bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Disclosure of researcher allegiance in meta-analyses and randomised controlled trials of psychotherapy: a systematic appraisal
Authors: Dragioti Elena , Dimoliatis Ioannis , Evangelou Evangelos 
Published: June 2015

ObjectivePsychotherapy research may suffer from factors such as a researcher’s own therapy allegiance. The aim of this study was to evaluate if researcher allegiance (RA) was reported in meta-analyses and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of psychotherapeutic treatments.DesignSystematic approach using meta-analyses of different types of psychotherapies.Data sourcesMedline, PsycINFO and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.MethodsWe evaluated meta-analyses of RCTs regarding various types of psychotherapies. Meta-analyses were eligible if they included at least one RCT with RA and they were published in journals in Medline, PsycINFO and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews with an impact factor larger than 5.ResultsWe identified 146 eligible meta-analyses that synthesised data from a total of 1198 unique RCTs. Only 25 of the meta-analyses (17.2%) reported allegiance and only 6 (4.1%) used a proper method to control its effect. Of the 1198 eligible primary RCTs, 793 (66.3%) were allegiant. Authors in 25 of these 793 RCTs (3.2%) reported their allegiance while only one study (0.2%) controlled for its effect.ConclusionsThe vast majority among a group of published meta-analyses and RCTs of psychotherapeutic treatments seldom reported and evaluated the allegiance effect. The results of the present study highlight a major lack of this information in meta-analyses and their included studies, though meta-analyses perform slightly better than RCTs. Stringent guidelines should be adopted by journals in order to improve reporting and attenuate possible effects of RA in future research.
Risk of bladder cancer in patients with diabetes: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Goossens Maria E , Zeegers Maurice P , Bazelier Marloes T , De Bruin Marie L , Buntinx Frank , de Vries Frank 
Published: June 2015

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to examine the association between diabetes, and both urinary bladder cancer (UBC) risk and mortality.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) linked to the Office of National Statistics (ONS). Patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type 1 or 2, or using antidiabetic drugs (ADDs), were compared to matched non-diabetic controls. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the risk and mortality of UBC. We adjusted for age, sex, smoking status and body mass index.ResultsThe cohort included 329 168 patients using ADD, and 307 315 controls with 1295 and 1071 patients, respectively, diagnosed as having UBC during follow-up. The adjusted HRs of UBC were 0.77 (95% CI 0.57 to 1.05) and 1.04 (95% CI 0.96 to 1.14) for type 1 and 2 diabetes, respectively. These results were similar if we restricted our analysis to an inception cohort. We noticed a small increased risk during the first year after diagnosis (HR=1.26 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.52)), which could be explained by detection bias. There was no influence of the severity of diabetes as measured by the glycated haemoglobin. Mortality of UBC was not increased for patients with either type 1 (HR=0.95 (95% CI 0.39 to 2.34)) or type 2 diabetes (HR=1.16 (95% CI 0.91 to 1.46)).ConclusionsNeither the risk of UBC nor the mortality from UBC was increased in patients with type 1 and patients with type 2 diabetes in the CPRD data.
Which clinical scenarios do surgeons record as complications? A benchmarking study of seven hospitals
Authors: Visser Annelies , Ubbink Dirk T , Gouma Dirk J , Goslings J Carel 
Published: June 2015

ObjectivesTo investigate agreement and potential differences in the application and interpretation of the definition among surgical departments of various hospitals.Design24 cases were formulated including general, trauma, gastrointestinal and vascular surgery, and based on points of discussion about the definition and ambiguities regarding complication registration as encountered in daily practice. The cases were presented to the surgical staff and residents in seven Dutch hospitals, using the national registration system of complications and an electronic response system.ResultsIn total, 134 participants responded. Interpretation differences were particularly found regarding: (1) complications considered as logical consequences of a surgical procedure; (2) complications occurring after radiological interventions; (3) severity criteria such as when to consider a complication as a ‘(probably) permanent damage or function loss’; (4) registering a cancelled operation as a complication and (5) patients with serial complications during hospital stay.ConclusionsThe definition of surgical complications as currently applied in the Netherlands does not ensure a uniform complication registration. Improvement of this registration system is mandatory before benchmarking of these findings in the public domain is appropriate. Modifications of the current definition of a surgical complication, and improved consensus about specific clinical situations and training of surgeons might improve the quality of benchmarking.
Synthesis of Cost-Optimal Strong Plans in Non-Deterministic Domains
Authors: Penna Giuseppe Della , Intrigila Bedenetto , Magazzeni Daniele , Mercorio Fabio 
Published: June 2015

Automatic planning tools can be a valuable aid to build control systems for a wide range of everyday appliances. Many systems which interact with the real world present a non-deterministic behaviour, often made more complex by nonlinear continuous dynamics. In this context, strong planning, which requires finding a plan that is guaranteed to achieve the goal regardless of non-determinism, plays an important role. With the increasing need for optimising the use of resources, finding strong solutions while minimising a cost function appears a significant research challenge, which has not previously been addressed.In this paper we provide a formal description of the cost-optimal strong planning problem and present an algorithm to solve it with good complexity bounds. The algorithm correctness and completeness are formally proved, and its implementation in the disk-based SUPMurphi tool is described. Finally, two meaningful case studies are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach compared with a state-of-the-art strong planning tool.
Chimera
Authors: Park Jason Jong Kyu , Park Yongjun , Mahlke Scott 
Published: June 2015

The demand for multitasking on graphics processing units (GPUs) is constantly increasing as they have become one of the default components on modern computer systems along with traditional processors (CPUs). Preemptive multitasking on CPUs has been primarily supported through context switching. However, the same preemption strategy incurs substantial overhead due to the large context in GPUs. The overhead comes in two dimensions: a preempting kernel suffers from a long preemption latency, and the system throughput is wasted during the switch. Without precise control over the large preemption overhead, multitasking on GPUs has little use for applications with strict latency requirements.
In this paper, we propose Chimera, a collaborative preemption approach that can precisely control the overhead for multitasking on GPUs. Chimera first introduces streaming multiprocessor (SM) flushing, which can instantly preempt an SM by detecting and exploiting idempotent execution. Chimera utilizes flushing collaboratively with two previously proposed preemption techniques for GPUs, namely context switching and draining to minimize throughput overhead while achieving a required preemption latency. Evaluations show that Chimera violates the deadline for only 0.2% of preemption requests when a 15us preemption latency constraint is used. For multi-programmed workloads, Chimera can improve the average normalized turnaround time by 5.5x, and system throughput by 12.2%.
Freecursive ORAM
Authors: Fletcher Christopher W. , Ren Ling , Kwon Albert , van Dijk Marten , Devadas Srinivas 
Published: June 2015

Oblivious RAM (ORAM) is a cryptographic primitive that hides memory access patterns as seen by untrusted storage. Recently, ORAM has been architected into secure processors. A big challenge for hardware ORAM schemes is how to efficiently manage the Position Map (PosMap), a central component in modern ORAM algorithms. Implemented naively, the PosMap causes ORAM to be fundamentally unscalable in terms of on-chip area. On the other hand, a technique called Recursive ORAM fixes the area problem yet significantly increases ORAM's performance overhead.
To address this challenge, we propose three new mechanisms. We propose a new ORAM structure called the PosMap Lookaside Buffer (PLB) and PosMap compression techniques to reduce the performance overhead from Recursive ORAM empirically (the latter also improves the construction asymptotically). Through simulation, we show that these techniques reduce the memory bandwidth overhead needed to support recursion by 95%, reduce overall ORAM bandwidth by 37% and improve overall SPEC benchmark performance by 1.27x. We then show how our PosMap compression techniques further facilitate an extremely efficient integrity verification scheme for ORAM which we call PosMap MAC (PMMAC). For a practical parameterization, PMMAC reduces the amount of hashing needed for integrity checking by >= 68x relative to prior schemes and introduces only 7% performance overhead.
We prototype our mechanisms in hardware and report area and clock frequency for a complete ORAM design post-synthesis and post-layout using an ASIC flow in a 32~nm commercial process. With 2 DRAM channels, the design post-layout runs at 1~GHz and has a total area of .47~mm2. Depending on PLB-specific parameters, the PLB accounts for 10% to 26% area. PMMAC costs 12% of total design area. Our work is the first to prototype Recursive ORAM or ORAM with any integrity scheme in hardware.
Kinetic Dependence Graphs
Authors: Hassaan Muhammad Amber , Nguyen Donald D. , Pingali Keshav K. 
Published: June 2015

Task graphs or dependence graphs are used in runtime systems to schedule tasks for parallel execution. In problem domains such as dense linear algebra and signal processing, dependence graphs can be generated from a program by static analysis. However, in emerging problem domains such as graph analytics, the set of tasks and dependences between tasks in a program are complex functions of runtime values and cannot be determined statically. In this paper, we introduce a novel approach for exploiting parallelism in such programs. This approach is based on a data structure called the kinetic dependence graph (KDG), which consists of a dependence graph together with update rules that incrementally update the graph to reflect changes in the dependence structure whenever a task is completed.
We have implemented a simple programming model that allows programmers to write these applications at a high level of abstraction, and a runtime within the Galois system [15] that builds the KDG automatically and executes the program in parallel. On a suite of programs that are difficult to parallelize otherwise, we have obtained speedups of up to 33 on 40 cores, out-performing third-party implementations in many cases.
Monitoring and Debugging the Quality of Results in Approximate Programs
Authors: Ringenburg Michael , Sampson Adrian , Ackerman Isaac , Ceze Luis , Grossman Dan 
Published: June 2015

Energy efficiency is a key concern in the design of modern computer systems. One promising approach to energy-efficient computation, approximate computing, trades off output accuracy for significant gains in energy efficiency. However, debugging the actual cause of output quality problems in approximate programs is challenging. This paper presents dynamic techniques to debug and monitor the quality of approximate computations. We propose both offline debugging tools that instrument code to determine the key sources of output degradation and online approaches that monitor the quality of deployed applications.
We present two offline debugging techniques and three online monitoring mechanisms. The first offline tool identifies correlations between output quality and the execution of individual approximate operations. The second tracks approximate operations that flow into a particular value. Our online monitoring mechanisms are complementary approaches designed for detecting quality problems in deployed applications, while still maintaining the energy savings from approximation.
We present implementations of our techniques and describe their usage with seven applications. Our online monitors control output quality while still maintaining significant energy efficiency gains, and our offline tools provide new insights into the effects of approximation on output quality.
More is Less, Less is More
Authors: Pang Jun , Dwyer Chris , Lebeck Alvin R. 
Published: June 2015

Molecular-scale Network-on-Chip (mNoC) crossbars use quantum dot LEDs as an on-chip light source, and chromophores to provide optical signal filtering for receivers. An mNoC reduces power consumption or enables scaling to larger crossbars for a reduced energy budget compared to current nanophotonic NoC crossbars. Since communication latency is reduced by using a high-radix crossbar, minimizing power consumption becomes a primary design target. Conventional Single Writer Multiple Reader (SWMR) photonic crossbar designs broadcast all packets, and incur the commensurate required power, even if only two nodes are communicating.
This paper introduces power topologies, enabled by unique capabilities of mNoC technology, to reduce overall interconnect power consumption. A power topology corresponds to the logical connectivity provided by a given power mode. Broadcast is one power mode and it consumes the maximum power. Additional power modes consume less power but allow a source to communicate with only a statically defined, potentially non-contiguous, subset of nodes. Overall interconnect power is reduced if the more frequently communicating nodes use modes that consume less power, while less frequently communicating nodes use modes that consume more power. We also investigate thread mapping techniques to fully exploit power topologies. We explore various mNoC power topologies with one, two and four power modes for a radix-256 SWMR mNoC crossbar. Our results show that the combination of power topologies and intelligent thread mapping can reduce total mNoC power by up to 51% on average for a set of 12 SPLASH benchmarks. Furthermore performance is 10% better than conventional resonator-based photonic NoCs and energy is reduced by 72%.
Asymmetric Memory Fences
Authors: Duan Yuelu , Honarmand Nima , Torrellas Josep 
Published: June 2015

There have been several recent efforts to improve the performance of fences. The most aggressive designs allow post-fence accesses to retire and complete before the fence completes. Unfortunately, such designs present implementation difficulties due to their reliance on global state and structures.
This paper's goal is to optimize both the performance and the implementability of fences. We start-off with a design like the most aggressive ones but without the global state. We call it Weak Fence or wF. Since the concurrent execution of multiple wFs can deadlock, we combine wFs with a conventional fence (i.e., Strong Fence or sF) for the less performance-critical thread(s). We call the result an Asymmetric fence group. We also propose a taxonomy of Asymmetric fence groups under TSO. Compared to past aggressive fences, Asymmetric fence groups both are substantially easier to implement and have higher average performance. The two main designs presented (WS+ and W+) speed-up workloads under TSO by an average of 13% and 21%, respectively, over conventional fences.
VARAN the Unbelievable
Authors: Hosek Petr , Cadar Cristian 
Published: June 2015

With the widespread availability of multi-core processors, running multiple diversified variants or several different versions of an application in parallel is becoming a viable approach for increasing the reliability and security of software systems. The key component of such N-version execution (NVX) systems is a runtime monitor that enables the execution of multiple versions in parallel. Unfortunately, existing monitors impose either a large performance overhead or rely on intrusive kernel-level changes. Moreover, none of the existing solutions scales well with the number of versions, since the runtime monitor acts as a performance bottleneck.
In this paper, we introduce Varan, an NVX framework that combines selective binary rewriting with a novel event-streaming architecture to significantly reduce performance overhead and scale well with the number of versions, without relying on intrusive kernel modifications.
Our evaluation shows that Varan can run NVX systems based on popular C10k network servers with only a modest performance overhead, and can be effectively used to increase software reliability using techniques such as transparent failover, live sanitization and multi-revision execution.
Tumor-Targeted Synergistic Blockade of MAPK and PI3K from a Layer-by-Layer Nanoparticle
Authors: Dreaden Erik C. , Kong Yi Wen , Morton Stephen W. , Correa Santiago , Choi Ki Young , Shopsowitz Kevin E. , Renggli Kasper , Drapkin Ronny , Yaffe Michael B. , Hammond Paula T. 
Published: June 2015

Abstract
Purpose: Cross-talk and feedback between the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR cell signaling pathways is critical for tumor initiation, maintenance, and adaptive resistance to targeted therapy in a variety of solid tumors. Combined blockade of these pathways—horizontal blockade—is a promising therapeutic strategy; however, compounded dose-limiting toxicity of free small molecule inhibitor combinations is a significant barrier to its clinical application.
Experimental Design: AZD6244 (selumetinib), an allosteric inhibitor of Mek1/2, and PX-866, a covalent inhibitor of PI3K, were co-encapsulated in a tumor-targeting nanoscale drug formulation—layer-by-layer (LbL) nanoparticles. Structure, size, and surface charge of the nanoscale formulations were characterized, in addition to in vitro cell entry, synergistic cell killing, and combined signal blockade. In vivo tumor targeting and therapy was investigated in breast tumor xenograft–bearing NCR nude mice by live animal fluorescence/bioluminescence imaging, Western blotting, serum cytokine analysis, and immunohistochemistry.
Results: Combined MAPK and PI3K axis blockade from the nanoscale formulations (160 ± 20 nm, −40 ± 1 mV) was synergistically toxic toward triple-negative breast (MDA-MB-231) and RAS-mutant lung tumor cells (KP7B) in vitro, effects that were further enhanced upon encapsulation. In vivo, systemically administered LbL nanoparticles preferentially targeted subcutaneous MDA-MB-231 tumor xenografts, simultaneously blocked tumor-specific phosphorylation of the terminal kinases Erk and Akt, and elicited significant disease stabilization in the absence of dose-limiting hepatotoxic effects observed from the free drug combination. Mice receiving untargeted, but dual drug–loaded nanoparticles exhibited progressive disease.
Conclusions: Tumor-targeting nanoscale drug formulations could provide a more safe and effective means to synergistically block MAPK and PI3K in the clinic. Clin Cancer Res; 21(19); 4410–9. ©2015 AACR.
Sym004: Truly a New Level of Anti-EGFR Treatment?
Authors: Stintzing Sebastian , Heinemann Volker 
Published: June 2015

Abstract
Summary: Sym004 is a new antibody mixture to target EGFR in metastatic colorectal cancer. Preclinical data suggest efficacy in anti–EGFR-resistant tumors, but it remains unclear whether a higher toxicity is outweighed by those advantages. Cancer Discov; 5(6); 578–80. ©2015 AACR.
See related article by Dienstmann and colleagues, p. 598.
Electrogram Analysis and Pacing Are Complimentary for Recognition of Abnormal Conduction and Far-Field Potentials During Substrate Mapping of Infarct-Related Ventricular Tachycardia
Authors: Baldinger Samuel H. , Nagashima Koichi , Kumar Saurabh , Barbhaiya Chirag R. , Choi Eue-Keun , Epstein Laurence M. , Michaud Gregory F. , John Roy , Tedrow Usha B. , Stevenson William G. 
Published: June 2015

Background—
Mapping to identify scar-related ventricular tachycardia re-entry circuits during sinus rhythm focuses on sites with abnormal electrograms or pace-mapping findings of QRS morphology and long stimulus to QRS intervals. We hypothesized that (1) these methods do not necessarily identify the same sites and (2) some electrograms are far-field potentials that can be recognized by pacing.

Methods and Results—

From 12 patients with coronary disease and recurrent ventricular tachycardia undergoing catheter ablation, we retrospectively analyzed electrograms and pacing at 546 separate low bipolar voltage (<1.5 mV) sites. Electrograms were characterized as showing evidence of slow conduction if late potentials (56%) or fractionated potentials (76%) were present. Neither was present at (13%) sites. Pacing from the ablation catheter captured 70% of all electrograms. Higher bipolar voltage and fractionation were independent predictors for pace capture. There was a linear correlation between the stimulus to QRS duration during pacing and the lateness of a capturing electrogram (
P
<0.001), but electrogram and pacing markers of slow conduction were discordant at 40% of sites. Sites with far-field potentials, defined as those that remained visible and not captured by pacing stimuli, were identified at 48% of all pacing sites, especially in areas of low bipolar voltage and late potentials. Initial radiofrequency energy application rendered 74% of targeted sites electrically unexcitable.

Conclusions—
Far-field potentials are common in scar areas. Combining analysis of electrogram characteristics and assessment of pace capture may refine identification of substrate targets for radiofrequency ablation.
Evidence for assessment disappears in mixed-sex contests of the crayfish, Orconectes virilis
Authors: Wofford Sarah J. , Earley Ryan L. , Moore Paul A. 
Published: June 2015

During agonistic interactions, decisions about contest persistence can be informed by assessment of one’s own energy or time expenditure (self-assessment), one’s own expenditure combined with opponent inflicted costs (cumulative assessment), or through information exchange with an opponent (mutual assessment). Females and males can be expected to exhibit different strategies for contest resolution due to contrasting energetic requirements and resource valuation. We examined the assessment strategies crayfish employ during same-sex and mixed-sex fights. Two individuals interacted for 15 min, and fight duration and times spent at various intensity levels were quantified. Results indicated that both sexes employ a self-assessment strategy during same-sex fights. Evidence for assessment during mixed-sex fights was notably weaker, suggesting the resolution of mixed-sex fights involves different behavioural elements and/or sources of information. In species where mixed-sex fights are common year-round, the lack of common rules can lead to greater energy expenditure for both sexes.