Number Of Boosters Research Articles

Case Report: New-onset relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis with positive Uhthoff phenomenon after second BNT162b2 dose

Objectives new-onset relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) has rarely been communicated as a side effect of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (SC2V). Here we report a patient with new-onset RRMS shortly after the second BNT162b2 vaccine dose, which was diagnosed only after a relapse after the third vaccine dose. Case report the patient is a 31 year-old male who developed eye problems 48 days after the second dose of BNT162b2. The symptoms were attributed to eye strain and gradually disappeared without treatment. Further workup was negative. Three months after the third BNT162b2 dose, urinary urgency developed. Eleven months after the third BNT162b2 dose, he developed sensory and visual disturbances that were noticeable post-exercise and progressed and worsened with alcohol and heat. MRI showed typical lesions that met the Barkhof/Tintore criteria for RRMS. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) studies revealed elevated kappa free light chains and positive oligoclonal bands. Because the revised McDonalds criteria were met, RRMS was diagnosed and ocrelizumab was started. Conclusions this case shows that SARS-CoV-2 vaccination can trigger new-onset RRMS, the clinical presentation of SC2V-induced multiple sclerosis is similar to multiple sclerosis due to other triggers, and the severity of the relapses may increase with the number of boosters given. Although, rare, a neurologist should be aware of the presumably rare event in which SC2V triggers new-onset multiple sclerosis.

Evaluation of Two Recombinant Protein-Based Vaccine Regimens against Campylobacter jejuni: Impact on Protection, Humoral Immune Responses and Gut Microbiota in Broilers.

Campylobacter infections in humans are traced mainly to poultry products. While vaccinating poultry against Campylobacter could reduce the incidence of human infections, no vaccine is yet available on the market. In our previous study using a plasmid DNA prime/recombinant protein boost vaccine regimen, vaccine candidate YP437 induced partial protective immune responses against Campylobacter in broilers. In order to optimise vaccine efficacy, the vaccination protocol was modified using a protein prime/protein boost regimen with a different number of boosters. Broilers were given two or four intramuscular protein vaccinations (with the YP437 vaccine antigen) before an oral challenge by C. jejuni during a 42-day trial. The caecal Campylobacter load, specific systemic and mucosal antibody levels and caecal microbiota in the vaccinated groups were compared with their respective placebo groups and a challenge group (Campylobacter infection only). Specific humoral immune responses were induced, but no reduction in Campylobacter caecal load was observed in any of the groups (p > 0.05). Microbiota beta diversity analysis revealed that the bacterial composition of the groups was significantly different (p ≤ 0.001), but that vaccination did not alter the relative abundance of the main bacterial taxa residing in the caeca. The candidate vaccine was ineffective in inducing a humoral immune response and therefore did not provide protection against Campylobacter spp. infection in broilers. More studies are required to find new candidates.

The Use of Linguistic Signals in English Researches: Myanmar University Context

Researchers employ key interactional devices such as hedges and boostersexpressing their believability and degrees of commitment to opinions andclaims and adjusting the truth-value of the knowledge. The aim of theresearch was to explore the contributions of hedges and boosters, categoryof metadiscoursal markers in rhetorical sections (Findings, Discussion, andConclusion) of researches from the Journal of the Myanmar Academy ofArts and Science Vol. XVIII, No.7. The objectives intended to analyze thesignificant use of hedges and boosters in the selected English researches andto investigate what category of overall occurrences of hedge and booster isdominantly employed in the researches. The quantitative research design isused to uncover the writers’ attitude to the result of research articles withthe contribution of two linguistic signals- hedges and boosters- in academicresearch. The theoretical concept of Holmes’ (1988) classification, expression of doubt, and certainty focused on types of modal verbs, lexicalverbs, adverbs, adjectives, and nouns. Findings revealed that the occurrenceof hedges in rhetorical sections of researches 1, 2, 3, and 4 is significantlyhigher than the use of a booster. However, the occurrence of hedges used inRA 5 is the same number of boosters. The use of lexical verb and the modalverb is significantly higher than other devices of overall occurrences in theselected researches. This study makes a contribution to the use of linguisticsignals in writing academic papers in the Myanmar universities context.

Effect of anti-GnRH vaccine on testicular tissues in stallions

Anti-GnRH Vaccine is known as an alternative to surgical castration. The main advantage is the reversibility of immunization in 90% of the cases (Bruyas et al. Reprod Dom Anim, p.55: https://doi.org/10.1111/rda.12800). Anti-GnRH immunization reduces fertility by inhibition of gonadotropin synthesis involved in steroid production and spermatogenesis. Only few papers report information on the recovery of sperm production after prime immunization (twice 4 weeks apart) without booster in some stallions. We aimed to assess the effect of the vaccination protocol (Primo immunization or/and boosters) and the delay between the last injection of anti-GnRH vaccine and surgical castration on testicular histology. Twelve unvaccinated (control) and 28 immunized Lusitanian stallions were castrated at different time points after the last immunization (range 0.5-14 months). Vaccination protocol was a primo vaccination by intramuscular injection of 1 mL IMPROVAC® twice 4 weeks apart, followed by booster(s) when stallion behavior returned or scrotal size re-increased (range 1-10 injections). Testes were fixed in formaldehyde (10%) and stained by HES (Hematoxylin-Eosin-Saffron) and Androgen Receptor immunohistochemistry. Testicular size and spermatogenesis were evaluated by 7 parameters: Johnsen scores, seminiferous tubule diameter, number and density of Sertoli cells, number and density of germ cells, and the ratio of germ to Sertoli cells.Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA. Values are given as mean ±standard deviation. Testis size was larger for unvaccinated controls (88±5 mm; P<0.001) compared to vaccinated stallions (70 ±8 mm). The Johnsen scores were higher in control (9.3 ±0.3; P<0.0001) compared to vaccinated stallions (8.0 ±1.2). Seminiferous tubule diameters, number and density of germ cells, and the ratio of germ to Sertoli cells were larger in control stallions: respectively 173 ±10 µm (P<0.001), 180 ±34 germ cells per tubule (P<0.001), 6330 ±897 germ cells per mm² of tubule (P<0.001), and 8.2 ±1.5 (P<0.001) germ cells per Sertoli cell compared to vaccinated stallions: 135 ±22 µm, 83 ±47 germ cells per tubule, 4404 ±1454 germ cells per mm² of tubule, and 3.3 ±1.9 germ cells per Sertoli cell. Conversely, Sertoli cell numbers and density were larger in vaccinated: 27 ±4 Sertoli cells per tubule (P=0.005) and 1720 ±582 Sertoli cells per mm² of tubule (P<0.001) compared to 23 ±4 Sertoli cells per tubule and 817 ±165 Sertoli cells per mm² of tubule in controls. There was no significant difference among the vaccination protocols (e.g., number of boosters, delay between last injection and gonadectomy) on these parameters. In conclusion, multiple rounds of anti-GnRH immunization in stallions: (1) induced testicular hypoplasia is more dependent on stallion rather the vaccination protocol, and (2) had no reversible effects on testes (according to Johnsen scores).

COVID-19 mortality rate determinants in selected Eastern European countries

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused increased mortality worldwide. We noticed a tendency for higher number of deaths in Eastern European countries. Therefore, we decided to investigate whether any common factor that might be responsible for the increased COVID-19 mortality exists.MethodsIn our cross-sectional study, we conducted the correlation and multiple regression analysis using R basing on the data gathered in publicly available databases. In the analysis, we included variables such as: number of deaths, number of new cases, number of hospitalizations, number of ICU (intensive care units) patients, number of vaccinations, number of boosters, number of fully vaccinated individuals, stringency index, number of reported COVID-19 variant cases, and number of flights. Additionally, we analyzed the influence of population density and median age in particular European countries on total number of COVID-19 deaths. Analyzed data represents periods from start of the COVID-19 pandemic in particular Eastern European Countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, while as the end of the study the day of January 31, 2022 is considered. Results were considered statistically significant at p < 0.05.ResultsOur study showed that mortality rate reflects the number of COVID-19 cases (e.g. for Poland was 0.0058, p < 0.001), number of hospitalized patients (e.g. for Poland 0.0116, p < 0.001), and patients in intensive care (e.g. for Slovakia 0.2326, p < 0.001). Stringency index corresponding to level of introduced restrictions and vaccination can affect the mortality rate of COVID-19 in a country-dependent manner: e.g. for Romania 0.0006, p < 0.001; whereas in Lithuania − 0.0002, p < 0.001. Moreover, occurrence of B.1.1.7 and B.1.617.2 variants increased COVID-19 mortality rates.ConclusionOur analysis showed that crucial factor for decreasing mortality is proper healthcare joined by accurate restriction policy. Additionally, our study shows that COVID-19 vaccination proven successful in COVID-19 mortality prevention.

Robust booster chlorination in water distribution systems: design and operational perspectives under uncertainty

Abstract Booster chlorination designs have been widely based on predefined (deterministic) network conditions and they perform poorly under uncertainty in water distribution systems (WDSs). This paper presents a scenario-based robust optimisation approach which was developed to obtain booster chlorination designs that withstand uncertain network operations and water demand conditions in the WDSs. An optimisation problem was formulated to minimise mass injection rates and the risk of chlorine disinfection. This problem was solved by a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II). The proposed approach was demonstrated using the Phakalane network in Botswana. The results present robust booster chlorination (RBC) designs, which indicate the number of boosters, locations and injection rates in the network. The performance of RBC designs evaluated under uncertainty reveals lower risks of chlorine disinfection compared to deterministic-based designs. The proposed approach obtains booster chlorination designs that respond better to uncertainty in the operations of WDSs.

47‐2: Invited Paper: The “TRUE VALUE” of Flexible OLED ‐ One and Only Design and Experience

A Flexible OLED is a surface‐emitting light source that is thin, lightweight, and flexible. In spite of unique characteristics, there have been challenges in market development. In order to broaden the market, it is necessary to make clear the TRUE VALUE that only Flexible OLED can provide.At the origin of the TRUE VALUE is the Core value, which is “uniform surface‐emitting light in extremely thin installation spaces”. The Core value is made stronger by combining the three Boosters which is “Weight reduction”, “Twilight control”, and “Heatless touch”.This TRUE VALUE can be visualized in a triangular diagram. Core value is at the center and surrounded by Boosters. The number of Boosters will be increased with technology. The world of product design will largely change according to next Booster “Invisible magic” established by transparency technologies.

Estimation of CO2 Pipeline Transport Cost in South Korea Based on the Scenarios

Abstract This study estimates the least cost CO2 pipeline specifications and corresponding transport costs for the offshore CCS in South Korea by using engineering-economic model. The major design factors are diameters and thicknesses of pipeline, number of boosters, and pressure conditions. First this study sets up three transport scenarios which are divided by the combination of three CO2 capture plants. The storage site is fixed Ulleung Basin whose storage capacity is estimated to around 5 GtCO2. The capture rates of CO2 at each plants are assumed to be 1 MtCO2/y ∼ 3 MtCO2/y. We calculate the pressure losses, number of boosters, thicknesses of pipeline and corresponding pipeline costs for eight diameters of pipeline in the range of 6 inch to 20 inch in 2 inch steps to comply with the standard pipe size. The pipeline diameter that shows minimum cost is selected as an optimum pipeline diameter. Scenario 1 has only one capture site, Boryeong Thermal Power Plant. The onshore and offshore transport route lengths are 470 km and 60 km, respectively. The optimum pipeline diameters at the transport rate of 1 MtCO2/y and 3 MtCO2/y are 8 inch and 14 inch, respectively. The required number of boosters at the transport rate of 1 MtCO2/y and 3 MtCO2/y are 2 and 1, respectively. The estimated transport costs at the transport rate of 1 MtCO2/y and 3 MtCO2/y are $23 and $11, respectively. The scale up effect significantly reduces the transport cost at 3 MtCO2/y compared to 1 MtCO2/y. Scenario 2 has same transport route with Scenario 1, but has additional capture plant at Hadong in the midway of route. The cost per unit CO2 of Scenario 2 is lower than Scenario 1 due to the scale up effect. Scenario 3 has two capture plants, one is Boryeong Power Plant and the other is Samcheok Power Plant. Unlike Scenario 2, the transport route is not overlapped except the offshore route. The CO2 transported from two power plants get together at Ulsan Harbor and are transported to offshore pipeline. Because of non-overlapping two transport routes in onshore section, the overall cost is comparable to Scenario 1.

Economic evaluation of CO 2 pipeline transport in China

Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is an important option for CO 2 mitigation and an optimized CO 2 pipeline transport system is necessary for large scale CCS implementation. In the present work, a hydrodynamic model for CO 2 pipeline transport was built up and the hydrodynamic performances of CO 2 pipeline as well as the impacts of multiple factors on pressure drop behavior along the pipeline were studied. Based on the model, an economic model was established to optimize the CO 2 pipeline transport system economically and to evaluate the unit transport cost of CO 2 pipeline in China. The hydrodynamic model results show that pipe diameter, soil temperature, and pipeline elevation change have significant influence on the pressure drop behavior of CO 2 in the pipeline. The design of pipeline system, including pipeline diameter and number of boosters etc., was optimized to achieve a lowest unit CO 2 transport cost. In regarding to the unit cost, when the transport flow rate and distance are between 1–5 MtCO 2/year and 100–500 km, respectively, the unit CO 2 transport cost mainly lies between 0.1–0.6 RMB/(tCO 2 km) and electricity consumption cost of the pipeline inlet compressor was found to take more than 60% of the total cost. The present work provides reference for CO 2 transport pipeline design and for feasibility evaluation of potential CCS projects in China.

Sensitivity analysis of municipal drinking water distribution system energy use to system properties

Municipal Drinking Water Distribution Systems (MDWDSs) consume a significant quantity of energy to transport water, thereby exacerbating greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change. The current study is a sensitivity analysis that uses a network solver to quantify energy savings due to the alteration of three system properties—system-wide water demand, storage tank parameters (maximum water level, diameter, elevation), and pumping stations (horsepower, number of boosters, and their locations) of seven diverse MDWDSs. It was found that a 50% reduction in water demand, main pump horsepower, and booster horsepower resulted in an average energy savings of 47, 41, and 9.5% respectively, for the seven systems analyzed. Other properties examined showed insignificant savings. Even though an individual system analysis is more conclusive, this sensitivity analysis can guide optimization studies to focus on the most sensitive properties.

Locating Satellite Booster Disinfectant Stations

Booster disinfectant is introduced within a distribution system to maintain disinfectant residuals and avoid high dosages near water sources. Assuming that first order reaction kinetics apply to chlorine decay, an integer linear programming optimization problem is posed to determine booster locations and their injection rates. The formulation avoids long water quality simulations by adding constraints requiring the concentrations at the beginning and end of the design period to be the same. The optimization problem is divided into two levels. The upper level selects the booster locations using a genetic algorithm, if more than a few boosters are included, or enumeration, if the number of boosters and/or potential locations is relatively small. Given a set of boosters from the upper level, the lower level minimizes the chlorine mass to be injected to maintain required residuals. The approach is applied to the Brushy Plains system for alternative numbers of allowable boosters.

Introduction: Future Research Directions in the Epidemiology of Human Papillomavirus and Cancer

Introduction: Future Research Directions in the Epidemiology of Human Papillomavirus and Cancer

Boosters for driving long onchip interconnects - design issues, interconnect synthesis, and comparison with repeaters

Trends in complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology and very large scale integration architectures are causing interconnect to play an increasing role in overall performance, power consumption, and design effort. Traditionally, repeaters are used for driving long onchip interconnects. However, recent studies indicate that repeaters are using increasing area, power, and design resources and are inherently limited in how much they can improve the performance (Adler and Friedman, 1998), (Sylvester and Keutzer, 1999), (Cong and Pan, 1999). The unidirectionality of repeaters also limits their applicability in multisourced lines. This paper presents a new circuit called the Booster that compares favorably with repeaters for driving long lines in terms of area, performance, power, and placement sensitivity. Boosters also have the advantage of being bidirectional and providing a low impedance termination to improve signal integrity. Driver edge rates are reduced and peak power is drastically reduced compared to repeaters, thus, improving signal integrity and mitigating inductive effects. Boosters are shown to be more than 20% faster for driving a variety of interconnect loads over conventional repeaters in a 0.16-/spl mu/m CMOS technology. Boosters are typically inserted three times less frequently than repeaters for optimal performance, resulting in fewer boosters for driving the same interconnect lengths and, hence, saving on area, power, and placement effort. Computer-aided design tools for global interconnect synthesis need to support a wider variety of circuit techniques such as boosters. Other exotic circuit techniques such as differential, dynamic, or low-swing techniques require significantly more custom circuit design, noise analysis, extra timing signals, or extra power supplies and are, hence, cumbersome for automatic interconnect synthesis tools. In contrast, the proposed boosters can be inserted on lines in a straightforward manner much like repeaters. Based on analytical delay models, we derive rules for insertion and sizing of boosters that can easily be incorporated into an interconnect synthesis tool. We formulate design rules that determine: 1) the number of boosters needed; 2) their placements; and 3) device sizes for driving a given interconnect load. The primary objective function is minimizing delay and then area and power. Power analysis is slightly more complex than for repeaters so we present a systematic design approach. A placement sensitivity analysis comparing boosters and repeaters is used to study the effects of realistic placement constraints that arise in microprocessor floorplans. We conclude by discussing various design tradeoffs between repeater and booster-based interconnect designs. We then present other potential applications of boosters in domino logic designs, multisource/multisink buses, and field programmable gate array interconnection network designs in addition to conventional point-to-point interconnection lines.

Virological protection of sows upon challenge with Aujeszky's disease virus after multiple vaccinations with attenuated or inactivated vaccines.

The frequency with which sows are vaccinated during eradication programmes has been determined rather arbitrarily in the past, without the necessary scientific support. In the present study the efficacy of repeated vaccinations against Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV) with two inactivated vaccines and with one attenuated ADV-strain (Bartha) suspended in either oil-in-water or saline was evaluated in 40 breeding sows originating from five farms by the assessment of the clinical and virological protection upon an experimental challenge. Sows with two different histories of number of booster vaccinations after a base immunization were selected: young sows which had received 1-3 booster vaccinations and old sows which had received 8-10 booster vaccinations. Two seronegative and two gE-positive sows were included as controls. After challenge, clinical signs such as anorexia and fever were observed in the two seronegative sows and only in four out of the 18 sows which had repeatedly been vaccinated with inactivated vaccines. The mean duration of virus excretion significantly differed (P < 0.05) between the experimental groups. In seronegative sows, virus shedding lasted for 12.5 days. This period was reduced to 6.8-7.9 days in the groups of sows vaccinated with inactivated vaccines having no effect by the number of booster vaccinations and type of vaccine. In the groups of sows vaccinated with Bartha vaccine, challenge virus was detected during 3.7-5.3 days when revaccinated 1-3 times. A reduction to 0.7-1.2 days was obtained with a higher number of boosters (8-10) but only when the vaccine virus was suspended in o/w. Considering the mean cumulative values of virus excretion (area under the curve) it can be stated that sows frequently vaccinated with inactivated vaccines excrete significantly (P < 0.05) higher amounts of virus (26.0-31.5) than sows frequently vaccinated with attenuated ones (1.6-23.7). We may conclude from the present data that the attenuated vaccine virus Bartha, especially when suspended in o/w is superior to inactivated vaccines for inducing clinical and virological protection of sows in the field during their whole breeding period.

On Achieving Stable Mutual Deterrence

Abstract In this paper it is established that there are strong, stabilizing mechanisms in an “arms race” based on mutual deterrence, despite ambiguous capabilities of ballistic missiles and despite time delays or errors inherent in intelligence estimates. It is shown analytically that the introduction of multiple-warhead technology (MIRV) does not lead to an ever-spiraling arms race. However, it can dramatically increase the number of boosters required by each party. The analysis is also applied to strategic confrontations involving more than two major powers, and it is shown that the stable solutions in these cases can require vastly increased force levels. Perturbation of two-party mutual deterrence by a relatively small third party is also analyzed. It is shown that an ABM defense of only retaliatory missile forces may well be less escalatory and less expensive than the alternative of increasing the land-based missile forces. The paper also examines “ambiguous” ABM, i.e., defenses deployed to optionall...