104 research outputs found

    The Study of Optimum Engine Shop Visit Scheduling via Genetic Algorithm Method

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    [[abstract]]The engine is so called "the heart of aircraft"; it affects not only flight safety, but also entire aircraft operation cost. The expensive engine maintenance cost is generally about half of the maintenance cost of the whole aircraft. Therefore, it is an essential for airlines to raise the efficiency of engine maintenance and to reduce the maintenance cost. Currently the engine maintenance shop is facing even more severe challenge of dropping cost and improving competitiveness. In this research several main factors are specified in engine shop visit consideration, and the method of Genetic Algorithm (GA) is applied to investigate the optimum scheduling of engine shop visit. Furthermore, an empirical study is provided in order to show the practicability and usefulness of this method, and the Pratt & Whitney JT8D-200 engines is selected as the object; a view of soft time control and full life cycles is also adapted. It is found that a periodic of every 3 times of shop visits will induce a minimum direct maintenance cost; and three times shop visit within 12,000 cycles is the most economic arrangement, which may have several set of optimum solutions[[incitationindex]]EI[[booktype]]紙本[[booktype]]電子

    Identifying Epstein–Barr virus peptide sequences associated with differential IgG antibody response

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    Background: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection contributes to cancers in a fraction of seropositive individuals, but much remains to be learned about variation in EBV-directed humoral immunity in cancer-free adults. Methods: A protein microarray was used to probe serum from 175 Taiwanese and 141 Northern European adults for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody responses to 115 different peptide sequences, representing protein segments or protein variants, from 45 EBV proteins. It was posited that this antibody-based approach could identify EBV peptide sequences representing immunodominant regions relevant for B-cell immunity. Results: Analyses of 45 EBV proteins with multiple protein segments or variants printed on the array identified eight EBV peptide sequences that appear to play a role in immunogenicity. This included: (1) three proteins with segments/regions associated with IgG reactivity (BALF5, LMP1, LMP2A); and (2) five proteins with sequence variants/amino acid changes associated with IgG reactivity (BDLF4, EBNA3A, EBNA3B, EBNA-LP, LF1). Conclusion: This examination of IgG antibody responses against 115 EBV peptide sequences in 316 cancer-free adults represents an important step toward identifying specific EBV protein sequences that play a role in generating B-cell immunity in humans

    Multilaboratory assessment of Epstein-Barr virus serologic assays: the case for standardization

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    IgA antibodies targeting Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) have been proposed for screening for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, methods differ, and the antigens used in these assays differ considerably between laboratories. To enable formal comparisons across a range of established EBV serology assays, we created a panel of 66 pooled serum samples and 66 pooled plasma samples generated from individuals with a broad range of IgA antibody levels. Aliquots from these panels were distributed to six laboratories and were tested by 26 assays measuring antibodies against VCA, EBNA1, EA-EBNA1, Zta, or EAd antigens. We estimated the correlation between assay pairs using Spearman coefficients (continuous measures) and percentages of agreement (positive versus negative, using predefined positivity cutoffs by each assay developer/manufacturer). While strong correlations were observed between some assays, considerable differences were also noted, even for assays that targeted the same protein. For VCA-IgA assays in serum, two distinct clusters were identified, with a median Spearman coefficient of 0.41 (range, 0.20 to 0.66) across these two clusters. EBNA1-IgA assays in serum grouped into a single cluster with a median Spearman coefficient of 0.79 (range, 0.71 to 0.89). Percentages of agreement differed broadly for both VCA-IgA (12% to 98%) and EBNA1-IgA (29% to 95%) assays in serum. Moderate-to-strong correlations were observed across assays in serum that targeted other proteins (correlations ranged from 0.44 to 0.76). Similar results were noted for plasma. We conclude that standardization of EBV serology assays is needed to allow for comparability of results obtained in different translational research studies across laboratories and populations

    Molecular imprinting science and technology: a survey of the literature for the years 2004-2011

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    Evaluation of Human Leukocyte Antigen-A (HLA-A), Other Non-HLA Markers on Chromosome 6p21 and Risk of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

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    Background: The association between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes (located in the Major Histocompatibility Complex [MHC] region of chromosome 6p21) and NPC has been known for some time. Recently, two genome-wide association studies (GWAS) conducted in Taiwan and China confirmed that the strongest evidence for NPC association was mapped to the MHC region. It is still unclear, however, whether these findings reflect direct associations with Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) genes and/or to other genes in this gene-rich region. Methods: To better understand genetic associations for NPC within the MHC region of chromosome 6, we conducted an evaluation that pooled two previously conducted NPC case-control studies in Taiwan (N = 591 cases and N = 521 controls). PCR-based genotyping was performed for 12 significant SNPs identified within 6p21 in the Taiwan NPC GWAS and for the HLA-A gene (exons 2 and 3). Findings: After confirming homogeneity between the two studies, pooled odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated by logistic regression. We found that HLA-A (p-trend = 0.0006) and rs29232 (within the GABBR1 gene; p-trend = 0.005) were independent risk factors for NPC after adjustment for age, gender, study and each other. NPC risk was highest among individuals who were homozygous for the HLA-A*0207 risk allele and carriers of the rs29232 risk allele (A). Conclusion: Our study suggests that most of the SNPs significantly associated with NPC from GWAS reflect previously identified HLA-A associations. An independent effect of rs29232 (GABBR1), however, remained, suggesting that additional genes within this region might be associated with NPC risk

    Independent Effect of Ebv and Cigarette Smoking on Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A 20-Year Follow-up Study on 9,622 Males without Family History in Taiwan

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    This study aimed to assess independent effects of EBV and cigarette smoking on nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which have never been assessed in long-term follow-up studies. A cohort of 9,622 men was enrolled from 1984 to 1986. Blood samples collected at study entry were tested for antibodies against EBV antigens (anti-EBV) viral capsid antigen immunoglobulin A and DNase. The cigarette smoking habit was inquired through questionnaire interview. Newly developed nasopharyngeal carcinoma cases were ascertained through computerized linkage with national cancer registry profile. Cox's proportional hazard regression analysis was used to estimate multivariate -adjusted hazard ratio with its 95% confidence interval (95% CI). During the follow-up of 173, 706 person-years, 32 pathologically confirmed nasopharyngeal carcinoma cases were identified >1 year after recruitment. Increasing serum levels of anti EBV viral capsid antigen immunoglobulin A and DNase were significantly associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk in a dose-response relationship. The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio ( 95% CI ) of developing nasopharyngeal carcinoma for low and high antibody levels compared with seronegatives was 9.5 (2.2-40. 1) and 21.4 (2.8-161.7 ), respectively, for anti-EBV viral capsid antigen immunoglobulin A (P = 30 pack-years of cumulative cigarette smoking compared with <30 pack-years as the reference. The longer and heavier the cigarette smoking habit, the higher was the nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk. Anti-EBV viral capsid antigen immunoglobulin A, anti-EBV DNase, and long-term heavy cigarette smoking are independent nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk predictors

    Lowered Risk of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Intake of Plant Vitamin, Fresh Fish, Green Tea and Coffee: A Case-Control Study in Taiwan

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    Background: A case-control study was conducted to evaluate the role of adult diet on nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in Taiwan. Methods: A total of 375 incident NPC cases and 327 controls matched to the cases on sex, age, and residence were recruited between July 1991 and December 1994. A structured questionnaire inquiring complete dietary history, socio-demographic characteristics, and other potential confounding factors was used in the personal interview. Unconditional logistic regression analysis was used to estimate multivariate-adjusted odds ratio (ORadj) with 95% confidence interval (CI) after accounting for known risk factors. Results: Fresh fish (ORadj, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.38-0.83 for the highest vs. lowest tertile of intake), green tea (ORadj, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.40-0.91 for drinking &gt;= 1 times/week vs. never) and coffee (ORadj, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.37-0.85 for drinking 0.5 times/week vs. never) were inversely associated with the NPC risk. No association with NPC risk was observed for the intake of meats, salted fish, fresh vegetables, fruits and milk. Intake of vitamin A from plant sources was associated with a decreased NPC risk (ORadj, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.41-0.94 for the highest vs. lowest tertile). Conclusion: The study findings suggest that certain adult dietary patterns might protect against the development of NPC

    Lifetime risk of distinct upper aerodigestive tract cancers and consumption of alcohol, betel and cigarette

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    The cancer of upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) is a common cancers in the world. However, its lifetime risk by consumption of alcohol, betel and cigarettes remain to be elucidated. This study aimed to estimate lifetime risk of distinct UADT cancers and assess their associations with alcohol, betel and cigarette consumption. Three cohorts of 25,611 men were enrolled in 1982-1992 in Taiwan. The history of alcohol, betel and cigarette consumption was enquired through questionnaire interview. Newly developed UADT cancers were ascertained through computerized linkage with national cancer registry profile. Lifetime (30-80 years old) risk and multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio (HRadj) of distinct UADT cancers by alcohol, betel and cigarette consumption were estimated. A total of 269 pathologically confirmed cases of UADT cancers were newly-diagnosed during 472,096 person-years of follow-up. The lifetime risk of UADT cancer was 9.42 and 1.65% for betel chewers and nonchewers, 3.22 and 1.21% for cigarette smokers and nonsmokers and 4.77 and 1.85% for alcohol drinkers and nondrinkers. The HRadj (95% confidence interval) of developing UADT cancer was 3.36 (2.51-4.49), 2.02 (1.43-2.84), 1.90 (1.46-2.49), respectively, for the consumption of betel, cigarette and alcohol. Alcohol, betel and cigarette had different effect on cancers at various anatomical sites of UADT. The cancer risk from the mouth, pharynx, esophagus to larynx increased for alcohol and cigarette consumption, but decreased for betel consumption. Alcohol, betel and cigarette consumption are independent risk predictors for distinct UADT cancers
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