Outcomes after primary and repeat thermal ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma with or without liver transplantation

Objectives Thermal ablation (TA) is an established treatment for early HCC. There is a lack of data on the efficacy of repeated TA for recurrent HCC, resulting in uncertainty whether good oncologic outcomes can be obtained without performing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx). This study analyses outcomes after TA, with a special focus on repeat TA for recurrent HCC, either as a stand-alone therapy, or in relationship with OLTx. Methods Data from a prospectively registered database on interventions for HCC in a tertiary hepatobiliary centre was completed with follow-up until December 2020. Outcomes studied were rate of recurrence after primary TA and after its repeat interventions, the occurrence of untreatable recurrence, OS and DSS after primary and repeat TA, and complications after TA. In cohorts matched for confounders, OSS and DSS were compared after TA with and without the intention to perform OLTx. Results After TA, 100 patients (56 center dot 8%) developed recurrent HCC, of whom 76 (76 center dot 0%) underwent up to four repeat interventions. During follow-up, 76 center dot 7% of patients never developed a recurrence unamenable to repeat TA or OLTx. OS was comparable after primary TA and repeat TA. In matched cohorts, OS and DSS were comparable after TA with and without the intention to perform OLTx. Conclusions We found TA to be an effective and repeatable therapy for primary and recurrent HCC. Most recurrences can be treated with curative intent. There are patients who do well with TA alone without ever undergoing OLTx

Effect of the Cretaceous Serra Geral igneous event on the temperatures and heat flow of the Parana Basin, southern Brazil

We investigate the effects of the cooling of intrusive and extrusive igneous bodies on the temperature history and surface heat flow of the Parana Basin. The Serra Geral igneous event (130–135 Ma) covered most of this basin with flood basalts. Associated with this event numerous sills and dykes intruded the sediments and basement, and extensive underplating may have occurred in the lower crust and upper mantle beneath the basin. We develop an analytical model of the conductive cooling of tabular intrusive bodies and use it to calculate temperatures within the sediments as a function of time since emplacement. Depending on the thickness of these igneous bodies and the timing of sequential emplacement, the thermal history of a given locus in the basin can range from a simple extended period of higher temperatures to multiple episodes of peak temperatures separated by cooling intervals. The cooling of surface flood basalts, sills and dykes is capable of maintaining temperatures abovc the normal geothermal gradient temperatures for a few hundred thousand years, while large-scale underplating may influence temperatures for up to 10 million years. We conclude that any residual heat from the cooling of the Serra Geral igneous rocks has long since decayed to insignificant values and that present-day temperatures and heat flow are not affected. However, the burial of the sediments beneath the thick basalt cap caused a permanent temperature increase of up to 50°C in the underlying sediments since the beginning of the Cretaceous.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72088/1/j.1365-2117.1994.tb00087.x.pd

Hamilton-Jacobi quantization of singular Lagrangians with linear velocities

In this paper, constrained Hamiltonian systems with linear velocities are investigated by using the Hamilton-Jacobi method. We shall consider the integrablity conditions on the equations of motion and the action function as well in order to obtain the path integral quantization of singular Lagrangians with linear velocities.Comment: late

Three-dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene supported molybdenum disulfide nanoparticles as an advanced catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction

An efficient three-dimensional (3D) hybrid material of nitrogen-doped graphene sheets (N-RGO) supporting molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanoparticles with high-performance electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is fabricated by using a facile hydrothermal route. Comprehensive microscopic and spectroscopic characterizations confirm the resulting hybrid material possesses a 3D crumpled few-layered graphene network structure decorated with MoS2 nanoparticles. Electrochemical characterization analysis reveals that the resulting hybrid material exhibits efficient electrocatalytic activity toward HER under acidic conditions with a low onset potential of 112 mV and a small Tafel slope of 44 mV per decade. The enhanced mechanism of electrocatalytic activity has been investigated in detail by controlling the elemental composition, electrical conductance and surface morphology of the 3D hybrid as well as Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. This demonstrates that the abundance of exposed active sulfur edge sites in the MoS2 and nitrogen active functional moieties in N-RGO are synergistically responsible for the catalytic activity, whilst the distinguished and coherent interface in MoS 2 /N-RGO facilitates the electron transfer during electrocatalysis. Our study gives insights into the physical/chemical mechanism of enhanced HER performance in MoS2/N-RGO hybrids and illustrates how to design and construct a 3D hybrid to maximize the catalytic efficiency

CMS physics technical design report : Addendum on high density QCD with heavy ions

Peer reviewe

The inventory of geological heritage of the state of São Paulo, Brazil: Methodological basis, results and perspectives

An inventory of geological sites based on solid and clear criteria is a first step for any geoconservation strategy. This paper describes the method used in the geoheritage inventory of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, and presents its main results. This inventory developed by the geoscientific community aimed to identify geosites with scientific value in the whole state, using a systematic approach. All 142 geosites representative of 11 geological frameworks were characterised and quantitatively evaluated according to their scientific value and risk of degradation, in order to establish priorities for their future management. An online database of the inventory is under construction, which will be available to be easily consulted and updated by the geoscientific community. All data were made available to the State Geological Institute as the backbone for the implementation of a future state geoconservation strategy.The authors acknowledge the Science Without Borders Programme, Process 075/2012, which supported this study and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Process 2011/17261-6. We also thanks C. Mazoca for his help with maps and figures.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Mapping the Relationship Among Political Ideology, CSR Mindset, and CSR Strategy: A Contingency Perspective Applied to Chinese Managers

The literature on antecedents of corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies of firms has been predominately content driven. Informed by the managerial sense-making process perspective, we develop a contingency theoretical framework explaining how political ideology of managers affects the choice of CSR strategy for their firms through their CSR mindset. We also explain to what extent the outcome of this process is shaped by the firm’s internal institutional arrangements and external factors impacting on the firm. We develop and test several hypotheses using data collected from 129 Chinese managers. The results show that managers with a stronger socialist ideology are likely to develop a mindset favouring CSR, which induces the adoption of a proactive CSR strategy. The CSR mindset mediates the link between socialist ideology and CSR strategy. The strength of the relationship between the CSR mindset and the choice of CSR strategy is moderated by customer response to CSR, industry competition, the role of government, and CSR-related managerial incentives