2,154 research outputs found
RIC-HSCT for MF/SS
No full textAdvanced-stage mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome (MF/SS) have a poor prognosis. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), particularly using a reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimen, is a promising treatment for advanced-stage MF/SS. We performed RIC-HSCT in nine patients with advanced MF/SS. With a median follow-up period of 954days after HSCT, the estimated 3-year overall survival was 85.7% (95% confidence interval, 33.4-97.9%) with no non-relapse mortality. Five patients relapsed after RIC-HSCT; however, in four patients whose relapse was detected only from the skin, persistent complete response was achieved in one patient, and the disease was manageable in other three patients by the tapering of immunosuppressants and donor lymphocyte infusion, suggesting that graft-versus-lymphoma effect and "down-staging" effect from advanced stage to early stage by HSCT improve the prognosis of advanced-stage MF/SS. These results suggest that RIC-HSCT is an effective treatment for advanced MF/SS
Preparation of mono-sized epoxy/MF microcapsulesin the appearance of polyvinyl alcohol as co-emulsifier
No full textFor epoxy microcapsules embedded in concrete as mechanic-triggered self-healing adhesive, globular shape with uniform size is the basic requirement to ensure the solid shell broken and the liquid core released at a designed stress. In this paper, monodispersed melamine\u96formaldehyde (MF) resin-walled epoxy E-51 microcapsules were successfully fabricated in an in situ polycondensation process, in which a certain amount of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution was added as coemulsifier to control the microcapsules\u92 shape and size. Detail investigation shows, with the cooperation of PVA, the microcapsule morphologies and size distribution were ease to be adjusted by the parameters such as emulsifying agents, agitation rate, pH value and acidification time
ACT Family Violence Intervention Program review
No full textThis paper reports on a review of the Australian Capital Territory’s Family Violence Intervention Program, which provides an interagency response to family violence matters.
The scope of the review was to analyse the program’s activities and outcomes using 2007–08 data provided by participating agencies, supported by in-depth interviews with key stakeholders including victims whose matters had been finalised in court. After the completion of this report, additional data from 2008–09 and 2009–10 was made available by some Family Violence Intervention Program (FVIP) participating agencies. Although not within the scope of this evaluation, these data pointed to some preliminary improvements in the FVIP
NF membrane fouling by aluminum and iron coagulant residuals after coagulation-MF pretreatment
No full textThe effects of coagulant residuals on fouling of a nanofiltration (NF) membrane were investigated. Experiments were carried out with a laboratory-scale microfiltration (MF)-NF setup and a pilot MF-NF plant. In the laboratory-scale experiments, NF feed water was pretreated with poly-aluminum chloride (PACl) or alum followed by MF. NF membrane permeability declined when the feed water contained residual aluminum at 18 μg/L or more, but not when it was lower than 9 μg/L. When pretreated with ferric chloride, no substantial decline of NF membrane permeability was observed: residual iron did not affect the permeability. When SiO2 was added to the water before the pretreatment with PACl, the NF membrane permeability declined at about double the speed. Thermodynamic calculations and elemental analysis of foulants recovered from the membranes indicated that the majority of inorganic foulants were compounds composed of aluminum, silicate, and possibly potassium. In the pilot plant, NF feed was pretreated by PACl. Transmembrane pressure for NF doubled over 4.5 months of operation. Although the aluminum concentration in the NF feed was not high (30 μg/L), analysis of membrane foulants revealed excessive accumulation of aluminum and silicate, also suggesting that aluminum residuals caused the membrane fouling by alumino-silicates or aluminum hydroxide
Claiming the right to health for women who have sex with women: analysing South Africa’s National Strategic Plans on HIV and STIs
No full textIntroduction:
Evidence has emerged that women who have sex with women (WSW) in South Africa face
multiple vulnerabilities to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV. This health policy
analysis seeks to understand why and how interventions to improve sexual health of WSW
were initially proposed in the HIV & AIDS and STI Strategic Plan for South Africa 2007-2011,
what was implemented and how issues were reframed in the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on
HIV, STIs and TB 2012-2016.
Methodology:
Qualitative methods were used to analyse changes over time in policy discourse around WSW
sexual health. A conceptual framework considered four factors determining political priority
setting for WSW issues in NSP development processes: actor power, ideas, political context and
issue characteristics. 25 semi-structured key informant interviews were conducted in South
Africa in 2013 and findings were triangulated through document analysis.
Results:
Breakthrough in participation in policy making on HIV/AIDS in 2007 enabled the women’s
sector of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) to present testimony from WSW
affected by HIV. Policy content of the 2007-2011 NSP included WSW issues but no activities
were implemented in the public health system. Policy actors were mandated to redevelop an
evidence based NSP for 2012-2016 and discourse on key populations vulnerable to HIV,
including men who have sex with men (MSM), shaped policy content. Data on HIV and STIs
among WSW existed but resources to disseminate or undertake further research were limited.
The SANAC LGBTI sector, created to represent community interests, became preoccupied with
MSM programming. Focus on WSW was not maintained in the 2012-2016 NSP due to limited
health metrics, limits on participation and growing social conservatism.
Conclusion:
In the future advocates must reiterate rights based arguments on the vulnerabilities of WSW
and call for a revised research agenda on the epidemiology of WSW sexual health
Correction Factor on Dynamic Force in a Marsh Funnel Test for Tunneling
No full textThis paper presents an improvement on a previous model for predicting the Marsh funnel (MF) test that is used in slurry shield tunneling for evaluating the rheological properties of bentonite slurries. The improvement focuses on the prediction of the dynamic part for fluids with small MF times. The velocity profile of the Herschel-Bulkley fluid in a laminar pipe flow condition is first investigated and a correction factor is introduced in the improved model. Comparisons of results from experiments and calculations with the previous model confirm the improved performance over the existing model. The rheological parameters obtained from the improved model show good resemblance to those obtained from a laboratory viscometer. The work also provides a reference to similar applications such as fluid transportation through pipelines where dynamic pressure dominates and therefore should be correctly predicted considering its velocity profile in a laminar condition.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Offshore and Dredging Engineerin
Correlación entre umbral conductual (Audiometria) y umbral electrofisiológico (PEAEE A MF MONOAURAL) audix
No full textEl presente trabajo describe la correlación que existe entre el umbral conductual (UC) tomados de la Audiometrla Tonal y el umbral electro.fisiológico UE basado en el registro de Potenciales Evocados Auditivos de Estado Estable (PEAee) a múltiples frecuencias (MF) Monoaural. Se estudio un grupo de 30 niños (60 oídos) de 3 a 1 O años de edad, 22 con audición normal y 8 con hipoacusia neurosensorial; Se lomaron los datos de la historia clínica de cada uno de los sujetos (Audiometria Tonal en 500, 1000, 2000 y 4000 Hz y PEAee a MF Monoaural en 500, 1000,2000 y 4000 Hz en dB SPL, dB nHL y dB HL utilizando tonos modulados en amplitud entre 80 y 11 O Hz). En términos generales entre el PEAee a MF Monoaural y la Audiometría Tonal se encontraron coeficientes de correlación altos mayores de O. 7; y entre las escalas SPL, nHL y HL del PEAee a MF fueron mayores de 0.9. Se encontraron diferencias entre UC y UE en cada una de las escalas dB SPL (de 41 a 56 dB), dB nl-ll (de 3 a 14 dB) y dB HL (33 a 48 dB). Se concluye que la técnica de PEAee a MF Monoaural presenta una corre/adán significativa con la audiometria tonal, demostrando que reduce considerablemente el tiempo de exploración manteniendo la comfiabilidad con respecto a la predicción del umbral conductual.</jats:p
Thermal analysis of a miniature magnetic fluid seal installed in an implantable rotary pump
No full textThe capacity of a magnetic fluid (MF) seal is decreased by increased MF temperature. A cooling system for MF is limited in a miniature MF seal installed in an implantable rotary pump. MF temperature in an MF seal installed in an implantable rotary pump was studied. The temperature of MF in a rotary pump was measured in vitro. Also, steady-state thermal analyses were conducted for an implantable rotary pump model. The results showed that (1) the decrease in magnetization of an MF due to increased temperature is negligible when the heat transfer coefficient of the seal housing is greater than 500 W/(m2·K) and (2) the increased temperature is mainly due to heat flux from the motor, and the magnitude of temperature increase due to viscous friction in the MF is low. In conclusion, an MF seal can be used in an implantable rotary pump from the standpoint of heat characteristics
Magnetic fluid seals working in liquid environments: Factors limiting their life and solution methods
No full textA magnetic fluid (MF) seal enables mechanical contact-free rotation of a shaft and hence has excellent durability. The performance of an MF seal, however, decreases in liquids. Factors limiting seal life are MF flowing away and mixing of MF with liquids. We developed an MF seal that had a "shield'' mechanism. Two types of shield were placed in MF seals installed in rotary pumps. Long-term durability tests were conducted. The MF seal with a shield having a small cavity space showed a longer life (207+ days), while the MF seal with a shield having a large cavity space failed after 28, 32 and 31 days. When a rotary pump is connected to an afterload, water flows into the cavity space of the shield through a concentric annulus and compresses air in the cavity. The water flow stops once the air pressure equilibrates the afterload pressure. Water remained in the entrance annulus and did not make contact with the MF in the case of the shield having a small cavity space, while water entered the cavity space and made contact with the MF in the case of the shield having a large cavity space. Less water in contact with the MF prolonged the seal life. In conclusion, the use of an optimally designed shield prolongs an MF seal life by preventing the MF from flowing away and mixing with liquids
Evaluating the influence of different sit-to- stand strategies on the biomechanics of the upper extremity dependent on age and sex
No full textIntroduction: During the sit-to-stand (STS) motion, thigh push-of (TP) is frequently used, yet the biomechanical advantage for the upper extremity, is relatively unknown. In this thesis, the STS motion is analyzed for three different techniques; TP, armrest push-off (AP), and no arm aid (NA). The aim of this study is to determine the biomechanical advantage of the TP strategy through examining the joint moments (JM), and muscle forces (MF). Furthermore, the study aims to find whether age or gender affects the JM and MF generated in the TP, AP, and NA strategies. Method: Time to stand (TTS), JM and MF exerted on the upper extremity were examined for TP, AP and NA strategies for 34 participants across 3 groups: EM, elderly female (EF), and young males (YM). The metrics were obtained through inverse kinematic (IK), inverse dynamic (ID), and static optimization (SO) simulations in a 3D musculoskeletal model. Results: The time-to-stand (TTS) in elderly participants is significantly longer in the TP strategy than in the AP and NA strategies. For elderly people, the TP strategy results in upper extremity JM lower than during AP and equal as in NA. Similarly, the TP strategy results in significantly lower MF than the AP strategy, and equal MF as in the NA strategy. Conclusion: The TP strategy takes longer than AP and reduces the JM and MF for elderly participants. Moreover, the TP strategy does not yield higher JM and MF than the NA strategy for any participant group. Thus, the biomechanical advantage of the TP strategy for elderly people, are lowered JM and MF in the upper extremityBiomedical Engineerin
- …
