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AbstractAimsPreventing the occurrence of depression/anxiety and suicide during adolescence can lead to substantive health gains over the course of an individual person’s life. This study set out to identify the expected population-level costs and health impacts of implementing universal and indicated school-based socio-emotional learning (SEL) programs in different country contexts.MethodsA Markov model was developed to examine the effectiveness of delivering universal and indicated school-based SEL programs to prevent the onset of depression/anxiety and suicide deaths among adolescents. Intervention health impacts were measured in healthy life years gained (HLYGs) over a 100-year time horizon. Country-specific intervention costs were calculated and denominated in 2017 international dollars (2017 I$) under a health systems perspective. Cost-effectiveness findings were subsequently expressed in terms of I$ per HLYG. Analyses were conducted on a group of 20 countries from different regions and income levels, with final results aggregated and presented by country income group – that is, low and lower middle income countries (LLMICs) and upper middle and high-income countries (UMHICs). Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses were conducted to test model assumptions.ResultsImplementation costs ranged from an annual per capita investment of I$0.10 in LLMICs to I$0.16 in UMHICs for the universal SEL program and I$0.06 in LLMICs to I$0.09 in UMHICs for the indicated SEL program. The universal SEL program generated 100 HLYGs per 1 million population compared to 5 for the indicated SEL program in LLMICs. The cost per HLYG was I$958 in LLMICS and I$2,006 in UMHICs for the universal SEL program and I$11,123 in LLMICs and I$18,473 in UMHICs for the indicated SEL program. Cost-effectiveness findings were highly sensitive to variations around input parameter values involving the intervention effect sizes and the disability weight used to estimate HLYGs.ConclusionsThe results of this analysis suggest that universal and indicated SEL programs require a low level of investment (in the range of I$0.05 to I$0.20 per head of population) but that universal SEL programs produce significantly greater health benefits at a population level and therefore better value for money (e.g., less than I$1,000 per HLYG in LLMICs). Despite producing fewer population-level health benefits, the implementation of indicated SEL programs may be justified as a means of reducing population inequalities that affect high-risk populations who would benefit from a more tailored intervention approach.

The incidence of organ donation after circulatory death (DCD) in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) has steadily increased in recent years. Intensive care doctors are vital to the implementation of DCD and healthcare professionals’ attitudes to DCD can influence their participation. In order to determine ANZ intensive care doctors’ attitudes to DCD, to explore if demographic characteristics influence attitude to DCD and to assess if attitude to DCD can predict palliative prescription rationale at the end of life of DCD donors, a cross-sectional online survey was distributed to ANZ intensive care doctors and responses collected between 29 April and 10 June 2016. Exploratory factor analysis was used to define various attributes of attitude to DCD. Results were subjected to comparative statistical analyses to examine the relation between demographic data and attitude to DCD. Multiple regression models were used to examine if attitude to DCD could predict intensive care doctors’ palliative prescription rationales at the end of life of DCD donors. One hundred and sixty-one intensive care doctors responded to the survey with 69.4% having worked in intensive care for ten years or more. Respondents responded positively to the support of and perceived importance of DCD in helping those who would benefit from the donations (constructive attributes) (mean composite factor score = 3.84, standard deviation [SD] 0.83), they positively perceived that conducive and facilitative orchestration of DCD helps families cope (mean composite factor score = 3.94, SD 0.72) and that they would manage a DCD donor similar to any patient at the end of their life (mean score = 3.94, SD 0.72). Respondents responded negatively to having concerns that the circulatory death of potential DCD donors does not occur within the specified time frame (mean score = 2.28, SD 1.02). There was an association between organ donation professional education courses, familiarity with national guidelines and positive attitudes to certain attributes of attitude to DCD. Regression models demonstrated the attitude to DCD may predict intensive care doctors’ palliative medication prescription rationales at the end of life of the DCD donor. Intensive care doctors in ANZ adopt a morally neutral attitude to DCD where they recognise the importance of organ donation, and support and conduct DCD as a part of good end-of-life care.

Aims.School-based psychological interventions encompass: universal interventions targeting youth in the general population; and indicated interventions targeting youth with subthreshold depression. This study aimed to: (1) examine the population cost-effectiveness of delivering universal and indicated prevention interventions to youth in the population aged 11–17 years via primary and secondary schools in Australia; and (2) compare the comparative cost-effectiveness of delivering these interventions using face-to-face and internet-based delivery mechanisms.Methods.We reviewed literature on the prevention of depression to identify all interventions targeting youth that would be suitable for implementation in Australia and had evidence of efficacy to support analysis. From this, we found evidence of effectiveness for the following intervention types: universal prevention involving group-based psychological interventions delivered to all participating school students; and indicated prevention involving group-based psychological interventions delivered to students with subthreshold depression. We constructed a Markov model to assess the cost-effectiveness of delivering universal and indicated interventions in the population relative to a ‘no intervention’ comparator over a 10-year time horizon. A disease model was used to simulate epidemiological transitions between three health states (i.e., healthy, diseased and dead). Intervention effect sizes were based on meta-analyses of randomised control trial data identified in the aforementioned review; while health benefits were measured as Disability-adjusted Life Years (DALYs) averted attributable to reductions in depression incidence. Net costs of delivering interventions were calculated using relevant Australian data. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses were conducted to test model assumptions. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were measured in 2013 Australian dollars per DALY averted; with costs and benefits discounted at 3%.Results.Universal and indicated psychological interventions delivered through face-to-face modalities had ICERs below a threshold of $50 000 per DALY averted. That is, $7350 per DALY averted (95% uncertainty interval (UI): dominates – 23 070) for universal prevention, and $19 550 per DALY averted (95% UI: 3081–56 713) for indicated prevention. Baseline ICERs were generally robust to changes in model assumptions. We conducted a sensitivity analysis which found that internet-delivered prevention interventions were highly cost-effective when assuming intervention effect sizes of 100 and 50% relative to effect sizes observed for face-to-face delivered interventions. These results should, however, be interpreted with caution due to the paucity of data.Conclusions.School-based psychological interventions appear to be cost-effective. However, realising efficiency gains in the population is ultimately dependent on ensuring successful system-level implementation.

Context.Carbamic acid (NH2COOH) is the smallest amino acid, smaller than the smallest proteinaceous amino acid glycine. This compound has never been observed in the interstellar medium (ISM). Previous experiments where ice mixtures containing H2O, CO2and NH3were subjected to 1-MeV proton bombardment showed that carbamic acid is formed in a stable zwitterionic (NH$_3^+$COO-) form.

This paper addresses the steady-state periodic and quasi-periodic responses of van der Pol–Mathieu system subject to three excitations (i.e., self, parametric and external excitations). Method of multiple scales and double perturbation technique are employed to study the original system. The cases of van der Pol–Mathieu oscillator with and without external excitation are considered, and periodic and quasi-periodic solutions are obtained and discussed. In the parametric study, the effects of various parameters and self, parametric and external excitations on the system behaviors are studied. Results from method of multiple scales well agree with those from numerical method.

An elliptic cylindrical omnidirectional light absorber forming a pseudo-optical black hole is studied both analytically and numerically. The conditions for permittivity tensors to trap optical rays are obtained from semiclassical analysis of the ray optic Hamiltonian. The dispersive finite-difference time-domain method is used to study the performance of these light-absorbing structures numerically. It is found that the permittivity of the structure in the form (1/sinh^u u)≥(a/r)^n traps the light ray efficiently into the elliptic absorber for n≥2, where u is the radial elliptic coordinate and a is the focal distance.

AbstractMany engineering problems are governed by partial differential equations which can be solved by analytical as well as numerical methods, and examples include the plasticity problem of a geotechnical system, seepage problem and elasticity problem. Although the governing differential equations can be solved by either iterative finite difference method or finite element, there are however limitations to these methods in some special cases which will be discussed in the present paper. The solutions of these governing differential equations can all be viewed as the stationary value of a functional. Using an approximate solution as the initial solution, the stationary value of the functional can be obtained easily by modern global optimization method. Through the comparisons between analytical solutions and fine mesh finite element analysis, the use of global optimization method will be demonstrated to be equivalent to the solutions of the governing partial differential equations. The use of global optimization method can be an alternative to the finite difference/ finite element method in solving an engineering problem, and it is particularly attractive when an approximate solution is available or can be estimated easily.

A dispersive full-wave finite-difference time-domain model is used to study the performance of point mapped and line-segment mapped complementary invisibility cloaking devices. We have used the permittivity and the permeability tensors for conventional elliptic and bipolar cylindrical invisibility cloaks obtained from an effective medium approach in general relativity. In the case of a line-segment mapped cloak we also employ the mapping of the σ-axis in bipolar cylindrical coordinates. In these cloaks, we employ the complementary media both horizontally and vertically. Cloaks with horizontally or vertically arranged complementary media mapped to a point show good performance of cloaking in any case. On the other hand, cloaks with horizontally arranged complementary media mapped to a line-segment, do not show cloaking performance. However, for cloaks with vertically arranged complementary media mapped to a line-segment, cloaking works very well in any cases. These results show improved cloaking performance over the conventional cloaks with perfect electrical conductor mapped to a line-segment. On the other hand, realistic cloaking materials with loss still show cloaking but attenuated backscattering waves exist.

Soaking in aqueous ammonia (SAA) was investigated as a pretreatment method for corn stover. In this method, the feedstock was soaked in aqueous ammonia over an extended period (10–60 d) at room temperature. It was done without agitation at atmospheric pressure. SAA treatment removed 55–74% of the lignin, but retained nearly 100% of the glucan and 85% of the xylan. The xylan remaining in the corn stover after SAA treatment was hydrolyzed along with the glucan by xylanase present in the Spezyme CP enzyme. In the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) test of SAA-treated corn stover, using S. cerevisiae(D5A), an ethanol yield of 73% of theoretical maximum was obtained on the basis of the glucan content in the treated corn stover. The accumulation of xylose in the SSF appears to inhibit the cellulase activity on glucan hydrolysis, which limits the yield of ethanol. In the simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SSCF) test, using recombinant E. coli(KO11), both the glucan and xylose were effectively utilized, resulting in on overall ethanol yield of 77% based on the glucan and xylan content of the substrate. When the SSCF process is used, the fact that the xylan fraction is retained during pretreatment is a desirable feature since the overall bioconversion can be carried out in a single step without separate recovery of xylose from the pretreatment liquid.

We have previously demonstrated that pretreatment of corn stover with dilute sulfuric acid can achieve high digestibility and efficient recovery of hemicellulose sugars with high yield and concentration. Further improvement of this process was sought in this work. A modification was made in the operation of the percolation reactor that the reactor is preheated under atmospheric pressure to remove moisture that causes autohydrolysis. This eliminated sugar decomposition during the preheating stage and led to a considerable improvement in overall sugar yield. In addition, liquid throughput was minimized to the extent that only one reactor void volume of liquid was collected. This was done to attain a high xylose concentration in the hydrolyzate. The optimum reaction and operating conditions were identified wherein near quantitative enzymatic digestibilities are obtained with enzyme loading of 15 FPU/g glucan. With a reduced enzyme loading of 5 FPU/g glucan, the enzymatic digestibility was decreased, but still reached a level of 92%. Decomposition of carbohydrates was extremely low as indicated by the measured glucan and xylan mass closures (recovered sugar plus unreacted) which were 98% and 94%, respectively. The data obtained in this work indicate that the digestibility is related to the extent of xylan removal.

Pretreatment of corn stover by dilute sulfuric acid was investigated using a laboratory percolation (flowthrough) reactor operated under high-solids conditions. The effects of reaction conditions and operating parameters on the performance of the percolation reactor were investigated seeking the optimal range in which acceptable levels of yield and sugar concentration could be attained. It was demonstrated that 70–75% recovery of xylose and 6 to 7% (w/w) xylose concentration were attainable. The high sugar concentration was obtained as a result of dense packing of dry corn stover and the low liquid throughput. Xylose was mostly unreacted, rather than decomposed. The cellulose and the unreacted xylan of treated corn stover were both effectively hydrolyzed by a “cellulase” enzyme preparation that also exhibits some activity on xylan. The xylose yield was affected significantly by the flow rate under the same reaction time and conditions. This behavior appears to be related to sugar decomposition, mass transfer resistance, and the fact that acid is neutralized by the buffering components of the biomass.

Racemic bupivacaine is the most common local anaesthetic used intrathecally. This prospective, randomized, double-blind study compared the clinical efficacy and motor block of 0.5% levobupivacaine with 0.5% racemic bupivacaine in spinal anaesthesia for urological surgery. The surgery required an upper level of sensory block of at least the tenth thoracic dermatome. Fifty patients were recruited (levobupivacaine group n=24; bupivacaine group n=26). Spinal anaesthesia was achieved with 2.6 ml of study solution injected in the subarachnoid space at the lumbar 3/4 interspace. One patient from the levobupivacaine group was excluded due to technical failure. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the quality of sensory and motor block or in haemodynamic change. Anaesthesia was adequate and patient satisfaction good in all cases.We conclude that 0.5% levobupivacaine can be used as an alternative to 0.5% racemic bupivacaine in spinal anaesthesia for surgery when a sensory block to at least T10 is required.

Acid-catalyzed hydrolysis is controlled not only by temperature and acid concentration but also by the physical state of the cellulose. Under low temperature and acid condition the cellulose structure stays in stable crystalline form. Therefore, the prevailing reaction mode is endwise hydrolysis. Glucose then becomes the main sugar product. However, when temperature and/or acid concentration is raised to a certain level, the cellulose structure becomes unstable by breakage of hydrogen bonding, the primary force that holds the cellulose chains. Once the crystalline structure of the cellulose is disrupted, acid molecules can penetrate into the inner layers of the cellulose chains. In support of this hypothesis, we have experimentally verified that a substantial amount of oligomers is formed as reaction intermediates under extremely low-acid and high-temperature conditions. We also found that the breakage of hydrogen bonds occurs rather abruptly in response to temperature. One such condition is 210°C, 0.07% H2SO4. Glucose, once it is formed in the hydrolysate, interacts with acid-soluble lignin, forming a lignin-carbohydrate complex. This occurs concurrently with other reactions involving glucose such as decomposition and reversion. On the basis of these findings, a comprehensive kinetic model is proposed. This model is in full compliance with our recent experimental data obtained under a broad range of reaction conditions.

The classic kinetic model for cellulose hydrolysis is often referred to as pseudo-homogeneous, a term revealing the insight that the process is actually heterogeneous. During the past 10–15 yr, the shortcomings of this model have been demonstrated in various studies and the interest in the heterogeneous aspects has increased. The present work presents a simplistic model in which the intrinsic, heterogeneous hydrolysis and transport rates are coupled by the assumption of a constant glucosidic surface concentration. The mechanisms affecting these two rates are largely unknown, but the model serves as a guideline for further exploration of the process.

Recent developments in gene therapy using adenoviral (Ad) vectors have fueled renewed interest in the 293 human embryonic kidney cell line traditionally used to produce these vectors. Low-glutamine fed-batch cultures of serum-free, suspension cells in a 5-L bioreactor were conducted. Our aim was to tighten the control on glutamine metabolism and hence reduce ammonia and lactate accumulation. Online direct measurement of glutamine was effected via a continuous cell-exclusion system that allows for aseptic, cell-free sampling of the culture broth. A feedback control algorithm was used to maintain the glutamine concentration at a level as low as 0.1 mM with a concentrated glucose-free feed medium. This was tested in two media:  a commercial formulation (SFM II) and a chemically defined DMEM/F12 formulation. The fed-batch and batch cultures were started at the same glucose concentration, and it was not controlled at any point in the fed-batch cultures. In all cases, fed-batch cultures with double the cell density and extended viable culture time compared to the batch cultures were achieved. An infection study on the high density fed-batch culture using adenovirus-green fluorescent protein (Ad-GFP) construct was also done to ascertain the production capacity of the culture. Virus titers from the infected fed-batch culture showed that there is an approximately 10-fold improvement over a batch infection culture. The results have shown that the control of glutamine at low levels in cultures is sufficient to yield significant improvements in both cell densities and viral production. The applicability of this fed-batch system to cultures in different media and also infected cultures suggests its potential for application to generic mammalian cell cultures.

In the present investigation, the nonlinear dynamic buckling of a curved plate subjected to sinusoidal loading is examined. By the theoretical analyses, a highly nonlinear snap-through motion of a clampedfreeclampedfree plate and its effect on the overall vibration response are investigated. The problem is reduced to that of a single degree of freedom system with the Rayleigh-Ritz procedure. The resulting nonlinear governing equation is solved using Runge-Kutta (RK.-4) numerical integration method. The snap-through boundaries, which vary with different damping coefficient and linear circular frequency of the flat plate are studied and given in terms of force and displacement. The relationships between static and dynamic responses at the start of a snap-through motion are also predicted. The analysis brings out various characteristic features of the phenomenon, i.e. l) small oscillation about the buckled position-softening spring type motion, 2) chaotic motion of intermittent snap-through, and 3) large oscillation of continuous snap-through motion crossing the two buckled positions-hardening spring type. The responses of buckled plate were found to be greatly affected by the snap-through motion. Therefore, better understanding of the snap-through motion is needed to predict the full dynamic response of a curved plate.

In the present investigation, the nonlinear dynamic buckling of a curved plate subjected to sinusoidal loading is examined. By the theoretical analyses, a highly nonlinear snap-through motion of a clampedfreeclampedfree plate and its effect on the overall vibration response are investigated. The problem is reduced to that of a single degree of freedom system with the Rayleigh-Ritz procedure. The resulting nonlinear governing equation is solved using Runge-Kutta (RK.-4) numerical integration method. The snap-through boundaries, which vary with different damping coefficient and linear circular frequency of the flat plate are studied and given in terms of force and displacement. The relationships between static and dynamic responses at the start of a snap-through motion are also predicted. The analysis brings out various characteristic features of the phenomenon, i.e. l) small oscillation about the buckled position-softening spring type motion, 2) chaotic motion of intermittent snap-through, and 3) large oscillation of continuous snap-through motion crossing the two buckled positions-hardening spring type. The responses of buckled plate were found to be greatly affected by the snap-through motion. Therefore, better understanding of the snap-through motion is needed to predict the full dynamic response of a curved plate.

Abstract: Methods. Newly diagnosed, chemotherapy-naive patients with histologically confirmed NSCLC (measurable stage IIIB/IV NSCLC; Karnofsky performance status, 70–100; adequate bone marrow, renal, hepatic, and cardiac function) were eligible for the study. Docetaxel 75 mg/m2 was administered IV over 1 h, followed immediately by cisplatin 75 mg/m2, given IV over 30 min, with cycles repeated every 3 weeks, for up to six or nine cycles. Results. Thirty-nine patients were enrolled and treated. Their median age was 59 years (range, 32–71 years) and median performance status, 90 (range, 70–100). Histologically, 23 patients (59%) had adenocarcinoma, 12 (30.8%) had squamous cell carcinoma, and 16 patients (41%) had stage IV disease. Thirty-seven patients were eligible for inclusion. In the 39 patients evaluable for safety, significant grade 3/4 toxicities included neutropenia (82%), nausea (10.3%), fatigue (10.3%), and diarrhea (7.7%). Of the 33 patients evaluable for response, 16 patients (48.5%) achieved a partial response and 7 showed progressive disease. Median overall survival time in all eligible patients was 10.5 months. Conclusion. Docetaxel/cisplatin produced promising response rates that compare favorably with those of current standard platinum combinations, with manageable toxicity. Further investigations of this first-line combination in NSCLC are warranted.

Theoretical analysis of the vibration of plates excited by piezoelectric actuators is presented in this paper. The geometric non-linear finite element model and the loading model of the piezoelectric actuators were developed for non-linear analysis. It is found that non-linear analysis is more accurate than linear analysis for large displacement vibration. A comparison of the results of the numerical model with experiment results shows that the numerical model and the computer program are correct. The vibration excited by piezoelectric actuators is also compared with the sound radiation generated by actuators.

Typically, close-fitting enclosures are installed with sound absorption treatments to enhance the noise reduction performonce at acoustic resonant frequencies. Perforated panels require small space to achieve high sound absorption at a particular frequency range when compared with typical foam or porous materials used in a close-fitting enclosure. Moreover, perforated panels may be made of any material, from plastic, plywood to sheet metal and thus are durable under severe conditions without any protection. In this paper, the sound absorption of perforated panels is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The experimental sound absorption coefficients are obtained from a series of Impedance tube tests and compared with the predictions based on Maa [1]. Also, an enclosure mounted with a perforated panel is setup experimentally to explore the noise reduction performance. The general trend of the absorption performance of the perforated panels applied to the enclosure matches to that observed in the Impedance tube test. From the experimental results, it can be concluded that perforated panels are effective to absorb the sound energies due to acoustic resonance of close-fitting enclosure but not those due to structural resonance.

Previous kinetic modeling and bench-scale demonstration efforts using batch, percolation, or plug-flow reactors for the dilute sulfuric acid hydrolysis of cellulose have concluded that glucose yields above 70% of theoretical were not possible. This has been explained to be a result of reactions involving glucose or the cellulose itself in a destructive manner, as well as hydrolyzed soluble oligomers which have been modified chemically so as not to release glucose. However, recently, we have demonstrated that near-quantitative yields of glucose from cellulose can indeed be obtained using a bench-scale shrinking-bed percolation reactor in which an internal spring compresses the biomass as the reaction progresses. The present study was initiated to gain a fundamental understanding of the kinetic sequences involved in these high yields. Three reactor configurations (batch, percolation, and shrinking-bed percolation) were studied using similar hydrolysis severities to begin addressing chemical, physical, and hypothesized boundary layer phenomenon governing rate-limiting steps of glucose release from two prehydrolyzed yellow poplar cellulosic substrates. The characteristics of the logarithmic release of glucose as well as the logarithmic disappearance of cellulose as a linear function of time were found to be reactor dependent. Use of a percolation reactor was described where the initial hydrolysis rate constant for cellulose using 0.07% w/w sulfuric acid at 225 °C is enhanced 5-fold compared to a batch reactor. Additionally, when lower hydrolysis severities are used for hydrolyzing yellow poplar cellulose in batch mode, biphasic kinetics were observed. Several hypothesized boundary layer resistances, such as structured water, viscosity, and re-hydrogen bonding of released glucose, will be suggested as diffusion resistances for released glucose to the bulk medium, which would be a function of the reactor configuration and define potential glucose yields.

AbstractAimsDepression and anxiety are among the most common mental health conditions treated in primary care. They frequently co-occur and involve recommended treatments that overlap. Evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) shows specific stepped care interventions to be cost-effective in improving symptom remission. However, most RCTs have focused on either depression or anxiety, which limits their generalisability to routine primary care settings. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a collaborative stepped care (CSC) intervention to treat depression and/or anxiety among adults in Australian primary care settings.MethodA quasi-decision tree model was developed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a CSC intervention relative to care-as-usual (CAU). The model adapted a CSC intervention described in a previous Dutch RCT to the Australian context. This 8-month, cluster RCT recruited patients with depression and/or anxiety (n= 158) from 30 primary care clinics in the Netherlands. The CSC intervention involved two steps: (1) guided self-help with a nurse at a primary care clinic; and (2) referral to specialised mental healthcare. The cost-effectiveness model adopted a health sector perspective and synthesised data from two main sources: RCT data on intervention pathways, remission probabilities and healthcare service utilisation; and Australia-specific data on demography, epidemiology and unit costs from external sources. Incremental costs and incremental health outcomes were estimated across a 1-year time horizon. Health outcomes were measured as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to remitted cases of depression and/or anxiety. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were measured in 2019 Australian dollars (A$) per DALY averted. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of cost-effectiveness findings.ResultThe CSC intervention had a high probability (99.6%) of being cost-effective relative to CAU. The resulting ICER (A$5207/DALY; 95% uncertainty interval: dominantto 25 345) fell below the willingness-to-pay threshold of A$50 000/DALY. ICERs were robust to changes in model parameters and assumptions.ConclusionsThis study found that a Dutch CSC intervention, with nurse-delivered guided self-help treatment as a first step, could potentially be cost-effective in treating depression and/or anxiety if transferred to the Australian primary care context. However, adaptations may be required to ensure feasibility and acceptability in the Australian healthcare context. In addition, further evidence is needed to verify the real-world cost-effectiveness of the CSC intervention when implemented in routine practice and to evaluate its effectiveness/cost-effectiveness when compared to other viable stepped care interventions for the treatment of depression and/or anxiety.

AimsThe deregulation of cyclin, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and their inhibitors could have a crucial role in the development of diverse human cancers.MethodsIn this study, we analysed the expression of cyclin D1, cyclin E, p21WAF1/CIP1and p27KIP1in 84 surgically resected gastric cancers by immunohistochemistry with long-term follow-up (median 38 months). We also evaluated the relation between each cell cycle regulator and various clinicopathological findings, including age, sex, histological grade, tumour location, tumour type and stage and lymph-node metastasis.ResultsOverexpression of cyclin D1 and E was detected in 21/84 (25%) and 34/84 (40.5%) patients, respectively. Normal gastric epithelium showed consistently positive immunostain for p21WAF1/CIP1and p27KIP1in more than 50% of nuclei. Loss of p21WAF1/CIP1and p27KIP1expression was noted in 45/84 (53.6%) and 44/84 (52.4%) patients, respectively. Among the various clinicopathological findings, overexpression of cyclin E was associated with lymph-node metastasis (P=0.003) and recurrence (P=0.043). Loss of p21WAF1/CIP1expression was more frequent in diffuse type cancers (P=0.005) and was correlated with recurrence (P=0.002) and death (P=0.002). Overexpression of cyclin E and loss of p21WAF1/CIP1expression were significantly correlated with decreased disease-free (P=0.037P=0.001) and overall (P=0.031P=0.001) survival.ConclusionsThese results suggest that immunohistochemical analysis for cell cycle regulators, especially cyclin E and p21WAF1/CIP1, might be a useful prognostic indicator in gastric cancer.

This paper reports a theoretical and experimental study of insertion loss of stiffened enclosure plates which are used for noise control in industrial machines, automobiles, trains and aircrafts. The theoretical analysis is based on the finite element method in [1] for the structural part, and the classical solution suggested in [2, 3] for the acoustic part. The effects of boundary conditions, acoustic resonance and structural resonance on the insertion loss are studied. The theoretical results agree reasonably well with the experimental results. Both numerical and experimental results point to two important findings: 1) the coupling effect between the (1, 0) acoustical mode and the (2, 1) structural mode is an important factor which can cause deterioration of the insertion loss of an enclosure plate; and 2) stiffeners can be used to enhance the insertion loss ability of an enclosure plate at the frequencies below the fundamental resonance. However, at other frequencies, the enclosure plate could give worse insertion loss performance.

K+K+ and K-K- correlations from S+Pb collisions at 200 GeV/c per nucleon and K+K+ correlations from p+Pb collisions at 450 GeV/c per nucleon, are presented as measured by the focusing spectrometer of the NA44 experiment at CERN. Multidimensional fits are performed in order to characterize the kaon-emission volume, which is found to be smaller than the pion-emission volume.

Isothermal vapor−liquid equilibria for the three binary systems (1-chloro-1,1-difluoroethane + hydrogen fluoride, 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane + hydrogen fluoride, and chlorodifluoromethane + hydrogen fluoride) have been measured. The experimental data for the binary systems are correlated with the NRTL equation with the vapor-phase association model for the mixtures containing hydrogen fluoride, and the relevant parameters are presented. All of the systems form minimum boiling heterogeneous azeotropes.

Isothermal vapor−liquid equilibria for hydrogen fluoride (HF) + difluoromethane (HFC-32), HF + 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a), and HF + 1-chloro-1,2,2,2-tetrafluoroethane (HCFC-124) were measured by the P−T−x method at 283.3 and 298.2 K. Vapor compositions were calculated from these results. Among these systems, the HF + HFC-134a and HF + HCFC-124 systems exhibit minimum boiling azeotropes at both temperatures.

A mathematical model was developed for a counter-current reactor to investigate its performance in acid catalyzed cellulose hydrolysis. The results indicated that use of this reactor would be advantageous particularly in obtaining high product yield. The predicted yield of above 70% under normal reaction conditions was substantially higher than those achievable from plug flow (28%) or percolation reactor (54percnt;).

The effectiveness of pretreatments on hardwood substrate was investigated in connection with its subsequent conversion by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF), using Clostridium acetobutylicum. The main objectives of the pretreatment were to achieve efficient separation of lignin from carbohydrates, and to obtain maximum sugar yield on enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated wood. Two methods have given promising results: (1) supercritical CO2—SO2treatment, and (2) monoethanolamine (ME A) treatment. The MEA pretreatment removed above 90% of hardwood lignin while retaining 83% of carbohydrates. With CO2—SO2pretreatment, the degree of lignin separation was lower.

CERN experiment NA44 measures pion and kaon distributions atpT=0–320 MeV/c at midrapidity in p+A and A+A collisions at 450 and 200A GeV/c, respectively. Pion production from p+Pb and A+A is slightly enhanced at lowpTrelative to p+Be, but less than observed at target rapidity. The lowpTbehavior can be understood in the context of the RQMD model as arising from baryonic resonance decays.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy opens a window into the biochemistry of living tissue. However, spectra acquired from different tissue types in vivoor in vitroand from body fluids contain a large number of peaks from a range of metabolites, whose relative intensities vary substantially and in complicated ways even between successive samples from the same category. The realization of the full clinical potential of NMR spectroscopy relies, in part, on our ability to interpret and quantify the role of individual metabolites in characterizing specific tissue and tissue conditions. This paper addresses the problem of tissue classification by analysing NMR spectra using statistical and neural network methods. It assesses the performance of classification models from a range of statistical methods and compares them with the performance of artificial neural network models. The paper also assesses the consistency of the models in selecting, directly from the spectra, the subsets of metabolites most relevant for differentiating between tissue types. The analysis techniques are examined using in vitrospectra from eight classes of normal tissue and tumours obtained from rats. We show that, for the given data set, the performance of linear and non‐linear methods is comparable, possibly due to the small sample size per class. We also show that using a subset of metabolites selected by linear discriminant analysis for further analysis by neural networks improves the classification accuracy, and reduces the number of metabolites necessary for correct classification. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An ammonia-based biomass pretreatment method named ammonia recycled percolation (ARP) process was investigated. The process characteristics are:Aqueous ammonia is used as a pretreatment reagent;A packed bed flowthrough-type reactor (percolation reactor) is used in recirculation mode;ARP-Ammonia is continuously recycled.

The simple pendulum equation of free-electron laser with a constant axial magnetic field is derived in the co-frequency frame. The effect of the axial field on the wavelength and differential power of the scattered radiation and the gain of the Compton-type free-electron laser are discussed.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy opens a window into the biochemistry of living tissue. However, spectra acquired from different tissue types in vivo or in vitro and from body fluids contain a large number of peaks from a range of metabolites, whose relative intensities vary substantially and in complicated ways even between successive samples from the same category. The realization of the full clinical potential of NMR spectroscopy relies, in part, on our ability to interpret and quantify the role of individual metabolites in characterizing specific tissue and tissue conditions. This paper addresses the problem of tissue classification by analysing NMR spectra using statistical and neural network methods. It assesses the performance of classification models from a range of statistical methods and compares them with the performance of artificial neural network models. The paper also assesses the consistency of the models in selecting, directly from the spectra, the subsets of metabolites most relevant for differentiating between tissue types. The analysis techniques are examined using in vitro spectra from eight classes of normal tissue and tumours obtained from rats. We show that, for the given data set, the performance of linear and non-linear methods is comparable, possibly due to the small sample size per class. We also show that using a subset of metabolites selected by linear discriminant analysis for further analysis by neural networks improves the classification accuracy, and reduces the number of metabolites necessary for correct classification. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Isothermal vapor−liquid equilibria for hydrogen fluoride + 1,1-difluoroethane at 288.23 and 298.35 K were measured using a circulation type apparatus equipped with an equilibrium view cell. The compositions of both vapor and liquid phases were analyzed by an on-line gas chromatographic method. They were compared with PTx equilibrium data measured by the total pressure method. The experimental data were correlated with Anderko's equation of state using the Wong−Sandler mixing rule as well as the van der Waals one-fluid mixing rule. The Wong−Sandler mixing rule gives better results, and the relevant parameters are presented.

Isothermal vapor−liquid equilibria for difluoromethane (HFC-32) + dichloromethane at 303.2 K and 313.2 K and 1,1-difluoroethane (HFC-152a) + vinyl chloride at 303.2 K and 323.2 K were measured in a circulation-type apparatus. The experimental data were correlated with the Peng−Robinson equation of state using the Wong and Sandler mixing rule, and the relevant parameters are presented.

The imaging features of a rare alveolar soft part sarcoma found in a 44-year-old female are presented. Although the tumor showed hypervascularity by angiography, CT and MRI suggested slow growth. Despite this relatively benign appearance, alveolar soft part sarcoma is one of the most malignant sarcomas.

Isothermal vapor−liquid equilibria for 1,1-difluoroethane (HFC-152a) + acetylene and 1,1-difluoroethane + 1,1-dichloroethane (HCC-150a) were measured in a circulation type apparatus at 303.2 K and 323.2 K. The experimental data were correlated with the Peng−Robinson equation of state using the Wong and Sandler mixing rule, and the relevant parameters are presented.

Isothermal vapor−liquid equilibria for the three binary systems 1-chloro-1,1-difluoroethane + 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane, 1-chloro-1,1-difluoroethane + 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane + 1,1,1-trichloroethane and the ternary system 1-chloro-1,1-difluoromethane + 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane + 1,1,1-trichloroethane have been measured at 50.1 °C. The experimental data for the binary systems are correlated with the Peng−Robinson equation of state, and the relevant parameters are presented. The predicted results for the ternary system were found to be in good agreement with the experimental data.