Jerusalem College of Technology

About: Jerusalem College of Technology is a education organization based out in Jerusalem, Israel. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Fuzzy logic & Population. The organization has 598 authors who have published 1356 publications receiving 13786 citations. The organization is also known as: Lev Academic Center & Bet ha-sefer ha-gavoha le-ṭekhnologyah bi-Yerushalayim.

The human tumor microbiome is composed of tumor type–specific intracellular bacteria

Abstract: Bacteria were first detected in human tumors more than 100 years ago, but the characterization of the tumor microbiome has remained challenging because of its low biomass. We undertook a comprehensive analysis of the tumor microbiome, studying 1526 tumors and their adjacent normal tissues across seven cancer types, including breast, lung, ovary, pancreas, melanoma, bone, and brain tumors. We found that each tumor type has a distinct microbiome composition and that breast cancer has a particularly rich and diverse microbiome. The intratumor bacteria are mostly intracellular and are present in both cancer and immune cells. We also noted correlations between intratumor bacteria or their predicted functions with tumor types and subtypes, patients' smoking status, and the response to immunotherapy.

Sonochemical Deposition of Silver Nanoparticles on Silica Spheres

Abstract: Silver nanoparticles with an average size of ∼5 nm were deposited on the surface of preformed silica submicrospheres with the aid of power ultrasound. Ultrasound irradiation of a slurry of silica submicrospheres, silver nitrate, and ammonia in an aqueous medium for 90 min under an atmosphere of argon to hydrogen (95:5) yielded a silver−silica nanocomposite. By controlling the atmospheric and reaction conditions, we could achieve the deposition of metallic silver on the surface of the silica spheres. The resulting silver-deposited silica submicrosphere samples were characterized with X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, photoacoustic spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared, UV−visible, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Pulse oximetry: fundamentals and technology update

Abstract: Oxygen saturation in the arterial blood (SaO2) provides information on the adequacy of respiratory function. SaO2 can be assessed noninvasively by pulse oximetry, which is based on photoplethysmographic pulses in two wavelengths, generally in the red and infrared regions. The calibration of the measured photoplethysmographic signals is performed empirically for each type of commercial pulse-oximeter sensor, utilizing in vitro measurement of SaO2 in extracted arterial blood by means of co-oximetry. Due to the discrepancy between the measurement of SaO2 by pulse oximetry and the invasive technique, the former is denoted as SpO2. Manufacturers of pulse oximeters generally claim an accuracy of 2%, evaluated by the standard deviation (SD) of the differences between SpO2 and SaO2, measured simultaneously in healthy subjects. However, an SD of 2% reflects an expected error of 4% (two SDs) or more in 5% of the examinations, which is in accordance with an error of 3%-4%, reported in clinical studies. This level of accuracy is sufficient for the detection of a significant decline in respiratory function in patients, and pulse oximetry has been accepted as a reliable technique for that purpose. The accuracy of SpO2 measurement is insufficient in several situations, such as critically ill patients receiving supplemental oxygen, and can be hazardous if it leads to elevated values of oxygen partial pressure in blood. In particular, preterm newborns are vulnerable to retinopathy of prematurity induced by high oxygen concentration in the blood. The low accuracy of SpO2 measurement in critically ill patients and newborns can be attributed to the empirical calibration process, which is performed on healthy volunteers. Other limitations of pulse oximetry include the presence of dyshemoglobins, which has been addressed by multiwavelength pulse oximetry, as well as low perfusion and motion artifacts that are partially rectified by sophisticated algorithms and also by reflection pulse oximetry.

Phase transitions in fiber materials

Abstract: We propose a theory for the phase transitions in materials made from natural fibers. At heating, the theory predicts structural phase transitions of the first order. The normalized thermodynamical characteristics show the universal behavior of a scaling law, which is unusual for first order phase transitions The scaling exponents depend only on the exponent of the energy of small-angle interaction between fiber segments. We consider here some specific fibers like collagen which ``melt'' (denaturate) at higher temperature and we found explicit expressions for the thermodynamics characteristics, which can be verified by experiment.

The difference in pulse transit time to the toe and finger measured by photoplethysmography.

Abstract: Blood pressure pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a parameter which is related to arterial distensibility. Its direct assessment, by measuring the appearance time of a pressure pulse in two sites along an artery and the distance between the two sites, is complicated and inaccurate. In the current study, pulse transit time (PTT) to the toes and fingers of 44 normotensive male subjects was measured by photoplethysmography (PPG) and ECG. The arrival time of the pulses at the toe and finger was determined from the foot of the systolic rise of the PPG signal, i.e. at end-diastolic time. Two parameters, which are related to PWV, were tested: the time delay between the ECG R-wave and the arrival time of the pulses at the toe (E-T PTT), and the difference in the transit time of the blood pressure pulses between the toe and finger (T-F PTTD). E-T PTT and T-F PTTD decreased as functions of the subject's age and systolic blood pressure (SBP), but their dependence on the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was not statistically significant. The decrease of the PTT parameters with age is attributed to the direct structural decrease of the arterial compliance with age and not to functional effects associated with the increase of the blood pressure with age, since the PTT parameters did not depend on DBP though the measurements were performed at end-diastole.