InterMEL: An international biorepository and clinical database to uncover predictors of survival in early-stage melanoma

We are conducting a multicenter study to identify classifiers predictive of disease-specific survival in patients with primary melanomas. Here we delineate the unique aspects, challenges, and best practices for optimizing a study of generally small-sized pigmented tumor samples including primary melanomas of at least 1.05mm from AJTCC TNM stage IIA-IIID patients. We also evaluated tissue-derived predictors of extracted nucleic acids’ quality and success in downstream testing. This ongoing study will target 1,000 melanomas within the international InterMEL consortium.Medicin

Taxation of Risky Investment and Paradoxical Investor Behavior

Under uncertainty and irreversibility, real option-based models are widely accepted for assessing investment projects. So far the existing post-tax analyses do not provide a general analytical description of investor reactions towards profit tax rate changes. This paper sets out to fill part of the void. We implement a simple tax system and focus on risky capital market investment and an option to wait. Taxes affect risk-free and risky capital market investment asymmetrically and hence cause distortions. We analytically identify a set of neutral tax rates (tax regimes) that preserve the critical post-tax investment threshold in case of tax rate changes as well as general normal and paradoxical settings. Unlike for other tax paradoxa neither depreciation rules nor loss offset restrictions are responsible for the observed paradoxical reaction. Identifying normal and paradoxical tax regimes can be regarded as a first step to a generalized description of tax effects under uncertainty, both for individual project evaluation as well as for understanding tax effects on an aggregate level

Simplified Method to Extract Biofuels from Aqueous Mixtures Using Organophilic Silicas that Rapidly and Reversibly Swell

Separation of biofuel molecules from aqueous feedstocks or fermentation reactors is a primary challenge to create energy positive fuel production systems. Examples of required separation processes include the extraction of triglycerides from algae and alcohols from water. A novel chemical separation system has been developed based on a new class of nano-engineered organosilicas that rapidly and reversibly expand 8-times their dry weight upon contact with organic solutes or dispersed liquids in water. These materials selectively absorb the non-ionic organic fraction whereas salts, proteins, carbohydrates, debris, and water itself are excluded from the expandable matrix. Absorbates can be extracted with small amounts of solvent or simple evaporation. The swelling of the organosilica is reversible allowing a closed loop system where organic solvents never come in contact with aqueous biofuel feedstocks. The results of pilot-phase tests with current bioreactor designs will be reported which are being done with academic and corporate partners

Flow Back Water Treatment Using Swellable Organosilica Media

ABS Materials has developed a new type of swellable organophilic material that extracts a wide array of dissolved hydrocarbons from oil field waters. With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (SBIR Program) orchestrated through the National Energy Technology Laboratory, ABS Materials has been engineering systems to use swellable organically modified silica to treat flow back waters to remove dissolved organics. Two pilot scale systems were built: a non-regenerating skid-mounted system which handles inputs of up to 4 gal/min and a 60 gal/min trailer mounted system which included a mechanism for SOMS regeneration. Copyright 2011, Society of Petroleum Engineers