The relative importance of head, flux, and prior information in hydraulic tomography analysis

Using cross-correlation analysis, we demonstrate that flux measurements at observation locations during hydraulic tomography (HT) surveys carry nonredundant information about heterogeneity that are complementary to head measurements at the same locations. We then hypothesize that a joint interpretation of head and flux data, even when the same observation network as head has been used, can enhance the resolution of HT estimates. Subsequently, we use numerical experiments to test this hypothesis and investigate the impact of flux conditioning and prior information (such as correlation lengths and initial mean models (i.e., uniform mean or distributed means)) on the HT estimates of a nonstationary, layered medium. We find that the addition of flux conditioning to HT analysis improves the estimates in all of the prior models tested. While prior information on geologic structures could be useful, its influence on the estimates reduces as more nonredundant data (i.e., flux) are used in the HT analysis. Lastly, recommendations for conducting HT surveys and analysis are presented

Does China's public assistance scheme create welfare dependency? An assessment of the welfare of the Urban Minimum Living Standard Guarantee

In China, there are increasing concerns among the public and academics on welfare dependency caused the 'generous' of benefits of the Urban Minimum Living Standard Scheme (UMLSS). This study examines this issue by analysing the levels of the UMLSS according to international poverty measurements as well as reporting the life experiences of MLSS beneficiaries in Guangzhou city. It concludes that the UMLSS assistance is actually too low to reduce claimants’ work motivation. Instead, supplementary benefits associated with the UMLSS contributing to the recipients’ staying in China’s public assistance scheme in order to gain access to basic housing, health and educational services

Inducing cancer indolence by targeting mitochondrial Complex I is potentiated by blocking macrophage-mediated adaptive responses

Converting carcinomas in benign oncocytomas has been suggested as a potential anti-cancerstrategy. One of the oncocytoma hallmarks is the lack of respiratory complex I (CI). Herewe use genetic ablation of this enzyme to induce indolence in two cancer types, andshow this is reversed by allowing the stabilization of Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1 alpha(HIF-1α). We further show that on the long run CI-deficient tumors re-adapt to their inabilityto respond to hypoxia, concordantly with the persistence of human oncocytomas. Wedemonstrate that CI-deficient tumors survive and carry out angiogenesis, despite theirinability to stabilize HIF-1α. Such adaptive response is mediated by tumor associated mac-rophages, whose blockage improves the effect of CI ablation. Additionally, the simultaneouspharmacological inhibition of CI function through metformin and macrophage infiltrationthrough PLX-3397 impairs tumor growth in vivo in a synergistic manner, setting the basisfor an efficient combinatorial adjuvant therapy in clinical trials

Eosinophilic Enteritis Confined to an Ileostomy Site

Eosinophilic enteritis is a rather rare condition that can manifest anywhere from esophagus to rectum. Its description in the literature is sparse, but associations have been made with collagen vascular disease, malignancy, food allergy, parasitic or viral infections, inflammatory bowel disease, and drug sensitivity. We present the case of a 41-year-old male diagnosed with ulcerative colitis who underwent proctocolectomy with ileal pouch anal anastomosis and loop ileostomy formation utilizing Seprafilm®, who later developed eosinophilic enteritis of the loop ileostomy site. This is the first report of eosinophilic enteritis and its possible link to the use of bioabsorbable adhesion barriers

Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin Dosing Strategies to Enhance Sustained Virologic Response

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects about 170 million people worldwide and is the most common chronic blood borne infection in the United States. Since the advent of blood screening protocols in the early 1990s, injection drug use has become the leading cause of infection. Hepatitis C can have both hepatic and nonhepatic manifestations of infection. Hepatic manifestations include hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure. The standard treatment for chronic HCV is combination therapy with pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin. Although pegylated interferon and ribavirin has been used against HCV for close to a decade, advances in therapy have centered on doses and treatment durations. There has been increasing interest in applying on-treatment response or viral kinetics to predict antiviral response rates and shape therapeutic intervention. Protease inhibitors are a promising adjuvant to combination therapy, but their efficacy and safety are still under investigation

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>GISTs are a subset of mesenchymal tumors and represent the most common mesenchymal neoplasms of GI tract. However, GIST is a recently recognized tumor entity and the literature on these stromal tumors has rapidly expanded.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An extensive review of the literature was carried out in both online medical journals and through Athens University Medical library. An extensive literature search for papers published up to 2009 was performed, using as key words, GIST, Cajal's cells, treatment, Imatinib, KIT, review of each study were conducted, and data were abstracted.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>GIST has recently been suggested that is originated from the multipotential mesenchymal stem cells. It is estimated that the incidence of GIST is approximately 10-20 per million people, per year.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The clinical presentation of GIST is variable but the most usual symptoms include the presence of a mass or bleeding. Surgical resection of the local disease is the mainstay therapy. However, therapeutic agents, such as Imatinib have now been approved for the treatment of advanced GISTs and others, such as everolimus, rapamycin, heat shock protein 90 and IGF are in trial stage demonstrate promising results for the management of GISTs.</p

Prophylactic cranial irradiation in small cell lung cancer: a systematic review of the literature with meta-analysis

PURPOSE: A systematic review of the literature was carried out to determine the role of prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) . METHODS: To be eligible, full published trials needed to deal with SCLC and to have randomly assigned patients to receive PCI or not. Trials quality was assessed by two scores (Chalmers and ELCWP). RESULTS: Twelve randomised trials (1547 patients) were found to be eligible. Five evaluated the role of PCI in SCLC patients who had complete response (CR) after chemotherapy. Brain CT scan was done in the work-up in five studies and brain scintigraphy in six. Chalmers and ELCWP scores are well correlated (p < 0.001), with respective median scores of 32.6 and 38.8 %. This meta-analysis based on the available published data reveals a decrease of brain metastases incidence (hazard ratio (HR): 0.48; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.39 - 0.60) for all the studies and an improvement of survival (HR: 0.82; 95 % CI: 0.71 - 0.96) in patients in CR in favour of the PCI arm. Unfortunately, long-term neurotoxicity was not adequately described . CONCLUSIONS: PCI decreases brain metastases incidence and improves survival in CR SCLC patients but these effects were obtained in patients who had no systematic neuropsychological and brain imagery assessments. The long-term toxicity has not been prospectively evaluated. If PCI can be recommended in patients with SCLC and CR documented by a work-up including brain CT scan, data are lacking to generalise its use to any CR situations

Management of Hepatitis C Antiviral Therapy Adverse Effects

Hepatitis C is one of the leading causes of liver disease in the United States, affecting more than 4 million individuals. The current treatment regimen involves pegylated interferon in combination with ribavirin. Although antiviral treatment has been associated with a greater than 50% sustained viral response rate, the adverse effects have proven to be detrimental to quality of life and therapy adherence, and consequently lead to lower sustained viral response rates. This article identifies the most frequently described complications associated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. The active management of these complications is discussed, including both preventive and empiric treatments

Comics Telling Refugee Stories

This chapter begins with an indicative survey of comics responding to the current ‘refugee crisis’. The comics in question adopt one of two distinct and established approaches. The first is reportage, usually featuring the author/creator as a central device, while the second re-works and renders testimony in visual form. In their different ways, both contribute to a wider repertoire of positive and sympathetic representations of refugees, offering a counter-point to hostile media and political discourse, often by a focus on the stories of individuals. Mobilizing compassion and moral responses through personal stories of hardship, trauma, tenacity, and survival has long been a tactic of reformist agendas and humanitarian advocacy. By their qualitative difference from dominant forms of factual discourse, comics offer certain advantages. They may also circumvent certain problems associated with photographic representations of suffering. Such comics can nevertheless run the risk of re-producing established victim tropes, and just as with other forms of representation, human-interest angles carry the potential to obscure political dimensions. In an attempt to consider and situate these concerns, the analysis considers the various positions and relations that constitute ‘refugee comics’: subjects, readers, creators, (im)materiality, and circulation

The screens culture: impact on ADHD

Children’s use of electronic media, including Internet and video gaming, has increased dramatically to an average in the general population of roughly 3 h per day. Some children cannot control their Internet use leading to increasing research on “internet addiction.” The objective of this article is to review the research on ADHD as a risk factor for Internet addiction and gaming, its complications, and what research and methodological questions remain to be addressed. The literature search was done in PubMed and Psychinfo, as well as by hand. Previous research has demonstrated rates of Internet addiction as high as 25% in the population and that it is addiction more than time of use that is best correlated with psychopathology. Various studies confirm that psychiatric disorders, and ADHD in particular, are associated with overuse, with severity of ADHD specifically correlated with the amount of use. ADHD children may be vulnerable since these games operate in brief segments that are not attention demanding. In addition, they offer immediate rewards with a strong incentive to increase the reward by trying the next level. The time spent on these games may also exacerbate ADHD symptoms, if not directly then through the loss of time spent on more developmentally challenging tasks. While this is a major issue for many parents, there is no empirical research on effective treatment. Internet and off-line gaming overuse and addiction are serious concerns for ADHD youth. Research is limited by the lack of measures for youth or parents, studies of children at risk, and studies of impact and treatment