| 111. |
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| 112. |
- Mukhopadhyay, Nitai D, et al.
(författare)
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Estimating statistical uncertainty of Monte Carlo efficiency-gain in the context of a correlated sampling Monte Carlo code for brachytherapy treatment planning with non-normal dose distribution
- 2012
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Ingår i: Applied Radiation and Isotopes. - UK : Pergamon. - 0969-8043 .- 1872-9800. ; 70:1, s. 315-323
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Correlated sampling Monte Carlo methods can shorten computing times in brachytherapy treatment planning. Monte Carlo efficiency is typically estimated via efficiency gain, defined as the reduction in computing time by correlated sampling relative to conventional Monte Carlo methods when equal statistical uncertainties have been achieved. The determination of the efficiency gain uncertainty arising from random effects, however, is not a straightforward task specially when the error distribution is non-normal. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the applicability of the F distribution and standardized uncertainty propagation methods (widely used in metrology to estimate uncertainty of physical measurements) for predicting confidence intervals about efficiency gain estimates derived from single Monte Carlo runs using fixed-collision correlated sampling in a simplified brachytherapy geometry. A bootstrap based algorithm was used to simulate the probability distribution of the efficiency gain estimates and the shortest 95% confidence interval was estimated from this distribution. It was found that the corresponding relative uncertainty was as large as 37% for this particular problem. The uncertainty propagation framework predicted confidence intervals reasonably well; however its main disadvantage was that uncertainties of input quantities had to be calculated in a separate run via a Monte Carlo method. The F distribution noticeably underestimated the confidence interval. These discrepancies were influenced by several photons with large statistical weights which made extremely large contributions to the scored absorbed dose difference. The mechanism of acquiring high statistical weights in the fixed-collision correlated sampling method was explained and a mitigation strategy was proposed.
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| 113. |
- Muraro, Antonella, et al.
(författare)
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Managing food allergy: GA2LEN guideline 2022.
- 2022
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Ingår i: The World Allergy Organization journal. - : Elsevier BV. - 1939-4551. ; 15:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Food allergy affects approximately 2-4% of children and adults. This guideline provides recommendations for managing food allergy from the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA2LEN). A multidisciplinary international Task Force developed the guideline using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II framework and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach. We reviewed the latest available evidence as of April 2021 (161 studies) and created recommendations by balancing benefits, harms, feasibility, and patient and clinician experiences. We suggest that people diagnosed with food allergy avoid triggering allergens (low certainty evidence). We suggest that infants with cow's milk allergy who need a breastmilk alternative use either hypoallergenic extensively hydrolyzed cow's milk formula or an amino acid-based formula (moderate certainty). For selected children with peanut allergy, we recommend oral immunotherapy (high certainty), though epicutaneous immunotherapy might be considered depending on individual preferences and availability (moderate certainty). We suggest considering oral immunotherapy for children with persistent severe hen's egg or cow's milk allergy (moderate certainty). There are significant gaps in evidence about safety and effectiveness of the various strategies. Research is needed to determine the best approaches to education, how to predict the risk of severe reactions, whether immunotherapy is cost-effective and whether biological therapies are effective alone or combined with allergen immunotherapy.
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| 114. |
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| 115. |
- Reid, J M, et al.
(författare)
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Inbreeding effects on immune response in free-living song sparrows (Melospiza melodia)
- 2007
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Ingår i: Royal Society of London. Proceedings B. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 1471-2954. ; 274:1610, s. 697-706
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The consequences of inbreeding for host immunity to parasitic infection have broad implications for the evolutionary and dynamical impacts of parasites on populations where inbreeding occurs. To rigorously assess the magnitude and the prevalence of inbreeding effects on immunity, multiple components of host immune response should be related to inbreeding coefficient (f) in free-living individuals. We used a pedigreed, free-living population of song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) to test whether individual responses to widely used experimental immune challenges varied consistently with f. The patagial swelling response to phytohaemagglutinin declined markedly with f in both females and males in both 2002 and 2003, although overall inbreeding depression was greater in males. The primary antibody response to tetanus toxoid declined with f in females but not in males in both 2004 and 2005. Primary antibody responses to diphtheria toxoid were low but tended to decline with f in 2004. Overall inbreeding depression did not solely reflect particularly strong immune responses in outbred offspring of immigrant-native pairings or weak responses in highly inbred individuals. These data indicate substantial and apparently sex-specific inbreeding effects on immune response, implying that inbred hosts may be relatively susceptible to parasitic infection to differing degrees in males and females.
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| 116. |
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| 117. |
- Seymour, M. L., et al.
(författare)
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Leukotriene and prostanoid pathway enzymes in bronchial biopsies of seasonal allergic asthmatics
- 2001
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Ingår i: Am J Respir Crit Care Med. - 1073-449X. ; 164:11, s. 2051-6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cysteinyl-leukotrienes and prostaglandin D2 generated by the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) and cyclooxygenase (COX) pathways, respectively, cause bronchoconstriction, leukocyte recruitment, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness in asthma. We characterized the cellular expression of 5-LO and COX enzymes using immunohistochemistry on bronchial biopsies from 12 allergic asthmatic patients before and during seasonal exposure to birch pollen. Bronchial responsiveness (p = 0.004) and symptoms (p < 0.005) increased and peak expiratory flow (PEF; p < or = 0.02) decreased in the pollen season. In-season biopsies had 2-fold more cells immunostaining for 5-LO (p = 0.02), 5-LO-activating protein (FLAP; p = 0.04), and leukotriene (LT)A4 hydrolase (p = 0.05), and 4-fold more for the terminal enzyme for cysteinyl-leukotriene synthesis, LTC4 synthase (p = 0.02). Immunostaining for COX-1, COX-2, and PGD2 synthase was unchanged. Increased staining for LTC4 synthase was due to increased eosinophils (p = 0.035) and an increased proportion of eosinophils expressing the enzyme (p = 0.047). Macrophages also increased (p = 0.019), but mast cells and T-lymphocyte subsets were unchanged. Inverse correlations between PEF and 5-LO(+) cell counts link increased expression of 5-LO pathway enzymes in eosinophils and macrophages within the bronchial mucosa to deterioration of lung function during seasonal allergen exposure.
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| 118. |
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| 119. |
- Tanpichai, Supachok, et al.
(författare)
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Microfibrillated cellulose reinforced poly(vinyl alcohol) composites
- 2013
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Ingår i: Advanced Materials Research. - : Trans Tech Publications Inc.. - 1022-6680 .- 1662-8985. ; 747, s. 359-362
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) was successfully prepared from lyocell fibers using combined homogenization and sonication treatments. MFC fibrils with a mean diameter of ~365 nm were observed, after the lyocell fibers with diameters of ~10 μm were mechanically treated for 60 min. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composites reinforced with MFC were then fabricated using a solvent casting method. Physical and mechanical properties of the MFC reinforced PVA composites were investigated. An increase of ~13 and ~34% of tensile strength and Young's modulus was observed for the 3 wt% MFC reinforced composites, compared to those of the pure PVA. Raman spectroscopy was also employed to study the deformation micromechanics of the MFC reinforced PVA composites. The position of the Raman peak initially located at ~1095 cm-1, corresponding to the C-O ring stretching and C-O-C glycosidic bond stretching modes, was recorded. During tensile deformation, this peak was observed to shift towards a lower wavenumber position, indicating stress-transfer between the resin and the fibrils.
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| 120. |
- Tanpichai, Supachok, et al.
(författare)
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Stress-transfer in microfibrillated cellulose reinforced poly(lactic acid) composites using Raman spectroscopy
- 2012
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Ingår i: Composites. Part A, Applied science and manufacturing. - : Elsevier. - 1359-835X .- 1878-5840. ; 43:7, s. 1145-1152
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Lyocell fibres were used to make microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) by combined homogenisation and sonication. A web-like structure was obtained with fibril diameters in the range of several micrometers to less than 80 nm. Composite samples with PLA resin reinforced with MFC networks were prepared using compression moulding. Young's modulus and tensile strength of these composites increased by ∼60% and 14% respectively, compared to the pure resin material. Raman spectroscopy was used to monitor the molecular deformation of networks and composite materials. A Raman band initially located at ∼1095 cm -1 was observed to shift towards a lower wavenumber position upon tensile deformation. The rate of Raman band shift with respect to strain for the composites was higher than for the pure MFC networks, indicating that the observed improvement in mechanical properties results from stress transfer from the PLA resin to the MFC fibrils.
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