. The same model adapted to fit the 0.5 mm sample gave an unweighted MSE of 0.97. These models yielded small, nonzero values of k at shorter wavelengths. In situations where the glass was not analyzed with the inclusion of transmittance spectra, the refractive index can be reasonably modeled over this entire spectral range using only a Sellmeier (pole–pole) model. This model showed an MSE value of 1.09, where, of course, k was null throughout it. This reflection approach may be useful where transmission data is absent.

Epitopes and motifs of the HLA-B*14 allele family products and related HLA-B14 cross-reactive specificities.

The split specificities of HLA-B14 (B64, B65) are assigned to the B*14:01 (B64) and B*14:02 (B65) products only. Of the further 50 B*14 expressed products, only B*14:03 and B*14:06 are officially designated as HLA-B14. The B*14:08 product differs from B64 by a single amino acid substitution of W97R, while the B*14:53 specificity (which is a "short" B14 and neither B64 nor B65) differs from B64 by three residues (W97S, Y113H and F116Y). Comprehensive testing of B*14:08:01 cells (using 49 alloantisera with B64 or B64, B65 specificities, and five monoclonal antibodies with B65 or B64, B65 activity) showed that the B*14:08 specificity is, like the B*14:53 product, neither B64 nor B65 and appears as a "short" B14 specificity. To help understand the serological reactivity of the B*14:08 and B*14:53 products, and B64 and B65, we identified seven published epitopes (11AV, 97W, 61ICT, 116F, 131S+163T, 170RH and 420) and, by inspection, 29 motifs, that encompass one or more of B64, B65 and various HLA-B14 cross-reactive group specificities. We then considered the possession of these epitopes and motifs by the products of B*14:01 to B*14:06, B*14:08 and B*14:53. Seventeen of the 29 motifs fully complied with the one-/two-patch functional epitope concept for amino acid proximity, as determined by Cn3D software, the remainder partially complied. The nature and patterns of epitopes and motifs possessed by both B*14:08 and B*14:53 specificities supported their designation as HLA-B14 but non-B64/B65. Also that epitope 97W, with 11S or 11A, is critical for serological B64 and B65 reactivity. And conversely, that epitope 116F, and several identified motifs, are probably unimportant for HLA-B14 antibody reactivity. The previous submission that the B*14:03 specificity is HLA-B65 was compatible with its epitope/motif pattern. B*14:04 cells would also be expected to react as B65, based on its epitope/motif pattern, and not as B64 as previously implied. Also, from their epitope/motif patterns, and external serological information, it is probable that the B*14:05 and B*14:06 specificities will both appear as "short" HLA-B14, non-B64/B65. Several epitopes and motifs encompassed a range of HLA-B specificities included in the serological HLA-B14 cross-reactive group, thus supporting these original serological findings.