Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cryoablation combined with allogenic natural killer cell immunotherapy improves the curative effect in patients with advanced hepatocellular cancer

In this study, the clinical efficacy of cryosurgery combined with allogenic natural killer cell immunotherapy for advanced hepatocellular cancer was evaluated. From October 2015 to March 2017, we enrolled 61 patients who met the enrollment criteria and divided them into two groups: 1) the simple cryoablation group (Cryo group, n = 26); and 2) the cryoablation combined with allogenic natural killer cells group (Cryo-NK group, n = 35), the safety and short-term effects were evaluated firstly, then the median progression-free survival, response rate and disease control rate were assessed. All adverse events experienced by the patients were recorded, and included local (e.g., pain, pleural effusion, and ascites) and systemic (e.g., chills, fatigue, and fever) reactions, fever was more frequent. Other possible seriously side effects (e.g., blood or bone marrow changes) were not detected. Combining allogeneic natural killer cells with cryoablation had a synergistic effect, not only enhancing the immune function, improving the quality of life of the patients, but also reducing the expression of AFP and significantly exhibiting good clinical efficacy of the patients. After a median follow-up of 8.7 months (3.9 –15.1months), median progression-free survival was higher in Cryo-NK (9.1 months) than in Cryo (7.6 months, P = 0.0107), median progression-free survival who received multiple natural killer was higher than who just received single natural killer (9.7 months vs.8.4 months, P = 0.0011, respectively), the response rate in Cryo-NK (60.0%) was higher than in Cryo (46.1%, P < 0.05), the disease control rate in Cryo-NK (85.7%) was higher than in Cryo group (69.2%, P < 0.01). Percutaneous cryoablation combined with allogeneic natural killer cell immunotherapy significantly increased median progression-free survival of advanced hepatocellular cancer patients. Multiple allogeneic natural killer cells infusion was associated with better prognosis to advanced hepatocellular cancer.
Title Network analysis of skin tumor progression identifies a rewired genetic architecture affecting inflammation and tumor susceptibility Permalink

Background: Germline polymorphisms can influence gene expression networks in normal mammalian tissues and can affect disease susceptibility. We and others have shown that analysis of this genetic architecture can identify single genes and whole pathways that influence complex traits, including inflammation and cancer susceptibility. Whether germline variants affect gene expression in tumors that have undergone somatic alterations, and the extent to which these variants influence tumor progression, is unknown. Results: Using an integrated linkage and genomic analysis of a mouse model of skin cancer that produces both benign tumors and malignant carcinomas, we document major changes in germline control of gene expression during skin tumor development resulting from cell selection, somatic genetic events, and changes in the tumor microenvironment. The number of significant expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) is progressively reduced in benign and malignant skin tumors when compared to normal skin. However, novel tumor-specific eQTL are detected for several genes associated with tumor susceptibility, including IL18 (Il18), Granzyme E (Gzme), Sprouty homolog 2 (Spry2), and Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (Map2k4). Conclusions: We conclude that the genetic architecture is substantially altered in tumors, and that eQTL analysis of tumors can identify host factors that influence the tumor microenvironment, mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling, and cancer susceptibility.
Genome Sequences of RIGVIR Oncolytic Virotherapy Virus and Five Other Echovirus 7 Isolates

ABSTRACT We report here the nearly complete Illumina-sequenced consensus genome sequences of six isolates of echovirus 7 (E7), including oncolytic virotherapy virus RIGVIR and the Wallace prototype. Amino acid identities within the coding region were highly conserved across all isolates, ranging from 95.31% to 99.73%.
A computational model for the autonomous control loops through the cerebellum, spinal code and muscle

This paper proposes a computational model for the cerebellum and spinal code. The proposed motion control scheme makes it possible to stabilize the posture of hand to the desired equilibrium trajectories. In this model, a motor neuron regulate the rest length of muscle to compensate the changes of equilibrium joint positions caused by the external load and the cerebellum compensates the inertial forces to stabilize the equilibrium position of joints. The asymptotic stability of joint angles to the desired equilibrium joint positions is proven theoretically and the performance of the control model is verified by some simple computer simulations.
European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30: factorial models to Brazilian cancer patients

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the psychometric properties of the seven theoretical models proposed in the literature for European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), when applied to a sample of Brazilian cancer patients. Methods Content and construct validity (factorial, convergent, discriminant) were estimated. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed. Convergent validity was analyzed using the average variance extracted. Discriminant validity was analyzed using correlational analysis. Internal consistency and composite reliability were used to assess the reliability of instrument. Results A total of 1,020 cancer patients participated. The mean age was 53.3±13.0 years, and 62% were female. All models showed adequate factorial validity for the study sample. Convergent and discriminant validities and the reliability were compromised in all of the models for all of the single items referring to symptoms, as well as for the “physical function” and “cognitive function” factors. Conclusion All theoretical models assessed in this study presented adequate factorial validity when applied to Brazilian cancer patients. The choice of the best model for use in research and/or clinical protocols should be centered on the purpose and underlying theory of each model.
Outcomes of robotic, laparoscopic, and open hysterectomy for benign conditions in obese patients

Objective: To compare outcomes of robotic-assisted (RAH), total laparoscopic hysterectomy (LH), and total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) for benign conditions in obese patients. Material and Methods: Retrospective cohort (Class II-2) analysis. All obese patients who underwent RAH, LH or TAH for benign conditions by a single surgeon at the University of Texas Medical Branch between January 2009 and December 2011 were identified and their charts reviewed. The patients’ characteristics, operative data, and post-operative outcomes were collected and statistically analyzed. Results: A total of 208 patients who underwent RAH (n=51), LH (n=24) or TAH (n=133) were analyzed. There were no significant differences among the groups in demographic characteristics, indications for surgery or pathologic findings. RAH and LH were associated with lower estimated blood loss (EBL) (p<0.001) and shorter length of hospital stay (LOS) (p<0.001) compared with TAH. In addition, RAH and LH had lower intraoperative and early postoperative (≤6 weeks) complications compared with TAH (p=0.002). However, the procedure time was longer in RAH and LH (p<0.001). No significant differences were noted among the groups for late post-operative complications (after 6 weeks) or unscheduled post-operative visits. Conclusion: Minimally invasive hysterectomy appears to be safe in obese patients with the advantages of less EBL, fewer intraoperative complications, and shorter LOS.
Ori Gi Nal Ar Tic Le Ad Dress for Cor Res Pon Den Ce Introduction

©Jo ur nal of Cli ni cal Re se arch in Pe di at ric En doc ri no logy, Pub lis hed by Ga le nos Pub lis hing. Objective: To examine the association of pre-and perinatal factors with diurnal cortisol pattern and reactivity to a stressor at preschool age among children living in poverty. Methods: Preschool aged children (n=275) provided saliva samples 3 times per day for 3 days to assess circadian rhythmicity (intercept and slope reflected diurnal pattern) and during a behavioral stress elicitation protocol to measure reactivity (5 samples before, during and after the stressor). Pre-and perinatal predictors were pregnancy weight gain, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), infant birth weight z-score and gestational age. We ran 7 linear regression models predicting each of the cortisol outcomes including all pre-and perinatal predictors and covariates simultaneously. Results: Greater pregnancy weight gain predicted higher morning cortisol [β=0.020 (SE 0.007), p=0.003]. Greater pregnancy weight gain also predicted higher cortisol at recovery from the stressor in girls only [β=0.002 (SE 0.001), p=0.036]. There was no association of pre-pregnancy BMI with any cortisol outcome. Higher birth weight z-score predicted higher morning cortisol in the total sample [β=0.134 (SE 0.066, p=0.043]. Greater gestational age predicted lower cortisol during peak stress in the sample who underwent cortisol reactivity testing [β=-0.015 (SE 0.007), p=0.032] and in boys [β=-0.032 (SE 0.014), p=0.027]. Conclusion: Pre-and perinatal factors are associated with cortisol patterning in offspring at preschool age. The implications for child health require additional studies.
Cell selection technique for 5G millimeter-wave

In this paper, a new cell selection technique is proposed for millimeter-wave (mm-wave) considering hybrid beamforming structure in data transmission stage. In order to reduce processing time for channel estimation, cell and beam synchronization signals (CBSS) are proposed which are simultaneously transmitted from multiple beams. It is shown by simulation that the proposed technique with the CBSS can significantly reduce the processing time for cell selection, and can achieve additional gains in channel capacity.
MULTIPLE STRESS COMPONENTS FROM MULTIPLE CUTS FOR THE CONTOUR METHOD

An extension of the contour method is presented which allows the measurement of multiple stress components by making multiple cuts. In the contour method, a body is carefully cut in two using wire electric discharge machining (EDM). The contours, or shapes, of the cut surfaces are then measured and used to calculate the original residual stress normal to the cut plane using a simple finite element calculation. In the extension presented here, the two pieces from the original body are cut again in a transverse direction, and the contours of the cut surfaces are measured again. The stresses calculated on the planes of these second cuts are affected by the first cut. Then a simple reconstruction using information already provided by the calculation for the first cut gives the original (prior to the first cut) stresses on the plane of the subsequent cuts. The method is demonstrated on a plate of quenched HighStrength Low-Alloy steel, revealing the approximately biaxial quenching stresses.
Polar Bear Aerial Survey in the Eastern Chukchi Sea: A Pilot Study

Alaska has two polar bear populations: the Southern Beaufort Sea population, shared with Canada, and the Chukchi/Bering Seas population, shared with Russia. Currently a reliable population estimate for the Chukchi/Bering Seas population does not exist. Land-based aerial and mark-recapture population surveys may not be possible in the Chukchi Sea because variable ice conditions, the limited range of helicopters, extremely large polar bear home ranges, and severe weather conditions may limit access to remote areas. Thus line-transect aerial surveys from icebreakers may be the best available tool to monitor this polar bear stock. In August 2000, a line-transect survey was conducted in the eastern Chukchi Sea and western Beaufort Sea from helicopters based on a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker under the "Ship of Opportunity" program. The objectives of this pilot study were to estimate polar bear density in the eastern Chukchi and western Beaufort Seas and to assess the logistical feasibility of using ship-based aerial surveys to develop polar bear population estimates. Twenty-nine polar bears in 25 groups were sighted on 94 transects (8257 km). The density of bears was estimated as 1 bear per 147 km² (CV = 38%). Additional aerial surveys in late fall, using dedicated icebreakers, would be required to achieve the number of sightings, survey effort, coverage, and precision needed for more effective monitoring of population trends in the Chukchi Sea.
Was there a basis for anticipating the 2010 Russian heat wave?

The 2010 summer heat wave in western Russia was extraordinary, with the region experiencing the warmest July since at least 1880 and numerous locations setting all‐time maximum temperature records. This study explores whether early warning could have been provided through knowledge of natural and human‐caused climate forcings. Model simulations and observational data are used to determine the impact of observed sea surface temperatures (SSTs), sea ice conditions and greenhouse gas concentrations. Analysis of forced model simulations indicates that neither human influences nor other slowly evolving ocean boundary conditions contributed substantially to the magnitude of this heat wave. They also provide evidence that such an intense event could be produced through natural variability alone. Analysis of observations indicate that this heat wave was mainly due to internal atmospheric dynamical processes that produced and maintained a strong and long‐lived blocking event, and that similar atmospheric patterns have occurred with prior heat waves in this region. We conclude that the intense 2010 Russian heat wave was mainly due to natural internal atmospheric variability. Slowly varying boundary conditions that could have provided predictability and the potential for early warning did not appear to play an appreciable role in this event.
An Intelligent System for Smart Tourism Simulation in a Dynamic Environment

In this paper, we present a smart tourism system that plans a tourist agenda and keeps track of the plan execution. A Recommendation System returns the list of places that best fit the individual tastes of the tourist and a planner creates a personalized agenda or plan with indication of times and durations of visits. The key component of the system is the simulator in charge of the plan monitoring and execution. The simulator periodically updates its internal state with information from open data platforms and maintains a snapshot of the real-world scenario through live events that communicate sensible environmental changes. The simulator builds a new planning problem when an unexpected change affects the plan execution and the planner arranges the tourist agenda by calculating a new plan.
Design of a sharp response microstrip lowpass filter using taper loaded and radial stub resonators

This paper proposes a compact microstrip lowpass filter with a wide stopband and a very sharp roll-off. This structure consists of two dual taper-loaded resonators that are connected to the radial stubs. The resonators are described using an LC model, and its Z- and S-parameters are extracted as a function of the LC component. In the proposed filter, cut-off frequency is placed at 1.76 GHz, roll-off rate is higher than 142 dB/GHz, insertion loss is less than 0.42 dB from DC to 1.5 GHz, and rejection is greater than -24 dB from 1.88 to 15.2 GHz. The proposed filter is designed, fabricated, and measured, and the measured values are in good agreement with the EM-simulated results.
Enhancing collaborative filtering by frequent usage patterns

Recommender systems contribute to the personalization of resources on the Web sites and information retrieval systems. In this paper, we present a hybrid recommender system using a user based approach which combines predictions based on Web usage patterns and rating data. We suggest a new technique that takes into account frequent patterns in order to compute correlations between users and select neighbors. Then, we combine this technique with collaborative filtering using Pearson correlation metric. The aim of this combination consists in the evaluation of the impact of each technique on recommendations. The performance of our system is tested without and by combining predictions in terms of accuracy and robustness. The different tests show that the more the navigational based technique is involved in the recommendation process, the more the best predictions are accurate and the system is robust.
Polar Coding for Bidirectional Broadcast Channels with Common and Confidential Messages

The integration of multiple services such as the transmission of private, common, and confidential messages at the physical layer is becoming important for future wireless networks in order to increase spectral efficiency. In this paper, bidirectional relay networks are considered, in which a relay node establishes bidirectional communication between two other nodes using a decode-and-forward protocol. In the broadcast phase, the relay transmits additional common and confidential messages, which then requires the study of the bidirectional broadcast channel (BBC) with common and confidential messages. This channel generalizes the broadcast channel with receiver side information considered by Kramer and Shamai. Low complexity polar codes are constructed that achieve the capacity region of both the degraded symmetric BBC, and the BBC with common and confidential messages. The use of polar codes allows an intuitive interpretation of how to incorporate receiver side information and secrecy constraints as different sets of frozen bits at the different receivers for an optimal code design. In order to show that the constructed codes achieve capacity, a tighter bound on the cardinality of an auxiliary random variable used in the converse is found using a method by Salehi.
Perseverance among university students as an indicator of entrepreneurial intent

The expanding role of small businesses in the economy has generated a plethora of educational and research initiatives at higher education institutions (HEIs) both locally and internationally. Despite these initiatives, in South Africa the lowest rate of entrepreneurial intentions has been recorded when compared to other sub-Saharan African countries, where students are less likely to put effort into starting their own business but rather direct their efforts to finding employment. This article investigates levels of final year university students' entrepreneurial intentions and levels of perseverance. Perseverance influences a person's course of action and is considered one of the key motivating factors necessary for entrepreneurship, as it acts as an inner drive towards a given goal. Following a survey, statistical analysis revealed relatively low levels of intentions and perseverance, with no links detected between the two constructs. The implications of these findings suggest that students do not hold positive perceptions of personal feasibility and desirability as far as entrepreneurship is concerned, which has a negative impact on the size of the country's pool of intentional entrepreneurs.
Identification of the gene for fly non‐muscle myosin heavy chain: Drosophila myosin heavy chains are encoded by a gene family.

In contrast to vertebrate species Drosophila has a single myosin heavy chain gene that apparently encodes all sarcomeric heavy chain polypeptides. Flies also contain a cytoplasmic myosin heavy chain polypeptide that by immunological and peptide mapping criteria is clearly different from the major thoracic muscle isoform. Here, we identify the gene that encodes this cytoplasmic isoform and demonstrate that it is distinct from the muscle myosin heavy chain gene. Thus, fly myosin heavy chains are the products of a gene family. Our data suggest that the contractile function required to power myosin based movement in non‐muscle cells requires myosin diversity beyond that available in a single heavy chain gene. In addition, we show, that accumulation of cytoplasmic myosin transcripts is regulated in a developmental stage specific fashion, consistent with a key role for this protein in the movements of early embryogenesis.
New Similarity Function for Scientific Articles Clustering Based on the Bibliographic References

The amount of scientific information available on the Internet, corporate intranets, and other media is growing rapidly. Managing knowledge from the information that can be found in scientific publications is essential for any researcher. The management of scientific information is increasingly more complex and challenging, since documents collections are generally heterogeneous, large, diverse and dynamic. Overcoming these challenges is essential to give to the scientists the best conditions to manage the time required to process scientific information. In this work, we implemented a new similarity’s function for scientific articles' clustering in based on the information provided by the references of the articles. The use of this function contributes significantly to discover relevant knowledge from scientific literature.
A Precisely Tunable Drowsy Cache Management Mechanism

Minimizing power consumption continues to grow as a critical design issue for many platforms, from embedded systems to CMPs to ultrascale parallel systems. As growing cache sizes consume larger portions of the die, leakage current becomes an increasingly important component in overall power. Since most cache lines remain idle most of the time, drowsy caching techniques that reduce voltages on selected lines can reduce this leakage power. Most drowsy caching policies in the literature update drowsy/non-drowsy state after a given execution window: e.g., the widely used simple policy puts all caches lines to sleep after a specified number of clock cycles. Such methods are inherently architecturespecific. We instead introduce a drowsy caching mechanism that has intuitive appeal in its exploitation of temporal locality, delivers equivalent or better energy savings than the best policies from the literature, suffers little performance overhead, is simple to implement, and scales better with cache size and hierarchy depth. This mechanism keeps only the last N recently used lines awake, where N is configurable. This reuse distance (RD) policy not only delivers equivalent or better results at lower implementation complexity and execution overhead, but it allows more precise control than previous policies with respect to enforcing a strict power budget. We apply the RD policy to the SPEC benchmarks, comparing it to the simple policy for a range of cache hierarchies. For a 32KB L1 data cache backed by a 512KB L2, on average RD uses less than 44% of the power of the simple policy for L1 and about 93% for L2. RD and simple deliver 97.6% and 98.8%, respectively, of the IPC of the same non-drowsy configuration, thus RD delivers almost identical performance at substantial power savings.