Detection of Dishonest Entities

This paper discusses mechanisms to identify dishonest users of services provided by a server in environments where identities of honest users must be kept as their secrets. An anonymous token based mechanism enables the server to identify dishonest users when dishonest events are detected while the users are receiving services, and a homomorhic anonymous token based one enables that even dishonest events can be detected only after the server completed their services and the users had left from the server. A linear equation based encryption algorithm that is used for implementing the above methods is also enhanced

Deciphering the Drivers of Smart Livestock Technology Adoption in Japan: A Scoping Review, Expert Interviews, and Grounded Theory Approach

With global demand for animal products projected to increase significantly by 2050, understanding the factors that influence the adoption of smart livestock technologies has become increasingly crucial. Conducted within the unique agricultural context of Japan, our study builds upon traditional theoretical frameworks that often oversimplify farmers' decision-making processes. By employing a scoping review, expert interviews, and a Modified Grounded Theory Approach, our research uncovers the intricate interplay between individual farmer values, farm management policies, social relations, agricultural policies, and livestock industry trends. We particularly highlight the unique dynamics within family-owned businesses, noting the tension between an "advanced management mindset" and "conservatism." Our study underscores technology adoption's sequential and iterative nature, intricately tied to technology availability, farmers' digital literacy, technology implementation support, and observable technology impacts on animal health and productivity. Despite certain limitations, our findings carry profound implications for stakeholders, providing valuable insights to overcome adoption barriers and advocating for more sustainable, efficient, and animal welfare-oriented livestock production systems. This research establishes a solid foundation for future explorations into smart livestock technology adoption.Comment: 56 pages, 3 figure

Efficacy and Safety of Ramucirumab/nab-paclitaxel for Previously Treated Advanced Gastric Cancer in Community Hospitals

As the nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX) is free of ethanol and premedication, the duration of administration is shorter and patients can drive themselves to and from the hospital. In the 2018 Japanese gastric cancer treatment guidelines, ramucirumab (RAM) plus weekly nab-PTX is conditionally recommended for previously treated patients with advanced gastric cancer. Here, we retrospectively analysed the efficacy and safety of RAM+nab-PTX for such patients in community hospitals. From January 2018 to December 2019, 43 patients with metastatic and recurrent gastric cancer received RAM+nab-PTX treatment. Six patients (13.9%) were older than 80 years and 9 patients (20.9%) showed ECOG-PS 2. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and adverse events (AEs) were reviewed retrospectively. Median PFS was 114 days (95% confidence interval [CI]: 84-190) and median OS was 297 days (95% CI: 180-398). ORR and DCR were 32.4% and 72.2%, respectively. The incidence rates of ≥grade 3 neutropenia and febrile neutropenia were 53.5% and 2.3%, respectively. No treatment-related deaths occurred. RAM plus nab-PTX combination therapy demonstrated manageable toxicity even patients who were elderly or had an ECOG-PS 2. This treatment is useful in community hospital settings

Predictive Factors of Rectal Toxicity After Permanent iodine-125 Seed Implantation: Prospective Cohort Study in 2339 Patients

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence and the associated factors of rectal toxicity in patients with prostate cancer undergoing permanent seed implantation (PI) with or without external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) in a nationwide prospective cohort study in Japan (J-POPS) during the first 2 years. Methods and materials: A total of 2,339 subjects were available for the analyses. Rectal toxicity was evaluated using the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 3.0. Results: The 3-year cumulative incidence for grade ≥2 rectal toxicity was 2.88%, 1.76%, and 6.53% in all subjects, PI group and EBRT combination therapy group, respectively. On multivariate analysis, among all subjects, grade ≥2 rectal toxicity was associated with rectal volumes receiving 100% of the prescribed dose (R100; p Conclusions: Rectal toxicity was relatively rare in this study compared with previous reports. For Japanese prostate cancer patients, R100 < 1 mL in both PI and EBRT combination therapy groups and interactive planning in EBRT combination therapy group may be effective in decreasing the incidence of rectal toxicity

Elucidating colorectal cancer-associated bacteria through profiling of minimally perturbed tissue-associated microbiota

Sequencing-based interrogation of gut microbiota is a valuable approach for detecting microbes associated with colorectal cancer (CRC); however, such studies are often confounded by the effect of bowel preparation. In this study, we evaluated the viability of identifying CRC-associated mucosal bacteria through centimeter-scale profiling of the microbiota in tumors and adjacent noncancerous tissue from eleven patients who underwent colonic resection without preoperative bowel preparation. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that differences between on- and off-tumor microbiota varied considerably among patients. For some patients, phylotypes affiliated with genera previously implicated in colorectal carcinogenesis, as well as genera with less well-understood roles in CRC, were enriched in tumor tissue, whereas for other patients, on- and off-tumor microbiota were very similar. Notably, the enrichment of phylotypes in tumor-associated mucosa was highly localized and no longer apparent even a few centimeters away from the tumor. Through short-term liquid culturing and metagenomics, we further generated more than one-hundred metagenome-assembled genomes, several representing bacteria that were enriched in on-tumor samples. This is one of the first studies to analyze largely unperturbed mucosal microbiota in tissue samples from the resected colons of unprepped CRC patients. Future studies with larger cohorts are expected to clarify the causes and consequences of the observed variability in the emergence of tumor-localized microbiota among patients

Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma with Marked Eosinophil Infiltration

We report a case of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with marked eosinophil infiltration which was identified postoperatively in the esophageal wall in areas not surrounding the SCC. The eosinophil infiltration was seen in the submucosa, muscle and adventitia, but not in the mucosa. Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a pathological condition defined as eosinophil infiltration within the esophageal mucosa. Eosinophil infiltration at the invasion front of esophageal SCC is termed tumor-associated tissue eosinophilia (TATE). However, the eosinophil infiltration in this case may be pathologically different from both EoE and TATE. To our knowledge, this is the first report of esophageal SCC with eosinophil infiltration

Calreticulin and integrin alpha dissociation induces anti-inflammatory programming in animal models of inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, is a chronic intestinal inflammatory condition initiated by integrins-mediated leukocyte adhesion to the activated colonic microvascular endothelium. Calreticulin (CRT), a calcium-binding chaperone, is known as a partner in the activation of integrin α subunits (ITGAs). The relationship between their interaction and the pathogenesis of IBD is largely unknown. Here we show that a small molecule, orally active ER-464195-01, inhibits the CRT binding to ITGAs, which suppresses the adhesiveness of both T cells and neutrophils. Transcriptome analysis on colon samples from dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis mice reveals that the increased expression of pro-inflammatory genes is downregulated by ER-464195-01. Its prophylactic and therapeutic administration to IBD mouse models ameliorates the severity of their diseases. We propose that leukocytes infiltration via the binding of CRT to ITGAs is necessary for the onset and development of the colitis and the inhibition of this interaction may be a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of IBD

Coincidence analysis to search for inspiraling compact binaries using TAMA300 and LISM data

Japanese laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors, TAMA300 and LISM, performed a coincident observation during 2001. We perform a coincidence analysis to search for inspiraling compact binaries. The length of data used for the coincidence analysis is 275 hours when both TAMA300 and LISM detectors are operated simultaneously. TAMA300 and LISM data are analyzed by matched filtering, and candidates for gravitational wave events are obtained. If there is a true gravitational wave signal, it should appear in both data of detectors with consistent waveforms characterized by masses of stars, amplitude of the signal, the coalescence time and so on. We introduce a set of coincidence conditions of the parameters, and search for coincident events. This procedure reduces the number of fake events considerably, by a factor $\sim 10^{-4}$ compared with the number of fake events in single detector analysis. We find that the number of events after imposing the coincidence conditions is consistent with the number of accidental coincidences produced purely by noise. We thus find no evidence of gravitational wave signals. We obtain an upper limit of 0.046 /hours (CL $= 90$) to the Galactic event rate within 1kpc from the Earth. The method used in this paper can be applied straightforwardly to the case of coincidence observations with more than two detectors with arbitrary arm directions.Comment: 28 pages, 17 figures, Replaced with the version to be published in Physical Review

Results of the search for inspiraling compact star binaries from TAMA300's observation in 2000-2004

We analyze the data of TAMA300 detector to search for gravitational waves from inspiraling compact star binaries with masses of the component stars in the range 1-3Msolar. In this analysis, 2705 hours of data, taken during the years 2000-2004, are used for the event search. We combine the results of different observation runs, and obtained a single upper limit on the rate of the coalescence of compact binaries in our Galaxy of 20 per year at a 90% confidence level. In this upper limit, the effect of various systematic errors such like the uncertainty of the background estimation and the calibration of the detector's sensitivity are included.Comment: 8 pages, 4 Postscript figures, uses revtex4.sty The author list was correcte

Observation results by the TAMA300 detector on gravitational wave bursts from stellar-core collapses

We present data-analysis schemes and results of observations with the TAMA300 gravitational-wave detector, targeting burst signals from stellar-core collapse events. In analyses for burst gravitational waves, the detection and fake-reduction schemes are different from well-investigated ones for a chirp-wave analysis, because precise waveform templates are not available. We used an excess-power filter for the extraction of gravitational-wave candidates, and developed two methods for the reduction of fake events caused by non-stationary noises of the detector. These analysis schemes were applied to real data from the TAMA300 interferometric gravitational wave detector. As a result, fake events were reduced by a factor of about 1000 in the best cases. The resultant event candidates were interpreted from an astronomical viewpoint. We set an upper limit of 2.2x10^3 events/sec on the burst gravitational-wave event rate in our Galaxy with a confidence level of 90%. This work sets a milestone and prospects on the search for burst gravitational waves, by establishing an analysis scheme for the observation data from an interferometric gravitational wave detector