Woody Biomass Conversion to JP 8 Fuels: Monthly Funds and Expenditure Report

Two faculty and two staff members are active on this project. GL entries corrections for corrected Capital equipment expenses (re. May report) and corrected indirect cost charges are put in. Correct Total Capital Equipment charges are $82,950 and correct total indirect cost charges are$335,093.47

Kennebec Valley Community College Pulp and Paper Technology Program

The program was sponsored by the National Science Foundation to support the development of an advanced technical workforce in the U.S. Topics covered included pulp preparation, handsheet making, and paper testing. The future of the industry and topics such as biofuels and ‘smart packaging’ were also discussed. Hands-on lab exercises were performed at the Process Development Center, a state-of-the-art facility in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

University of Maine Integrated Forest Product Refinery (IFPR) Technology Research

This project supported research on science and technology that forms a basis for integrated forest product refinery for co-production of chemicals, fuels and materials using existing forest products industry infrastructure. Clear systems view of an Integrated Forest Product Refinery (IFPR) allowed development of a compelling business case for a small scale technology demonstration in Old Town, ME for co-production of biofuels using cellulosic sugars along with pulp for the new\u27 owners of the facility resulting in an active project on Integrated Bio-Refinery (IBR) at the Old Town Fuel & Fiber. Work on production of advanced materials from woody biomass has led to active projects in bioplastics and carbon nanofibers. A lease for 40.000 sq. ft. high-bay space has been obtained to establish a Technology Research Center for IFPR technology validation on industrially relevant scale. UMaine forest bioproducts research initiative that began in April 2006 has led to establishment of a formal research institute beginning in March 2010. This project has helped advance the field of alternative renewable fuels using forest based resources. This can help rural economies, possibly providing regional solutions for the Northern Forest communities. Forest Bioproducts Research Institute (FBRI) at the University of Maine is poised to lead the development of fuels, chemicals, and advanced materials from woody biomass

Person-Context Influences on Educational Involvement in Rural Cambodian Schools

Based on Bronfenbrenner’s Process-Person-Context-Time model, this study explored the attitudes and potential factors affecting children’s educational participation in two non-governmental organization-sponsored rural schools in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with students (female and male), teachers, principals, and parents. A discovery-oriented qualitative analytical approach revealed that at the individual level, truancy and student respect for school regulations impacted school participation. At the family level, parental support and family difficulties influenced school participation. At the school level, teacher ability, teacher-parent interactions, and adequate resources either facilitated or hindered student success. At the socio-cultural level, socioeconomic conditions, communal supports, and traditional gendered expectations created gender disparities in school involvement. Policy implications include a nation-wide comprehensive professional development program targeting teacher training (structural level), a strong teacher-counselor partnership to facilitate the development of literacy campaigns (community level), and increasing female mentors and counselors to increase gender parity (cultural level)

Ascorbic Acid is an Abettor in Calcium Urolithiasis: An Experimental Study

Two sets of animal experiments using guinea pigs were planned to evaluate the effect of ascorbic acid supplementation on the lithogenic process. In the first set of experiments, 10, 40, and 60 mg doses of ascorbic acid/100g body weight/day were given for 105 days. Neither of the ascorbic acid doses given induced crystalluria, calcification or stone formation, thereby confirming our previous findings that ascorbic acid in the doses used by clinicians does not cause urolith formation. In the second set of experiments, ascorbic acid was supplemented in hypercalciuric (induced by calcium carbonate feeding) and hyperoxaluric (induced by sodium oxalate feeding) animals for 45 days. The results indicated that it exacerbated the calcification process in renal and bladder tissue

Investing in Maine Research Infrastructure: Sustainable Forest Bioproducts

The University of Maine, the University of Southern Maine, several baccalaureate institutions in the state, along with other federal, state and local public, private, and non-profit institutions will collaborate to create the Forest Bioproducts Research Institute (FBRI) at the University of Maine. The vision of the FBRI is to advance understanding about the scientific underpinnings, system behavior, and policy implications for the production of forest-based bioproducts that meet societal needs for materials, chemicals, and fuels in an economically and ecologically sustainable manner.The research plans Integrate three themes. They are (1) forest sustainability modeling of life cycle assessment, (2) integrated biopolymer separations and residual solids modifications, and (3) biological and chemical platform conversion technologies.The research capitalizes upon Maine\u27s unique position of having a large natural resource base, existing research capacities in pulp and paper, forestry, and wood products, along with a strong industrial presence. State, national, and global collaborations, including those with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, will contribute broader benefits to society as a result of this investment in forestry research.The FBRI will serve as the forest-based carbohydrate economy center of excellence for the region, with a primary goal of transitioning developed science and technology to the state\u27s industrial arena. State, national, and global impacts will be realized as a result of the investment in this research. In addition, a cadre of future engineers and scientists in multidisciplinary disciplines as well as policy-makers will result from the expected collaborations. Support is provided through the NSF Experimental Program To Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR)

Factors affecting clinical decision-making in inflammatory bowel disease and the role of point-of-care calprotectin

Objectives: Patient-reported symptoms correlate poorly with mucosal inflammation. Clinical decision-making may, therefore, not be based on objective evidence of disease activity. We conducted a study to determine factors associated with clinical decision-making in a secondary care inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) population, using a cross-sectional design. Methods: Decisions to request investigations or escalate medical therapy were recorded from outpatient clinic encounters in a cohort of 276 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn’s disease (CD). Disease activity was assessed using clinical indices, self-reported flare and faecal calprotectin ≥ 250 µg/g. Demographic, disease-related and psychological factors were assessed using validated questionnaires. Logistic regression was performed to determine the association between clinical decision-making and symptoms, mucosal inflammation and psychological comorbidity. Results: Self-reported flare was associated with requesting investigations in CD [odds ratio (OR) 5.57; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.84-17.0] and UC (OR 10.8; 95% CI 1.8-64.3), but mucosal inflammation was not (OR 1.62; 95% CI 0.49-5.39; and OR 0.21; 95% CI 0.21-1.05, respectively). Self-reported flare (OR 7.96; 95% CI 1.84-34.4), but not mucosal inflammation (OR 1.67; 95% CI 0.46-6.13) in CD, and clinical disease activity (OR 10.36; 95% CI 2.47-43.5) and mucosal inflammation (OR 4.26; 95% CI 1.28-14.2) in UC were associated with escalation of medical therapy. Almost 60% of patients referred for investigation had no evidence of mucosal inflammation. Conclusions: Apart from escalation of medical therapy in UC, clinical decision-making was not associated with mucosal inflammation in IBD. The use of point-of-care calprotectin testing may aid clinical decision-making, improve resource allocation and reduce costs in IBD

Further evidence for the involvement of EFL1 in a Shwachman-Diamond-like syndrome and expansion of the phenotypic features.

Recent evidence has implicated EFL1 in a phenotype overlapping Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS), with the functional interplay between EFL1 and the previously known causative gene SBDS accounting for the similarity in clinical features. Relatively little is known about the phenotypes associated with pathogenic variants in the EFL1 gene, but the initial indication was that phenotypes may be more severe, when compared with SDS. We report a pediatric patient who presented with a metaphyseal dysplasia and was found to have biallelic variants in EFL1 on reanalysis of trio whole-exome sequencing data. The variant had not been initially reported because of the research laboratory's focus on de novo variants. Subsequent phenotyping revealed variability in her manifestations. Although her metaphyseal abnormalities were more severe than in the original reported cohort with EFL1 variants, the bone marrow abnormalities were generally mild, and there was equivocal evidence for pancreatic insufficiency. Despite the limited number of reported patients, variants in EFL1 appear to cause a broader spectrum of symptoms that overlap with those seen in SDS. Our report adds to the evidence of EFL1 being associated with an SDS-like phenotype and provides information adding to our understanding of the phenotypic variability of this disorder. Our report also highlights the value of exome data reanalysis when a diagnosis is not initially apparent

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Follow-up of Targeted Biopsy-negative Prostate Lesions

BACKGROUND: The optimal radiological follow-up of prostate lesions negative on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-targeted biopsy (MRI-TB) is yet to be optimised. OBJECTIVE: To present medium-term radiological and clinical follow-up of biopsy-negative lesions. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The records for men who underwent multiparametric MRI at the UCLH one-stop clinic for suspected prostate cancer between September 2017 and March 2020 were reviewed (n = 1199). Patients with Likert 4 or 5 lesions were considered (n = 495), and those with a subsequent negative MRI-TB comprised the final study population (n = 91). OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Baseline and follow-up MRI and biopsy data (including prostate-specific antigen [PSA], prostate volume, radiological scores, and presence of any noncancerous pathology) were extracted from reports. The last follow-up date was the date of the last test or review in clinic. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Median follow-up was 1.8 yr (656 d, interquartile range [IQR] 359-1008). At baseline, the median age was 65.4 yr (IQR 60.7-70.0), median PSA was 7.1 ng/ml (IQR 4.7-10.0), median prostate volume was 54 ml (IQR 39.5-75.0), and median PSA density (PSAD) was 0.13 ng/ml2 (IQR 0.09-0.18). Eighty-six men (95%) had Likert 4 lesions, while the remaining five (5%) had Likert 5 lesions. Only 21 men (23%) had a single lesion; most had at least two. Atrophy was the most prevalent pathology on MRI-TB, present in 64 men (74%), and followed by acute inflammation in 42 (46%), prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia in 33 (36%), chronic inflammation in 18 (20%), atypia in 13 (14%), and granulomatous inflammation in three (3%). Fifty-eight men had a second MRI study (median 376 d, IQR 361-412). At the second MRI, median PSAD decreased to 0.11 ng/ml2 (IQR 0.08-0.18). A Likert 4 or 5 score persisted only in five men (9%); 40 men (69%) were scored Likert 3, while the remaining 13 (22%) were scored Likert 2 (no lesion). Of 45 men with a Likert ≥3 score, most only had one lesion at the second MRI (28 men; 62%). Of six men with repeat MRI-TB during the study period, two were subsequently diagnosed with prostate cancer and both had persistent Likert 4 scores (at baseline and at least one follow-up MRI). CONCLUSIONS: Most biopsy-negative MRI lesions in the prostate resolve over time, but any persistent lesions should be closely monitored. PATIENT SUMMARY: Lesions in the prostate detected via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans that are negative for cancer on biopsy usually resolve. Repeat MRI can indicate persistent lesions that might need a second biopsy

Association between low-dose pulsed intravenous cyclophosphamide therapy and amenorrhea in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: A case-control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The risk for amenorrhea following treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with low-dose intravenous cyclophosphamide (IVCY) has not been fully explored. Our objective was to ascertain the incidence of amenorrhea following treatment with low-dose IVCY and the association between amenorrhea and the clinical parameters of SLE.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A case-control retrospective study of premenopausal women ≤ 45 years old who had been treated for SLE with low-dose IVCY (500 mg/body/pulse) plus high-dose glucocorticoids (0.8-1.0 mg/kg/day of prednisolone; IVCY group) or glucocorticoids alone (0.8-1.0 mg/kg/day of prednisolone; steroid group) in our hospital from 2000 through 2009 was conducted using a questionnaire survey and medical record review.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty-nine subjects in the IVCY group and 33 subjects in the steroid group returned the questionnaire. A multivariate analysis revealed that age at initiation of treatment ≥ 40 years old was significantly associated with amenorrhea [<it>p </it>= 0.009; odds ratio (OR) 10.2; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.8-58.7]. IVCY treatment may display a trend for association with amenorrhea (<it>p </it>= 0.07; OR 2.9; 95% CI 0.9-9.4). Sustained amenorrhea developed in 4 subjects in the IVCY group and 1 subject in the steroid group; all of these patients were ≥ 40 years old. Menses resumed in all subjects < 40 years old, irrespective of treatment.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although low-dose IVCY may increase the risk for amenorrhea, our data suggest that patients < 40 years old have a minimum risk for sustained amenorrhea with low-dose IVCY treatment. A higher risk for sustained amenorrhea following treatment with IVCY is a consideration for patients ≥ 40 years old.</p