A new method for the prediction of the viscosity of coal ash slags, in the Newtonian region, is presented. The technique is modeled on experimental viscosity data less than 1000 Pa s and hence is ...most reliable in that region. The capability of the model in predicting the viscosity of slags from coal ash was found to be superior to a number of the most commonly used empirical models found in the literature, which are based on simplified oxide melts or British coal ash slags. The method also provides an indication of the relative fluxing strength of the basic oxides usually found in coal ash slags. It was found that the fluxing strength is related to the inverse of the cation radius.
Over the last decades, the Dutch trauma care have seen major improvements. To assess the performance of the Dutch trauma system, in 2007, the Dutch Nationwide Trauma Registry (DNTR) was established, ...which developed into rich source of information for quality assessment, quality improvement of the trauma system, and for research purposes. The DNTR is one of the most comprehensive trauma registries in the world as it includes 100% of all trauma patients admitted to the hospital through the emergency department. This inclusive trauma registry has shown its benefit over less inclusive systems; however, it comes with a high workload for high-quality data collection and thus more expenses. The comprehensive prospectively collected data in the DNTR allows multiple types of studies to be performed. Recent changes in legislation allow the DNTR to include the citizen service numbers, which enables new possibilities and eases patient follow-up. However, in order to maximally exploit the possibilities of the DNTR, further development is required, for example, regarding data quality improvement and routine incorporation of health-related quality of life questionnaires. This would improve the quality assessment and scientific output from the DNTR. Finally, the DNTR and all other (European) trauma registries should strive to ensure that the trauma registries are eligible for comparisons between countries and healthcare systems, with the goal to improve trauma patient care worldwide.
Background. Patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy (iMN) and renal insufficiency have a high risk for progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In the short term, treatment with oral ...cyclophosphamide and steroids attenuates the deterioration of renal function in these patients; however, the long-term efficacy is unknown. Methods. We have studied prospectively 65 patients with iMN and renal insufficiency (serum creatinine >135 µmol/l) who were treated with oral cyclophosphamide (1.5–2.0 mg/kg/day for 12 months) and steroids (methylprednisolone pulses 3 × 1 g, i.v. at months 1, 3 and 5, and oral prednisone 0.5 mg/kg/48 h for 6 months). Results. Follow-up was 51 (5–132) months. Renal function temporarily improved or stabilized in all patients. A partial remission (PR) occurred in 56 patients followed by a complete remission (CR) in 17. During follow-up, 11 patients had relapsed (28% relapse rate after 5 years), of whom nine were re-treated because of renal function deterioration. At the end of follow-up, 16 patients were in CR, 31 in PR, eight had a persistent nephrotic syndrome, one had mild proteinuria, four had progressed to ESRD and five had died. Overall renal survival was 86% after 5 years and 74% after 7 years, compared with 32% after 5 and 7 years in a historical control group. Treatment-related complications occurred in two-thirds of patients, mainly consisting of bone marrow depression and infections. One patient has developed bladder cancer, another patient prostate cancer. Conclusions. Renal survival is good if patients with iMN and renal insufficiency are treated with oral cyclophosphamide. However, side effects occur frequently and relapse rate is high during longer follow-up.
Bacterial-mediated cancer therapy has shown great promise in in vivo tumour models with increased survival rates post-bacterial treatment. Improving efficiency of bacterial-mediated tumour regression ...has focused on controlling and exacerbating bacterial cytotoxicity towards tumours. One mechanism that has been used to carry this out is the process of bactofection where post-invasion, bacteria deliver plasmid-borne mammalian genes into target cells for expression. Here we utilised the cancer-targeting Salmonella Typhimurium strain, SL7207, to carry out bactofection into triple negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. However, we noted that post-transformation with the commonly used mammalian expression vector pEGFP, S. Typhimurium became filamentous, attenuated and unable to invade target cells efficiently. Filamentation did not occur in Escherichia coli-transformed with the same plasmid. Further investigation identified the region inducing S. Typhimurium filamentation as being the f1 origin of replication (f1 ori), an artefact of historic use of mammalian plasmids for single stranded DNA production. Other f1 ori-containing plasmids also induced the attenuated phenotype, while removal of the f1 ori from pEGFP restored S. Typhimurium virulence and increased the bactofection capacity. This work has implications for interpretation of prior bactofection studies employing f1 ori-containing plasmids in S. Typhimurium, while also indicating that future use of S. Typhimurium in targeting tumours should avoid the use of these plasmids.
Atmospheric CO2 concentration (C(a)) continues to rise. An imperative exists, therefore, to elucidate the interactive effects of elevated C(a) and drought on plant water relations of wheat (Triticum ...aestivum L.). A spring wheat (cv. Yecora Rojo) crop was exposed to ambient (Control: 370 micromol mol(-1)) and free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE: ambient + 180 micromol mol(-1)) under ample (Wet), and reduced (Dry), water supplies (100 and 50% replacement of evapotranspiration, respectively) over a 2-yr study. Our objective was to characterize and quantify the responses of 26 edaphic, gas exchange, water relations, carbohydrate pool dynamics, growth, and development parameters to rising C(a) and drought. Increasing C(a) minimized the deleterious effects of soil-water depletion by increasing drought avoidance (i.e., lower stomatal conductance and transpiration rate, and growth and development of a more robust root system) and drought tolerance (i.e., enhanced osmoregulation and adaptation of tissue) mechanisms, resulting in a 30% reduction in water stress-induced midafternoon depressions in net assimilation rate. An elevated C(a)-based increase in daily and seasonal carbon gain resulted in a positive feedback between source capacity (shoots) and sink demand (roots). Devoid of a concomitant rise in global temperature resulting from the rise in C(a), improved water relations for a herbaceous, cool-season, annual, C3 cereal monocot grass (i.e., wheat) are anticipated in a future high-CO2 world. These findings are applicable to other graminaceous species of a similar function-type as wheat common to temperate zone grassland prairies and savannas, especially under dryland conditions.
• The interactive effects of atmospheric CO2 concentration and soil-water content on grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) are reported here. • Sorghum plants were exposed to ambient (control) and free-air ...CO2 enrichment (FACE; ambient+200 μ mol mol-1), under ample (wet, 100% replacement of evapotranspiration) and reduced (dry, postplanting and mid-season irrigations) water supply over two growing seasons. • FACE reduced seasonal average stomatal conductance (g s) by 0.17 mol ( H2 O) m-2 s-1 (32% and 37% for dry and wet, respectively) compared with control; this was similar to the difference between dry and wet treatments. FACE increased net assimilation rate (A) by 4.77 μmol ( CO2) m-2 s-1 (23% and 9% for dry and wet, respectively), whereas dry decreased A by 10.50 μmol ( CO2) m-2 s-1 (26%) compared with wet. Total plant water potential (Ψ w) was 0.16 MPa (9%) and 0.04 MPa (3%) less negative in FACE than in the control treatment for dry and wet, respectively. Under dry, FACE stimulated final shoot biomass by 15%. • By ameliorating the adverse effects of drought, elevated atmospheric CO2 improved plant water status, which indirectly caused an increase in carbon gain.
To determine the likely effects of global warming on field-grown wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), a “Hot Serial Cereal” experiment was conducted—so-called “Cereal” because wheat was the crop, “Serial” ...because the wheat was planted about every 6 wk for 2 yr, and “Hot” because infrared heaters were deployed on six of the planting dates in a temperature free-air controlled enhancement (T-FACE) system, which warmed the canopies of the Heated plots. During the experiment, measurements of canopy reflectance were made two to five times per week from which values of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were calculated. As expected, curves of NDVI from the Heated plots vs. time and vs. growing degree days (GDD) computed from air temperatures generally were ahead of those from Reference plots. However, when plotted against GDD computed from canopy temperatures the curves coalesced, which gives confidence that the infrared-heater treatment simulates natural warming and will produce plant responses not unlike those expected with future global warming. Biomass and grain yields were correlated with the areas under the NDVI vs. GDD curves for the air-temperature-based GDDs, but high variability prevented such a correlation to be detected using canopy-temperature-based GDD. Large differences existed between the total amounts of air or canopy temperature-based GDDs required for wheat to mature in our irrigated fields in an arid region. This implies that GDD based on air temperatures should be regarded only as a local guide to plant development rates, whereas those based on canopy temperatures would be more universal.
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