GROUNDWATER MODELING FOR MISSISSIPPI RIVER ALLUVIAL AQUIFER OF NORTHEASTERN LOUISIANA

The Mississippi River Alluvial Aquifer (MRAA) locates in northeastern Louisiana, extending from the north border of Louisiana and Arkansas to south central Louisiana and underlies the Mississippi River Valley. The MRAA is the second most used groundwater source with about 390 million gallons per day in 2010, which accounts for 25% of all groundwater withdrawals in Louisiana. The groundwater uses are mainly for irrigation, public supply and industries. The excessive groundwater pumping and the economic importance of the MRAA have drawn attention to build a groundwater model to study future water resources management and sustainability plans. The model is the first comprehensive and detailed groundwater model for the MRAA. For developing an MRAA groundwater model, firstly, a hydrostratigraphic architecture of the MRAA was constructed with 7,259 well logs using a natural neighbor interpolation method for developing a three-dimensional computational grid. Secondly, the sinks and sources in the model included surficial recharge estimated from a hydrologic model, rivers and bayous (including Mississippi River) that had interconnections with the alluvial aquifer, and pumping wells that consisted of irrigation, public supply and industrial wells. Lastly, the groundwater model was calibrated using the groundwater level data from the USGS to estimate model parameters. A small root-mean-square error of 1.14 m was achieved between simulated and historically observed groundwater levels. The simulation results show strong interactions between the major streams, the Mississippi River and the alluvial aquifer. The streams are the main inflow sources to the MRAA. The water budget analysis shows that groundwater levels in the MRAA have declined in recent years as groundwater demands for agriculture is increasing in the region. In conclusion, a sound groundwater management plan is needed in the near future to recover groundwater storage in the MRAA to sustain the valuable water source. The developed MRAA groundwater model would be a valuable tool to assist future groundwater management plan development

Bir Kültürel Üretim Biçimi Olarak Etkinlik Pazarlaması ve Şehir Pazarlaması ile Olan İlişkisi: Selçuklu Kongre Merkezi Örneği

Şehirlerin de birer ürün gibi pazarlanabileceği düşüncesinin dünya geneline yayılması ile birlikte şehir yönetimleri hem şehir sakinlerine, hem de şehre gelebilecek ziyaretçilere ve yatırımcılara yönelik pazarlama faaliyetleri ile şehirlerarası rekabette öne çıkmaya çalışmaktadır. Bu çabaların yoğunlaştığı önemli alanlardan birisi de M.I.C.E. Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions sektörüdür. Etkinlik sektörü olarak da bilinen bu alan, fuar, kongre, konferans, sergi, festival gibi etkinliklerin düzenlenmesini ve pazarlanmasını ifade eden bir kültürel üretim biçimi olarak görülmektedir. Bu çalışmada, Konya merkez ilçe belediyelerinden biri olan Selçuklu Belediyesi’nin himayesinde inşa edilen ve 29 Ekim 2017 tarihinde faaliyete geçen Selçuklu Kongre Merkezi SKM bünyesinde iki yıl boyunca gerçekleştirilen etkinliklerin Konya’daki kültür-sanat ortamına, sosyal ve ekonomik ilişkilere etkileri şehrinin pazarlaması, kültürel üretim ve etkinlik pazarlaması ekseninde ele alınmıştır. Gerçekleşen etkinliklerle ilgili içeriklerin yanı sıra istatistiki bilgiler ve SKM’nin üst düzey yöneticileri ile gerçekleştirilen mülakatlar betimsel analize tabi tutularak yorumlanmıştır

The role of ECL2 in CGRP receptor activation: a combined modelling and experimental approach

The calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor is a complex of a calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CLR), which is a family B G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) and receptor activity modifying protein 1. The role of the second extracellular loop (ECL2) of CLR in binding CGRP and coupling to Gs was investigated using a combination of mutagenesis and modelling. An alanine scan of residues 271–294 of CLR showed that the ability of CGRP to produce cAMP was impaired by point mutations at 13 residues; most of these also impaired the response to adrenomedullin (AM). These data were used to select probable ECL2-modelled conformations that are involved in agonist binding, allowing the identification of the likely contacts between the peptide and receptor. The implications of the most likely structures for receptor activation are discussed.</jats:p

Toward complete oral cavity cancer resection using a handheld diffuse reflectance spectroscopy probe

This ex-vivo study evaluates the feasibility of diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) for discriminating tumor from healthy tissue, with the aim to develop a technology that can assess resection margins for the presence of tumor cells during oral cavity cancer surgery. Diffuse reflectance spectra were acquired on fresh surgical specimens from 28 patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. The spectra (400 to 1600 nm) were detected after illuminating tissue with a source fiber at 0.3-, 0.7-, 1.0-, and 2.0-mm distances from a detection fiber, obtaining spectral information from different sampling depths. The spectra were correlated with histopathology. A total of 76 spectra were obtained from tumor tissue and 110 spectra from healthy muscle tissue. The first- A nd second-order derivatives of the spectra were calculated and a classification algorithm was developed using fivefold cross validation with a linear support vector machine. The best results were obtained by the reflectance measured with a 1-mm source-detector distance (sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy are 89%, 82%, and 86%, respectively). DRS can accurately discriminate tumor from healthy tissue in an ex-vivo setting using a 1-mm source-detector distance. Accurate validation methods are warranted for larger sampling depths to allow for guidance during oral cavity cancer excision.</p

ZnO薄膜を用いた光導波路型波長変換デバイスの設計と作製に関する研究

修士論

Translation of c-Met targeted image-guided surgery solutions in oral cavity cancer: initial proof of concept data

Simple SummaryTranslation of tumor-specific fluorescent tracers is crucial in the realization intraoperative of tumor identification during fluorescence-guided surgery. Ex vivo assessment of surgical specimens after topical tracer application has the potential to reveal the suitability of a potential surgical target prior to in vivo use in patients. In this study, the c-Met receptor was identified as a possible candidate for fluorescence-guided surgery in oral cavity cancer. Freshly excised tumor specimens obtained from ten patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue were incubated with EMI-137 and imaged with a clinical-grade Cy5 prototype fluorescence camera. In total, 9/10 tumors were fluorescently illuminated, while non-visualization could be linked to non-superficial tumor localization. Immunohistochemistry revealed c-Met expression in all ten specimens. Tumor assessment was improved via video representation of the tumor-to-background ratio.Intraoperative tumor identification (extension/margins/metastases) via receptor-specific targeting is one of the ultimate promises of fluorescence-guided surgery. The translation of fluorescent tracers that enable tumor visualization forms a critical component in the realization of this approach. Ex vivo assessment of surgical specimens after topical tracer application could help provide an intermediate step between preclinical evaluation and first-in-human trials. Here, the suitability of the c-Met receptor as a potential surgical target in oral cavity cancer was explored via topical ex vivo application of the fluorescent tracer EMI-137. Freshly excised tumor specimens obtained from ten patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue were incubated with EMI-137 and imaged with a clinical-grade Cy5 prototype fluorescence camera. In-house developed image processing software allowed video-rate assessment of the tumor-to-background ratio (TBR). Fluorescence imaging results were related to standard pathological evaluation and c-MET immunohistochemistry. After incubation with EMI-137, 9/10 tumors were fluorescently illuminated. Immunohistochemistry revealed c-Met expression in all ten specimens. Non-visualization could be linked to a more deeply situated lesion. Tumor assessment was improved via video representation of the TBR (median TBR: 2.5 (range 1.8-3.1)). Ex vivo evaluation of tumor specimens suggests that c-Met is a possible candidate for fluorescence-guided surgery in oral cavity cancer.Imaging- and therapeutic targets in neoplastic and musculoskeletal inflammatory diseas

Photodynamic therapy in the therapy for recurrent/persistent nasopharyngeal cancer

To determine the efficacy of Photodynamic therapy of patients with recurrent Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma we reviewed all available literature