Implementing interactive configuration management for distributed systems

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Competing Mobile Network Game: Embracing antijamming and jamming strategies with reinforcement learning

We introduce Competing Mobile Network Game (CMNG), a stochastic game played by cognitive radio networks that compete for dominating an open spectrum access. Differentiated from existing approaches, we incorporate both communicator and jamming nodes to form a network for friendly coalition, integrate antijamming and jamming subgames into a stochastic framework, and apply Q-learning techniques to solve for an optimal channel access strategy. We empirically evaluate our Q-learning based strategies and find that Minimax-Q learning is more suitable for an aggressive environment than Nash-Q while Friend-or-foe Q-learning can provide the best solution under distributed mobile ad hoc networking scenarios in which the centralized control can hardly be available.Engineering and Applied Science

Risk of cancer in relatives of testicular cancer patients.

The incidence of cancer at sites other than the testis has been investigated in the families of 797 Norwegian and 178 Swedish patients diagnosed with testicular cancer during 1981-91. In the families of the Norwegian patients, the total number of cancers in the relatives was significantly lower than the expected number derived from national incidence rates [observed number of cancers 250, expected number of cancers 281.92, standardised incidence ratio (SIR) 0.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78-1.00]. This finding can be accounted for almost entirely by the finding of fewer than expected prostate and gastrointestinal cancers in the parents of cases. The other common cancers were found at slightly lower than or near the expected levels in the relatives. In the Swedish cohort, which accounts for less than 20% of cases, the observed number of cancers was very close to the expected number. Fourteen fathers of cases had prostate cancer compared with 27.57 prostate cancers expected, giving a SIR of 0.51 (P=0.006). Mothers had more lung cancers (ten cases observed, SIR=2.11, P=0.04) and cancers of the endometrium than expected (13 cases observed, SIR=1.73, P=0.09). These findings may be interpreted as support for theories proposing hormonal dysfunction as causing testicular cancer. Fifty-four gastrointestinal cancers were observed in the parents compared with 68.48 expected (SIR=0.78, P=0.082). Furthermore, testicular cancer was not found to be associated with the known dominantly inherited cancer syndromes [Familial breast (-ovarian) cancer, hereditary no-polyposis colon cancer]. However, one patient belonged to a Li-Fraumeni family, raising the possibility that testicular cancer may be an infrequent component of this rare cancer syndrome. This study supports the hypothesis that families of testicular cancer patients are not prone to cancer

Familial testicular cancer in Norway and southern Sweden.

Information about occurrence of testicular cancer (TC) in relatives of TC patients has been collected using questionnaires from 797 out of 922 consecutive Norwegian and 178 out of 237 Swedish patients with TC seen at the Norwegian Radium Hospital and the University Hospital Lund in Sweden during 1981-91. Fifty-one Norwegian and five Swedish patients had a relative with confirmed TC. Thus, 51/922 (5.5%) of the Norwegian and 5/237 (2.1%) of the Swedish patients treated during the time interval investigated were considered to have familial TC. Thirty-two of the patients had an affected first-degree relative. Expected numbers of cancers in the relatives were computed from data in the Norwegian and Swedish Cancer Registries. Standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) were taken as observed numbers of TC/expected numbers of TC in the relatives. The SIR for brothers was 10.2 (95% confidence interval 6.22-15.77). SIR for fathers was 4.3 (1.6-9.3) and for sons 5.7 (0.7-23.2). The point estimate for the risk to brothers in the Norwegian part of the sample to develop TC by the age of 60 was 4.1% (95% CI 1.7-6.6%). This study indicates that genetic factors may be of greater importance in TC than previously assumed. Patients with familial testicular cancer had bilateral tumours more often than sporadic cases (9.8% bilaterality in familial vs 2.8% in sporadic cases, P=0.02). For patients with seminoma age of onset was lower in familial than in sporadic cases (32.9 vs 37.6 years, P=0.06). In father-son pairs, there was a statistically significant earlier age of diagnosis in the generation of sons (28.8 years vs 44.9 years, P=0.04). The prevalence of undescended testis (UDT) did not seem to be higher in familial than in sporadic TC (8.2% in familial TC and 13.3% in sporadic cases). This may indicate that different factors are of importance for the development of familial TC and UDT

Technical performance and diagnostic utility of the new Elecsys (R) neuron-specific enolase enzyme immunoassay

This international multicenter study was designed to evaluate the technical performance of the new double-monoclonal, single-step Elecsys neuron-specific enolase (NSE) enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and to assess its utility as a sensitive and specific test for the diagnosis of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Intra and interassay coefficients of variation, determined in five control or serum specimens in six laboratories, ranged from 0.7 to 5.3 (interlaboratory median: 1.3%) and from 1.3 to 8.5 (interlaboratory median: 3.4%), respectively. Laboratory-to-laboratory comparability was excellent with respect to recovery and interassay coefficients of variation. The test was linear between 0.0 and 320 ng/ml (highest measured concentration). There was a significant correlation between NSE concentrations measured using the Elecsys NSE and the established Cobas Core NSE EIA II in all subjects (n=723) and in patients with lung cancer (n=333). However, NSE concentrations were systematically lower (approximately 9%) with the Elecsys NSE than with the comparison test. Based on a specificity of 95% in comparison with the group suffering from benign lung diseases (n=183), the cutoff value for the discrimination between malignant and benign conditions was set at 21.6 ng/ml. NSE was raised in 73.4% of SCLC patients (n=188) and was significantly higher (p<0.01) in extensive (87.8%) as opposed to limited disease (56.7%). NSE was also elevated in 16.0% of the cases with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC, n=374). It is concluded that the Elecsys NSE EIA is a reliable and accurate diagnostic procedure for the measurement of NSE in serum samples. The special merits of this new assay are the wide measuring range (according to manufacturers declaration up to 370 ng/ml) and a short incubation time of 18 min

FUNCTIONS, FUNCTIONING AND OPTIMIZED POSITIONING OF PRESSURE CONTROL VALVES IN OIL-HYDRAULIC CIRCUITS

The pressure control valves can perform different functions in the hydraulic systems, such as: establish maximum pressure, reduce pressure in some circuit lines, and establish sequence movements, among other functions. The main operation of these valves consists of providing a balance between pressure and the force load on a spring. Most of these valves can be positioned in many different levels, between totally open and totally closed, depending on the flow and on the pressure differential. The pressure control valves are usually named according to their primary functions, e.g., lock wire valve, sequence valve, safety valve, etc. and, their basic function is limit or to determine the pressure of the hydraulic system for the attainment of a certain function of the equipment in motion. They are also classified by the type of connections, by the size and by the selected pressure band. Instead of relief and security, discharge, counterbalance, sequence, reducing and shock suppressor valves represent the pressure control devices. In this paper, oil-hydraulic circuits are suggested for practical lessons of Hydraulic and Pneumatic Commands where they regulate valves of pressure, by acting in the following situations: limiting the maximum pressure of the system, determining a level of pressure, determining two different levels of pressure, determining at the same time two distinct levels of pressure, unloading the pump. The functions of these devices will be discussed and analyzed as an attempt to improve their position in the circuit

Mortality and incidence of second cancers following treatment for testicular cancer

We studied 5555 seminoma patients and 3733 patients with nonseminomatous testicular cancers diagnosed in Southeast England between 1960 and 2004. For both groups survival improved over time: 10-year relative survival increased from 78% in 1960–1969 to 99% in 1990–2004 for seminomas, and from 55 to 95% for nonseminomas. In the early period mortality was still significantly increased more than 15 years after diagnosis in both groups, whereas in more recent periods the excess deaths mainly occurred in the first 5 years after diagnosis. For seminomas, there was a significant excess of cancers of the colon (standardised incidence ratio (SIR) 2.36; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13–4.35), soft tissue (SIR 13.64; CI 1.65–49.28) and bladder (SIR 4.28; CI 2.28–7.31) in the long term (20+ years after diagnosis), of pancreatic cancer in both the medium (10–19 years) (SIR 2.91; CI 1.26–5.73) and long term (SIR 5.48; CI 2.37–10.80), of leukaemia in both the short (0–9 years) (SIR 3.01; CI 1.44–5.54) and long term (SIR 4.48; CI 1.64–9.75), and of testis cancer in both the short (SIR 6.69; CI 4.28–9.95) and medium term (SIR 3.96; CI 1.08–10.14). For nonseminomas, significant excesses were found in the long term for cancers of the stomach (SIR 5.13; CI 1.40–13.13), rectum (SIR 4.49; CI 1.22–11.51) and pancreas (SIR 10.17: CI 3.73–22.13), and for testis cancer in the medium term (SIR 5.94; CI 2.18–12.93). Leukaemia was significantly increased in the short term (SIR 6.78; CI 2.93–13.36). The better survival observed is largely attributable to improved treatment, and the trend in reducing the toxicity of therapy should continue to reduce future health risks in testicular cancer survivors

Prediction of residual retroperitoneal mass histology after chemotherapy for metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell tumor: multivariate analysis of individual patient data from six study groups.

PURPOSE: To develop a statistical model that predicts the histology (necrosis, mature teratoma, or cancer) after chemotherapy for metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell tumor (NSGCT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: An international data set was collected comprising individual patient data from six study groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the probability of necrosis and th

Cumulative Burden of Morbidity Among Testicular Cancer Survivors After Standard Cisplatin-Based Chemotherapy: A Multi-Institutional Study

Purpose In this multicenter study, we evaluated the cumulative burden of morbidity (CBM) among > 1,200 testicular cancer survivors and applied factor analysis to determine the co-occurrence of adverse health outcomes (AHOs). Patients and Methods Participants were ≤ 55 years of age at diagnosis, finished first-line chemotherapy ≥ 1 year previously, completed a comprehensive questionnaire, and underwent physical examination. Treatment data were abstracted from medical records. A CBM score encompassed the number and severity of AHOs, with ordinal logistic regression used to assess associations with exposures. Nonlinear factor analysis and the nonparametric dimensionality evaluation to enumerate contributing traits procedure determined which AHOs co-occurred. Results Among 1,214 participants, approximately 20% had a high (15%) or very high/severe (4.1%) CBM score, whereas approximately 80% scored medium (30%) or low/very low (47%). Increased risks of higher scores were associated with four cycles of either ifosfamide, etoposide, and cisplatin (odds ratio [OR], 1.96; 95% CI, 1.04 to 3.71) or bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.98), older attained age (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.26), current disability leave (OR, 3.53; 95% CI, 1.57 to 7.95), less than a college education (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.87), and current or former smoking (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.63). CBM score did not differ after either chemotherapy regimen ( P = .36). Asian race (OR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.23 to 0.72) and vigorous exercise (OR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.52 to 0.89) were protective. Variable clustering analyses identified six significant AHO clusters (χ2 P < .001): hearing loss/damage, tinnitus (OR, 16.3); hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes (OR, 9.8); neuropathy, pain, Raynaud phenomenon (OR, 5.5); cardiovascular and related conditions (OR, 5.0); thyroid disease, erectile dysfunction (OR, 4.2); and depression/anxiety, hypogonadism (OR, 2.8). Conclusion Factors associated with higher CBM may identify testicular cancer survivors in need of closer monitoring. If confirmed, identified AHO clusters could guide the development of survivorship care strategies

Adjuvant bleomycin, vincristine and cisplatin (BOP) for high-risk stage I non-seminomatous germ cell tumours: a prospective trial (MRC TE17)

Adjuvant BEP (bleomycin, etoposide, cisplatin) is effective treatment for high-risk clinical stage I (HRCS1) non-seminomatous germ cell tumours (NSGCT), but the known toxicities of etoposide, and the expansion of the HR group to any patient with vascular invasion (50% of patients), led the Medical Research Council to pilot the BOP regimen. Patients received two courses of BOP 14 days apart: cisplatin 50 mg m−2 days 1 and 2, vincristine 1.4 mg m−2 (max. 2 mg) days 2 and 8, bleomycin 30 000 IU days 2 and 8. Primary outcome was relapse rate; quality of life, fertility, hearing and lung function were assessed pre- and post-treatment. In all, 100 patients were required. A total of 115 eligible patients were registered, all received two courses of chemotherapy. Median follow-up is 70 months; two relapses have occurred and the 5-year relapse-free rate is 98.3% (95% confidence interval (CI) 95.5%, 99.9%). As assessed by clinicians during treatment, complete (reversible) alopecia was present in 20% of patients; World Health Organization (WHO) grade 1/2 neurotoxicity was present in 41%/5% of patients during treatment and 22%/1% at 6 months. However, 12% of patients reported ‘quite a bit' or ‘very much' pain/numbness/tingling in hands/feet 2 years after chemotherapy. Mature follow-up confirms high efficacy for two courses of cisplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy in HRCS1 NSGCT. Substituting vincristine for etoposide decreases alopecia, but gives a low incidence of significant neuropathy. There are no clearcut advantages to 2 × BOP over 2 × BEP, except for patients who wish to maximise the chance of avoiding significant alopecia