Complex diffuse radio emission in the merging PLANCK ESZ cluster Abell 3411

We present VLA radio and Chandra X-ray observations of the merging galaxy cluster Abell 3411. For the cluster, we find an overall temperature of 6.4 keV and an X-ray luminosity of 2.8 x 10^{44} erg s^{-1} between 0.5 and 2.0 keV. The Chandra observation reveals the cluster to be undergoing a merger event. The VLA observations show the presence of large-scale diffuse emission in the central region of the cluster, which we classify as a 0.9 Mpc size radio halo. In addition, a complex region of diffuse, polarized emission is found in the southeastern outskirts of the cluster, along the projected merger axis of the system. We classify this region of diffuse emission as a radio relic. The total extent of this radio relic is 1.9 Mpc. For the combined emission in the cluster region, we find a radio spectral index of -1.0 \pm 0.1 between 74 MHz and 1.4 GHz. The morphology of the radio relic is peculiar, as the relic is broken up into five fragments. This suggests that the shock responsible for the relic has been broken up due to interaction with a large-scale galaxy filament connected to the cluster or other substructures in the ICM. Alternatively, the complex morphology reflects the presence of electrons in fossil radio bubbles that are re-accelerated by a shock.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, 8 pages, 5 figure

Binary metal oxides for composite ultrafiltration membranes

A new ultrafiltration membrane was developed by the incorporation of binary metal oxides inside polyethersulfone. Physico-chemical characterization of the binary metal oxides demonstrated that the presence of Ti in the TiO2?ZrO2 system results in an increase of the size of the oxides, and also their dispersity. The crystalline phases of the synthesized binary metal oxides were identified as srilankite and zirconium titanium oxide. The effect of the addition of ZrO2 can be expressed in terms of the inhibition of crystal growth of anocrystalline TiO2 during the synthesis process. For photocatalytic applications the band gap of the synthesized semiconductors was determined, confirming a gradual increase (blue shift) in the band gap as the amount of Zr loading increases. Distinct distributions of binary metal oxides were found along the permeation axis for the synthesized membranes. Particles with Ti are more uniformly dispersed throughout the membrane cross-section. The physico-chemical characterization of membranes showed a strong correlation between some key membrane properties and the spatial particle distribution in the membrane structure. The proximity of metal oxide fillers to the membrane surface determines the hydrophilicity and porosity of modified membranes. Membranes incorporating binary metal oxides were found to be promising candidates for wastewater treatment by ultrafiltration, considering the observed improvement influx and anti-fouling properties of doped membranes. Multi-run fouling tests of doped membranes confirmed the stability of permeation through membranes embedded with binary TiO2?ZrO2 particles

Unmasking Individual and Institutional HIV Stigma in Hospitals:Perspectives of Dutch Healthcare Providers

People with HIV continue to experience HIV stigma. Quantitative data on HIV stigma perpetrated by healthcare providers of hospitals providing HIV care in high-income countries are limited. The aim of this study is to investigate factors associated with HIV stigma in Dutch healthcare settings from the healthcare providers’ perspective. We conducted a cross-sectional study using the questionnaire ‘Measuring HIV Stigma and Discrimination Among Health Facility Staff – Monitoring Tool for Global Indicators’ to assess HIV stigma among healthcare providers (n = 405) in two academic hospitals. Healthcare providers licensed to provide medical care were eligible for inclusion. The primary outcome was the self-reported prevalence of at least one manifestation of HIV stigma measured by six stigma indicators (four individual, two institutional). Secondary outcomes were the prevalence of HIV stigma per indicator, per occupation, per department, and factors associated with individual stigma indicators. HIV stigma was prevalent among 88.1% (95%CI 84.5% − 91.2%) of participants. Stigma was mostly driven by negative attitudes towards people with HIV and worry to acquire HIV. Multivariate analysis showed that several factors were associated with HIV stigma, including younger age, male sex, working at one of the surgical departments, and working as a nurse. Having received any training on HIV stigma and/or discrimination was associated with less HIV stigma among all indicators. In conclusion, HIV stigma is highly prevalent among Dutch healthcare providers. Targeted approaches, including training on HIV stigma and discrimination, are needed to reduce HIV stigma in healthcare and should, among others, focus on younger healthcare providers.</p

Pressure-Corrected Carotid Stiffness and Young's Modulus: Evaluation in an Outpatient Clinic Setting

Background: Conventional measures for assessing arterial stiffness are inherently pressure dependent. Whereas statistical pressure adjustment is feasible in (larger) populations, it is unsuited for the evaluation of an individual patient. Moreover, statistical "correction"for blood pressure may actually correct for: (i) the acute dependence of arterial stiffness on blood pressure at the time of measurement; and/or (ii) the remodeling effect that blood pressure (hypertension) may have on arterial stiffness, but it cannot distinguish between these processes. METHODS: We derived - assuming a single-exponential pressure-diameter relationship - 3 theoretically pressure-independent carotid stiffness measures suited for individual patient evaluation: (i) stiffness index β0, (ii) pressure-corrected carotid pulse wave velocity (cPWVcorr), and (iii) pressure-corrected Young's modulus (Ecorr). Using linear regression analysis, we evaluated in a sample of the CATOD study cohort changes in mean arterial pressure (ΔMAP) and comparatively the changes in the novel (Δβ0, ΔcPWVcorr, and ΔEcorr) as well as conventional (ΔcPWV and ΔE) stiffness measures after a 2.9 ± 1.0-year follow-up. RESULTS: We found no association between ΔMAP and Δβ0, ΔcPWVcorr, or ΔEcorr. In contrast, we did find a significant association between ΔMAP and conventional measures ΔcPWV and ΔE. Additional adjustments for biomechanical confounders and traditional risk factors did neither materially change these associations nor the lack thereof. Conclusions: Our newly proposed pressure-independent carotid stiffness measures avoid the need for statistical correction. Hence, these measures (β0, cPWVcorr, and Ecorr) can be used in a clinical setting for (i) patient-specific risk assessment and (ii) investigation of potential remodeling effects of (changes in) blood pressure on intrinsic arterial stiffness

PathOrganic – Risks and Recommendations Regarding Human Pathogens in Organic Vegetable Production Chains

PathOrganic assesses risks associated with the consumption of fresh and minimally processed vegetables due to the prevalence of bacterial human pathogens in plant produce. The project evaluates whether organic production poses a risk on food safety, taking into consideration sources of pathogen transmission (e.g. animal manure). The project also explores whether organic versus conventional production practices may reduce the risk of pathogen manifestation. In Europe, vegetable-linked outbreaks are not well investigated. A conceptual model together with novel sampling strategies and specifically adjusted methods provides the basis for large-scale surveys of organically grown plant produce in five European countries. Critical control points are determined and evaluated and factors contributing to a food safety problem are analyzed in greenhouse and field experiments. The project aims at developing a quantitative risk assessment model and at formulating recommendations for improving food safety in organic vegetable production

EM: effectieve microben of effectieve magie? : Een onderzoek naar de effectiviteit van Effectieve Micro-organismen (EM)

In dit onderzoek werden de effecten bepaald van het microbiële middel EM (Effectieve Microorganismen) op het verloop van het composteringsproces en op de ziektewerendheid tegen wortelziekten. EM werd ook toegevoegd aan biologisch beteelde gronden in de vorm van gefermenteerd organisch materiaal (bokashi). Verschillende experimenten en bodemanalyses werden gedaan om te bepalen welk effect EM zou hebben op de ziektewerendheid van de bodem

Scintigraphic assessment of bone status at one year following hip resurfacing : comparison of two surgical approaches using SPECT-CT scan

Objectives: To study the vascularity and bone metabolism of the femoral head/neck following hip resurfacing arthroplasty, and to use these results to compare the posterior and the trochanteric-flip approaches. Methods: In our previous work, we reported changes to intra-operative blood flow during hip resurfacing arthroplasty comparing two surgical approaches. In this study, we report the vascularity and the metabolic bone function in the proximal femur in these same patients at one year after the surgery. Vascularity and bone function was assessed using scintigraphic techniques. Of the 13 patients who agreed to take part, eight had their arthroplasty through a posterior approach and five through a trochanteric-flip approach. Results: One year after surgery, we found no difference in the vascularity (vascular phase) and metabolic bone function (delayed phase) at the junction of the femoral head/neck between the two groups of patients. Higher radiopharmaceutical uptake was found in the region of the greater trochanter in the trochanteric-flip group, related to the healing osteotomy. Conclusions: Our findings using scintigraphic techniques suggest that the greater intra-operative reduction in blood flow to the junction of the femoral head/neck, which is seen with the posterior approach compared with trochanteric flip, does not result in any difference in vascularity or metabolic bone function one year after surgery

Diffusion weighted imaging of the breast:Performance of standardized breast tumor tissue selection methods in clinical decision making

Objectives In breast diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) protocol standardization, it is recently shown that no breast tumor tissue selection (BTTS) method outperformed the others. The purpose of this study is to analyze the feasibility of three fixed-size breast tumor tissue selection (BTTS) methods based on the reproducibility, accuracy and time-measurement in comparison to the largest oval and manual delineation in breast diffusion weighted imaging data. Methods This study is performed with a consecutive dataset of 116 breast lesions (98 malignant) of at least 1.0 cm, scanned in accordance with the EUSOBI breast DWI working group recommendations. Reproducibility of the maximum size manual (BTTS1) and of the maximal size round/oval (BTTS2) methods were compared with three smaller fixed-size circular BTTS methods in the middle of each lesion (BTTS3, 0.12 cm(3) volume) and at lowest apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) (BTTS4, 0.12 cm(3); BTTS5, 0.24 cm(3)). Mean ADC values, intraclass-correlation-coefficients (ICCs), area under the curve (AUC) and measurement times (sec) of the 5 BTTS methods were assessed by two observers. Results Excellent inter- and intra-observer agreement was found for any BTTS (with ICC 0.88-0.92 and 0.92-0.94, respectively). Significant difference in ADCmean between any pair of BTTS methods was shown (p = Conclusion The performance of fixed-size BTTS methods, as a potential tool for clinical decision making, shows equal AUC but shorter ADC measurement time compared to manual or oval whole lesion measurements. The advantage of a fixed size BTTS method is the excellent reproducibility. A central fixed breast tumor tissue volume of 0.12 cm(3) is the most feasible method for use in clinical practice

Challenges to the development of antigen-specific breast cancer vaccines

Continued progress in the development of antigen-specific breast cancer vaccines depends on the identification of appropriate target antigens, the establishment of effective immunization strategies, and the ability to circumvent immune escape mechanisms. Methods such as T cell epitope cloning and serological expression cloning (SEREX) have led to the identification of a number target antigens expressed in breast cancer. Improved immunization strategies, such as using dendritic cells to present tumor-associated antigens to T lymphocytes, have been shown to induce antigen-specific T cell responses in vivo and, in some cases, objective clinical responses. An outcome of successful tumor immunity is the evolution of antigen-loss tumor variants. The development of a polyvalent breast cancer vaccine, directed against a panel of tumor-associated antigens, may counteract this form of immune escape