This Letter proposes a stage-wise training method that uses block-wise retraining to transfer the useful knowledge of a pre-trained deep residual network (ResNet) in a teacher−student framework ...(TSF). To achieve this, flow-based hidden information transfer and hierarchically supervised retraining of the information are alternatively implemented from bottom to top between teacher and student ResNets in the TSF. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method, the authors used well-known image data sets Canadian Institute For Advanced Research (CIFAR)-10, CIFAR-100, and street view house number. The results showed that the flow-based bottom-up knowledge transfer combined with incremental block-wise retraining can provide the improved small student ResNet with higher accuracy than the deep teacher ResNet. This approach will help extend the use of deep neural network models to limited computing environments.
Adjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy are some of the standards of care for gastric cancer (GC). The Adjuvant chemoRadioTherapy In Stomach Tumors (ARTIST) 2 trial compares two adjuvant ...chemotherapy regimens and chemoradiotherapy in patients with D2-resected, stage II or III, node-positive GC.
The ARTIST 2 compared, in a 1:1:1 ratio, three adjuvant regimens: oral S-1 (40-60 mg twice daily 4 weeks on/2 weeks off) for 1 year, S-1 (2 weeks on/1 week off) plus oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 every 3 weeks (SOX) for 6 months, and SOX plus chemoradiotherapy 45 Gy (SOXRT). Randomization was stratified according to surgery type (total or subtotal gastrectomy), pathologic stage (II or III), and Lauren histologic classification (diffuse or intestinal/mixed). The primary endpoint was disease-free survival (DFS) at 3 years; a reduction of 33% in the hazard ratio (HR) for DFS with SOX or SOXRT, when compared with S-1, was considered clinically meaningful. The trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT0176146).
A total of 546 patients were recruited between February 2013 and January 2018 with 182, 181, and 183 patients in the S-1, SOX, and SOXRT arms, respectively. Median follow-up period was 47 months, with 178 DFS events observed. Estimated 3-year DFS rates were 64.8%, 74.3%, and 72.8% in the S-1, SOX, and SOXRT arms, respectively. HR for DFS in the control arm (S-1) was shorter than that in the SOX and SOXRT arms: S-1 versus SOX, 0.692 (P = 0.042) and S-1 versus SOXRT, 0.724 (P = 0.074). No difference in DFS was found between SOX and SOXRT (HR 0.971; P = 0.879). Adverse events were as anticipated in each arm, and were generally well-tolerated and manageable.
In patients with curatively D2-resected, stage II/III, node-positive GC, adjuvant SOX or SOXRT was effective in prolonging DFS, when compared with S-1 monotherapy. The addition of radiotherapy to SOX did not significantly reduce the rate of recurrence after D2 gastrectomy.
•In patients with curatively D2-resected, stage II/III, node-positive GC, adjuvant SOX or SOXRT was effective in prolonging DFS, when compared with S-1 monotherapy.•The addition of radiotherapy to chemotherapy did not significantly reduce the rate of recurrence after D2 gastrectomy.•DFS between patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy was similar across all subgroups, including Lauren classification.
Abstract
Every quantum algorithm is represented by set of quantum circuits. Any optimization scheme for a quantum algorithm and quantum computation is very important especially in the arena of ...quantum computation with limited number of qubit resources. Major obstacle to this goal is the large number of elemental quantum gates to build even small quantum circuits. Here, we propose and demonstrate a general technique that significantly reduces the number of elemental gates to build quantum circuits. This is impactful for the design of quantum circuits, and we show below this could reduce the number of gates by 60% and 46% for the four- and five-qubit Toffoli gates, two key quantum circuits, respectively, as compared with simplest known decomposition. Reduced circuit complexity often goes hand-in-hand with higher efficiency and bandwidth. The quantum circuit optimization technique proposed in this work would provide a significant step forward in the optimization of quantum circuits and quantum algorithms, and has the potential for wider application in quantum computation.
A cardiogenic embolus could reach the posterior circulation through the right vertebral artery because of a relatively larger diameter in cases of left vertebral artery hypoplasia. Hence, we ...investigated whether left vertebral artery hypoplasia is associated with cardiac embolisms with atrial fibrillation in the posterior circulation and its functional outcomes.
In this monocentric retrospective study, patients with acute cardioembolic stroke with atrial fibrillation were enrolled and underwent CT or neck MRA, which visualized the aortic arch and subclavian arteries. The laterality and size of vertebral artery hypoplasia were recorded. Posterior circulation stroke, basilar artery occlusion, and the functional outcomes after 3 months were investigated.
This study included 407 patients; the patients with left vertebral artery hypoplasia experienced a higher rate of posterior circulation stroke (19 versus 73; 42.2% versus 20.2%;
= .001) and basilar artery occlusion (5 versus 10; 11.1% versus 2.8%;
= .005) than the patients without left vertebral artery hypoplasia. Multivariate analysis revealed that left vertebral artery hypoplasia showed an association with lower odds of achieving a good functional outcome 3 months after the stroke (OR = 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2-0.9;
= .027).
Patients with cardioembolic stroke and left vertebral artery hypoplasia had posterior circulation stroke, basilar artery occlusion, and poor functional outcomes after 3 months.
Surface functionalization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes is carried out by acid treatment followed by reaction with multifunctional silane, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane. The chemical interaction of ...silane with the oxidized nanotube surface is confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) studies also indicate the presence of silane on the surface of the carbon nanotubes. X-ray diffraction reveals the change in the crystalline phases due to surface functionalization. Raman spectroscopy of the acid treated CNT further corroborates the formation of surface defects due to the introduction of carboxyl groups. Thermogravimetric analysis of the functionalized CNT exhibits a multiple peaks in the temperature range of 200–650
°C that corresponds to the degradation of chemically grafted aminosilane on the CNT surface. The influence of silane functionalized carbon nanotubes on the rheometric and mechanical properties of natural rubber vulcanizates is investigated. Rheometric properties like scorch time and optimum cure time increases. Modulus and tensile strength increase due to higher polymer-filler interaction between the carbon nanotube and NR vulcanizates.
Aims
Diverse bacterial communities residing on the surfaces of fresh vegetables are important for food quality and safety; however, knowledge of the phyllosphere microbiota on fresh vegetables and of ...how it changes during postharvest stage is poorly understood.
Methods and Results
We used culturing to quantify bacterial abundance and 16S rRNA 454 pyrosequencing to analyse the bacterial community composition on broccoli florets collected from farms (preharvest) and retail stores (postharvest). The bacterial community compositions of the preharvest and postharvest broccoli were significantly different. The number of non‐Escherichia coli coliform bacteria (Hafnia sp. and Rahnella sp.) was higher in the postharvest broccoli than in the preharvest broccoli. Minor bacterial taxa at the phylum and genus levels had markedly disappeared in the postharvest broccoli, resulting in low bacterial species richness in the postharvest broccoli.
Conclusions
The dominant bacterial taxa persist and prevail in the phyllosphere of broccoli during the postharvest stage.
Significance and Impact of the Study
A popular crop of leafy vegetables, broccoli, is of great agricultural and nutritional importance. This study provides a detailed description of changes in the bacterial community of broccoli in harvest and storage. This study presents novel data on the impact of postharvest conditions on the bacterial populations on broccoli florets.
Aims
This study aimed to clarify the cause of quality reduction in Korean sourdough after successive back‐slopping.
Methods and Results
We investigated the dynamic changes in lactic acid bacteria ...during the back‐slopping process using genetic fingerprinting techniques. During the initial propagation phases, the dominant lactic acid bacteria were Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis (<5 log CFU per g sourdough), Latilactobacillus curvatus (9·5 log CFU per g sourdough) and Levilactobacillus brevis (6·5 log CFU per g sourdough). However, after the 11th propagation, F. sanfranciscensis became more prominent (>9·0 log CFU per g sourdough), whereas L. curvatus and L. brevis rapidly decreased. Monitoring these bacteria in the co‐culture system revealed that acid‐tolerant F. sanfranciscensis rapidly utilized maltose (1·65 g l−1 h−1) and produced large amounts of lactic acid, whereas L. brevis and L. curvatus consumed maltose slowly and L. curvatus was poorly tolerant to lactic acid.
Conclusion
The results indicate that competition exists between the lactic acid bacteria in sourdough during the back‐slopping process, and microbial succession by acid‐tolerant species results in quality reduction of sourdough.
Significance and Impact of the Study
This study uncovered the cause of microbial changes during the propagation of Korean sourdough and proposed a strategy to develop starters to produce high‐quality bakery products.
Abstract Aims Examine the association between obesity and glycemic control among patients with type 1 (T1DM) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods Data from US physician electronic health ...records (Humedica®) from 2009–2011 were utilized. Patients were defined as having above–target glycemic control if they had an HbA1c ≥ 7% at any time during the study period. Multinomial logistic regressions were conducted separately for T1DM and T2DM patients, and examined associations between BMI categories and probability of having above–target glycemic control (≥ 7% and < 8%, ≥ 8% and < 9%, or ≥ 9%) while controlling for patient demographics, general health, comorbid conditions, and antihyperglycemic medication use. Results There were 14,028 T1DM and 248,567 T2DM patients; 47.8% of T1DM and 63.4% of T2DM were obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 ). For T1DM, being overweight (BMI 25– < 30), obese class I (30– < 35), II (35– < 40), or III (≥ 40) was associated with a significantly higher probability of having HbA1c ≥ 8% and < 9% or ≥ 9%, while being overweight was associated with a significantly higher probability of having HbA1c ≥ 7% and < 8% compared to normal BMI (BMI ≥ 18.5 and < 25). For T2DM patients, being overweight, obese class I, II, or III was associated with a significantly higher probability of having HbA1c ≥ 7% and < 8%, ≥ 8% and < 9%, or ≥ 9%. Conclusions For both T1DM and T2DM patients, there were positive and statistically significant associations between being overweight or obese and having suboptimal glycemic control. These findings quantify the associations between obesity and glycemic control, and highlight the potential importance of individual characteristics on glycemic control.
The beating of cilia and flagella, which relies on an efficient conversion of energy from ATP-hydrolysis into mechanical work, offers a promising way to propel synthetic cargoes. Recent experimental ...realizations of such micro-swimmers, in which micron-sized beads are propelled by isolated and demembranated flagella from the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (C. reinhardtii), revealed a variety of propulsion modes, depending in particular on the calcium concentration. Here, we investigate theoretically and numerically the propulsion of a bead as a function of the flagellar waveform and the attachment geometries between the bead and the flagellum. To this end, we take advantage of the low Reynolds number of the fluid flows generated by the micro-swimmer, which allows us to neglect fluid inertia. By describing the flagellar waveform as a superposition of a static component and a propagating wave, and using resistive-force theory, we show that the asymmetric sideways attachment of the flagellum to the bead makes a contribution to the rotational velocity of the micro-swimmer that is comparable to the contribution caused by the static component of the flagellar waveform. Remarkably, our analysis reveals the existence of a counter-intuitive propulsion regime in which an increase in the size of the cargo, and hence its drag, leads to an increase in some components of the velocity of the bead. Finally, we discuss the relevance of the uncovered mechanisms for the fabrication of synthetic, bio-actuated medical micro-robots for targeted drug delivery.
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