355 research outputs found
Sheep blowflies strike out!
Woolgrowers are constantly concerned that the sheep blowfly may be able to breed in sheep or other animal carcasses. David Cook, Ian Dadour and Ernis Steiner report on an experiment that answers that question once and for all
Energy Efficient Servers: Blueprints for Data Center Optimization
Energy Efficient Servers: Blueprints for Data Center Optimization introduces engineers and IT professionals to the power management technologies and techniques used in energy efficient servers. The book includes a deep examination of different features used in processors, memory, interconnects, I/O devices, and other platform components. It outlines the power and performance impact of these features and the role firmware and software play in initialization and control. Using examples from cloud, HPC, and enterprise environments, the book demonstrates how various power management technologies are utilized across a range of server utilization. It teaches the reader how to monitor, analyze, and optimize their environment to best suit their needs. It shares optimization techniques used by data center administrators and system optimization experts at the worldās most advanced data centers
The magnetic resonance imaging subset of the mngu0 articulatory corpus
Author version contains correctly encoded (Unicode) fonts and attached multimedia content.International audienceThis paper announces the availability of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) subset of the mngu0 corpus, a collection of articulatory speech data from one speaker containing different modalities. This subset comprises volumetric MRI scans of the speaker's vocal tract during sustained production of vowels and consonants, as well as dynamic mid-sagittal scans of repetitive consonant-vowel (CV) syllable production. For reference, high-quality acoustic recordings of the speech material are also available. The raw data are made freely available for research purposes
Western flower thrips
Western flower thrips (Franklinislla occidentalis Pergands) is a serious pest of floral and vegetable crops. From its original habitat in western USA it has now spread throughout North America, Mexico, New Zealand and Europe. David Cook, Ian Dadour, Ernis Steiner and Brett Scourse outline its biology and the control options available
Targeting PI3K-gamma in myeloid driven tumour immune suppression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the preclinical literature
The intricate interplay between immune and stromal cells within the tumour microenvironment (TME) significantly influences tumour progression. Myeloid cells, including tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs), neutrophils (TANs), and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), contribute to immune suppression in the TME (Nakamura and Smyth in Cell Mol Immunol 17(1):1ā12 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41423-019-0306-1; DeNardo and Ruffell in Nat Rev Immunol 19(6):369ā382 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41577-019-0127-6). This poses a significant challenge for novel immunotherapeutics that rely on host immunity to exert their effect. This systematic review explores the preclinical evidence surrounding the inhibition of phosphoinositide 3-kinase gamma (PI3KĪ³) as a strategy to reverse myeloid-driven immune suppression in solid tumours. EMBASE, MEDLINE, and PubMed databases were searched on 6 October 2022 using keyword and subject heading terms to capture relevant studies. The studies, focusing on PI3KĪ³ inhibition in animal models, were subjected to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Extracted data included tumour growth kinetics, survival endpoints, and immunological responses which were meta-analysed. PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines were followed. A total of 36 studies covering 73 animal models were included in the review and meta-analysis. Tumour models covered breast, colorectal, lung, skin, pancreas, brain, liver, prostate, head and neck, soft tissue, gastric, and oral cancer. The predominant PI3KĪ³ inhibitors were IPI-549 and TG100-115, demonstrating favourable specificity for the gamma isoform. Combination therapies, often involving chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, biological agents, or vaccines, were explored in 81% of studies. Analysis of tumour growth kinetics revealed a statistically significant though heterogeneous response to PI3KĪ³ monotherapy, whereas the tumour growth in combination treated groups were more consistently reduced. Survival analysis showed a pronounced increase in median overall survival with combination therapy. This systematic review provides a comprehensive analysis of preclinical studies investigating PI3KĪ³ inhibition in myeloid-driven tumour immune suppression. The identified studies underscore the potential of PI3KĪ³ inhibition in reshaping the TME by modulating myeloid cell functions. The combination of PI3KĪ³ inhibition with other therapeutic modalities demonstrated enhanced antitumour effects, suggesting a synergistic approach to overcome immune suppression. These findings support the potential of PI3KĪ³-targeted therapies, particularly in combination regimens, as a promising avenue for future clinical exploration in diverse solid tumour types
LijeÄenje hiperlipidemije u bolesnika s vrlo visokim i ekstremno visokim rizikom u Hrvatskoj
Our observational study evaluated current management of elevated low-density
lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL -C) in adult secondary prevention patients (all very high risk (VHR) by
European guidelines) attending specialist clinics across Croatia. Data were collected retrospectively
from patient records for the preceding 12 months. The subset judged to be at extreme risk (ER ;
American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) criteria; n=48) were compared with the
remaining patients (VHR group; n=41). All patients were receiving statins (75.6% VHR/81.3% ER at
high-intensity), with only a minority receiving concomitant lipid-lowering treatment (7.3%
VHR/16.7% ER ). Median (Q1, Q3) LDL -C levels at the last visit were 1.9 (1.6, 2.4) mmol/L for
VHR and 2.1 (1.5, 3.1) mmol/L for ER , with only 41.5% (95% CI 26.3-57.9) of VHR patients and
27.1% (15.3-41.9) of ER patients attaining their LDL -C targets (<1.8 mmol/L and <1.42 mmol/L,
respectively). Thus, we found that a substantial proportion of VHR and ER secondary prevention
patients being treated across Croatia had LDL -C levels exceeding the targets recommended in the
European and newer AACE guidelines, but not all were receiving high-intensity statins. Identification
of ER patients and their lipid patterns may help optimize usage of high-intensity statin treatment,
alone or along with newer treatments, for better control of elevated LDL -C.Ova opservacijska studija analizirala je trenutno lijeÄenje poviÅ”enih vrijednosti LDL kolesterola (LDL-C) u bolesnika
koji su lijeÄeni zbog hiperlipidemije u okviru sekundarne prevencije (prema europskim smjernicama svi su pripadali u skupinu
bolesnika s vrlo visokim rizikom) i kontrolirali su se kod specijalista diljem Hrvatske. Podaci su prikupljeni retrospektivno
tijekom 12 mjeseci iz bolesniÄke medicinske dokumentacije. Skupina bolesnika za koju je procijenjeno da je u ekstremno
visokom riziku (ER ; AACE kriteriji; n=48) usporeÄivana je sa skupinom s visokim rizikom (VHR skupina; n=41). Svi bolesnici
su primali statine (75,6% bolesnika s VHR/81,3% bolesnika s ER lijeÄeno je visokim dozama statina), dok je manjina
bolesnika istodobno primala i drugu terapiju za snižavanje lipida (7,3% VHR/ER 16,7%). Kod posljednjeg posjeta medijan
vrijednosti LDL -C (Q1, Q3) u skupini VHR iznosio je 1,9 (1,6, 2,4) mmol/L, dok je u skupini ER iznosio 2,1 (1,5, 3,1)
mmol/L. Samo 41,5% (95% CI 26,3-57,9) bolesnika s VHR i 27,1% (15,3-41,9) bolesnika s ER imali su razine LDL -C
unutar ciljne razine (<1,8 mmol/L i <1,42 mmol L). Rezultati studije pokazuju kako unatoÄ mjerama sekundarne prevencije
velik broj visokoriziÄnih bolesnika i bolesnika s ekstremnim rizikom ima razine LDL -C koje premaÅ”uju ciljne vrijednosti
preporuÄene u europskim i novijim AACE smjernicama, ali usprkos navedenom mnogi bolesnici nisu lijeÄeni statinima u
visokoj dozi. Identifikacija bolesnika s ekstremnim rizikom i njihovih lipidnih obrazaca mogla bi poveÄati upotrebu visokih
doza statina, samostalno ili u kombinaciji s novijim lijekovima, radi bolje kontrole poviŔenog LDL-C
Refined energy-balance modelling of a supraglacial pond, Langtang Khola, Nepal
Supraglacial ponds on debris-covered glaciers present a mechanism of atmosphere/glacier energy transfer that is poorly studied, and only conceptually included in mass-balance studies of Debris-covered glaciers. This research advances previous efforts to develop a model of mass and energy balance for supraglacial ponds by applying a free-convection approach to account for energy exchanges at the subaqueous bare-ice surfaces. We develop the model using field data from a pond on Lirung Glacier, Nepal, that was monitored during the 2013 and 2014 monsoon periods. Sensitivity testing is performed for several key parameters, and alternative melt algorithms are compared with the model. The pond acts as a significant recipient of energy for the glacier system, and actively participates in the glacierās hydrologic system during the monsoon. Melt rates are 2ā4 cmādā1 (total of 98.5ām3 over the study period) for bare ice in contact with the pond, and <1āmmādā1 (total of 10.6ām3) for the saturated debris zone. The majority of absorbed atmospheric energy leaves the pond system through englacial conduits, delivering sufficient energy to melt 2612m3 additional ice over the study period (38.4ām3ādā1). Such melting might be expected to lead to subsidence of the glacier surface. Supraglacial ponds efficiently convey atmospheric energy to the glacierās interior and rapidly promote the downwasting process.This research was enabled by PhD studentship funding from the Gates Cambridge Trust. Fieldwork was supported by the USAID (United States Agency for International Development) High Mountain Glacier Watershed Programs Climber-Scientist Grant (CCRDCS0010), Swiss National Science Foundation project UNCOMUN (SNF 200021L146761), Trinity College, Cambridge, the B.B. Roberts Fund and the Philip Lake and William Vaughn Lewis Fund.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from the International Glaciological Society via http://dx.doi.org/10.3189/2016AoG71A42
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