Phobos Environment Model and Regolith Simulant for MMX Mission

Phobos and Deimos, the two moons of Mars, are considered to be scientifically important and potential human mission's target. Martian Moons eXplorer (MMX) is the JAXA's mission to explore Phobos (and/or Deimos), which is scheduled to be launched in 2024. The main spacecraft of MMX will perform in-situ observations of both Phobos and Deimos, land on one of them (most likely, Phobos), and bring samples back to Earth. Small landing modules may be included in the mission as for the Hayabusa-2 mission. The designs of both the landing and sampling devices depend largely on the surface conditions of the target body and on how this surface reacts to an external action in the low gravity conditions of the target. Thus, the Landing Operation Working Team (LOWT) of MMX, which is composed of both scientists and engineers, is studying Phobos' surface based on previous observations and theoretical/experimental considerations. Though engineering motivation initiated this activity, the results will be extremely useful for scientific purposes

Free radical degradation in aqueous solution by blowing hydrogen and carbon dioxide nanobubbles

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Technological Landscape and Ideation in the Field of Waste Separation with Help of TRIZ

Solid waste separation is an imperative part for closing material flow under principles of the circular economy. A multitude of technologies are at a different stage of development to perform this task and meet performance requirements at extracting valuable resources from waste streams. A thorough review of available options and possibilities for future development was required to pursue further progress. TRIZ (from Russian abbreviation: Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) methodology facilitated drawing a technological landscape for state of the art in solid waste separation for material recovery, as well as generating new directions of research. From the vast collection of TRIZ tools for systematic invention two approaches helped in the survey: effects databases and function-oriented search. Positive outcomes of their application include systematization of available knowledge, identification of potentially useful phenomena and getting ideas for the adoption of technologies from other domains. The case illustrates how rather loose (due to the broadness of the topic) application of TRIZ methods results in fruitful insights. A view at the effects databases as a collection of technological “genes” is given.Post-print / Final draf

The tremendous potential of deep-sea mud as a source of rare-earth elements

金沢大学理工研究域地球社会基盤学系Potential risks of supply shortages for critical metals including rare-earth elements and yttrium (REY) have spurred great interest in commercial mining of deep-sea mineral resources. Deep-sea mud containing over 5,000 ppm total REY content was discovered in the western North Pacific Ocean near Minamitorishima Island, Japan, in 2013. This REY-rich mud has great potential as a rare-earth metal resource because of the enormous amount available and its advantageous mineralogical features. Here, we estimated the resource amount in REY-rich mud with Geographical Information System software and established a mineral processing procedure to greatly enhance its economic value. The resource amount was estimated to be 1.2 Mt of rare-earth oxide for the most promising area (105 km2 × 0-10 mbsf), which accounts for 62, 47, 32, and 56 years of annual global demand for Y, Eu, Tb, and Dy, respectively. Moreover, using a hydrocyclone separator enabled us to recover selectively biogenic calcium phosphate grains, which have high REY content (up to 22,000 ppm) and constitute the coarser domain in the grain-size distribution. The enormous resource amount and the effectiveness of the mineral processing are strong indicators that this new REY resource could be exploited in the near future. © 2018 The Author(s)

RADIUM-223 TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH PROSTATE CANCER IN ONTARIO

Background: Radium-223 is an alpha-emitting radioactive calcium-mimetic nuclide preferentially distributed into high turnover bone affected by cancer cells after intravenous administration. It has been shown to reduce mortality in patients with boney metastases due to metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). However, which patients benefit most from radium-223 therapy remains an important unanswered question. Methods: Patients diagnosed with prostate adenocarcinoma and treated at least once with radium-223 in the province of Ontario between March 3, 2014 and March 31, 2023 were identified by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (IC/ES) database. Physician billing codes were used to identify radium-223, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgical interventions. Drug identification numbers (DIN) were used to identify patients who had been exposed to androgen receptor axis-targeted agents (ARAT) and bone modifying agents (denosumab or zoledronate). Laboratory data was extracted from the Ontario Laboratories Information System (OLIS) and included blood prostate-specific antigen (PSA), albumin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), hemoglobin levels; and blood leukocyte, lymphocyte and neutrophil counts. Results: A total of 1588 patients with prostate cancer received radium-223 treatment. Median age at treatment was 68 with approximately 20% (322) of patients diagnosed between 2002-2008, 50% (754) between 2009-2015 and 30% (512) between 2016-2022. Patients with metastatic disease at diagnosis comprised the majority of patients who received treatment (45.8% [728]), followed by 12.6% (200) with stage III and 23.8% (377) diagnosed at an early stage (I+II). Prior use of ARATs was seen in 27.6% (438) and 25.3% (401) of patients had prior use of a bone modifying agent. Median overall survival from diagnosis was 85.6 months while median overall survival from starting radium-223 was 12.3 months. In a multivariable model, higher pre-treatment hemoglobin (HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.78-0.85) and calcium (HR 0.21, 95% CI 0.14-0.32) levels were associated with longer survival and higher pre-treatment neutrophil count (HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.05-1.11), ALP (HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.06-1.11) and PSA levels (HR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01, 1.03) with shorter survival. Excluding laboratory values, older age (HR 1.02, 95% CI 1.02-1.03), prior use of ARATs (HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.06-1.45) and chemotherapy (HR 2.11, 95% CI 1.78, 2.51) were associated with worse survival while early stage at diagnosis (stage I [HR 0.41, 95% CI 0.23-0.74] and stage II [HR 0.73, 95%CI 0.61-0.88) were associated with longer survival. Analysis of demographic factors showed that rurality was associated with lower chance of receiving radium-223 but was not associated with worsening survival. Conclusion: Survival after radium-223 treatment in patients with mCRPC was influenced by disease biology, burden, and patient age. Patients residing in rural areas were less likely to receive radium-223 treatment suggesting barriers to access.ThesisMaster of Science (MSc)Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer in Canadian men, with a significant number of men experiencing spread of the disease to the bone. Radium-223 has been developed to treat prostate cancer in the bone and although effective, this treatment may not always work successfully. Although prior studies have attempted to elucidate which laboratory and clinical factors can help predict benefit from Radium-223, the data has been incomplete and too small to make any concrete conclusions. This study aims to investigate which of these factors can predict which patients will derive benefit and make Radium-223 more tolerable. Between March 2014 and March 2023, a total of 1,588 patients with prostate cancer received Radium-223 treatment in Ontario, Canada. The timing of diagnosis varied, with about 20% diagnosed between 2002-2008, 50% between 2009-2015, and 30% between 2016-2022. Most patients who received treatment were diagnosed with prostate cancer at an advanced stage (45.8% at stage IV, 12.6% at stage III), and 23.8% at an early stage (I+II). Before starting Radium-223, 27.6% of patients had used androgen receptor-axis-targeted (ARAT) therapies, and 25.3% had used bone-modifying agents. The median overall survival from starting Radium-223 was 12.3 months. Higher hemoglobin and calcium levels were associated with longer survival, while higher neutrophils, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels indicated shorter survival. Patient factors like older age and more advanced stage at diagnosis were linked to worse outcomes. Prior use of ARATs and chemotherapy was associated with poorer outcomes. Demographic factors showed that patients from rural areas were less likely to receive Radium-223 treatment, although this was not linked to worse survival. These findings help guide treatment decisions for patients with advanced prostate cancer

Characterization of Primary Esophageal/Gastro-esophageal Junction Cancer Xenograft Models and their Effectiveness in Studying Chemosensitivity

Primary esophageal (E) and gastro-esophageal junction (GEJ) cancer xenografts have the potential to become useful pre-clinical models of disease. In this study, we determined that p16 negative tumors that have not been exposed to neo-adjuvant chemo-radiation have higher engraftment chances. Morphological features and expression of certain molecular markers (p53, p16, Ki-67, EGFR, Her-2/neu) suggest that no major changes occur between primary tumors and xenografts or between early passage and late passage xenografts. Global gene expression data supported these results but revealed that approximately 2000 genes differed significantly between passage one xenografts and human tumors. Most of these genes, however, might coincide with stromal signals present in patient tumors but absent in xenografts. Primary E/GEJ cancer xenografts also showed a wide range of chemosensitivities to cisplatin-paclitaxel treatment, confirming the usefulness of these models in drug testing. These models also revealed potential ways to interrogate tumor initiating cell (TIC) dynamics after chemotherapy.MAS

Le lexique maritime de l'albanais et son rapport avec l'ethnogenèse

Dodbiba Lirak. Le lexique maritime de l'albanais et son rapport avec l'ethnogenèse. In: Iliria, vol. 5, 1976. Premier colloque des Etudes Illyriennes (Tirana 15-20 septembre 1972) – 2. pp. 87-91

Anion Detection In The Positive Ion Mode Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry By Use Of Cationic Ion Pairing Agents: Behavior And Applications

Anion detection and quantitation has long been of great interest to many scientific areas of research in academic and industrial settings. Their importance extends to areas such as water and environmental analysis, biological system analysis, and also the pharmaceutical and food industries. A variety of sensitive detection methods have been developed for anions. Many of these methods have significant advantages, but also drawbacks. In my dissertation I have described a new method for the detection of anions using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) positive ion mode, and cationic ion pairing reagents. Using this method, anions are paired with a plethora of different, di-, tri-, and tetra-cationic ion pairing reagents, thus forming positively charged complexes, which can then be detected in the positive ion mode ESI-MS. The behavior and selectivity of the ion pairing reagents is investigated for the different classes of analytes. During this study, large classes of small organic and inorganic anions were analyzed. In addition, three unique classes of moderate size molecules were investigated. Two of which were biological ones: nucleotides and phospholipids. These are very important molecules, which are responsible for the proper functioning of all biological entities. Nucleotides can exist as monomers or constituents of oligomers, thus they can have more than one negative charge. A total of 28 nucleotide and nucleotide based compounds were paired and analyzed with many different cationic ion pairing reagents. Phospholipids are unique molecules due to their amphipathic character. Phospholipids of different polar groups and different sizes were analyzed in the positive ion mode ESI-MS by using newly synthesized ion pairing reagents. Also, analytical separations of phospholipids were developed using both reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) The last class of analytes studied were metal ions. They are already positively charged and therefore they can be detected directly in the positive ion mode ESI-MS, however most of them have a small mass and several oxidation states which usually makes them fall in the low mass to charge region of the mass spectra where the background noise is significant. In this study metals of different oxidation states were complexed with commercially available chelating agents forming negatively charged complexes. Ion pairing agents were added to these compounds forming overall ternary positively charged complexes. Analyses for all types of analytes were performed in both single ion monitoring (SIM) and single reaction monitoring (SRM) modes. Limits of detection (LODs) were easily achieved at the parts per billion (ppb) to parts per trillion (ppt) levels, and significant improvements were noticed in the positive versus negative ion mode ESI-MS. This novel method developed herein shows immense potential for sensitive trace studies of many molecules, high throughput and great simplicity. Lastly a mechanism study by ESI-MS was explored to further understand the low limits of detection achieved by this method