In-situ comparison of high-order detonations and low-order deflagration methodologies for underwater unexploded ordnance (UXO) disposal.

The unexploded ordnance (UXO) on the seabed off Northwest Europe poses a hazard to offshore developments such as windfarms. The traditional removal method is through high-order detonation of a donor explosive charge placed adjacent to the UXO, which poses a risk of injury or death to marine mammals and other fauna from the high sound levels produced and is destructive to the seabed. This paper describes a sea-trial in the Danish Great Belt to compare the sound produced by high-order detonations with that produced by deflagration, a low-order disposal method that offers reduced environmental impact from noise.

Acoustic characterisation of unexploded ordnance disposal in the North Sea using high order detonations.

Results are presented of acoustic measurements made during the disposal of 54 items of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the North Sea during the pre-construction phase of two offshore windfarms. The disposals were conducted using high-order controlled detonation of donor charges placed on the seabed adjacent to the UXOs. The total charge masses ranged from 2.

On the Importance of Consistent Insonation Conditions During Hydrophone Calibration and Use.

Hydrophones are generally calibrated in acoustic fields with temporally localized (short pulse) or long duration (tone burst) signals. Free-field conditions are achieved by time gating any reflections from the hydrophone body, mounting structures, and surrounding water tank boundaries arriving at the active sensing element. Consequently, the sensitivity response of the hydrophone is a result of direct waves incident on its active element, free from any contaminating effects of reflections.

American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Center of International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, and European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation Clinical Practice Recommendations for Transplantation and Cellular Therapies in Mantle Cell Lymphoma.

Autologous (auto-) and allogeneic (allo-) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) are accepted treatment modalities in contemporary treatment algorithms for mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy recently received approval for MCL; however, its exact place and sequence in relation to HCT remain unclear. The American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Center of International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, and the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation jointly convened an expert panel to formulate consensus recommendations for role, timing, and sequencing of auto-HCT, allo-HCT, and CAR T cell therapy for patients with newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory (R/R) MCL.

ASTCT, CIBMTR, and EBMT clinical practice recommendations for transplant and cellular therapies in mantle cell lymphoma.

Autologous (auto-) or allogeneic (allo-) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) are accepted treatment modalities for mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Recently, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy received approval for MCL; however, its exact place and sequence in relation to HCT is unclear. The ASTCT, CIBMTR, and the EBMT, jointly convened an expert panel to formulate consensus recommendations for role, timing, and sequencing of auto-, allo-HCT, and CAR T-cell therapy for patients with newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory (R/R) MCL.

Underwater acoustic characterisation of unexploded ordnance disposal using deflagration.

The seabed off North West Europe contains much unexploded ordnance (UXO), posing a hazard to offshore developments such as windfarms. The typical removal method is through high-order detonation of a donor charge placed adjacent to the UXO. This method poses a risk of injury or death to marine mammals and other fauna from the high sound levels produced.

A Radiation Force Balance Target Material for Applications below 0.5 MHz.

Acoustic output power is an important safety-related parameter whose standardised measurement method involves use of a radiation force balance in conjunction with a special target that is typically designed to be totally absorbing to ultrasound. International Standard International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61161 specifies important performance criteria for such an absorber, such as transmission loss and reflection loss. Currently, there is a lack of acoustic absorbers meeting these requirements at low frequencies (<0.

Maintenance Therapies for Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas After Autologous Transplantation: A Consensus Project of ASBMT, CIBMTR, and the Lymphoma Working Party of EBMT.

Importance: Maintenance therapies are often considered as a therapeutic strategy in patients with lymphoma following autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto-HCT) to mitigate the risk of disease relapse. With an evolving therapeutic landscape, where novel drugs are moving earlier in therapy lines, evidence relevant to contemporary practice is increasingly limited. The American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT), Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), and European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) jointly convened an expert panel with diverse expertise and geographical representation to formulate consensus recommendations regarding the use of maintenance and/or consolidation therapies after auto-HCT in patients with lymphoma.

The role of stem cell transplantation in the management of relapsed follicular lymphoma in the era of targeted therapies.

Patients with relapsed follicular lymphoma (FL) following first-line therapy have an increasing number of management strategies ranging from observation through to stem cell transplantation. There has been an exciting expansion in novel agents to treat FL, but at present there is not a universally accepted standard of care in the relapse setting. Decision-making can be difficult for the clinician as there is a paucity of data to compare the various relapse therapies available.

Outcomes of Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma after Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation: A Eurocord and EBMT Lymphoma and Cellular Therapy & Immunobiology Working Party Study.

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation is an alternative for patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), but only limited data on unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) are available. We analyzed 131 adults with HL who underwent UCBT in European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation centers from 2003 to 2015. Disease status at UCBT was complete remission (CR) in 59 patients (47%), and almost all patients had received a previous autologous stem cell transplantation.

Long-term outcome analysis of reduced-intensity allogeneic stem cell transplantation in patients with mantle cell lymphoma: a retrospective study from the EBMT Lymphoma Working Party.

Reduced-intensity allogeneic stem cell transplantation (RIST) is usually reserved for patients with mantle cell lymphoma who relapse after an autoSCT. However, the long-term efficacy of RIST and its curative potential have not been clearly demonstrated. We studied the long-term outcome of patients receiving a RIST for MCL as reported to the EBMT.

Measurement and characterisation of radiated underwater sound from a 3.6 MW monopile wind turbine.

This paper describes underwater sound pressure measurements obtained in close proximity (∼50 m) to two individual wind turbines, over a 21-day period, capturing the full range of turbine operating conditions. The sound radiated into the water was characterised by a number of tonal components, which are thought to primarily originate from the gearbox for the bandwidth measured. The main signal associated with the turbine operation had a mean-square sound pressure spectral density level which peaked at 126 dB re 1 μPa Hz at 162 Hz.

Male-biased sex ratio does not promote increased sperm competitiveness in the seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus.

Sperm competition risk and intensity can select for adaptations that increase male fertilisation success. Evolutionary responses are examined typically by generating increased strength of sexual selection via direct manipulation of female mating rates (by enforcing monandry or polyandry) or by alteration of adult sex ratios. Despite being a model species for sexual selection research, the effect of sexual selection intensity via adult sex-ratio manipulation on male investment strategies has not been investigated in the seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus.

Measurement of Underwater Operational Noise Emitted by Wave and Tidal Stream Energy Devices.

The increasing international growth in the development of marine and freshwater wave and tidal energy harvesting systems has been followed by a growing requirement to understand any associated underwater impact. Radiated noise generated during operation is dependent on the device's physical properties, the sound-propagation environment, and the device's operational state. Physical properties may include size, distribution in the water column, and mechanics/hydrodynamics.

Sex-biased mortality associated with inbreeding in Drosophila melanogaster.

Background: One proposed consequence of inbreeding is a skewed sex ratio arising from sex specific mortality in the homogametic sex caused by inbreeding on the sex chromosome. However, recent work suggests that random distortions in sex ratio due to autosomal inbreeding may be of greater importance. In this study, we investigate the effect of biologically realistic levels of inbreeding on sex ratio and sex specific mortality in Drosophila melanogaster.

The granulocytes in neutropenia 1 (GIN 1) study: a safety study of granulocytes collected from whole blood and stored in additive solution and plasma.

Objective/aim: To evaluate the safety of transfusing pooled, whole blood-derived granulocytes in additive solution and plasma (GASP) in 30 recipients.

Background: Demand for granulocytes in England has increased five-fold. With the advantages of reduced red cell, plasma and overall volume, GASP maintains function in vitro.

Assortative mating for relatedness in a large naturally occurring population of Drosophila melanogaster.

New theoretical work on kin selection and inclusive fitness benefits predicts that individuals will sometimes choose close or intermediate relatives as mates to maximize their fitness. However, empirical examples supporting such predictions are rare. In this study, we look for such evidence in a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster.

Absolute calibration of hydrophones immersed in sandy sediment.

An absolute calibration method has been developed based on the method of three-transducer spherical-wave reciprocity for the calibration of hydrophones when immersed in sandy sediment. The method enables the determination of the magnitude of the free-field voltage receive sensitivity of the hydrophone. Adoption of a co-linear configuration allows the acoustic attenuation within the sediment to be eliminated from the sensitivity calculation.

Prediction of acoustic radiation from axisymmetric surfaces with arbitrary boundary conditions using the boundary element method on a distributed computing system.

This paper presents a computational technique using the boundary element method for prediction of radiated acoustic waves from axisymmetric surfaces with nonaxisymmetric boundary conditions. The aim is to predict the far-field behavior of underwater acoustic transducers based on their measured behavior in the near-field. The technique is valid for all wavenumbers and uses a volume integral method to calculate the singular integrals required by the boundary element formulation.

Reduced intensity conditioning allogeneic stem cell transplantation for Hodgkin's lymphoma: identification of prognostic factors predicting outcome.

Background: The role of reduced intensity conditioning allogeneic stem transplantation (RICalloSCT) in the management of patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma remains controversial.

Design And Methods: To further define its role we have conducted a retrospective analysis of 285 patients with HL who underwent a RICalloSCT in order to identify prognostic factors that predict outcome. Eighty percent of patients had undergone a prior autologous stem cell transplantation and 25% had refractory disease at transplant.