Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RapidArc treatment verification in 3D using polymer gel dosimetry and Monte Carlo simulation

The aim of this study was to verify the advanced inhomogeneous dose distribution produced by a volumetric arc therapy technique (RapidArc™) using 3D gel measurements and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. The TPS (treatment planning system)-calculated dose distribution was compared with gel measurements and MC simulations, thus investigating any discrepancy between the planned dose delivery and the actual delivery. Additionally, the reproducibility of the delivery was investigated using repeated gel measurements. A prostate treatment plan was delivered to a 1.3 liter nPAG gel phantom using one single arc rotation and a target dose of 3.3 Gy. Magnetic resonance imaging of the gel was carried out using a 1.5 T scanner. The MC dose distributions were calculated using the VIMC-Arc code. The relative absorbed dose differences were calculated voxel-by-voxel, within the volume enclosed by the 90% isodose surface (VOI90), for the TPS versus gel and TPS versus MC. The differences between the verification methods, MC versus gel, and between two repeated gel measurements were investigated in the same way. For all volume comparisons, the mean value was within 1% and the standard deviation of the differences was within 2.5% (1SD). A 3D gamma analysis between the dose matrices were carried out using gamma criteria 3%/3 mm and 5%/5 mm (% dose difference and mm distance to agreement) within the volume enclosed by the 50% isodose surface (VOI50) and the 90% isodose surface (VOI90), respectively. All comparisons resulted in very high pass rates. More than 95% of the TPS points were within 3%/3 mm of both the gel measurement and MC simulation, both inside VOI50 and VOI90. Additionally, the repeated gel measurements showed excellent consistency, indicating reproducible delivery. Using MC simulations and gel measurements, this verification study successfully demonstrated that the RapidArc™ plan was both accurately calculated and delivered as planned.
Colon cancer survival is associated with increasing number of lymph nodes analyzed: a secondary survey of intergroup trial INT-0089.

PURPOSE To determine the relationship, in patients with adenocarcinoma of the colon, between survival and the number of lymph nodes analyzed from surgical specimens. PATIENTS AND METHODS Intergroup Trial INT-0089 is a mature trial of adjuvant chemotherapy for high-risk patients with stage II and stage III colon cancer. We performed a secondary analysis of this group with overall survival (OS) as the main end point. Cause-specific survival (CSS) and disease-free survival were secondary end points. Rates for these outcome measures were estimated using Kaplan-Meier methodology. Log-rank test was used to compare overall curves, and Cox proportional hazards regression was used to multivariately assess predictors of outcome. RESULTS The median number of lymph nodes removed at colectomy was 11 (range, one to 87). Of the 3411 assessable patients, 648 had no evidence of lymph node metastasis. Multivariate analyses were performed on the node-positive and node-negative groups separately to ascertain the effect of lymph node removal. Survival decreased with increasing number of lymph node involvement (P =.0001 for all three survival end points). After controlling for the number of nodes involved, survival increased as more nodes were analyzed (P =.0001 for all three end points). Even when no nodes were involved, OS and CSS improved as more lymph nodes were analyzed (P =.0005 and P =.007, respectively). CONCLUSION The number of lymph nodes analyzed for staging colon cancers is, itself, a prognostic variable on outcome. The impact of this variable is such that it may be an important variable to include in evaluating future trials.
Internalizando externalidades: El impuesto a la gasolina en Guatemala

( Internalizing externalities: Gasoline tax in Guatemala ) The objective of this article is to estimate the optimal level of the tax on gasoline to internalize the costs caused by the use of cars in a developing country such as Guatemala. The estimation is done using the methodology by Parry and Small (2005). The results suggest an optimal tax level of USD27.5 cents per liter. Forty percent of the tax is explained by the externalities associated to traffic congestion. The estimated level of USD27.5 cents per liter is above the tax currently imposed for the two types of gasoline sold in Guatemala, thus their adjustment is recommended. There is a degree of uncertainty regarding the proper value of some of the parameters of the model; however, the sensitivity analysis reports that the results are robust. The study stands out among others because it offers a detailed procedure for the estimation of this tax, using information from a developing country. Finally, the need to implement public policies to decrease the adverse effects of the tax, especially among middle and lower decile households.
Latency and Energy Efficient MAC (LEEMAC) Protocol for Event Critical Applications in WSNs

Wireless sensor networks are appealing to researchers due to their wide range of application potential in areas such as target detection and tracking, environmental monitoring, industrial process monitoring, and tactical systems. However, lower sensing ranges result in dense networks, which bring the necessity to achieve an efficient medium access protocol subject to power constraints. Various MAC protocols with different objectives were proposed for wireless sensor networks. The paper focused mainly on latency issue for event critical applications. In this paper, we propose LEEMAC, a Latency and Energy Efficient MAC Protocol which is an improvement of DMAC protocol in a sense that it gives us better latency and a slight improvement in energy efficiency than by DMAC which was designed and optimized for data gathering trees where data is collected from all the source nodes to the sink node. The paper first outlines the sensor network properties that are crucial for the design of MAC layer protocols. Then, we discussed briefly DMAC protocol with respect to the enhancements brought in LEEMAC. Then data modeling results are shown to compare the latency and energy for DMAC and LEEMAC protocols. Finally, we point out open research issues on MAC layer design.
Expectations and beliefs about children's cancer symptoms: perspectives of children with cancer and their families.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To describe the childhood cancer symptom course experienced by children with cancer from the perspectives of the children and their families. DESIGN Longitudinal, qualitative research approach. SETTING The participants' homes and inpatient and outpatient pediatric cancer units in western Canada. SAMPLE A theoretical purposive sample of 39 children (4.5-18 years of age) with a variety of cancer diagnoses and their family members. METHODS Open-ended formal interviews with children and their family members (N = 230) and participant observation of children and their family members for more than 960 hours during various periods during their illness, at various locations, and at different points in time during the study period. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Children's and their families' perspectives of cancer symptoms experienced by children with cancer. FINDINGS Children and families had definite beliefs and expectations about the cancer symptom experiences, including (a) short-term pain for long-term gain, (b) you never get used to them, (c) they all suck, (d) it sort of helps, and (e) they are all the same but they are all different. Underpinning all of the participants' beliefs and expectations was the experience of suffering. Their beliefs and expectations contributed to and were a direct result of cancer symptoms that were ignored, unrelieved, or uncontrolled. CONCLUSIONS Children with cancer live with symptoms on a daily basis and have experiences of unrelieved cancer symptoms. Although cancer symptoms resulted in suffering by the children and families, they accepted the symptoms as an integral part of overcoming cancer and never expected complete symptom relief. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Oncology nurses need to be more vigilant in their assessment and management of children's cancer symptoms. Further research is warranted detailing not only children's and family's beliefs and expectations of cancer symptom experiences but also nurses' understanding and interpretations of children's cancer symptom experiences. Intervention studies designed to relieve all types of cancer symptoms experienced by children must be undertaken.
Decreased initiation of DNA synthesis in a temperature‐sensitive mutant of hamster cells

We have analyzed ongoing DNA replication in ts BN‐2, a dna− mutant of BHK‐21 cells (Nishimoto et al. '78). At the non‐permissive temperature of 39.5°C, inhibition of 3H‐thymidine into acid‐precipitable material begins 1 to 2 h after the cells are released from a block at the start of the S‐phase. The fraction of nuclei incorporating 3H‐thymidine is similar to that of wild‐type cells through the synchronized S‐phase of 8 h. Alkaline sucrose gradient analysis shows tht pulse‐labeled DNA from mutant cells is incorporated into high molecular weight material after 3 h at eithr the permissive or non‐permissive temperature. DNA fiber autoradiograms reveal that, at 39.5°C, the rate of replication fork movement is about 30% increased in the mutant as compared to wild‐type cells. In the mutant cells, however, the interval between adjacent initiation sites is increased and the relative frequency of initiation events is decreased at the restrictive temperature. The results indicate that there is a block to ongoing replication in ts BN‐2 at the level of initiation of synthesis on individual replication units; elongation of nascent chains is not inhibited.
CD105 prevents apoptosis in hypoxic endothelial cells

CD105, a marker of endothelial cells, is abundantly expressed in tissues undergoing angiogenesis and is a receptor for transforming growth factorβ. The pivotal role of CD105 in the vascular system was demonstrated by the severe vascular defects that occur in CD105-knockout mice, but the exact mechanisms for CD105 regulation of vascular development have not been fully elucidated. In light of the function of CD105 and the importance of hypoxia in neovascularisation, we speculated that CD105 is involved in hypoxia-initiated angiogenesis. Using tissue-cultured human microvascular endothelial cells, we have investigated the effects of hypoxic stress on CD105 gene expression. Hypoxia induced a significant increase in membrane-bound and secreted CD105 protein levels. CD105 mRNA and promoter activity were also markedly elevated, the latter returning to the basal level after 16 hours of hypoxic stress. Hypoxia induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phases and massive cell apoptosis after 24 hours through a reduction in the Bcl-2 to Bax ratio, downregulation of Bcl-XL and Mcl-1, and upregulation of caspase-3 and caspase-8. The consequence of CD105 upregulation was revealed using an antisense approach and a TUNEL assay. Suppression of CD105 increased cell apoptosis under hypoxic stress in the absence of TGFβ1. Furthermore, hypoxia and TGFβ1 synergistically induced apoptosis in the CD105-deficient cells but not in the control cells. We conclude that hypoxia is a potent stimulus for CD105 gene expression in vascular endothelial cells, which in turn attenuates cell apoptosis and thus contributes to angiogenesis.
Unrecognized Pulmonary Venous Desaturation Early After Norwood Palliation Confounds ˙Qp:˙Qs Assessment and Compromises Oxygen Delivery

Background—Hemodynamic stability after Norwood palliation often requires manipulation of pulmonary vascular resistance to alter the pulmonary-to-systemic blood flow ratio (˙Qp:˙Qs). ˙Qp:˙Qs is often estimated from arterial saturation (Sao2), a practice based on 2 untested assumptions: constant systemic arteriovenous O2 difference and normal pulmonary venous saturation. Methods and Results—In 12 patients early (≤3 days) after Norwood palliation, simultaneous arterial, superior vena caval (Ssvco2), and pulmonary venous (Spvo2) oximetry was used to test whether Sao2 accurately predicts ˙Qp:˙Qs. Stepwise multiple regression assessed the contributions of Sao2, Ssvco2, and Spvo2 to ˙Qp:˙Qs determination. Sao2 correlated weakly with ˙Qp:˙Qs (R2=0.08, P <0.05). Inclusion of Ssvco2 and Spvo2 improved ˙Qp:˙Qs prediction accuracy. Pulmonary venous desaturation (Spvo2 <95%) was observed frequently (30%), especially at Fio2 ≤0.21, but normalized with higher Fio2 or PEEP in all patients. In 6 patients, Fio2 was increased incrementally from 0.17 to 0.50 to determine whether this was an effective means to manipulate ˙Qp:˙Qs. ˙Qp:˙Qs failed to change predictably with increased Fio2. In 5 of 6 patients, however, higher Spvo2 and Sao2 enhanced systemic oxygen delivery, as demonstrated by improvement in oxygen extraction. Conclusions—Sao2 correlated poorly with ˙Qp:˙Qs because of variability in Ssvco2 and Spvo2. A novel observation was that pulmonary venous desaturation occurred frequently early after Norwood palliation but normalized with higher Fio2 or PEEP. Because unrecognized pulmonary venous desaturation confounds ˙Qp:˙Qs assessment and compromises Sao2 and oxygen delivery, judicious use of inspired oxygen and PEEP may be beneficial in selected patients early after Norwood palliation.
Cryopreservation of gander semen

Abstract 1. The effect of dimethylacetamide (DMA) and dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) on the cryopreservation of gander semen were investigated. An improved survival rate of spermatozoa after freeze-thawing was obtained when semen was frozen by a fast-freezing procedure on dry ice with 9% DMA as the cryoprotectant. 2. Gander semen, which was frozen during mid season, was tested for fertilising ability in different times of the season. The percentage of fertility during d 3 to d 9 after 2 consecutive inseminations was 68% to 95%, depending on the date of artificial insemination.
Multiple-challenge study of host susceptibility to Norwalk gastroenteritis in US adults.

In a multiple-challenge study of US adult volunteers with low or high levels of serum antibody to Norwalk virus, Norwalk inoculum 8FIIa was administered to 42 subjects, 22 were challenged 6 months later, and 19 received a third challenge after 6 more months. All 12 with high (greater than or equal to 1:200) but only 19 of 30 with low (less than 1:100) prechallenge titers experienced illness or a fourfold increase in titer after the first challenge (P less than .025). Only 4 of those challenged twice became ill; all had low initial titers but 3 had high titers before the second challenge. None became ill after a third challenge. Nine (47%) had high titers immediately before the third challenge; 3 had low titers before and after each challenge and remained asymptomatic. Thus, preexisting serum antibody to Norwalk virus does not seem to be associated with protective immunity, but antibody levels become associated with protection after repetitive exposure. Short-term resistance lasts greater than or equal to 6 months after challenge, and a small percentage of resistant individuals maintain low antibody titers even after multiple challenges.
Effects of background illumination on the horizontal cell responses in the tiger salamander retina

Synaptic transmission between photoreceptors and horizontal cells (HCs) was studied in the flat-mounted isolated retinas of the tiger salamander. Background illumination expedited the rise time of the HC light response, and the HC response rise time (HCRRT) reached steady state about 2 sec after the onset of the background illumination. The change in HCRRT is probably responsible for the background-induced enhancement of the HC responses to short light stimuli. The amplitude of the HC responses to 100 msec light steps in the presence of background illumination was 2–5 times larger than that measured under dark-adapted conditions. Background illumination exerted little effect on the response rise time in cones and bipolar cells, and thus it caused no significant response enhancement in those cells. The background-induced change in HCRRT correlated closely with the rod voltage but not with the HC voltage. These results suggest that the background-induced change in HCRRT is probably mediated by postsynaptic events in HCs because no significant time course change is observed in photoreceptors and bipolar cells (which share the same synapses with the HCs). A suppressive rod action on the cone inputs in HCs may be responsible for modulating the HCRRT. By shortening the HCRRT, background illumination regulates the frequency response of the photoreceptor-HC synapse and alters the capacity of spatial resolution of retinal bipolar cells.
Stability Studies on Dry Swabs and Wet Mailed Swabs for Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Aptima Assays

ABSTRACT The Aptima Combo 2 (AC2) and Aptima CT (ACT) (Hologic Inc., San Diego, CA) are nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) that detect Chlamydia trachomatis. AC2 also detects Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Storage and temperature conditions may impact the utility of NAATs in some settings and screening programs. We evaluated specimen stability for use beyond the Aptima package insert specifications for temperature and duration of storage (between 2°C and 30°C and 60 days, respectively) in two studies: (i) dry C. trachomatis-seeded swabs were used with ACT after storage at 4°C, 23°C, or 36°C for up to 84 days and (ii) swabs seeded with C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae and then placed in transport medium were tested with AC2, after being mailed via the U.S. Postal Service to three different sites. Prolonged storage of samples had no effect, and samples stored at 4°C, 23°C, and 36°C for up to 84 days yielded comparable ACT positivities, although there was a drop in signal intensity for virtually all specimens under all storage/shipping conditions after day 21. In the mailing study, 80%, 52% and 29% of seeded swabs were exposed to temperatures of >30°C during three rounds in transit, and 2% reached temperatures of >40°C. No evidence of signal degradation in the AC2 assay for detection of C. trachomatis or N. gonorrhoeae was observed, although some mailed swabs took more than 5 weeks to reach the laboratory site. These two studies support the potential use of swabs at temperatures above 36°C and storage beyond 60 days and provide confidence regarding this commercially available NAAT for testing of specimens after mailing.
MicroRNAs and Photocarcinogenesis

As a new class of sequence‐specific regulators of gene expression, the microRNAs (miRNA) form a regulatory network with growth factors and transcription factors participating in various biological processes. It is now being recognized that the various key processes involved in cancer induction are under the control of these small noncoding RNAs, which regulate ~30% of all human genes by targeting sequences in their 3′‐untranslated regions. Photocarcinogenesis is a complex interplay of signaling events in the UV exposed human skin including DNA damage and repair, apoptosis, cell survival, mutations and the immune system. In this review, we have scrutinized the role of miRNAs in skin cancer biology focusing on the three most common types of skin cancer namely the basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and cutaneous malignant melanoma. An overview of these studies will be useful in gaining insights into the mechanisms of cancer development in the human skin. A better understanding of the functionality of miRNAs will have enormous implications to risk assessment, and to target interventions against signaling events involved in photocarcinogenesis.
Developing a Profile of Consumer Intention to Seek Out Additional Information Beyond a Doctor: The Role of Communicative and Motivation Variables

Current reports in the medical literature demonstrate increasing acknowledgment of consumer involvement in autonomous health and medical information search beyond the doctor. Although multiple studies have segmented consumers into different groups based on the different levels of patient autonomy, the literature review revealed the lack of systematic attempts at elucidating the antecedents of autonomous consumer health information search. In this article, I examine the role of health consciousness as a mediator of the relation between communicative (interpersonal, community, print, television, and Internet) factors and health information seeking.
Increase in Platelet Count is Not Affected by the Platelet Yield of Single Donor Pheresed Platelets

Objectives To determine if the rise in platelet count after transfusion in neonates is associated with platelet yield of the pheresed platelet unit. Study Design Cohort study of infants in a level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that received single donor platelets (SDP). Platelet rise in infants were compared between 3 groups: underproduction, destruction, and idiopathic. The main outcome variable studied was the rise in platelet count posttransfusion. Statistical analysis included analysis of variance, Pearson correlation, and multivariate linear regression. Results The gestational age was 28±4.5 weeks. The platelet yield was 4.2±0.7 (×1011) and resultant platelet rise was 71±58.6×1000/mm3. Infants with platelet underproduction (n=30) had a greater rise compared with infants with platelet destruction (n=51) after transfusion (95.3±58 vs. 59.6±57.5×1000/mm3, P=0.01). After controlling for confounding variables, there was no correlation between the platelet yield and platelet rise, but the etiology of the thrombocytopenia remained associated with increased platelet rise. Conclusions There was no association between platelet yield of SDP and platelet rise. Infants with thrombocytopenia related to platelet underproduction had a greater rise in platelets after transfusion compared with those with platelet destruction, independent of yield or volume of the SDP transfusion.
Infant and child deaths: Parent concerns about subsequent pregnancies

Purpose:Examine parents' concerns about subsequent pregnancies after experiencing an infant or child death (newborn to 18 years). Data sources:Thirty‐nine semistructured parent (white, black, Hispanic) interviews 7 and 13 months post infant/child death conducted in English and/or Spanish, audio‐recorded, transcribed, and content analyzed. Mothers' mean age was 31.8 years, fathers' was 39 years; 11 parents were white, 16 black, and 12 Hispanic. Conclusions:Themes common at 7 and 13 months: wanting more children; fear, anxiety, scared; praying to God/God's will; thinking about/keeping the infant's/child's memory and at 7 months importance of becoming pregnant for family members; and at 13 months happy about a new baby. Parents who lost a child in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) commented more than those who lost a child in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Black and Hispanic parents commented more on praying to God and subsequent pregnancies being God's will than white parents. Implications for practice:Loss of an infant/child is a significant stressor on parents with documented negative physical and mental health outcomes. Assessing parents' subsequent pregnancy plans, recognizing the legitimacy of their fears about another pregnancy, discussing a plan should they encounter problems, and carefully monitoring the health of all parents who lost an infant/child is an essential practitioner role.