Spontaneous acute tumor lysis syndrome in acute myeloid leukemia? A single case report with discussion of the literature

Acute tumor lysis syndrome (ATLS), a condition which results from a rapid destruction of tumor cells with massive release of cellular breakdown products, has been well described following the treatment of various malignancies. However, only a handful of cases of spontaneous ATLS have been reported in the literature. We describe the first reported case of spontaneous ATLS in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A previously healthy 63 year old woman presented with a two month history of fatigue and a one week history of easy bruising. On admission she had oliguric acute renal failure, with marked elevation in serum uric acid and phosphate. A bone marrow biopsy showed AML M7 with fibrosis. The renal failure resolved with supportive care and institution of allopurinol therapy. Following this, AML induction chemotherapy resulted in complete remission. Her biochemical and clinical course were very similar to the classical ATLS seen in patients after chemotherapy. Therefore, this case represents a rare instance of acute renal failure from spontaneous ATLS, and in our opinion the first reported occurrence of spontaneous ATLS associated with AML.     

A Three Phased Approach To Final Exam Scheduling

A multi-phase examination scheduling process applicable to large university settings in general and SUNY at Buffalo (SUNYAB) in particular is proposed. Each scheduling phase is considered an integral part of the overall scheduling process and solved independently. Phase one of scheduling process is wth the assignment of examinations to exam blocks (each containing one or more exams). The objective of this phase is to minimize the number of students taking more than one exam in the same exam block. The problem is solved using a variation of the quadratic assignment problem. Phase two of the scheduling process uses the results from phase one as input. The exam blocks are assigned to exam days in such a way that some measure of students' comfort is maintained. Phase two of the scheduling process is formulated as a set covering problem with an extra constraint. Phase three of the scheduling process which is involved wt h the assignment of exam blocks to exam periods in each day and optimal ordering of exam days is solved heuristically using a traveling salesman problem as part of solution procedure. The performance of the algorithms devised for the multi-phase scheduling process are tested both in terms of quality of the solutions obtained and the computer time to generate these solutions.     

The anodic dissolution of tin in sodium hydroxide solutions

Rotating-disc and impedance studies of the active dissolution of tin in NaOH solutions are reported. The Tafel slope was found to be close to 30 mV decade^?1 under all conditions while the order of reaction with respect to hydroxide ions is 3. A mechanism consistent with the experimental results is proposed. Explanation of earlier,conflicting results are suggested.     

Effect of multi-wall carbon nanotubes on the mechanical properties of natural rubber

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were used to prepare natural rubber (NR) nanocomposites. Our first effort to achieve nanostructures in MWNTs/NR nanocomposites were formed by incorporating carbonnanotubes in a polymer solution and subsequently evaporating the solvent. Using this technique, nanotubess can be dispersed homogeneously in the NR matrix in an attempt to increase the mechanical properties of these nanocomposites. The properties of the nanocomposites such as tensile strength, tensile modulus, tear strength, elongation at break and hardness were studied. Mechanical test results show an increase in the initial modulus for up to 12 times in relation to pure NR. In addition to mechanical testing, the dispersion state of the MWNTs into NR was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in order to understand the morphology of the resulting system. According to the present study, application of the physical and mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes to NR can result in rubber products which have improved mechanical, physical and chemical properties, compared with existing rubber products reinforced with carbon black or silicone.     

Yearly simulation of the interaction between an ice rink and its refrigeration system: A case study

A transient model of airflow and heat transfer in an indoor ice rink and a quasi-steady model of its refrigeration system have been coupled and used to simulate their response to the time dependent ambient conditions and operating schedule for a typical meteorological year. The results for two different cases show that it is possible to reduce significantly the time of operation of the compressors and the energy consumption of the refrigeration system by simultaneously reducing the ceiling emissivity and increasing the secondary coolant temperature without affecting the quality of the ice.     

Maghrebian dialect recognition based on support vector machines and neural network classifiers

This paper investigates the feed forward back propagation neural network (FFBPNN) and the support vector machine (SVM) for the classification of two Maghrebian dialects: Tunisian and Moroccan. The dialect used by the Moroccan speakers is called “La Darijja” and that of Tunisians is called “Darija”. An Automatic Speech Recognition System is implemented in order to identify ten Arabic digits (from zero to nine). The implementation of our present system consists of two phases: The features extraction using a variety of popular hybrid techniques and the classification phase using separately the FFBPNN and the SVM. The experimental results showed that the recognition rates with both approaches have reached 98.3 % with FFBPNN and 97.5 % with SVM.     

BWR stability analyses with SIMULATE-3K benchmark against measured plant data

The best-estimate coupled neutronic/thermal-hydraulics code, SIMULATE-3K (S3K), is used by many utilities, research institutes, and regulatory authorities in Europe for performing BWR stability analysis. Analysis of many measured BWR stability tests (often performed in European BWRs) provides the basis for the validation for stability parameter calculations (decay ratio and natural frequency) with S3K. This paper summarizes part of the extensive validation database for the code, and discusses the influence of fuel pin model parameters on the stability results.     

Separation of Cu from dilute Cu–Ni–Co bearing bioleach solutions using solvent extraction with Chemorex CP-150

Solvent extraction of Cu from simulated and real bioleaching solutions obtained from a complex Cu–Ni–Co bearing tailing was investigated using Chemorex CP-150 extractant. The effects of several critical parameters, namely pH, contact time, extractant concentration, metal ion concentration, and organic/aqueous phase ratio on Cu extraction were evaluated. Isotherm studies showed that more than 99.9% Cu was transferred with a single stage for each of the extraction and stripping steps. A mixed Ni–Co sulfide was produced from the extraction effluent. A developed flow sheet was proposed to treat Cu–Ni–Co bearing sulfidic tailings by bioleaching, jarosite precipitation, solvent extraction, and sulfide precipitation processes.     

Hygrothermal effect on moisture kinetics and mechanical properties of hemp/polypropylene composite: Experimental and numerical studies

The exposition of thermoplastic composites reinforced with natural fibers to moisture and heat is likely to lower their mechanical properties and restrain their use in the design of parts. The present work is focussed on investigating the effects of hygrothermal aging on the mechanical behaviour of injected polypropylene reinforced with short hemp fibers. Moreover, the kinetic of isothermal moisture absorption has been studied for four immersion temperatures. The experimental results show that the time taken to reach saturation decreases significantly with increase in immersion temperature. These tests also reveal that moisture absorption in this type of materials does not follow Fick's law. Thus, a new model is proposed to predict this behaviour by the use of a variable coefficient of diffusion. This model is implemented using both analytical and finite element analysis (FEA) approaches. The results obtained with this new model show a very good correlation between experimental, analytical, and FEA absorption curves. POLYM. COMPOS., 37:2342–2352, 2016. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers