pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
A prospective development study investigating focal irreversible electroporation in men with localised prostate cancer: Nanoknife Electroporation Ablation Trial (NEAT)

AbstractIntroductionFocal therapy may reduce the toxicity of current radical treatments while maintaining the oncological benefit. Irreversible electroporation (IRE) has been proposed to be tissue selective and so might have favourable characteristics compared to the currently used prostate ablative technologies. The aim of this trial is to determine the adverse events, genito-urinary side effects and early histological outcomes of focal IRE in men with localised prostate cancer.MethodsThis is a single centre prospective development (stage 2a) study following the IDEAL recommendations for evaluating new surgical procedures. Twenty men who have MRI-visible disease localised in the anterior part of the prostate will be recruited. The sample size permits a precision estimate around key functional outcomes. Inclusion criteria include PSA≤15ng/ml, Gleason score≤4+3, stage T2N0M0 and absence of clinically significant disease outside the treatment area. Treatment delivery will be changed in an adaptive iterative manner so as to allow optimisation of the IRE protocol. After focal IRE, men will be followed during 12months using validated patient reported outcome measures (IPSS, IIEF-15, UCLA-EPIC, EQ-5D, FACT-P, MAX-PC). Early disease control will be evaluated by mpMRI and targeted transperineal biopsy of the treated area at 6months.DiscussionThe NEAT trial will assess the early functional and disease control outcome of focal IRE using an adaptive design. Our protocol can provide guidance for designing an adaptive trial to assess new surgical technologies in the challenging landscape of health technology assessment in prostate cancer treatment
Does amyloid deposition produce a specific atrophic signature in cognitively normal subjects?

AbstractThe objective of our study was to evaluate whether cognitively normal (CN) elderly participants showing elevated cortical beta-amyloid (Aβ) deposition have a consistent neuroanatomical signature of brain atrophy that may characterize preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD). 115 CN participants who were Aβ-positive (CN+) by amyloid PET imaging; 115 CN participants who were Aβ-negative (CN−); and 88 Aβ-positive mild cognitive impairment or AD participants (MCI/AD+) were identified. Cortical thickness (FreeSurfer) and gray matter volume (SPM5) were measured for 28 regions-of-interest (ROIs) across the brain and compared across groups. ROIs that best discriminated CN− from CN+ differed for FreeSurfer cortical thickness and SPM5 gray matter volume. Group-wise discrimination was poor with a high degree of uncertainty in terms of the rank ordering of ROIs. In contrast, both techniques showed strong and consistent findings comparing MCI/AD+ to both CN− and CN+ groups, with entorhinal cortex, middle and inferior temporal lobe, inferior parietal lobe, and hippocampus providing the best discrimination for both techniques. Concordance across techniques was higher for the CN− and CN+ versus MCI/AD+ comparisons, compared to the CN− versus CN+ comparison. The weak and inconsistent nature of the findings across technique in this study cast doubt on the existence of a reliable neuroanatomical signature of preclinical AD in elderly PiB-positive CN participants
Convoluted C-cosine functions and semigroups. Relations with ultradistribution and hyperfunction sines

AbstractConvoluted C-cosine functions and semigroups in a Banach space setting extending the classes of fractionally integrated C-cosine functions and semigroups are systematically analyzed. Structural properties of such operator families are obtained. Relations between convoluted C-cosine functions and analytic convoluted C-semigroups, introduced and investigated in this paper are given through the convoluted version of the abstract Weierstrass formula which is also proved in the paper. Ultradistribution and hyperfunction sines are connected with analytic convoluted semigroups and ultradistribution semigroups. Several examples of operators generating convoluted cosine functions, (analytic) convoluted semigroups as well as hyperfunction and ultradistribution sines illustrate the abstract approach of the authors. As an application, it is proved that the polyharmonic operator Δ2n, n∈N, acting on L2[0,π] with appropriate boundary conditions, generates an exponentially bounded Kn-convoluted cosine function, and consequently, an exponentially bounded analytic Kn+1-convoluted semigroup of angle π2, for suitable exponentially bounded kernels Kn and Kn+1
Evaluation of drug-induced neurotoxicity based on metabolomics, proteomics and electrical activity measurements in complementary CNS in vitro models

AbstractThe present study was performed in an attempt to develop an in vitro integrated testing strategy (ITS) to evaluate drug-induced neurotoxicity. A number of endpoints were analyzed using two complementary brain cell culture models and an in vitro blood–brain barrier (BBB) model after single and repeated exposure treatments with selected drugs that covered the major biological, pharmacological and neuro-toxicological responses. Furthermore, four drugs (diazepam, cyclosporine A, chlorpromazine and amiodarone) were tested more in depth as representatives of different classes of neurotoxicants, inducing toxicity through different pathways of toxicity.The developed in vitro BBB model allowed detection of toxic effects at the level of BBB and evaluation of drug transport through the barrier for predicting free brain concentrations of the studied drugs. The measurement of neuronal electrical activity was found to be a sensitive tool to predict the neuroactivity and neurotoxicity of drugs after acute exposure. The histotypic 3D re-aggregating brain cell cultures, containing all brain cell types, were found to be well suited for OMICs analyses after both acute and long term treatment.The obtained data suggest that an in vitro ITS based on the information obtained from BBB studies and combined with metabolomics, proteomics and neuronal electrical activity measurements performed in stable in vitro neuronal cell culture systems, has high potential to improve current in vitro drug-induced neurotoxicity evaluation
Double beta decay to the first 2+ state within a boson expansion formalism with a projected spherical single particle basis

AbstractThe Gamow–Teller transition operator is written as a polynomial in the dipole proton–neutron and quadrupole charge conserving QRPA boson operators, using the prescription of the boson expansion technique of Belyaev–Zelevinski type. Then, the 2νββ process ending on the first 2+ state in the daughter nucleus is allowed via one, two and three boson states describing the odd–odd intermediate nucleus. The approach uses a single particle basis which is obtained by projecting out the good angular momentum from an orthogonal set of deformed functions. The bases for mother and daughter nuclei have different deformations. The GT transition amplitude as well as the half lives was calculated for eleven transitions. Results are compared with the available data as well as with some predictions obtained with other methods
STAT3 and STAT6 Signaling Pathways Synergize to Promote Cathepsin Secretion from Macrophages via IRE1α Activation

SummaryTumor-associated macrophages play critical roles during tumor progression by promoting angiogenesis, cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Cysteine cathepsin proteases, produced by macrophages and cancer cells, modulate these processes, but it remains unclear how these typically lysosomal enzymes are regulated and secreted within the tumor microenvironment. Here, we identify a STAT3 and STAT6 synergy that potently upregulates cathepsin secretion by macrophages via engagement of an unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway. Whole-genome expression analyses revealed that the TH2 cytokine interleukin (IL)-4 synergizes with IL-6 or IL-10 to activate UPR via STAT6 and STAT3. Pharmacological inhibition of the UPR sensor IRE1α blocks cathepsin secretion and blunts macrophage-mediated cancer cell invasion. Similarly, genetic deletion of STAT3 and STAT6 signaling components impairs tumor development and invasion in vivo. Together, these findings demonstrate that cytokine-activated STAT3 and STAT6 cooperate in macrophages to promote a secretory phenotype that enhances tumor progression in a cathepsin-dependent manner
Globally and locally attractive solutions for quasi-periodically forced systems

AbstractWe consider a class of differential equations, x¨+γx˙+g(x)=f(ωt), with ω∈Rd, describing one-dimensional dissipative systems subject to a periodic or quasi-periodic (Diophantine) forcing. We study existence and properties of trajectories with the same quasi-periodicity as the forcing. For g(x)=x2p+1, p∈N, we show that, when the dissipation coefficient is large enough, there is only one such trajectory and that it describes a global attractor. In the case of more general nonlinearities, including g(x)=x2 (describing the varactor equation), we find that there is at least one trajectory which describes a local attractor
Dual and Opposite Effects of hRAD51 Chemical Modulation on HIV-1 Integration

SummaryThe cellular DNA repair hRAD51 protein has been shown to restrict HIV-1 integration both in vitro and in vivo. To investigate its regulatory functions, we performed a pharmacological analysis of the retroviral integration modulation by hRAD51. We found that, in vitro, chemical activation of hRAD51 stimulates its integration inhibitory properties, whereas inhibition of hRAD51 decreases the integration restriction, indicating that the modulation of HIV-1 integration depends on the hRAD51 recombinase activity. Cellular analyses demonstrated that cells exhibiting high hRAD51 levels prior to de novo infection are more resistant to integration. On the other hand, when hRAD51 was activated during integration, cells were more permissive. Altogether, these data establish the functional link between hRAD51 activity and HIV-1 integration. Our results highlight the multiple and opposite effects of the recombinase during integration and provide new insights into the cellular regulation of HIV-1 replication
Non-commutative duality: high spin fields and CP1 model with Hopf term

AbstractWe show that the non-commutative CP1 model coupled with Hopf term in 3 dimensions is equivalent to an interacting spin-s theory where the spin-s of the dual theory is related to the coefficient of the Hopf term. We use the Seiberg–Witten map in studying this non-commutative duality equivalence, keeping terms to order θ and show that the spin of the dual theory do not get any θ-dependant corrections. The map between current correlators shows that topological index of the solitons in the non-commutative CP1 model is unaffected by θ where as the Noether charge of the corresponding dual particle do get a θ dependence. We also show that this dual theory smoothly goes to the limit θ→0 giving dual theory in the commutative plane
Long-term antibody persistence after vaccination with a 2-dose Havrix™ (inactivated hepatitis A vaccine): 20 years of observed data, and long-term model-based predictions

AbstractAntibody persistence in two cohorts of adults, who received inactivated hepatitis A (HAV) vaccine (1440El.U; Havrix™; GSK Vaccines) according to a 0–6 or 0–12 month schedule in 1992–1993, has been measured annually. After 20 years, >97% of the subjects in both studies were seropositive for anti-HAV antibodies. Geometric mean concentrations in the according-to-protocol cohorts were 312mIU/ml in 34/36 subjects vaccinated initially at 0–6 months (NCT00289757) and 317mIU/ml in 85/86 subjects vaccinated at 0–12 months (NCT00291876). Over the whole follow-up period, seven subjects (2+5, respectively) lost circulating anti-HAV antibodies but mounted a strong response after HAV booster administration (1440El.U). Mathematical modelling, which was applied to assess true persistence at Year 20 (accounting for drop-outs and missing data), and to predict longer-term persistence confirmed previous estimates that seropositive anti-HAV levels would persist in ≥95% vaccinees at Year 30 and ≥90% at Year 40.ClinicalTrials.Gov number: NCT00289757/NCT0029187
A projective C∗-algebra related to K-theory

AbstractThe C∗-algebra qC is the smallest of the C∗-algebras qA introduced by Cuntz [J. Cuntz, A new look at KK-theory, K-Theory 1 (1) (1987) 31–51] in the context of KK-theory. An important property of qC is the natural isomorphismK0(A)≅lim→[qC,Mn(A)]. Our main result concerns the exponential (boundary) map from K0 of a quotient B to K1 of an ideal I. We show if a K0 element is realized in hom(qC,B) then its boundary is realized as a unitary in I˜. The picture we obtain of the exponential map is based on a projective C∗-algebra P that is universal for a set relations slightly weaker than the relations that define qC. A new, shorter proof of the semiprojectivity of qC is described. Smoothing questions related the relations for qC are addressed
The phenome analysis of mutant alleles in Leucine-Rich Repeat Receptor-Like Kinase genes in rice reveals new potential targets for stress tolerant cereals

AbstractPlants are constantly exposed to a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses that reduce their fitness and performance. At the molecular level, the perception of extracellular stimuli and the subsequent activation of defense responses require a complex interplay of signaling cascades, in which protein phosphorylation plays a central role. Several studies have shown that some members of the Leucine-Rich Repeat Receptor-Like Kinase (LRR-RLK) family are involved in stress and developmental pathways. We report here a systematic analysis of the role of the members of this gene family by mutant phenotyping in the monocotyledon model plant rice, Oryza sativa. We have then targeted 176 of the ∼320 LRR-RLK genes (55.7%) and genotyped 288 mutant lines. Position of the insertion was confirmed in 128 lines corresponding to 100 LRR-RLK genes (31.6% of the entire family). All mutant lines harboring homozygous insertions have been screened for phenotypes under normal conditions and under various abiotic stresses. Mutant plants have been observed at several stages of growth, from seedlings in Petri dishes to flowering and grain filling under greenhouse conditions. Our results show that 37 of the LRR-RLK rice genes are potential targets for improvement especially in the generation of abiotic stress tolerant cereals
Determination of the top-quark pole mass and strong coupling constant from the tt¯ production cross section in pp collisions at s=7 TeV

AbstractThe inclusive cross section for top-quark pair production measured by the CMS experiment in proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV is compared to the QCD prediction at next-to-next-to-leading order with various parton distribution functions to determine the top-quark pole mass, mtpole, or the strong coupling constant, αS. With the parton distribution function set NNPDF2.3, a pole mass of 176.7−3.4+3.8 GeV is obtained when constraining αS at the scale of the Z boson mass, mZ, to the current world average. Alternatively, by constraining mtpole to the latest average from direct mass measurements, a value of αS(mZ)=0.1151−0.0032+0.0033 is extracted. This is the first determination of αS using events from top-quark production
Cortical abnormalities in bipolar disorder: an MRI analysis of 6503 individuals from the ENIGMA Bipolar Disorder Working Group

Despite decades of research, the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD) is still not well understood. Structural brain differences have been associated with BD, but results from neuroimaging studies have been inconsistent. To address this, we performed the largest study to date of cortical gray matter thickness and surface area measures from brain magnetic resonance imaging scans of 6503 individuals including 1837 unrelated adults with BD and 2582 unrelated healthy controls for group differences while also examining the effects of commonly prescribed medications, age of illness onset, history of psychosis, mood state, age and sex differences on cortical regions. In BD, cortical gray matter was thinner in frontal, temporal and parietal regions of both brain hemispheres. BD had the strongest effects on left pars opercularis (Cohen's d=-0.293; P=1.71 × 10(-21)), left fusiform gyrus (d=-0.288; P=8.25 × 10(-21)) and left rostral middle frontal cortex (d=-0.276; P=2.99 × 10(-19)). Longer duration of illness (after accounting for age at the time of scanning) was associated with reduced cortical thickness in frontal, medial parietal and occipital regions. We found that several commonly prescribed medications, including lithium, antiepileptic and antipsychotic treatment showed significant associations with cortical thickness and surface area, even after accounting for patients who received multiple medications. We found evidence of reduced cortical surface area associated with a history of psychosis but no associations with mood state at the time of scanning. Our analysis revealed previously undetected associations and provides an extensive analysis of potential confounding variables in neuroimaging studies of BD
Orbital selective pairing and superconductivity in iron selenides

An important challenge in condensed matter physics is understanding
iron-based superconductors. Among these systems, the iron selenides hold the
record for highest superconducting transition temperature and pose especially
striking puzzles regarding the nature of superconductivity. The pairing state
of the alkaline iron selenides appears to be of $d$-wave type based on the
observation of a resonance mode in neutron scattering, while it seems to be of
$s$-wave type from the nodeless gaps observed everywhere on the Fermi surface
(FS). Here we propose an orbital-selective pairing state, dubbed $s \tau_{3}$,
as a natural explanation of these disparate properties. The pairing function,
containing a matrix $\tau_{3}$ in the basis of $3d$-electron orbitals, does not
commute with the kinetic part of the Hamiltonian. This dictates the existence
of both intraband and interband pairing terms in the band basis. A spin
resonance arises from a $d$-wave-type sign change in the intraband pairing
component whereas the quasiparticle excitation is fully gapped on the FS due to
an $s$-wave-like form factor associated with the addition in quadrature of the
intraband and interband pairing terms. We demonstrate that this pairing state
is energetically favored when the electron correlation effects are orbitally
selective. More generally, our results illustrate how the multiband nature of
correlated electrons affords unusual types of superconducting states, thereby
shedding new light not only on the iron-based materials but also on a broad
range of other unconventional superconductors such as heavy fermion and organic
systems.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, plus supplementary material; finalized version
  with a more streamlined presentation; to appear in Npj Quantum Materials.
  arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1505.0417
A partially non-proper ordinal beyond L(V λ+1)

In his recent work, Woodin has defined new axioms stronger than I0 (the existence of an elementary embedding from to itself), that involve elementary embeddings between slightly larger models. There is a natural correspondence between I0 and Determinacy, but to extend this correspondence in the new framework we must insist that these elementary embeddings are proper. Previous results validated the definition, showing that there exist elementary embeddings that are not proper, but it was still open whether properness was determined by the structure of the underlying model or not. This paper proves that this is not the case, defining a model that generates both proper and non-proper elementary embeddings, and compare this new model to the older ones
Search for heavy quarks decaying into a top quark and a W or Z boson using lepton + jets events in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Results are presented from a search for the pair-production of heavy quarks, QQ̄, that decay exclusively into a top quark and a W or Z boson. The search is performed using a sample of proton-proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb-1, collected by the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment. The signal region is defined using a sample of events containing one electron or muon, missing transverse momentum, and at least four jets with large transverse momenta, where one jet is likely to originate from the decay of a bottom quark. No significant excess of events is observed with respect to the standard model expectations. Assuming a strong pair-production mechanism, quark masses below 675 (625) GeV decaying into tW (tZ) are excluded at the 95 % confidence level.[Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2013 CERN for the benefit of the CMS collaboration.The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey, and Turkish Atomic Energy Authorit
Hospitals in rural or remote areas: An exploratory review of policies in 8 high-income countries.

Our study reviewed policies in 8 high-income countries (Australia, Canada, United States, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Croatia and Estonia) in Europe, Australasia and North America with regard to hospitals in rural or remote areas. We explored whether any specific policies on hospitals in rural or remote areas are in place, and, if not, how countries made sure that the population in remote or rural areas has access to acute inpatient services. We found that only one of the eight countries (Italy) had drawn up a national policy on hospitals in rural or remote areas. In the United States, although there is no singular comprehensive national plan or vision, federal levers have been used to promote access in rural or remote areas and provide context for state and local policy decisions. In Australia and Canada, intermittent policies have been developed at the sub-national level of states and provinces respectively. In those countries where access to hospital services in rural or remote areas is a concern, common challenges can be identified, including the financial sustainability of services, the importance of medical education and telemedicine and the provision of quick transport to more specialized services