Technical Research Report Research Articles

Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCT-A) in Uveitis: A Literature Review and a Reassessment of Its Real Role.

The global and precise follow-up of uveitis has become possible with the availability of dual fluorescein (FA) and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) since the mid-1990s. Progressively, additional non-invasive imaging methods have emerged, bringing value-added precision to the imaging appraisal of uveitis, including, among others, optical coherence tomography (OCT), enhanced-depth imaging OCT (EDI-OCT) and blue light fundus autofluorescence (BAF). More recently, another complementary imaging method, OCT-angiography (OCT-A), further allowed retinal and choroidal circulation to be imaged without the need for dye injection. The purpose of this review was aimed at examining the evidence in published reports indicating whether OCT-A could possibly replace dye angiographic methods, as well as the real practical impact of OCT-A. A literature search in the PubMed database was performed using the terms OCT-angiography and uveitis, OCTA and uveitis and OCT-A and uveitis. Case reports were excluded. Articles were classified into technical reports, research reports and reviews. Articles in the two latter categories were analyzed in a more detailed, individual fashion. Special attention was paid to whether there were arguments in favor of an exclusive rather than complementary use of OCT-A. Furthermore, a synthesis of the main practical applications of OCT-A in the management of uveitis was attempted. Between 2016 (the year of the first articles) and 2022, 144 articles containing the search terms were identified. After excluding case report articles, 114 articles were retained: 4 in 2016, 17 in 2017, 14 in 2018, 21 in 2019, 14 in 2020, 18 in 2021 and 26 in 2022. Seven articles contained technical information or consensus-based terminology. Ninety-two articles could be considered as clinical research articles. Of those, only two hinted in their conclusions that OCT-A could hypothetically replace dye methods. The terms mostly used to qualify the contribution of the articles in this group were "complementary to dye methods", "adjunct", "supplementing" and other similar terms. Fifteen articles were reviews, none of which hinted that OCT-A could replace dye methods. The situations where OCT-A represented a significant practical contribution to the practical appraisal of uveitis were identified. To date, no evidence was found in the literature that OCT-A can replace the classic dye methods; however, it can complement them. Promoting the possibility that non-invasive OCT-A can substitute the invasive dye methods is deleterious, giving the elusive impression that dye methods are no longer inevitable for evaluating uveitis patients. Nevertheless, OCT-A is a precious tool in uveitis research.

Application of natural and modified Polymers in Novel Drug Delivery: A review

Polymers are high molecular weight compounds consisting of monomers which are repeating small units’ offers as a backbone to the macromolecular structure. Natural polymers can be rendered water-soluble by chemical modification have been the subject of extensive technical reviews and original research reports, over the past fifty years. Early interests of natural polymers were associated with the food, paper, leather and textile industries and to a lesser extent, the cosmetics and Pharmaceutical industries. These natural polymers have advantages over synthetic polymers, since these are chemically inert, nontoxic, less expensive, biodegradable and widely available. Natural polymer can also be modified in different ways to obtain tailor made materials for drug-delivery systems and thus can compete with the available synthetic polymer. Moreover, the large number of pharma industry showed their interest towards these naturally derived polymers to discover, extract and purify such compounds from the natural origin. Modified polymers are the potent candidates to be used in various pharmaceutical dosages as a potential candidate for novel drug delivery system (NDDS). Therefore in this review, potential application of modified and non-modified natural polymers in various drug delivery systems has been described.

Property, Plant, and Equipment and IFRS Conversion from the U.S. Accounting Perspective—Technical Research Report

This article analyzes matters related to IAS 16 Property, Plant, and Equipment from a random selected of the IFRS financial statements, with a particular emphasis on componentization and revaluation assets. There are two fundamental differences between IFRS and U.S. GAAP. The first difference is component depreciation required under IFRS. The second part is the option to revalue fixed assets to estimated market value under IFRS. The research has helped U.S. executives understand the complexities of global accounting for PP&E between U.S. GAAP and IFRS and then to know how these differences may potentially impact their multinational organization’s accounting function.

Crowd-Sourced Intelligence Agency: Prototyping counterveillance

This paper discusses how an interactive artwork, the Crowd-Sourced Intelligence Agency (CSIA), can contribute to discussions of Big Data intelligence analytics. The CSIA is a publicly accessible Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) system that was constructed using information gathered from technical manuals, research reports, academic papers, leaked documents, and Freedom of Information Act files. Using a visceral heuristic, the CSIA demonstrates how the statistical correlations made by automated classification systems are different from human judgment and can produce false-positives, as well as how the display of information through an interface can affect the judgment of an intelligence agent. The public has the right to ask questions about how a computer program determines if they are a threat to national security and to question the practicality of using statistical pattern recognition algorithms in place of human judgment. Currently, the public’s lack of access to both Big Data and the actual datasets intelligence agencies use to train their classification algorithms keeps the possibility of performing effective sous-dataveillance out of reach. Without this data, the results returned by the CSIA will not be identical to those of intelligence agencies. Because we have replicated how OSINT is processed, however, our results will resemble the type of results and mistakes made by OSINT systems. The CSIA takes some initial steps toward contributing to an informed public debate about large-scale monitoring of open source, social media data and provides a prototype for counterveillance and sousveillance tools for citizens.

Applications of Skew Models Using Generalized Logistic Distribution

We use the skew distribution generation procedure proposed by Azzalini [Scand. J. Stat., 1985, 12, 171–178] to create three new probability distribution functions. These models make use of normal, student-t and generalized logistic distribution, see Rathie and Swamee [Technical Research Report No. 07/2006. Department of Statistics, University of Brasilia: Brasilia, Brazil, 2006]. Expressions for the moments about origin are derived. Graphical illustrations are also provided. The distributions derived in this paper can be seen as generalizations of the distributions given by Nadarajah and Kotz [Acta Appl. Math., 2006, 91, 1–37]. Applications with unimodal and bimodal data are given to illustrate the applicability of the results derived in this paper. The applications include the analysis of the following data sets: (a) spending on public education in various countries in 2003; (b) total expenditure on health in 2009 in various countries and (c) waiting time between eruptions of the Old Faithful Geyser in the Yellow Stone National Park, Wyoming, USA. We compare the fit of the distributions introduced in this paper with the distributions given by Nadarajah and Kotz [Acta Appl. Math., 2006, 91, 1–37]. The results show that our distributions, in general, fit better the data sets. The general R codes for fitting the distributions introduced in this paper are given in Appendix A.

Market for sea-water desalination plants set for high growth

A technical market research report now available from BCC Research Co of Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA, predicts that the market worldwide for sea-water and brackish water desalination plants is set to grow substantially over the next four years.

Market for Advanced Drinking Water Technologies Expected to Grow at 10.7% Annually

According to a technical market research report from BCC Research, the U.S. market for advanced drinking water technologies is estimated at about $1.3 billion in 2006 and is expected to grow at a combined average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 10.7% to 2011, reaching a total of $2.1 billion in 2011. The drinking water technologies included in the report include membrane filtration, ozone disinfection, ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, and novel oxidation processes. This article includes a table of the value of U.S. market for advanced municipal water treatments through 2011, and also a figure of the global market forecast for advanced municipal water treatment through 2011.

Recycling and Reuse to Grow at Annual Rate of 8.8%

This article discusses a technical market research report from BBC Research titled, “Water Recycling and Reuse: Technologies and Materials, #RGB‐331,” which estimates that the total value of the U.S. water recycling and reuse industry was $2.2 billion in 2005 and is expected to increase at an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 8.8%, reaching a total of $3.3 billion by 2010. The report indicates that the 8.8% AAGR shows that significant innovation is still occurring, making technologies more accessible to a greater number of potential buyers. It also indicates that the underlying market, wastewater recycling and reuse, is heading into a replacement phase.

Use made of U.S. government supported technical reports by researchers in water resources

This study attempts to determine how and from whom authors of journal articles citing technical reports learned of those reports and how and from whom they obtained copies. There also was an attempt to find out how reports were used in the research reported and what kind and level of use was made of them. A questionnaire was sent to 100 authors of recent research articles appearing in four research journals in the area of water resources in the 10 months ending in April 1992. There was an 82 percent return rate of the research instrument. Colleagues were, as expected, the primary sources of reports and information about reports. Indexing services were used by only two reserachers to identify the cited reports, which consisted of U.S. Geological Survey open-file reports, technical research reports, and reports of water investigations. Libraries and librarians played only minor roles in researchers' awareness of technical reports or their availability. If librarians are to serve the needs of researchers, greater efforts need to be made to ensure the availability and use of this relatively obscure publication type.

Fatigue life prediction at the stress concentrated region at the mill housing: Im, S.W., Kweon, Y.G. and Chang, R.W. Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (Pohang City) Technical Research Report (Dec. 1992) 14 (48), 672–678

Karanjin, a furanoflavonol from Pongamia pinnata L is used in agricultural practices for its pesticidal, insecticidal and acaricidal activities. It is commercially available as a bio-pesticide targeting a wide variety of pests. The present study was intended to evaluate the biochemical interactions of karanjin with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and study its toxicological effects on mammalian and bacterial cell lines. Karanjin bound to BSA at a single site with a dissociation constant of 19.7 μM. Evaluation of BSA-karanjin interactions at three different temperatures indicated the involvement of static mode of quenching. Binding experiments in the presence of warfarin and computational docking analysis indicated that karanjin bound closer to the warfarin binding site located in the Subdomain IIA of BSA. Using Förster resonance energy transfer analysis the distance between TRP 213 of BSA and karanjin was found to be 20 Å. Collective results from synchronous fluorescence spectra analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and circular dichroism analysis indicated that binding of karanjin induced conformational changes in the secondary structure of BSA. Karanjin exhibited low toxicity against human cervical cancer cells and normal mouse fibroblast L929 cells and modestly inhibited the growth of B. subtilis and E. coli cells. The data presented in this study provides insights for understanding the binding interactions of karanjin with BSA and its possible toxicological effects on mammalian cell lines and bacteria.

Prediction of Seismic and Volcanic Activity

The following selective and annotated bibliography is presented as a general academic guide for librarians and researchers to contemporary information sources on seismic and volcanic activity predicition and preparedness. It is international as well as interdisciplinary, and includes: books, serial titles, abstracy/indexes, government and technical research reports, database and datafile literature, bibliographies and other reference works. The primary language of the selections is English or English translaction, with additional coverage of works which are multilingual colelctions with English summaries. Emphasized subject-related topics include: earthquake prediction, hazard preparedness and planning, seismological research, volcanology, tectonics, earthquake engineering and computer technologies applied to primary data collection.

Surgical Immunology ed. by Andrew M. Munster (review)

The Biology of Human Fetal Growth. Symposia of the Society for the Study of Human Biology, vol. 15. Edited by D. F. Roberts and A. M. Thomson. London : Taylor & Francis; and New York: Halsted Press, 1976. Pp. 309. $21.00. This book contains the proceedings of the Society's 1974 symposium held at Great Ormond Street, London on November 29, 1974. The Symposium was organized by the editors who are from the Department of Human Genetics and MRC Reproduction and Growth Unit, Princess Mary Maternity Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The 15 papers in the symposium are divided into four sections: (1) techniques, (2) growth in size and its post-natal implications, (3) growth in function, and (4) factors affecting growth. Seven of the authors are from Newcastle and eight from other institutions. As with any multiauthored book the chapters show considerable variety both in content and style. Some are reviews, some brief comments, and some are highly technical research reports. As a generalist in this field, I found several of the reviews to be interesting and informative. These included "The Antenatal Assessment of Fetal Growth and Development: The Contribution of Ultrasonic Measurement," by S. Campbell; "Vulnerable Periods in Brain Growth and Somatic Growth," by J. Dobbing; "The Development of Endocrine Function in the Human Fetus," by J. Challis, J. Robinson, D. W. Rurak, and J. D. Thorburn; "Development of Immune Competence in the Fetus," by A. L. Jones; and "Chromosomes and Human Fetal Development," by E. V. Wright. Three things would have made the book a more cohesive and understandable whole: (1) an introductory overview of the subject by one or both of the editors, (2) simple explanations of statistical methods and conclusions, and (3) summaries for all papers. TL· Biology of Human Fetal Growth is a useful addendum to the libraries of obstetric-gynecologists interested in fetal and maternal medicine and to pediatric neonatologists. Michael Newton, M.D. University of Chicago Surgical Immunology. Edited by Andrew M. Munster. New York: Grune & Stratton , 1976. Pp. 327. $22.50. Dr. Munster has edited one of the few books which relates the disciplines of immunology and surgery, a relationship which has been developing rapidly during the past 2 decades. It is a valuable volume. It will help the surgeon to become increasingly aware of the immunologic responses of patients to organ transplantation, immunodeficiency disorders, autoimmunity, hypergammaglobulinemias , and cancer. The text is written by nine authors: five internists and four surgeons who are all clinicians and who know the research as well as the applied aspects of the field Perspectives in Biology and Medicine ¦ Summer 1977 | 613 they have reviewed. It has 1 1 chapters and covers history of immunology, basic immunology, transplantation immunology, immunodeficiency states, autoimmunity , gammopathies, HLA antigens and disease associations, cancer immunology , and laboratory techniques. Each chapter is a review in the style of the author and is directed to an audience interested in an up-to-date and concise introduction to the broad field of immunology as it affects surgical patients. There is a deliberate overlap among some of the chapters so that each may be read as an independent essay. Each chapter begins with a helpful introductory summary and ends with a short list of references, up to 1975, mainly of review articles, for additional reading. The work as a whole is written well enough to be readily understood. The content, as intended, is simple rather than comprehensive , and there are no specific references within the text. For the sophisticated surgeon immunologist the value of this book is thus limited. There is a small error on page 186, in the line before the last where, "respiratory alkalosis . . . with hypoventilation during sleep," should be corrected to "respiratory acidosis." The surgeon has recognized the interdependence ofsurgery and immunology for about 20 years. The text is designed to educate the surgeon and surgical student in current immunologic concepts and to help in the deciphering of immunological responses in surgical practice. The authors and editor are to be congratulated for publishing this work which will stimulate increased interest in this interdisciplinary field. Simon J. Simonian Department of Surgery University of Chicago Black Holes, Quasars, the Universe. By Harry L. Shipman. Boston...

Agrarian Reform in Communist China to 1952. By Human Resources Research Institute: Research Memoranda, No. 41. (Lackland Air Force Base, Texas: Air Force Personnel and Training Research Center. 1955. Pp. xviii, 61.) - Chinese Farm Economy after Agrarian Reform. By Human Resources Research Institute: Technical Research Report, No. 34. (Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Air Force Personnel and Training Research

Agrarian Reform in Communist China to 1952. By Human Resources Research Institute: Research Memoranda, No. 41. (Lackland Air Force Base, Texas: Air Force Personnel and Training Research Center. 1955. Pp. xviii, 61.) - Chinese Farm Economy after Agrarian Reform. By Human Resources Research Institute: Technical Research Report, No. 34. (Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Air Force Personnel and Training Research

Agrarian Reform in Communist China to 1952. By Shao-er Ong, Chief Contributor. Research Memorandum No. 41. xviii, 61. Tables, Figure. - Chinese Farm Economy after Agrarian Reform. By Shao-er Ong, Chief Contributor. Technical Research Report No. 34. xiii, 32. Tables.

Agrarian Reform in Communist China to 1952. By Shao-er Ong, Chief Contributor. Research Memorandum No. 41. xviii, 61. Tables, Figure. - Chinese Farm Economy after Agrarian Reform. By Shao-er Ong, Chief Contributor. Technical Research Report No. 34. xiii, 32. Tables. - Volume 16 Issue 2

The Control of Teachers in Communist China: A Socio-Political Study and Reactions in Communist China: An Analysis of Letters of Newspaper Editors. By Charles K. S. Wang; - Chinese Communist Anti-Americanism and the Resist-America Aid Korea Campaign and The Family Revolution in Communist China. By Wen-Hui C. Chen, Chief Contributor. (Lackland Air Force Base, Texas: Air Force Personnel and Training

The Control of Teachers in Communist China: A Socio-Political Study and Reactions in Communist China: An Analysis of Letters of Newspaper Editors. By Charles K. S. Wang; - Chinese Communist Anti-Americanism and the Resist-America Aid Korea Campaign and The Family Revolution in Communist China. By Wen-Hui C. Chen, Chief Contributor. (Lackland Air Force Base, Texas: Air Force Personnel and Training

Economic efficiency in plant operations with special reference to the marketing of California pears

Abstract does not appear. First page follows. Foreword For some years the California Agricultural Experiment Station and the United States Department of Agriculture have been cooperating on a series of studies of marketing cost and efficiency for deciduous fruits. These studies have had two major objectives: (1) the development of appropriate and effective research approaches to problems of plant operation and organization, making use of a combination of techniques from the fields of economics, accounting, and engineering; and (2) the application of these techniques to specific problems in the handling and marketing of deciduous fruits in California. The present publication is the first comprehensive technical research report on this work. It is concerned with the development of the appropriate theoretical framework for studies of plant costs and efficiency and with the research methods used in the empirical approach to these theoretical relationships. It then applies these methods to an analysis of the major functions or stages in fresh pear packing houses. Finally, stage relationships are synthesized into descriptions of short- and long-run cost functions under efficient operating conditions. Much of the material on stage relationships has been published as a series of Giannini Foundation mimeograph reports and as popularized research digests in California Agriculture. These functions were used to determine optimum combinations of plant technologies and to synthesize plant cost and economies of scale functions in a thesis entitled “Economic Efficiency in California Pear Packing Plants,” submitted by the senior author to the Graduate Division, University of California, in 1953. This thesis also brought together and developed the appropriate theoretical and empirical methodology. The present publication is largely a revision and elaboration of the thesis study.