Biodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene by Shewanella putrefaciens NCIMB 8768

The desulfurization ability of Shewanella putrefaciens strain NCIMB 8768 was studied and its activity profile was compared with the widely studied strain Rhodococcus erythropolis strain IGTS8. Dibenzothiophene (DBT) is a recalcitrant thiophenic component of fossil fuels especially among diesel blend stocks. DBT in basic salt medium (BSM) at a final concentration of 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 mM was supplied to the microbes as the sole sulfur source. Experimental results showed that S. putrefaciens, similar to other biodesulfurization organisms, converted DBT to the end product 2-hydroxybiphenyl (HBP), as detected by the Gibbs assay and HPLC. Cells cultivated in medium containing 0.3 mM of DBT showed the highest desulfurization activity, with a maximum specific production rate 43.5 mmol/L of HBP

Skills use and common treatment processes in dialectical behaviour therapy for borderline personality disorder

Background and Objectives Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) trains participants to use behavioural skills for managing their emotions. The study aimed to evaluate whether skills use is associated with positive treatment outcomes independently of treatment processes that are common across different therapeutic models. Method Use of the DBT skills and three common treatment processes (therapeutic alliance, treatment credibility and self-efficacy) were assessed every 2 months for a year in 70 individuals with borderline personality disorder receiving DBT. Mixed-multilevel modelling was used to determine the association of these factors with frequency of self-harm and with treatment dropout. Results Participants who used the skills less often at any timepoint were more likely to drop out of DBT in the subsequent two months, independently of their self-efficacy, therapeutic alliance or perceived treatment credibility. More frequent use of the DBT skills and higher self-efficacy were each independently associated with less frequent concurrent self-harm. Treatment credibility and the alliance were not independently associated with self-harm or treatment dropout. Limitations The skills use measure could not be applied to a control group who did not receive DBT. The sample size was insufficient for structural equation modelling. Conclusion Practising the DBT skills and building an increased sense of self-efficacy may be important and partially independent treatment processes in dialectical behaviour therapy. However, the direction of the association between these variables and self-harm requires further evaluation

Numerical methods for coupled reconstruction and registration in digital breast tomosynthesis.

Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) provides an insight into the fine details of normal fibroglandular tissues and abnormal lesions by reconstructing a pseudo-3D image of the breast. In this respect, DBT overcomes a major limitation of conventional X-ray mam- mography by reducing the confounding effects caused by the superposition of breast tissue. In a breast cancer screening or diagnostic context, a radiologist is interested in detecting change, which might be indicative of malignant disease. To help automate this task image registration is required to establish spatial correspondence between time points. Typically, images, such as MRI or CT, are first reconstructed and then registered. This approach can be effective if reconstructing using a complete set of data. However, for ill-posed, limited-angle problems such as DBT, estimating the deformation is com- plicated by the significant artefacts associated with the reconstruction, leading to severe inaccuracies in the registration. This paper presents a mathematical framework, which couples the two tasks and jointly estimates both image intensities and the parameters of a transformation. Under this framework, we compare an iterative method and a simultaneous method, both of which tackle the problem of comparing DBT data by combining reconstruction of a pair of temporal volumes with their registration. We evaluate our methods using various computational digital phantoms, uncom- pressed breast MR images, and in-vivo DBT simulations. Firstly, we compare both iter- ative and simultaneous methods to the conventional, sequential method using an affine transformation model. We show that jointly estimating image intensities and parametric transformations gives superior results with respect to reconstruction fidelity and regis- tration accuracy. Also, we incorporate a non-rigid B-spline transformation model into our simultaneous method. The results demonstrate a visually plausible recovery of the deformation with preservation of the reconstruction fidelity

Effective Interventions for Treating Superficial Self Mutilators

Self-cutting is the most common form of self-mutilation in adolescents but there is insufficient knowledge as to which treatment methods to reduce self-mutilation are most effective. This exploration into the causes of self-cutting and the treatment interventions, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), compares adolescents who had DBT treatment with those who have used other treatment methods. Research findings indicate that the average age of adolescents in treatment was 15 years old and had been in treatment at least one time prior. Adolescents in DBT treatment showed signs in reducing/stopping self-cutting behavior along with improving communication skills with caregivers. Implications of this study show the need for further research to help educate professionals about the effective treatment for treating adolescent self-cutters

Combined Reconstruction and Registration of Digital Breast Tomosynthesis

Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) has the potential to en- hance breast cancer detection by reducing the confounding e ect of su- perimposed tissue associated with conventional mammography. In addi- tion the increased volumetric information should enable temporal datasets to be more accurately compared, a task that radiologists routinely apply to conventional mammograms to detect the changes associated with ma- lignancy. In this paper we address the problem of comparing DBT data by combining reconstruction of a pair of temporal volumes with their reg- istration. Using a simple test object, and DBT simulations from in vivo breast compressions imaged using MRI, we demonstrate that this com- bined reconstruction and registration approach produces improvements in both the reconstructed volumes and the estimated transformation pa- rameters when compared to performing the tasks sequentially

Emotional Regulation and Interpersonal Effectiveness as Mechanisms of Change for Treatment Outcomes Within a DBT Program for Adolescents

Predictive modeling was used to identify the degree that hypothesized moderators of dialectical behavioral therapy for adolescents (DBT-A) treatment outcomes predicted anxiety and depression symptoms over time. Participants were 66 adolescents (41 girls; 25 boys) with a mean age of 15.38 years (SD = 1.51) who completed a 7-week DBT-A intervention. Analyses revealed convergent models, wherein emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness were substantial predictors of change in the symptoms of anxiety, F(4, 65) = 23.21, p \u3c .01, R2 = .60, and depression, F(4, 65) = 29.76, p \u3c .01, R2 = .66

Digital tomosynthesis spot view in architectural distortions: outcomes in management and radiation dose

Purpose To evaluate if digital breast tomosynthesis spot compression view (DBT-SCV) could be an additional projection to confirm or deny architectural distortions (ADs) detected by digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) while assessing the average glandular radiation dose. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study enrolling 8864 DBT exams, of which only cases detecting primary AD and with BI-RADS 2-5 score were considered. Seventy-one AD cases examined with DBT-SCV, US and MRI were evaluated for correlation in terms of BI-RADS score; variables among exams were assessed for inter-relationships. Results Of all ADs identified at DBT, biopsy yielded malignancy in only 38%. PPV in identifying malignancy of ADs was higher for DBT-SCV than DBT (p < 0.05); the NPV of DBT-SCV was 94%. The difference between DBT and DBT-SCV in the detection of benign ADs was statistically significant (p < 0.05). AD without US or MRI confirmation was less likely to represent malignancy (p < 0.05). In detecting malignant cases of ADs, both DBT and DBT-SCV were strongly correlated with US and RM (Kappa > 0.90). In identifying benign cases of ADs, DBT-SCV was poorly/moderately correlated with US and RM (Kappa 0.25 and 0.66); DBT was negatively correlated with US and MRI. Conclusion DBT-SCV could be useful to better characterize AD firstly identified by DBT, keeping dose levels within the reference limits. If AD is detected by DBT without an US or MRI correlate, that is not confirmed by DBT-SCV, a "wait and see " approach can be applied to reduce unnecessary biopsy

Quantitative atomic spectroscopy for primary thermometry

Quantitative spectroscopy has been used to measure accurately the Doppler-broadening of atomic transitions in $^{85}$Rb vapor. By using a conventional platinum resistance thermometer and the Doppler thermometry technique, we were able to determine $k_B$ with a relative uncertainty of $4.1\times 10^{-4}$, and with a deviation of $2.7\times 10^{-4}$ from the expected value. Our experiment, using an effusive vapour, departs significantly from other Doppler-broadened thermometry (DBT) techniques, which rely on weakly absorbing molecules in a diffusive regime. In these circumstances, very different systematic effects such as magnetic sensitivity and optical pumping are dominant. Using the model developed recently by Stace and Luiten, we estimate the perturbation due to optical pumping of the measured $k_B$ value was less than $4\times 10^{-6}$. The effects of optical pumping on atomic and molecular DBT experiments is mapped over a wide range of beam size and saturation intensity, indicating possible avenues for improvement. We also compare the line-broadening mechanisms, windows of operation and detection limits of some recent DBT experiments