Parameter estimation for the distribution of single cell lag times.

In Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment, it is vital to understand how lag times of individual cells are distributed over a bacterial population. Such identified distributions can be used to predict the time by which, in a growth-supporting environment, a few pathogenic cells can multiply to a poisoning concentration level. We model the lag time of a single cell, inoculated into a new environment, by the delay of the growth function characterizing the generated subpopulation. We introduce an easy-to-implement procedure, based on the method of moments, to estimate the parameters of the distribution of single cell lag times. The advantage of the method is especially apparent for cases where the initial number of cells is small and random, and the culture is detectable only in the exponential growth phase.

Use of high-frequency jet ventilation for percutaneous tumor ablation.

PURPOSE: To report feasibility and potential benefits of high-frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) in tumor ablations techniques in liver, kidney, and lung lesions. METHODS: This prospective study included 51 patients (14 women, mean age 66 years) bearing 66 tumors (56 hepatic, 5 pulmonary, 5 renal tumors) with a median size of 16 ± 8.7 mm, referred for tumor ablation in an intention-to-treat fashion before preoperative anesthesiology visit. Cancellation and complications of HFJV were prospectively recorded. Anesthesia and procedure duration, as well as mean CO2 capnea, were recorded. When computed tomography guidance was used, 3D spacial coordinates of an anatomical target <2 mm in diameter on 8 slabs of 4 slices of 3.75-mm slice thickness were registered. RESULTS: HFJV was used in 41 of 51 patients. Of the ten patients who were not candidate for HFJV, two patients had contraindication to HFJV (severe COPD), three had lesions invisible under HFJV requiring deep inspiration apnea for tumor targeting, and five patients could not have HFJV because of unavailability of a trained anesthetic team. No specific complication or hypercapnia related to HFJV were observed despite a mean anesthetic duration of 2 h and ventilation performed in procubitus (n = 4) or lateral decubitus (n = 6). Measured internal target movement was 0.3 mm in x- and y-axis and below the slice thickness of 3.75 mm in the z-axis in 11 patients. CONCLUSIONS: HFJV is feasible in 80 % of patients allowing for near immobility of internal organs during liver, kidney, and lung tumor ablation.

Hints for a fast precessing relativistic radio jet in LS I+61·303

Here we discuss two consecutive MERLIN observations of the X-ray binary LS I +61◦303. The first observation shows a double-sided jet extending up to about 200 AU on both sides of a central source. The jet shows a bent S-shaped struct ure similar to the one displayed by the well-known precessing jet of SS 433. The precession suggested in the first MERLIN image becomes evident in the second one, showing a one-sided bent jet significantly rotated with respect to the jet of the day before. We conclude that the derived precession of the relativistic (β=0.6) jet explains puzzling previous VLBI results. Moreover , the fact that the precession is fast could be the explanation of the never understood short term (days) variability of the associated gamma-ray source 2CG 135 + 01 / 3EG J0241 + 6103.

One-sided jet at milliarcsecond scales in LSI+61·303

We present Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations of the high mass X-ray binary LSI+61303, carried out with the European VLBI Network (EVN). Over the 11 hour observing run, performed 10 days after a radio outburst, the radio source showed a constant flux density, which allowed sensitive imaging of the emission distribution. The structure in the map shows a clear extension to the southeast. Comparing our data with previous VLBI observations we interpret the extension as a collimated radio jet as found in several other X-ray binaries. Assuming that the structure is the result of an expansion that started at the onset of the outburst, we derive an apparent expansion velocity of 0.003 c, which, in the context of Doppler boosting, corresponds to an intrinsic velocity of at least 0.4 c for an ejection close to the line of sight. From the apparent velocity in all available epochs we are able to establish variations in the ejection angle which imply a precessing accretion disk. Finally we point out that LSI+61303, like SS433 and Cygnus X-1, shows evidence for an emission region almost orthogonal to the relativistic jet.

Use of combined suspension laryngoscopy and jet ventilation for Y-shaped airway stents delivery.

Airway stenting is a common endoscopic procedure that is used to treat a variety of central airway lesions. Obstructions or fistulas involving the carina or nearby tracheobronchial structures require the use of specially designed stents, commonly referred to as Y-stents. Conventional methods of endobronchial Y-stent delivery are all characterized by a blind and apneic period during the procedure that carries the risk of stent misplacement or ventilation/oxygenation problems or both. Using combined suspension laryngoscopy, flexible bronchoscopy, and jet ventilation, we describe a technique that makes challenging bronchoscopic interventions--such as self-expandable Y-shaped airway stent delivery--easy, precise, and safe.

Lag, moral och rättvisa i rättsskipningen : paneldiskussion

Diskussionsfrågan n:r 5, "Lag, moral och rättvisa i rättsskipningen - vems moral och rättvisa i förhållande till vem?" behandlades den 15 april 1999 i form av en paneldebatt

Lag-one autocorrelation in short series: Estimation and hypothesis testing

In the first part of the study, nine estimators of the first-order autoregressive parameter are reviewed and a new estimator is proposed. The relationships and discrepancies between the estimators are discussed in order to achieve a clear differentiation. In the second part of the study, the precision in the estimation of autocorrelation is studied. The performance of the ten lag-one autocorrelation estimators is compared in terms of Mean Square Error (combining bias and variance) using data series generated by Monte Carlo simulation. The results show that there is not a single optimal estimator for all conditions, suggesting that the estimator ought to be chosen according to sample size and to the information available of the possible direction of the serial dependence. Additionally, the probability of labelling an actually existing autocorrelation as statistically significant is explored using Monte Carlo sampling. The power estimates obtained are quite similar among the tests associated with the different estimators. These estimates evidence the small probability of detecting autocorrelation in series with less than 20 measurement times.

Health consultation : jet gas spill site, Lowell, Henry County, Iowa (2004)

An attorney representing seven property owners in Lowell, Iowa, requested the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) Hazardous Waste Site Health Assessment Program to perform a health consultation for the Jet Gas Spill Site. The attorney asked the IDPH to provide comments concerning the potential and likely health effects to her clients due to exposure from the spill. The specific issues to be addressed are listed in this health consultation. The information in this health consultation was current at the time of writing. Data that emerges later could alter this document’s conclusions and recommendations.

The CD4-like molecule LAG-3, biology and therapeutic applications.

IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Promising immunotherapeutic agents targeting co-stimulatory pathways are currently being tested in clinical trials. One player in this array of regulatory pathways is the LAG-3/MHC class II axis. The lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3) is a negative co-stimulatory receptor that modulates T cell homeostasis, proliferation and activation. A recombinant soluble dimeric form of LAG-3 (sLAG-3-Ig, IMP321) shows adjuvant properties and enhances immunogenicity of tumor vaccines. Recent clinical trials produced encouraging results, especially when the human dimeric soluble form of LAG-3 (hLAG-3-Ig) was used in combination with chemotherapy. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: The biological relevance of LAG-3 in vivo. Pre-clinical data demonstrating adjuvant properties, as well as the improvement of tumor immunity by sLAG-3-Ig. Recent advances in the clinical development of the therapeutic reagent IMP321, hLAG-3-Ig, for cancer treatment. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: This review summarizes preclinical and clinical data on the biological functions of LAG-3. TAKE HOME MESSAGE: The LAG-3 inhibitory pathway is attracting attention, in the light of recent studies demonstrating its role in T cell unresponsiveness, and Treg function after chronic antigen stimulation. As a soluble recombinant dimer, the sLAG-3-Ig protein acts as an adjuvant for therapeutic induction of T cell responses, and may be beneficial to cancer patients when used in combination therapies.