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This paper presents a new version of the Entall database of the thermodynamic properties of metals and their alloys. The changes are related to the thermodynamic data of new binary and ternary systems as well as the integration of the database with an application for the modeling of the formation enthalpies of intermetallic phases with the use of the Miedema model. Using this tool, calculations of the enthalpies of formation of 38 intermetallic phases from 12 binary systems were performed and a comparative analysis conducted. The results of the analysis clearly showed a weak correlation between the model and experimental data. To improve this correlation, an intermediate method of proportional change was proposed, on the basis of the measurement of the enthalpy of formation for one of the phases. The values for the other phases obtained from this indirect method should not deviate much from the experimental ones provided that before the measurements (dissolving or pulping) or after them (direct synthesis), the phase being examined should undergo structural tests, in order to confirm its dominating amount in the samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peri- and early postoperative bleeding is a common complication of gynecologic surgery. We report four postmenopausal patients (age range, 58-72 years) who each received recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa; dose range, 17-70 µg/kg) to control severe postoperative hemorrhage associated with elective hysterectomy for benign uterine fibroids, carcinoma of the endometrium, cervical and uterine cancer, or metastatic carcinoma of the genital tract. Bleeding resolved within 12 hours in three patients after a single dose of rFVIIa. In the patient with metastatic disease, bleeding was markedly reduced after each of two doses of rFVIIa and resolved completely within 12 hours of the second dose. Supplemental blood product requirements (measured by units of packed red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma) were reduced, and coagulation status (prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time) was generally improved postadministration. No thromboembolic complications occurred. Our findings suggest that recombinant FVIIa may offer an effective means of controlling bleeding associated with gynecologic surgery when conventional surgical and pharmacologic measures are unsuccessful; however, further investigation of the use of rFVIIa in this indication, preferably in the form of large, randomized clinical trials, is clearly needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new dynamic programming based parallel algorithm adapted to on-board heterogeneous computers for simulation based trajectory optimization is studied in the context of “high-performance sailing”. The algorithm uses a new discrete space of continuously differentiable functions called the multi-splines as its search space representation. A basic version of the algorithm is presented in detail (pseudo-code, time and space complexity, search space auto-adaptation properties). Possible extensions of the basic algorithm are also described. The presented experimental results show that contemporary heterogeneous on-board computers can be effectively used for solving simulation based trajectory optimization problems. These computers can be considered micro high performance computing (HPC) platforms-they offer high performance while remaining energy and cost efficient. The simulation based approach can potentially give highly accurate results since the mathematical model that the simulator is built upon may be as complex as required. The approach described is applicable to many trajectory optimization problems due to its black-box represented performance measure and use of OpenCL.

Effective, simulation-based trajectory optimization algorithms adapted to heterogeneous computers are studied with reference to the problem taken from alpine ski racing (the presented solution is probably the most general one published so far). The key idea behind these algorithms is to use a grid-based discretization scheme to transform the continuous optimization problem into a search problem over a specially constructed finite graph, and then to apply dynamic programming to find an approximation of the global solution. In the analyzed example it is the minimum-time ski line, represented as a piecewise-linear function (a method of elimination of unfeasible solutions is proposed). Serial and parallel versions of the basic optimization algorithm are presented in detail (pseudo-code, time and memory complexity). Possible extensions of the basic algorithm are also described. The implementation of these algorithms is based on OpenCL. The included experimental results show that contemporary heterogeneous computers can be treated as μ-HPC platforms-they offer high performance (the best speedup was equal to 128) while remaining energy and cost efficient (which is crucial in embedded systems, e.g., trajectory planners of autonomous robots). The presented algorithms can be applied to many trajectory optimization problems, including those having a black-box represented performance measure

Background: Children undergoing allo-HCT are at high risk of EBV-related complications. The objective of the study was to analyze the impact of prophylactic post-transplant rituximab on EBV infection and EBV-PTLD in children after allo-HCT, to determine the risk factors for the development of EBV infection and EBV-PTLD and to determine their outcomes. Additionally, the impact of EBV-driven complications on transplant outcomes was analyzed., Methods: Single center retrospective analysis of EBV-related complications in pediatric population undergoing allo-HCT, based on strategy of prophylaxis with rituximab. Overall 276 consecutive children, including 122 on prophylaxis, were analyzed for EBV-driven complications and transplant outcomes., Results: Prophylaxis with rituximab resulted in significant reduction of EBV infection (from 35.1% to 20.5%; HR=2.7; p<0.0001), and EBV-PTLD (from 13.0% to 3.3%; HR=0.23; p=0.0045). A trend for improved survival was also observed (HR=0.66; p=0.068), while non-relapse mortality was comparable in both cohorts. The peak value of viral load was a risk factor in the development of EBV-PTLD: 10-fold higher peak viral load in comparison to the baseline 10 4 copies/mL, caused a 3-fold (HR=3.36; p<0.001) increase in the risk of EBV-PTLD. Rituximab treatment was effective as a preemptive therapy in 91.1%, and in 70.9% in EBV-PTLD. Patients who developed PTLD had dismal 5-year overall survival (29% vs 60%; p<0.001), and an increased risk of relapse (72% vs 35%; p=0.024)., Conclusions: Rituximab for prophylaxis of EBV infection and EBV-PTLD was highly effective in pediatric population. Treatment of EBV-PTLD was successful in 70%, however the occurrence of EBV-PTLD was associated with an increased risk of relapse of primary malignant disease., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Marjańska, Pogorzała, Dziedzic, Czyżewski, Richert-Przygońska, Dębski, Bogiel and Styczyński.)

Due to the absence of thermodynamic data concerning the Ag-Mg-Ti system in the existing literature, this study aims to fill this gap by offering the outcomes of calorimetric investigations conducted on ternary liquid solutions of these alloys. The measurements were performed using the drop calorimetry method at temperatures of 1294 K and 1297 K for the liquid solutions with the following constant mole fraction ratio: x Ag /x Mg = 9/1, 7/3, 1/1, 3/7 [(Ag 0.9 Mg 0.1 ) 1-x Ti x , (Ag 0.7 Mg 0.3 ) 1-x Ti x , (Ag 0.5 Mg 0.5 ) 1-x Ti x , (Ag 0.3 Mg 0.7 ) 1-x Ti x )], and x Ag /x Ti = 19/1 [(Ag 0.95 Ti 0.05 ) 1-x Mg x ]. The results show that the mixing enthalpy change is characterized by negative deviations from the ideal solutions and the observed minimal value equals -13.444 kJ/mol for the Ag 0.95 Ti 0.05 alloy and x Mg = 0.4182. Next, based on the thermodynamic properties of binary systems described by the Redlich-Kister model and the determined experimental data from the calorimetric measurements, the ternary optimized parameters for the Ag-Mg-Ti liquid phase were calculated by the Muggianu model. Homemade software (TerGexHm 1.0) was used to optimize the calorimetric data using the least squares method. Next, the partial and molar thermodynamic functions were calculated and are presented in the tables and figures. Moreover, this work presents, for comparative purposes, the values of the enthalpy of mixing of liquid Ag-Mg-Ti alloys, which were calculated using Toop's model. It was found that the best agreement between the modeled and experimental data was observed for the cross-sections x Ag /x Ti = 19/1 [(Ag 0.95 Ti 0.05 ) 1-x Mg x ] and x Ag /x Mg = 9/1 [(Ag 0.9 Mg 0.1 ) 1-x Ti x ]. The results of the experiments presented in this paper are the first step in the investigation and future evaluation of the thermodynamics of phases and the calculation of the phase diagram of the silver-magnesium-titanium system.

Therapy results in pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma reflect remarkable progress in pediatric oncology. In the last decade, relevant development of new therapeutic options for children with refractory or relapsed disease has been made. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed therapy results and risk factors in children treated in a single oncology center according to five therapeutic protocols. Data from 114 children treated by a single institution between 1997 and 2022 were analyzed. Classic Hodgkin lymphoma therapy results were divided into four therapeutic periods: 1997-2009, 2009-2014, 2014-2019, and 2019-2022. For nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma, data from one therapeutic protocol was analyzed. For the entire group, the 5-year probability of overall survival was 93.5%. There were no statistically significant differences between therapeutic periods. The occurrence of B symptoms at diagnosis and incidence of relapse were risk factors for death (p = 0.018 and p < 0.001). Relapse occurred in 5 cases. The 5-year probability of relapse-free survival for the entire group was 95.2%, without significant differences between groups. Patients treated between 1997 and 2009 had over a sixfold higher risk for events, defined as primary progression, relapse, death, or incidence of secondary malignancies (OR = 6.25, p = 0.086). The 5-year probability of event-free survival for all patients was 91.3%. Five patients died, and the most common cause of death was relapse. Modern therapeutic protocols in pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma are marked by excellent outcomes. Patients with disease relapses have a notably high risk of death, and the development of new therapeutic options for this group remains one of the main goals of current trials., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Hydroa vacciniforme-like lymphoproliferative disorder (HV-LPD) is a cutaneous form of chronic active Epstein-Barrvirus (EBV) infection, which can develop into the extremely rare systemic lymphoma. Patients with Inborn errors of immunity (IEI), such as common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), are at higher risk of developing a severe course of infections especially viral and malignancies than the general population. The aim of the study was to present complex diagnostic and therapeutic management of HV-LPD. The clinical diagnosis was confirmed at the histological and molecular level with next generation sequencing. HV-LPD was diagnosed in a patient with CVID and chronic active Epstein-Barr virus (CAEBV) infection. The patient was refractory to CHOP chemotherapy and immunosuppressive treatment in combination with antiviral drugs (prednisone, bortezomib, gancyclovir). The third-party donor EBV-specific cytotoxic T cells (EBV-CTL, tabelecleucel) were used, which stabilised the disease course. Finally, matched unrelated donor hematopoietic cell transplantation (MUD-HCT) was performed followed by another cycle of EBV-CTL., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Grześk, Kołtan, Dąbrowska, Urbańczyk, Małdyk, Małkowski, Bogiel, Dębski, Czyżewski, Wysocki and Styczyński.)

Sensor data streams often represent signals/trajectories which are twice differentiable (e.g., to give a continuous velocity and acceleration), and this property must be reflected in their segmentation. An adaptive streaming algorithm for this problem is presented. It is based on the greedy look-ahead strategy and is built on the concept of a cubic splinelet. A characteristic feature of the proposed algorithm is the real-time simultaneous segmentation, smoothing, and compression of data streams. The segmentation quality is measured in terms of the signal approximation accuracy and the corresponding compression ratio. The numerical results show the relatively high compression ratios (from 135 to 208, i.e., compressed stream sizes up to 208 times smaller) combined with the approximation errors comparable to those obtained from the state-of-the-art global reference algorithm. The proposed algorithm can be applied to various domains, including online compression and/or smoothing of data streams coming from sensors, real-time IoT analytics, and embedded time-series databases.

Background: Neuroblastoma is the most common pediatric extracranial tumor with varied prognoses, but the survival of treated refractory or relapsing patients remains poor., Objective: This analysis presents the outcomes of children with neuroblastoma undergoing MIBG therapy in Poland in 2006-2019., Study Design: A retrospective cohort of 55 patients with refractory or relapsed neuroblastoma treated with I-131 MIBG in Poland in 2006-2019 was analyzed. The endpoints were overall survival (OS), event-free survival (EFS), cumulative incidence (CI) of second cancers and CI of hypothyroidism. Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared between the cohorts by the log-rank test. Cox modeling was adopted to estimate hazard ratios for OS and EFS, considering factors with P < 0.2., Results: Fifty-five patients with a median age of 78.4 months (range 18-193) with neuroblastoma underwent one or more (4 patients) courses of MIBG I-131 therapy. Fifteen patients were not administered chemotherapy, 3 children received standard-dose chemotherapy, and 37 patients were administered high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) (busulfan-melphalan in 24 and treosulfan-based in 12 patients). Forty-six patients underwent stem cell transplantation, with autologous (35 patients), haploidentical (6), allogeneic (4), and syngeneic grafts (1). The median time from first MIBG therapy to SCT was 22 days. Children with relapsing tumors had inferior OS compared to those with primary resistant disease (21.2% vs 58.7%, p=0.0045). Survival was better in patients without MYCN gene amplification. MIBG therapy was never curative, except in patients further treated with HDCT with stem cell rescue irrespective of the donor type. 31 patients were referred for immune therapy after MIBG therapy, and the 5-year OS in this group was superior to the untreated children (55.2% vs 32.7%, p=0.003), but the difference in the 5-year EFS was not significant (25.6% vs 32.9%, p=ns). In 3 patients, a second malignancy was diagnosed. In 19.6% of treated children, hypothyroidism was diagnosed within 5 years after MIBG therapy., Conclusion: MIBG therapy can be incorporated into the therapeutic strategy of relapsed or resistant neuroblastoma patients as preconditioning with HDCT rather than stand-alone therapy. Follow-up is required due to the incidence of thyroid failure and risk of second cancers., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Ussowicz, Wieczorek, Dłużniewska, Pieczonka, Dębski, Drabko, Goździk, Balwierz, Handkiewicz-Junak and Wachowiak.)