Porous structures digitalization for purpose of a computer simulation of transport phenomena.

katedra: KHT; přílohy: CD-ROM.; rozsah: 76 s., 3 s. příloh.Tato diplomová práce se zabývá studiem textilních porózních struktur. V teoretické části je popsáno, co je porózní medium, co je to porózita a zaplnění v textilních útvarech a také, jak se člení póry dle velikosti. Práce ukazuje způsoby analýzy porózity u porózních textilních materiálů. Jsou zde popsány software, kterými se modeluje proudění tekutin skrz porózní struktury a software, kterými se modeluje stavba textilní porózní struktury. V práci je popsán algoritmus, kterým se dá zjistit porózita obecné zkoumané struktury. Tento algoritmus je dále modifikován konkrétně na textilní porózní strukturu. V praktické části je popsán princip získání digitální fotografie textilní porózní struktury. Je popsáno obrazové stanovení uspořádání vláken v textilní struktuře. Analyzuje se a vyhodnocuje se porózní textilní struktura z pohledu (např. pro stanovení zakrytí tkaniny Z) a pro studium vnitřní struktury se tvoří řezy analyzované textilní struktury. Práce se proto také zabývá problematikou tvorby řezů porózních textilních struktur. K vyhodnocení a získání porózní textilní struktury je použito mikroskopických metod (optické mikroskopie, elektronové mikroskopie, počítačové tomografie) a také obrazové analýzy. Výsledkem práce je navržený postup k získání přibližné vnitřní struktury textilního materiálu - konkrétně netkané textilie.This diploma thesis is engaged in studies of porous materials. In theoretical part it is described what the porous medium, porosity and saturation in textile materials are and also how porous media are divided by their sizes. The work shows the ways for the porous textile structures analysis. There is described software for the flow through porous structures modeling and for the textile porous structure building. There is described an algorithm for porosity evaluation of common investigated structure. This algorithm is further modified concretely for the textile porous structure. In practical part there is described the principle of realizing the digital textile porous structure photography. There is described a spatial fibers arrangement in textile structure. The textile porous structure is analyzed and evaluated from the view (e.g. for cover definition of fabric) and slices of analyzed textile structure are created for examination of inner structure. Therefore the work also deals with the problems including slices of the porous textile structures. The microscopic methods (optical, electron microscopy and computer tomography) and image analysis are used for evaluating and gaining results of the porous textile structure. The result of this diploma thesis is the designed progress to gain of approximate inner textile structure concretely the inner structure of nonwoven textile. It is possible to use the gained binary image for algorithm dedicated to porous structures transport phenomena simulations

Experimental Study and Modelling of Neutralization Processes

katedra: NTI; přílohy: CD; rozsah: 62 s., 13 s.Tato práce si vzala za cíl studium neutralizačních procesů a problematiku s nimi spojenou. Neutralizace probíhaly v roztocích kyselin (kyseliny sírová, chlorovodíková a dusičná) za použití páru bazických roztoků (roztoky hydroxidu sodného a hydroxidu vápenatého) a nanočástic nulamocného železa (nZVI). Úkolem práce bylo sledovat průběh reakcí a změn probíhajících v roztocích. Neutralizační procesy byly nejprve namodelovány v programu The Geochemist{\crq}s Workbench. Poté se realizovaly samotné laboratorní pokusy a měření. Závěrem bylo provedeno vyhodnocení výsledků modelovací a experimentální části, jejich vzájemné srovnání a také vzájemné srovnání jednotlivých neutralizačních činidel a roztoků kyselin. Sledovanými ukazateli změn v roztocích a průběhů reakcí byly veličiny pH a ORP (oxidačně-redukční potenciál) při ustálení chemické rovnováhy.Objective of this work was to study neutralization processes, concretely neutralization of sulphuric acid, nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. Sodium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide and nanoscale zero valent iron (nZVI) were used as the neutralization agents. Principal aim of this work was to monitor reaction processes and changes in the solutions. Neutralization processes were simulated in The Geochemist´s Workbench program at first. The laboratory experiments and measurements had been done afterwards. Finally the results of the simulation and experiments were evaluated and confronted each other. The attributes of acid solutions and hydroxides with nZVI during neutralization were also compared. During the neutralization processes the pH and ORP changes were monitored

Why Are Outcomes Different for Registry Patients Enrolled Prospectively and Retrospectively? Insights from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF).

Background: Retrospective and prospective observational studies are designed to reflect real-world evidence on clinical practice, but can yield conflicting results. The GARFIELD-AF Registry includes both methods of enrolment and allows analysis of differences in patient characteristics and outcomes that may result. Methods and Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 risk factor for stroke at diagnosis of AF were recruited either retrospectively (n = 5069) or prospectively (n = 5501) from 19 countries and then followed prospectively. The retrospectively enrolled cohort comprised patients with established AF (for a least 6, and up to 24 months before enrolment), who were identified retrospectively (and baseline and partial follow-up data were collected from the emedical records) and then followed prospectively between 0-18 months (such that the total time of follow-up was 24 months; data collection Dec-2009 and Oct-2010). In the prospectively enrolled cohort, patients with newly diagnosed AF (≤6 weeks after diagnosis) were recruited between Mar-2010 and Oct-2011 and were followed for 24 months after enrolment. Differences between the cohorts were observed in clinical characteristics, including type of AF, stroke prevention strategies, and event rates. More patients in the retrospectively identified cohort received vitamin K antagonists (62.1% vs. 53.2%) and fewer received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (1.8% vs . 4.2%). All-cause mortality rates per 100 person-years during the prospective follow-up (starting the first study visit up to 1 year) were significantly lower in the retrospective than prospectively identified cohort (3.04 [95% CI 2.51 to 3.67] vs . 4.05 [95% CI 3.53 to 4.63]; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Interpretations of data from registries that aim to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with AF must take account of differences in registry design and the impact of recall bias and survivorship bias that is incurred with retrospective enrolment. Clinical Trial Registration: - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362)

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

Improved risk stratification of patients with atrial fibrillation: an integrated GARFIELD-AF tool for the prediction of mortality, stroke and bleed in patients with and without anticoagulation.

OBJECTIVES: To provide an accurate, web-based tool for stratifying patients with atrial fibrillation to facilitate decisions on the potential benefits/risks of anticoagulation, based on mortality, stroke and bleeding risks. DESIGN: The new tool was developed, using stepwise regression, for all and then applied to lower risk patients. C-statistics were compared with CHA2DS2-VASc using 30-fold cross-validation to control for overfitting. External validation was undertaken in an independent dataset, Outcome Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation (ORBIT-AF). PARTICIPANTS: Data from 39 898 patients enrolled in the prospective GARFIELD-AF registry provided the basis for deriving and validating an integrated risk tool to predict stroke risk, mortality and bleeding risk. RESULTS: The discriminatory value of the GARFIELD-AF risk model was superior to CHA2DS2-VASc for patients with or without anticoagulation. C-statistics (95% CI) for all-cause mortality, ischaemic stroke/systemic embolism and haemorrhagic stroke/major bleeding (treated patients) were: 0.77 (0.76 to 0.78), 0.69 (0.67 to 0.71) and 0.66 (0.62 to 0.69), respectively, for the GARFIELD-AF risk models, and 0.66 (0.64-0.67), 0.64 (0.61-0.66) and 0.64 (0.61-0.68), respectively, for CHA2DS2-VASc (or HAS-BLED for bleeding). In very low to low risk patients (CHA2DS2-VASc 0 or 1 (men) and 1 or 2 (women)), the CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED (for bleeding) scores offered weak discriminatory value for mortality, stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding. C-statistics for the GARFIELD-AF risk tool were 0.69 (0.64 to 0.75), 0.65 (0.56 to 0.73) and 0.60 (0.47 to 0.73) for each end point, respectively, versus 0.50 (0.45 to 0.55), 0.59 (0.50 to 0.67) and 0.55 (0.53 to 0.56) for CHA2DS2-VASc (or HAS-BLED for bleeding). Upon validation in the ORBIT-AF population, C-statistics showed that the GARFIELD-AF risk tool was effective for predicting 1-year all-cause mortality using the full and simplified model for all-cause mortality: C-statistics 0.75 (0.73 to 0.77) and 0.75 (0.73 to 0.77), respectively, and for predicting for any stroke or systemic embolism over 1 year, C-statistics 0.68 (0.62 to 0.74). CONCLUSIONS: Performance of the GARFIELD-AF risk tool was superior to CHA2DS2-VASc in predicting stroke and mortality and superior to HAS-BLED for bleeding, overall and in lower risk patients. The GARFIELD-AF tool has the potential for incorporation in routine electronic systems, and for the first time, permits simultaneous evaluation of ischaemic stroke, mortality and bleeding risks. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362) and for ORBIT-AF (NCT01165710)

Two-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation: results from GARFIELD-AF.

AIMS: The relationship between outcomes and time after diagnosis for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is poorly defined, especially beyond the first year. METHODS AND RESULTS: GARFIELD-AF is an ongoing, global observational study of adults with newly diagnosed NVAF. Two-year outcomes of 17 162 patients prospectively enrolled in GARFIELD-AF were analysed in light of baseline characteristics, risk profiles for stroke/systemic embolism (SE), and antithrombotic therapy. The mean (standard deviation) age was 69.8 (11.4) years, 43.8% were women, and the mean CHA2DS2-VASc score was 3.3 (1.6); 60.8% of patients were prescribed anticoagulant therapy with/without antiplatelet (AP) therapy, 27.4% AP monotherapy, and 11.8% no antithrombotic therapy. At 2-year follow-up, all-cause mortality, stroke/SE, and major bleeding had occurred at a rate (95% confidence interval) of 3.83 (3.62; 4.05), 1.25 (1.13; 1.38), and 0.70 (0.62; 0.81) per 100 person-years, respectively. Rates for all three major events were highest during the first 4 months. Congestive heart failure, acute coronary syndromes, sudden/unwitnessed death, malignancy, respiratory failure, and infection/sepsis accounted for 65% of all known causes of death and strokes for <10%. Anticoagulant treatment was associated with a 35% lower risk of death. CONCLUSION: The most frequent of the three major outcome measures was death, whose most common causes are not known to be significantly influenced by anticoagulation. This suggests that a more comprehensive approach to the management of NVAF may be needed to improve outcome. This could include, in addition to anticoagulation, interventions targeting modifiable, cause-specific risk factors for death. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

Drug discovery in advanced prostate cancer: translating biology into therapy.

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is associated with a poor prognosis and poses considerable therapeutic challenges. Recent genetic and technological advances have provided insights into prostate cancer biology and have enabled the identification of novel drug targets and potent molecularly targeted therapeutics for this disease. In this article, we review recent advances in prostate cancer target identification for drug discovery and discuss their promise and associated challenges. We review the evolving therapeutic landscape of CRPC and discuss issues associated with precision medicine as well as challenges encountered with immunotherapy for this disease. Finally, we envision the future management of CRPC, highlighting the use of circulating biomarkers and modern clinical trial designs