jimnoneill/paper-to-field-training huggingface dataset:
Data from Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy Combined with Atezolizumab for Resectable Esophageal Adenocarcinoma: A Single-arm Phase II Feasibility Trial (PERFECT)

Field: Medicine (Health Sciences)

<div>AbstractPurpose:<p>The CROSS trial established neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) for patients with resectable esophageal adenocarcinoma (rEAC). In the PERFECT trial, we investigated the feasibility and efficacy of nCRT combined with programmed-death ligand-1 (PD-L1) inhibition for rEAC.</p>Patients and Methods:<p>Patients with rEAC received nCRT according to the CROSS regimen combined with five cycles of atezolizumab (1,200 mg). The primary endpoint was the feasibility of administering five cycles of atezolizumab in ≥75% patients. A propensity score–matched nCRT cohort was used to compare pathologic response, overall survival, and progression-free survival. Exploratory biomarker analysis was performed on repeated tumor biopsies.</p>Results:<p>We enrolled 40 patients of whom 85% received all cycles of atezolizumab. Immune-related adverse events of any grade were observed in 6 patients. In total, 83% proceeded to surgery. Reasons for not undergoing surgery were progression (<i>n</i> = 4), patient choice (<i>n</i> = 2), and death (<i>n</i> = 1). The pathologic complete response rate was 25% (10/40). No statistically significant difference in response or survival was found between the PERFECT and the nCRT cohort. Baseline expression of an established IFNγ signature was higher in responders compared with nonresponders (<i>P</i> = 0.043). On-treatment nonresponders showed either a high number of cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTL) with a transcriptional signature consistent with expression of immune checkpoints, or a low number of CTLs.</p>Conclusions:<p>Combining nCRT with atezolizumab is feasible in patients with rEAC. On the basis of our exploratory biomarker study, future studies are necessary to elucidate the potential of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in patient subgroups.</p><p><i>See related commentary by Catenacci, p. 3269</i></p></div>
RELATION BETWEEN HEALTH EXPENSES,BASIC ATTENTION IN HEALTH EFFORTS INDEX AND HEALTH SYSTEM STRUCTURE TYPOLOGY OF THE MUNICIPALITIES OF SÃO PAULO STATE

Field: Health Professions (Health Sciences)

ABSTRACT In a context marked by the re-democratization of the country and by the proposals of the State reform, the health area has stood out due to the advances in the decentralization process, the relevance of the social expenditure of counties in this function, and the expansion of the information systems. At the same time, the current model of public management by results has contributed to the use of social indicators in order to subsidize the decision process, although there still is the challenge of a joint evaluation of indicators of results/efforts, and the application of budgeted resources. The objective of this study was the presentation of a descriptive analysis based on the contrast of relationships among different categories of counties in the State of São Paulo, in terms of: expenditure in health with county-owned resources per inhabitant; transfers from Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS - governmental general health system) per inhabitant; typology of the health system structure, and ratio of basic attention to health effort. The last two items were created by Fundação Sistema Estadual de Análise de Dados (Seade - State System for Data Analysis Foundation), an agency belonging to the State of São Paulo. The analysis of the behavior of the four variables was carried out using Q-square and the correspondence analysis technique, and the main results were: connection between the basic attention efforts index and the expenditures with health using county-owned resources per capita, and low discrimination power among counties in relation to values of transfer of SUS resources.
Singular Linear Quadratic Optimal Control Problem for Stochastic Nonregular Descriptor Systems

Field: Mathematics (Physical Sciences)

Abstract This paper is concerned with the singular linear quadratic (SLQ) optimal control problem for stochastic nonregular descriptor systems with time‐delay. By means of some reasonable assumptions and a series of equivalent transformations, the problem is finally transformed into a positive linear quadratic (LQ) problem for standard stochastic systems. Then dynamic programming principle is used to establish the solvability of the original problem, and the desired explicit presentation of the optimal controller is given in terms of matrix iterative form. The results due to Feng et al. are generalized and improved. As an application, a numerical example is presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach.
A Low-cost IMU/GNSS Cooperative Positioning Method for VANETs in the Urban Environments

Field: Engineering (Physical Sciences)

It is important to know the key problem of the emerging intelligent transportation systems –relative position, especially in the collision warning and speeds advisory. However, the commercial Global Satellite Navigation Systems (GNSS) receiver cannot up to the standard of these purpose. Fortunately, using Cooperative Positioning (CP) techniques to share the GNSS measurements between vehicles can largely improve the performance of relative positioning in a vehicular ad hoc network (VANET). But in urban environments, the reduced quality or complete unavailability of GNSS measurements challenge the effectiveness of any CP algorithm. In this paper, a new improved tight CP technique is proposed which adds the measurements from low cost inertial sensors. In the enhanced CP method proposed here, vehicles communicate their GPS measurements and inertial measurement unit (IMU) data, and each vehicle fuses local GPS and IMU measurements and those of the neighbours. Experimental results show that the new tight integration CP method can enhance the relative positioning in low GPS coverage environment, such as in very dense urban areas and tunnels.
Spacetime evolution of lepton number densities and wave packet-like effects for neutrino flavor and chiral oscillations in quantum field theory

Field: Physics and Astronomy (Physical Sciences)

We present a formulation of lepton family numbers, based on quantum field theory, for neutrino oscillation phenomenology that can be applied to nonrelativistic and relativistic energies for neutrinos. It is formulated for both types of neutrinos, Dirac and Majorana. The formulation is constructed as the time evolution of a lepton family number density operator. Then, the time evolution of the lepton family number density operator becomes dependent on the mass and new features appear. The expectation value of the density operator is evaluated for the initial state with a Gaussian distribution for the momentum amplitude. This enables us to study wave packet-like decoherence effects. We show in the nonrelativistic regime, the type of neutrino mass are distinguishable even under the presence of wave packet-like decoherence effects.
Nitration of Benzene in a Continuous-Flow Microreactor Integrated with Microfiber-Structured Nafion/SiO_2 Solid Acid Catalyst

Field: Chemical Engineering (Physical Sciences)

We prepared novel monolithic microfiber-structured Nafion/SiO2 solid acid catalysts with 60%-75% (φ, volume fraction) void volume by coating Nafion/SiO2 sol-gel onto a sinter-locked stainless steel (SS-316L) microfibrous network. We characterized the microstructured Nafion/SiO2 catalysts using Fourier transform-infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and NH3-chemisorption. Results show that the sol-gel technology results in highly dispersed Nafion particles which significantly increase the number of accessible acid sites. The Nafion/SiO2 catalyst coating layer is made up of 200-400 nm particles and looks porous. The catalytic performance of the microstructured Nafion/SiO2 catalysts was tested using the nitration of benzene in a continuous-flow microreactor that integrated heat-exchange, mixture, and catalytic reactions. The best catalyst had a loading capacity of 36.3% (w, mass fraction) for the Nafion/SiO2 composite in which the Nafion content was 20% (w). At a reaction temperature of 75 ℃, this optimized microstructured solid acid catalyst resulted in a benzene conversion of 44.7% with a nitrobenzene selectivity of 99.9%. At an equivalent conversion level, the activity per acid site of the microstructured Nafion/SiO2 catalyst is nearly 600 times as that of liquid sulfuric acid.
A combinatorial optimisation approach to non-market environmental benefit aggregation

Field: Decision Sciences (Social Sciences)

This paper considers the use of spatial microsimulation in the aggregation of regional environmental benefit values. The developed spatial microsimulation model uses simulated annealing to match the Irish Census of Agriculture data to a Contingent Valuation Survey that contains information on Irish farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) to have the corncrake restored as a common sight in the Irish countryside. We then use this matched farm survey and Census information to produce regional and national total WTP figures, and compare these to figures derived using more standard approaches to calculating aggregate environment benefit values. The main advantage of the spatial microsimulation approach for environmental benefit value aggregation is that it allows one to account for the heterogeneity in the target population. Results indicate that the microsimulation modelling approach provides aggregate WTP estimates of a similar magnitude as those produced using the usual sample mean WTP aggregation at the national level, but yields regional aggregate values which are significantly different.
What is the Difference between the Response of Grass Pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) to Salinity and Drought Stress?—A Physiological Study

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences (Life Sciences)

Understanding the mechanisms of plant tolerance to osmotic and chemical stress is fundamental to maintaining high crop productivity. Soil drought often occurs in combination with physiological drought, which causes chemical stress due to high concentrations of ions. Hence, it is often assumed that the acclimatization of plants to salinity and drought follows the same mechanisms. Grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is a legume plant with extraordinary tolerance to severe drought and moderate salinity. The aim of the presented study was to compare acclimatization strategies of grass pea seedlings to osmotic (PEG) and chemical (NaCl) stress on a physiological level. Concentrations of NaCl and PEG were adjusted to create an osmotic potential of a medium at the level of 0.0, −0.45 and −0.65 MPa. The seedlings on the media with PEG were much smaller than those growing in the presence of NaCl, but had a significantly higher content percentage of dry weight. Moreover, the stressors triggered different accumulation patterns of phenolic compounds, soluble and insoluble sugars, proline and β-N-oxalyl-L-α,β-diamino propionic acid, as well as peroxidase and catalase activity. Our results showed that drought stress induced a resistance mechanism consisting of growth rate limitation in favor of osmotic adjustment, while salinity stress induced primarily the mechanisms of efficient compartmentation of harmful ions in the roots and shoots. Furthermore, our results indicated that grass pea plants differed in their response to drought and salinity from the very beginning of stress occurrence.
FREE NUCLEOTIDES AND NUCLEOSIDES IN RAT SPLEEN AFTER IRRADIATION

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (Life Sciences)

The level of nucleotides and nucleosides was studied in rat spleen before irradiation and 1, 2. 6, 18, 24, and 48 hours and four and thirteen days after. Photometric examination showed an increase in the nucleoside content from two to eighteen hours after irradiation. The content of desoxyribo-compounds was determined microbiologically. During the first 18 hours after irradiation the level of both types of these compounds was markedly raised, the maximum for desoxyaucleotides (about 25-fold) occurring two hours after irradiation and for desoxynucleosides (7.5fold) six hours after irradiation. Later (one, two, and four days after irradiation), at the time of inhibition of hematopoiesis, a marked decrease occurred in the level of free desoxyribonucleotides, while the level of desoxyribonucleosides remained practically normal. Chromatographic and microbiological detection showed desoxycytidine to be the predominant component among the desoxynucleosides. The authors are of the opinion that the decrease in the level of DNA-precursors in irradiated tissue is one of the causes of inhibition of DNA synthesis and of the decrease in hematopoietic activity. (auth)
DNA-Based Tools to Certify Authenticity of Rice Varieties—An Overview

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences (Life Sciences)

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most cultivated and consumed crops worldwide. It is mainly produced in Asia but, due to its large genetic pool, it has expanded to several ecosystems, latitudes and climatic conditions. Europe is a rice producing region, especially in the Mediterranean countries, that grow mostly typical japonica varieties. The European consumer interest in rice has increased over the last decades towards more exotic types, often more expensive (e.g., aromatic rice) and Europe is a net importer of this commodity. This has increased food fraud opportunities in the rice supply chain, which may deliver mixtures with lower quality rice, a problem that is now global. The development of tools to clearly identify undesirable mixtures thus became urgent. Among the various tools available, DNA-based markers are considered particularly reliable and stable for discrimination of rice varieties. This review covers aspects ranging from rice diversity and fraud issues to the DNA-based methods used to distinguish varieties and detect unwanted mixtures. Although not exhaustive, the review covers the diversity of strategies and ongoing improvements already tested, highlighting important advantages and disadvantages in terms of costs, reliability, labor-effort and potential scalability for routine fraud detection.
Behavior and Passage Performance of Northern Pike, Walleyes, and White Suckers in an Experimental Raceway

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences (Life Sciences)

Abstract The willingness and ability of wild adult northern pike Esox lucius, walleyes Sander vitreus, and white suckers Catostomus commersonii to ascend a 25- or 50-m experimental raceway against various water velocities (35–120 cm/s at 8 cm from the bottom) was measured. The probability that a fish of any given species would enter the raceway from its holding tank was significantly correlated with fork length, water temperature, and tank volume but was not correlated with water velocity. On average, 62.6% of northern pike, 45.0% of walleyes, and 44.2% of white suckers entered volitionally. For those fish that entered, the probability that at least one complete ascent would occur during the exposure period was not dependent on fish length, water temperature, raceway length, duration of the exposure period, time in captivity, or water velocity. On average, 74.4% of northern pike, 76.4% of walleyes, and 77.3% of white suckers that entered the raceway made at least one complete ascent. For northern pike and walleyes, the proportion of successful ascents at the highest water velocity tested (120 cm/s) was significantly lower than the proportions observed at the lower velocities. No significant differences were found among ascent proportions for white suckers. Fish in general may be more inclined to enter a culvert if the pool downstream of the entrance is relatively small. Culverts less than 50 m long should allow these species to pass as long as water velocities near the bottom do not exceed 100 cm/s. Fish passage models based on published data from forced performance trials predicted lower maximum allowable water speeds, which adds to a growing body of work that indicates the unsuitability of these tests for use in setting velocity criteria in culverts and fishways.
NIPS 2016 Keynote: Machine Learning & Likelihood Free Inference in Particle Physics

Field: Computer Science (Physical Sciences)

NIPS 2016 KeynoteAbstract: Particle physics aims to answer profound questions about the fundamental building blocks of the Universe through enormous data sets collected at experiments like the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Inference in this context involves two extremes. On one hand the theories of fundamental particle interactions are described by quantum field theory, which is elegant, highly constrained, and highly predictive. On the other hand, the observations come from interactions with complex sensor arrays with uncertain response, which lead to intractable likelihoods. Machine learning techniques with high-capacity models offer a promising set of tools for coping with the complexity of the data; however, we ultimately want to perform inference in the language of quantum field theory. I will discuss likelihood-free inference, generative models, adversarial training, and other recent progress in machine learning from this point of view.
Ketone Body Improves Neurological Outcomes after Cardiac Arrest by Inhibiting Mitochondrial Fission in Rats

Field: Neuroscience (Life Sciences)

Ketone bodies including β ‐hydroxybutyrate ( β ‐HB) have been proved the therapeutic potential in diverse neurological disorders. However, the role of β ‐HB in the regulation of neurological injury after cardiac arrest (CA) remains unclear. We investigated the effect of β ‐HB on brain mitochondrial dysfunction and neurological function after CA. A rat model of CA was established by asphyxia. The rats were randomly divided into three groups: sham group, control group, and β ‐HB group. Animals received 200 mg/kg β ‐HB or same volume vehicle at 10 minutes after return of spontaneous circulation by intraperitoneal injection. Neurological function was evaluated by neurologic deficit score and Y‐maze. Neuronal cell loss and apoptosis were detected through hematoxylin‐eosin staining, Nissl staining, and TdT‐mediated dUTP nick‐end labeling assay. Oxidative stress levels were determined by immunohistochemical staining of 4‐hydoxynonenal and 8‐hydroxy‐2 ′ ‐deoxyguanosine. Furthermore, mitochondrial ultrastructure of brain cells was observed by transmission electron microscopy. In addition, the protein expression levels of Bak, caspase 3, gasdermin D, caspase 1, brain‐derived neurotrophic factor, dynamin‐related protein 1 (Drp1), and phospho‐Drp1 (ser616) were measured. We found that neurological function and survival rate were significantly higher in the β ‐HB group compared with the control group. β ‐HB also reduced neurons death and neurological oxidative stress after CA. Moreover, β ‐HB reduced neurological injury from apoptosis and pyroptosis after CA. In addition, β ‐HB maintained the structural integrity of brain mitochondria, prevented mitochondrial fission, and increased brain energy metabolism after CA. In conclusion, β ‐HB beneficially affected the neurological function of rats after global cerebral ischemia, associated with decreased mitochondrial fission, and improved mitochondrial function. Our results suggest that β ‐HB might benefit patients suffering from neurological dysfunction after CA.
Laparoscopic Restorative Total Proctocolectomy with Ileal Pouch-Anal Anastomosis for Familial Adenomatous Polyposis and Ulcerative Colitis

Field: Medicine (Health Sciences)

Background: Although laparoscopic total proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis has recently been used for this group of patients, there are rare reports of its treatment outcomes and postoperative complications. For this purpose, the very aim of the present study was to evaluate the complications of this surgery after 6 months in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was performed on 20 patients undergoing restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (RPC-IPAA) for FAP or UC during 2009–2014. Outcomes of patients were recorded 6 months after surgery for complications and satisfaction. Results: There were 11 (60%) males and 9 (40%) females with a mean age of 30.65 ± 9.59 years. There were 12 patients (60%) with FAP and eight patients (40%) with UC. The length of stay (LOS) ranged from 4 days to 10 days with the mean of 6.40 ± 1.76 days. The incidence of complications including leak, urinary retention, and wound infection were 10%, 5%, and 10%, respectively. Moreover, no postoperative mortalities occurred. Male patients had no problems during sexual activity or micturition. All patients were highly satisfied with the outcome of the surgery. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, laparoscopic RPC-IPAA was a surgery with the least complications and the highest level of satisfaction for young patients with FAP and UC. Therefore, it seems that this surgery can be a suitable surgical method for the mentioned patients.
Solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN) formulations as a potential tool for the reduction of cytotoxicity of saponins.

Field: Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics (Life Sciences)

The present pilot study explored the potential of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) to entrap saponins and reduce the membrane toxicity of these compounds. SLN composed of different types of solid lipid were prepared by the cold homogenisation technique. Combinations of anionic, cationic and non-ionic stabilisers were selected in order to obtain negatively, positively and neutrally charged SLN. Mean particle size and zeta potential of blank and saponin-loaded formulations were measured by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Electrophoretic Light Scattering (ELS) and in vitro cytotoxicity on MRC-5 SV2 and J774 cells was assessed using a resazurin-based assay. The type of solid lipid used for the formulation influenced the mean particle size, while the zeta potential mainly depended on the kind of surfactant utilised. Blank SLN composed of hard fat and anionic or non-ionic surfactants did not result in cytotoxicity. After loading with saponin, the anionic hard fat SLN was found to be the optimal formulation.
Harmonic maps on amenable groups and a diffusive lower bound for random walks

Field: Mathematics (Physical Sciences)

We prove diffusive lower bounds on the rate of escape of the random walk on infinite transitive graphs. Similar estimates hold for finite graphs, up to the relaxation time of the walk. Our approach uses nonconstant equivariant harmonic mappings taking values in a Hilbert space. For the special case of discrete, amenable groups, we present a more explicit proof of the Mok–Korevaar–Schoen theorem on the existence of such harmonic maps by constructing them from the heat flow on a Følner set.