Cost-effectiveness of diagnostic laparoscopy for assessing resectability in pancreatic and periampullary cancer.

Surgical resection is the only curative treatment for pancreatic and periampullary cancer, but many patients undergo unnecessary laparotomy because tumours can be understaged by computerised tomography (CT). A recent Cochrane review found diagnostic laparoscopy can decrease unnecessary laparotomy. We compared the cost-effectiveness of diagnostic laparoscopy prior to laparotomy versus direct laparotomy in patients with pancreatic and periampullary cancer with resectable disease based on CT scanning

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Endoscopic Ultrasound versus Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography in Patients with Suspected Common Bile Duct Stones.

Patients with suspected common bile duct (CBD) stones are often diagnosed using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), an invasive procedure with risk of significant complications. Using endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) or Magnetic Resonance CholangioPancreatography (MRCP) first to detect CBD stones can reduce the risk of unnecessary procedures, cut complications and may save costs

Multimodal 3D Object Detection from Simulated Pretraining

The need for simulated data in autonomous driving applications has become increasingly important, both for validation of pretrained models and for training new models. In order for these models to generalize to real-world applications, it is critical that the underlying dataset contains a variety of driving scenarios and that simulated sensor readings closely mimics real-world sensors. We present the Carla Automated Dataset Extraction Tool (CADET), a novel tool for generating training data from the CARLA simulator to be used in autonomous driving research. The tool is able to export high-quality, synchronized LIDAR and camera data with object annotations, and offers configuration to accurately reflect a real-life sensor array. Furthermore, we use this tool to generate a dataset consisting of 10 000 samples and use this dataset in order to train the 3D object detection network AVOD-FPN, with finetuning on the KITTI dataset in order to evaluate the potential for effective pretraining. We also present two novel LIDAR feature map configurations in Bird's Eye View for use with AVOD-FPN that can be easily modified. These configurations are tested on the KITTI and CADET datasets in order to evaluate their performance as well as the usability of the simulated dataset for pretraining. Although insufficient to fully replace the use of real world data, and generally not able to exceed the performance of systems fully trained on real data, our results indicate that simulated data can considerably reduce the amount of training on real data required to achieve satisfactory levels of accuracy.Comment: 12 pages, part of proceedings for the NAIS 2019 symposiu

Improving post-partum family planning services provided by female community health volunteers in Nepal: a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: Family planning services in the post-partum period, termed post-partum family planning (PPFP) is critical to cover the unmet need for contraception, especially when institutional delivery rates have increased. However, the intention to choose PPFP methods such as post-partum intrauterine devices (PPIUD) remains low in countries such as Nepal. Community health workers such as Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) could play an important role in improving the service coverage of PPFP in Nepal. However, their knowledge of PPFP and community-based services related to PPFP remain unclear. This study aims to assess the effect on community-based PPFP services by improving FCHV's knowledge through orientation on PPFP. METHODS: We conducted this mixed-methods study in Morang District in Nepal. The intervention involved orientation of FCHVs on PPFP methods. We collected quantitative data from three sources; via a survey of FCHVs that assessed their knowledge before and after the intervention, from their monthly reporting forms on counseling coverage of women at different stages of pregnancy from the communities, and by interviewing mothers in their immediate post-partum period in two selected hospitals. We also conducted six focus group discussions with the FCHVs to understand their perception of PPFP and the intervention. We performed descriptive and multivariable analyses for quantitative results and thematic analysis for qualitative data. RESULTS: In total, 230 FCHVs participated in the intervention and their knowledge of PPFP improved significantly after it. The intervention was the only factor significantly associated with their improved knowledge (adjusted odds ratio = 24, P < 0.001) in the multivariable analysis. FCHVs were able to counsel 83.3% of 1872 mothers at different stages of pregnancy in the communities. In the two hospitals, the proportion of mothers in their immediate post-partum period whom reported they were counseled by FCHVs during their pregnancy increased. It improved from 7% before the intervention to 18.1% (P < 0.001) after the intervention. The qualitative findings suggested that the intervention improved their knowledge in providing PPFP counseling. CONCLUSION: The orientation improved the FCHV's knowledge of PPFP and their community-based counseling. Follow-up studies are needed to assess the longer term effect of the FCHV's role in improving community-based PPFP services

The MC@NLO 3.2 Event Generator

This is the user's manual of MC@NLO 3.2. This package is a practical implementation, based upon the HERWIG event generator, of the MC@NLO formalism, which allows one to incorporate NLO QCD matrix elements consistently into a parton shower framework. Processes available in this version include the hadroproduction of single vector and Higgs bosons, vector boson pairs, heavy quark pairs, single top, lepton pairs, and Higgs bosons in association with a W or Z. Spin correlations in decays are included for all processes except ttbar, single-t, ZZ, and WZ production. This document is self-contained, but we emphasise the main differences with respect to previous versions

The MC@NLO 3.2 Event Generator

This is the user's manual of MC@NLO 3.2. This package is a practical implementation, based upon the HERWIG event generator, of the MC@NLO formalism, which allows one to incorporate NLO QCD matrix elements consistently into a parton shower framework. Processes available in this version include the hadroproduction of single vector and Higgs bosons, vector boson pairs, heavy quark pairs, single top, lepton pairs, and Higgs bosons in association with a W or Z. Spin correlations in decays are included for all processes except ttbar, single-t, ZZ, and WZ production. This document is self-contained, but we emphasise the main differences with respect to previous versions

The MC@NLO 3.3 Event Generator

This is the user's manual of MC@NLO 3.3. This package is a practical implementation, based upon the HERWIG event generator, of the MC@NLO formalism, which allows one to incorporate NLO QCD matrix elements consistently into a parton shower framework. Processes available in this version include the hadroproduction of single vector and Higgs bosons, vector boson pairs, heavy quark pairs, single top, lepton pairs, and Higgs bosons in association with a W or Z. Spin correlations are included for all processes except ZZ and WZ production. This document is self-contained, but we emphasise the main differences with respect to previous versions

IDENTIFIKASI EKSPRESI GEN SEL SARAF HASIL DIFERENSIASI STEM CELL MESENKIMAL SUMSUM TULANG (MSCS) YANG DIINDUKSI EKSTRAK METANOL DAUN SIKHOHKHOH (CHROMOLAENA ODORATA) MENGGUNAKAN REAL TIME-PCR

ABSTRAKMesenchymal Stem Cell (MSCs) dapat mengalami transdiferensiasi menjadi sel saraf dengan penambahan growth factor berupa senyawa kimia pada medium kultur. Tumbuhan Sikhohkhoh (Chromolaena odorata) mengandung senyawa kimia aktif seperti karotenoid dan flavonoid yang dapat menginisiasi MSCs menjadi sel saraf. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui potensi induksi ekstrak metanol daun C. odorata terhadap transdiferensiasi MSCs sumsum tulang menjadi sel saraf serta mengidentifikasi ek spresi gen sel saraf menggunakan metode real time-PCR dan elektroforesis gel agarosa. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan di Laboratorium Riset Histologi Jurusan Biologi FMIPA dan Laboratorium Riset Fakultas Kedokteran Hewan dari bulan Februari sampai September 2017. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode Rancangan Acak Lengkap (RAL) dengan 5 perlakuan 4 ulangan. Perlakuan berupa penambahan ekstrak daun Sikhohkhoh (Chromolaena odorata) yang terdiri dari dosis M0 0.0 mg/ml sebagai kontrol, M10.7 mg/ml, M2 0.8 mg/ml, M3 0.9 mg/ml, M4 1.0 mg/ml. Parameter yang diukur adalah jumlah transdiferensiasi MSCs menjadi sel saraf dengan analisis ANAVA, identifikasi gen Real Time-PCR dengan analisis deskriptif kurva amplifikasi, melt peak dan melt curve serta identifikasi gen elektroforesis gel agarosa. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ekstrak C. odorata berpengaruh nyata terhadappenginduksian jumlah trandiferensiasi sel saraf (P< 0.05) secara berturut-turut dari dosis paling berpengaruh yaitu M2 (0.8 mg/mL), M1 (0.7 mg/mL) dan M3 (0.9 mg/mL) dengan masing-masing nilai rataan 33.24, 19.00, 14.25 dan uji molekuler mengunakan real time-PCR menunjukkan bahwa gen yang teramplifikasi positifgen saraf serta terkonfirmasi dengan elektroforesis gel agarosa. Kata Kunci : Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSCs), transdiferensiasi, daun Sikhohkhoh(Chromolena odarata), real-time PCR, sel saraf

The MC@NLO 3.3 Event Generator

This is the user's manual of MC@NLO 3.3. This package is a practical implementation, based upon the HERWIG event generator, of the MC@NLO formalism, which allows one to incorporate NLO QCD matrix elements consistently into a parton shower framework. Processes available in this version include the hadroproduction of single vector and Higgs bosons, vector boson pairs, heavy quark pairs, single top, lepton pairs, and Higgs bosons in association with a W or Z. Spin correlations are included for all processes except ZZ and WZ production. This document is self-contained, but we emphasise the main differences with respect to previous versions

High-Spatial Resolution Laser Doppler Blood Flow Imaging

This paper was presented at the 4th Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2014), which was held at University College, London, UK. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Italian Union of Thermofluiddynamics, IPEM, the Process Intensification Network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Heat Transfer Society, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group, and the Energy Institute, ASME Press, LCN London Centre for Nanotechnology, UCL University College London, UCL Engineering, the International NanoScience Community, www.nanopaprika.eu.A full-field laser Doppler blood flow imaging (LDI) system based on an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) coupled with a high-speed CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) camera chip has been developed which provides blood flow images with flexible frame rates and spatial resolution. When a high spatial resolution is required, 1280x1024-pixel blood flow images were obtained by processing up to 2048 samples at 0.2 frames per second (fps). Alternatively, a maximum of 15.5fps was achieved by reducing the spatial resolution and sampling points to 256x256 pixels and 128 samples respectively. This system was applied to a high-spatial resolution flow imaging application in which a mixture of water and polystyrene microspheres was pumped through a micropipette (diameter = 250m) with controlled velocities, and the resulting flow was imaged and processed. The performance was demonstrated by the resulting flow images which are of size 1280×1024 pixels and obtained by processing 2048 samples at each pixel