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The effects of prehabilitation on body composition in patients undergoing multimodal therapy for esophageal cancer
Get PDFPrehabilitation aims to optimize a patient’s functional capacity in preparation for surgery. Esophageal cancer patients have a high incidence of sarcopenia and commonly undergo neoadjuvant therapy, which is associated with loss of muscle mass. This study examines the effects of prehabilitation on body composition during neoadjuvant therapy in esophageal cancer patients. In this cohort study, changes in body composition were compared between esophageal cancer patients who participated in prehabilitation during neoadjuvant therapy and controls who did not receive prehabilitation. Assessment of body composition was performed from CT images acquired at the time of diagnosis and after neoadjuvant therapy. Fifty-one prehabilitation patients and 28 control patients were identified. There was a significantly greater fall in skeletal muscle index (SMI) in the control group compared with the prehabilitation patients (Δ SMI mean difference = −2.2 cm2/m2, 95% CI –4.3 to −0.1, p=0.038). Within the prehabilitation cohort, there was a smaller decline in SMI in patients with ≥75% adherence to exercise in comparison to those with lower adherence (Δ SMI mean difference = −3.2, 95% CI –6.0 to −0.5, P = 0.023). A greater decrease in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) was seen with increasing volumes of exercise completed during prehabilitation (P = 0.046). Loss of VAT during neoadjuvant therapy was associated with a lower risk of post-operative complications (P = 0.017). By limiting the fall in SMI and promoting VAT loss, prehabilitation may have multiple beneficial effects in patients with esophageal cancer. Multi-center, randomized studies are needed to further explore these findings
Enumerating 3-generated axial algebras of Monster type
Get PDFAn axial algebra is a commutative non-associative algebra generated by axes, that is, primitive, semisimple idempotents whose eigenvectors multiply according to a certain fusion law. The Griess algebra, whose automorphism group is the Monster, is an example of an axial algebra. We say an axial algebra is of Monster type if it has the same fusion law as the Griess algebra.
The 2-generated axial algebras of Monster type, called Norton-Sakuma algebras, have been fully classified and are one of nine isomorphism types. In this paper, we enumerate a subclass of 3-generated axial algebras of Monster type in terms of their groups and shapes. It turns out that the vast majority of the possible shapes for such algebras collapse; that is they do not lead to non-trivial examples. This is in sharp contrast to previous thinking. Accordingly, we develop a method of minimal forbidden configurations, to allow us to efficiently recognise and eliminate collapsing shapes
Thermal Induced Interface Mechanical Response Analysis of SMT Lead-Free Solder Joint and Its Adaptive Optimization
Get PDFSurface mount technology (SMT) plays an important role in integrated circuits, but due to thermal stress alternation caused by temperature cycling, it tends to have thermo-mechanical reliability problems. At the same time, considering the environmental and health problems of lead (Pb)-based solders, the electronics industry has turned to lead-free solders, such as ternary alloy
Sn-3Ag-0.5Cu (SAC305). As lead-free solders exhibit visco-plastic mechanical properties significantly affected by temperature, their thermo-mechanical reliability has received considerable attention. In this study, the interface delamination of an SMT solder joint using a SAC305 alloy under temperature cycling has been analyzed by the nonlinear finite element method. The results indicate that the highest contact pressure at the four corners of the termination/solder horizontal interface means that delamination is most likely to occur, followed by the y-direction side region of the solder/land interface and the top arc region of the termination/solder vertical interface. It should be noted that in order to keep the shape of the solder joint in the finite element model consistent with the actual situation after the reflow process, a minimum energy-based morphology evolution method has been incorporated into the established finite element model. Eventually, an Improved Efficient Global Optimization (IEGO) method was used to optimize the geometry of the SMT solder joint in order to reduce the contact pressure at critical points and critical regions. The optimization result shows that the contact pressure at the critical points and at the critical regions decreases significantly, which also means that the probability of thermal-induced delamination decreases
Electromechanical characterization and kinetic energy harvesting of piezoelectric nanocomposites reinforced with glass fibers
Get PDFPiezoelectric composites are a significant research field because of their excellent mechanical flexibility and sufficient stress-induced voltage. Furthermore, due to the widespread use of the Internet of Things (IoT) in recent years, small-sized piezoelectric composites have attracted a lot of attention. Also, there is an urgent need to develop evaluation methods for these composites. This paper evaluates the piezoelectric and mechanical properties of potassium sodium niobate (KNN)-epoxy and KNN-glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites using a modified small punch (MSP) and nanoindentation tests in addition to d33 measurements. An analytical solution for the piezoelectric composite thin plate under bending was obtained for the determination of the bending properties. Due to the glass fiber inclusion, the bending strength increased by about four times, and Young's modulus in the length direction increased by approximately two times (more than that of the KNN-epoxy); however, in the thickness direction, Young's modulus decreased by less than half. An impact energy harvesting test was then performed on the KNN-epoxy and KNN-GFRP composites. As a result, the output voltage of KNN-GFRP was larger than that of KNN-epoxy. Also, the output voltage was about 2.4 V with a compressive stress of 0.2 MPa, although the presence of the glass fibers decreased the piezoelectric constants. Finally, damped flexural vibration energy harvesting test was carried out on the KNN-epoxy and KNN-GFRP composites. The KNN-epoxy was broken during the test, however KNN-GFRP composite with a load resistance of 10 generated 35 nJ of energy. Overall, through this work, we succeeded in developing piezoelectric energy harvesting composite materials that can withstand impact and bending vibration using glass fibers and also established a method for evaluating the electromechanical properties with small test specimen
An Interesting Typo in Kim Stanley Robinson's The Gold Coast
Get PDFOne typo in Kim Stanley Robinson’s 1988 novel The Gold Coast is so prominent as to merit consideration. Nevertheless, there is no evidence that it has ever come to the attention of readers before now
Tau, XMAP215/Msps and Eb1 co-operate interdependently to regulate microtubule polymerisation and bundle formation in axons
Get PDFFrom PLOS via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-04-23, accepted 2021-06-07, collection 2021-07, epub 2021-07-06Publication status: PublishedFunder: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; funder-id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000268; Grant(s): BB/I002448/1Funder: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; funder-id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000268; Grant(s): BB/P020151/1Funder: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; funder-id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000268; Grant(s): BB/L000717/1Funder: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; funder-id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000268; Grant(s): BB/M007553/1Funder: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; funder-id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000268; Grant(s): BB/M007456/1Funder: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; funder-id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000268; Grant(s): BB/R018960/1Funder: Leverhulme Trust; funder-id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000275; Grant(s): ECF-2017-247Funder: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft; funder-id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659; Grant(s): VO 2071/1-1Funder: National Institutes of Health; funder-id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000002; Grant(s): R01 MH109651Funder: Consejo Nacional de Innovación, Ciencia y Tecnología; funder-id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100009068Funder: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; funder-id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000268Funder: Wellcome Trust; funder-id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100010269Funder: University of Manchester Strategic FundFunder: Wellcome Trust; funder-id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100004440; Grant(s): 087742/Z/08/ZFunder: National Institutes of Health; funder-id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000002; Grant(s): P40OD018537The formation and maintenance of microtubules requires their polymerisation, but little is known about how this polymerisation is regulated in cells. Focussing on the essential microtubule bundles in axons of Drosophila and Xenopus neurons, we show that the plus-end scaffold Eb1, the polymerase XMAP215/Msps and the lattice-binder Tau co-operate interdependently to promote microtubule polymerisation and bundle organisation during axon development and maintenance. Eb1 and XMAP215/Msps promote each other’s localisation at polymerising microtubule plus-ends. Tau outcompetes Eb1-binding along microtubule lattices, thus preventing depletion of Eb1 tip pools. The three factors genetically interact and show shared mutant phenotypes: reductions in axon growth, comet sizes, comet numbers and comet velocities, as well as prominent deterioration of parallel microtubule bundles into disorganised curled conformations. This microtubule curling is caused by Eb1 plus-end depletion which impairs spectraplakin-mediated guidance of extending microtubules into parallel bundles. Our demonstration that Eb1, XMAP215/Msps and Tau co-operate during the regulation of microtubule polymerisation and bundle organisation, offers new conceptual explanations for developmental and degenerative axon pathologies
Thinking with ‘lexical’ features to reconceptualize the ‘grammar’ of schooling: Shifting the focus from school to society
Get PDFFrom Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: registration 2020-08-03, online 2020-08-13, pub-electronic 2020-08-13, pub-print 2021-08Publication status: PublishedAbstract: Achieving changes to education practices and structures is a significant issue facing reformers internationally, and researchers have confronted how such changes, and the conditions for these, might be conceptualized. These issues resonate particularly as researchers grapple with imagining a post-COVID-19 landscape where social and educational norms may change. Tyack and Tobin, in their 1994 article ‘The “Grammar” of Schooling: Why has it been so hard to change?’ argued that several features of the American education system are so persistent as to warrant being understood as the ‘grammar’ of schooling. In this article, we reconceptualize this ‘grammar’ by taking seriously Tyack and Tobin’s insistence that ‘grammar’ organises meaning. Starting here, we argue that what they took to be grammatical features are the products and not the producers of meaning. We draw on the cases of the United States and England to argue that four international discourses have performed this meaning-making work: industrialization; welfarism; neoliberalism and neoconservatism. These are the ‘grammars’ of schooling—and of society. Their discursive products, including age grading and sorting into subjects are, we suggest, ‘lexical’ features that express the grammar. We use lexical features to explain the multi-directional interplay between discourse and educational feature: the lexical may endure longer than the grammatical, changes to which may be effected and/or legitimated through appealing to a lexical feature. We conclude by outlining key implications for realizing and conceptualizing educational change, including for a post-COVID-19 landscape
Transcriptome-wide study of TNF-inhibitor therapy in rheumatoid arthritis reveals early signature of successful treatment
Get PDFFrom Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-10-30, accepted 2021-02-11, registration 2021-02-11, pub-electronic 2021-03-10, online 2021-03-10, collection 2021-12Publication status: PublishedFunder: Versus Arthritis; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100012041; Grant(s): 21754Abstract: Background: Despite the success of TNF-inhibitor therapy in rheumatoid arthritis treatment, up to 40% of patients fail to respond adequately. This study aimed to identify transcriptome-based biomarkers of adalimumab response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to aid timely switching in non-responder patients and provide a better mechanistic understanding of the pathways involved in response/non-response. Methods: The Affymetrix Human Transcriptome Array 2.0 (HTA) was used to measure the transcriptome in whole blood at pre-treatment and at 3 months in EULAR good- and non-responders to adalimumab therapy. Differential expression of transcripts was analysed at the transcript level using multiple linear regression. Differentially expressed genes were validated in independent samples using OpenArray™ RT-qPCR. Results: In total, 813 transcripts were differentially expressed between pre-treatment and 3 months in adalimumab good-responders. No significant differential expression was observed between good- and non-responders at either time-point and no significant changes were observed in non-responders between time-points. OpenArray™ RT-qPCR was performed for 104 differentially expressed transcripts in good-responders, selected based on magnitude of effect or p value or based on prior association with RA or the immune system, validating differential expression for 17 transcripts. Conclusions: An early transcriptome signature of DAS28 response to adalimumab has been identified and replicated in independent datasets. Whilst treat-to-target approaches encourage early switching in non-responsive patients, registry evidence suggests that this does not always occur. The results herein could guide the development of a blood test to distinguish responders from non-responders at 3 months and support clinical decisions to switch non-responsive patients to an alternative therapy
Balancing exploration and exploitation in public management: Proposal for an organizational model
No full textThis article is not available on ChesterRepOver the last 30 years, a wave of reforms has reshaped the panorama of public administrations around the world, which have also stimulated debates on the subject reform in public sector relations. Much research has focused on discussing the validity of New Public Management (NPM) as a paradigm, including the recognition of regional versions of a number of universal problems in the Public Governance, NPM, and Public Value areas. This debate is focused on the need to give concrete answers to the new management needs of policy makers and to the growing demands of citizens. Increasingly public administration is based on meeting two needs: society requires creative, flexible, and innovation-oriented approaches, whilst economic pressures and budget cuts are forcing uses and models oriented toward efficiency, competitiveness, and cost savings. As regard the changing requirements of the public government, the new organizational system needs to incorporate the creativity, innovation capacity, and flexibility necessary to achieve sustainability and public value. The purpose of this research is to offer an organizational model, which balances exploration activities with those of exploitation, thus being able to meet the changing needs within the Administration, and the actions envisaged for its operations. This article also introduces the requirements for a decision support system to measure regional performance and service quality. It is hoped that we add to our knowledge and understanding of coordinated public policy and good governance that is effective even in these radically demanding Covid-19 times
Self-Assembling Polypeptide Hydrogels as a Platform to Recapitulate the Tumor Microenvironment
Get PDFFrom MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-06-25, pub-electronic 2021-06-30Publication status: PublishedFunder: Innovate UKRI Research Knowledge Transfer Partnership; Grant(s): KTP: Self-assembling peptide matrices as a platform for cell biology studies and drug deliveryThe tumor microenvironment plays a critical role in modulating cancer cell migration, metabolism, and malignancy, thus, highlighting the need to develop in vitro culture systems that can recapitulate its abnormal properties. While a variety of stiffness-tunable biomaterials, reviewed here, have been developed to mimic the rigidity of the tumor extracellular matrix, culture systems that can recapitulate the broader extracellular context of the tumor microenvironment (including pH and temperature) remain comparably unexplored, partially due to the difficulty in independently tuning these parameters. Here, we investigate a self-assembled polypeptide network hydrogel as a cell culture platform and demonstrate that the culture parameters, including the substrate stiffness, extracellular pH and temperature, can be independently controlled. We then use this biomaterial as a cell culture substrate to assess the effect of stiffness, pH and temperature on Suit2 cells, a pancreatic cancer cell line, and demonstrate that these microenvironmental factors can regulate two critical transcription factors in cancer: yes-associated protein 1 (YAP) and hypoxia inducible factor (HIF-1A)
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