Complex band structure and plasmon lattice Green's function of a periodic metal-nanoparticle chain

When the surface plasmon resonance in a metal-nanoparticle chain is excited at one point, the response signal will generally decay down the chain due to absorption and radiation losses. The decay length is a key parameter in such plasmonic systems. By studying the plasmon lattice Green's function, we found that the decay length is generally governed by two exponential decay constants with phase factors corresponding to guided Bloch modes and one power-law decay with a phase factor corresponding to that of free space photons. The results show a high level of similarity between the absorptive and radiative decay channels. By analyzing the poles (and the corresponding residues) of the Green's function in a transformed complex reciprocal space, the dominant decay channel of the real-space Green's function is understood.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figure

Анализ эффективности использования бинарного цикла ПТУ на тепловой электростанции

Выпускная квалификационная работа 55 с., 8 рис., 7 табл., 32 источника, приложений нет. Ключевые слова: электростанция, паротурбинная установка (ПТУ), бинарный цикл, низкопотенциальное рабочее тело (НРТ), эффективность. Объектом исследования является двухконтурная ПТУ с НРТ. Цель работы – провести анализ эффективности использования бинарного цикла ПТУ на тепловой электростанции (ТЭС). В работе представлен анализ эффективности использования бинарного цикла ПТУ на ТЭС на основе расчета термического коэффициента полезного действия (КПД) двухконтурной ПТУ с НРТ. В результате исследования выявлено, что термический КПД двухконтурной ПТУ с НРТ больше термического КПД одноконтурной ПТУ на 29,5 %.Graduate qualification work 55 p., 8 pic., 7 tab., 32 references, no appendices. Keywords: power plant, steam tubine plant (STP), binary cycle, low-potential working fluid (LWF), efficiency. Object of investigation is two-curcuit STP with LWF. Work purpose - analyze the efficiency of use binary cycle STP on thermal power plant (TPP). The paper presents the analysis of the effeciency of use binary cycle STP on TPP on the basis of calculation thermal coefficient of performance (COP) two-curcuit STP with LWF. The study revealed that thermal COP two-curcuit STP with LWF more than thermal COP of one-curcuit STP at 29,5 %

A dose-dependent plasma signature of the safety and immunogenicity of the rVSV-Ebola vaccine in Europe and Africa.

The 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic affected several African countries, claiming more than 11,000 lives and leaving thousands with ongoing sequelae. Safe and effective vaccines could prevent or limit future outbreaks. The recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus-vectored Zaire Ebola (rVSV-ZEBOV) vaccine has shown marked immunogenicity and efficacy in humans but is reactogenic at higher doses. To understand its effects, we examined plasma samples from 115 healthy volunteers from Geneva who received low-dose (LD) or high-dose (HD) vaccine or placebo. Fifteen plasma chemokines/cytokines were assessed at baseline and on days 1, 2 to 3, and 7 after injection. Significant increases in monocyte-mediated MCP-1/CCL2, MIP-1β/CCL4, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1Ra, and IL-10 occurred on day 1. A signature explaining 68% of cytokine/chemokine vaccine-response variability was identified. Its score was higher in HD versus LD vaccinees and was associated positively with vaccine viremia and negatively with cytopenia. It was higher in vaccinees with injection-site pain, fever, myalgia, chills, and headache; higher scores reflected increasing severity. In contrast, HD vaccinees who subsequently developed arthritis had lower day 1 scores than other HD vaccinees. Vaccine dose did not influence the signature despite its influence on specific outcomes. The Geneva-derived signature associated strongly (ρ = 0.97) with that of a cohort of 75 vaccinees from a parallel trial in Lambaréné, Gabon. Its score in Geneva HD vaccinees with subsequent arthritis was significantly lower than that in Lambaréné HD vaccinees, none of whom experienced arthritis. This signature, which reveals monocytes' critical role in rVSV-ZEBOV immunogenicity and safety across doses and continents, should prove useful in assessments of other vaccines

Estimating HIV incidence and the undiagnosed HIV population in the European Union / European economic area

ECDC HIV/AIDS Surveillance and Dublin Declaration Networks participants: Portugal - Helena Cortes Martins (INSA).Each year, about 30,000 people are newly diagnosed with HIV in the 31 countries of the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA). We aimed to estimate the number of people living with undiagnosed HIV in the entire EU/EEA and in four sub-regions.N/

Ontwikkelingstrajecten van angstsymptomen: Een vijfjarig prospectief onderzoek onder adolescenten in de algemene populatie

Achtergrond: Het relatief recente gebruik van moderne statistische analysemethoden zoals een latent groeimodel (lgm) maakt het mogelijk om verschillen in individuele ontwikkelingstrajecten over tijd te bestuderen. doel Prospectief en longitudinaal onderzoeken van de ontwikkelingstrajecten van angstsymptomen over een periode van vijf jaar in een grote steekproef (n = 1318) uit de algemene adolescentenpopulatie. Methode: Er werd onderscheid gemaakt tussen een cohort jongeren in de vroege adolescentie (gemiddeld 12 jaar oud tijdens de eerste meting) en in de midden adolescentie (gemiddeld 16 jaar oud tijdens de eerste meting). Leeftijds- en sekseverschillen in de ontwikkelingstrajecten van angstsymptomen werden onderzocht met lgm. resultaten Uit de analyses bleek dat de symptomen van de paniekstoornis, schoolangst en separatieangst voor alle adolescent

Plasmonic modes in periodic metal nanoparticle chains: A direct dynamic eigenmode analysis

We demonstrate an efficient eigen-decomposition method for analyzing the guided modes in metal nanoparticle chains. The proposed method has the advantage of showing the dispersion relation and mode quality simultaneously. It can also separate the material and geometrical properties, so its efficiency does not depend on the complexity of the material polarizability. The method is applied to analyze the guided modes of a single and a pair of metal chains. The more accurate dynamic dipole polarizability typically gives a red-shift compared with the results obtained with the broadly used quasistatic dipole polarizability with radiation correction.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure

Long-term results and recurrence patterns from SCALOP: a phase II randomised trial of gemcitabine- or capecitabine-based chemoradiation for locally advanced pancreatic cancer

background: SCALOP, a randomised, phase II trial, tested the activity and safety of gemcitabine (GEM)-based and capecitabine (CAP)-based chemoradiation (CRT) for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). Here we present the long-term outcomes. methods: Eligibility: histologically proven LAPC less than or equal to7 cm. Following 12 weeks of induction GEMCAP chemotherapy (three cycles: GEM 1000 mg m−2 days 1, 8, 15; CAP 830 mg m−2 days 1–21 q28 days) patients with stable/responding disease, tumour less than or equal to6 cm, and WHO Performance Status 0–1 were randomised to receive one cycle GEMCAP followed by CAP (830 mg m−2 b.d. on weekdays only) or GEM (300 mg m−2 weekly) with radiation (50.4 Gy per 28 fractions). results: One-hundred fourteen patients (28 UK centres) were registered between 24 December 2009 and 25 October 2011, and 74 were randomised (CAP-RT=36; GEM-RT=38). At the time of this analysis, 105 of the 114 patients had died and the surviving 9 patients had been followed up for a median of 10.9 months (IQR: 2.9–18.7). Updated median OS was 17.6 months (95% CI: 14.6–22.7) in the CAP-CRT arm and 14.6 months (95% CI: 11.1–16.0) in the GEM-CRT arm (intention-to-treat adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 0.68 (95% CI: 0.38–1.21, P=0.185)); median progression-free survival (PFS) was 12.0 months (95% CI: 10.0–15.2) in the CAP-CRT arm and 10.4 months (95% CI: 8.8–12.7) in the GEM-CRT arm (intention-to-treat adjusted HR: 0.60 (95% CI: 0.32–1.14, P=0.120)). In baseline multivariable model, age greater than or equal to65 years, better performance status, CA19.9<613 IU l−1, and shorter tumour diameter predicted improved OS. CAP-CRT, age greater than or equal to65 years, better performance status, CA19.9 <46 IU ml−1 predicted improved OS and PFS in the pre-radiotherapy model. Nine-month PFS was highly predictive of OS. conclusions: CAP-CRT remains the superior regimen. SCALOP showed that patients with CA19.9 <46 IU ml−1 after induction chemotherapy are more likely to benefit from CRT

Evaluation of kratom opioid derivatives as potential treatment option for alcohol use disorder

Background and Purpose: Mitragyna speciosa extract and kratom alkaloids decrease alcohol consumption in mice at least in part through actions at the δ-opioid receptor (δOR). However, the most potent opioidergic kratom alkaloid, 7-hydroxymitragynine, exhibits rewarding properties and hyperlocomotion presumably due to preferred affinity for the mu opioid receptor (µOR). We hypothesized that opioidergic kratom alkaloids like paynantheine and speciogynine with reduced µOR potency could provide a starting point for developing opioids with an improved therapeutic window to treat alcohol use disorder. Experimental Approach: We characterized paynantheine, speciociliatine, and four novel kratom-derived analogs for their ability to bind and activate δOR, µOR, and κOR. Select opioids were assessed in behavioral assays in male C57BL/6N WT and δOR knockout mice. Key Results: Paynantheine (10 mg∙kg(−1), i.p.) produced aversion in a limited conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm but did not produce CPP with additional conditioning sessions. Paynantheine did not produce robust antinociception but did block morphine-induced antinociception and hyperlocomotion. Yet, at 10 and 30 mg∙kg(−1) doses (i.p.), paynantheine did not counteract morphine CPP. 7-hydroxypaynantheine and 7-hydroxyspeciogynine displayed potency at δOR but limited µOR potency relative to 7-hydroxymitragynine in vitro, and dose-dependently decreased voluntary alcohol consumption in WT but not δOR in KO mice. 7-hydroxyspeciogynine has a maximally tolerated dose of at least 10 mg∙kg(−1) (s.c.) at which it did not produce significant CPP neither alter general locomotion nor induce noticeable seizures. Conclusion and Implications: Derivatizing kratom alkaloids with the goal of enhancing δOR potency and reducing off-target effects could provide a pathway to develop novel lead compounds to treat alcohol use disorder with an improved therapeutic window

Association between oxidized nucleobases and mitochondrial DNA damage with long-term mortality in patients with sepsis

BACKGROUND: Sepsis not only leads to short-term mortality during hospitalization, but is also associated with increased mortality during long-term follow-up after hospital discharge. Metabolic stress during sepsis may cause oxidative damage to both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and RNA, which could affect long-term health and life span. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the association of sepsis with oxidized nucleobases and (mt)DNA damage and long-term all-cause mortality in septic patients. METHODS: 91 patients with sepsis who visited the emergency department (ED) of the University Medical Center Groningen between August 2012 and June 2013 were included. Urine and plasma were collected during the ED visit. Septic patients were matched with 91 healthy controls. Death rate was obtained until June 2020.The degree of oxidation of DNA, RNA and free nucleobases were assessed in urine by mass-spectrometry. Lipid peroxidation was assessed in plasma using a TBAR assay. Additionally, plasma levels of mtDNA and damage to mtDNA were determined by qPCR. RESULTS: Sepsis patients denoted higher levels of oxidated DNA, RNA, free nucleobases and lipid peroxidation than controls (all p < 0.01). Further, sepsis patients displayed an increase in plasma mtDNA with an increase in mtDNA damage compared to matched controls (p < 0.01). Kaplan meier survival analyses revealed that high degrees of RNA- and nucleobase oxidation were associated with higher long-term all-cause mortality after sepsis (p < 0.01 and p = 0.01 respectively). Of these two, high RNA oxidation was associated with long-term all-cause mortality, independent of adjustment for age, medical history and sepsis severity (HR 1.29 [(1.17-1.41, 95% CI] p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Sepsis is accompanied with oxidation of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA and RNA, where RNA oxidation is an independent predictor of long-term all-cause mortality. In addition, sepsis causes mtDNA damage and an increase in cell free mtDNA in plasma

The Added Value of Analyzing Pooled Health-Related Quality of Life Data: A Review of the EORTC PROBE Initiative

BACKGROUND: The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Patient-Reported Outcomes and Behavioural Evidence (PROBE) initiative was established to investigate critical topics to better understand health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of cancer patients and to educate clinicians, policy makers, and healthcare providers. METHODS: The aim of this paper is to review the major research outcomes of the pooled analysis of HRQOL data along with the clinical data. We identified 30 pooled EORTC randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 18 NCIC-Clinical Trials Group RCTs, and two German Ovarian Cancer Study Group RCTs, all using the EORTC QLQ-C30. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: Evidence was found that HRQOL data can offer prognostic information beyond clinical measures and improve prognostic accuracy in cancer RCTs (by 5.9%-8.3%). Moreover, models that considered both patient- and clinician-reported scores gained more prognostic overall survival accuracy for fatigue (P < .001), vomiting (P = .01), nausea (P < .001), and constipation (P = .01). Greater understanding of the association between symptom and/or functioning scales was developed by identifying physical, psychological, and gastrointestinal clusters. Additionally, minimally important differences in interpreting HRQOL changes for improvement and deterioration were found to vary across different patient populations and disease stages. Finally, HRQOL scores are statistically significantly affected by deviations from the intended time point at which the questionnaire is completed. CONCLUSIONS: The use of existing pooled data shows that it is possible to learn about general aspects of cancer HRQOL and methodology. Our work shows that setting up international pooled datasets holds great promise for understanding patients' unmet psychosocial needs and calls for additional empirical investigation to improve clinical care and understand cancer through retrospective HRQOL analyses