An Evaluation of Epithelial Membrane Antigen as a Target for Monoclonal Antibodies in the Investigation of Patients With Colorectal Cancer

The Epithelial Membrane Antigen(EMA) is known to be strongly expressed by the majority of adenocarcinomas including those of the breast, ovary and colon and also weakly by a variety of normal glandular tissues. This antigen has not, however, been investigated specifically in colorectal cancer. This thesis investigates the clinical applications in colorectal cancer of a monoclonal antibody(MAb), labelled ICR2 after the Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, Surrey, which recognises EMA

The effect of NOM characteristics and membrane type on microfiltration performance

Efforts to understand and predict the role of different organic fractions in the fouling of low-pressure membranes are presented. Preliminary experiments with an experimental apparatus that incorporates automatic backwashing and filtration over several days has shown that microfiltration of the hydrophilic fractions leads to rapid flux decline and the formation of a cake or gel layer, while the hydrophobic fractions show a steady flux decline and no obvious formation of a gel or cake layer. The addition of calcium to the weakly hydrophobic acid (WHA) fraction led to the formation of a gel layer from associations between components of the WHA. The dominant foulants were found to be the neutral and charged hydrophilic compounds, with hydrophobic and small pore size membranes being the most readily fouled. The findings suggest that surface analyses such as FTIR will preferentially identify hydrophilic compounds as the main foulants, as these components form a gel layer on the surface while the hydrophobic compounds adsorb within the membrane pores. Furthermore, coagulation pre-treatment is also likely to reduce fouling by reducing pore constriction rather than the formation of a gel layer, as coagulants remove the hydrophobic compounds to a large extent and very little of the hydrophilic neutral components

Symmetry Protected Topological phases and Generalized Cohomology

We discuss the classification of SPT phases in condensed matter systems. We review Kitaev's argument that SPT phases are classified by a generalized cohomology theory, valued in the spectrum of gapped physical systems. We propose a concrete description of that spectrum and of the corresponding cohomology theory. We compare our proposal to pre-existing constructions in the literature.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures. v2: citation updat

Restrictive antibiotic stewardship associated with reduced hospital mortality in gram-negative infection

Introduction: Antimicrobial stewardship has an important role in the control of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and antibiotic resistance. An important component of UK stewardship interventions is the restriction of broad-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics and promotion of agents associated with a lower risk of CDI such as gentamicin. Whilst the introduction of restrictive antibiotic guidance has been associated with improvements in CDI and antimicrobial resistance evidence of the effect on outcome following severe infection is lacking. Methods: In 2008, Glasgow hospitals introduced a restrictive antibiotic guideline. A retrospective before/after study assessed outcome following gram-negative bacteraemia in the 2-year period around implementation. Results: Introduction of restrictive antibiotic guidelines was associated with a reduction in utilisation of ceftriaxone and co-amoxiclav and an increase in amoxicillin and gentamicin. 1593 episodes of bacteraemia were included in the study. The mortality over 1 year following gram-negative bacteraemia was lower in the period following guideline implementation (RR 0.852, P = 0.045). There was no evidence of a difference in secondary outcomes including ITU admission, length of stay, readmission, recurrence of bacteraemia and need for renal replacement therapy. There was a fall in CDI (RR 0.571, P = 0.014) and a reduction in bacterial resistance to ceftriaxone and co-amoxiclav but no evidence of an increase in gentamicin resistance after guideline implementation. Conclusion: Restrictive antibiotic guidelines were associated with a reduction in CDI and bacterial resistance but no evidence of adverse outcomes following gram-negative bacteraemia. There was a small reduction in one year mortality

The Design and Implementation of an Interactive Proof Editor

This thesis describes the design and implementation of the IPE, an interactive proof editor for first-order intuitionistic predicate calculus, developed at the University of Edinburgh during 1983-1986, by the author together with John Cartmell and Tatsuya Hagino. The IPE uses an attribute grammar to maintain the state of its proof tree as a context-sensitive structure. The interface allows free movement through the proof structure, and encourages a "proof-byexperimentation" approach, since no proof step is irrevocable. We describe how the IPE's proof rules can be derived from natural deduction rules for first-order intuitionistic logic, how these proof rules are encoded as an attribute grammar, and how the interface is constructed on top of the grammar. Further facilities for the manipulation of the IPE's proof structures are presented, including a notion of IPE-tactic for their automatic construction. We also describe an extension of the IPE to enable the construction and use of simply-structured collections of axioms and results, the main provision here being an interactive "theory browser" which looks for facts which match a selected problem

The state of the art of lethal oviposition trap-based mass tnterventions for arboviral control

The intensifying expansion of arboviruses highlights the need for effective invasive Aedes control. While mass-trapping interventions have long been discredited as inefficient compared to insecticide applications, increasing levels of insecticide resistance, and the development of simple affordable traps that target and kill gravid female mosquitoes, show great promise. We summarize the methodologies and outcomes of recent lethal oviposition trap-based mass interventions for suppression of urban Aedes and their associated diseases. The evidence supports the recommendation of mass deployments of oviposition traps to suppress populations of invasive Aedes, although better measures of the effects on disease control are needed. Strategies associated with successful mass-trap deployments include: (1) high coverage (>80%) of the residential areas; (2) pre-intervention and/or parallel source reduction campaigns; (3) direct involvement of community members for economic long-term sustainability; and (4) use of new-generation larger traps (Autocidal Gravid Ovitrap, AGO; Gravid Aedes Trap, GAT) to outcompete remaining water-holding containers. While to the best of our knowledge all published studies so far have been on Ae. aegypti in resource-poor or tropical settings, we propose that mass deployment of lethal oviposition traps can be used for focused cost-effective control of temperate Ae. albopictus pre-empting arboviral epidemics and increasing participation of residents in urban mosquito control

Assessment of synthetic floral-based attractants and sugar baits to capture male and female Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

Background: The viruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti, including dengue and Zika viruses, are rapidly expanding in geographic range and as a threat to public health. In response, control programs are increasingly turning to the use of sterile insect techniques resulting in a need to trap male Ae. aegypti to monitor the efficacy of the intervention. However, there is a lack of effective and cheap methods for trapping males. Thus, we attempted to exploit the physiological need to obtain energy from sugar feeding in order to passively capture male and female Ae. aegypti (nulliparous and gravid) in free-flight attraction assays. Candidate lures included previously identified floral-based (phenylacetaldehyde, linalool oxide, phenylethyl alcohol, and acetophenone) attractants and an attractive toxic sugar bait-based (ATSB) solution of guava and mango nectars. A free-flight attraction assay assessed the number of mosquitoes attracted to each candidate lure displayed individually. Then, a choice test was performed between the best-performing lure and a water control displayed in Gravid Aedes Traps (GAT). Results: Results from the attraction assays indicated that the ATSB solution of guava and mango nectars was the most promising lure candidate for males; unlike the floral-based attractants tested, it performed significantly better than the water control. Nulliparous and gravid females demonstrated no preference among the lures and water controls indicating a lack of attraction to floral-based attractants and sugar baits in a larger setting. Although the guava-mango ATSB lure was moderately attractive to males when presented directly (i.e. no need to enter a trap or other confinement), it failed to attract significantly more male, nulliparous female, or gravid female Ae. aegypti than water controls when presented inside a Gravid Aedes Trap. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the use of volatile floral-based attractants and sugar mixtures that have been identified in the literature is not an effective lure by which to kill Ae. aegypti at ATSB stations nor capture them in the GAT. Future trapping efforts would likely be more successful if focused on more promising methods for capturing male and female Ae. aegypti

Directing mesenchymal stem cells to bone to augment bone formation and increase bone mass.

Aging reduces the number of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that can differentiate into osteoblasts in the bone marrow, which leads to impairment of osteogenesis. However, if MSCs could be directed toward osteogenic differentiation, they could be a viable therapeutic option for bone regeneration. We have developed a method to direct MSCs to the bone surface by attaching a synthetic high-affinity and specific peptidomimetic ligand (LLP2A) against integrin α4β1 on the MSC surface to a bisphosphonate (alendronate, Ale) that has a high affinity for bone. LLP2A-Ale induced MSC migration and osteogenic differentiation in vitro. A single intravenous injection of LLP2A-Ale increased trabecular bone formation and bone mass in both xenotransplantation studies and in immunocompetent mice. Additionally, LLP2A-Ale prevented trabecular bone loss after peak bone acquisition was achieved or as a result of estrogen deficiency. These results provide proof of principle that LLP2A-Ale can direct MSCs to the bone to form new bone and increase bone strength

Serious Gordon Using Serious Games To Teach Food Safety in the Kitchen

This paper will describe the development of Serious Gordon, an interactive digital game developed to tech the basics of kitchen food safety to workers in industries dealing with food. The motivations driving the development of the game will be described as will the development process itself. An initial evaluation of the game, from both a technical and pedagogical point of view, will be presented as will conclusions on the viability of using a commercial game engine for the purpose of developing educational games