Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adjuvant intraperitoneal chemotherapy for the treatment of colorectal cancer at risk for peritoneal carcinomatosis: a systematic review

Abstract Background: The peritoneal surface is the second most common site of disease recurrence, after the liver, following definitive surgery for colorectal cancer. Adjuvant intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy delivered at time of surgical resection has the potential to delay or prevent future spread to the peritoneal surface and improve clinical outcome. The exact role of adjuvant IP chemotherapy in colorectal cancer, including its associated morbidity and mortality, is not well defined. Study design: Systematic review and pooled random effect analysis of comparative trials examining the addition of adjuvant IP chemotherapy compared to surgery alone in colorectal cancer. The primary outcome was overall survival, and the secondary outcomes were of post-operative morbidity and mortality. Results: In nine colorectal cancer studies identified, seven were two-arm trials comparing adjuvant IP chemotherapy to surgery alone. Of these, four trials had outcome reporting and met criteria that allowed inclusion into a random effects model. Heterogeneity was measured by Cochran’s Q-test (Q = 13.9; p = 0.01) and random effect models were utilised. Pooling eligible trials together revealed a 0.55 odds ratio of death associated with the administration of IP chemotherapy compared to surgery alone (CI = 0.31, 0.98; p = 0.04). Trials selecting patients at elevated risk for the development of peritoneal carcinomatosis by clinicopathological biomarkers for administration of adjuvant IP chemotherapy reported more favourable overall outcomes. There was no increase in mortalities or IP chemotherapy-related abdominal complication rates among patients undergoing IP chemotherapy (OR = 1.4; CI = 0.52, 3.8; p = 0.5). Conclusions: This systematic review supports the use of adjuvant IP chemotherapy in resectable colorectal cancer at risk for peritoneal spread. Future trials should seek to standardise inclusion criteria and IP chemotherapy modalities to better define the role of this treatment in patients with resectable colorectal cancer.
A new method to compute the distortion vector field from two images

In this paper, we present a new method to compute the distortion vector field from two images. The aim of this study is to characterize the distortion between to images. Several methods are based on optical flow techniques. However they are sensitive to image noise and grey-level variations between the two images. Our method is based on distance transforms. Images must be passed over twice before computing the distance transform and the distortion vector field simultaneously. Pixels are characterized by the displacement from the nearest feature element (surface for grey-level images). 3/spl times/3/spl times/3 chamfer masks are used for grey-level images. The relative weights of spatial versus grey-level displacements are considered. Experimental results are analyzed for both synthetic and natural images.
Cortical modulation of short-latency TMS-evoked potentials

Transcranial magnetic stimulation–electroencephalogram (TMS–EEG) co-registration offers the opportunity to test reactivity of brain areas across distinct conditions through TMS-evoked potentials (TEPs). Several TEPs have been described, their functional meaning being largely unknown. In particular, short-latency potentials peaking at 5 (P5) and 8 (N8) ms after the TMS pulse have been recently described, but because of their large amplitude, the problem of whether their origin is cortical or not has been opened. To gain information about these components, we employed a protocol that modulates primary motor cortex excitability (MI): low frequency stimulation of premotor area (PMC). TMS was applied simultaneously with EEG recording from 70 electrodes. Amplitude of TEPs evoked by 200 single-pulses TMS delivered over MI at 110% of resting motor threshold (rMT) was measured before and after applying 900 TMS conditioning stimuli to left PMC with 1 Hz repetition rate. Single subject analyses showed reduction in TEPs amplitude after PMC conditioning in a sample of participants and increase in TEPs amplitude in two subjects. No effects were found on corticospinal excitability as recorded by motor-evoked potentials (MEPs). Furthermore, correlation analysis showed an inverse relation between the effects of the conditioning protocol on P5-N8 complex amplitude and MEPs amplitude. Because the effects of the used protocol have been ascribed to a cortical interaction between premotor area and MI, we suggest that despite the sign of P5-N8 amplitude modulation is not consistent across participant; this modulation could indicate, at least in part, their cortical origin. We conclude that with an accurate experimental procedure early latency components can be used to evaluate the reactivity of the stimulated cortex.
Same wavelength group identification from online social networks: A general framework

Reacting to social issues or events through Online Social Networks has become a social habit. Social scientists have identified several network relationships and dimensions that induce homophily. Sentiments or opinions towards different issues have been observed as a key dimension which characterizes human behaviour. People usually express their sentiments towards various issues. Different persons from different walks of social life may share same opinion towards various issues. When these persons constitute a group, such groups can be conveniently termed same wavelength groups. We propose a novel framework based on sentiments and an algorithm to identify such same wavelength groups from online social networks like twitter. The proposed algorithm generates same wavelength groups in polynomial time for relatively small set of events. The analysis of such groups would be of help in unravelling their response patterns and behavioural features.
Low-Level Laser Acupuncture and the Use of the Respond Luminex Vet Class 3 b Laser

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) may be useful for general tissue healing, as well as stimulation of acupoints. Acupoint stimulation with low-level laser light can be used instead of needles and the same types of cases treated with traditional acupuncture can be treated with laser acupuncture. Current clinical research has confirmed the therapeutic benefits of LLLT for equine laminitis and humans with myofascial pain, epicondylitis, knee osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal disorders. The author finds the Respond Luminex Vet Class 3b laser with the Advantage probe very user friendly, as it has been pre-programmed for general tissue healing for a number of common conditions, based on species, animal’s size and area being treated. Using the Respond Luminex Vet Class 3b laser with the Profile probe with a fine point cap attached, the author is able to effective stimulate an acupoint in 2 seconds, delivering a dose of 0.6 J/cm. Common conditions successfully treated include pain and paresis from lumbosacral disease, intervertebral disk disease, hip osteoarthritis and infertility. More information about laser acupuncture and videos of case treatments can be found at: http:// www.respondsystems. com/practitioners/.
Fluid retention and vascular effects of rosiglitazone in obese, insulin-resistant, nondiabetic subjects.

OBJECTIVE The use of thiazolidinedione (TZD) derivatives is associated with fluid retention, especially when combined with insulin. Because TZDs improve the metabolic effect of insulin, they may also reverse the blunted vascular response to insulin. We hypothesize that improvement of the action of insulin on vascular tone or permeability is the key mechanism of TZD-related fluid retention. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study in 18 obese, nondiabetic subjects with features of the metabolic syndrome, we investigated the effects of a 12-week treatment with 4 mg rosiglitazone twice a day on glucose disposal, hemodynamics (including forearm vasoconstrictor response to nitric oxide [NO]), synthase inhibition by N-monomethyl-L-arginine-acetate (L-NMMA), vascular permeability (transcapillary escape rate of albumin), and plasma volume during a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (120 min, 120 mU/m(2) per min). RESULTS As expected, rosiglitazone increased the glucose infusion rate during clamping. However, neither vascular permeability nor forearm blood flow response to hyperinsulinemia or L-NMMA was affected by rosiglitazone. Compared with placebo, rosiglitazone decreased diastolic blood pressure by 5 mmHg (95% CI 2.35-6.87, P = 0.0005) and increased plasma volume by 255 ml/1.73 m(2) (80-430, P = 0.007). Interestingly, the positive effect of rosiglitazone on glucose disposal correlated with change in foot volume (R(2) = 0.53, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Rosiglitazone improved insulin sensitivity but had no effect on NO-dependent vasodilatation in the forearm or vascular permeability in obese, insulin-resistant, nondiabetic subjects. As such, TZD-related fluid retention was not caused by improvement of the vascular actions of insulin. Nonetheless, rosiglitazone-induced improvement in insulin sensitivity appears to be correlated to edema formation.
Selective resonance suppression 1H‐[13C] NMR spectroscopy with asymmetric adiabatic RF pulses

Despite obvious improvements in spectral resolution at high magnetic field, the detection of 13C labeling by 1H‐[13C] NMR spectroscopy remains hampered by spectral overlap, such as in the spectral region of 1H resonances bound to C3 of glutamate (Glu) and glutamine (Gln), and C6 of N‐acetylaspartate (NAA). The aim of this study was to develop, implement, and apply a novel 1H‐[13C] NMR spectroscopic editing scheme, dubbed “selective Resonance suppression by Adiabatic Carbon Editing and Decoupling single‐voxel STimulated Echo Acquisition Mode” (RACED‐STEAM). The sequence is based on the application of two asymmetric narrow‐transition‐band adiabatic RF inversion pulses at the resonance frequency of the 13C coupled to the protons that need to be suppressed during the mixing time (TM) period, alternating the inversion band downfield and upfield from the 13C resonance on odd and even scans, respectively, thus suppressing the detection of 1H resonances bound to 13C within the transition band of the inversion pulse. The results demonstrate the efficient suppression of 1H resonances bound to C3 of Glu and Gln, and C4 of Glu, which allows the 1H resonances bound to C6 of NAA and C4 of Gln to be revealed. The measured time course of the resolved labeling into NAA C6 with the new scheme was consistent with the slow turnover of NAA. Magn Reson Med 61:260–266, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Establishing mechanisms to conduct multi-institutional research--fatigue in patients with cancer: an exercise intervention.

PURPOSES/OBJECTIVES To describe the process of establishing a multi-institutional interdisciplinary team of oncology researchers and conducting a pilot study of an exercise intervention for fatigue. DATA SOURCES Project meeting minutes and records, research team members' logs, subjects' research records, the research study proposal, and team members' individual and collective shared experiences. DATA SYNTHESIS Site investigators established research teams at five academic medical centers. Fifty subjects were enrolled in the study and tested during their cancer treatment. Study methods, including instrumentation, were evaluated carefully and revised. CONCLUSIONS The multi-institutional network of researchers is an effective and efficient model for testing an intervention to manage fatigue during cancer treatment. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE Exercise is a feasible and potentially beneficial intervention to combat distressing cancer treatment-related fatigue. A pilot study is essential to determine the best methods for conducting a clinical trial and to develop the teams of researchers necessary for such a project.
Optimizing pattern matching

We present improvements to the backtracking technique of pattern-matching compilation. Several optimizations are introduced, such as commutation of patterns, use of exhaustiveness information, and control flow optimization through the use of labeled static exceptions and context information. These optimizations have been integrated in the Objective-Caml compiler. They have shown good results in increasing the speed of pattern-matching intensive programs, without increasing final code size.
The review of non-destructive testing techniques suitable for inspection of the wind turbine blades

Wind power is a promising source of environmentally safe and renewable energy with a high potential. However, in order to fully exploit energy of wind power the construction elements of the wind turbine should be inspected periodically. Wind turbine blades are complicated objects for inspection because they have an arbitrary curved surface, are multi-layered, have variable thickness and are made from anisotropic materials.The presented study covers an overview of the techniques which are used or could be used for on site condition monitoring and effective NDT of wind turbine blades. Inspection methods based on vibration analysis, thermography, X-ray imaging, acoustic emission and ultrasound are reviewed. The objective of this study is review of different NDT techniques, which are used, or could be used for non-destructive testing of wind turbine blades, taking into account the complicated structure of the wind turbine blades as well as possibility to make non-destructive testing in harsh on-site conditions.
Quantum complexity theory

In this paper we study quantum computation from a complexity theoretic viewpoint. Our first result is the existence of an efficient universal quantum Turing machine in Deutsch's model of a quantum Turing machine (QTM) [Proc. Roy. Soc. London Ser. A, 400 (1985), pp. 97--117]. This construction is substantially more complicated than the corresponding construction for classical Turing machines (TMs); in fact, even simple primitives such as looping, branching, and composition are not straightforward in the context of quantum Turing machines. We establish how these familiar primitives can be implemented and introduce some new, purely quantum mechanical primitives, such as changing the computational basis and carrying out an arbitrary unitary transformation of polynomially bounded dimension. We also consider the precision to which the transition amplitudes of a quantum Turing machine need to be specified. We prove that $O(\log T)$ bits of precision suffice to support a $T$ step computation. This justifies the claim that the quantum Turing machine model should be regarded as a discrete model of computation and not an analog one. We give the first formal evidence that quantum Turing machines violate the modern (complexity theoretic) formulation of the Church--Turing thesis. We show the existence of a problem, relative to an oracle, that can be solved in polynomial time on a quantum Turing machine, but requires superpolynomial time on a bounded-error probabilistic Turing machine, and thus not in the class $\BPP$. The class $\BQP$ of languages that are efficiently decidable (with small error-probability) on a quantum Turing machine satisfies $\BPP \subseteq \BQP \subseteq \Ptime^{\SP}$. Therefore, there is no possibility of giving a mathematical proof that quantum Turing machines are more powerful than classical probabilistic Turing machines (in the unrelativized setting) unless there is a major breakthrough in complexity theory.
On the Throughput of Hybrid-ARQ under QoS Constraints

Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) is a high performance communication protocol, leading to effective use of the wireless channel and the resources with only limited feedback about the channel state information (CSI) to the transmitter. In this paper, the throughput of HARQ with incremental redundancy (IR) and fixed transmission rate is studied in the presence of quality of service (QoS) constraints imposed as limitations on buffer overflow probabilities. In particular, tools from the theory of renewal processes and stochastic network calculus are employed to characterize the maximum arrival rates that can be supported by the wireless channel when HARQ-IR is adopted. Effective capacity is employed as the throughput metric and a closed-form expression for the effective capacity of HARQ-IR is determined for small values of the QoS exponent. The impact of the fixed transmission rate, QoS constraints, and hard deadline limitations on the throughput is investigated and comparisons with regular ARQ operation are provided.
The Role of ICOS in Directing T Cell Responses: ICOS-Dependent Induction of T Cell Anergy by Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells1

Tolerogenic dendritic cells (DC) play an important role in maintaining peripheral T cell tolerance in steady-state conditions through induction of anergic, IL-10-producing T cells with suppressive properties. ICOS, an activation-induced member of the CD28 family on T cells, is involved in the induction of IL-10, which itself could contribute to induction of anergy and development of suppressive T cells. Therefore, we analyzed the functional role of ICOS in the differentiation process of human CD4+ T cells upon their interaction with tolerogenic DC. We compared the functional properties of CD4+ T cells from healthy volunteers and ICOS-deficient patients after stimulation with tolerogenic DC. We report that induction of T cell anergy and suppressive capacity is completely blocked after knockdown of ICOS expression in T cells as well as after blocking of ICOS-ICOS ligand interaction in DC/T cell cocultures. Moreover, CD4+ T cells from ICOS-deficient patients were completely resistant to anergy induction and differentiation into suppressive T cells even after supplementation of IL-10. Furthermore, ICOS/ICOS ligand interaction stabilizes IL-10R expression on T cells and thus renders them sensitive to IL-10 effects. Taken together, these results indicate a crucial role for ICOS in the induction of peripheral tolerance maintained by tolerogenic DC mediated mostly via an IL-10-independent mechanism.
The role of angiotensin II and TGF-beta on the progression of chronic allograft nephropathy

Chronic allograft nephropathy is the most prevalent cause of graft dysfunction and failure. Its pathogenesis and treatment remains poorly defined. The calcineurin inhibitors, cyclosporine and tacrolimus, may play a role in the progressive loss of renal function in patients with chronic allograft nephropathy. This effect may be either related to the direct stimulation of profibrogenic cytokines such as transforming growth factor (TGF-β) or indirect mechanisms, through increases in blood pressure or alterations in either carbohydrate or lipid metabolism. Experimental studies have demonstrated that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) can attenuate cyclosporine-mediated increases in TGF-β production in renal tissue. Clinical studies have demonstrated that either cyclosporine or tacrolimus dose reduction may help reduce the rate of loss of renal function in patients with chronic allograft nephropathy. Moreover, other studies have demonstrated that a chronic reduction in the dose of cyclosporine in transplant patients can reduce serum TGF-β levels. Treatment with an ARB can normalise the plasma levels of TGF-β in renal transplant patients receiving cyclosporine. All these observations suggest that there may be a role of cyclosporine, and possibly tacrolimus, in worsening chronic allograft nephropathy through their effects on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and TGF-β production.
Di erential Power Analysis

Cryptosystem designers frequently assume that secrets will be manipulated in closed, reliable computing environments. Unfortunately , actual computers and microchips leak information about the operations they process. This paper examines speciic methods for analyzing power consumption measurements to nd secret keys from tamper resistant devices. We also discuss approaches for building cryptosystems that can operate securely in existing hardware that leaks information. 1 Background Attacks that involve m ultiple parts of a security system are diicult to predict and model. If cipher designers, software developers, and hardware engineers do not understand or review each other's work, security assumptions made at each level of a system's design may be incomplete or unrealistic. As a result, security faults often involve u n a n ticipated interactions between components designed by diierent people. Many t e c hniques have been designed for testing cryptographic algorithms in isolation. For example, diierential cryptanalysiss3] and linear cryptanalysiss8] can exploit extremely small statistical characteristics in a cipher's inputs and outputs. These methods have been well studied because they can be applied by analyzing only one part of a system's architecture | an algorithm's mathematical structure. A correct implementation of a strong protocol is not necessarily secure. For example, failures can be caused by defective computationss5, 4 ] and information leaked during secret key operations. Attacks using timing informationn7, 1 1 ] a s well as data collected using invasive measuring techniquess2, 1 ] h a ve been demonstrated. The U.S. government has invested considerable resources in the classi-ed TEMPEST program to prevent sensitive information from leaking through electromagnetic emanations.
HEU OFDM-modem for Underwater Acoustic Communication and Networking

In view of the requirements for the applications of ocean development, environmental monitoring, disaster prevention etc., the HEU OFDM-modem for underwater acoustic communication and networking is presented in this paper. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) technology is utilized in the physical layer, and protocols of ALOHA, MACAW are adopted in the data link layer. We conducted a mobile point-to-point communication experiment in May 2014, in the South Sea, China, where the bit error rate was less than 1.8x10-5, with bandwidth of 4 kHz, data rate of 3.03 kbps, and horizontal communication distance of 5 km. A small-scale underwater networking experiment was also carried out in the South Sea during the period from June 2nd to July 15th, 2014, where each node's depth and the water temperature around the node measured by TD (Temperature and Depth) profiling instruments were sent back to the gateway every 25 minutes through underwater acoustic channel.