Data Compression in the NEXT-100 Data Acquisition System.

NEXT collaboration detectors are based on energy measured by an array of photomultipliers (PMT) and topological event filtering based on an array of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). The readout of the PMT sensors for low-frequency noise effects and detector safety issues requires a grounded cathode connection that makes the readout AC-couple with variations in the signal baseline. Strict detector requirements of energy resolution better than 1% FWHM require a precise baseline reconstruction that is performed offline for data analysis and detector performance characterization. Baseline variations make it inefficient to apply traditional lossy data compression techniques, such as zero-suppression, that help to minimize data throughput and, therefore, the dead time of the system. However, for the readout of the SiPM sensors with less demanding requirements in terms of accuracy, a traditional zero-suppression is currently applied with a configuration that allows for a compression ratio of around 71%. The third stage in the NEXT detectors program, the NEXT-100 detector, is a 100 kg detector that instruments approximately five times more PMT sensors and twice the number of SiPM sensors than its predecessor, the NEXT-White detector, putting more pressure in the DAQ throughput, expected to be over 900 MB/s with the current configuration, which will worsen the dead time of the acquisition data system. This paper describes the data compression techniques applied to the sensor data in the NEXT-100 detector, which reduces data throughput and minimizes dead time while maintaining the event rate to the level of its predecessor, around 50 Hz.

The Event Detection System in the NEXT-White Detector.

This article describes the event detection system of the NEXT-White detector, a 5 kg high pressure xenon TPC with electroluminescent amplification, located in the Laboratorio Subterráneo de Canfranc (LSC), Spain. The detector is based on a plane of photomultipliers (PMTs) for energy measurements and a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) tracking plane for offline topological event filtering. The event detection system, based on the SRS-ATCA data acquisition system developed in the framework of the CERN RD51 collaboration, has been designed to detect multiple events based on online PMT signal energy measurements and a coincidence-detection algorithm. Implemented on FPGA, the system has been successfully running and evolving during NEXT-White operation. The event detection system brings some relevant and new functionalities in the field. A distributed double event processor has been implemented to detect simultaneously two different types of events thus allowing simultaneous calibration and physics runs. This special feature provides constant monitoring of the detector conditions, being especially relevant to the lifetime and geometrical map computations which are needed to correct high-energy physics events. Other features, like primary scintillation event rejection, or a double buffer associated with the type of event being searched, help reduce the unnecessary data throughput thus minimizing dead time and improving trigger efficiency.

Impact of Age on Inflammation-Based Scores among Patients Diagnosed with Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory and nutritional indexes are prognostic factors in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Furthermore, a low grade of chronic inflammation has been described in the older population (inflammaging). We aimed to evaluate the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI), the advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI), the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) in young and older patients diagnosed with locally advanced NSCLC to determine if significant differences between these groups exist. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study analyzing the impact of age on the NLR, PNI, ALI, PLR, and GPS among patients diagnosed with stage III NSCLC at Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset between 2010 and 2015. RESULTS: We included 124 patients (84 young, 40 older patients). The median hemoglobin level and leukocyte count were lower in the older patients (p = 0.0158 and p = 0.001, respectively). A higher median C-reactive protein level was also found in this group (p = 0.0095). Regarding specific inflammatory indexes, the PNI, comprising inflammatory and nutritional parameters, was lower among the older patients (p = 0.0463). The median NLR, ALI, and PLR were similar in both age groups. Moreover, no differences between the age groups were found in the percentage of patients showing high versus low NLR (cutoff point, 5) or ALI (cutoff point, 18) or in the different GPS groups. CONCLUSIONS: The baseline PNI, hemoglobin level, and lymphocyte count were lower among the older patients; furthermore, CRP was higher, possibly, because of a more prominent inflammatory status in older patients with lung cancer. No other immunological or nutritional analytical variables were different between the age groups.

Optimization of Deep Neural Networks Using SoCs with OpenCL.

In the optimization of deep neural networks (DNNs) via evolutionary algorithms (EAs) and the implementation of the training necessary for the creation of the objective function, there is often a trade-off between efficiency and flexibility. Pure software solutions implemented on general-purpose processors tend to be slow because they do not take advantage of the inherent parallelism of these devices, whereas hardware realizations based on heterogeneous platforms (combining central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs) and/or field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)) are designed based on different solutions using methodologies supported by different languages and using very different implementation criteria. This paper first presents a study that demonstrates the need for a heterogeneous (CPU-GPU-FPGA) platform to accelerate the optimization of artificial neural networks (ANNs) using genetic algorithms. Second, the paper presents implementations of the calculations related to the individuals evaluated in such an algorithm on different (CPU- and FPGA-based) platforms, but with the same source files written in OpenCL. The implementation of individuals on remote, low-cost FPGA systems on a chip (SoCs) is found to enable the achievement of good efficiency in terms of performance per watt.

Design and Validation of an FPGA-Based Configurable Transcranial Doppler Neurofeedback System for Chronic Pain Patients.

Neurofeedback is a self-regulation technique that can be applied to learn to voluntarily control cerebral activity in specific brain regions. In this work, a Transcranial Doppler-based configurable neurofeedback system is proposed and described. The hardware configuration is based on the Red Pitaya board, which gives great flexibility and processing power to the system. The parameter to be trained can be selected between several temporal, spectral, or complexity features from the cerebral blood flow velocity signal in different vessels. As previous studies have found alterations in these parameters in chronic pain patients, the system could be applied to help them to voluntarily control these parameters. Two protocols based on different temporal lengths of the training periods have been proposed and tested with six healthy subjects that were randomly assigned to one of the protocols at the beginning of the procedure. For the purposes of the testing, the trained parameter was the mean cerebral blood flow velocity in the aggregated data from the two anterior cerebral arteries. Results show that, using the proposed neurofeedback system, the two groups of healthy volunteers can learn to self-regulate a parameter from their brain activity in a reduced number of training sessions.

Fetal Val108/158Met catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) polymorphism and placental COMT activity are associated with the development of preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between fetal and maternal catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met and methyl tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T functional polymorphisms and preeclampsia, examining its influence on placental COMT and in maternal 2-methoxyestradiol (2-ME) plasma levels. DESIGN: Prospective case-control study. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENT(S): A total of 53 preeclamptic and 72 normal pregnant women. INTERVENTION(S): Maternal and cord blood samples and placental tissue samples were obtained. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Maternal and fetal COMT and MTHFR polymorphisms were genotyped. Maternal plasma 2-ME and homocysteine levels, and expression and activity of placental COMT were measured. RESULT(S): The odds ratio for the risk of preeclampsia for fetal COMT Met/Met was 3.22, and it increased to 8.65 when associated with fetal MTHFR TT. Placental COMT activity and expression were influenced by genotype, but COMT activity in preeclamptic placentas did not differ from control pregnancies. There was no association between any genotypes and maternal 2-ME. Homocysteine levels were higher in women with preeclampsia than in normal pregnancies, and were inversely correlated with 2-ME plasma levels, indicating that its altered metabolism may lower COMT activity in vivo. CONCLUSION(S): Fetal Met-Met COMT genotype reduces COMT placental expression and activity in vitro and increases preeclampsia, risk but it does not explain the difference in maternal 2-ME levels between preeclamptic and normal pregnancies. However, the preeclamptic patients had elevated homocysteine levels that correlated inversely with 2-ME, indicating that an altered methionine-homocysteine metabolism may contribute to reduce COMT activity in vivo and explain the decreased levels of 2-ME in preeclamptic women.

2-methoxyestradiol plasma levels are associated with clinical severity indices and biomarkers of preeclampsia.

We investigated whether clinical severity indices and biomarkers for preeclampsia (PE) are associated with low plasmatic 2-methoxyestradiol (2ME) in the third trimester of gestation. Blood was collected from 53 women with PE and 73 control pregnant women before parturition. The concentration of 2ME was significantly higher in controls than in patients with PE (2906.43 ± 200.69 pg/mL vs 1818.41 ± 189.25 pg/mL). The risk of PE decreased as 2ME levels increased. The 2ME values were negatively correlated with systolic peak arterial pressure and proteinuria in PE. Additionally, those women with PE with lower 2ME had a more serious clinical situation and needed a more aggressive therapy. Finally, 2ME levels (in patients with PE and total population) were significantly correlated with concentrations of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 and placental growth factor . Summarizing, patients with PE had lower 2ME levels that were correlated with different clinical indices and biomarkers of severity, indicating that 2ME could be taken into account for the clinical management of this syndrome.

[The height target prediction by the Tanner method infra evaluates the final height in youths from the rural area of South East Spain]. / La predicción de la talla diana por el método de Tanner infravalora la talla final en jóvenes de zona rural del sudeste de España.

INTRODUCTION: Assessing the final height of an individual before the end of the growth has clinical utility for monitoring child health. OBJECTIVE: To calculate the target height of a rural population in Southeast Spain and to compare it with the final height. METHODS: A descriptive observational study was performed. 50 young adults were included in the study (44% men) along with 100 biological parents. The selection of young adults was conducted in 2 phases: 1. Retrospective study based on medical records. 2. PROSPECTIVE STUDY: recruitment and anthropometric measurements. Target size and the size deviation were calculated. RESULTS: The final height was 4.44 cm and 6.37cm higher than the expected target height for men and for women, respectively (p<0.001). (p<0.001). The genetic influence differed between males and females, while the final height for males was associated with the paternal height (r = 0.613, p <0.01), for females, no significant association with the height of the father or the mother was found. The age of the greater correlation with the final height was at 10 ys for boys (r = 0.819) and at 14 ys for girls (r = 0.959). The males' final obesity degree correlated with the father's BMI (r = 0.575, p <0.01) and for girls, with the mother's (r = 0.451, p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The target height formula underestimates the final size of individuals. It could be useful to perform an anthropometric study at 10 ys in boys and at 14 ys in girls in order to prevent further alterations in size or weight.

Introducción: Conocer la talla final de un individuo antes de finalizar el crecimiento presenta utilidad clínica para el seguimiento de la salud infantil. Objetivo: Calcular la talla diana de una población rural del sudeste de España y comparar con la talla final alcanzada. Métodos: Fueron incluidos 50 jóvenes de 18 a 22 años (44% hombres) y 100 progenitores. La selección de los jóvenes se realizó en 2 fases: 1. Estudio retrospectivo a partir de historias clínicas. 2. Estudio prospectivo: reclutamiento y determinaciones antropométricas. Se calculó talla diana y el desvío de talla. Resultados: La talla final de los chicos fue de 4,44 cm superior a la talla diana (p.

Phase II trial of oxaliplatin and capecitabine after progression to first-line chemotherapy in androgen-independent prostate cancer patients.

INTRODUCTION: Docetaxel plus prednisone is the current standard of care in first-line chemotherapy for metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer. However, there is no agent proven as effective after progression to standard docetaxel-based therapy. Platins and capecitabine have shown activity in this setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 14 patients were included in this prospective, single-center trial. All patients had progressed to first-line docetaxel-based treatment. Patients received oxaliplatin 100 mg/sqm on D1 and capecitabine 1000 mg/sqm/bid on days 1 to 14 every 21 days. RESULTS: Median number of cycles was 3. No unexpected toxicity was observed. Only grade 3 toxicity reported was grade 3 anemia. Of the 14 patients, 3 presented grade 2 neuropathy which was spontaneously resolved. Prostate-specific antigenresponse rate was 57%, with a median time to progression of 14.5 weeks, and overall survival of 24 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: In the second-line setting, after receiving docetaxel-based chemotherapy, the combination of oxaliplatin and capecitabine offers promising activity with an excellent safety profile.

La predicción de la talla diana por el método de Tanner infravalora la talla final en jóvenes de zona rural del sudeste de España / The height target prediction by the Tanner method infra evaluates the final height in youths from the rural área of south east Spain

Introducción: Conocer la talla final de un individuo antes de finalizar el crecimiento presenta utilidad clínica para el seguimiento de la salud infantil. Objetivo: Calcular la talla diana de una población rural del sudeste de España y comparar con la talla final alcanzada. Métodos: Fueron incluidos 50 jóvenes de 18 a 22 años (44% hombres) y 100 progenitores. La selección de los jóvenes se realizó en 2 fases: 1. Estudio retrospectivo a partir de historias clínicas. 2. Estudio prospectivo: reclutamiento y determinaciones antropométricas. Se calculó talla diana y el desvío de talla. Resultados: La talla final de los chicos fue de 4,44 cm superior a la talla diana (p<0,001); en chicas fue de 6,37cm superior (p<0,001). La influencia genética difirió entre chicos y chicas, mientras que la talla final de los chicos se asoció sólo con la talla paterna (r=0,613; p<0,01). En las chicas no se presentó asociación significativa con la talla del padre ni de la madre (p>0,05). La edad de mayor correlación con la talla final fue a los 10 años en los chicos (r=0,819) y a los 14 años en las chicas (r=0,959). La obesidad final (IMC) de los chicos se correlacionó con la del padre (r=0,575; p<0,01) y en las chicas con la de la madre (r=0,451; p<0,05). Conclusiones: La fórmula de talla diana infravalora la talla final de los individuos. Sin embargo, podría ser de interés realizar estudio antropométrico a los 10 años en chicos y 14 años en chicas con el fin de prevenir alteraciones posteriores en talla o peso (AU)

Introduction: Assessing the final height of an individual before the end of the growth has clinical utility for monitoring child health. Objective: To calculate the target height of a rural population in Southeast Spain and to compare it with the final height. Methods: A descriptive observational study was performed. 50 young adults were included in the study (44% men) along with 100 biological parents. The selection of young adults as conducted in 2 phases: 1. Retrospective study based on medical records. 2. Prospective study: recruitment and anthropometric measurements. Target size and the size deviation were calculated. Results: The final height was 4.44 cm and 6.37cm higher than the expected target height for men and for women, respectively (p<0.001). (p<0.001). The genetic influence differed between males and females, while the final height for males was associated with the paternal height (r = 0.613, p <0.01), for females, no significant association with the height of the father or the mother was found. The age of the greater correlation with the final height was at 10 ys for boys (r = 0.819) and at 14 ys for girls (r = 0.959). The males´ final obesity degree correlated with the father´s BMI (r = 0.575, p <0.01) and for girls, with the mother´s (r = 0.451, p <0.05). Conclusions: The target height formula underestimates the final size of individuals. It could be useful to perform an anthropometric study at 10 ys in boys and at 14 ys in girls in order to prevent further alterations in size or weight (AU)

Alloimmune neonatal neutropenia and thrombocytopenia associated with maternal anti HNA-1a, HPA-3b and HLA antibodies.

The incidence of alloimmune neonatal neutropenia combined with neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia is very low. We report a case of a neonate who suffered severe neutropenia and thombocytopenia with widespread petechial spots. The presence of alloantibodies in mother's and patient's sera was analyzed by lymphocytotoxicity test, agglutination test, granulocyte indirect immunofluorescence test, platelet immunofluorescence test (PIFT) and solid phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Human neutrophil antigens (HNA) and human platelet antigen (HPA) genotypes were tested by polymerase chain reaction analyses. The mother's and patient's sera reacted with neutrophils and lymphocytes of the father. PIFT revealed the presence of IgG anti-platelet antibodies in the patient's serum but the test was negative in the maternal serum. Analyses of HNA-1 and HPA genotypes of the family revealed maternal-neonatal HNA-1a and HPA-3b mismatch. The study of the mother's and patient's sera showed the presence of anti HNA1a, HPA-3b and HLA antibodies specific for HLA-A3 and HLA-B38 antigens. These results suggest that the transplacental passage of maternal HNA-1a, HPA-3b and HLA alloantibodies caused neutropenia and thrombocytopenia in this patient.

Factores influyentes en la evolución de la mortalidad de las cardiopatías congénitas. Estudio sobre 1.216 niños en la Comunidad Autónoma de Murcia (1978-1990) / Influential Factors in Mortality Rate from Congenital Heart Disease. Study on 1,216 Children in the Autonomous Community of Murcia, Spain (1978-1990)

Introducción. En los últimos años se han producido importantes progresos en el tratamiento de las cardiopatías congénitas. Estos cambios han afectado tanto al diagnóstico como al manejo preoperatorio, tratamiento quirúrgico y a los cuidados postoperatorios, todo lo cual ha contribuido a mejorar la evolución de los niños con cardiopatía congénita. Objetivos. Pretendemos valorar la evolución de las cardiopatías congénitas en un hospital de nivel terciario, comparando dos períodos distintos en cuanto al manejo diagnóstico y terapéutico. También pretendemos conocer la influencia que han tenido en la mortalidad factores como la presencia de anomalías extracardíacas asociadas y la realización o no de cirugía cardíaca. Pacientes y métodos. Analizamos, de manera retrospectiva, la evolución tanto global como por cardiopatías individualizadas, así como los factores relacionados con ésta, de 1.216 niños con cardiopatía congénita, de un día a 7 años de edad, nacidos a lo largo de 13 años y estudiados en la sección de cardiología pediátrica de un hospital de referencia para toda la Comunidad Autónoma de Murcia. El tiempo de estudio se dividió a su vez en dos períodos: 1978-1983 y 1984-1990, con diferencias en cuanto al diagnóstico y al tratamiento. Resultados. a) Se ha producido un descenso de la mortalidad en el período 1984-1990, con respecto al período 1978-1983, pasando del 28 al 21,7 por ciento (p < 0,05); b) individualmente, el descenso de la mortalidad ha sido estadísticamente significativo en dos entidades: la comunicación interventricular y el conducto arterioso persistente, y c) mayor mortalidad en pacientes no intervenidos y en presencia de anomalías extracardíacas asociadas.Conclusión. Los progresos en el manejo de las cardiopatías congénitas han conducido a un resultado más favorable en los últimos años (AU)