Quantitative dating of pleistocene deposits of the Kyrenia range, Northern Cyprus : implications for timing, rates of uplift and driving mechanisms

R.N.P. acknowledges the NERC CASE scholarship at the University of Edinburgh. Additional field and laboratory work was aided by the DARIUS Programme to A.H.F.R. and T.C.K. We are grateful for the additional financial support provided by the John Dixon Memorial Fund.The Kyrenia Range underwent tectonically driven uplift during the Pliocene to Pleistocene in response to the interaction of various tectonic processes. To understand the tectonic processes driving the uplift and how this is related to uplift of other areas of the Eastern Mediterranean, uranium-series disequilibrium and optically stimulated luminescence dating were applied to marine and non-marine terrace deposits exposed on the northern flank of the range. Palaeomagnetism and strontium isotope dating were used in conjunction to date the final stages of the marine environment adjacent to the Kyrenia Range prior to major surface uplift. Uplift rates range from >1.2 mm a−1, inferred during the Early Pleistocene, to <0.2 mm a−1during the Late Pleistocene. The new data show that the Kyrenia Range was uplifted contemporaneously with the Troodos Massif in southern Cyprus. The uplift of the Kyrenia Range appears to have been significantly faster than that affecting other comparable regions in the easternmost Mediterranean during the Pleistocene (e.g. Lebanon coast; southern Anatolian plateau). The driving mechanism for the uplift of both the Kyrenia Range and the Troodos Massif is inferred to be the collision of the Eratosthenes Seamount with the Cyprus trench to the south of Cyprus.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

权重连接神经网络的光电实现

在Ｈｏｐｆｉｅｌｄ模型基础上，对具有权重连接的Ｈｏｐｆｉｅｌｄ模型引入连接权重矩阵，这样只要在Ｈｏｐｆｉｅｌｄ内容寻址记忆光电阵列前多加一个连接权重矩阵阵列，则得具有权重连接的神经网络模型的光电实现

Goldilocks or Plain Jane? The PGE metallogeny of the Bushveld LIP as recorded by the Rooiberg lavas

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record

Association of different antiplatelet therapies with mortality after primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

OBJECTIVES: Prasugrel and ticagrelor both reduce ischaemic endpoints in high-risk acute coronary syndromes, compared with clopidogrel. However, comparative outcomes of these two newer drugs in the context of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unclear. We sought to examine this question using the British Cardiovascular Interventional Society national database in patients undergoing primary PCI for STEMI. METHODS: Data from January 2007 to December 2014 were used to compare use of P2Y12 antiplatelet drugs in primary PCI in >89 000 patients. Statistical modelling, involving propensity matching, multivariate logistic regression (MLR) and proportional hazards modelling, was used to study the association of different antiplatelet drug use with all-cause mortality. RESULTS: In our main MLR analysis, prasugrel was associated with significantly lower mortality than clopidogrel at both 30 days (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.97, P=0.014) and 1 year (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.97, P=0.011) post PCI. Ticagrelor was not associated with any significant differences in mortality compared with clopidogrel at either 30 days (OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.21, P=0.237) or 1 year (OR 1.058, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.16, P=0.247). Finally, ticagrelor was associated with significantly higher mortality than prasugrel at both time points (30 days OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.44, P=0.020; 1 year OR 1.19 95% CI 1.04 to 1.35, P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In a cohort of over 89 000 patients undergoing primary PCI for STEMI in the UK, prasugrel is associated with a lower 30-day and 1-year mortality than clopidogrel and ticagrelor. Given that an adequately powered comparative randomised trial is unlikely to be performed, these data may have implications for routine care

Vascular complications associated with intraaortic balloon pump supported percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and clinical outcomes from the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society National PCI Database.

INTRODUCTION: The impact of a vascular complication (VC) in the setting of intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) supported PCI on clinical outcomes is unclear. METHODS: Using data from the BCIS National PCI Database, multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of a VC. Propensity scoring was used to quantify the association between a VC and outcomes. RESULTS: Between 2007 and 2014, 9,970 PCIs in England and Wales were supported by IABP (1.6% of total PCI), with 224 femoral VCs (2.3%). Annualized rates of a VC reduced as the use of radial access for PCI increased. The independent predictors of a VC included a procedural complication (odds ratio [OR] 2.9, p < .001), female sex (OR 2.3, p < .001), PCI for stable angina (OR 3.47, p = .028), and use of a glycoprotein inhibitor (OR 1.46 [1.1:2.5], p = .04), with a lower likelihood of a VC when radial access was used for PCI (OR 0.48, p = .008). A VC was associated with a higher likelihood of transfusion (OR 5.7 [3.5:9.2], p < .0001), acute kidney injury (OR 2.6 [1.2:6.1], p = .027), and periprocedural MI (OR 3.2 [1.5:6.7], p = .002) but not with adjusted mortality at discharge (OR 1.2 [0.8:1.7], p = .394) or 12-months (OR 1.1 [0.76:1.56], p = .639). In sensitivity analyses, there was a trend towards higher mortality in patients experiencing a VC who underwent PCI for stable angina (OR 4.1 [1.0:16.4], p value for interaction .069). Discussion and Conclusions Although in-hospital morbidity was observed to be adversely affected by occurrence of a VC during IABP-supported PCI, in-hospital and 1-year survival were similar between groups

A bovine lymphosarcoma cell line infected with theileria annulata exhibits an irreversible reconfiguration of host cell gene expression

Theileria annulata, an intracellular parasite of bovine lymphoid cells, induces substantial phenotypic alterations to its host cell including continuous proliferation, cytoskeletal changes and resistance to apoptosis. While parasite induced modulation of host cell signal transduction pathways and NFκB activation are established, there remains considerable speculation on the complexities of the parasite directed control mechanisms that govern these radical changes to the host cell. Our objectives in this study were to provide a comprehensive analysis of the global changes to host cell gene expression with emphasis on those that result from direct intervention by the parasite. By using comparative microarray analysis of an uninfected bovine cell line and its Theileria infected counterpart, in conjunction with use of the specific parasitacidal agent, buparvaquone, we have identified a large number of host cell gene expression changes that result from parasite infection. Our results indicate that the viable parasite can irreversibly modify the transformed phenotype of a bovine cell line. Fifty percent of genes with altered expression failed to show a reversible response to parasite death, a possible contributing factor to initiation of host cell apoptosis. The genes that did show an early predicted response to loss of parasite viability highlighted a sub-group of genes that are likely to be under direct control by parasite infection. Network and pathway analysis demonstrated that this sub-group is significantly enriched for genes involved in regulation of chromatin modification and gene expression. The results provide evidence that the Theileria parasite has the regulatory capacity to generate widespread change to host cell gene expression in a complex and largely irreversible manner

Insights into Blockchain Implementation in Construction:Models for Supply Chain Management

The interest in the implementation of distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) is on the rise in the construction sector. One specific type of DLT that has recently attracted much attention is blockchain. Blockchain has been mostly discussed conceptually for construction to date. This study presents some empirical discussions on supply chain management (SCM) applications of blockchain for construction by collecting feedback for three blockchain-based models: project bank accounts (PBAs) for payments, reverse auction-based tendering for bidding, and asset tokenization for project financing. The feedback was collected from three focus groups and a workshop. The working prototypes for the models were developed on Ethereum. The implementation of blockchain in payment arrangements was found to be simpler than in tendering and project tokenization workflows. However, the blockchain integration of those workflows may have large-scale impacts on the sector in the future. A broad set of general and model-specific benefits/opportunities and requirements/challenges was also identified for blockchain in construction. Some of these include streamlined, transparent transactions and rational trust building, and the need for challenging the sector culture, upscaling the legacy information technology (IT) systems, and compliance with the regulatory structures

Impact of bleeding-related complications and/or blood product transfusions on hospital costs in inpatient surgical patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Inadequate surgical hemostasis may lead to transfusion and/or other bleeding-related complications. This study examines the incidence and costs of bleeding-related complications and/or blood product transfusions occurring as a consequence of surgery in various inpatient surgical cohorts.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A retrospective analysis was conducted using Premier's Perspective™ hospital database. Patients who had an inpatient procedure within a specialty of interest (cardiac, vascular, non-cardiac thoracic, solid organ, general, reproductive organ, knee/hip replacement, or spinal surgery) during 2006-2007 were identified. For each specialty, the rate of bleeding-related complications (including bleeding event, intervention to control for bleeding, and blood product transfusions) was examined, and hospital costs and length of stay (LOS) were compared between surgeries with and without bleeding-related complications. Incremental costs and ratios of average total hospital costs for patients with bleeding-related complications vs. those without complications were estimated using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, adjusting for demographics, hospital characteristics, and other baseline characteristics. Models using generalized estimating equations (GEE) were also used to measure the impact of bleeding-related complications on costs while accounting for the effects related to the clustering of patients receiving care from the same hospitals.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 103,829 cardiac, 216,199 vascular, 142,562 non-cardiac thoracic, 45,687 solid organ, 362,512 general, 384,132 reproductive organ, 246,815 knee/hip replacement, and 107,187 spinal surgeries were identified. Overall, the rate of bleeding-related complications was 29.9% and ranged from 7.5% to 47.4% for reproductive organ and cardiac, respectively. Overall, incremental LOS associated with bleeding-related complications or transfusions (unadjusted for covariates) was 6.0 days and ranged from 1.3 to 9.6 days for knee/hip replacement and non-cardiac thoracic, respectively. The incremental cost per hospitalization associated with bleeding-related complications and adjusted for covariates was highest for spinal surgery ($17,279) followed by vascular ($15,123), solid organ ($13,210), non-cardiac thoracic ($13,473), cardiac ($10,279), general ($4,354), knee/hip replacement ($3,005), and reproductive organ ($2,805).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study characterizes the increased hospital LOS and cost associated with bleeding-related complications and/or transfusions occurring as a consequence of surgery, and supports implementation of blood-conservation strategies.</p

Analysis of Allogenicity of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Engraftment and Wound Healing in Mice

Studies have shown that allogeneic (allo-) bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) may enhance tissue repair/regeneration. However, recent studies suggest that immune rejection may occur to allo-MSCs leading to reduced engraftment. In this study, we compared allo-BM-MSCs with syngeneic BM-MSCs or allo-fibroblasts in engraftment and effect in wound healing. Equal numbers of GFP-expressing allo-BM-MSCs, syngeneic BM-MSCs or allo-fibroblasts were implanted into excisional wounds in GFP-negative mice. Quantification of GFP-expressing cells in wounds at 7, 14 and 28 days indicated similar amounts of allogeneic or syngeneic BM-MSCs but significantly reduced amounts of allo-fibroblasts. With healing progression, decreasing amounts of allogeneic and syngeneic BM-MSCs were found in the wound; however, the reduction was more evident (2 fold) in allo-fibroblasts. Similar effects in enhancing wound closure were found in allogeneic and syngeneic BM-MSCs but not in allo-fibroblasts. Histological analysis showed that allo-fibroblasts were largely confined to the injection sites while allo-BM-MSCs had migrated into the entire wound. Quantification of inflammatory cells in wounds showed that allo-fibroblast- but not allo-BM-MSC-treated wounds had significantly increased CD45+ leukocytes, CD3+ lymphocytes and CD8+ T cells. Our study suggests that allogeneic BM-MSCs exhibit ignorable immunogenicity and are equally efficient as syngeneic BM-MSCs in engraftment and in enhancing wound healing