SynopsisThe general permeation equations for various transport operations using membranes were correlated according to the solution-diffusion theory. It was shown that for some important conditions, the permeation properties for reverse osmosis can be generated from those of pervaporation. The use of reverse osmosis with pressure smaller than 2000 psi is calculated to be of limited use for the purification of water with small amounts of organic compounds.a3

Despite recent large-scale profiling efforts, the best prognostic predictor of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains the patient's age at diagnosis. We describe a global pattern of tumor-exclusive co-occurring copy-number alterations (CNAs) that is correlated, possibly coordinated with GBM patients' survival and response to chemotherapy. The pattern is revealed by GSVD comparison of patient-matched but probe-independent GBM and normal aCGH datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We find that, first, the GSVD, formulated as a framework for comparatively modeling two composite datasets, removes from the pattern copy-number variations (CNVs) that occur in the normal human genome (e.g., female-specific X chromosome amplification) and experimental variations (e.g., in tissue batch, genomic center, hybridization date and scanner), without a-priori knowledge of these variations. Second, the pattern includes most known GBM-associated changes in chromosome numbers and focal CNAs, as well as several previously unreported CNAs in 3% of the patients. These include the biochemically putative drug target, cell cycle-regulated serine/threonine kinase-encoding TLK2, the cyclin E1-encoding CCNE1, and the Rb-binding histone demethylase-encoding KDM5A. Third, the pattern provides a better prognostic predictor than the chromosome numbers or any one focal CNA that it identifies, suggesting that the GBM survival phenotype is an outcome of its global genotype. The pattern is independent of age, and combined with age, makes a better predictor than age alone. GSVD comparison of matched profiles of a larger set of TCGA patients, inclusive of the initial set, confirms the global pattern. GSVD classification of the GBM profiles of an independent set of patients validates the prognostic contribution of the pattern.

Sepsis and septic shock are common and potentially fatal conditions that often occur in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Early prediction of patients at risk for septic shock is therefore crucial to minimizing the effects of these complications. Potential indications for septic shock risk span a wide range of measurements, including physiological data gathered at different temporal resolutions and gene expression levels, leading to a nontrivial prediction problem. Previous works on septic shock prediction have used small, carefully curated datasets or clinical measurements that may not be available for many ICU patients. The recent availability of a large, rich ICU dataset called MIMIC-II has provided the opportunity for more extensive modeling of this problem. However, such a large clinical dataset inevitably contains a substantial amount of missing data. We investigate how different imputation selection criteria and methods can overcome the missing data problem. Our results show that imputation methods in conjunction with predictive modeling can lead to accurate septic shock prediction, even if the features are restricted primarily to noninvasive measurements. Our models provide a generalized approach for predicting septic shock in any ICU patient.

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SynopsisThe permeation characteristics of the isomers of such aromatics as dichlorobenzenes, nitrochlorobenzenes, xylenes, etc., through a Methocel HG membrane containing various amounts of Schardinger a-cyclodextrin and P-cyclodextrin additives were measured in liquidhiquid dialysis and pervaporation experiments. The results showed that the cyclodextrins are able to selectively mediate molecular transport through the Methocel HG membranes. In general, increased membrane selectivity and a decrease in permeation rates were observed. Permeation rates for some aromatic compounds were decreased several hundred times with only 25% amounts of additive cyclodextrins in the Methocel HG membranes. Concentration electrical potential and bi-ionic electrical potential in membranes containing the Schardinger cyclodextrin have been measured and also show that the cyclodextrins are able t o induce ion transport selectively through nonionic membranes. Dynamic mechanical properties of Methocel HG membranes containing cyclodextrins suggest these additives to be antiplasticizing agents. A mechanism for the modification of the intrinsic membrane permeation properties by cyclodextrin additive involving antiplasticizing action by the additives plus induced tortuous diffusion, where the latter is a result of specific interactions between the cyclodextrin additive and the permeating molecules, is proposed.