Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy as a Multimodal Treatment for Gastric Cancer Patients with Peritoneal Metastasis

Peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer is mainly caused by the dispersion of free cancer cells from the serosal surface of the invaded stomach, from surgically transected lymphatic channels, and from tumor cell-containing blood from the primary lesion into the peritoneal cavity. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy (IPC) combined with surgery has performed for the prevention and treatment of peritoneal metastasis in gastric cancer. The efficacy of this technique is influenced by the pharmacokinetic advantage achievable with the anticancer drug, timing of administration, combination with hyperthermia, and tumor volume. The pharmacokinetic advantage for peritoneal cavity exposure relative to peripheral circulation by intraperitoneal delivery for drugs including cisplatin (10-fold advantage), mitomycin C (20- to 30-fold advantage), docetaxel (500-fold advantage), and paclitaxel (1000-fold advantage) has been confirmed. To avoid uneven drug distribution in the peritoneal cavity and the re-growth of residual tumor, it seems to be reasonable to perform IPC perioperatively; however, early perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (EPIC) has a relatively high morbidity rate compared with intraoperative IPC. Hyperthermia has both cytotoxicity of itself and a synergistic effect with anticancer drugs, especially mitomycin C. In the adjuvant setting, patients with either hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) or EPIC showed a significant improvement of survival compared to those with surgery alone. In addition, extensive intraoperative peritoneal lavage (EIPL) seems also to be a reasonable method to reduce free cancer cells in the peritoneal cavity. For the treatment of peritoneal metastasis, cytoreductive surgery which achieves R0 or R1 resection followed by IPC has demonstrated a survival benefit, whereas gross residual tumor (R2) treated by IPC has shown poor prognosis. Extensive cytoreductive surgery, such as peritonectomy, followed by IPC achieved long-term survival for selected patients, though this aggressive procedure led to high morbidity and mortality rates. It seems that combined chemotherapy (systemically and intraperitoneally) followed by conversion surgery can be expected to be a powerful procedure for the patients with gross peritoneal tumors.
Pairing-Based Multi-Recipient Public Key Encryption

The growth of the Internet has triggered tremendous opportunities for broadcast service. However, the security issue of the broadcast has not been properly addressed. In this paper, we propose a new multi-recipient public key encryption scheme called ”Pairing-Based Multi-Recipient Encryption” (PBMRE)to achieve a secure broadcast transmission. In PBMRE, a ciphertext encrypted by an encryption key can be decrypted by a number of decryption keys. Therefore, PBMRE can be applied to broadcast sensitive information in a unsafe distributed environment. The proposed scheme is novelly constructed on weil pairing on elliptic curve and the Shamir’s secrets sharing scheme [2]. We also proved that the security strength of our scheme is relative to ”Gap Bilinear Diffie-Hellman Assumption” (Gap-BDH), which is extremely difficult to compromise.
Visual and Non-Visual Contributions to the Perception of Object Motion during Self-Motion

Many locomotor tasks involve interactions with moving objects. When observer (i.e., self-)motion is accompanied by object motion, the optic flow field includes a component due to self-motion and a component due to object motion. For moving observers to perceive the movement of other objects relative to the stationary environment, the visual system could recover the object-motion component – that is, it could factor out the influence of self-motion. In principle, this could be achieved using visual self-motion information, non-visual self-motion information, or a combination of both. In this study, we report evidence that visual information about the speed (Experiment 1) and direction (Experiment 2) of self-motion plays a role in recovering the object-motion component even when non-visual self-motion information is also available. However, the magnitude of the effect was less than one would expect if subjects relied entirely on visual self-motion information. Taken together with previous studies, we conclude that when self-motion is real and actively generated, both visual and non-visual self-motion information contribute to the perception of object motion. We also consider the possible role of this process in visually guided interception and avoidance of moving objects.
The Benefits of Interleaved Practice for Learning

Practice is critical to successful learning. Teachers assign homework to give students additional experience with concepts taught in class, students know that they need to review their notes and other course material before an exam, and athletes put in many hours of training to improve and be at the top of their game. Indeed, a single exposure to a fact, concept, or activity will typically not yield effective and long-lasting knowledge or skill acquisition, no matter how attentive or well-intentioned a learner is. The importance of practice is supported by a wealth of anecdotal and scientific evidence (e.g. Ackerman, 2014; Ericsson et al., 2007), and is probably intuitive to most people. What is less obvious, however, is how the practice should be organized or schedu ed. In particular, I am referring to situations in which the learner is presented with multiple examples pertaining to a certain topic or problem type (e.g. in mathematics), or when the learner has the opportunity to engage in repeated practice of a given activity (e.g. golf swing, tennis stroke). Does the sequencing of practice examples or activities within a study or training session affect learning, and, if so, are there ways to schedule or arrange practice so as to optimize this learning? In this chapter, I shall offer an affirmative answer by reviewing research that has demonstrated that interleaving (or mixing together) different kinds of examples or activities during practice often produces superior learning to that achieved by blocking (or grouping together) the examples or activities by type, across a range of educationally relevant contexts. I shall also examine theoretical accounts of the interleaving advantage, compare how typical pedagogy lines up with the research findings, and discuss the practical implications for educators.1
Simulation of fluence-dependent photocurrent in terahertz photoconductive receivers

A semi-classical Monte Carlo simulation of carrier dynamics in photoconductive detectors of terahertz (THz) radiation is presented. We have used this simulation to elucidate the importance of carrier trapping in the operation of photoconductive detectors. Simulations of the detection of single-cycle THz pulses by photoconductive antennas based on GaAs with trap densities between 2 × 1017 and 2 × 1018 cm−3 are presented. We show that the high frequency (>1 THz) spectral response of photoconductive devices decreases with increasing excitation fluence. Our simulations reveal that this effect is a direct consequence of the saturation of trapping centres
Brief Report: A Preference for Biological Motion Predicts a Reduction in Symptom Severity 1 Year Later in Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Recent research has consistently demonstrated reduced orienting to social stimuli in samples of young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, social orienting greatly varies between individual children on the spectrum. Better understanding this heterogeneity in social orienting may contribute to our comprehension of the mechanisms underlying autistic symptoms thereby improving our ability to intervene. Indeed, children on the autism spectrum who show higher levels of interest in social stimuli demonstrate reduced clinical symptoms and increased adaptive functioning. However, longitudinal studies examining the influence of social orienting on subsequent outcome are critically lacking. Here, we aim to explore the relationship between social interest at the age of 3 and changes in severity of autistic symptoms over the subsequent year, in 20 children with ASD and 20 age-matched typically developing (TD) children. A visual preference for social stimuli was measured using an eye-tracking task at baseline, consisting of a previously studied visual preference paradigm presenting biological and geometric motion side-by-side. The task was altered for the current study by alternating presentation side for each type of stimuli to keep visual perseveration from influencing participants’ first fixation location. Clinical data were collected both at baseline and 1 year later at follow-up. As a group, we observed reduced interest for biological motion (BIO-M) in children with ASD compared to TD children, corroborating previous findings. We also confirmed that a preference for BIO-M is associated with better adaptive functioning in preschoolers with ASD. Most importantly, our longitudinal results showed that a preference for BIO-M strongly predicted decreased severity of diagnostic symptoms. Participants who preferred social stimuli at the age of 3 showed drastic reductions in their severity level of autistic symptoms 1 year later, whereas participants who preferred geometric stimuli showed autistic symptoms that were unchanged or more severe after 1 year. As a whole, our results suggest that a preference for BIO-M may be key to understanding the behavioral phenotype of young children with ASD, and may represent a promising candidate behavior for predicting early developmental trajectories and outcome.
The Harmonic Scalpel versus Conventional Hemostasis for Neck Dissection: A Meta-Analysis of the Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective Neck dissection is the most definitive and effective treatment for head and neck cancer. This systematic review aims to compare the efficacy and surgical outcomes of neck dissection between the harmonic scalpel and conventional surgical techniques and conduct a quantitative meta-analysis of the randomized trials. Methods Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified from the major electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Library) using the keywords ‘‘harmonic scalpel’’ and ‘‘neck dissection,’’ and a quantitative meta-analysis was conducted. The operative time and intraoperative bleeding were the primary outcome measures, and other parameters assessed included the drainage fluid volume and length of hospital stay. Results Seven trials that met the inclusion criteria included 406 neck dissection cases (201 in the harmonic scalpel group). Compared with conventional surgical techniques, the HS group had an operative time that was significantly reduced by 29.3 minutes [mean difference: -29.29; 95% CI = (-44.26, -14.32); P=0.0001], a reduction in intraoperative bleeding by 141.1 milliliters [mean difference: -141.13; 95% CI = (-314.99, 32.73); P=0.11], and a reduction in drainage fluid volume by 64.9 milliliters [mean difference: -64.86; 95% CI = (-110.40, -19.32); P=0.005] , but it is not significant after removal of studies driving heterogeneity. There was no significant difference in the length of the hospital stay [mean difference: -0.21; 95% CI = (-0.48, 0.07); P=0.14]. Conclusion This systematic review showed that using the harmonic scalpel for neck dissection significantly reduces the operative time and drainage fluid volume and that it is not associated with an increased length of hospital stay or perioperative complications. Therefore, the harmonic scalpel method is safe and effective for neck dissection. However, the statistical heterogeneity was high. Further studies are required to substantiate our findings.
Enhancement of thermoelectric efficiency of CoSb3-based skutterudites by double filling with K and Tl

The high-temperature thermoelectric properties of thallium (Tl) and potassium (K) double-filled cobalt antimonide (CoSb3)-based skutterudites with nominal compositions TlxK0.3Co4Sb12 (x = 0.1 − 0.3) were investigated. The filling fraction of Tl in CoSb3 was enhanced by co-filling with K, which resulted in all of the samples showing the filled-skutterudite single phase. Owing to the high filling ratio, the carrier concentration in the sample with x = 0.3 was as high as 4.3 × 1020 cm−3 at room temperature. Furthermore, quite low lattice thermal conductivity (as low as 0.9 Wm−1K−1) was obtained for the sample with x = 0.3, probably because of strong phonon scattering by the Tl and K co-rattling effect, which resulted in a maximum zT of around one at 773 K.
The Effect of Long-Term Bonus Frame and Perceived Accountability Pressure on Intertemporal Investment Risk Appetite in a Continuous Monitoring Environment

Hunton et al. (2008) observed a functional effect of continuous monitoring (real earnings management was eliminated) and a dysfunctional effect (intertemporal investment risk appetite was unduly diminished). Intertemporal investment risk appetite refers to managers’ willingness to invest or disinvest in and continue or discontinue with an ongoing long-term risky project. The current study examines two interventions aimed at alleviating the dysfunctional effect of continuous monitoring in this decision environment. A total of 99 experienced managers participated in a between-participant experiment that manipulated long-term bonus frame (gain or loss) and perceived accountability pressure (high or low). The findings indicate that managers’ intertemporal investment risk appetite increased (decreased) when the long-term bonus was framed as a loss (gain), and when perceived accountability pressure was relatively low (high). A significant interaction term suggests that the influence of relatively high and low perceived accountability pressure on intertemporal investment risk appetite was greater in the loss frame than the gain frame. The findings contribute to theory and practice in the areas of bonus framing, accountability and continuous monitoring.
A New PET Scanner with Semiconductor Detectors Enables Better Identification of Intratumoral Inhomogeneity

An autoradiography method revealed intratumoral inhomogeneity in various solid tumors. It is becoming increasingly important to estimate intratumoral inhomogeneity. However, with low spatial resolution and high scatter noise, it is difficult to detect intratumoral inhomogeneity in clinical settings. We developed a new PET system with CdTe semiconductor detectors to provide images with high spatial resolution and low scatter noise. Both phantom images and patients' images were analyzed to evaluate intratumoral inhomogeneity. Methods: This study was performed with a cold spot phantom that had 6-mm-diameter cold sphenoid defects, a dual-cylinder phantom with an adjusted concentration of 1:2, and an “H”-shaped hot phantom. These were surrounded with water. Phantom images and 18F-FDG PET images of patients with nasopharyngeal cancer were compared with conventional bismuth germanate PET images. Profile curves for the phantoms were measured as peak-to-valley ratios to define contrast. Intratumoral inhomogeneity and tumor edge sharpness were evaluated on the images of the patients. Results: The contrast obtained with the semiconductor PET scanner (1.53) was 28% higher than that obtained with the conventional scanner (1.20) for the 6-mm-diameter cold sphenoid phantom. The contrast obtained with the semiconductor PET scanner (1.43) was 27% higher than that obtained with the conventional scanner (1.13) for the dual-cylinder phantom. Similarly, the 2-mm cold region between 1-mm hot rods was identified only by the new PET scanner and not by the conventional scanner. The new PET scanner identified intratumoral inhomogeneity in more detail than the conventional scanner in 6 of 10 patients. The tumor edge was sharper on the images obtained with the new PET scanner than on those obtained with the conventional scanner. Conclusion: These phantom and clinical studies suggested that this new PET scanner has the potential for better identification of intratumoral inhomogeneity, probably because of its high spatial resolution and low scatter noise.
Reflections on undertaking the Probation Qualifying Framework scheme during the Transforming Rehabilitation changes

This article reflects upon the author’s experience of undertaking the PQF (Probation Qualifying Framework) training scheme during the chaotic period of Transforming Rehabilitation. The author asserts that the uncertainty and precarious nature of the changes were detrimental to an effective learning environment, which ultimately promoted a practice culture of punitiveness and control and did not allow learners the space to be skilful and confident practitioners, comfortable working autonomously. Furthermore, the author contends there is an emerging culture within the NPS (National Probation Service) increasingly fostered on ‘risk management’, which is reflected in the vocational nature of PQF training and is contributing towards a widening cultural gap that is emerging between the community rehabilitation companies and NPS.
Associative Embeddings for Large-Scale Knowledge Transfer with Self-Assessment

We propose a method for knowledge transfer between semantically related classes in ImageNet. By transferring knowledge from the images that have bounding-box annotations to the others, our method is capable of automatically populating ImageNet with many more bounding-boxes. The underlying assumption that objects from semantically related classes look alike is formalized in our novel Associative Embedding (AE) representation. AE recovers the latent low-dimensional space of appearance variations among image windows. The dimensions of AE space tend to correspond to aspects of window appearance (e.g. side view, close up, background). We model the overlap of a window with an object using Gaussian Processes (GP) regression, which spreads annotation smoothly through AE space. The probabilistic nature of GP allows our method to perform self-assessment, i.e. assigning a quality estimate to its own output. It enables trading off the amount of returned annotations for their quality. A large scale experiment on 219 classes and 0.5 million images demonstrates that our method outperforms state-of-the-art methods and baselines for object localization. Using self-assessment we can automatically return bounding-box annotations for 51% of all images with high localization accuracy (i.e. 71% average overlap with ground-truth).
Migraine prophylaxis: flunarizine

Flunarizine is a calcium channel blocker that reduces smooth muscle spasm. Overall, the studies included in this evidence summary suggest that flunarizine is as effective as propranolol or topiramate at reducing the frequency of migraines in adults. In children, flunarizine was more effective than placebo at reducing migraine frequency, and as effective as nimodipine, aspirin, propranolol or dihydroergotamine. However, all of the studies in children were small and of poor quality. The most common adverse effect of flunarizine is weight gain.
On the Reliability Function of Variable-Rate Slepian-Wolf Coding

The reliability function of variable-rate Slepian-Wolf coding is linked to the reliability function of channel coding with constant composition codes, through which computable lower and upper bounds are derived. The bounds coincide at rates close to the Slepian-Wolf limit, yielding a complete characterization of the reliability function in that rate regime. It is shown that variable-rate Slepian-Wolf codes can significantly outperform fixed-rate Slepian-Wolf codes in terms of rate-error tradeoff. The reliability function of variable-rate Slepian-Wolf coding with rate below the Slepian-Wolf limit is determined. In sharp contrast with fixed-rate Slepian-Wolf codes for which the correct decoding probability decays to zero exponentially fast if the rate is below the Slepian-Wolf limit, the correct decoding probability of variable-rate Slepian-Wolf codes can be bounded away from zero.
Enhancing the Working Memory of Stroke Patients Using tDCS

Jo JM, Kim Y-H, Ko M-H, Ohn SH, Joen B, Lee KH: Enhancing the working memory of stroke patients using tDCS. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2009;88:404–409. Objectives:We investigated whether anodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex affected the working memory performance of patients after a stroke. Design:Ten patients (mean age 47.7 yrs) with cognitive deficits after a first-ever stroke participated in this single-blind, crossover, and sham-controlled experiment. Each patient was randomly assigned to undergo two transcranial direct current stimulation sessions: anodal dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and sham stimulation within 48 hrs of a washout period. All participants performed a two-back working memory task before and after the administration of the transcranial direct current stimulation. Accuracy (correction rate), recognition accuracy (correction rate-commission error rate), and response time were measured during each experiment. Results:Repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated a significant interaction effect of transcranial direct current stimulation type and time on the recognition accuracy. Post hoc analyses revealed a significant difference between prestimulation and poststimulation in the anodal stimulation group but not in the sham stimulation group. Regarding the accuracy, the paired t test indicated significant improvement only after anodal transcranial direct current stimulation without a significant interaction effect between the two transcranial direct current stimulation types. The response time was not significantly different in the anodal and sham stimulation groups. Conclusion:Our results demonstrated that anodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was associated with enhanced working memory performance as indexed by the recognition accuracy in patients after a stroke.
Accuracy enhancement of CT kernel conversions using convolutional neural net for super-resolution with Squeeze-and-Excitation blocks and progressive learning among smooth and sharp kernels

Reconstructing smooth to sharp images with several CT kernels have been widely used in radiology, because images reconstructed with standard and high frequency kernels are more suitable for radiologic reading, but smoother kernels of higher SNR for quantitative software. However, it is very difficult to sustain several datasets with different kernels, due to limited storage and maintenance issues. We proposed accuracy enhancement of CT kernel conversion method using convolutional neural net for super resolution with SE block and progressive learning among smooth and sharp kernels. Our CT kernel conversion method showed significant enhancement and could be applicable to actual clinical environment for radiologic reading and quantitative SW without duplicated datasets.
QR-GARCH-M model for risk-return tradeoff in U.S. stock returns and business cycles

In the empirical finance literature findings on the risk return tradeoff in excess stock market returns are ambiguous. In this study, we develop a new QR-GARCH-M model combining a probit model for a binary business cycle indicator and a regime switching GARCH-in-mean model for excess stock market return with the business cycle indicator defining the regime. Estimation results show that there is statistically significant variation in the U.S. excess stock returns over the business cycle. However, consistent with the conditional ICAPM, there is a positive risk-return relationship between volatility and expected return independent of the state of the economy.