Structurally Tractable Uncertain Data

Many data management applications must deal with data which is uncertain, incomplete, or noisy. However, on existing uncertain data representations, we cannot tractably perform the important query evaluation tasks of determining query possibility, certainty, or probability: these problems are hard on arbitrary uncertain input instances. We thus ask whether we could restrict the structure of uncertain data so as to guarantee the tractability of exact query evaluation. We present our tractability results for tree and tree-like uncertain data, and a vision for probabilistic rule reasoning. We also study uncertainty about order, proposing a suitable representation, and study uncertain data conditioned by additional observations.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure, 1 table. To appear in SIGMOD/PODS PhD Symposium 201

The importance of therapeutic window in minimally invasive treatment of acute pancreatitis

Clinica Chirurgie II, Departamentul de Imagistică Medicală, Clinica Gastroenterologie, Clinica ATI I, Spitalul Clinic de Urgență, Sibiu, Al XI-lea Congres al Asociației Chirurgilor „Nicolae Anestiadi” din Republica Moldova și cea de-a XXXIII-a Reuniune a Chirurgilor din Moldova „Iacomi-Răzeșu” 27-30 septembrie 2011Introducere: Pancreatita acută este o afecțiune gravă cu o mortalitate ridicată în formele necrotico-hemoragice, în ciuda progreselor terapeutice actuale. Dorim să subliniem importanța instituirii terapiei corespunzătoare în intervalul „ferestrei terapeutice”, interval în care lanțul patogenic poate fi întrerupt (manevre miniinvazive). Material şi metodă: În 2006, în Clinica Chirurgie 2 a fost instituit un protocol terapeutic cu viza patogenică, ce asociază terapia medicală cu cea chirurgicală laparoscopică de decompresie precoce a arborelui biliopancreatic şi/sau necrectomie laparoscopică, în funcție de tipul pancreatitei acute. Alegerea momentului operator trebuie să fie precoce (fereastra terapeutică), bine documentată şi adaptată fiecărui caz în parte. Rezultate: Eficiența acestui protocol este obiectivată de reducerea la jumătate a incidenței formelor de pancreatită acută gravă precum şi de reducerea drastică a mortalității. Concluzii: Evoluția favorabilă a cazurilor tratate conform acestui protocol mixt, precum şi perioada de spitalizare relativ redusă, variind între un minim de 7 zile şi un maxim de 25 de zile, pledează pentru acest concept terapeutic patogenic, miniinvaziv.Introduction: Acute pancreatitis is a very serious disease with a high mortality in necrotic forms, despite the progresses made in therapeutic management. Our purpose is to underline the importance of establishing the suitable therapy within the interval of „therapeutic window”, when the pathogenic chain can be cutted down (minimally invasive maneuvers). Matherial and method: In 2006, in Clinic Surgery 2 it had beed established a protocol with pathogenic target which associates medical treatment and laparoscopic decompression of billiary tract and/or laparoscopic necrectomy adapted to the type of the pancreatitis. Chosing the operation moment must be precocious (within therapeutic window) well documented and adapted to each case separately. Results: The efficiency of this protocol is objectifiing through the reduction to half of the incidence of the severe forms of acute pancreatitis and also drastically redu ction of the mortality. Conclusions: The favourable evolution of the cases treated according to this mixt protocol and the relative short period of spitalization between 7 and 25 days, pleads for this pathogenic and minilally invasive concept of treatment. Key words: acute pancreatitis, therapeutic window, laparoscopic necrectomy

Dual-Modal Near-Infrared Organic Nanoparticles: Integrating Mild Hyperthermia Phototherapy with Fluorescence Imaging

Raluca Borlan,1,* Madalina Tudor,1,2,* Olga Soritau,3 Adrian Florea,4 Emoke Pall,5 Bogdan Pop,6,7 Dana Maniu,2 Simion Astilean,1,2 Monica Focsan1,2 1Nanobiophotonics and Laser Microspectroscopy Centre, Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Bio-Nano-Sciences, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania; 2Biomolecular Physics Department, Faculty of Physics, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania; 3Department of Radiobiology and Tumor Biology, Oncology Institute Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuta, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania; 4Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania; 5Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania; 6Department of Pathology, Oncology Institute Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuta, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania; 7Department of Pathology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Monica Focsan, Biomolecular Physics Department, Faculty of Physics, Babes-Bolyai University; Nanobiophotonics and Laser Microspectroscopy Centre, Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Bio-Nano-Sciences, Str. Treboniu Laurian 42, Cluj-Napoca, 400271, Romania, Email [email protected]: Our study seeks to develop dual-modal organic-nanoagents for cancer therapy and real-time fluorescence imaging, followed by their pre-clinical evaluation on a murine model. Integrating NIR molecular imaging with nanotechnology, our aim is to improve outcomes for early-stage cutaneous melanoma by offering more effective and less invasive methods. This approach has the potential to enhance both photothermal therapy (PTT) and Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy (SLNB) procedures for melanoma patients.Methods: NIR-797-isothiocyanate was encapsulated in poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) acid (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) using a two-step protocol, followed by thorough characterization, including assessing loading efficiency, fluorescence stability, and photothermal conversion. Biocompatibility and cellular uptake were tested in vitro on melanoma cells, while PTT assay, with real-time thermal monitoring, was performed in vivo on tumor-bearing mice under irradiation with an 808 nm laser. Finally, ex vivo fluorescence microscopy, histopathological assay, and TEM imaging were performed.Results: Our PLGA NPs, with a diameter of 270 nm, negative charge, and 60% NIR-797 loading efficiency, demonstrated excellent stability and fluorescence properties, as well as efficient light-to-heat conversion. In vitro studies confirmed their biocompatibility and cellular internalization. In vivo experiments demonstrated their efficacy as photothermal agents, inducing mild hyperthermia with temperatures reaching up to 43.8 °C. Ex vivo microscopy of tumor tissue confirmed persistent NIR fluorescence and uniform distribution of the NPs. Histopathological and TEM assays revealed early apoptosis, immune cell response, ultrastructural damage, and intracellular material debris resulting from combined NP treatment and irradiation. Additionally, TEM analyses of irradiated zone margins showed attenuated cellular damage, highlighting the precision and effectiveness of our targeted treatment approach.Conclusion: Specifically tailored for dual-modal NIR functionality, our NPs offer a novel approach in cancer PTT and real-time fluorescence monitoring, signaling a promising avenue toward clinical translation. Keywords: organic nanoparticles, dual-modal agents, NIR fluorescence imaging, NIR phototherapeutic agents, mild hyperthermia, melanom

Making a Christian Private University Appealing to Prospective Students: The Case of Covenant University

Worldwide, universities are established to train highly skilled manpower that are expected to contribute to the development of their societies. Nigerian universities are expected to contribute to the achievement of the national goals using education as a tool. Before 1993, the provision of university education in Nigeria was a government monopoly. Many people could not be offered admissions into public universities because the existing facilities could not accommodate the deluge of requests. However, private universities have entered into the higher education service provision market. With many of them competing for prospective student enrolment, it is not surprising that some of them have deployed marketing strategies to attract students and make them stand out from the cluttered market. This paper examines how Covenant University, a Christian faith-based university and the acclaimed leader in the private university industry in the country has marketed itself. It found that it uses its product, people, work processes and serene physical location to attract new students. Importantly, it uses its relatively high tuition fees to position itself as the school for the children of the elites