Potentiation of tumour necrosis factor-mediated cell killing by VP16 on human ovarian cancer cell lines. In vitro results and clinical implications

Synergism between recombinant human tumour necrosis factor (rHuTNF) and DNA topoisomerase II inhibitor VP16 during the killing of cells has been studied in six human ovarian cancer cell lines (A2774, A2780, SW626, IGROV-1, SKOV3, Pa1) and a cervical carcinoma cell line (Me180). Studies were performed using an assay of colony formation inhibition (drug treatment for 1 h) and a growth inhibition assay (continuous exposure for 20 h). Concomitant treatment of cells with VP16+rHuTNF enhanced cell killing in all the cell lines tested--an effect observed in both short- and long-term cytotoxicity assays. This study suggests that the activity of VP16 in ovarian cancer cell lines might be enhanced by rHuTNF in in vitro models.     

Multiphasity of neoplastic induction

A case of massive pulmonary embolism resulting in marked pulmonary to systemic shunting in a patient with a previously clinically inapparent ventricular or atrial septal defect is presented. The various types of unrecognized intracardiac shunts and their prevalence in the adult population are discussed.     

Effect of breed-type on the relationships between intramuscular and total body fat in steers

The partitioning of total dissectible body fat and the amounts of intramuscular fat in Psoas major, Semitendinosus and Biceps brachii muscles were determined in two groups of A. Angus and AA × Nelore steers with similar averages of total dissectible fat (27·7 kg). In addition, the fatty acid composition of total fat and the triglyceride fraction from dissectible and intramuscular fats were determined.

The AA × Nelore steers have higher levels of subcutaneous fat and lower levels of intermuscular fat than the A. Angus but contain lower levels of intramuscular fat in the three muscles. The allometric regressions varied according to the muscle and breed type. The fatty acid composition of subcutaneous and kidney fats were similar but differences in the percentages of 14:0, 18:0, 18:2 and 20:4 fatty acids in intramuscular fats between the two genetic groups were detected.     

Thermodynamic analysis and assessment of the Ce–Ni system

An optimised set of thermodynamic parameters for the Ce–Ni system has been obtained using the CALPHAD approach. A thorough thermodynamic analysis of the system has been carried out using different calorimetric techniques and the data have been used in the assessment. The free energy of the liquid phase has been described as a function of temperature and composition using a Redlich–Kister polynomial. Solid compounds have been considered as stoichiometric with the exception of the Laves phases. The phase diagram and thermodynamic quantities calculated from assessed parameters agree well with experimental data.     

Phase equilibria in the Au–In–Sn ternary system

Phase equilibria of the Au–In–Sn system have been investigated by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), metallographic examination, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) measurements. The 130 ^°C isothermal section of the phase diagram was studied. The ternary diagram shows six three-phase fields, and one ternary Au₄In₃Sn₃ phase, which melts incongruently at 382 ^°C and shows a homogeneity range between 21 and about 30 at.% In, at constant Au/Sn ratio.     

A procedure for the computation of accurate PWL approximations of non‐linear dynamical systems

In this paper we propose a variational method to find out piecewise‐linear (PWL) approximations of non‐linear dynamical systems in view of their circuit implementations. The method is based on some significant trajectories of the dynamical system and provides reasonably accurate PWL approximations with a relatively low number of parameters. The effectiveness of the method is validated by applying it to the approximation of limit cycles (both stable and unstable) in the Bautin system. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of the Rare-Earth Addition (R = Ce,Sm) on the Phase Equilibria and Microstructure of Ni-Al Alloys

The peculiarities in the phase formation in the Al-rich region of the Ce-Ni-Al and Sm-Ni-Al ternary systems have been investigated by means of optical and scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis and x-ray powder diffraction (XRD) study. The following ternary phases have been identified: Ce₄Ni₆Al₂₃ (τ₁, mS66-Y₄Ni₆Al₂₃), CeNiAl₄ (τ₃, oS24-YNiAl₄), Sm₃Ni₅Al₁₉ (τ₂, oS108-Gd₃Ni₅Al₁₉), Sm₄Ni₆Al₂₃ (τ₁, mS66-Y₄Ni₆Al₂₃) and SmNiAl₄ (τ₃, oS24-YNiAl₄). Moreover, a temperature of 622 °C ± 1 has been established for the ternary eutectic reaction L ? (Al) + NiAl₃ + αCe₃Al₁₁ using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The general characteristics of the sections are discussed in comparison with those of other R-Ni-Al systems (R = rare earths).     

An integrated methodology for the analysis of collaboration in industry networks

In literature, a large number of studies on the Italian districts exhibit a portrait which points out the Italian economic specificity. A specific feature of the Italian districts is the large number of collaborative actions carried on by the associated enterprises which are not limited to the solution of the usual supply chain management problems. As not all the collaborative actions bring immediate (and measurable) economic benefits, there is the need for a reliable and unbiased method aimed at the identification and analysis of the collaborative patterns inside an industry network, to determine their presence and effectiveness. The proposed method uses a graph representation of the inter-firm relationships inside a network and induces the presence of collaborative behaviours by the analysis of the graph topology.     

Synthesis of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) by distillation precipitation polymerization and quantitative grafting on mesoporous silica

In this work, syntheses of thermoresponsive poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) with different molecular weights were carried out in ethanol by distillation precipitation polymerization (DPP) technique. The synthesized polymers were fully characterized by attenuated total reflection Fourier‐transform infrared (ATR‐FTIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and size exclusion chromatography techniques. The lower critical solution temperatures of the polymers were determined with differential scanning calorimetry. A simple and versatile method for the in situ synthesis and grafting of PNIPAM on mesoporus silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with improved control over quantitative grafting is devised. The PNIPAM grafted MSNs were characterized with ATR‐FTIR, thermogravimetric analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering analyses. From the results obtained it is showed that quantitative grafting of PNIPAM on MSNs from 1 to 20% by weight can be tuned by manipulating the in situ DPP reaction conditions. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44181.