No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Bedaquiline is a medication recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of multidrug resistant tuberculosis. Due to its recent nature, there exists little information on the efficacy and safety of the drug. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to collect what data exist on bedaquiline and assess its efficacy and safety relative to currently recommended regimens, and some specific medications used in those regimens for treating both multidrug resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. Nine studies were collected from databases and direct journal searches and pooled to make a sample size of 950 patients receiving a treatment regimen containing bedaquiline. Of these 950 patients on bedaquiline-containing regimens, a high percentage had culture conversion at six months (84.13%, 95% CI = 72.53% - 92.98%), treatment cure (71.86%, 95% CI = 60.94% - 81.60%), and treatment success (70.80%, 95% CI = 61.57% - 79.24%), and a low percentage discontinued bedaquiline (3.65%, 95% CI = 1.98% - 5.81%), or died (6.56%, 95% CI = 4.15% - 9.45%), despite a high number of XDR-TB and HIV co-infected patients. Adverse events due to bedaquiline (21.39%, 95% CI = 11.66% - 33.11%), total severe adverse events (26.50%, 95% CI = 6.98% - 52.86%), hepatotoxicity (14.37%, 95% CI = 2.56 – 33.47%), and QT prolongation percentages (10.37%, 95% CI = 3.19% - 21.01%) were high, but did not lead to bedaquiline discontinuation or death. The efficacy and relative safety of bedaquiline make it a viable option versus current alternative medications and, as part of a regimen, it is far more successful at treating multidrug-, and extensively drug-, resistant tuberculosis than conventional regimens. New treatment regimens only just being put into use, however, such as the Bangladesh regimen, still seem to be superior. More research, including randomized controlled trials, is required to identify how bedaquiline should be incorporated into making multidrug resistant tuberculosis treatment more effective and safe. / 2020-02-20T00:00:00Z

The black walnut, Juglans nigra L., is native to the United States (USA) and is a valuable timber and nut tree. Just before the beginning of the 21st century, several western states observed a decline in the health and, later, death of black walnut trees. The pathogen-vector complex now known as thousand cankers disease (TCD) was shown to be the cause. The disease, caused by Geosmithia morbida Kolařik, is vectored by the walnut twig beetle (WTB), Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman. Thousands of WTB will swarm and enter a tree vectoring the fungus at each entry point where cankers then develop, quickly expand, coalesce and kill the branch or stem. The disease has been confirmed across the USA and in parts of Europe. The research and development of resistant cultivars is important to maintain native populations and livelihoods. The purpose of this project was to evaluate black walnut and hybrid trees for resistance to TCD through direct inoculation with the pathogen G. morbida. Inoculation of limbs took place in early summer of 2015, 2016 and 2017 at the Cyril Reed Funk Research Farm in Richmond, UT and Dayton, ID. Inoculated limbs were removed from the tree after senescence and canker size measured. An average of 336 trees were inoculated. One tree consistently exhibited resistance to TCD indicated by no canker staining. An additional 14 trees exhibited resistance for two of the three years. The results of this project indicate that breeding for resistance to TCD could be a management option for the disease.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Anette M. Karlsson, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. Includes bibliographical references.

An experimental study of a passive energy dissipation tension-compression yielding brace or buckling restrained brace has been conducted. The Confined Yielding Damper (CYD) consists of a steel yielding core confined within a tube filled with non-cohesive media. The external tube and confined non-cohesive media provide lateral stability to the core enabling the device to yield in compression as well as tension. This device is similar to the Unbonded Brace developed by Nippon Steel of Japan. Fourteen full-scale CYDs were tested to determine the effect of varied confining media, perforation blocking configuration, and a random displacement history. Based on the Confined Yielding Dampers tested relatively stable and symmetric hysteretic damping can be achieved with the CYD device. / Graduation date: 2003

Base isolation is an alternative seismic design strategy in which the primary structures and their internal components are uncoupled from the potentially damaging horizontal components of an earthquake by base isolators which attenuate the transmission of horizontal acceleration into the system. Rotating machines are among the key internal components of many modern structures. In this study, flexible rotating machines protected against seismic excitations by two particular types of base isolation systems, Resilient-Friction Base Isolation (R-FBI) and Laminated Rubber Bearing (LRB), are investigated. A comparative study is carried out to compare aseismic responses of base isolation systems and their corresponding fixed-base ones in protecting a rotating machine rigidly attached to a floor level or independently isolated. Finite-element analysis techniques based on energy methods are proposed to investigate a general complex model of the rotating system which incorporates nonuniform properties as well as one or more rigid disks along the length of the flexible shaft and complicated bearing support systems. The equations of motion for the rotating machines using these methods are developed. An approximate linear analysis to gain insight into the behavior of a simple linear two-degree-of-freedom isolated structure is presented. This elementary analysis allows us to develop an analytical expression for the fundamental frequencies, and their corresponding mode shapes, amplification factors and design response spectra of base shear. It also demonstrates that the transmission of ground motion to the systems is effectively controlled through the isolation of the system at its base. The combined rotating machine-isolator; rotating machine-structure-isolator; and structure-isolator systems, and their corresponding fixed-base ones are investigated and compared. The governing equations of motion and the criteria of phase transition (R-FBI only) are presented. Parametric studies to examine the sample response and response spectra, as well as effects of variations in some system properties including friction coefficient, damping ratio, mass ratio, ground motion excitation intensity, shaft flexibility, bearing rigidity and rotating speed, on the response of these systems are performed. The peak accelerations and relative displacements of the base isolated systems and corresponding fix-base ones are analyzed and compared. Other response quantities of special interest such as sliding displacement, residual displacement, cumulative displacement and relative-to-ground displacement of the structure are also evaluated. Based on the numerical results, conclusions of the effectiveness of the R-FBI and LRB systems in protecting the rotating machines and the structures are made. / Graduation date: 1998

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2006. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 443-450).