Study of in vivo tumor state and response to therapy by analysis of DNA distribution

Comparative studies of cefamandole and cephalothin were carried out in 32 cancer patients. After rapid intravenous injection of 1 gm cefamandole or cephalothin, the peak mean serum concentrations in 11 patients achieved at 0.25 hr were 103.4 mcg/ml and 56.7 mcg/ml, respectively. Except at 6 hr, the serum concentration of cefamandole was higher (p less than 0.05) at all times. The terminal half-lives (t 1/2) were similar, being 1.2 hr for cefamandole and 1.0 hr for cephalothin. Cefamandole, 1 gm intramuscularly, induced a peak mean serum concentration of 26.6 mcg/ml at 1 hr, with a slow decay. Intermittent cefamandole (2 gm intravenously every 6 hr) induced very high mean serum concentrations (7 patients), but at 4 hr the concentrations were similar to those after 1 gm intravenously. Per cent of urinary excretion was similar for both drugs regardless of dose and mode of administration. Continuous-infusion cefamandole or cephalothin (2 gm loading followed by 2 gm every 6 hr) in 14 patients showed consistently higher serum concentrations for cefamandole (p less than 0.05) over a 5-day period. There was no evidence of drug accumulation in the multiple-dose studies. Both the single- and multiple-dose schedules were well tolerated.     

Exposure to enriched environment improves spatial learning performances and enhances cell density but not choline acetyltransferase activity in the hippocampus of ventral subicular-lesioned rats.

The authors demonstrated the efficacy of enriched housing conditions in promoting the behavioral recovery and neuronal survival following subicular lesion in rats. Chemical lesioning of the ventral subiculum impaired the spatial learning performances in rats. The lesion also induced a significant degree of neurodegeneration in the CA1 and CA3 areas of the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. Exposure to enriched housing conditions improved the behavioral performance and partially attenuated the neurodegeneration in the hippocampus. The choline acetyl transferase (ChAT) activity in the hippocampus remained unchanged following ventral subicular lesion and also following exposure to an enriched environment. The study implicates the effectiveness of activity-dependent neuronal plasticity induced by environmental enrichment in adulthood following brain insult. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Investigations on surface composition and microstructure of sintered barium titanate

The paper describes studies on surface atomic composition, microstructure and microarea elemental distribution in sintered undoped as well as donor or acceptor doped polycrystalline barium titanate ceramics. The specimens examined are derived from barium titanate powders synthesized by two different wet chemical procedures namely oxalate precursor route and gel-to-crystallite conversion. The compositional analysis is carried out by backscattering spectrometry (BS) involving 3.05 MeV ¹⁶O(α,α)¹⁶O resonant scattering while investigations on microstructure and microarea elemental distribution are performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. The specimens prepared by either method are monophasic; however, their surface atomic composition, microstructural features as well as electrical characteristics are significantly different. The specimens obtained by oxalate precursor route generally have Ti rich surfaces and exhibit coarse to fine grained microstructure depending on the nature and extent of doping. The Mn-doped specimens exhibit appreciable O deficiency. The specimens prepared by gel to crystallite conversion, in contrast, usually have Ba enriched surfaces and exhibit fine-grained microstructure. EDS measurements show the segregation of acceptors such as Mn, Cu and Zn in the grain boundaries of oxalate precursor derived ceramics. Further, the relative atomic ratio of Ti to Ba at the sites of segregations is higher compared to other locations.     

Microwave dielectric behavior of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide thin films

Dielectric behavior of titania thin films, deposited by DC magnetron sputtering on to borosilicate glass substrates, in the microwave region is reported. Deposition in a 100% pure oxygen DC plasma is demonstrated. The nanocrystalline films showed a crystallite size range between 16 and 50 nm. The crystallite size decreased with increase in film thickness between 150 and 700 nm and increase in rate of deposition. Refractive index decreased with increase in percentage of oxygen in the sputter gas. The dielectric constants were measured using the extended cavity perturbation technique at 8.98, 10.01 and 10.98 GHz. The dielectric constant and loss tangent showed a very small decrease with increase in frequency but exhibited a stronger dependence on processing parameters as well as crystallite size. The dielectric constant peaked at a value of 46 (±0.1) at a frequency of 8.98 GHz with 50% O₂ in the plasma, decreasing above and below it. Similarly, it peaked at a value of 46 (±0.1) for a crystallite size of 40 nm decreasing thereafter. Interestingly, the dielectric constant also showed a maximum at a bandgap of 3.36 eV at the same value. In each case the maximum dielectric constant was accompanied by a minimum in the dielectric loss. The variation in the dielectric properties can be correlated with microstructural changes as evidenced by SEM and AFM images.     

An effective hybrid approach to remote-sensing image classification

This article presents a hybrid fuzzy classifier for effective land-use/land-cover (LULC) mapping. It discusses a Bayesian method of incorporating spatial contextual information into the fuzzy noise classifier (FNC). The FNC was chosen as it detects noise using spectral information more efficiently than its fuzzy counterparts. The spatial information at the level of the second-order pixel neighbourhood was modelled using Markov random fields (MRFs). Spatial contextual information was added to the MRF using different adaptive interaction functions. These help to avoid over-smoothing at the class boundaries. The hybrid classifier was applied to advanced wide-field sensor (AWiFS) and linear imaging self-scanning sensor-III (LISS-III) images from a rural area in India. Validation was done with a LISS-IV image from the same area. The highest increase in accuracy among the adaptive functions was 4.1% and 2.1% for AWiFS and LISS-III images, respectively. The paper concludes that incorporation of spatial contextual information into the fuzzy noise classifier helps in achieving a more realistic and accurate classification of satellite images.     

Satellite derived crop calendar for canal operation schedule in Bhadra project command area,India

Spatial information on crop calendars in the command areas of irrigation systems is useful to irrigation engineers in order to achieve chronological synchronization between water delivery pattern and crop life cycle. Such synchronization is vital for efficient use of water. The capability of satellite remote sensing technology to generate spatial crop calendar information in an irrigated command area and its usefulness in the evaluation of water delivery patterns are demonstrated in this paper. The study pertains to the major crop paddy during the rabi season (December to June) of 1992-93, in the Bhadra project command area of Karnataka state, India. Analyses of multidate Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) profiles of paddy crop generated from Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite data for each distributary command reveal three distinct growth patterns in the study area with each pattern characterized by a particular crop calendar. The spatial variability in crop calendar over the total command area has thus been derived. The ground truth data obtained in crop cutting experiments (CCEs) validate the satellite derived crop calendar. Distributary wise, water delivery data have been studied in conjunction with the satellite derived crop calendar to determine whether the existing pattern of water delivery covers the required length of crop life cycle in the command area. It was found that the water supply was stopped about 30 days before harvesting in some distributaries and in some about 20-30 days before harvesting. A list of distributaries with greater lags between cessation of water supply and crop harvest was provided to irrigation system engineers to aid their plans for providing a reliable and predictable irrigation service. This is possible either through reorganization of canal operation schedule or through educating farmers about the need for adjusting their agricultural activities to match water supply patterns.     

Onset of thermal instability in a horizontal layer of fluid with modulated boundary temperatures

Thermal instability in a horizontal layer of fluid, with the boundary temperatures modulated sinusoidally in time, is studied. The amplitude of modulation is assumed small and is used as an expansion parameter. It is shown that an exact solution can be obtained, even when the boundaries are considered to be rigid. When only the lower boundary temperature is modulated, for small values of the Prandtl number modulation is always stabilizing, while for large values it can be stabilizing or destabilizing depending on the modulation frequency. When both boundary temperatures are modulated in phase, modulation is destabilizing for low modulation frequency, but for higher modulation frequency stabilization occurs for low values of the Prandtl number. When the two boundary temperatures are modulated out of phase the modulation always has a stabilizing effect.     

Integrating ABM/TOC approaches for performance improvement: A framework and application

During the last 20 years, new philosophies such as the Theory of Constraints (TOC) and Activity-Based Management (ABM) have emerged as viable, distinct alternatives for measuring and improving the performance of world-class manufacturing companies. In the early phase of their evolution, these philosophies differed fundamentally in their approaches; but there is increasing evidence that both philosophies have now evolved to a stage where an integrated framework can be developed for enhancing cross-functional coordination, thereby improving organizational performance. In this paper, a general framework is presented that integrates the basic concepts, as well as recent advances of TOC and ABM philosophies, into a cohesive framework that can be used to guide performance improvement initiatives . A successful implementation in a world-class manufacturing company is described to validate the framework and to demonstrate that these philosophies can indeed work together in positive ways. Insights are provided into the reasons for implementing such an integrative framework, e.g. identifying the most profitable mix of products, allocating scarce resources optimally, establishing priorities for process improvements, analysing the strategic investment (or expansion) alternatives, and exploiting new market segments.     

Stress-intensity factors for a wide range of semi-elliptical surface cracks in finite-thickness plates

Surface cracks are among the more common flaws in aircraft and pressure vessel components. Accurate stress analyses of surface-cracked components are needed for reliable prediction of their crack growth rates and fracture strengths. Several calculations of stress-intensity factors for semi-elliptical surface cracks subjected to tension have appeared in the literature. However, some of these solutions are in disagreement by 50–100%.

In this paper stress-intensity factors for shallow and deep semi-elliptical surface cracks in plates subjected to tension are presented. To verify the accuracy of the three-dimensional finite-element models employed, convergence was studied by varying the number of degrees of freedom in the models from 1500 to 6900. The 6900 degrees of freedom used here were more than twice the number used in previously reported solutions. Also, the stress-intensity variations in the boundary-layer region at the intersection of the crack with the free surface were investigated.     

Crosslink density and cure window of oligourethane diol/melamine high-solids coatings

Oligourethane diols were crosslinked with melamine formaldehyde, and their crosslink density was determined by using an equilibrium swelling method. In formulations containing primary or secondary hydroxylated diol the major part of the crosslinker is consumed by transetherification reactions and self-condensation. The aromatic nature of TDI imparts rigidity while the aliphatic IPDI results in flexibility of the backbone chain of oligomer. The profile of cure schedules has been determined in the form of a cure window which measures the extent of reaction in terms of crosslink density as a function of bake temperature. The experimentally determined properties like tensile strength and MEK rub-resistance have been taken into consideration for fixing the lower and upper limits of XLD in designing the cure windows of individual coating formulations. The baking schedules of coatings have also been expressed in the form of nominal and true cure windows. Organic Coatings and Polymers Div., I.I.C.T., Hyderabad - 500 007, India.