Rapid Detection of Recurrent Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer in Urine Using ATR-FTIR Technology

Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC) accounts for 80% of all bladder cancers. Although it is mostly low-grade tumors, its high recurrence rate necessitates three-times-monthly follow-ups and cystoscopy examinations to detect and prevent its progression. A rapid liquid biopsy-based assay is needed to improve detection and reduce complications from invasive cystoscopy. Here, we present a rapid spectroscopic method to detect the recurrence of NMIBC in urine. Urine samples from previously-diagnosed NMIBC patients (n = 62) were collected during their follow-up visits before cystoscopy examination. Cystoscopy results were recorded (41 cancer-free and 21 recurrence) and attenuated total refraction Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectra were acquired from urine samples using direct application. Spectral processing and normalization were optimized using parameter grid searching. We assessed their technical variability through multivariate analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). We assessed 35 machine learning models on a training set (70%), and the performance was evaluated on a held-out test set (30%). A Regularized Random Forests (RRF) model achieved a 0.92 area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) with 86% sensitivity and 77% specificity. In conclusion, our spectroscopic liquid biopsy approach provides a promising technique for the early identification of NMIBC with a less invasive examination.     

The chemistry of trityl isoselenocyanate revisited: A preparative and structural investigation

The reaction of trityl chloride with KSeCN gives trityl isoselenocyanate which was structurally characterised by X-ray diffraction. Trityl isoselenocyanate reacts with hydrazine to give trityl selenosemicarbazide and with primary amines to give selenourea derivatives. However, with secondary amines mixtures of selenoureas and substitution products are formed. Trityl selenosemicarbazide undergoes a condensation reaction with salicylaldehyde to give the corresponding trityl selenosemicarbazone. In the case of 2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde, the analogous selenosemicarbazone cannot be isolated, instead a small quantity of the diselenide was isolated from the reaction mixture. The compounds prepared here were fully characterised spectroscopically and several also by X-ray diffraction.     

On the sub-mixed fractional Brownian motion

Let {SHt, t ≥ 0} be a linear combination of a Brownian motion and an independent sub-fractional Brownian motion with Hurst index 0 H 1. Its main properties are studied.They suggest that SHlies between the sub-fractional Brownian motion and the mixed fractional Brownian motion. We also determine the values of H for which SHis not a semi-martingale.     

Synthesis of Spiro and Fused Five Membered N-Heterocycles from Alkylidenephosphoranes

Triketoindan-2-oxime reacted readily with ethoxycarbonylmethylene triphenylphosphorane to give mainly the corresponding spiro-pyrrole (38%) along with the fused 1-hydroxydihydropyrrole (14%), whereas the spiro-dimer (29%) was obtained from the reaction of the oxime with methoxycarbonylmethylenetriphenyl phosphorane in addition to the corresponding 1-hydroxydihydropyrrole (31%). Conversely, Wittig products, mono-olefin (52%) and diolefin (<7%) along with the reduced substrate (10%), were observed when the oxime was treated with a cyano ylide. The reactions of the oxime with allyl- and vinyl phosphonium salts proceeded under phase-transfer catalysis to afford fused oxazole (46%) and spiro[2]oxazole (17%), while with the latter the fused 1-hydroxypyrrole (55%) was produced.     

Generalized logarithmic Gauss map and its relation to (co)amoebas

We define the generalized logarithmic Gauss map for algebraic varieties of the complex algebraic torus of any codimension. Moreover, we describe the set of critical points of the logarithmic mapping restricted to our variety, and we show an analogous of Mikhalkin's result on the critical points of the logarithmic map restricted to a hypersurface.     

An interior-proximal method for convex linearly constrained problems and its extension to variational inequalities

In this paper, an entropy-like proximal method for the minimization of a convex function subject to positivity constraints is extended to an interior algorithm in two directions. First, to general linearly constrained convex minimization problems and second, to variational inequalities on polyhedra. For linear programming, numerical results are presented and quadratic convergence is established.Corresponding author. His research has been supported by C.E.E grants: CI1* CT 92-0046.     

Geometric representation of the mean–variance–skewness portfolio frontier based upon the shortage function

The literature suggests that investors prefer portfolios based on mean, variance and skewness rather than portfolios based on mean–variance (MV) criteria solely. Furthermore, a small variety of methods have been proposed to determine mean–variance–skewness (MVS) optimal portfolios. Recently, the shortage function has been introduced as a measure of efficiency, allowing to characterize MVS optimal portfolios using non-parametric mathematical programming tools. While tracing the MV portfolio frontier has become trivial, the geometric representation of the MVS frontier is an open challenge. A hitherto unnoticed advantage of the shortage function is that it allows to geometrically represent the MVS portfolio frontier. The purpose of this contribution is to systematically develop geometric representations of the MVS portfolio frontier using the shortage function and related approaches.     

Mineralization of aqueous phenolate solutions: A combination of irradiation treatment and wet oxidation

Wet oxidation (high-temperature, high-pressure oxidation of organic wastes in aqueous solution) and radiation technology were combined in γ-ray and electron beam induced oxidation of 4×10^?4–1×10^?2 mol dm^?3 Na-phenolate solutions in a wide O₂ concentration (1–20 bar pressure) and absorbed dose (0–50 kGy) range. Most experiments were made in stainless steel high pressure autoclave equipped with magnetic stirrer. The rate of oxidation was followed by chemical oxygen demand and total organic carbon content measurements. The rate was similar in γ-ray and pulsed electron beam irradiation and increased with O₂ concentration in the liquid.