Permeability analysis for thermal binder removal from green ceramic bodies

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on October 16, 2007)Vita.Thesis (Ph. D.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2007.The permeability of unlaminated and laminated green tapes was determined as a function of binder content for binder removed by air oxidation. The tapes are comprised of barium titanate as the dielectric, and polyvinyl butyral and dioctyl phthanlate are the main compoents of the binder mixture. The flow in porous media through the tapes was analyzed in terms of models for describing Knudsen, slip, and Poiseuille flow mechanisms. The characteristic pore size was determined to be 0.5-2 [mu]m, and thus Poiseuille flow was the dominant transport mechanism contributing to the flux. The permeability was then determined from Darcy's law for flow in porous media. The permeability was also determined from micro-structural attributes in terms of the specific surface, the pore fraction, and a term to account for tortuosity and constrictions. The permeability and adhesion strength of laminated green ceramic tapes were determined as a function of lamination conditions of time, temperature, and pressure.Includes bibliographical reference

Hypotony maculopathy and photoreceptor folds with disruptions after vitrectomy for epiretinal membrane removal: two case reports

Background Hypotony maculopathy has been classically reported as a complication of glaucoma surgery or ocular trauma. There have been only a few reports of hypotony maculopathy following pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). Here, we report two cases of hypotony maculopathy occurring after PPV for epiretinal membrane (ERM) removal and characteristic photoreceptor folds observed on optical coherence tomography (OCT). Case presentation A 53-year-old Korean woman (case 1) underwent phacoemulsification and posterior chamber lens implantation combined with 25-gauge PPV for ERM removal in the right eye. On the following day, she had severe ocular hypotony, with an intraocular pressure (IOP) that was unmeasurable using a pneumatic tonometer. Despite normalization of IOP, macular retinal and photoreceptor folds with photoreceptor disruptions developed, and Henles fiber layer hyperreflectivity was identified. Thereafter, retinal and photoreceptor folds gradually disappeared but photoreceptor disruption and Henles fiber layer hyperreflectivity did not improve until 1 year postoperatively, with persistent central visual field distortion and visual acuity worse than that at the preoperative state. A 20-year-old Korean man (case 2) underwent an additional 25-gauge PPV for ERM removal in the left eye. Examination on the following day showed ocular hypotony and retinal folds with peripheral choroidal detachment. Although IOP was normalized, further OCT revealed photoreceptor folds and photoreceptor disruptions. Since then, the photoreceptor folds resolved; however, the photoreceptor disruption remained in the macula at the 1-year follow up, with persistent distorted vision and visual acuity worse than that at the preoperative state. Conclusions Early hypotony after vitrectomy for ERM could result in maculopathy leading to irreversible visual decline and metamorphopsia. Photoreceptor folds on OCT are characteristic features and the predominant mechanism of central visual loss in cases of hypotony maculopathy.This work was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) Grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (No. 2020R1F1A1072795). The funding organization had no role in the design or conduct of this stud

Immunotherapy for NAFLD and NAFLD-related hepatocellular carcinoma

The progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common liver disease, leads to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Despite the increasing incidence and prevalence of NAFLD, its therapeutic and preventive strategies to lower the disease burden is limited. In recent years, immunotherapy, including anti-programmed cell death 1/programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 treatment, has emerged as a potential approach to reach satisfactory modulation for the progression of NAFLD and treatment of NAFLD-related hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the effectiveness of immunotherapy against NAFLD and NAFLD-related hepatocellular carcinoma is in the early phase and it is yet not advanced. In addition, conflicting results are being reported regarding the prognosis of patients with NAFLD-related hepatocellular carcinoma and high expression of programmed cell death 1/programmed cell death 1 ligand 1. Herein, this review will discuss and elucidate the attempts and underlying mechanisms of immunotherapy against NAFLD and NAFLD-related hepatocellular carcinoma

Downregulation of protein kinase CK2 activity induces age-related biomarkers in C. elegans

Studies show that a decrease in protein kinase CK2 (CK2) activity is associated with cellular senescence. However, the role of CK2 in organism aging is still poorly understood. Here, we investigated whether protein kinase CK2 (CK2) modulated longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans. CK2 activity decreased with advancing age in the worms. Knockdown of kin-10 (the ortholog of CK2 beta) led to a short lifespan phenotype and induced age-related biomarkers, including retardation of locomotion, decreased pharyngeal pumping rate, increased lipofuscin accumulation, and reduced resistance to heat and oxidative stress. The long lifespan of age-1 and akt-1 mutants was significantly suppressed by kin-10 RNAi, suggesting that CK2 acts downstream of AGE-1 and AKT-1. Kin-10 knockdown did not further shorten the short lifespan of daf-16 mutant worms but either decreased or increased the transcriptional activity of DAF-16 depending on the promoters of the target genes, indicating that CK2 is an upstream regulator of DAF-16 in C. elegans. Kin-10 knockdown increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the worms. Finally, the ROS scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine significantly counteracts the lifespan shortening and lipofuscin accumulation induced by kin-10 knockdown. Therefore, the present results suggest that age-dependent CK2 downregulation reduces longevity by associating with both ROS generation and the AGE-1-AKT-1-DAF-16 pathway in C. elegans. © Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.1111sci

Depression and suicide risk prediction models using blood-derived multi-omics data

More than 300 million people worldwide experience depression; annually, ~800,000 people die by suicide. Unfortunately, conventional interview-based diagnosis is insufficient to accurately predict a psychiatric status. We developed machine learning models to predict depression and suicide risk using blood methylome and transcriptome data from 56 suicide attempters (SAs), 39 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), and 87 healthy controls. Our random forest classifiers showed accuracies of 92.6% in distinguishing SAs from MDD patients, 87.3% in distinguishing MDD patients from controls, and 86.7% in distinguishing SAs from controls. We also developed regression models for predicting psychiatric scales with R2 values of 0.961 and 0.943 for Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression???17 and Scale for Suicide Ideation, respectively. Multi-omics data were used to construct psychiatric status prediction models for improved mental health treatment

Radiomics and imaging genomics in precision medicine

“Radiomics,” a field of study in which high-throughput data is extracted and large amounts of advanced quantitative imaging features are analyzed from medical images, and “imaging genomics,” the field of study of high-throughput methods of associating imaging features with genomic data, has gathered academic interest. However, a radiomics and imaging genomics approach in the oncology world is still in its very early stages and many problems remain to be solved. In this review, we will look through the steps of radiomics and imaging genomics in oncology, specifically addressing potential applications in each organ and focusing on technical issues

Structural abnormalities in benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS)

AbstractPurposeThe aim of this study was to investigate cortical thickness and gray matter volume abnormalities in benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS). We additionally assessed the effects of comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) on these abnormalities.MethodsSurface and volumetric MR imaging data of children with newly diagnosed BCECTS (n=20, 14 males) and age-matched healthy controls (n=20) were analyzed using FreeSurfer (version 5.3.0, https://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu). An additional comparison was performed between BCECTS children with and without ADHD (each, n=8). A group comparison was carried out using an analysis of covariance with a value of significance set as p<0.01 or p<0.05.ResultsChildren with BCECTS had significantly thicker right superior frontal, superior temporal, middle temporal, and left pars triangularis cortices. Voxel-based morphometric analysis revealed significantly larger cortical gray matter volumes of the right precuneus, left orbitofrontal, pars orbitalis, precentral gyri, and bilateral putamen and the amygdala of children with BCECTS compared to healthy controls. BCECTS patients with ADHD had significantly thicker left caudal anterior and posterior cingulate gyri and a significantly larger left pars opercularis gyral volume compared to BCECTS patients without ADHD.ConclusionChildren with BCECTS have thicker or larger gray matters in the corticostriatal circuitry at the onset of epilepsy. Comorbid ADHD is also associated with structural aberrations. These findings suggest structural disruptions of the brain network are associated with specific developmental electro-clinical syndromes

PD-1 deficiency protects experimental colitis via alteration of gut microbiota

Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) is a coinhibitory molecule and plays a pivotal role in immune regulation. Here, we demonstrate a role for PD-1 in pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Wild-type (WT) mice had severe wasting disease during experimentally induced colitis, while mice deficient for PD-1 (PD-1(-/-)) did not develop colon inflammation. Interestingly, PD-1(-/-) mice cohoused with WT mice became susceptible to colitis, suggesting that resistance of PD-1(-/-) mice to colitis is dependent on their gut microbiota. 16S rRNA gene-pyrosequencing analysis showed that PD-1(-/-) mice had altered composition of gut microbiota with significant reduction in Rikenellaceae family. These altered colon bacteria of PD-1(-/-) mice induced less amount of inflammatory mediators from colon epithelial cells, including interleukin (IL)-6, and inflammatory chemokines. Taken together, our study indicates that PD-1 expression is involved in the resistance to experimental colitis through altered bacterial communities of colon.112Ysciescopuskc