• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2015.10a
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• pp.339-343
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• 2015

To rapidly recover ceased functionality of a facility after a catastrophic seismic event, critical decisions on facility repair works are made within a limited period of time. However, prolonged damage assessment of facilities, due to massive damage in the surrounding region and the complicated damage judgment procedures, may impede restoration planning. To assist reliable structural damage estimation without a deep knowledge and rapid interactive analysis among facility damage and restoration operations during the approximate restoration project planning phase, we developed a prototype of distributed facility restoration simulations through the use of high-level architecture (HLA) (IEEE 1516). The simulation prototype, in which three different simulations (including a seismic data retrieval technique, a structural response simulator, and a restoration simulation module) interact with each other, enables immediate damage estimation by promptly detecting earthquake intensity and the restoration operation analysis according to estimated damage. By conducting case simulations and experiments, research outcomes provide key insights into post-disaster restoration planning, including the extent to which facility damage varies according to disaster severity, facility location, and structures. Additional insights arise regarding the extent to which different facility damage patterns impact a project's performance, especially when facility damage is hard to estimate by observation. In particular, an understanding of required type and amount of repair activities (e.g., demolition works, structural reinforcement, frame installation, or finishing works) is expected to support project managers in approximate work scheduling or resource procurement plans.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.14.1-14.14
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• 2023

Immune status including the immune cells and cytokine profiles has been implicated in the development of endometriosis. In this study, we analyzed Th17 cells and IL-17A in peritoneal fluid (PF) and endometrial tissues of patients with (n=10) and without (n=26) endometriosis. Our study has shown increased Th17 cell population and IL-17A level in PF with endometriosis patients. To determine the roles of IL-17A and Th17 cells in the development of endometriosis, the effect of IL-17A, major cytokine of Th17, on endometrial cells isolated from endometriotic tissues was examined. Recombinant IL-17A promoted survival of endometrial cells accompanied by increased expression of anti-apoptotic genes, including Bcl-2 and MCL1, and the activation of ERK1/2 signaling. In addition, treatment of IL-17A to endometrial cells inhibited NK cell mediated cytotoxicity and induced HLA-G expression on endometrial cells. IL-17A also promoted migration of endometrial cells. Our data suggest that Th17 cells and IL-17A play critical roles in the development of endometriosis by promoting endometrial cell survival and conferring a resistance to NK cell cytotoxicity through the activation of ERK1/2 signaling. Targeting IL-17A has potential as a new strategy for the treatment of endometriosis.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.122-132
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• 2005

Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess cognitive functions and their relationship with sleep symptoms in young narcoleptic patients. Methods: Eighteen young narcolepsy patients and 18 normal controls (age: 17-35 years old) were recruited. All narcolepsy patients had HLA $DQB_1$ *0602 allele and cataplexy. Several important areas of cognition were assessed by a battery of neuropsychological tests consisting of 13 tests: executive functions (e.g. cognitive set shifting, inhibition, and selective attention) through Wisconsin card sorting test, Trail Making A/B, Stroop test, Ruff test, Digit Symbol, Controlled Oral Word Association and Boston Naming Test; alertness and sustained attention through paced auditory serial addition test; verbal/nonverbal short-term memory and working memory through Digit Span and Spatial Span; visuospatial memory through Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test; verbal learning and memory through California verbal learning test; and fine motor activity through grooved pegboard test. Sleep symptoms in narcolepsy patients were assessed with Epworth sleepiness scale, Ullanlinna narcolepsy scale, multiple sleep latency test, and nocturnal polysomnography. Relationship between cognitive functions and sleep symptoms in narcolepsy patients was also explored. Results: Compared with normal controls, narcolepsy patients showed poor performance in paced auditory serial addition (2.0 s and 2.4 s), digit symbol tests, and spatial span (forward)(t=3.86, p<0.01; t=-2.47, p=0.02; t=-3.95, p<0.01; t=-2.22, p=0.03, respectively). There were no significant between-group differences in other neuropsychological tests. In addition, results of neuropsychological test in narcolepsy patients were not correlated with Epworth sleepiness scale score, Ullanlinna narcolepsy scale score and sleep variables in multiple sleep latency test or nocturnal polysomnography. Conclusion: The current findings suggest that young narcolepsy patients have impaired attention. In addition, impairment of attention in narcolepsy might not be solely due to sleep symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.100-106
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• 2012

Purpose: The survival rate for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has improved significantly. However, overall prognosis for the 20 to 25% of patients who relapse is poor, and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) offers the best chance for cure. In this study, we identified significant prognostic variables by analyzing the outcomes of allogeneic HSCT in ALL patients in second complete remission (CR). Methods: Fifty-three ALL patients (42 men, 79%) who received HSCT in second CR from August 1991 to February 2009 were included (26 sibling donor HSCTs, 49%; 42 bone marrow transplantations, 79%). Study endpoints included cumulative incidence of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), relapse, 1-year transplant-related mortality (TRM), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS). Results: Cumulative incidences of acute GVHD (grade 2 or above) and chronic GVHD were 45.3% and 28.5%, respectively. The estimated 5-year DFS and OS for the cohort was $45.2{\pm}6.8%$ and $48.3{\pm}7%$, respectively. Only donor type, i.e., sibling versus unrelated, showed significant correlation with DFS in multivariate analysis ($p$=0.010). The rates of relapse and 1 year TRM were $28.9{\pm}6.4%$ and $26.4{\pm}6.1%$, respectively, and unrelated donor HSCT ($p$=0.002) and HLA mismatch ($p$=0.022) were significantly correlated with increased TRM in univariate analysis. Conclusion: In this single institution study spanning more than 17 years, sibling donor HSCT was the only factor predicting a favorable result in multivariate analysis, possibly due to increased TRM resulting from unrelated donor HSCT.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.299-310
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• 2021

Glycerol is a non-volatile compound with no aromatic properties that contributes significantly to the quality of wine by providing sweetness and richness of taste. In addition, it is also the third most significant byproduct of alcoholic fermentation in terms of quantity after ethanol and carbon dioxide. In this study, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was employed as a fast non-destructive method in conjugation with multivariate regression analysis to build a model for the quantitative analysis of glycerol concentration in wine samples. The samples were prepared by using three varieties of red wine samples (i.e., Shiraz, Merlot, and Barbaresco) that were adulterated with glycerol in concentration ranges from 0.1 to 15% (v·v^-1), and subjected to analysis together with pure wine samples. A net analyte signal (NAS)-based methodology, called hybrid linear analysis in the literature (HLA/GO), was applied for predicting glycerol concentrations in the collected FT-IR spectral data. Calibration and validation sets were designed to evaluate the performance of the multivariate method. The obtained results exhibited a high coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.987 and a low root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.563% for the calibration set, and a R² of 0.984 and a RMSE of 0.626% for the validation set. Further, the model was validated in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, and limits of detection and quantification, and the results confirmed that this model can be used in most applications, as well as for quality assurance.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.17
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• pp.7825-7829
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• 2015

Background: Egypt has the highest prevalence of HCV infection in the world (~14.7%). Around 10-15% of HCV-infected persons will advance to cirrhosis within the first 20 years. The incidence of HCC is expected to grow in the next two decades, largely due to HCV related cirrhosis, and detection of HCC at an early stage is critical for a favorable clinical outcome. No simple reliable non-invasive marker has been available till now. B2M, a non-glycosylated polypeptide composed of 99 amino acids, is one of the components of HLA class I molecules on the surfaces of all nucleated cells. It has been reported that the level of serum B2M is elevated in patients with chronic hepatitis C and HCV-related HCC when compared to HCV-negative patients or healthy donors. Determining the clinical utility of serum B2M as a marker for disease progression in Egyptian patients with HCV related chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma was the aim of the present study. Materials and Methods: In this analytical cross sectional study 92 participants were included in 4 equal groups: Group (1) non cirrhotic chronic HCV; Group (2) HCV related liver cirrhosis; Group (3) HCC on top of HCV,; and Group (4) healthy controls. History taking, clinical examination, routine labs and abdominal ultrasound were conducted for all patients, PCR and Metavir scores for group (1) patients, and triphasic CT abdomen and AFP for Group (3) patients. B2M levels were measured in serum with a fully-automated IMX system. Results: The mean serum B2M level of Group (1) was $4.25{\pm}1.48{\mu}g/ml$., Group (2) was $7.48{\pm}3.04$, Group (3) was $6.62{\pm}2.49$ and Group (4) was $1.62{\pm}0.63$. Serum B2M levels were significantly higher in diseased than control group (p<0.01) being significantly higher in cirrhosis ($7.48{\pm}3.04$) and HCC groups ($6.62{\pm}2.49$) than the HCV group ($4.25{\pm}1.48$) (p<0.01). There was a significant correlation between B2M Level and ALK, total and direct bilirubin and INR (p<0.05), and a significant inverse correlation between B2M level and albumin, total proteins, HB andWBCS values (p<0.05). There was no significant correlation between B2M level and viral load or Metavir score, largest tumour size or AFP (p>0.05). The best B2M cut-off for HCV diagnosis was 2.6 with a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 92%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 97% and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 100%. The best B2M cut-off for HCC diagnosis was 4.55 which yielded sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive values of 74%, 62%, 39.5, 87.8% respectively (p-value <0.01) while best cut-off for cirrhosis was 4.9, with sensitivity 74 % and specificity 74%.The sensitivity for HCC diagnosis increased upon B2M and AFP combined estimation to 91%, specificity to 79%, NPV to 95% and accuracy to 83%. Conclusions: Serum B2M level is elevated in HCV related chronic liver diseases and may be used as a marker for HCV disease progression towards cirrhosis and carcinoma.