Series Of Specific Examples Research Articles

Quality-adjusted time without symptoms or toxicity analysis of haploidentical-related donor vs. identical sibling donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in acute myeloid leukemia.

We aimed to compare the quality-adjusted time without symptoms or toxicity (Q-TWiST) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients who received haploidentical-related donor (HID) and identical sibling donor (ISD) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Five clinical health states were defined: toxicity (TOX), acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), chronic GVHD (cGVHD), time without symptoms and toxicity (TWiST) and relapse (REL). The equation used in this study was as follows: Q-TWiST=UTOX × TOX + UTWiST × TWiST + UREL × REL + UaGVHD × aGVHD + UcGVHD × cGVHD. A total of 239 AML patients were enrolled. We established a mathematical model, i.e., Q-TWiST HID HSCT > Q-TWiST ISD HSCT, to explore the range of utility coefficients satisfying the inequality. Based on the raw data, the utility coefficient is equivalent to the following inequality: [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]. The model showed that when [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] were within the range of 0-1, as well as when [Formula: see text] was within the range of 0-0.569, the inequality Q-TWiST HID HSCT > Q-TWiST ISD HSCT was valid. According to the results of the ChiCTR1800016972 study, the median coefficients of TOX, acute GVHD (aGVHD), and cGVHD were 0.56 (0.41-0.76), 0.56 (0.47-0.72), and 0.54 (0.37-0.79), respectively. We selected a series of specific examples of the coefficients, i.e., [Formula: see text]=0.5, [Formula: see text]=0.05, [Formula: see text]=0.5, and [Formula: see text]=0.5. The Q-TWiST values of ISD and HID HSCT were 896 and 900 d, respectively (P=0.470). We first observed that Q-TWiST was comparable between AML patients receiving HID HSCT and those receiving ISD HSCT.

Kinetic and macroscopic models for active particles exploring complex environments with an internal navigation control system

A large number of biological systems — from bacteria to sheep — can be described as ensembles of self-propelled agents (active particles) with a complex internal dynamic that controls the agent’s behavior: resting, moving slow, moving fast, feeding, etc. In this study, we assume that such a complex internal dynamic can be described by a Markov chain, which controls the moving direction, speed, and internal state of the agent. We refer to this Markov chain as the Navigation Control System (NCS). Furthermore, we model that agents sense the environment by considering that the transition rates of the NCS depend on local (scalar) measurements of the environment such as e.g. chemical concentrations, light intensity, or temperature. Here, we investigate under which conditions the (asymptotic) behavior of the agents can be reduced to an effective convection–diffusion equation for the density of the agents, providing effective expressions for the drift and diffusion terms. We apply the developed generic framework to a series of specific examples to show that in order to obtain a drift term three necessary conditions should be fulfilled: (i) the NCS should possess two or more internal states, (ii) the NCS transition rates should depend on the agent’s position, and (iii) transition rates should be asymmetric. In addition, we indicate that the sign of the drift term — i.e. whether agents develop a positive or negative chemotactic response — can be changed by modifying the asymmetry of the NCS or by swapping the speed associated to the internal states. The developed theoretical framework paves the way to model a large variety of biological systems and provides a solid proof that chemotactic responses can be developed, counterintuitively, by agents that cannot measure gradients and lack memory as to store past measurements of the environment.

Жизнеобеспечение экипажа пилотируемого космического объекта, проблемы управления

Life support for first manned spaceflights was based on supplies of consumables. Crew life support systems based on supplies of water and oxygen, in spite of their simplicity, are extremely inefficient in orbital space missions and are unfeasible in deep space missions because of mass and volume constraints. Therefore, there are currently developed and are to be used on space stations the life support systems that are based on chemical and physical regeneration of water and oxygen extracted from human waste. In view of further advances in long-duration orbital stations, and the prospects of establishment of planetary outposts and deep space exploration, the problem of constructing an automated system for controlling a suite of regenerative LSS becomes urgent. The complexity of solving the problem of constructing an efficient control system in this case owes to the existence of a large number of effectiveness criteria. The paper proposes a system of consolidated global efficiency criteria, which allows to break up this problem into a series of sub-problems of optimization in order to solve this problem. The proposed criteria are longevity, cost, comfort. The paper presents a series of specific examples of using the proposed principles with necessary generalizations. Key words: space life support systems, atmosphere revitalization equipment, automated control system, global generalized efficiency criteria, longevity, cost, comfort.

Development of non-coherent CFAR detection processes in Weibull background

The Weibull distribution is a model for land and sea based radar backscattering, and as such there is continued interest in the development of non-coherent detection processes under such a clutter model assumption. The focus here is on the derivation of such detectors which achieve the constant false alarm rate property in Weibull background. This property is acquired without the requirement of clutter parameter approximation through secondary data. Towards this objective, recent investigations have shown that it is possible to design such detectors for operation in clutter environments which can be modelled by scale and power invariant distributions, of which the Weibull distribution is an example. Based upon a general form of detector a series of specific examples are introduced, and their performance is investigated, in both synthetic and real clutter returns. It will be demonstrated that a non-coherent detection process exists, which achieves the full constant false alarm rate property in homogeneous Weibull clutter, whose performance matches detectors based upon a priori knowledge of the Weibull clutter parameters.

Exploiting length-dependent effects for the design of single-material systems with enhanced thermal transport properties

Topology optimization approaches for thermal transport problems generally rely on the presence of high contrast in thermal conductivity between constituent materials. Even though this might result in topological configurations that are optimal according to some desired thermal metric, the resulting systems might be impractical from a mechanical standpoint: high contrast in thermal conductivity generally translates into disparate ranges of thermal expansion, which in turn may lead to mechanical failure. In this paper, we focus on the combination of multi-scale modeling and topology optimization techniques for the design of polycrystalline single-material systems with enhanced thermal transport properties. Spatial variation of the length-dependent thermal conductivity is achieved by grading the characteristic grain size of the microstructure. We adopt a multi-scale approach to compute the attainable range of thermal conductivity due to grain-size effect, given maximum and minimum grain sizes and an operating temperature range. Then, we utilize an adaptive topology optimization technique to obtain an optimal grain size distribution, while accounting for manufacturing constraints. Through a series of specific examples, we demonstrate the extent to which thermal transport properties can be optimized without resorting to the adoption of multi-material systems.

Revisiting the Manuscripts of Perceval and the Continuations: Publishing practices and authorial transition

Abstract: This article revisits the manuscripts of Chrétien de Troyes’s Perceval and its Continuations with a view to reassessing the nature of the visible demarcations of authorial transition between the texts. First, it opens with an examination of the question as to whether it is justifiable to talk of a publishing trade in the Middle Ages. Through a discussion of existing scholarship on publishing prior to the print age, as well as a series of specific examples from medieval texts, the first section of the study puts forward an argument in favour of the term’s adoption in relation to medieval literature. Second, by then applying publishing and paratextual theory to the manuscripts of Perceval and the Continuations, using a theoretical framework influenced by Gérard Genette and others, it provides a re-evaluation of the current understanding of the relationships between these texts, as well as a reconsideration of how we might now perceive their reception amongst medieval audiences. Methodologically, it does this by means of a detailed analysis of the various ways in which all of the boundaries of authorship within the entire corpus of extant manuscripts were demarcated as part of the process of publication, considering the form, function and purpose of each example. Finally, given the new light shed on these texts by the analysis, and the resulting enrichment of our insights into their contemporary reception, the article argues for the benefit of utilising approaches to medieval literature such as this more broadly, such that the focus is no longer solely on the reader, but also on the publisher.

A note on the relationship between turbulent coherent structures and phase correlation.

Various definitions of coherent structures exist in turbulence research, but a common assumption is that coherent structures have correlated spectral phases. As a result, randomization of phases is believed, generally, to remove coherent structures from the measured data. Here, we reexamine these assumptions using atmospheric turbulence measurements. Small-scale coherent structures are detected in the usual way using the wavelet transform. A considerable percentage of the detected structures are not phase correlated, although some of them are clearly organized in space and time. At larger scales, structures have even higher degree of spatiotemporal coherence but are also associated with weak phase correlation. A series of specific examples are shown to demonstrate this. These results warn about the vague terminology and assumptions around coherent structures, particularly for complex real-world turbulence.

THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF WAR AND THE 5TH C. ‘INVASIONS’

This paper examines the extent to which warfare is particularly characteristic of the 5th c. and whether the typical scholarly focus on barbarian invasion in this period is justified by the evidence. It then examines the ways in which archaeological and literary evidence do and do not shed light on one another in the context of 5th c. warfare, taking a series of specific examples, including the re-occupation of high places in northern Spain, the ethnic interpretation of artefacts in Mesetan cemeteries, and the evidence of violence from Late Roman Emerita Augusta.

Alternative Splicing: Role in Cancer Development and Progression

Alternative Splicing: Role in Cancer Development and Progression

Alternative Splicing and Cancer

Alternative splicing of premessenger RNAs is a key step in the gene expression process, which allows the synthesis of different products from the same gene and contributes to increase the complexity of the proteome coded by a limited number of genes. Specialized high-throughput technologies (RNA-Seq, splicing-sensitive microarrays) aiming at analyzing alternative splicing in normal or pathological situations have allowed to make a promising step forward in basic and translational molecular oncology by identifying a variety of cancer-associated splicing variants. However, modification of alternative splicing is among the myriad of alterations present in cancer cells and whether splicing alteration is a cause or a consequence of cancer remains to be elucidated. The main focus of this special issue is to highlight some of the mechanisms involved in splicing alteration in cancer and to present new evidence demonstrating the involvement of alternative splicing alterations in different steps and aspects of cancer initiation and progression. To highlight the applications of large-scale approaches in the search for relevant cancer-associated splicing events, S. Germann and colleagues give an overview of the studies that have been carried out so far using such strategies. This has allowed to identify sets of functionally related genes whose expression is altered at the splicing level in cancer cells and to characterize some of the factors which control specific splicing programs that are deregulated in tumors. The other reviews give a series of specific examples of cancer-associated splicing variants. S. Druillennec and colleagues address how alternative splicing modifies the physiological and pathological functions of a variety of protein kinases. Taking several examples of membrane-associated or cytosolic kinases, they explain more particularly how the oncogenic properties of this important class of factors between specific splicing isoforms. More specifically, K. Holzmann and colleagues summarize the various splicing alterations that affect, in different tumor types, the transcripts encoding the fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR) 1–3, at the level of their IgIII loop. Splicing-induced variations in this domain, which occur naturally during embryonic development and are regulated in a tissue-specific manner, directly affect the interactions between the receptors and their ligands and have profound consequences on their activity. In cancer cells, alterations in FGFR2 splicing are involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, an important step in the formation of metastases. In their paper, Hilmi and colleagues focus on the alternative splicing of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which produces isoforms with opposite functions in the control of angiogenesis, a process involved in the progression and metastasis of several cancers. They discuss the emerging possibility of targeting angiogenesis more accurately by modulating the splicing of VEGF transcripts through the factors that control it. J. Wei and colleagues review our current knowledge of the functional diversity of protein isoforms that compose the p53 family, encoded by the TP53, TP63, and TP73 genes. Evidence shows that the aberrant expression of some of these isoforms in cancer cells contributes to tumor progression and may explain in some cases the resistance of tumors to therapeutic treatments. Altogether those review articles illustrate how cancer cells may divert the natural properties of tissue-specific or developmentally regulated splicing variants to alter cellular functions and lead to a malignant phenotype or to a propagation of the tumor. This also underlines the need for a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control such splicing alterations. Didier Auboeuf Maria Carmo-Fonseca Juan Valcarcel Giuseppe Biamonti

Whose History? Historical Method and Ecclesiology in Ecumenical Context

AbstractThis article explores the concealed relationship of changing historical formulations of Christian doctrine to the statements of doctrine contained in ecumenical dialogue reports, and argues for a form of church history that would be ecumenically and theologically useful. Through a series of specific examples, it points to the hidden history of the ecclesiological contexts in which doctrine is situated. Noting limitations in the concept of ‘paradigm shift’, as well as in theories of doctrinal development, it argues that church history needs to attend to three levels of historical argumentation, covering doctrines, institutions, and social context, and proposes a historical methodology cognizant of all three, and above all of the links between all three.

Aproximación al léxico de la ciencia aplicada en el Renacimiento hispano

In this study we analyze the appearance of technical vocabulary during the spanish Renaissance. Some of the main linguistic characteristics are taken into account from various levels: phonetics, morphology and semantics, with a series of specific examples. Several examples of loanwords are studied from either classic or modern language, chosen from the most prestigious languages of the time.

The Blackboard or Virtual Reality

Instructional technology used effectively can enhance significantly what we do in the classroom. Used thoughtlessly, it can confuse and annoy the student. This article presents a series of specific examples and caveats while exploring the creation and use of electronic resources in a variety of classes. The electronic resources covered in this article include Web pages, virtual reality (specifically, a MOO), and interactive exercises. While examples are drawn primarily from the author's experience teaching Classics, the lessons learned apply to all fields. The article concludes with a case study of how to develop materials for a class on the story of Baucis and Philemon from Ovid's Metamorphoses.

New methodologies and technologies for the intelligent use of energy in industrial and civil applications

After a historical survey of the diffusion of methodologies and techniques of systems analysis in engineering applications, a series of specific examples is reported, concerning the activities of the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment (ENEA). In the field of knowledge-based computer aids for plant operators, two applications are described, concerning, respectively, a primary aluminium production plant (aluminium smelter) and a plant which recovers energy from civil waste. About dynamic modelling of buildings, a method is described, which has been tested both in inhabited buildings and in an empty experimental house. Finally, a peculiar ENEA's experience is illustrated, which regards the development of distributed information systems for networks of small- and mediumdashsized enterprises (SME) in industrial districts, with the aim of improving logistic and manufacturing processes and of protecting the environment.

The Wall in Recent Architectural Form: A Pattern of Evolution Toward Autonomy

Architectural design during the past twenty-five years has exhibited an increasingly pronounced tendency to treat the building wall as an autonomous designed object, independent of the building volume with which it is associated. There is a continuum of approaches, ranging from surface elaboration of the wall through low relief and high relief, to full design autonomy. Architects employ two main strategies toward this end: the expanded frontal wall plane, which exaggerates the building's monumentality, and the concentric shell or colonnade, which tends to the opposite result of an elaborated and more approachable design. In this article, I explore and illustrate these points with the support of an extensive series of specific examples.

Analyzing high-dimensional multispectral data

Through a series of specific examples, some characteristics encountered in analyzing high-dimensional multispectral data are illustrated. The increased importance of the second-order statistics in analyzing high-dimensional data is shown, as is the shortcoming of classifiers such as the minimum distance classifier, which rely on first-order variations alone. It is also shown how inaccurate estimation of first- and second-order statistics, e.g., from use of training sets which are too small, affects the performance of a classifier. Recognizing the importance of second-order statistics on the one hand, but the increased difficulty in perceiving and comprehending information present in statistics derived from high-dimensional data on the other, the authors propose a method to aid visualization of high-dimensional statistics using a color coding scheme.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

DSM-IV and new diagnostic categories: holding the line on proliferation

The authors discuss aspects of the decision-making process for including "new" diagnostic categories in DSM-IV. They detail the different kinds of new categories proposed for inclusion in DSM-IV and discuss the risks and benefits of incorporating them. The authors comment on whether new diagnostic categories should be included in official nosologies as a stimulus for research or as a culmination of research. They also highlight problems with "sunsetting" diagnoses. The criteria for change in DSM-IV--a way to deal with the expanding array of proposals for additional diagnostic entities--are discussed. The authors also offer a series of specific examples of the different kinds of new categories being considered for inclusion in DSM-IV.

MINIMAL SURFACES IN HOMOGENEOUS SPACES

A new method of proving the global minimality of closed submanifolds in Riemannian spaces, a development of the calibration method of Harvey and Lawson, is worked out. A criterion for global minimality of currents in compact homogeneous spaces is proved, and it is used to construct series of specific examples and prove a theorem about certain types of globally minimal surfaces in homogeneous spaces. Bibliography: 10 titles.

The Structure of Grain Boundaries and Phase Boundaries in Ceramics

ABSTRACTThe structure of different grain boundaries and phase boundaries are discussed by reference to a series of specific examples. The chosen examples of grain boundaries include the &lt;l10&gt;{l10} tilt boundary, the (001) twist boundary and the first-order twin boundary in spinel and the basal twin and the (1123) twin in Al2O3. The phase boundaries discussed are the β'''-alumina/spinel interface, the wustite/spinel interface and the spinel/alumina interface. It is shown that these interfaces do have properties which result specifically from the ionic nature of the material and the large unit cells involved in each case.

Synthesis of control systems for chemical plants A challenge for creativity

Synthesis of control systems for chemical plants is that step during process design and process engineering where the chemical engineer selects the control objectives; measured outputs and manipulated inputs; the control structure connecting measurements and manipulations as well as the control laws between them. This paper reviews the problem, its characteristics, previous works on the subject and finally attempts a broad outline of future developments. First, it presents the scope of its content and then proceeds to discuss the various facets of process control system synthesis. The review of the previous works provides a critical panorama of earlier problem formulations, solutions and methodologies, outlining their assumptions, extent of applicability, advantages and shortcomings. A series of specific examples demonstrates the multitude of control system synthesis problems and sets the stage for an in depth examination of its proper formulation and characteristics. It is pointed out that the synthesis of a process control system is only a part of the general system which oversees the operation of a plant. Consequently, questions related to safety, performance monitoring, detection of faults, etc., are also discussed. Since the operability of a chemical process is closely related to its design, the paper explores the effect that process design has on the synthesis of a control system and vice versa. Furthermore, the paper attempts to organize all the above issues in a coherent system which can guide the control designer towards the synthesis of effective control systems. Finally, the need for a change in the process control curricula is examined and some new provocative questions for future research are raised.