Quantification of circulating melanoma cells

Current prognostic techniques for Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma (CMM), a highly aggressive and drug resistant skin cancer, are inadequate at managing the disease and identifying early stage patients requiring treatment. It is thought that Circulating Tumour Cells (CTCs), which circulate in patient blood after being shed from solid tumours, may be useful in enhancing prognostic techniques and it has previously been shown in other malignancies that the presence of CTCs in patient blood is associated with poor prognosis. In CMM, CTCs can be detected through RT-PCR for melanoma associated markers, although this technique does not allow CTCs to be quantified. In this study, melanoma CTCs were isolated from patient peripheral blood samples with a combination of MCSP, MCAM and ABCB5 antibody coupled immunomagnetic beads and were subsequently quantified. The immunomagnetic bead capture protocol was performed for 21 control and 33 patient blood samples ranging from clinical stage 0 to IV. Results showed a significant difference between the mean number of cells captured from control (mean=3. 71) and patient (mean=24.45) blood samples (p=0.01). Furthermore, there was a significant relationship between the number of MCAM positive CTCs and disease stage (r=0.486, p=0.004), although there were ·no significant relationships between the number of MCSP positive, ABCB5 positive or total CTCs and disease stage. Overall, this study has identified MCAM positivity as a CTC marker associated with disease progression which may be useful in improving prognostic testing and disease management in melanoma patients

Lewis Wind Power (LWP) Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) 2004 and 2006 - a Critical Review

The present report is a review of the evidence presented by the developers of the Lewis Wind Farm proposal as part of the planning application process. As such, the present report is not intended as an ‘alternative’ EIS, neither does it seek to advocate the conservation of the Lewis peatlands. Its function is to examine the evidence presented by LWP concerning the peatland habitat and consider the extent to which the evidence offered by LWP provides an adequate basis for making a well-informed planning decision In places, the LWP documents adopt approaches that result in certain types of information being assembled, whereas had other approaches been adopted a rather different and arguably more informative set of information might have been brought together and presented in the LWP EIS documents. The present report thus considers these alternative approaches and presents information based on these to highlight the information-gaps resulting from the particular course pursued by LWP. It references Lindsay's earlier observations on the 2004 EIS, available for reference at http://hdl.handle.net/10552/1153

Constructing identity : Kaliningrad and the appropriation of place

In 1945, the Red Army marched into Königsberg, beginning the process of it becoming the Soviet city of Kaliningrad. Seventy years later, the contemporary resonance surrounding Russia’s sphere of influence, coupled with the recent centenary of the Russian revolution, has led to a renewed interest in Soviet studies. Yet, Kaliningrad remains largely unexplored, and virtually unknown outside a narrow field of specialists. This thesis thus considers critically how Soviet manipulation of public space was employed in an attempt to ease the complex transition of East Prussia from Königsberg to Kaliningrad. In a departure from current approaches in the field, the thesis places Kaliningrad in the broader Baltic context and provides an examination of the actual ‘spatial’ aspect of this history. In particular, it provides an analysis of how Soviet city planners envisaged the city being ‘embodied’ by citizens - how they were to interact, engage and move within it - to demonstrate that this was just as important as what the built space itself was supposed to represent in terms of its symbolism at the Soviet Union’s westernmost frontier. The thesis further documents how Soviet placemaking techniques - first adopted by the Bolsheviks in their attempt to encourage the new Soviet settlers to assimilate to their new homeland - have continued to hold resonance in contemporary Kaliningrad. In turn, it demonstrates that the Soviet project - although left unfinished - has had a significant and lasting impact on the region and its inhabitants

University of East London: the biodiversity evidence‐base

In order to protect and enhance biodiversity at any site (be it rainforest or university campus) it is very important first to recognise what is already there – that is, the current ‘natural capital’. To this end, the UEL Environmental Research Group (ERG) was commissioned to carry out a baseline survey of biodiversity for the UEL estate, comprising Stratford and Docklands campuses. The survey measured (mapped and described) current biodiversity levels, and this report presents these results and makes recommendations for enhancing biodiversity across the estate. It is worth noting that while we recognise there are a number of conflicting interests and aims in estates management, this report is written in the form of best practice in terms of biodiversity management

HapticLock: Eyes-Free Authentication for Mobile Devices

Smartphones provide access to increasing amounts of personal and sensitive information, yet are often only secured using methods that are prone to observational attacks. We present HapticLock, a novel authentication method for mobile devices that uses non-visual interaction modalities for discreet PIN entry that is difficult to attack by shoulder surfing. A usability experiment (N=20) finds effective PIN entry in secure conditions: e.g., in 23.5s with 98.3% success rate for a four-digit PIN entered from a random start digit. A shoulder surfing experiment (N=15) finds that HapticLock is highly resistant to observational attacks. Even when interaction is highly visible, attackers need to guess the first digit when PIN entry begins with a random number, yielding a very low success rate for shoulder surfing. Furthermore, a device can be hidden from view during authentication. Our use of haptic interaction modalities gives privacy-conscious mobile device users a usable and secure authentication alternative for sensitive situations

Pseudorandom Selective Excitation in NMR

In this work, average Hamiltonian theory is used to study selective excitation in a spin-1/2 system evolving under a series of small flip-angle $\theta-$pulses $(\theta\ll 1)$ that are applied either periodically [which corresponds to the DANTE pulse sequence] or aperiodically. First, an average Hamiltonian description of the DANTE pulse sequence is developed; such a description is determined to be valid either at or very far from the DANTE resonance frequencies, which are simply integer multiples of the inverse of the interpulse delay. For aperiodic excitation schemes where the interpulse delays are chosen pseudorandomly, a single resonance can be selectively excited if the $\theta$-pulses' phases are modulated in concert with the time delays. Such a selective pulse is termed a pseudorandom-DANTE or p-DANTE sequence, and the conditions in which an average Hamiltonian description of p-DANTE is found to be similar to that found for the DANTE sequence. It is also shown that averaging over different p-DANTE sequences that are selective for the same resonance can help reduce excitations at frequencies away from the resonance frequency, thereby improving the apparent selectivity of the p-DANTE sequences. Finally, experimental demonstrations of p-DANTE sequences and comparisons with theory are presented.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figure

Burden of disease from inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene in low- and middle-income settings: a retrospective analysis of data from 145 countries

objective To estimate the burden of diarrhoeal diseases from exposure to inadequate water, sanitation and hand hygiene in low- and middle-income settings and provide an overview of the impact on other diseases. methods For estimating the impact of water, sanitation and hygiene on diarrhoea, we selected exposure levels with both sufficient global exposure data and a matching exposure-risk relationship. Global exposure data were estimated for the year 2012, and risk estimates were taken from the most recent systematic analyses. We estimated attributable deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) by country, age and sex for inadequate water, sanitation and hand hygiene separately, and as a cluster of risk factors. Uncertainty estimates were computed on the basis of uncertainty surrounding exposure estimates and relative risks. results In 2012, 502 000 diarrhoea deaths were estimated to be caused by inadequate drinking water and 280 000 deaths by inadequate sanitation. The most likely estimate of disease burden from inadequate hand hygiene amounts to 297 000 deaths. In total, 842 000 diarrhoea deaths are estimated to be caused by this cluster of risk factors, which amounts to 1.5% of the total disease burden and 58% of diarrhoeal diseases. In children under 5 years old, 361 000 deaths could be prevented, representing 5.5% of deaths in that age group. conclusions This estimate confirms the importance of improving water and sanitation in low- and middle-income settings for the prevention of diarrhoeal disease burden. It also underscores the need for better data on exposure and risk reductions that can be achieved with provision of reliable piped water, community sewage with treatment and hand hygiene

Assessing the impact of drinking water and sanitation on diarrhoeal disease in low- and middle-income settings: Systematic review and meta-regression

Objective: To assess the impact of inadequate water and sanitation on diarrhoeal disease in low- and middle-income settings. Methods: The search strategy used Cochrane Library, MEDLINE & PubMed, Global Health, Embase and BIOSIS supplemented by screening of reference lists from previously published systematic reviews, to identify studies reporting on interventions examining the effect of drinking water and sanitation improvements in low- and middle-income settings published between 1970 and May 2013. Studies including randomised controlled trials, quasi-randomised trials with control group, observational studies using matching techniques and observational studies with a control group where the intervention was well defined were eligible. Risk of bias was assessed using a modified Ottawa-Newcastle scale. Study results were combined using meta-analysis and meta-regression to derive overall and intervention-specific risk estimates. Results: Of 6819 records identified for drinking water, 61 studies met the inclusion criteria, and of 12 515 records identified for sanitation, 11 studies were included. Overall, improvements in drinking water and sanitation were associated with decreased risks of diarrhoea. Specific improvements, such as the use of water filters, provision of high-quality piped water and sewer connections, were associated with greater reductions in diarrhoea compared with other interventions. Conclusions: The results show that inadequate water and sanitation are associated with considerable risks of diarrhoeal disease and that there are notable differences in illness reduction according to the type of improved water and sanitation implemented

Impact of program characteristics on weight loss in adult behavioral weight management interventions: systematic review and component network meta-analysis

Objective: Behavioral weight management programs (BWMPs) for adults lead to greater weight loss at 12 months than minimal-intervention control treatments. However, there is considerable heterogeneity in the content of BWMPs and outcomes of treatment. This study assessed the contribution of individual components of BWMPs, using Bayesian component network meta-analysis. Methods: Randomized controlled trials of BWMPs in adults were identified (latest search: December 2019) and arms coded for presence or absence of 29 intervention components grouped by type, content, provider, mode of delivery, and intensity. Results: A total of 169 studies (41 judged at high risk of bias) were included in the main analysis. Six components had effect estimates indicating clinically significant benefit and credible intervals (CrIs) excluding no difference: change in diet (mean difference [MD] = −1.84 kg, 95% CrI: −2.91 to −0.80); offering partial (MD = −2.12 kg, 95% CrI: −3.39 to −0.89) or total meal replacements (MD = −2.63 kg, 95% CrI: −4.58 to −0.73); delivery by a psychologist/counselor (MD = −1.45 kg, 95% CrI: −2.81 to −0.06) or dietitian (MD = −1.31 kg, 95% CrI: −2.40 to −0.24); and home setting (MD = −1.05 kg, 95% CrI: −2.02 to −0.09). Conclusions: Future program development should consider including these components; other approaches continue to warrant evaluation of effectiveness