Nutech (Germany)

The prepared nanocomposites show an enhanced electrochemical performance.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), an X-linked disorder, occurs due to mutation, deletion or duplication of the DMD gene which encodes the protein dystropin. It is estimated to affect 1 in 3,300 boys. The disease progression leads to muscles necrosis. In cases discussed in this article, five patients with DMD were treated with human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). All patients showed stability and mild improvement clinically like the ability to walk, stand, and sit, improved breathing capacity, increased body weight, improved hand functions and improved muscle strength. A remarkable reduction occurred in the creatine phosphokinase (CPK) levels of all the five patients without further deterioration. In conclusion, hESCs might become an effective therapeutic option for DMD in the future. More clinical data are needed to gather evidences supporting the use of hESC in the treatment of DMD. J Neurol Res. 2015;5(1-2):186-191 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jnr326w

Abstract This paper summarizes the work performed by EBN together with NuTech Energy Alliance for the Netherlands regional study, which aims to address the underexplored pay potential covering both onshore and offshore Netherlands. The paper provides the technical proceedures involved and the usage of available public domain well data for the Netherlands regional field study in order to fulfill the study's two main objectives. First main objective being to identify and analyze the shale play opportunities in unconventional reservoirs of the Lower Jurassic Posidonia Formation and the Namurian Geverik member as well as other shale & marl sections in the area. The second objective is to identify bypassed hydrocarbon opportunities in conventional reservoir sections through onshore and offshore Netherlands. The Netherlands regional study provides insight into reservoir potential, geological and petrophysical properties of all formations based on innovative petrophysical well data analysis that were applied to 116 representative wells across the area.

Experimental data suggest that melatonin decreases inflammatory changes after major liver resection, thus positively influencing the postoperative course. To assess the safety of a preoperative single dose of melatonin in patients undergoing major liver resection, a randomized controlled double-blind pilot clinical trial with two parallel study arms was designed at the Department of General and Transplantation Surgery, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg. A total of 307 patients, who were referred for liver surgery, were screened. One hundred and thirteen patients, for whom a major liver resection (≥3 segments) was scheduled, were eligible. Sixty-three eligible patients refused to participate, and therefore, 50 patients were randomized. A preoperative single dose of melatonin (50 mg/kg BW) dissolved in 250 mL of milk was administered through the gastric tube after the intubation for general anesthesia. Controls were given the same amount of microcrystalline cellulose. Primary endpoint was safety. Secondary endpoints were postoperative complications. Melatonin was effectively absorbed with serum concentrations of 1142.8 ± 7.2 ng/mL (mean ± S.E.M.) versus 0.3 ± 7.8 ng/mL in controls (P < 0.0001). Melatonin treatment resulted in lower postoperative transaminases over the study period (P = 0.6). There was no serious adverse event in patients after melatonin treatment. A total of three infectious complications occurred in either group. A total of eight noninfectious complications occurred in five control patients, whereas three noninfectious complications occurred in three patients receiving preoperative melatonin (P = 0.3). There was a trend toward shorter ICU stay and total hospital stay after melatonin treatment. Therefore, a single preoperative enteral dose of melatonin is effectively absorbed and is safe and well tolerated in patients undergoing major liver surgery.

Neste trabalho foram realizados estudos para a produção de solução oxidante a partir de rejeito de dessalinizadores de água pelo processo de eletrólise, visando a sua utilização como desinfetante. O experimento foi realizado em escala de laboratório. Três soluções oxidantes foram geradas eletroliticamente, a partir de rejeitos de dessalinizadores de água com concentrações de 1,7 x 10³ mg; 5,5 x 10³ mg e 10,2 x 10³ mg de Cl-/L. O processo de eletrólise tinha duração de oito horas e, a cada hora da reação, o pH, a condutividade elétrica, a temperatura e o cloro total eram monitorados. Foi observado que a produção de cloro está diretamente relacionada com a concentração de cloreto; o teor médio de cloro das soluções oxidantes geradas foi de 0,10%; 0,24 % e 0,27 % m/m.

Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) have the tendency to converge quickly into a single solution in the search space. However, many complex search problems require the identification and maintenance of multiple solutions. Niching methods are the extension of EAs to address this issue. In our study, we propose an evolution strategy (ES) niching method, based on the covariance matrix adaptation (CMA) mechanism. We analyze our algorithm, introduce an experimental setup, and compare its performance with a previous ES niching method, known as the ES dynamic niching algorithm. In our comparison we introduce for the first time a new analytical tool for niching analysis, and in particular the early niching formation process. Based on successful data fit, we propose the well-known logistic model to describe our experimental results.

Methods are developed to numerically analyze an evolutionary algorithm (EA) that applies mutation and selection on a bit-string representation to find the optimum for a bimodal unitation function called a trap function. This research bridges part of the gap between the existing convergence velocity analysis of strictly unimodal functions and global convergence results assuming the limit of infinite time. As a main result of this analysis, a new so-called (1 : /spl lambda/)-EA is proposed, which generates offspring using individual mutation rates p/sub i/. While a more traditional EA using only one mutation rate is not able to find the global optimum of the trap function within an acceptable (nonexponential) time, our numerical investigations provide evidence that the new algorithm overcomes these limitations. The analysis tools used for the analysis, based on absorbing Markov chains and the calculation of transition probabilities, are demonstrated to provide an intuitive and useful method for investigating the capabilities of EAs to bridge the gap between a local and a global optimum in bimodal search spaces.

Neural networks and Kriging method are compared for constructing fitness approximation models in evolutionary optimization algorithms. The two models are applied in an identical framework to the optimization of a number of well known test functions. In addition, two different ways of training the approximators are evaluated: in one setting the models are built off-line using data from previous optimization runs and in the other setting the models are built online from the data available from the current optimization.

A new approach for multi criteria design optimisation is presented in the paper. The problem tackled with this approach is the 2- dimensional design of an aircraft wing. To carry the derandomized step size control also to the multi criteria applications, four different selection schemes are proposed. Furthermore, we present a new method for averaging results of multi objective evolutionary algorithms. This method is then used to compare the results achieved with the proposed algorithms.