Chromosomal Gains and Losses in Uveal Melanomas Detected by Comparative Genomic Hybridization

Eleven uveal melanomas were analyzed using comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). The most abundant genetic changes were loss of chromosome 3, overrepresentation of 6p, loss of 6q, and multiplication of 8q. The smallest overrepresented regions on 6p and 8q were 6pterp21 and 8q24qter, respectively. Several additional gains and losses of chromosome segments were repeatedly observed, the most frequent one being loss of 9p (three cases). Monosomy 3 appeared to be a marker for ciliary body involvement. CGH data were compared with the results of chromosome banding. Some alterations, e.g., gains of 6p and losses of 6q, were observed with higher frequencies after CGH, while others, e.g., 9p deletions, were detected only by CGH. The data suggest some similarities of cytogenetic alterations between cutaneous and uveal melanoma. In particular, the 9p deletions are of interest due to recent reports about the location of a putative tumor-suppressor gene for cutaneous malignant melanoma in this region

Assessment of the effect of iris colour and having children on 5-year risk of death after diagnosis of uveal melanoma: a follow-up study

BACKGROUND: To examine the all-cause mortality and uveal melanoma specific mortality among newly diagnosed uveal melanoma patients after five years. Furthermore, we assess of the effect of iris colour and having children on 5-year risk of death after diagnosis of uveal melanoma. Therefore, we assess the performance of an individual prediction model of survival from uveal melanoma. METHODS: A cohort of 459 patients aged 45 to 79 years with newly diagnosed uveal melanoma was recruited between 2002 and 2004 from the Division of Ophthalmology, University of Essen, Germany. Survival probabilities were estimated by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. The clinical and histopathological characteristics were obtained from medical records. Iris colour and childbearing history were assessed at baseline by a computer-assisted telephone interview. We used crude and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) with respect to death from uveal melanoma and death from all causes. We used the Cox model to estimate adjusted probabilities of primary events. For computing Harrell’s C statistics, we used a Cox model including the prognostics factors gender, age at diagnosis, ciliary body involvement, largest basal tumour diameter, and iris colour. RESULTS: The 5-year uveal melanoma-specific survival probability was 82.9% (95% CI: 79.1-86.3). Main prognostic factors for the death of uveal melanoma were ciliary body involvement (HR: 1.7 (95% CI:1.0-2.8)), largest basal tumour diameter >15 mm HR: 7.0 (95% CI: 3.5-13.9), light iris colour (HR: 2.3 (95% CI: 0.9-5.8), having children (HR: 0.6 (95% CI: 0.2 - 1.7)), and gender (HR: 0.7 (95% CI: 0.4-1.1)). The value of the bootstrap-corrected C statistics was 0.76 (95% CI: 0.74-0.77). CONCLUSION: Beyond the established prognostic factors, light iris colour also appears to be a prognostic factor for death from uveal melanoma

Требования к узлу сопряжения секций геохода

Проведен анализ работы узла сопряжения секций (УСС) геохода. Сформированы требования к узлу сопряжения секций геохода.The analysis of the operation of the bearing unit of the geokhod is carried out. The requirements for the bearing unit of the geokhod are formed

The refugee/migrant crisis dichotomy on twitter: A network and sentiment perspective

Media reports, political statements, and social media debates on the refugee/migrant crisis shape the ways in which people and societies respond to those displaced people arriving at their borders world wide. These current events are framed and experienced as a crisis, entering the media, capturing worldwide political attention, and producing diverse and contradictory discourses and responses. The labels “migrant” and “refugee” are frequently distinguished and conflated in traditional as well as social media when describing the same groups of people. In this paper, we focus on the simultaneous struggle over meaning, legitimization, and power in representations of the refugee crisis, through the specific lens of Twitter. The 369,485 tweets analyzed in this paper cover two days after a picture of Alan Kurdi - a three-year-old Syrian boy who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to reach Europe with his family - made global headlines and sparked wide media engagement. More specifically, we investigate the existence of the dichotomy between the “deserving” refugee versus the “undeserving” migrant, as well as the relationship between sentiment expressed in tweets, their influence, and the popularity of Twitter users involved in this dichotomous characterization of the crisis. Our results show that the Twitter debate was predominantly focused on refugee related hashtags and that those tweets containing such hashtags were more positive in tone. Furthermore, we find that popular Twitter users as well as popular tweets are characterized by less emotional intensity and slightly less positivity in the debate, contrary to prior expectations. Co-occurrence networks expose the structure underlying hashtag usage and reveal a refugee-centric core of meaning, yet divergent goals of some prominent users. As social media become increasingly prominent venues for debate over a crisis, how and why people express their opinions offer valuable insights into the nature and direction of these debates

Accumulation of hydrogen in titanium under irradiation with neutrons

The course of the nuclear reaction in titanium under neutron irradiation with formation of hydrogen was experimentally confirmed. Additional hydrogen and gamma quanta with an energy of 889 and 1120 keV are observed. The gamma-field effect should be taken into account when creating neutron protection based on titanium borides. The irradiation of titanium leads to a change in the thermoelectric power to 20%

THE du / dt FILTERS PARAMETERS AND CHARACTERISTICS DETERMINATION

Проблема обеспечения электромагнитной совместимости при использовании частотно‐регулируемого электропривода является актуальной, так как влияет на надежность и безопасность его эксплуатации. Одной из разновидностей выходных фильтров электромагнитной совместимости являются фильтры du/dt – Г‐образные фильтры нижних частот. В результате анализа параметров фильтров, выпускаемых фирмой Danfoss, получены аналитические выражения для определения их индуктивности, емкости и демпфирующего сопротивления в зависимости от мощности нагрузки преобразователя частоты. Также определены численные значения важных для синтеза фильтров характеристик.The problem of ensuring electromagnetic compatibility when using a frequency‐controlled electric drive is relevant, since it affects the reliability and safety of its operation. One of the types of output filters of electromagnetic compatibility are du/dt filters L‐shaped low‐pass filters. As a result of analyzing the parameters of the filters produced by Danfoss, analytical expressions are obtained for determining their inductance, capacitance and damping resistance depending on the load power of the frequency converter. Numerical values of the characteristics important for the synthesis of filters are also determined

Mobile Phone Use and Risk of Uveal Melanoma: Results of the Risk Factors for Uveal Melanoma Case-Control Study

We recently reported an increased risk of uveal melanoma among mobile phone users. Here, we present the results of a case–control study that assessed the association between mobile phone use and risk of uveal melanoma. We recruited 459 uveal melanoma case patients at the University of Duisburg-Essen and matched 455 case patients with 827 population control subjects, 133 with 180 ophthalmologist control subjects, and 187 with 187 sibling control subjects. We used a questionnaire to assess mobile phone use and estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of risk for uveal melanoma using conditional logistic regression. Risk of uveal melanoma was not associated with regular mobile phone use (OR = 0.7, 95% CI = 0.5 to 1.0 vs population control subjects; OR = 1.1, 95% CI = 0.6 to 2.3 vs ophthalmologist control subjects; and OR = 1.2, 95% CI = 0.5 to 2.6 vs sibling control subjects), and we observed no trend for cumulative measures of exposure. We did not corroborate our previous results that showed an increased risk of uveal melanoma among regular mobile phone users