Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Comparative Analysis of Two Different Dose Fractionation Regimens of High Dose Rate Intracavitary Brachytherapy in Treatment of Carcinoma of Uterine Cervix: A Prospective Randomized Study.

INTRODUCTION High Dose Rate (HDR) intracavitary brachytherapy is an integral component in treatment of carcinoma uterine cervix. There is no consensus about optimal fractionation in HDR brachytherapy. AIM To assess the feasibility, tolerability of HDR intracavitary brachytherapy schedule of 8 Gy per fraction per week for 3 fractions over 6Gy per fraction per week for 4 fractions with or without chemotherapy in the treatment of carcinoma of uterine cervix. MATERIALS AND METHODS From 2013 to 2014 total 80 patients with carcinoma of the uterine cervix (Stages IIB and IIIB) were treated with External Beam Radiotherapy (EBRT) and High Dose Rate Intracavitary Brachytherapy (HDR- ICBT). During course of EBRT, those patients fit for brachytherapy were randomized to arm A- 6 Gy per fraction per week for 4 fractions and arm B - 8 Gy per fraction per week for 3 fractions. RESULTS The median follow up was 30 months, local control was 90% in Arm A and 83.3% in Arm B (p= 0.21) and the disease-free survival was 90% in Arm A and 83.3% in Arm B (p= 0.39). There is no significance difference for late rectal and bladder toxicities between two arms (p=0.43). CONCLUSION Taking into account of increased hospital burden of locally advanced cancer cervix patients in Indian context, HDR intracavitary brachytherapy schedule of 8 Gy per fraction per week x 3 fractions is the preferable option over 6 Gy per fraction per week x 4 fractions with regard to comparable loco-regional control, acute and late toxicity, disease free survival and better patients compliance to lesser fractionation schedule.
A suite of database replication protocols based on group communication primitives

This paper proposes a family of replication protocols based on group communication in order to address some of the concerns expressed by database designers regarding existing replication solutions. Due to these concerns, current database systems allow inconsistencies and often resort to centralized approaches, thereby reducing some of the key advantages provided by replication. The protocols presented in this paper take advantage of the semantics of group communication and use related isolation guarantees to eliminate the possibility of deadlocks, reduce the message overhead, and increase performance. A simulation study shows the feasibility of the approach and the flexibility with which different types of bottlenecks can be circumvented.
Born into adversity: psychological distress in two birth cohorts of second-generation Irish children growing up in Britain

Background Worldwide, the Irish diaspora experience health inequalities persisting across generations. The present study sought to establish the prevalence of psychological morbidity in the children of migrant parents from Ireland, and reasons for differences. Methods Data from two British birth cohorts were used for analysis. Each surveyed 17 000 babies born in one week in 1958 and 1970 and followed up through childhood. Validated scales assessed psychological health. Results Relative to the rest of the cohort, second-generation Irish children grew up in material hardship and showed greater psychological problems at ages 7, 11 (1958 cohort) and 16 (both cohorts). Adjusting for material adversity and maternal psychological distress markedly reduced differences. Relative to non-Irish parents, Irish-born parents were more likely to report chronic health problems (odds ratio [OR]: 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08–1.54), and Irish-born mothers were more likely to be psychologically distressed (OR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.13–1.84, when child was 10). Effect sizes diminished once material adversity was taken into account. Conclusions Second-generation Irish children experienced high levels of psychological morbidity, but this was accounted for through adverse material circumstances in childhood and psychological distress in parents. Public health initiatives focusing on settlement experiences may reduce health inequalities in migrant children.
RADAR: Radial applications' depiction around relations for data-centric ecosystems

A data-centric ecosystem is the configuration of a central database along with all the applications that operate on top of it and are (a) dependent upon the database for performing their task appropriately and (b) closely related in terms of coding to the database. This paper presents first results towards addressing the issue of visualization of such a data-centric ecosystem in a reference “map”. We map SQL queries and relations to a graph and present alternative algorithms for the visualization of the graph. First we start with a barycenter-based method that puts all queries in a line and all relations in a parallel line, in a way that closely put nodes are the ones that are most similar (within the same line) and closely related (across lines). Then, we move on to extend it with a variant that involves multiple lines for the queries. Finally, we present our main algorithm Concentric Radial, for placing queries and relations in multiple concentric circles. This arrangement allows the extensibility of the diagram and the exploitation of the canvas, the customization to alternative application needs, and, finally serves better the purpose of spatial memory.
Design research now : essays and selected projects

Gui Bonsiepe, The Uneasy Relationship between Design and Design Research Nigel Cross, From a Design Science to a Design Discipline: Understanding Designerly Ways of Knowing and Thinking Richard Buchanan, Strategies of Design Research: Productive Science and Rhetorical Inquiry Klaus Krippendorff, Design Research, an Oxymoron? Pieter Jan Stappers, Doing Design as a Part of Doing Research Paul Chamberlain/Peter Gardner/Rebecca Lawton, Shape of Things to Come Ianus Keller, For Inspiration Only Joep Frens, Research Through Design: a Camera Case Study Ezio Manzini/Anna Meroni, Emerging User Demands for Sustainable Solutions, EMUDE Wolfgang Jonas, Design Research and its Meaning to the Methodological Development of the Discipline Beat Schneider, Design as Pratice, Science, and Research Susann Vihma, Design Semiotics - Institutional Experiences and an Initiative for a Semiotic Theory of Form Ezio Manzini, Design Research for Sustainable Social Innovation.
Closed-Form Expressions for the Exact Cramer-Rao Bound for Parameter Estimation of Arbitrary Square QAM-Modulated Signals

In this paper, we derive analytical expressions for the exact Cramer-Rao lower bounds (CRLBs) for the joint estimation of the carrier frequency, the carrier phase, the noise power and the signal amplitude of square quadrature amplitude (QAM)- modulated signals. The channel is assumed to be slowly time-varying so that it can be assumed constant over the observation interval. The signal is assumed to be corrupted by additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). The closed-form expressions for the corresponding modified Cramer-Rao lower bounds (MCRLBs) are also derived in this paper.
A new abstraction model for biologically-inspired sound signal analyzer

This paper studied the human ear and human brain as a new idea to analyze sound. The human ear to be exact; the eardrum detects the sound signal and the cochlea filters the frequency signal. Subsequently, the brain is capable to recognize and learn the sound signal. This research mapped the biologically-inspired ability to computational process then developed an abstraction model. From this model it provided a guideline to obtain the capability requirements for the of sound signal analyzer as a new idea for information retrieval. The research aims to generate faster and more detailed results as well as to achieve better accuracy in producing definite sound. Therefore, this research proposed an abstraction model of human ear and human brain to developed biologically-inspired sound signal analyzer (BISSA).
Moving Average Filter Based Phase-Locked Loops: Performance Analysis and Design Guidelines

The phase-locked loops (PLLs) are probably the most widely used synchronization technique in grid-connected applications. The main challenge that is associated with the PLLs is how to precisely and fast estimate the phase and frequency, when the grid voltage is unbalanced and/or distorted. To overcome this challenge, incorporating moving average filter(s) (MAF) into the PLL structure has been proposed in some recent literature. An MAF is a linear-phase finite-impulse-response filter, which can act as an ideal low-pass filter, if certain conditions hold. The main aim of this paper is to present the control design guidelines for a typical MAF-based PLL. The paper starts with the general description of MAFs. The main challenge associated with using the MAFs is then explained, and its possible solutions are discussed. The paper then proceeds with a brief overview of the different MAF-based PLLs. In each case, the PLL block diagram description is shown, the advantages and limitations are briefly discussed, and the tuning approach (if available) is evaluated. The paper then presents two systematic methods to design the control parameters of a typical MAF-based PLL: one for the case of using a proportional-integral (PI) type loop filter (LF) in the PLL, and the other for the case of using a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) type LF. Finally, the paper compares the performance of a well-tuned MAF-based PLL when using the PI-type LF with the results of using the PID-type LF, which provides useful insights into their capabilities and limitations.
Investigating the Statistical Distribution of Learning Coverage in MOOCs

Learners participating in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) have a wide range of backgrounds and motivations. Many MOOC learners enroll in the courses to take a brief look; only a few go through the entire content, and even fewer are able to eventually obtain a certificate. We discovered this phenomenon after having examined 92 courses on both xuetangX and edX platforms. More specifically, we found that the learning coverage in many courses—one of the metrics used to estimate the learners’ active engagement with the online courses—observes a Zipf distribution. We apply the maximum likelihood estimation method to fit the Zipf’s law and test our hypothesis using a chi-square test. In the xuetangX dataset, the learning coverage in 53 of 76 courses fits Zipf’s law, but in all of 16 courses on the edX platform, the learning coverage rejects the Zipf’s law. The result from our study is expected to bring insight to the unique learning behavior on MOOC.
Chromosomal Abnormalities in 979 Cases of Amenorrhea: A Review

Abstract Primary amenorrhea refers to absence of spontaneous menarche even after the age of 16 while in secondary amenorrhea, the condition follows a period of normal menstruation. Cytogenetic data in cases with primary (n=852) (PA) or secondary (n=127) amenorrhea (SA) investigated at the Department of Genetics, Dr. A.L. Mudaliar Post Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras, during the 25-year period 1979 to 2004 was reviewed. Routine GTG-band analysis of metaphases from peripheral blood leucocytes revealed the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in individuals with PA and SA to be 25.82% and 7.09% respectively. In addition to numerical abnormalities, the various structural aberrations of the X chromosome encountered were deletions, isochromosome for the long arm, translocations and ring chromosomes. Ascertainment of the karyotype aided in confirmation of the provisional diagnosis, a better phenotype-genotype correlation to understand clinical heterogeneity and in genetic counseling.
Enhancement of the anti-tumor activity of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies by CXCR4 antagonists

Abstract The interaction between CXCR4 on the surface of tumor cells and CXCL12 in the stroma is believed to contribute to tumor cell survival and protection against drug treatment. Inhibition of stromal survival signals by CXCR4 antagonists has been reported to render tumor cells more sensitive to chemotherapy, but little is known about potential synergy with monoclonal antibodies. In this study, administration of the small molecule CXCR4 antagonists plerixafor and GENZ-644494 was found to enhance the anti-tumor activity of the monoclonal antibodies alemtuzumab and rituximab in disseminated lymphoma models. The observed enhancement in therapeutic efficacy by CXCR4 antagonists appeared to involve several factors, including interference with the tumor-promoting signals delivered by CXCL12, disruption of the tumor/stroma interaction and mobilization of effector neutrophils capable of mediating antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. The involvement of neutrophils was further supported by the observed reversal in therapeutic benefit upon neutrophil depletion.
Interstrand DNA–DNA Cross-Link Formation Between Adenine Residues and Abasic Sites in Duplex DNA

The loss of a coding nucleobase from the structure of DNA is a common event that generates an abasic (Ap) site (1). Ap sites exist as an equilibrating mixture of a cyclic hemiacetal and a ring-opened aldehyde. Aldehydes are electrophilic functional groups that can form covalent adducts with nucleophilic sites in DNA. Thus, Ap sites present a potentially reactive aldehyde as part of the internal structure of DNA. Here we report evidence that the aldehyde group of Ap sites in duplex DNA can form a covalent adduct with the N6-amino group of adenine residues on the opposing strand. The resulting interstrand DNA–DNA cross-link occurs at 5′-ApT/5′-AA sequences in remarkably high yields (15–70%) under physiologically relevant conditions. This naturally occurring DNA-templated reaction has the potential to generate cross-links in the genetic material of living cells.
Enhancing Business Intelligence by Means of Suggestive Reviews

Appropriate identification and classification of online reviews to satisfy the needs of current and potential users pose a critical challenge for the business environment. This paper focuses on a specific kind of reviews: the suggestive type. Suggestions have a significant influence on both consumers' choices and designers' understanding and, hence, they are key for tasks such as brand positioning and social media marketing. The proposed approach consists of three main steps: (1) classify comparative and suggestive sentences; (2) categorize suggestive sentences into different types, either explicit or implicit locutions; (3) perform sentiment analysis on the classified reviews. A range of supervised machine learning approaches and feature sets are evaluated to tackle the problem of suggestive opinion mining. Experimental results for all three tasks are obtained on a dataset of mobile phone reviews and demonstrate that extending a bag-of-words representation with suggestive and comparative patterns is ideal for distinguishing suggestive sentences. In particular, it is observed that classifying suggestive sentences into implicit and explicit locutions works best when using a mixed sequential rule feature representation. Sentiment analysis achieves maximum performance when employing additional preprocessing in the form of negation handling and target masking, combined with sentiment lexicons.
Psychological and Physiological Responses to Postprandial Mental Stress in Women With the Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Objective To investigate the psychological (affective and symptomatic) and physiological (autonomic and cortisol) responses to postprandial mental stress in women with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It was hypothesized that patients with IBS would show exaggerated autonomic and cortisol responses to the psychological stressor and that the stressor would enhance gastrointestinal symptoms. Method Twenty-four women with IBS and 20 healthy women participated in the two-day study protocol. Both days were identical, with the exception that on one day, a stressful mental task was completed after ingestion of a standard meal. Heart rate variability, cortisol, affective, and symptomatic responses were measured before and after application of the stressor. Results Patients with IBS demonstrated increased negative affect at baseline and in response to the stressor. Gastrointestinal symptoms were not affected by the stressor. Appraisal of the stressor by patients with IBS was not different from that of controls. There were no group differences in the autonomic response to the stressor. There was no overall cortisol response to the stressor in either group. Conclusions Patients with IBS respond with greater negative affect to postprandial psychological stress as well as to food intake alone, and they can be distinguished from controls on the basis of self-report data. Patients with IBS cannot be differentiated from controls on the basis of the pattern of changes in sympathetic activation after the mental stressor. The stressor used in this study did not elicit a cortisol response in either group.
Lateral plate number in low‐plated threespine stickleback: a study of plasticity and heritability

Abstract In the threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus model system, phenotypes are often classified into three morphs according to lateral plate number. Morph identity has been shown to be largely genetically determined, but substantial within‐morph variation in plate number exists. In this study, we test whether plate number has a plastic component in response to salinity in the low‐plated morph using a split‐clutch experiment where families were split in two, one half raised in water at 0 and the other at 30 ppt salt. We find a small salinity‐induced plastic effect on plate number in an unexpected direction, opposite to what we predicted: Fish raised in freshwater on average have slightly more plates than fish raised in saltwater. Our results confirm that heritability of plate number is high. Additionally, we find that variance in plate number at the family level can be predicted from other family level traits, which might indicate that epistatic interactions play a role in creating the observed pattern of lateral plate number variation.
Mouse Hepatitis Virus Type 2 Enters Cells through a Clathrin-Mediated Endocytic Pathway Independent of Eps15

ABSTRACT It has recently been shown that cell entry of mouse hepatitis virus type 2 (MHV-2) is mediated through endocytosis (Z. Qiu et al., J. Virol. 80:5768-5776, 2006). However, the molecular mechanism underlying MHV-2 entry is not known. Here we employed multiple chemical and molecular approaches to determine the molecular pathways for MHV-2 entry. Our results showed that MHV-2 gene expression and infectivity were significantly inhibited when cells were treated with chemical and physiologic blockers of the clathrin-mediated pathway, such as chlorpromazine and hypertonic sucrose medium. Furthermore, viral gene expression was significantly inhibited when cells were transfected with a small interfering RNA specific to the clathrin heavy chain. However, these treatments did not affect the infectivity and gene expression of MHV-A59, demonstrating the specificity of the inhibitions. In addition, overexpression of a dominant-negative mutant of caveolin 1 did not have any effect on MHV-2 infection, while it significantly blocked the caveolin-dependent uptake of cholera toxin subunit B. These results demonstrate that MHV-2 utilizes the clathrin- but not caveolin-mediated endocytic pathway for entry. Interestingly, when the cells transiently overexpressed a dominant-negative form (DIII) of Eps15, which is thought to be an essential component of the clathrin pathway, viral gene expression and infectivity were unaffected, although DIII expression blocked transferrin uptake and vesicular stomatitis virus infection, which are dependent on clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Thus, MHV-2 entry is mediated through clathrin-dependent but Eps15-independent endocytosis.
Formalizing Cognitive Appraisal : From Theory to Computation

Cognitive appraisal theory has been used extensively as basis for computational models. Evaluating these models in an objective way is a difficult issue. Further, integration and comparison between appraisal theories is needed in order to advance the development of appraisal theory. In this paper we argue that a good solution is to formally specify structural appraisal theories using a common formalism. Applying such a formalism results in an objective representation of the structural appraisal theory. We provide evidence for the claims that such a representation (1) can be used to evaluate the computational model, and (2) helps to advance the development of appraisal theory as it can provide a well-structured representation of the theory that can be used to compare and merge theories, as well as make theoretical predictions explicit.
Tabu search-based synthesis of dynamically reconfigurable digital microfluidic biochips

Microfluidic biochips are replacing the conventional biochemical analyzers, and are able to integrate on-chip all the necessary functions for biochemical analysis. The "digital" microfluidic biochips are manipulating liquids not as a continuous flow, but as discrete droplets, and hence they are highly reconfigurable and scalable. A digital biochip is composed of a two-dimensional array of cells, together with reservoirs for storing the samples and reagents. Several adjacent cells are dynamically grouped to form a virtual device, on which operations are executed. During the execution of an operation, the virtual device can be reconfigured to occupy a different group of cells on the array. In this paper, we present a Tabu Search metaheuristic for the synthesis of digital microfluidic biochips, which, starting from a biochemical application and a given biochip architecture, determines the allocation, resource binding, scheduling and placement of the operations in the application. In our approach, we consider moving the modules during their operation, in order to improve the completion time of the biochemical application. The proposed heuristic has been evaluated using three real-life case studies and ten synthetic benchmarks.
Subject-specific, multiscale simulation of electrophysiology: a software pipeline for image-based models and application examples

Many simulation studies in biomedicine are based on a similar sequence of processing steps, starting from images and running through geometric model generation, assignment of tissue properties, numerical simulation and visualization of the results—a process known as image-based geometric modelling and simulation. We present an overview of software systems for implementing such a sequence both within highly integrated problem-solving environments and in the form of loosely integrated pipelines. Loose integration in this case indicates that individual programs function largely independently but communicate through files of a common format and support simple scripting, so as to automate multiple executions wherever possible. We then describe three specific applications of such pipelines to translational biomedical research in electrophysiology.