Detection of cancer-specific peptides in prostate cancer using MHC tetramer technology

Master'sMASTER OF SCIENC

The inadequacy of linear autoregressive model for real exchange rates: empirical evidence from Asian economies

Utilizing the formal linearity test of Luukkonen, Saikkonen and Teräsvirta (Biometrika, 75, 491-499, 1998) as diagnostic tool, the empirical finding suggests that the linear autoregressive (AR) model is inadequate in describing the real exchange rates behaviour of 11 Asian economies. It is noted that the conventional battery of diagnostic tests is capable of identifying the inadequacy of the linear model in only three of these series. Moreover, the linearity nature of this behaviour has been formally rejected in favour of the non-linear smooth transition autoregressive (STAR) model. The finding of non-linearity in the data generating process of these real exchange rates warrants that the use of linear framework in empirical modelling and statistical testing procedures in the field of exchange rates may lead to an inappropriate policy conclusions

Effect of Roof Design Configurations On Natural Ventilation with an Obstacle Inside the Building Model

Roof shape, roof angle, and internal obstacle are some of the factors that have a substantial impact on building's ventilation performance. However, previous roof ventilation studies have not considered the influence of internal obstacle which can affect the overall building’s ventilation performance. For this study, CFD was used to study the effect of roof design configurations on natural ventilation with an obstacle inside the building model. The numerical simulation was carried out by using steady RANS equation specifically the Standard k-ε with enhanced wall treatment. A total of 40 simulation cases were carried out. The study considered two roof shapes mainly the sawtooth roof and the saltbox roof with varying roof angle which were 10º, 20º, 30º, and 40º. Internal obstacles with various height were further added into the simulation cases. Next, grid sensitivity analysis was carried out using Grid Convergence Index (GCI) and Factor of two of observations (FAC2) analysis was carried out as model verification method to ensure a reliable simulation result. Based on the results, it is found that airflow characteristics such as wind speed, distribution of pressure coefficient, and flowrate of an isolated building are strongly dependent on the roof shape and roof angle. Next, the dimensionless flowrate (DFR) is measured to be highest with largest roof angle while lowest with smaller roof angle. Furthermore, the DFR of a building with internal obstacle is lower than that without an internal obstacle due to blockage of incoming air. Moreover, the results show that the sawtooth roof outperforms the saltbox roof in terms of measured parameter. Finally, the study concluded that an isolated building with higher roof angle and without an internal obstacle leads to the best dimensionless flowrate throughout the building.Roof shape, roof angle, and internal obstacle are some of the factors that have a substantial impact on building's ventilation performance. However, previous roof ventilation studies have not considered the influence of internal obstacle which can affect the overall building’s ventilation performance. For this study, CFD was used to study the effect of roof design configurations on natural ventilation with an obstacle inside the building model. The numerical simulation was carried out by using steady RANS equation specifically the Standard k-ε with enhanced wall treatment. A total of 40 simulation cases were carried out. The study considered two roof shapes mainly the sawtooth roof and the saltbox roof with varying roof angle which were 10º, 20º, 30º, and 40º. Internal obstacles with various height were further added into the simulation cases. Next, grid sensitivity analysis was carried out using Grid Convergence Index (GCI) and Factor of two of observations (FAC2) analysis was carried out as model verification method to ensure a reliable simulation result. Based on the results, it is found that airflow characteristics such as wind speed, distribution of pressure coefficient, and flowrate of an isolated building are strongly dependent on the roof shape and roof angle. Next, the dimensionless flowrate (DFR) is measured to be highest with largest roof angle while lowest with smaller roof angle. Furthermore, the DFR of a building with internal obstacle is lower than that without an internal obstacle due to blockage of incoming air. Moreover, the results show that the sawtooth roof outperforms the saltbox roof in terms of measured parameter. Finally, the study concluded that an isolated building with higher roof angle and without an internal obstacle leads to the best dimensionless flowrate throughout the building

Effect of Roof Design Configurations On Natural Ventilation with an Obstacle Inside the Building Model

Roof shape, roof angle, and internal obstacle are some of the factors that have a substantial impact on building's ventilation performance. However, previous roof ventilation studies have not considered the influence of internal obstacle which can affect the overall building’s ventilation performance. For this study, CFD was used to study the effect of roof design configurations on natural ventilation with an obstacle inside the building model. The numerical simulation was carried out by using steady RANS equation specifically the Standard k-ε with enhanced wall treatment. A total of 40 simulation cases were carried out. The study considered two roof shapes mainly the sawtooth roof and the saltbox roof with varying roof angle which were 10º, 20º, 30º, and 40º. Internal obstacles with various height were further added into the simulation cases. Next, grid sensitivity analysis was carried out using Grid Convergence Index (GCI) and Factor of two of observations (FAC2) analysis was carried out as model verification method to ensure a reliable simulation result. Based on the results, it is found that airflow characteristics such as wind speed, distribution of pressure coefficient, and flowrate of an isolated building are strongly dependent on the roof shape and roof angle. Next, the dimensionless flowrate (DFR) is measured to be highest with largest roof angle while lowest with smaller roof angle. Furthermore, the DFR of a building with internal obstacle is lower than that without an internal obstacle due to blockage of incoming air. Moreover, the results show that the sawtooth roof outperforms the saltbox roof in terms of measured parameter. Finally, the study concluded that an isolated building with higher roof angle and without an internal obstacle leads to the best dimensionless flowrate throughout the building.Roof shape, roof angle, and internal obstacle are some of the factors that have a substantial impact on building's ventilation performance. However, previous roof ventilation studies have not considered the influence of internal obstacle which can affect the overall building’s ventilation performance. For this study, CFD was used to study the effect of roof design configurations on natural ventilation with an obstacle inside the building model. The numerical simulation was carried out by using steady RANS equation specifically the Standard k-ε with enhanced wall treatment. A total of 40 simulation cases were carried out. The study considered two roof shapes mainly the sawtooth roof and the saltbox roof with varying roof angle which were 10º, 20º, 30º, and 40º. Internal obstacles with various height were further added into the simulation cases. Next, grid sensitivity analysis was carried out using Grid Convergence Index (GCI) and Factor of two of observations (FAC2) analysis was carried out as model verification method to ensure a reliable simulation result. Based on the results, it is found that airflow characteristics such as wind speed, distribution of pressure coefficient, and flowrate of an isolated building are strongly dependent on the roof shape and roof angle. Next, the dimensionless flowrate (DFR) is measured to be highest with largest roof angle while lowest with smaller roof angle. Furthermore, the DFR of a building with internal obstacle is lower than that without an internal obstacle due to blockage of incoming air. Moreover, the results show that the sawtooth roof outperforms the saltbox roof in terms of measured parameter. Finally, the study concluded that an isolated building with higher roof angle and without an internal obstacle leads to the best dimensionless flowrate throughout the building

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma: a different disease entity in terms of management

Upper tract urothelial carcinomas (UTUCs) consist of 5%–10% of all urothelial carcinomas, the rest being urothelial carcinomas of the bladder (UCB). There is increasing evidence to show that UTUC is a distinct disease entity from UCB based on phenotypical and genotypical (genetic and epigenetic) differences. This may account for why the natural history of UTUC is different from that of UCB, with >60% of UTUCs and only 15%–25% of UCB presenting with invasion at diagnosis. Management of UTUC is thus different from UCB in a variety of ways, ranging from surgical management, postoperative instillation therapy, postoperative surveillance and medical management (neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy). This review paper aims to highlight these differences with an emphasis on the distinct management of UTUC, along with the latest updates

Time series test of nonlinear convergence and transitional dynamics

This paper revisits the income convergence hypothesis by using the nonlinear unit root test of Kapetanios et al. [Kapetanios, G., Shin, Y. and A. Snell, 2003. Testing for a unit root in the nonlinear STAR framework. Journal of Econometrics 112, 359–379.]. Out of the 12 OECD income gaps in which nonlinearity has been detected, two cases of long-run converging and four cases of catching up are found

Effect of Roof Design Configurations On Natural Ventilation with an Obstacle Inside the Building Model

Roof shape, roof angle, and internal obstacle are some of the factors that have a substantial impact on building's ventilation performance. However, previous roof ventilation studies have not considered the influence of internal obstacle which can affect the overall building’s ventilation performance. For this study, CFD was used to study the effect of roof design configurations on natural ventilation with an obstacle inside the building model. The numerical simulation was carried out by using steady RANS equation specifically the Standard k-ε with enhanced wall treatment. A total of 40 simulation cases were carried out. The study considered two roof shapes mainly the sawtooth roof and the saltbox roof with varying roof angle which were 10º, 20º, 30º, and 40º. Internal obstacles with various height were further added into the simulation cases. Next, grid sensitivity analysis was carried out using Grid Convergence Index (GCI) and Factor of two of observations (FAC2) analysis was carried out as model verification method to ensure a reliable simulation result. Based on the results, it is found that airflow characteristics such as wind speed, distribution of pressure coefficient, and flowrate of an isolated building are strongly dependent on the roof shape and roof angle. Next, the dimensionless flowrate (DFR) is measured to be highest with largest roof angle while lowest with smaller roof angle. Furthermore, the DFR of a building with internal obstacle is lower than that without an internal obstacle due to blockage of incoming air. Moreover, the results show that the sawtooth roof outperforms the saltbox roof in terms of measured parameter. Finally, the study concluded that an isolated building with higher roof angle and without an internal obstacle leads to the best dimensionless flowrate throughout the building.Roof shape, roof angle, and internal obstacle are some of the factors that have a substantial impact on building's ventilation performance. However, previous roof ventilation studies have not considered the influence of internal obstacle which can affect the overall building’s ventilation performance. For this study, CFD was used to study the effect of roof design configurations on natural ventilation with an obstacle inside the building model. The numerical simulation was carried out by using steady RANS equation specifically the Standard k-ε with enhanced wall treatment. A total of 40 simulation cases were carried out. The study considered two roof shapes mainly the sawtooth roof and the saltbox roof with varying roof angle which were 10º, 20º, 30º, and 40º. Internal obstacles with various height were further added into the simulation cases. Next, grid sensitivity analysis was carried out using Grid Convergence Index (GCI) and Factor of two of observations (FAC2) analysis was carried out as model verification method to ensure a reliable simulation result. Based on the results, it is found that airflow characteristics such as wind speed, distribution of pressure coefficient, and flowrate of an isolated building are strongly dependent on the roof shape and roof angle. Next, the dimensionless flowrate (DFR) is measured to be highest with largest roof angle while lowest with smaller roof angle. Furthermore, the DFR of a building with internal obstacle is lower than that without an internal obstacle due to blockage of incoming air. Moreover, the results show that the sawtooth roof outperforms the saltbox roof in terms of measured parameter. Finally, the study concluded that an isolated building with higher roof angle and without an internal obstacle leads to the best dimensionless flowrate throughout the building

Time series test of nonlinear convergence and transitional dynamics

This paper revisits the income convergence hypothesis by using the nonlinear unit root test of Kapetanios et al. [Kapetanios, G., Shin, Y. and A. Snell, 2003. Testing for a unit root in the nonlinear STAR framework. Journal of Econometrics 112, 359-379.]. Out of the 12 OECD income gaps in which nonlinearity has been detected, two cases of long-run converging and four cases of catching up are found.