Hypothermic in situ perfusion of the porcine liver using Celsior or Ringer-lactate solution

BACKGROUND: Hypothermic perfusion (HP) of the liver is applied during total vascular exclusion (TVE) to reduce ischemic injury during liver resection. No studies have been performed comparing different perfusion solutions for HP. The aim of this experimental study was to compare Ringer-lactate solution (RL) with Celsior solution (Cs) for HP in a pig model of 60-min TVE. METHOD: Twenty pigs underwent 60-min TVE of the liver. Groups were TVE without HP (no-HP, n = 9), TVE with HP using RL (n = 6), and TVE with HP using Cs (n = 5). Blood and liver tissue samples were taken before TVE and during 24-h reperfusion. RESULTS: In the no-HP group, plasma aspartate aminotransferase values were significantly increased during reperfusion (p <0.05), while liver tissue pO(2) levels (p <0.01) were decreased when compared to the HP groups. After 24-h reperfusion, bile production and liver tissue glutathione content were significantly higher (p <0.05) in the Cs group (42.0 +/- 1.7 mL/h and 44.9 +/- 2.2 nmol/mg, respectively) as compared to the RL group (31.5 +/- 3.5 mL/h and 19.6 +/- 1.8 nmol/mg, respectively). CONCLUSION: The protective effect of HP during TVE was confirmed in this study. HP with Cs was more effective in reducing ischemic injury as compared to HP with R

Anomalous crossover between thermal and shot noise in macroscopic diffusive conductors

We predict the existence of an anomalous crossover between thermal and shot noise in macroscopic diffusive conductors. We first show that, besides thermal noise, these systems may also exhibit shot noise due to fluctuations of the total number of carriers in the system. Then we show that at increasing currents the crossover between the two noise behaviors is anomalous, in the sense that the low frequency current spectral density displays a region with a superlinear dependence on the current up to a cubic law. The anomaly is due to the non-trivial coupling in the presence of the long range Coulomb interaction among the three time scales relevant to the phenomenon, namely, diffusion, transit and dielectric relaxation time.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

In-Store Interactive Advertising Screens:The Effect of Interactivity on Impulse Buying Explained by Self-Agency

Item does not contain fulltextPurpose: Physical stores are increasingly dependent on impulse visits and the impulse purchases of passers-by. Interactive advertising screens in store windows could help retailers increase impulse-visit urges and impulse-buying urges. However, the effects of interactive screens in physical surroundings have not been studied before. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effect of interactive screens on impulse urges and gain insight into the underlying mechanism that explains the possible effect. Design/methodology/approach: An interactive screen was placed in a store window. Using three field experiments, we studied the effect of interactivity-level (high vs low) on the impulse-visit and impulse-buying urges of passers-by, and the mediating role of self-agency in these effects. Findings: Highly interactive (compared to less interactive) advertising screens in store windows positively affect impulse-visit and impulse-buying urges through self-agency. Retailers can therefore use interactive advertising screens to increase the number of impulse purchases if feelings of self-agency are activated. Originality/value: This is the first study to examine the extent to which interactive screens in a store window enhance the impulse-visit and impulse-buying urges of passers-by and the mediating factor of these effects. By conducting three field experiments, we achieved a high external validity and managed to share very reliable results owing to the replication of the findings.25 november 202118 p

Enhancement of quasiparticle recombination in Ta and Al superconductors by implantation of magnetic and nonmagnetic atoms

The quasiparticle recombination time in superconducting films, consisting of the standard electron-phonon interaction and a yet to be identified low temperature process, is studied for different densities of magnetic and nonmagnetic atoms. For both Ta and Al, implanted with Mn, Ta and Al, we observe an increase of the recombination rate. We conclude that the enhancement of recombination is not due to the magnetic moment, but arises from an enhancement of disorder.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

The clinical effectiveness of concise cognitive behavioral therapy with or without pharmacotherapy for depressive and anxiety disorders; a pragmatic randomized controlled equivalence trial in clinical practice

Background: Depressive and anxiety disorders contribute to a high disease burden. This paper investigates whether concise formats of cognitive behavioral- and/or pharmacotherapy are equivalent with longer standard care in the treatment of depressive and/or anxiety disorders in secondary mental health care. Methods: A pragmatic randomized controlled equivalence trial was conducted at five Dutch outpatient Mental Healthcare Centers (MHCs) of the Regional Mental Health Provider (RMHP) \u27Rivierduinen\u27. Patients (aged 18-65 years) with a mild to moderate anxiety and/or depressive disorder, were randomly allocated to concise or standard care. Data were collected at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months by Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM). Primary outcomes were the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and the Web Screening Questionnaire (WSQ). We used Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) to assess outcomes. Results: Between March 2010 and December 2012, 182 patients, were enrolled (n = 89 standard care; n = 93 concise care). Both intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses demonstrated equivalence of concise care and standard care at all time points. Severity of illness reduced, and both treatments improved patient\u27s general health status and subdomains of quality of life. Moreover, in concise care, the beneficial effects started earlier. Discussion: Concise care has the potential to be a feasible and promising alternative to longer standard secondary mental health care in the treatment of outpatients with a mild to moderate depressive and/or anxiety disorder. For future research, we recommend adhering more strictly to the concise treatment protocols to further explore the beneficial effects of the concise treatment

Allogeneic NK cells induce the <i>in vitro</i> activation of monocyte-derived and conventional type-2 dendritic cells and trigger an inflammatory response under cancer-associated conditions

Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes capable to recognize and kill virus-infected and cancer cells. In the past years, the use of allogeneic NK cells as anti-cancer therapy gained interest due to their ability to induce graft-versus-cancer responses without causing graft-versus-host disease and multiple protocols have been developed to produce high numbers of activated NK cells. While the ability of these cells to mediate tumor kill has been extensively studied, less is known about their capacity to influence the activity of other immune cells that may contribute to a concerted anti-tumor response in the tumor microenvironment (TME). In this study, we analyzed how an allogeneic off-the-shelf cord blood stem cell-derived NK-cell product influenced the activation of dendritic cells (DC). Crosstalk between NK cells and healthy donor monocyte-derived DC (MoDC) resulted in the release of IFNγ and TNF, MoDC activation, and the release of the T-cell-recruiting chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL10. Moreover, in the presence of prostaglandin-E2, NK cell/MoDC crosstalk antagonized the detrimental effect of IL-10 on MoDC maturation leading to higher expression of multiple (co-)stimulatory markers. The NK cells also induced activation of conventional DC2 (cDC2) and CD8 + T cells, and the release of TNF, GM-CSF, and CXCL9/10 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. The activated phenotype of MoDC/cDC2 and the increased release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and T-cell-recruiting chemokines resulting from NK cell/DC crosstalk should contribute to a more inflamed TME and may thus enhance the efficacy of T-cell-based therapies.</p

Channeling Effects in Direct Dark Matter Detectors

The channeling of the ion recoiling after a collision with a WIMP changes the ionization signal in direct detection experiments, producing a larger signal than otherwise expected. We give estimates of the fraction of channeled recoiling ions in NaI (Tl), Si and Ge crystals using analytic models produced since the 1960's and 70's to describe channeling and blocking effects. We find that the channeling fraction of recoiling lattice nuclei is smaller than that of ions that are injected into the crystal and that it is strongly temperature dependent.Comment: 8 pages, 12 figures, To appear in the Proceedings of the sixth International Workshop on the Dark Side of the Universe (DSU2010) Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico 1-6 June 201

Kennis beter ontsluiten en benutten met Deltafacts

Binnen universiteiten, kennisinstituten en bij waterbeheerders wordt veel kennis ontwikkeld en vergaard. Om te kunnen blijven innoveren, is het belangrijk deze kennis met elkaar te delen, zodat we stappen kunnen maken richting verdere ontwikkeling van de watersector. Hierin is een wereld te winnen, omdat kennis niet optimaal bekend is, versnipperd is of besloten ligt in moeilijk toegankelijke rapporten. Binnen het STOWA- kennisprogramma Deltaproof spreken de waterschappen de wens uit werk te maken van het ontsluiten van kennis. STOWA pakte de boodschap op en nam het initiatief voor het ontwikkelen van Deltafact