Full statistics of energy conservation in two times measurement protocols

The first law of thermodynamics states that the average total energy current between different reservoirs vanishes at large times. In this note we examine this fact at the level of the full statistics of two times measurement protocols also known as the Full Counting Statistics. Under very general conditions, we establish a tight form of the first law asserting that the fluctuations of the total energy current computed from the energy variation distribution are exponentially suppressed in the large time limit. We illustrate this general result using two examples: the Anderson impurity model and a 2D spin lattice model.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation: Clinical evidence versus clinical practice

2 page(s

What Constitutes Good Contrastive Learning in Time-Series Forecasting?

In recent years, the introduction of self-supervised contrastive learning (SSCL) has demonstrated remarkable improvements in representation learning across various domains, including natural language processing and computer vision. By leveraging the inherent benefits of self-supervision, SSCL enables the pre-training of representation models using vast amounts of unlabeled data. Despite these advances, there remains a significant gap in understanding the impact of different SSCL strategies on time series forecasting performance, as well as the specific benefits that SSCL can bring. This paper aims to address these gaps by conducting a comprehensive analysis of the effectiveness of various training variables, including different SSCL algorithms, learning strategies, model architectures, and their interplay. Additionally, to gain deeper insights into the improvements brought about by SSCL in the context of time-series forecasting, a qualitative analysis of the empirical receptive field is performed. Through our experiments, we demonstrate that the end-to-end training of a Transformer model using the Mean Squared Error (MSE) loss and SSCL emerges as the most effective approach in time series forecasting. Notably, the incorporation of the contrastive objective enables the model to prioritize more pertinent information for forecasting, such as scale and periodic relationships. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the benefits of SSCL in time series forecasting and provide valuable insights for future research in this area. Our codes are available at https://github.com/chiyuzhang94/contrastive_learning_time-series_e2e.Comment: Accepted at IJCAI'22 Workshop-AI4TS: AI for Time Series Analysi

Perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy for peritoneal surface malignancy

The treatment of peritoneal surface malignancy mainly focuses on diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, pseudomyxoma peritonei from appendiceal cancer, and peritoneal dissemination from gastrointestinal and ovarian cancers. Cancer progression causes peritoneal implants to be distributed throughout the abdominopelvic cavity. These nodules plus the ascitic fluid result in abdominal distension. As the disease progresses, these tumors cause intestinal obstruction leading to debilitating symptoms and a greatly impaired quality of life. In the past, the prognosis of patients with peritoneal surface malignancy was regarded dismal and cure was not an option. Recently, cytoreductive surgery combined with perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy has shown an improved survival in selected patients with this disease. To date, multiple different treatment regimens of perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy have been used. This review focuses on the perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy currently in use in conjunction with cytoreductive surgery for the treatment of peritoneal surface malignancy at the Washington Cancer Institute

Transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation versus reoperative conventional aortic valve replacement: a systematic review

none6siTranscatheter valve-in-valve (VIV) implantation for degenerated aortic bioprostheses has emerged as a promising alternative to redo conventional aortic valve replacement (cAVR). However there are concerns surrounding the efficacy and safety of VIV. This systematic review aims to compare the outcomes and safety of transcatheter VIV implantation with redoes cAVR. Six databases were systematically searched. A total of 18 relevant studies (823 patients) were included. Pooled analysis demonstrated VIV achieved significant improvements in mean gradient (38 mmHg preoperatively to 15.2 mmHg postoperatively, P<0.001) and peak gradient (59.2 to 23.2 mmHg, P=0.0003). These improvements were similar to the outcomes achieved by cAVR. The incidence of moderate paravalvular leaks (PVL) were significantly higher for VIV compared to cAVR (3.3% vs. 0.4%, P=0.022). In terms of morbidity, VIV had a significantly lower incidence of stroke and bleeding compared to redo cAVR (1.9% vs. 8.8%, P=0.002 & 6.9% vs. 9.1%, P=0.014, respectively). Perioperative mortality rates were similar for VIV (7.9%) and redo cAVR (6.1%, P=0.35). In conclusion, transcatheter VIV implantation achieves similar haemodynamic outcomes, with lower risk of strokes and bleeding but higher PVL rates compared to redo cAVR. Future randomized studies and prospective registries are essential to compare the effectiveness of transcatheter VIV with cAVR, and clarify the rates of PVLs.openPhan, Kevin; Zhao, Dong-Fang; Wang, Nelson; Huo, Ya Ruth; Di Eusanio, Marco; Yan, Tristan DPhan, Kevin; Zhao, Dong-Fang; Wang, Nelson; Huo, Ya Ruth; Di Eusanio, Marco; Yan, Tristan

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation for high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis: A systematic review

ObjectivesThe present systematic review objectively assessed the safety and clinical effectiveness of transcatheter aortic valve implantation for patients at high surgical risk with severe aortic stenosis.MethodsElectronic searches were performed in 6 databases from January 2000 to March 2009. The end points included feasibility, safety, efficacy, and durability. Clinical effectiveness was synthesized through a narrative review with full tabulation of results of all included studies.ResultsThe current evidence on transcatheter aortic valve implantation for aortic stenosis is limited to short-term observational studies. The overall procedural success rates ranged from 74% to 100%. The incidence of major adverse events included 30-day mortality (0%–25%), major ventricular tachyarrhythmia (0%–4%), myocardial infarction (0%–15%), cardiac tamponade (2%–10%), stroke (0%–10%), conversion to surgery (0%–8%), moderate to major paravalvular leak (4%–35%), vascular complication (8%–17%), valve-in-valve procedure (2%–12%), and aortic dissection/perforation (0%–4%). The overall 30-day major adverse cardiovascular and cerebral events ranged from 3% to 35%. The mean aortic valve area ranged from 0.5 to 0.8 cm2 before and 1.3 to 2.0 cm2 after transcatheter aortic valve implantation. The mean pressure gradient ranged from 34 to 58 mm Hg before and 3 to 12 mm Hg after transcatheter aortic valve implantation. There was no significant deterioration in echocardiography measurements during the assessment period. Death rate at 6 months postprocedure ranged from 18% to 48%. No studies had adequate follow-up to reliably evaluate long-term outcomes.ConclusionsThe procedure has a potential for serious complications. Although short-term efficacy based on echocardiography measurements is good, there is little evidence on long-term outcomes. The use of transcatheter aortic valve implantation should be considered only within the boundaries of clinical trials