206 research outputs found
Crowd-ML: A Privacy-Preserving Learning Framework for a Crowd of Smart Devices
Smart devices with built-in sensors, computational capabilities, and network
connectivity have become increasingly pervasive. The crowds of smart devices
offer opportunities to collectively sense and perform computing tasks in an
unprecedented scale. This paper presents Crowd-ML, a privacy-preserving machine
learning framework for a crowd of smart devices, which can solve a wide range
of learning problems for crowdsensing data with differential privacy
guarantees. Crowd-ML endows a crowdsensing system with an ability to learn
classifiers or predictors online from crowdsensing data privately with minimal
computational overheads on devices and servers, suitable for a practical and
large-scale employment of the framework. We analyze the performance and the
scalability of Crowd-ML, and implement the system with off-the-shelf
smartphones as a proof of concept. We demonstrate the advantages of Crowd-ML
with real and simulated experiments under various conditions
Acceptance and commitment therapy for symptom interference in metastatic breast cancer patients: a pilot randomized trial
PURPOSE:
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in women worldwide. With medical advances, metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients often live for years with many symptoms that interfere with activities. However, there is a paucity of efficacious interventions to address symptom-related suffering and functional interference. Thus, this study examined the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of telephone-based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for symptom interference with functioning in MBC patients.
METHODS:
Symptomatic MBC patients (N = 47) were randomly assigned to six telephone sessions of ACT or six telephone sessions of education/support. Patients completed measures of symptom interference and measures assessing the severity of pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, depressive symptoms, and anxiety.
RESULTS:
The eligibility screening rate (64%) and high retention (83% at 8 weeks post-baseline) demonstrated feasibility. When examining within-group change, ACT participants showed decreases in symptom interference (i.e., fatigue interference and sleep-related impairment; Cohen's d range = - 0.23 to - 0.31) at 8 and 12 weeks post-baseline, whereas education/support participants showed minimal change in these outcomes (d range = - 0.03 to 0.07). Additionally, at 12 weeks post-baseline, ACT participants showed moderate decreases in fatigue and sleep disturbance (both ds = - 0.43), whereas education/support participants showed small decreases in these outcomes (ds = - 0.24 and - 0.18 for fatigue and sleep disturbance, respectively). Both the ACT and education/support groups showed reductions in depressive symptoms (ds = - 0.27 and - 0.28) at 12 weeks post-baseline. Group differences in all outcomes were not statistically significant.
CONCLUSIONS:
ACT shows feasibility and promise in improving fatigue and sleep-related outcomes in MBC patients and warrants further investigation
Process outcomes from a randomized controlled trial comparing tailored mammography interventions delivered via telephone versus DVD
Objective
Tailored, interactive mammography-promotion interventions can increase adherence if women are exposed to and find them usable. We compare exposure to and usability of interventions delivered via telephone vs. DVD.
Methods
Process evaluation measures from 926 women randomly assigned to telephone or DVD intervention and completing post-intervention surveys.
Results
∼83% of each group reported exposure to all content. Partial exposure was higher for DVD (9% vs. 0.4%; p < .01); no exposure was higher for phone (15% vs. 8%; p < .01). There were no differences in exposure by age or race. Full phone exposure was less likely for women who already made mammography appointments. Usability rating was higher for DVD (p < .05), driven by ratings of understandability and length. Usability of both interventions was correlated with lower baseline barriers, and higher fear, benefits, and self efficacy. Higher ratings for phone were associated with lower knowledge and contemplating mammography. Non-whites rated DVD better than whites.
Conclusion
Both tailored interactive interventions had wide reach and favorable ratings, but DVD recipients had greatest exposure to at least partial content and more favorable ratings, especially among non-white women.
Practice implications
This first evaluation of a tailored, interactive DVD provides promise for its use in mammography promotion
Randomized trial of DVD, telephone, and usual care for increasing mammography adherence
The purpose of this study was to test an intervention to increase mammography screening in women 51-75 years of age who had not received a mammogram in the last 15 months. A total of 1681 women were randomized to (1) a mailed tailored interactive DVD, (2) a computer-tailored telephone counseling, or (3) usual care. Women with income below US75,000 had significantly fewer mammograms than women with income less than US75,000 did not show the same benefit of the intervention
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Symptom Interference in Advanced Lung Cancer and Caregiver Distress: A Pilot Randomized Trial
Context
Advanced lung cancer patients typically have a poor prognosis and many symptoms that interfere with functioning, contributing to high rates of emotional distress in both patients and family caregivers. There remains a need for evidence-based interventions to improve functional outcomes and distress in this population.
Objectives
This pilot trial examined the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of telephone-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for symptomatic, advanced lung cancer patients and their distressed family caregivers. Primary outcomes were patient symptom interference with functioning and patient and caregiver distress.
Methods
Symptomatic, advanced lung cancer patients and distressed caregivers (n = 50 dyads) were randomly assigned to six sessions of ACT or an education/support condition. Patients completed measures of symptom interference and measures assessing the severity of fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance, and breathlessness. Patients and caregivers completed measures of distress and illness acceptance and struggle.
Results
The eligibility screening rate (51%) and retention rate (76% at six weeks postintervention) demonstrated feasibility. No group differences were found with respect to patient and caregiver outcomes. Both groups showed a small, significant decrease in struggle with the illness over the study period, but did not show meaningful change in other outcomes.
Conclusion
Findings suggest that telephone-based ACT is feasible for many advanced lung cancer patients and caregivers, but may not substantially reduce symptom interference and distress. Low baseline levels of certain symptoms may have contributed to null findings. Next steps include applying ACT to specific, clinically meaningful symptom interference and varying intervention dose and modality
Biocatalytic reductive amination by native Amine Dehydrogenases to access short chiral alkyl amines and amino alcohols
Small optically active molecules, and more particularly short-chain chiral amines, are key 20 compounds in the chemical industry and precursors of various pharmaceuticals. Their chemo-21 biocatalytic production on a commercial scale is already established, mainly through lipase-22 catalyzed resolutions leading to ChiProsTM products among others. Nevertheless, their 23 biocatalytic synthesis still remains challenging for very short-chain C4 to C5 amines due to low 24 enantiomeric excess. To complement the possibilities recently offered by transaminases, this 25 work describes alternative biocatalytic access using amine dehydrogenases (AmDHs). Without 26 any protein engineering, some of the already described wild-type AmDHs (CfusAmDH, 27 MsmeAmDH, MicroAmDH and MATOUAmDH2) were shown to be efficient for the synthesis 28 of hydroxylated or unfunctionalized small 2-aminoalkanes. Conversions up to 97.1% were 29 reached at 50 mM, and moderate to high enantioselectivities were obtained, especially for (S)-30 1-methoxypropan-2-amine (98.1%), (S)-3-aminobutan-1-ol (99.5%), (3S)-3-aminobutan-2-ol 31 (99.4%) and the small (S)-butan-2-amine (93.6%) with MsmeAmDH. Semi-preparative scale 32 up experiments were successfully performed at 150 mM substrate concentrations for the 33 synthesis of (S)-butan-2-amine and (S)-1-methoxypropan-2-amine, the latter known as “(S)-34 MOIPA”. Modelling studies provided some preliminary results explaining the basis for the 35 challenging discrimination between similarly sized substituents in the active sites of these 36 enzymes
DNA cruciform arms nucleate through a correlated but non-synchronous cooperative mechanism
Inverted repeat (IR) sequences in DNA can form non-canonical cruciform
structures to relieve torsional stress. We use Monte Carlo simulations of a
recently developed coarse-grained model of DNA to demonstrate that the
nucleation of a cruciform can proceed through a cooperative mechanism. Firstly,
a twist-induced denaturation bubble must diffuse so that its midpoint is near
the centre of symmetry of the IR sequence. Secondly, bubble fluctuations must
be large enough to allow one of the arms to form a small number of hairpin
bonds. Once the first arm is partially formed, the second arm can rapidly grow
to a similar size. Because bubbles can twist back on themselves, they need
considerably fewer bases to resolve torsional stress than the final cruciform
state does. The initially stabilised cruciform therefore continues to grow,
which typically proceeds synchronously, reminiscent of the S-type mechanism of
cruciform formation. By using umbrella sampling techniques we calculate, for
different temperatures and superhelical densities, the free energy as a
function of the number of bonds in each cruciform along the correlated but
non-synchronous nucleation pathways we observed in direct simulations.Comment: 12 pages main paper + 11 pages supplementary dat
Protocol of a randomized trial of acceptance and commitment therapy for fatigue interference in metastatic breast cancer
Fatigue interference with activities, mood, and cognition is one of the most prevalent and distressing concerns of metastatic breast cancer patients. To date, there are no evidence-based interventions for reducing fatigue interference in metastatic breast cancer and other advanced cancer populations. In pilot studies, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has shown potential for reducing symptom-related suffering in cancer patients. The current Phase II trial seeks to more definitively examine the efficacy of telephone-based ACT for women with metastatic breast cancer who are experiencing fatigue interference. In this trial, 250 women are randomly assigned to either the ACT intervention or an education/support control condition. Women in both conditions attend six weekly 50-min telephone sessions. The primary aim of this study is to test the effect of telephone-based ACT on fatigue interference. Secondary outcomes include sleep interference, engagement in daily activities, and quality of life. Outcomes are assessed at baseline, 2 weeks post-intervention, and 3 and 6 months post-intervention. This trial also examines whether increases in psychological flexibility, defined as full awareness of the present moment while persisting in behaviors aligned with personal values, account for the beneficial effect of ACT on fatigue interference. After demonstrating ACT's efficacy, the intervention can be widely disseminated to clinicians who care for metastatic breast cancer patients. Our findings will also inform future ACT trials with various cancer populations and functional outcomes
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