CBA Method Research Articles

Immune-check blocking combination multiple cytokines shown curative potential in mice tumor model.

In order to ensure the stable transcription of target genes, we constructed a eukaryotic high expression vector carrying an immune-check inhibitor PD-1v and a variety of cytokines, and studied their effects on activating immune response to inhibit tumor growth. A novel eukaryotic expression plasmid vector named pT7AMPCE containing T7RNA polymerase, T7 promoter, internal ribosome entry site (IRES), and poly A tailing signal was constructed by T4 DNA ligase, on which homologous recombination was used to clone and construct the vector carrying PD-1v, IL-2/15, IL-12, GM-CSF, and GFP. In vitro transfection of CT26 cells was performed, and the protein expression of PD-1v, IL-12 and GM-CSF was detected by Western blot and ELISA after 48 h. Mice were subcutaneously inoculated with CT26-IRFP tumor cells in the rib abdomen, and the tumor tissues were injected with PD-1v, IL-2/15, IL-12, and GM-CSF recombinant plasmids for treatment during the experimental period. The efficacy of the treatment was evaluated by assay tumor size and survival time of tumor-bearing mice during the experiment. Expression levels of IFN-γ, TNF, IL-4, IL-2, and IL-5 in mouse blood were measured using the CBA method. Tumor tissues were extracted and immune cell infiltration in tumor tissues was detected by HE staining and the IHC method. The recombinant plasmids carrying PD-1v, IL-2/15, IL-12, and GM-CSF were successfully constructed, and the Western blot and ELISA results showed that PD-1v, IL-12, and GM-CSF were expressed in the supernatant of CT26 cells 48 h after in vitro cell transfection. The combined application of PD-1v, IL-2/15, IL-12, and GM-CSF recombinant plasmids significantly inhibited tumor growth in mice, and the tumor growth rate was significantly lower than that in the blank control group and GFP plasmid control group (p < 0.05). Cytometric bead array data suggested that the combination of PD-1v and various cytokines can effectively activate immune cells. HE and IHC analysis revealed plenty of immune cell infiltrates in the tumor tissue, and a large proportion of tumor cells showed the necrotic phenotype in the combination treatment group. The combination of immune check blockade and multiple cytokine therapy can significantly activate the body's immune response and inhibit tumor growth.

Implementation of security management principles in transport

Research background: Transport is one of the key factors in the development of any modern society, and it is not only a goal but also a means of economic development on a global scale. Within the article, we focus on road freight transport, which has the largest market share in the transport sector on the quantity of transported goods. Fuel consumption has risen rapidly in recent times, except for a global drop in demand caused by global constraints in connection with the fight against COVID -19. Increasing the density of transport, increasing requirements for the speed and quality of transport or economic issues significantly affect the decision-making of entities involved in the process of fuel transport and they can have a significant impact on the level of risk in the transport itself. The occurrence of an emergency during the transport of fuels can have negative to tragic effects on life, health, property and the environment. These impacts are in many cases associated with high costs of eliminating these consequences or restoring them to their original state. Purpose of the article: Companies, to succeed in a globally competitive environment must adopt various preventive strategies to minimize the risks and costs associated with a negative event. Choosing the optimal strategy is a challenging step in the decision-making process, so it is important to choose the right mechanism to support this decision. Methods: The article will present a mechanism for selecting appropriate prevention strategies based on the CBA method in a case study. Findings &amp; Value added: Using the CBA method, it refers to the economic benefits associated with the implementation of preventive measures based on conducting a voluntary risk assessment of transport companies.

CBA and probabilistic risk analysis tool for non-revenue generating infrastructure projects. The case of Greece

This paper analyzes the evaluation of investment proposals for non-revenue infrastructure projects, so as to narrow the gap in this research field, and demonstrates that projects of this category meet the terms and conditions for joining European co-financing programs. It is being implemented on a real-world infrastructure project 1 + 1 lane highway plus an emergency lane connecting the most important urban center of Northern Greece (Thessaloniki) with its major tourist area (Halkidiki). This application endeavours to quantify all the factors which, according to the European Commission Guide to CBA, should be integrated into the CBA and positively or negatively affect the financial result of the investment, including the environmental impacts that should be a fundamental concern of all involved parties in the light of current sustainable development needs. The use of the CBA method is proposed as the most appropriate tool for this process, which provides an instantaneous perception of the acceptance or rejection of investment plans by both the Public and Private Entities. However, since the transport projects refer to a future long-term period, it is evident that there is a great deal of uncertainty in critical factors such as annual average daily traffic (AADT), economic indicators, general social conditions, etc. It is, therefore, necessary to process the data derived from the CBA with a probabilistic model. In this study, the @Risk software was used to infer the NPV behavior and the most influential parameters affected it through cumulative probability and tornado diagrams respectively. The whole procedure, supported by the quantification of all parameters, allows the selection of the most optimal solution among alternatives and therefore offers enhanced cost efficiency projects with the required value for money to be achieved.

Evaluation methods and governance practices of new flexible passenger transport projects

The emergence of new flexible passenger transport services enabled by technological advancements can have substantial impacts on efficiency and sustainability of public transport systems. Socio-economic appraisal methods of transport investments have developed during last decades, and especially CBA is proven to provide robust method for ranking alternative large conventional transport investments such as rail and road projects. However, there is much more uncertainty with potential impacts of new flexible passenger transport serves such as the automated demand responsive transport services, which can be seen as disruptive technologies on the transport markets. For addressing this uncertainty, we studied governance practices for using CBA and other economic appraisal methods in public decision making in the European Union with a special focus on Germany. We identified and analysed the most uncertain and challenging impacts of the new flexible transport services, which require better consideration in current evaluation methods and practices. The results point out challenges and opportunities for reaching the gap between current appraisal practices and the latest knowledge on the potential impacts of new flexible passenger transport services.

Biomarkers Associated with Hypersensitivity Reactions to Chemotherapeutic Agents.

New phenotypes of hypersensitivity reactions (HSR) have been described due to the wide use of chemotherapy, however, biomarkers other than tryptase to confirm the reaction are not feasible. Our goal was to determine the value of tryptase and IL-6 during desensitization to chemotherapy agents. The phenotype of the HSR was established according to the clinical characteristics, the result of the skin tests and the biomarkers (tryptase and IL-6) at the time of the initial reaction during desensitization. Tryptase were quantified by ImmunoCAP and IL-6 was quantified by flow cytometry using the CBA method. We compare the results of 8 patients, 4 of them presented HSR suggestive of phenotype 1 (Ph1); the other 4 patients had cytokine release reactions (CRR) over 55 desensitization procedures. The mean baseline tryptase level in Ph1 was 5.25±0.99 ng/ml vs 5.05±1.67 in CRR; while during the desensitization reactions were 9.2±4.79 vs 3.37±0.9 respectively (p<0.05). On the other hand, the mean baseline IL-6 levels was 10 pg/ml in both groups, but after reactions during desensitization in the CRR the levels were 6659pg/ml±9026.2 pg/ml, but no change was observed in patients with Ph1 (p<0.01). Tryptase increases were detected in patients with Ph1, while IL-6 elevations were observed in CRR. We didn’t have blended reactions until now. Tryptase elevation occurred in patients with IgE-mediated reactions, without changes in the IL-6 levels. But the opposite is true in CRR that raises IL-6 but no tryptase levels, thus IL-6 could be a potential biomarker for identifying cytokine-release reactions.

Cost benefit analysis within organization security management

The present time is constantly evolving, advancing and bringing new challenges and threats that may have an adverse impact on individuals and organizations. Each organization must adapt its activities to the current situation. It must also take care of its security, which it needs to ensure its existence, successful functioning and continuous improvement of its position within the global environment. Security must therefore be part of the organization’s main strategies. Therefore, appropriate attention should be paid to security and the organization should regularly allocate sufficient resources to ensure its security. The aim of this article is to point out the possibilities of using the CBA method in the framework of security management in the concept of socially responsible business. The CBA method provides scope to develop and incorporate its methodological framework into standard risk management practices within a company by assessing the costs and benefits of the proposed preventive measures related to ensuring the required level of security within the organization.

Renovating the View of Cost Sharing for the Underground Low Voltage Cable Projects in Hanoi

Underground power grid projects in Hanoi is so urgent that it requires immediate implementation. To synchronously and quickly implement the underground power grid projects, people in charge should not follow the outdated perspectives of just including the power industry, but also need to call for the support and cost sharing responsibility from consumers. This paper aims at approaching the subject both from the producers and consumers’ perspectives to together sharing the cost of putting the power grid underground not only in Hanoi but other metropolitans in Vietnam as well. Field studies (including 104 families) at Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi and CBA method were applied to investigate the willingness to pay (WTP) level of consumers to share the cost with the power industry for the underground power grid projects in Hanoi. The overview of the results shows that cost for the underground power grid in Hoan Kiem District ranging from 30,000 VND/household/month to 46,000VND/household/month. On the other hand, the willingness to pay of a typical household of four people within Hoan Kiem District ranges from 17,000VND/month to 24,000VND/month, with the most favorable method of annual payment within a detailed timeline.

A highly specific and sensitive nanoimmunosensor for the diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders

A precise diagnosis for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) is crucial to improve patients’ prognostic, which requires highly specific and sensitive tests. The cell-based assay with a sensitivity of 76% and specificity of 100% is the most recommended test to detect anti-aquaporin-4 antibodies (AQP4-Ab). Here, we tested four AQP4 external loop peptides (AQP461–70, AQP4131–140, AQP4141–150, and AQP4201–210) with an atomic force microscopy nanoimmunosensor to develop a diagnostic assay. We obtained the highest reactivity with AQP461–70-nanoimunosensor. This assay was effective in detecting AQP4-Ab in sera of NMOSD patients with 100% specificity (95% CI 63.06–100), determined by the cut-off adhesion force value of 241.3 pN. NMOSD patients were successfully discriminated from a set of healthy volunteers, patients with multiple sclerosis, and AQP4-Ab-negative patients. AQP461–70 sensitivity was 81.25% (95% CI 56.50–99.43), slightly higher than with the CBA method. The results with the AQP461–70-nanoimmunosensor indicate that the differences between NMOSD seropositive and seronegative phenotypes are related to disease-specific epitopes. The absence of AQP4-Ab in sera of NMOSD AQP4-Ab-negative patients may be interpreted by assuming the existence of another potential AQP4 peptide sequence or non-AQP4 antigens as the antibody target.

Effect of large strain cross rolling on microstructure and properties of Al−Li alloy plates with high magnesium content

Abstract Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron backscattered diffraction imaging (EBSD) and X-ray diffractometry were used to analyze the microstructure and texture characteristics of Al−9.8Mg−1.5Li−0.4Mn alloy cross-rolled and extruded plates, and the tensile properties and deep drawing performance were measured. The results show that the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization was promoted, the grains were refined and the preferred orientation of the recrystallized grains was improved by large strain cross rolling. Compared with CBA and CCB rolling methods, CBB rolling method significantly reduced the orientation density of the typical Brass texture {110}〈112〉 in the extruded plates. The orientation densities of Copper texture {112}〈111〉 and Brass texture {110}〈112〉 on the β orientation line in the CBB rolled plates were the lowest, and there were no typical texture features in the plates. Meanwhile, better deep drawing could be gained in the CBB rolled plates, and the mechanical properties of the 0°, 45° and 90° directions were basically the same. The tensile strength, yield strength and elongation at room temperature for the CBB rolled plates were 617 MPa, 523 MPa and over 20.1%, respectively. The deviation of the mechanical properties at different directions was less than 3%.

METHODS OF ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC SECTOR PROJECTS: FEATURES AND CONSTRAINTS

The purpose of the paper is to consider the main provisions of methods of analysis of the effectiveness of public sector projects. A number of issues remain controversial in the methodology of analysing costs and benefits. So, in addition to determining the costs and benefits to be included in the analysis, one should outline the problem of assessing in the monetary equivalent of the social effects that society receives from the project implementation. Methodology. The social nature and scale of tasks that are solved in the public sector deepen the issue of identification of social effects. Discounting costs and benefits and assessing the social effect in the cost-benefit analysis involves the application of the rate of time preference. The parameters of this rate are analysed and substantiated in the study. In addition to the CBA method, an attention is paid to other methods of efficiency analysis, in particular, the method of cost-effectiveness analysis, method of weighted cost-effectiveness analysis, method of cost-utility analysis. Each method has its own specific features and limitations that determine the direction of their application. Results. It is concluded that finding solutions in the direction of studying the relationship between the social rate of intergovernmental preferences and other methods of discounting will allow us to get an idea, in which range may be the value of social discount rate. The ability to determine the range will allow taking into account the specificity of the project being implemented.

Understanding the energy metabolism of World economies through the joint use of Production- and Consumption-based energy accountings

Understanding the energy metabolism of national economies is nowadays crucial for policymakers in order to define effective policies and to properly set energy efficiency targets. Energy accountings based on the traditional Production-based accounting method (PBA) allows to understand how primary energy is directly extracted, traded, transformed and used within each economy. On the other hand, Consumption-based accounting method (CBA) allows to understand the ultimate economic purposes of such energy flows. The information provided by the joint application of these approaches may provide useful and complementary insight on the national energy metabolism, allowing to identify hotspots for potential interventions from both the supply and demand side.This paper reviews PBA and CBA energy accounting methods, presenting a possible way for the joint use of their results, consistently represented by means of one unique Sankey diagram. This will be useful to have a comprehensive insight on the energy metabolism of national economies, supporting analysts and policymakers in the identification of energy efficiency hotspots. The method is applied to South Africa and to the neighbor country of Botswana, based on data provided by IEA energy statistics and the EORA26 Multi-Regional Input-Output model, taking into account non-renewable fossil energy (raw coal, crude oil and natural gas) and considering the reference year 2013.Results suggest that the joint use of PBA and CBA methods may provide useful information on the hidden energy links among national economies, helping analysts and policymakers in defining alternative energy efficiency policies. For this reason, the Authors argue that results of CBA should be provided alongside energy statistics based on the traditional PBA approach.

Down-regulation of Notch signaling pathway reverses the Th1/Th2 imbalance in tuberculosis patients

Th1/Th2 imbalance to Th2 is of significance in the peripheral immune responses in Tuberculosis (TB) development. However, the mechanisms for Th1/Th2 imbalance are still not well determined. Notch signaling pathway is involved in the peripheral T cell activation and effector cell differentiation. However, whether it affects Th1/Th2 imbalance in TB patients is still not known. Here, we used γ-secretase inhibitor (DAPT) to treat the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy people or individuals with latent or active TB infection in vitro, respectively. Then, the Th1/Th2 ratios were determined by flow cytometry, and cytokines of IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-10 in the culture supernatant were measured by CBA method. The Notch signal pathway associated proteins Hes1, GATA3 and T-bet were quantitated by real-time PCR or immunoblotting. Our results showed that DAPT effectively inhibited the protein level of Hes1. In TB patients, the Th2 ratio increased in the PBMCs, alone with the high expression of GATA3 and IL-4, resulting in the high ratios of Th2/Th1 and GATA3/T-bet in TB patients. However, Th2 cells ratio decreased after blocking the Notch signaling pathway by DAPT and the Th2/Th1 ratio in TB patients were DAPT dose-dependent, accompanied by the decrease of IL-4 and GATA3. But, its influence on Th1 ratio and Th1 related T-bet and IFN-γ levels were not significant. In conclusion, our results suggest that blocking Notch signaling by DAPT could inhibit Th2 responses and restore Th1/Th2 imbalance in TB patients.

The impacts of emissions accounting methods on an imperfect competitive carbon trading market

To achieve a reduction in carbon intensity, the Chinese government has committed to establishing a nationwide carbon market. In this study, an interregional input-output model is proposed to derive cost curves for regional marginal abatement and to estimate interregional embodied emissions. An emissions trading model is presented for exploring the impacts of emissions accounting methods on imperfect competitive trading markets in the context of China achieving its 12th FYP intensity reduction target. The results indicated that emissions permits could be reallocated according to the CBA method. This could reduce both carbon emissions and total cost. Compared to the PBA method, the CBA method could lead to a greater change in permit prices and the amount of carbon trading in an imperfect competitive carbon market. Moreover, more regions with market power could cause declines in permit prices, resulting in changes in abatement costs. In addition, seven pilot markets (excluding Hubei province) are net embodied emissions importers. Pilot trading schemes in China could lead to carbon leakage among the other non-trading regions and sectors.

Building an associative classifier with multiple minimum supports.

Classification is one of the most important technologies used in data mining. Researchers have recently proposed several classification techniques based on the concept of association rules (also known as CBA-based methods). Experimental evaluations on these studies show that in average the CBA-based approaches can yield higher accuracy than some of conventional classification methods. However, conventional CBA-based methods adopt a single threshold of minimum support for all items, resulting in the rare item problem. In other words, the classification rules will only contain frequent items if minimum support (minsup) is set as high or any combinations of items are discovered as frequent if minsup is set as low. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a novel CBA-based method called MMSCBA, which considers the concept of multiple minimum supports (MMSs). Based on MMSs, different classification rules appear in the corresponding minsups. Several experiments were conducted with six real-world datasets selected from the UCI Machine Learning Repository. The results show that MMSCBA achieves higher accuracy than conventional CBA methods, especially when the dataset contains rare items.

Thymopolypeptides combined with matrine type alkaloids suppress HBV replication

To investigate the antiviral effect of thymopolypeptides combined with 4 kinds of matrine type alkaloids on HepG2.2.15 cells, oxymatrine, sophocarpidine, sophocarpine, and sophoridine (at concentration of 0.2 mmol•L⁻¹ respectively) were respectively combined with thymopolypeptides (0.025, 0.1 g•L⁻¹), and after 48 h and 72 h treatment on HepG2.2.15 cells, the cells and supernatants were collected. The cells activity in various groups was determined by CCK-8 method to evaluate the toxic effects of the drugs on HepG2.2.15 cells. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine HBeAg and HBsAg levels in cellular supernatants. HBV DNA levels in cellular supernatants andcells were quantified with fluorogenic quantitative PCR method; and the expression level of IFN-α in supernatants was detected with CBA method. The results indicated that single thymopolypeptides at 0.025-0.4 g•L⁻¹ had no toxicity to cells. Thymopolypeptides in this concentration range combined with 0.2 mmol•L⁻¹ matrine type alkaloids also had no toxicity to cells. Anti-HBV activity of drug combination was better than that of alkali or thymopolypeptides alone. Thymopolypeptides at 0.025 g•L⁻¹ had better inhibitory effect than thymopolypeptides at 0.1 g•L⁻¹ on intracellular HBV DNA expression, but the inhibitory effect on supernatant HBeAg level was on the contrary. Anti-HBV activity was similar between alkaloids combined with 0.1 g•L⁻¹ and alkaloids combined with 0.025 g•L⁻¹. There was no statistical difference in anti-HBV effect between various combined groups (P<0.05). In general, 72 h anti-HBV effect was better than 48 h anti-HBV effect (P<0.05). The expression of IFN-α was increased after drug combination, with positive correlation to the changes of other four indicators (P<0.05). In conclusion, oxymatrine, sophocarpidine, sophocarpine and sophoridine combined with thymopolypeptides could inhibit HBsAg and HBeAg secretion in HepG2.2.15 cells and HBV DNA replication, and further promote the antiviral effect by promoting the expression of IFN-α.

Serum Cytokine Profiles in Acute Exacerbation of Asthma Subtypes Measured By Cba Method

Serum Cytokine Profiles in Acute Exacerbation of Asthma Subtypes Measured By Cba Method

Elevated Il-6 Levels Are Associated with Social Cognitive Impairment in Stable Patients with Schizophrenia.

Introduction Cognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia, associated with significant social and functional impairment. Schizophrenia has also been associated with inflammation and immune changes. Recently it has been showed that IL-6, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, was associated with cognitive impairment. Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the associations between a pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6) and an anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-4) with social cognition in a sample of stable patients with schizophrenia. Methods Social cognition was assessed using the Face Emotion Identification Task (FEIT) and the Hinting Task in 29 stable outpatients with schizophrenia. Blood was collected and cytokines (IL-4, IL-6) assays were realized (CBA method). Results IL-6 levels showed a significant inverse correlation with FEIT global score (p = 0.019, rho = -0.475) and a trend of significant inverse correlation with the Hinting Task (p = 0.079, rho = -0.332). However, IL-4 levels showed no significant association with the FEIT or the Hinting task (rho = 0.079 and 0,121; respectively). Conclusions Elevated IL-6 levels seem to play a role in social cognitive impairment in stable patients with schizophrenia. These results should be interpreted with caution due to the limited number of participants in the study.

The effects of Telbivudine for the prevention of perinatal transmission of hepatitis B virus infection from pregnant women to newborn on the expression of IL-17A,IL-10,IL-6 in the maternal plasma,umbilical plasma,neonatal plasma

Objective To explore the expression of interleukin-17A(IL-17A),interleukin-10(IL-10),interleukin-6(IL-6)in the maternal plasma,umbilical plasma,neonatal plasma from the pregnant women who accepted the Telbivudine for the prevention of perinatal transmission of hepatitis B virus infection. Methods 85 pregnant women who were delivered in the hospital were chosen[Telbivudine group 25 cases,HBVDNA high viral level group,HBVDNA negative group,non-infection group(health pregnant),each group included 20 cases].The level of the serum of IL-17A,IL-10,IL-6 in the maternal plasma,umbilical plasma,neonatal plasma from the different group was prospectively analyzed by the CBA method. Results The levels of IL-17A in the maternal plasma,umbilical plasma,neonatal plasma of the Telbivudine group[(15.29±4.80)pg/ m L,(19.45±4.80)pg/m L,(17.32±4.18)pg/m L]were lower than the HBVDNA high viral level group[(26.03±4.88)pg/m L,(34.07±5.59)pg/m L,(24.12±4.76)pg/m L],there were significant differences(P= 0.000, 0.001,0.019);The level of IL-10 in the maternal plasma,umbilical plasma,neonatal plasma of the Telbivudine group[(6.08±1.32)pg/m L,(2.33±0.68)pg/m L,(3.74±0.61)pg/m L]were higher than the HBVDNA high viral level group[(3.95±1.21)pg/m L,(1.71±0.53)pg/m L,(2.22±0.55)pg/m L],there were significant differences(P= 0.023,0.015,0.012);The level of IL-6 in the maternal plasma,umbilical plasma,neonatal plasma of the Telbivudine group were lower than the HBVDNA high viral level group,there were significant differences(all P<0.05). Conclusion Telbivudine can cause the inhibition of the replication of HBV virus,partially reverse the immunologic dissonance of the pregnant women with HBV virus,which is conducive to maintaining pregnancy. Key words: Hepatitis Brirus; Interleukins; Telbivudine

Using Methods of CBA in the Context of CSR, Focusing on the Social Projects

The article presents findings from the evaluation of the economic efficiency of environmental investments, in relation to environmental management in the context of corporate social responsibility, and their interconnection, based on the method CBA. The CBA method is the basic pillar of the computer program CBA1.1, which was created for the needs of business practices for small and medium businesses of the evaluation of the economic efficiency of social projects. The program creates a presumption that the CBA1.1 is the rapid evaluation of a rapid assessment of the upcoming social project. It gives a clear answer as to whether the project is acceptable or not.

Using of CBA Method for Evaluation of the Investments in the Link with Social Responsible Business

Abstract The paper presents knowledge from the area of economic efficiency assessment of the environmental investments, in the link with environmental management with context of social responsible business and their mutual connection, on the base of CBA method. CBA method creates basis for the software CBA1.1, which was created for the needs of business practise for the small and medium enterprises in the Slovak Republic.