The characterization of rock masses is an essential component for the planning and development of engineering designs in rock mechanics and rock engineering. The Rock Quality Designation (RQD) is a ...widely used rock mass characterization system that is direction-dependent, i.e., the measurement of a core sample depends not only on the sample position but also on its orientation. This paper outlines the critical aspects of the determination of RQD and proposes a physically-based upscaling strategy from borehole samples to large blocks, based on block-averaging the RQD values corresponding to the same direction, then calculating the minimum value over all the directions. An anisotropy index indicating how much RQD varies between one direction and another is also derived. Using geostatistical simulation, our proposal allows interpolating and upscaling direction-dependent geotechnical variables like RQD at any place in the geographical space for any direction, avoiding directional biases. We illustrate this proposal by predicting RQD in a polymetallic deposit, achieving geotechnical zoning and comparing the results with those of the traditional approach where the directional dependence of RQD is ignored.
•Rock Quality Designation (RQD) depends on core sample location and direction.•Upscaling should not mix RQD values measured along different directions.•Direction-dependent variables can be regionalized in a 3D space cross a 2D sphere.•Geostatistical simulation interpolates RQD at any target location and direction.•Upscaling based on block-averaging RQD along the same direction is proposed.
Mental health literacy consists of knowledge of a mental disorder and of the associated stigma. Barriers to depression treatment among Hispanic populations include persistent stigma which is ...primarily perpetuated by inadequate disease literacy and cultural factors. U.S.-born Hispanics are more likely to have depression compared to Hispanics born in Latin America and are less likely to follow a treatment plan compared to non-Hispanic whites. Hispanic women are more likely to access treatment through a primary care provider, making it an ideal setting for early mental health interventions.
Baseline data from 319 female Hispanic patients enrolled in Project DESEO: Depression Screening and Education: Options to Reduce Barriers to Treatment, were examined. The study implemented universal screening with a self-report depression screening tool (the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and took place at one federally qualified health center (FQHC) over a 24-month period. The current analysis examined the relationship between four culturally adapted stigma measures and depression knowledge, and tested whether mental health literacy was comparable across education levels in a sample of Hispanic women diagnosed with depression.
Almost two-thirds of the sample had less than a high school education. Depression knowledge scores were significantly, weakly correlated with each the Stigma Concerns About Mental Health Care (ρ = - .165, p = .003), Latino Scale for Antidepressant Stigma (p = .124, p = .028), and Social Distance scores (p = .150, p = .007). Depression knowledge (F2, 312 = 11.82, p < .001, partial η
= .071), Social Distance scores (F2, 312 = 3.34, p = .037, partial η
= .021), and antidepressant medication stigma scores (F2, 312 = 3.33, p = .037, partial η
= .015) significantly varied by education category. Participants with at least some college education reported significantly greater depression knowledge and less stigma surrounding depression and medication than participants with lower education levels.
Primary care settings are often the gateway to identifying undiagnosed mental health disorders, particularly for Hispanic women with comorbid physical health conditions. This study is unique in that it aims to examine the specific role of patient education level as a predictor of mental health literacy. For Hispanic women, understanding the mental health literacy of patients in a healthcare setting may improve quality of care through early detection of symptoms, culturally effective education and subsequent engagement in treatment.
The study was registered with https://clinicaltrials.gov/: NCT02491034 July 2, 2015.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background Guinea reported its first case of COVID-19 on March 12, 2020. Soon thereafter, a national state of emergency was declared, all land borders were closed, schools were shut down, and public ...gatherings were limited. Many health activities, including field-based activities targeting neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), were paused. The World Health Organization (WHO) issued updated guidance on the resumption of NTD field-based activities on July 27, 2020. In response, the Guinea Ministry of Health (MoH) and its partners planned and resumed mass drug administration (MDA) in mid-August to September 2020 in 19 health districts. Methodology/principal findings A risk-benefit assessment was conducted to identify potential risks associated with the MDA in the COVID-19 context. Following this assessment, a risk mitigation plan with barrier measures was developed to guide MDA implementation. These measures included COVID-19 testing for all national staff leaving Conakry, mask wearing, social distancing of two meters, and hand washing/sanitizing. A checklist was developed and used to monitor compliance to risk mitigation measures. Data on adherence to risk mitigation measures were collected electronically during the MDA. A total of 120 checklists, representing 120 community drug distributor (CDD) teams (two CDDs per team) and 120 households, were completed. Results indicated that washing or disinfecting hands was practiced by 68.3% of CDD teams, compared to 45.0% among households. Face masks to cover the mouth and nose were worn by 79.2% of CDD teams, while this was low among households (23.3%). In 87.5% of households, participants did not touch the dose pole and in 88.3% of CDD teams, CDDs did not touch the hands of the participants while giving the drugs. A large majority of CDD teams (94.2%) and household members (94.2%) were willing to participate in the MDA despite the pandemic. The epidemiological coverage was greater than or equal to65% for lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis and soil-transmitted helminths in 10 out of 19 HDs and greater than or equal to75% for schistosomiasis for school-aged children in 7 out of 11 HDs. Conclusions/significance Guinea was one of the first countries in Africa to resume MDA activities during the COVID-19 pandemic without causing an observed increase of transmission. The development of a risk mitigation plan and a method to monitor adherence to barrier measures was critical to this unprecedented effort. The rapid incorporation of COVID-19 barrier measures and their acceptance by CDDs and household members demonstrated both the adaptability of the National NTD Program to respond to emerging issues and the commitment of the MoH to implement NTD programs.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
In geotechnics and geomechanics, many rock mass properties are quantified by numerical variables defined by the observation or the testing of a borehole core sample. The value measured depends not ...only on the in-situ geographic coordinates of the sample, but also on the in-situ borehole direction. Interpolating such numerical variables in space without accounting for their directionality may produce misleading results, insofar as the interpolated values are representative of the rock mass properties in the sampling directions and not necessarily in other directions. A solution to this issue is to regionalize the geotechnical variables in a five-dimensional space, consisting of the Cartesian product of the three-dimensional Euclidean space and the unit 2-sphere, in order to account for both their geographic and directional variations. Spatial correlation analysis can be performed easily under an assumption of stationarity in the three-dimensional Euclidean space and isotropy on the sphere, so that the covariance or the variogram between two data only depends on their geographic and angular separations. The fitting of nested separable covariance functions eases the search for a valid spatial correlation model and for algorithms to simulate the geotechnical variables in the above-defined five-dimensional space. The concepts are applied to the modeling of the linear frequency of weak veins in a Chilean porphyry copper deposit, where the importance of accounting for directionality is demonstrated. Regionalized azimuthal projections are introduced as a visualization tool for structural geologists and geotechnicians to map the directional variations of the weak vein frequency at given locations in the geographic space.
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•Values of some geotechnical variables depend on both in-situ location and direction.•Mapping them without accounting for directionality produces misleading results.•Directional variables can be regionalized in 3D space crossed with 2D sphere.•Theory is presented and applied to the simulation of discontinuity frequency.•Representations showing both geographic and directional variations are introduced.
Advanced imaging often reveals adrenal tumors and tumor-like conditions in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. When adrenal disease is clinically suspected, cross-sectional imaging can be ...helpful in evaluating the etiology of the patient's symptoms. When adrenal disease is incidentally identified, what the clinician and patient really want to know is whether the findings are benign or malignant, as this ultimately will affect their next step in management. Using radiologic-pathologic correlation, we broadly classify common, uncommon, and rare tumors and tumor-like conditions that can occur in the adrenal as benign or malignant. This classification follows predominant trends in observed biologic behavior while acknowledging those tumors that may behave in the minority in an unpredictable manner. We review the clinical background and presentation of functional adrenal tumors including Conn syndrome, Cushing syndrome, and catecholamine-secreting tumors, as well as their relationship with adrenal anatomy. We discuss a variety of benign tumors, including adrenal cortical adenoma (including oncocytoma) and pheochromocytoma, as well as uncommonly and rarely encountered tumors such as myelolipoma, hemangioma, lymphangioma, schwannoma, ganglioneuroma, and adenomatoid tumor. A variety of tumefactive but nonneoplastic lesions are addressed, including adrenal cortical hyperplasia, adrenal hemorrhage, adrenal cysts, and infections. Malignant tumors discussed include adrenal cortical carcinoma, the rare malignant pheochromocytoma, lymphoma, metastases, and sarcomas. For each tumor and tumor-like lesion, the clinical presentation, epidemiology, key imaging findings, diagnostic differential considerations, and management options are briefly addressed. Finally, an approach to the workup of suspected or incidentally discovered tumors is presented based on a selected literature survey and our clinical experience. Radiologists play an important role in identification and diagnosis of adrenal tumors and tumor-like conditions in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.
In this work, we numerically solve the Brinkman–Darcy equation coupled to the granular kinematic model using the finite elements method in 2D, to describe the entry of water into draw points in Block ...Caving mining. We perform a total of 990 numerical simulations incorporating the relative change of local rock density (
Δ
ρ
/
ρ
p
), particle size (
D
p
), extraction area (
S
) and the separation between draw points (
L
). We propose two mathematical models using scale arguments for estimating the velocity of the water in the draw point as a function of two and three dimensionless numbers (for isolated and simultaneous extractions, respectively). The relative error in the estimation of the results using the mathematical model for the set of numerical experiments ranges from 0.83 to 6.09%, where the greatest deviations correspond to
D
p
= 6 mm. The proposed models allow estimating the water velocity at the draw point, which in turn helps to predict the time and place where there is a greater probability of a mud rush occurrence. The results can be applied in the design and optimisation of extraction sequences when the water present in the subsoil of a mine is a relevant factor to consider.
The H&E stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (sTIL) score and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) SP142 immunohistochemistry assay are prognostic and predictive in early-stage breast cancer, but are ...operator-dependent and may have insufficient precision to characterize dynamic changes in sTILs/PD-L1 in the context of clinical research. We illustrate how multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) combined with statistical modeling can be used to precisely estimate dynamic changes in sTIL score, PD-L1 expression, and other immune variables from a single paraffin-embedded slide, thus enabling comprehensive characterization of activity of novel immunotherapy agents.
Serial tissue was obtained from a recent clinical trial evaluating loco-regional cytokine delivery as a strategy to promote immune cell infiltration and activation in breast tumors. Pre-treatment biopsies and post-treatment tumor resections were analyzed by mIF (PerkinElmer Vectra) using an antibody panel that characterized tumor cells (cytokeratin-positive), immune cells (CD3, CD8, CD163, FoxP3), and PD-L1 expression. mIF estimates of sTIL score and PD-L1 expression were compared to the H&E/SP142 clinical assays. Hierarchical linear modeling was utilized to compare pre- and post-treatment immune cell expression, account for correlation of time-dependent measurement, variation across high-powered magnification views within each subject, and variation between subjects. Simulation methods (Monte Carlo, bootstrapping) were used to evaluate the impact of model and tissue sample size on statistical power.
mIF estimates of sTIL and PD-L1 expression were strongly correlated with their respective clinical assays (p < .001). Hierarchical linear modeling resulted in more precise estimates of treatment-related increases in sTIL, PD-L1, and other metrics such as CD8+ tumor nest infiltration. Statistical precision was dependent on adequate tissue sampling, with at least 15 high-powered fields recommended per specimen. Compared to conventional t-testing of means, hierarchical linear modeling was associated with substantial reductions in enrollment size required (n = 25➔n = 13) to detect the observed increases in sTIL/PD-L1.
mIF is useful for quantifying treatment-related dynamic changes in sTILs/PD-L1 and is concordant with clinical assays, but with greater precision. Hierarchical linear modeling can mitigate the effects of intratumoral heterogeneity on immune cell count estimations, allowing for more efficient detection of treatment-related pharmocodynamic effects in the context of clinical trials.
NCT02950259 .
COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of vaccines against its etiologic agent, SARS-CoV-2. However, the emergence of new variants of the virus lead to the generation of new alternatives ...to improve the current sub-unit vaccines in development. In the present report, the immunogenicity of the Spike RBD of SARS-CoV-2 formulated with an oil-in-water emulsion and a water-in-oil emulsion with squalene was evaluated in mice and hamsters. The RBD protein was expressed in insect cells and purified by chromatography until >95% purity. The protein was shown to have the appropriate folding as determined by ELISA and flow cytometry binding assays to its receptor, as well as by its detection by hamster immune anti-S1 sera under non-reducing conditions. In immunization assays, although the cellular immune response elicited by both adjuvants were similar, the formulation based in water-in-oil emulsion and squalene generated an earlier humoral response as determined by ELISA. Similarly, this formulation was able to stimulate neutralizing antibodies in hamsters. The vaccine candidate was shown to be safe, as demonstrated by the histopathological analysis in lungs, liver and kidney. These results have shown the potential of this formulation vaccine to be evaluated in a challenge against SARS-CoV-2 and determine its ability to confer protection.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
Background
Little research is available regarding vaccination attitudes among those recently diagnosed with COVID-19. This is important to investigate, particularly among those experiencing ...mild-to-moderate illness, given the ongoing need to improve uptake of both initial vaccine series and booster doses, and the divergent ways such an experience could impact attitudes.
Methods
From September 3 – November 12, 2021, all patients enrolled in Baylor Scott & White’s “COVID-19 Digital Care Journey for Home Monitoring” were invited to participate in an online survey that included questions about vaccination status and attitudes/opinions regarding COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccines. Following an item asking about accordance of COVID-19 vaccination with religious/personal beliefs, participants were asked to describe those beliefs and how they relate to taking/not taking the vaccine.
Results
Of 8,075 patients age ≥ 18 years diagnosed with COVID-19 and invited to join the survey during the study period, 3242 (40.2%) were fully vaccinated. In contrast, among the 149 who completed the questionnaire, 95(63.8%) reported full vaccination. Responses differed significantly between vaccination groups. The vaccinated group strongly agreed that COVID-19 is a major public health problem, the vaccines are safe and effective, and their decision to vaccinate included considering community benefit. The unvaccinated group responded neutrally to most questions addressing safety and public health aspects of the vaccine, while strongly disagreeing with statements regarding vaccine effectiveness and other preventative public health measures. The vaccinated group strongly agreed that taking the vaccine accorded with their religious/personal beliefs, while the unvaccinated group was neutral. In qualitative analysis of the free text responses “risk perception/calculation” and “no impact” of religious/personal beliefs on vaccination decisions were frequent themes/subthemes in both groups, but beliefs related to the “greater good” were a strong driver among the vaccinated, while statements emphasizing “individual choice” were a third frequent theme for the unvaccinated.
Conclusion
Our results show that two of the three factors that drive vaccine hesitancy (complacency, and lack of confidence in the vaccines) are present among unvaccinated adults recently diagnosed with COVID-19. They also show that beliefs emphasizing the importance of the greater good promote public health participation.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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