Stanley Kubrick: A Retrospective

This special issue ofCinergieon the American director Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999) was inspired by a three-day conference,StanleyKubrick:ARetrospective, held at De Montfort University, Leicester, UK in May 2016.The conference, convened by I.Q. Hunter and James Fenwick, brought together some of the leading Kubrickscholars to reflect on the methodological approaches taken towards Kubrick since the opening in 2007 of theStanley Kubrick Archive at the University of Arts London

Neurophysiological Correlates of Aggression Related Biased Cognitive Processing in Healthy Adults

The current dissertation efforts were made to replicate previous studies and to test the associations between hostile attributional bias (HAB) and aggression. Although it is well established that aggressive individuals show HAB, relatively little is known about neural processes associated with this bias. Therefore, functional neuroimaging methods such as electroencephalogram (EEG) may be useful in determining the underlying neural processes associated with HAB. The major aim of this dissertation was to use brain activity Event-Related Potentials (ERP's) to shed light on the early stages of information processing to examine what are the factors (i, e. feedback) that mediate changes in information processing among healthy male adults

Stemming rural-urban migration through agricultural development: Can Nigeria apply the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic?

Nigeria has one of the highest population growth rates in the world resulting to rapid urbanization and an enormous increase in the population leaving rural areas and now living in urban centres. In spite of the increased emphasis on rural development, rural-urban migration has persisted mainly due to the farmerherder conflict situation, poverty, lack of job opportunities, insecurity and gross inadequacy of social infrastructures in the rural areas. This mass migration and other factors have put Nigeria in an emergency food and nutrition insecure situation. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was already an existing gap in the Nigerian food system, which led to the importation of food items to augment local production in order to meet local demand. However, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic undermined efforts to achieve SDG 2 as the country witnessed not only a major disruption to food supply chains in the wake of lockdowns and movement restrictions triggered by the global health crisis, but also a major economic slowdown. The commerce, service, and agricultural sectors were the hardest hit by the spread of the virus and the effects are different along the rural-urban continuum. The vacuum created by the migration of people from the rural to urban areas led to reduction of farm yields, while the urban areas were particularly affected in terms of food supply from rural areas as a result of movement restrictions made during the height of the pandemic. More urbanised areas may be harder hit than remote rural areas if connectivity remains broken down, as most food crops are produced in the rural and semi-rural areas. This paper recommends strategies and policies aimed at reducing poverty, food insecurity and inequality across the urban-rural continuum through agricultural development. This will assist in addressing the adverse drivers of migration with particular focus on improving the social and economic conditions of rural areas. Key words: agricultural development, COVID-19, food security, rural-urban migratio

Minimally invasive versus open pancreatoduodenectomy (LEOPARD-2): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Data from observational studies suggest that minimally invasive pancreatoduodenectomy (MIPD) is superior to open pancreatoduodenectomy regarding intraoperative blood loss, postoperative morbidity, and length of hospital stay, without increasing total costs. However, several case-matched studies failed to demonstrate superiority of MIPD, and large registry studies from the USA even suggested increased mortality for MIPDs performed in low-volume (< 10 MIPDs annually) centers. Randomized controlled multicenter trials are lacking but clearly required. We hypothesize that time to functional recovery is shorter after MIPD compared with open pancreatoduodenectomy, even in an enhanced recovery setting. Methods/design: LEOPARD-2 is a randomized controlled, parallel-group, patient-blinded, multicenter, phase 2/3, superiority trial in centers that completed the Dutch Pancreatic Cancer Group LAELAPS-2 training program for laparoscopic pancreatoduodenectomy or LAELAPS-3 training program for robot-assisted pancreatoduodenectomy and have performed ≥ 20 MIPDs. A total of 136 patients with symptomatic benign, premalignant, or malignant disease will be randomly assigned to undergo minimally invasive or open pancreatoduodenectomy in an enhan

Preoperative radiochemotherapy versus immediate surgery for resectable and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer (PREOPANC trial): Study protocol for a multicentre randomized controlled trial

Background: Pancreatic cancer is the fourth largest cause of cancer death in the United States and Europe with over 100,000 deaths per year in Europe alone. The overall 5-year survival ranges from 2-7 % and has hardly improve

ESTUDIO DE CATALIZADORES DE ORO PARA LA PRODUCCIÓN DE HIDRÓGENO

Nuestra civilización depende fuertemente de los combustibles fósiles como el petróleo, el gas natural, carbón. El incremento en la concentración de CO2, uno de los principales gases de efecto invernadero, se debe a la continua quema de combustibles fósiles. El hidrógeno es un combustibles limpio que no emite CO2 cuando es quemado o usado en celdas de combustibles de H2-O2. Uno de los métodos realistas para producir hidrógeno sin emisiones de CO2 es la utilización de metano como fuente de hidrógeno a través de un enfoque catalítico. En este trabajo, la descomposición catalítica de metano para la producción de hidrógeno fue investigada usando catalizadores monometálicos de Au y bimetálicos Au- Ni. Los materiales de soporte usados en la preparación de los catalizadores fueron carbón activado, Al-MCM-41 y SBA-15. Dos métodos de síntesis (impregnación y depósito por precipitación) fueron utilizados para soportar la fase activa en los soportes. Todos los catalizadores fueron caracterizados usando varias técnicas como difracción de rayos X, adsorción de N2, espectroscopía UV-vis, reducción a temperatura programada (RTP), quimisorción de H2, microscopía electrónica de transmisión, y espectroscopía raman. La reacción de descomposición de metano se llevó a cabo en un micro reactor en un rango de temperaturas de 500 a 700 C. El efluente fue analizado por cromatografía de gases. En general, los catalizadores Au/C y Au/Al-MCM-41 sintetizados por la técnica de impregnación dieron partículas de un tamaño mayor a 100 nm y los catalizadores Au/C sintetizados por la técnica de depósito por precipitación mostraron tamaños de 5 a 10 nm. Aunque estos resultados fueron interesantes, la actividad catalítica no se correlacionó con el tamaño de partícula. Por otro lado, todos los catalizadores bimetálicos Au-Ni fueron más activos que los catalizadores monometálicos. Los catalizadores más efectivos para la descomposición catalítica de metano fueron la serie de catalizadores de Au-Ni/SBA-15. La conversión de metano sobre los catalizadores Au-Ni/SBA-15 fue aproximadamente del 15 % a una temperatura de reacción de 600 C. No se detectó CO o CO2 en todos los experimentos realizados. Se asume que la adición de Au en catalizadores de Ni decrementa la deshidrogenación de metano, en contraste incrementa la concentración de especies Chx en la superficie de los catalizadores. Por lo tanto, la adición de Au mejora significativamente la estabilidad del catalizador. No se observó una significativa desactivación del catalizador durante un periodo de 15 horas de evaluación a diferentes velocidades espaciales, los cuales mostraron una mejor estabilidad en comparación con catalizadores como Cu-Ni/Al2O3 and Ni-Cu/SiO2. Los análisis de las espectroscopías raman confirman que se formaron dos tipos de carbón en el catalizador después de la reacción: uno fue identificado como nanotubos de carbón mientras que el otro se identificó como carbón amorfo, dando lugar al encapsulamiento de la fase activa. En los catalizadores bimetálicos, se formó menos carbón amorfo que en los catalizadores monometálicos. Esto es una de las razones responsables de la estabilidad catalítica del catalizador bimetálico. Los experimentos de quimisorción de hidrógeno mostraron que antes de la reacción, los catalizadores Au-Ni/SBA-15 tienen una gran capacidad de adsorción de hidrógeno y posible almacenamiento de este; sin embargo, después de la reacción, su capacidad de adsorción de hidrógeno fue reducido debido a la formación de carbón amorfo y al incremento del tamaño de partícula activa. Estos resultados indican que es posible utilizar los catalizadores Au-Ni/SBA-15 tanto para producción de hidrógeno como para almacenamiento de este mismo.Our present civilization strongly depends upon fossil fuels such as petroleum, natural gas and coal. The increase in the concentration of CO2, a major green house effect gas in the atmosphere, is due to the continuous burning of such fossil fuels. Hydrogen is a clean fuel that emits no CO2 when it is burned or used in H2–O2 fuel cells. One of the realistic methods to produce hydrogen with less CO2 emission is to utilize methane as the source of hydrogen through a catalytic approach. In the present work, the catalytic decomposition of methane for hydrogen production was investigated by using monometallic Au and bimetallic Au-Ni catalysts. The support materials used in the catalysts preparation were activated carbon, Al-MCM-41 and SBA-15. Two synthesis methods (impregnation and deposition by precipitation) were applied to uptake the active phases on the support. All the catalysts were characterized using various techniques such as X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption isotherms, UVvis spectroscopy, temperature-programmed reduction, H2 chemisorption, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electron dispersive spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The methane decomposition reaction was carried out in a microreactor system at a temperature range from 500 to 700 C. The product effluent was analyzed by gas chromatography. In general, the catalysts Au/C and Au/Al-MCM-41 synthesized by the impregnation technique gave gold particle sizes greater than 100 nm and the catalysts Au/C synthesized by the deposition-precipitation technique showed particle sizes from 5 up to 10 nm. Although these results were interesting, the catalytic activity was not correlated with the Au nanoparticles. On the other hand, all the bimetallic Au-Ni catalysts were more active than the monometallic catalysts. The most effective catalysts for methane decomposition were the series of catalysts Au-Ni/SBA-15. The methane conversions over the Au- Ni/SBA-15 catalysts were approximately 15 % at a reaction temperature of 600 C. All the experiments, hydrogen was the gaseous product, no CO or CO2 was detected. It is assumed that Au addition into Ni catalysts might improve dehydrogenation of methane and increased the concentration of CHx species in the surface of the catalysts. Therefore, Au addition significantly enhanced the catalyst activity and stability. During a period of 15 hr evaluation under different space velocity, no obvious catalytic deactivation was observed on our catalysts, which showed much better stability in comparison with the Cu-Ni/Al2O3 and Ni-Cu/SiO2 catalysts. Raman spectroscopy analysis confirmed that two kinds of carbon materials were formed on the catalysts after reaction: one was carbon nanotube and the other was amorphous carbon. The amorphous carbon usually covers on the surface of the catalysts, leading to active phase encapsulation. In the bimetallic catalysts, amorphous carbon materials were much less than that formed on the monometallic catalysts. This is one of the reasons responsible for the enhancement of the catalytic activity of the bimetallic catalysts. Hydrogen chemisorption experiments showed that before the reaction, Au- Ni/SBA-15 catalysts have large capacity for hydrogen adsorption and possible storage; however, after reaction, their capacity for hydrogen adsorption was reduced because of the formation of amorphous carbon and increment of active particle size. This results indicated that it is possible to use Au-Ni/SBA-15 catalysts for both hydrogen production and hydrogen storage.MAESTRÍA EN CIENCIAS EN INGENIERÍA QUÍMICAPD

Outcomes of Distal Pancreatectomy for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma in the Netherlands: A Nationwide Retrospective Analysis

Background: Large multicenter series on outcomes and predictors of survival after distal pancreatectomy (DP) for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are scarce. Methods: Adults who underwent DP for PDAC in 17 Dutch pancreatic centers between January 2005 and September 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. The primary outcome was survival, and predictors of survival were identified using Cox regression analysis. Results: In total, 761 consecutive patients after DP were assessed, of whom 620 patients were excluded because of non-PDAC histopathology (n = 616) or a lack of data (n = 4), leaving a total of 141 patients included in the stud

Efecto de la adición de transglutaminasa y carragenina en gelles lácteos inducidos por renina.

En el presente trabajo, la transglutaminasa es estudiada durante la coagulación enzimática de un sistema lácteo en combinación con los hidrocoloides carragenina, pectina de alto metoxilo y grenetina, modificando el porcentaje de CaCl2. La finalidad es generar una red más compleja durante el proceso de elaboración de geles de proteínas lácteas a base de renina, así como evaluar el porcentaje de proteína y grasa retenidos, el grado de sinéresis, y las propiedades texturales y de micro estructura del gel. Un primer diseño de experimentos de tipo Plackett & Burman se llevo a cabo para conocer la interacción entre los distintos factores implementados en el sistema lácteo, para posteriormente filtrar las variables que arrojaron una respuesta satisfactoria. Durante esta primera evaluación se encontró que las variables CaCl2 y transglutaminasa favorecieron la resistencia a la penetración del gel, mientras que la carragenina disminuyo la pegajosidad del mismo. A demás, la interacción de estos tres factores reveló atenuación sinergética de los parámetros buscados, por lo que se formulo un nuevo diseño con dichos factores. Finalmente, un diseño central compuesto 23 demostró que la retención de seroproteínas y grasa en el gel puede ser afectada positivamente por la adición de carragenina y/o calcio en el sistema, mientras que la incubación con transglutaminasa mostro poca influencia en la retención de dichos parámetros. Por otra parte, la sinéresis incremento al aumentar cualquiera de los factores, sin embargo, en pequeñas dosis se redujo en comparación con el gel control. La firmeza, cohesividad, gomosidad y resistencia a la penetración del gel fueron favorecidas por el incremento de carragenina y calcio, así como también sucedió sinergéticamente durante la interacción de todos los factores (en su nivel más alto). Por el contrario, se disminuyeron todos los parámetros abruptamente durante la interacción carragenina-tiempo de incubación (nivel alto) cuando el calcio se encuentra en el nivel bajo. Por otra parte, la adición de carragenina (>0.037%) o tiempo de incubación (<60min) incrementaron la elasticidad del gel, y su recuperación (resiliencia) después de la deformación sucedió mas rápido con la adición de calcio o carragenina. Mientras que la adhesividad y pegajosidad disminuyeron por el incremento de calcio, la interacción tiempo de incubación-calcio o la adición de carragenina cuando el calcio es mínimo. En contraste, se observo un incremento con carragenina y calcio cuando el nivel de ambos es alto, y durante la interacción de todos los factores (todos en nivel alto). Por ultimo, la interacción entre la microestructura homogénea (con carragenina) y la porosa (con transglutaminasa) dieron como resultado una textura con mayor similitud al gel control.In this paper, transglutaminase enzyme was studied in combination with hydrocolloids (carrageenan, high methoxyl pectin and gelatin) during the enzymatic coagulation of a dairy system, changing the percentage of CaCl2. The purpose was to create a more complex network during the manufacture of dairy gels induced by rennin, and to assess the percentage of protein and fat retained, degree of syneresis, and textural and micro structural properties of the gel. An initial Plackett & Burman experimental design was carried out to understand the interaction between factors modifying the dairy system. Later; some factors were leaked out in order to use them in a new central composite design. During the initial design, we found that CaCl2 and transglutaminase increased the force gradient of dairy gels, while carrageenan decreased the stickiness of them. In addition, the interaction of all the factors showed synergistic attenuation on increasing force gradient as on reducing stickiness. Finally, a 23 central composite design showed that retention of serum proteins and fat in dairy gel could be positively affected by addition of carrageenan and / or calcium into the system, whereas incubation of transglutaminase showed no influence on the retention of them. Moreover, syneresis increased while increasing any factor; however, syneresis could be reduced in contrast with control by using small doses of any ingredient. Firmness, cohesiveness, gumminess and force gradient in dairy gel were favored by increasing carrageenan and calcium, as well as synergistically happened during the interaction of all the factors (in the highest level). By contrast, parameters were decreased sharply during the interaction carrageenan-incubation time (both in high level) when calcium level was low. Moreover, the addition of carrageenan (> 0.037%) or incubation time (<60min) increased the elasticity of the gel, and a faster recovery of the sample after deformation (resilience) occurred by adding calcium or carrageenan. While adhesiveness and stickiness decreased by increasing calcium, interacting time of incubation with calcium or adding carrageenan to the system while calcium is in the lowest level. In contrast we observed an increase in both parameters when carrageenan and calcium where in the highest level, and also during the interaction of all the factors (all high). Finally, the interaction between homogeneous (with carrageenan) and porous (transglutaminase) microstructure resulted in a similar texture to the control.Maestria en Tecnología AvanzadaPD

Lingual Frenulum: Changes After Frenectomy

Purpose: To describe the changes after frenectomy concerning mobility and functions of the tongue. Methods: Participants were 53 subjects who had never undergone speech therapy or lingual frenulum surgery. A specific lingual frenulum protocol with scores was used by speech-language pathologists when there was evidence of frenulum alteration. Ten subjects had abnormal frenulum and were referred to an otolaryngologist for frenectomy. After surgery, the subjects were re-evaluated using the same protocol. Photos and videos were taken for comparison. Results: Thirty days after surgery, the subjects had the shape of the tip of the tongue and its movements improved. Lip closure and speech were also improved. Conclusion: Frenectomy is efficient to improve tongue posture, tongue mobility, oral functions, and oral communication.244409412Suter, V.G.A., Ankyloglossia: facts and myths in diagnosis and treatment (2009) J Periodontol, 80 (8), pp. 1204-1219Hooda, A., Rathee, M., Yaday, S., Gulia, J., Ankyloglossia: a review of current status (2010) The Internet Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, 12 (2)Johnson, P.R.V., Tongue-tie - exploding the myths (2006) Infant, 2 (3), pp. 96-99Lee, H.J., Park, H.S., Park, B.S., Choi, J.W., Koo, S.K., The Improvement of tongue mobility and articulation after frenotomy in patient with ankyloglossia (2010) J Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 53, pp. 491-496Hong, P., (2012) Ankyloglossia (tongue-tie), , Published ahead of print October 15. DOI:10.1503/cmaj.120785Marchesan, I.Q., Protocolo de avaliação do frênulo da lingual (2010) Rev CEFAC, 12 (6), pp. 977-989Darshan, H.E., Pavithra, P.M., Tongue tie: from confusion to clarity - a review (2011) Int J Den Clin, 3 (1), pp. 48-51Braga, L.A.S., Silva, J., Pantuzzo, C.L., Motta, A.R., Prevalência de alteração no frênulo lingual e suas implicações na fala de escolares (2009) Rev CEFAC, 11 (3), pp. 378-390Oredsson, J., Törngren, A., Frenotomy in children with ankyloglossia and breast-feeding problems A simple method seems to render good results (2010) Lakartidningen, 107 (10), pp. 676-678Knox, I., Tongue tie and frenotomy in the breastfeeding newborn (2010) Neoreviews, 11, pp. 513-519Ostapiuk, B., Tongue mobility in ankyloglossia with regard to articulation (2006) Ann Acad Med Stetin, 52 (3), pp. 37-47Marchesan, I.Q., Lingual frenulum: classification and speech interference (2004) Int J Orofacial Myology, 30, pp. 31-38Chaubal, T.V., Dixit, M.B., Ankyloglossia and its management (2011) J Indian Soc Periodontol, 15 (3), pp. 270-27

Minimally invasive versus open distal pancreatectomy (LEOPARD): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Observational cohort studies have suggested that minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy (MIDP) is associated with better short-term outcomes compared with open distal pancreatectomy (ODP), such as less intraoperative blood loss, lower morbidity, shorter length of hospital stay, and reduced total costs. Confounding by indication has probably influenced these findings, given that case-matched studies failed to confirm the superiority of MIDP. This accentuates the need for multicenter randomized controlled trials, which are currently lacking. We hypothesize that time to functional recovery is shorter after MIDP compared with ODP even in an enhanced recovery setting. Methods: LEOPARD is a randomized controlled, parallel-group, patient-blinded, multicenter, superiority trial in all 17 centers of the Dutch Pancreatic Cancer Group. A total of 102 patients with symptomatic benign, premalignant or malignant disease will be randomly allocated to undergo MIDP or ODP in an enhanced recovery setting. The primary outcome is time (days) to functional recovery, defined as all of the following: independently mobile at the preoperative level, sufficient pain control with oral medication alone, ability to maintain sufficient (i.e. >50%) daily required caloric intake, no intravenous fluid administration and no signs of infection. Secondary outcomes are operative and postoperative outcomes, including clinically relevant complications, mortality, quality of life and costs. Discussion: The LEOPARD trial is designed to investigate whether MIDP reduces the time to functional recovery compared with ODP in an enhanced recovery setting. Trial registration: Dutch Trial Register, NTR5188. Registered on 9 April 201