Effect of Heat Treatment on Corrosion Behaviour of Welded AA6061 Aluminium Alloy in Seawater

The effect of various heat treatments on the corrosion behaviour of welded AA6061 aluminium alloy was investigated. Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) was used for welding butt joint specimens. Corrosion behaviour was determined in seawater solution using potentiodynamic polarization method. Microstructure and compositional analysis of base metal (BM) and weld metal (WM) was studied with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The result indicated that BM consists of Fe-rich coarse intermetallic particles that behave as cathodic sites with respect to the matrix. Tafel plot showed that WM is cathode and give better corrosion resistance in different heat treatment compared to BM. Localized corrosion was observed on the corroded surfaces by SEM

Tc-99m NIDP and Tc-99m HMPAO labelled leukocyte scans in tuberculous spondylitis

A study was undertaken to assess the pattern of uptake on bone and labelled leukocyte scans in tuberculous spondylitis. Nine consecutive newly diagnosed cases were studied with Tc-99m MDP bone scans and Tc-99m HMPAO labelled leukocyte scans.The patients had basic laboratory investigations, plain chest and spine radiographs and computed tomography of the spine. Static images of bone scans were acquired at 3 hours and labelled leukocyte scans were acquired at 1,3 and 24 hours post-injection. A total of 11 spinal lesions were detected. Six bone scans were done demonstrating eight lesions and all showed abnormally increased activity.Labelled leukocyte scans were done in eight patients involving ten lesions and all except one showed photopaenic defects at the regions of interest.Both bone scan and leukocyte scan provided important information about the extent of the lesions and the combination of their pattern of uptake helped in the diagnosis of tuberculous spondylitis

Utilization, knowledge and attitudes concerning sealants among Malaysian dentists: A national survey

The aim of this postal survey was to assess the utilization, knowledge and attitude concerning sealants among Malaysian dentists. A pretested questionnaire was sent to all dentists (1217) who were on the Dentist Register of Malaysia of 1987. A response rate of 61.1% was obtained. The results indicate that 52.6% of the respondents have used sealants, but of these only 13.6% have used them frequently. The two "knowledge" related questions receiving the most support concerned the suitability of the first permanent molars for sealants and the loss of sealants attributable to problems at the time of application. The two "attitudinal" questions receiving the most support concerned the value of sealants in preventing dental caries and the need for the profession to expand more efforts toward increasing public demand for sealants. Only about 50% of the respondents believed that sealants are cost-effective. This record was migrated from the OpenDepot repository service in June, 2017 before shutting down

Health selection into neighborhoods among patients enrolled in a clinical trial

Health selection into neighborhoods may contribute to geographic health disparities. We demonstrate the potential for clinical trial data to help clarify the causal role of health on locational attainment. We used data from the 20-year United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) to explore whether random assignment to intensive blood-glucose control therapy, which improved long-term health outcomes after median 10 years follow-up, subsequently affected what neighborhoods patients lived in. We extracted postcode-level deprivation indices for the 2710 surviving participants of UKPDS living in England at study end in 1996/1997. We observed small neighborhood advantages in the intensive versus conventional therapy group, although these differences were not statistically significant. This analysis failed to show conclusive evidence of health selection into neighborhoods, but data suggest the hypothesis may be worthy of exploration in other clinical trials or in a meta-analysis. Keywords: Neighborhoods, Self-selection, Health, Equity, Socioeconomic statu

Analisis Mekaniseme Multi Server Load Balancing Pada Server SIAKAD Universitas Brawijaya

Salah satu permasalahan utama dalam pelaksanaan sistem administrasi akademi secara online adalah proses KRS. Mahasiswa memilih secara mandiri matakuliah yang akan diambil pada semester tersebut. Meskipun jangka waktu pelaksanaan KRS online adalah 2 minggu, tapi pada Kenyataannya hampir 80% mahasiswa akan melakukan KRS online pada hari pertama. Hal ini menyebabkan beban akses yang diterima oleh server Siakad menjadi sangat tinggi. Dengan jumlah total mahasiswa sebanyak 40000, maka sistem harus siap untuk menangani sekitar 30 ribu akses pada hari pertama KRS online. Sehingga proses ini tidak mungkin hanya di tangani oleh 1 server. Dalam penelitian ini dibuat suatu mekanisme membagi beban akses KRS online menjadi beberapa server dengan standar dan data yang valid. Mekanisme dilakukan dengan menggunakan server load balancing sebagai pengatur beban serta mencegah terjadinya penumpukan akses di salah satu server saja. Dengan demikian diharapkan proses KRS online di Universitas Brawijaya menjadi lancar dan tidak ada gangguan. Dari hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa penggunaan load balancing telah meningkatkan jumlah mahasiswa yang dapat di layani oleh SIAM. Pada puncak akses dalam 1 jam server dapat menangani sebanyak 23.986 request. Puncak akses terjadi pada tanggal 8 Agustus 2012 sebanyak 43.245 request dalam 1 hari. Dengan demikian lonjakan akses dapat tertangani melalui mekanisme ini.Kata Kunci— load balancing dan RoundRobi

Respiratory dysfunction in myotonic dystrophy type 1: A systematic review

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is one of the most common muscular dystrophies in adults. This review summarises the current literature regarding the natural history of respiratory dysfunction in DM1, the role of central respiratory drive and peripheral respiratory muscle involvement and its significance in respiratory function, and investigates the relationship between genetics (CTG repeat length) and respiratory dysfunction. The review included all articles that reported spirometry on 10 or more myotonic dystrophy patients. The final review included 55 articles between 1964 and 2017. The major conclusions of this review were (1) confirmation of the current consensus that respiratory dysfunction, predominantly a restrictive ventilatory pattern, is common in myotonic dystrophy and is associated with alveolar hypoventilation, chronic hypercapnia, and sleep disturbance in the form of sleep apnoea and sleep related disordered breathing; (2) contrary to commonly held belief, there is no consensus in the literature regarding the relationship between CTG repeat length and severity of respiratory dysfunction and a relationship has not been established; (3) the natural history and time-course of respiratory functional decline is very poorly understood in the current literature; (4) there is a consensus that there is a significant involvement of central respiratory drive in this alveolar hypoventilation however the current literature does not identify the mechanism for this

Safety, pharmacokinetics, and antitumor activity of the anti-CEACAM5-DM4 antibody–drug conjugate tusamitamab ravtansine (SAR408701) in patients with advanced solid tumors: first-in-human dose-escalation study

Antibody–drug conjugate; Dose-escalation study; Tusamitamab ravtansineConjugado anticuerpo-fármaco; Estudio de escalada de dosis; Tusamitamab ravtansinaConjugat anticossos-fàrmac; Estudi d'escalada de dosi; Tusamitamab ravtansinaTusamitamab ravtansine (SAR408701) is an antibody–drug conjugate composed of a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule-5 (CEACAM5) and a cytotoxic maytansinoid that selectively targets CEACAM5-expressing tumor cells. In this phase I dose-escalation study, we evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary antitumor activity of tusamitamab ravtansine in patients with solid tumors. Patients and methods Eligible patients were aged ≥18 years, had locally advanced/metastatic solid tumors that expressed or were likely to express CEACAM5, and had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status of 0 or 1. Patients were treated with ascending doses of tusamitamab ravtansine intravenously every 2 weeks (Q2W). The first three dose levels (5, 10, and 20 mg/m2) were evaluated using an accelerated escalation protocol, after which an adaptive Bayesian procedure was used. The primary endpoint was the incidence of dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) during the first two cycles, graded using National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI CTCAE) v4.03 criteria. Results Thirty-one patients received tusamitamab ravtansine (range 5-150 mg/m2). The DLT population comprised 28 patients; DLTs (reversible grade 3 microcystic keratopathy) occurred in three of eight patients treated with tusamitamab ravtansine 120 mg/m2 and in two of three patients treated with 150 mg/m2. The maximum tolerated dose was identified as 100 mg/m2. Twenty-two patients (71%) experienced ≥1 treatment-related treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE), seven patients (22.6%) experienced ≥1 treatment-related grade ≥3 TEAE, and three patients (9.7%) discontinued treatment due to TEAEs. The most common TEAEs were asthenia, decreased appetite, keratopathy, and nausea. Three patients had confirmed partial responses. The mean plasma exposure of tusamitamab ravtansine increased in a dose-proportional manner from 10 to 150 mg/m2. Conclusions Tusamitamab ravtansine had a favorable safety profile with reversible, dose-related keratopathy as the DLT. Based on the overall safety profile, pharmacokinetic data, and Bayesian model recommendations, the maximum tolerated dose of tusamitamab ravtansine was defined as 100 mg/m2 Q2W.This work was supported by Sanofi, France (no grant number)

Determination of cell viability using acridine orange/propidium iodide dual-spectrofluorometry assay

In vitro cell viability tests are usually done using 3-(4,5 dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) method. A new spectrofluorometry method was developed using acridine orange (AO) and propidium iodide (PI) using multi-label microplate reader. Nine biogenic amines (BAs) [histamine (HIM), putrescine (PUT), cadaverine (CAD), 2-phenylethylamine (PHM), tyramine (TYM), tryptamine (TPM), spermine (SPM), spermidine (SPD) and agmatine (AGM)] were exposed to RAW 264.7 macrophage in singles at 37°C with 5% carbon dioxide supplementation for 18–24 hours and cell viability was determined using MTS method and AO/PI developed method using dual-spectrofluorometry. Based on MTS assay, SPM and SPD were found to be cytotoxic and it was supported by AO/PI assay. The precedence of disintegration in the nucleus rather than mitochondria upon cell non-viability was also supported by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that AO/PI method could be used as an alternative method to determine cytotoxicity besides usual usage in confocal microscopy