Duration of first remission, hematopoietic cell transplantation-specific comorbidity index and patient age predict survival of patients with AML transplanted in second CR

Michelis, F V,Atenafu, E G,Gupta, V,Kim, D D,Kuruvilla, J,Lambie, A,Lipton, J H,Loach, D,Messner, H A Macmillan Publishers Limited 2013 BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION -BASINGSTOKE- Vol.48 No.11

Allo-SCT is potentially curative for patients with AML. Patients transplanted in CR2 tend to experience inferior survival compared with those in CR1. We retrospectively investigated the impact of pretransplant variables on the outcome of patients transplanted with AML in CR2. Ninety-four patients with AML in CR2 received a transplant between 1999 and 2011 with myeloablative (MA, n=65) or reduced-intensity conditioning regimens (RIC, n=29). Variables investigated included cytogenetic risk at diagnosis (SWOG), hematopoietic cell transplantation-specific comorbidity index (HCT-CI), CMV status, duration of CR1 and age. Median age of all patients was 47 years (range 18–70). Multivariable analysis for OS identified three prognostically significant categories: a favorable risk group included patients with duration of CR1 6 months, age <55 years and HCT-CI score 0–3, an intermediate risk group with duration of CR1 6 months, age <55 years and HCT-CI score 4–5 and a high-risk group with duration of CR1 <6 months or age 55 years (P=0.0001) with 5-year survivals of 53%, 31% and 6%, respectively. Acute and chronic GVHD did not influence this risk stratification. The stated risk factors discriminate patients with different OS and may assist in decision making for allo-SCT.

Seismic and vibration tests for assessing the effectiveness of GFRP for retrofitting masonry structures

Michelis, Paul,Papadimitriou, Costas,Karaiskos, Grigoris K.,Papadioti, Dimitra-Christina,Fuggini, Clemente Techno-Press 2012 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.9 No.3

Full-scale shake table seismic experiments and low-amplitude vibration tests on a masonry building are carried out to assess its seismic performance as well as study the effectiveness of a new multifunctional textile material for retrofitting masonry structures against earthquakes. The un-reinforced and the retrofitted with glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) strips masonry building was subjected to a series of earthquake excitations of increasing magnitude in order to progressively induce various small, moderate and severe levels of damage to the masonry walls. The performance of the original and retrofitted building states is evaluated. Changes in the dynamic characteristics (lowest four modal frequencies and damping ratios) of the building are used to assess and quantify the damage states of the masonry walls. For this, the dynamic modal characteristics of the structure states after each earthquake event were estimated by performing low-amplitude impulse hammer and sine-sweep forced vibration tests. Comparisons between the modal results calculated using traditional accelerometers and those using Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors embedded in the reinforcing textile were carried on to investigate the reliability and accuracy of FBG sensors in tracking the dynamic behaviour of the building. The retrofitting actions restored the stiffness characteristics of the reinforced masonry structure to the levels of the original undamaged un-reinforced structure. The results show that despite a similar dynamic behavior identified, corresponding to reduction of the modal frequencies, the un-reinforced masonry building was severely damaged, while the reinforced masonry building was able to withstand, without visual damage, the induced strong seismic excitations. The applied GFRP reinforcement architecture for one storey buildings was experimentally proven reliable for the most severe earthquake accelerations. It was easily placed in a short time and it is a cost effective solution (covering only 20% of the external wall surfaces) when compared to the cost for full wall coverage by GFRPs.

EU Enlargement and the EMU

( Leo Michelis ),( Minoas Koukouritakis ) 세종대학교 경제통합연구소 (구 세종대학교 국제경제연구소) 2007 Journal of Economic Integration Vol.22 No.1

This paper investigates empirically the extent to which the ten new EU countries are ready to join the European Monetary Union (EMU). Using France and Germany as a benchmark, we assess the prospects of successful EMU participation based on common trends analysis of the nominal convergence criteria as well as on real exchange rates and real per capita GDPs. The empirical results indicate that the new EU countries are partially ready to join the eurozone, and need further adjustments in their government policies to be fully prepared for joining the EMU.

Income Convergence in the Asia-Pacific Region

( Leo Michelis ),( Simon Neaime ) 세종대학교 경제통합연구소 (구 세종대학교 국제경제연구소) 2004 Journal of Economic Integration Vol.19 No.3

This paper uses the concepts of σ-convergence and β-convergence to evaluate empirically the hypothesis of income convergence in the Asia-Pacific region, and its subsets of East Asia and ASEAN during the period 1960-1999. Because of the East Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, the analysis is carried out sequentially, first for the period 1960-1990 and then for the period 1960-1999. For the former period, we find evidence of conditional β-convergence in a group of 17 APEC countries and in 10 EASTASIA countries. No evidence of income convergence is found for the ASEAN group of countries. For the latter period, there is weak evidence of conditional β- convergence in a group of 16 APEC countries, and much weaker evidence of income convergence in EASTASIA. We attribute this finding to the damaging effects of the financial crisis in the second half of the 1990s. Also, the empirical evidence shows that openness to international trade is statistically the most important variable for sustaining economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region. Of the other variables macroeconomic stability has a positive impact on growth, while government spending and population growth have a negative effect in general.

Rare earths from secondary sources: profitability study

Innocenzi, Valentina,De Michelis, Ida,Ferella, Francesco,Veglio, Francesco Techno-Press 2016 Advances in environmental research Vol.5 No.2

The paper is focused on the economic analysis of two hydrometallurgical processes for recovery of yttrium and other rare earth elements (REEs) from fluorescent phosphors of spent lamps. The first process includes leaching with sulphuric acid and precipitation of a mixture of oxalates by oxalic acid, the second one includes leaching with sulphuric acid, solvent extraction with D2EHPA, stripping by acid and recovery of yttrium and traces of other rare earths (REs) by precipitation with oxalic acid. In both cases the REEs were recovered as oxides by calcination of the oxalate salts. The economic analysis was estimated considering the real capacity of the HydroWEEE mobile's plant ($420kg\;batch^{-1}$). For the first flow-sheet the cost of recycling comes to $4.0{\euro}kg^{-1}$, while the revenue from the end-product is around $5.40{\euro}kg^{-1}$. The second process is not profitable, as well as the first one, taking into account the composition of the final oxides: the cost of recycling comes to $5.2{\euro}kg^{-1}$, while the revenue from the end-product is around $3.56{\euro}kg^{-1}$. The process becomes profitable if the final RE oxide mixture is sold for nearly $50{\euro}kg^{-1}$, a value rather far from the current market prices but not so unlikely since could be achieved in the incoming years, considering the significant fluctuations of the Res' market.

Seismic and vibration tests for assessing the effectiveness of GFRP for retrofitting masonry structures

Costas Papadimitriou,Paul Michelis,Grigoris K. Karaiskos,Dimitra-Christina Papadioti,Clemente Fuggini 국제구조공학회 2012 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.9 No.3

Full-scale shake table seismic experiments and low-amplitude vibration tests on a masonry building are carried out to assess its seismic performance as well as study the effectiveness of a new multifunctional textile material for retrofitting masonry structures against earthquakes. The un-reinforced and the retrofitted with glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) strips masonry building was subjected to a series of earthquake excitations of increasing magnitude in order to progressively induce various small, moderate and severe levels of damage to the masonry walls. The performance of the original and retrofitted building states is evaluated. Changes in the dynamic characteristics (lowest four modal frequencies and damping ratios) of the building are used to assess and quantify the damage states of the masonry walls. For this, the dynamic modal characteristics of the structure states after each earthquake event were estimated by performing low-amplitude impulse hammer and sine-sweep forced vibration tests. Comparisons between the modal results calculated using traditional accelerometers and those using Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors embedded in the reinforcing textile were carried on to investigate the reliability and accuracy of FBG sensors in tracking the dynamic behaviour of the building. The retrofitting actions restored the stiffness characteristics of the reinforced masonry structure to the levels of the original undamaged un-reinforced structure. The results show that despite a similar dynamic behavior identified, corresponding to reduction of the modal frequencies, the unreinforced masonry building was severely damaged, while the reinforced masonry building was able to withstand, without visual damage, the induced strong seismic excitations. The applied GFRP reinforcement architecture for one storey buildings was experimentally proven reliable for the most severe earthquake accelerations. It was easily placed in a short time and it is a cost effective solution (covering only 20% of the external wall surfaces) when compared to the cost for full wall coverage by GFRPs.

Creep of Al and Materials

Besterci Michal,Spitas Vasilios,Michelis Paul,Spitas Christos,Sulleiova Katarna,Ballokova Beata,Kvackaj Tibor 한국분말야금학회 2006 한국분말야금학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2006 No.1

Economic Convregence in the European Union

Yin, Ling,Zestos, George K.,Michelis, Leo 세종대학교 국제경제연구소 2003 Journal of Economic Integration Vol.18 No.1

Starting with the Treaty of Rome (1957), the European Union adopted common policies to promote "harmonious economic development and balanced expansion. " The paper investigates how wuccessful such policies were, by examin-ing whether there was economic convergence of the real per capita GDP in the EU. Two measures of convergence are employed. The first is σ, which is based on the cross standard deviation of the real per capitea GDPs of the EU countries; the second is β convergence based on the neoclassical growth model. Both σandβwere estimated using EU data for the period 1960-1995, The empirical findings support the hypithesis of economic convergence within the EU except ofr the 1980-85 sub-period where weak divergence was indicated.

Treatment of fluid catalytic cracking spent catalysts to recover lanthanum and cerium: Comparison between selective precipitation and solvent extraction

Valentina Innocenzi,Francesco Ferella,Ida De Michelis,Francesco Veglio 한국공업화학회 2015 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.24 No.-

The paper is focused on the study of hydrometallurgical processes for recovery of rare earths (RE) from fluid catalytic cracking catalysts (FCCC). According to the experimental results two processes were proposed: in the first one RE were recovered as double sulfates by selective precipitation with sodium hydroxide after leaching with sulfuric acid. The second approach consisted of dissolution of powder by acids, solvent extraction by (2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA), stripping and precipitation of RE oxalates using oxalic acid. Experiments showed that solvent extraction was found to be beneficial in terms of achieving improved final products quality with greater purity (98%).

Economic Convergence in the European Union

( Ling Yin ),( George K. Zestos ),( Leo Michelis ) 세종대학교 경제통합연구소 (구 세종대학교 국제경제연구소) 2003 Journal of Economic Integration Vol.18 No.1

Starting with the Treaty of Rome (1957), the European Union adopted common policies to promote “harmonious economic development and balanced expansion.” The paper investigates how successful such policies were, by examining whether there was economic convergence of the real per capita GDP in the EU. Two measures of convergence are employed. The first is σ, which is based on the cross standard deviation of the real per capita GDPs of the EU countries; the second is β convergence based on the neoclassical growth model. Both σ and β were estimated using EU data for the period 1960-1995. The empirical findings support the hypothesis of economic convergence within the EU except for the 1980-85 sub-period where weak divergence was indicated.