Randomised trial of interferon alpha-2a as adjuvant therapy in resected primary melanoma thicker than 1.5 mm without clinically detectable node metastases. French Cooperative Group on Melanoma

BACKGROUND: Owing to the limited efficacy of therapy on melanoma at the stage of distant metastases, a well-tolerated adjuvant therapy is needed for patients with high-risk primary melanoma. Our hypothesis was that an adjuvant treatment with low doses of interferon alpha could be effective in patients with localised melanoma. METHODS: After resection of a primary cutaneous melanoma thicker than 1.5 mm, patients without clinically detectable node metastases were randomly assigned to receive either 3x10(6) IU interferon alpha-2a, three-times weekly for 18 months, or no treatment. The primary endpoint was the relapse-free interval. FINDINGS: 499 patients were enrolled, of whom 489 were eligible. When used as part of a sequential procedure, interferon alpha-2a was of significant benefit for relapse-free interval (p=0.038). A long-term analysis, after a median follow-up of 5 years, showed a significant extension of relapse-free interval (p=0.035) and a clear trend towards an increase in overall survival (p=0.059) in interferon alpha-2a-treated patients compared with controls. There were 100 relapses and 59 deaths among the 244 interferon alpha-2a-treated patients compared with 119 relapses and 76 deaths among the 245 controls. The estimated 3-year-relapse rates were 32% in the interferon alpha-2a group and 44% in controls; the 3-year death rates were 15% and 21%, respectively. Only 10% of patients experienced WHO grade 3 or 4 adverse events. Treatment was compatible with normal daily life. INTERPRETATION: Adjuvant therapy of high-risk melanoma with low doses of interferon alpha-2a for 18 months is safe and is beneficial when started before clinically detectable node metastases develop.     

Dissolution kinetics of iron in liquid zinc

In hot dip galvanizing, steel strip is coated by immersion in a bath of molten zinc. The principal reactions that occur at the steel/liquid zinc interface are (1) dissolution of iron and (2) nucleation and growth of intermetallic compounds. In order to improve the management of industrial galvanizing baths, it is essential to evaluate the flux of dissolved iron that diffuses into the bath from the sheet. For this purpose, a rotating disk device has been developed to study the dissolution and diffusion of iron in pure liquid zinc at the temperature usually employed in galvanizing baths (465°C). Since the dissolution reaction is controlled by diffusion under these conditions, the diffusion coefficient of iron in liquid zinc has been measured and found to be: D _Fe ^Zn(L) = (9.8 ± 0.1) × 10^–10 m²·s^–1     

TiO2-containing cement pastes and mortars: Measurements of the photocatalytic efficiency using a rhodamine B-based colourimetric test

The photocatalytic activities of cement pastes and mortars, containing various amounts of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) in the anatase form, were evaluated and compared. The density, total porosity and pore size distribution of the materials were measured, and the amount of TiO₂ being at their surfaces was estimated. The photocatalytic efficiency was evaluated by monitoring the discolouration of rhodamine B applied to the surface of the materials which were then exposed to artificial sun light; this evaluation was based on the use of a dimensionless specific activity coefficient. For TiO₂ contents higher than 1 wt% (up to 5 wt%), cement pastes exhibited a photocatalytic activity higher than that of mortars because their activity was roughly proportional to the TiO₂ content, whereas the activity of mortars levelled off. On the other hand, the type of cement used to prepare the materials had a low effect on the photocatalytic performances.     

On-line prediction of surface finish and dimensional deviation in turning using neural network based sensor fusion

This paper examines the feasibility for an intelligent sensor fusion technique to estimate on-line surface finish (Ra) and dimensional deviations (DD) during machining. It first presents a systematic method for sensor selection and fusion using neural networks. Specifically, the turning of free-machining and low carbon steel is considered. The relationships of the readily sensed variables in machining to Ra and DD, and their sensitivity to process conditions are established. Based on this experimental data and using statistical tools, the sensor selection and fusion method assists the experimenter in determining the average effect of each candidate sensor on the performance of the measuring system. In the case studied, it appeared that the cutting feed, depth of cut and two components of the cutting force (the feed and radial force components) provided the best combination to build a fusion model for on-line estimation of Ra and DD in turning. Surface finish was assessed with an error varying from 2 to 25% under different process conditions, while errors ranging between 2 and 20 μm were observed for the prediction of dimensional deviations.     

Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of α‐Arylaminocyclobutanones

A catalytic enantioselective synthesis of α‐arylaminocyclobutanones from racemic α‐hydroxycyclobutanone and a selection of N‐alkylanilines has been established, via a tandem condensation/keto‐enol tautomerization process reminiscent of the Amadori and Heyns rearrangements.

     

Two-phase flow and evaporation in model fibrous media: Application to the gas diffusion layer of PEM fuel cells

Two-phase flow dominated by capillary effects in model fibrous media is studied combining pore-network simulations and visualisations on transparent micromodels. It is shown that the process of liquid water invasion in a hydrophobic medium can be simulated using the classical invasion percolation algorithm provided that the contact angle (measured in air, which is the wetting phase) is sufficiently far below 90°. For contact angles approaching 90°, changes in the interface local growth mechanisms lead to changes in the invasion pattern.     

Fundamental basis for distance relaying with parametricalestimation

This paper deals with the application of parametrical estimation to transmission line protection. A classification of several algorithms based on the line differential equation, is described. New algorithms are proposed and evaluated with transient simulations     

Doublefoot: a new mouse mutant affecting development of limbs and head

The mutant doublefoot, Dbf, of the mouse arose spontaneously, and was shown to be inherited as an autosomal dominant, mapping 9-13 cM proximal to leaden, In, on chromosome 1 and showing no recombination with the microsatellite markers D1Mit24 and D1Mit77. In heterozygotes the phenotype includes many extra toes on all four feet, and the tibia and fibula may be reduced and bowed. The head is shortened and broad and the eyes are held half-closed, and some animals develop hydrocephalus. The tail is kinked and abnormally thick, and the soles of the feet are swollen. Growth is retarded, viability is reduced, and reproduction is impaired in both sexes. Only about 30% of males are normally fertile, and testis weights and sperm counts may be reduced, although this appears not to be the main cause of poor fertility. In females vaginal opening is delayed and oestrous cycles are irregular, although the animals appear to respond to gonadotrophic hormones. Crosses of Dbf/+ x Dbf/+ are very poorly fertile. Prenatally, Dbf/+ heterozygotes can first be recognized at 11 1/2 days gestation by abnormally broad fore limb buds. Putative Dbf/Dbf homozygotes at 12 1/2 days have similar limbs defects and also split face, due to failure of the maxillae to fuse in the midline. Some homozygotes and a few putative heterozygotes have cranioschisis. At 13 1/2 days, the heads of homozygotes tend to bulge in the frontal region and a bleb of clear fluid is visible medially. At 14 1/2 days Dbf/Dbf fetuses may have oedema and some are dead. From 15 1/2 days onwards no live Dbf/Dbf fetuses have been found. The gene maps close to the locus of Pax3, but crossovers between Dbf and Pax3 have been found, ruling out the possibility that a gain-of-function mutation in Pax3 might be involved.     

Pore structure modification of pitch-based activated carbon by NaOCl and air oxidation/pyrolysis cycles

Two complementary wearing off cycling methods based on an initial wet oxidation in a sodium hypochlorite solution or an initial dry oxidation under air, both followed by a thermal pyrolysis under nitrogen, have been applied to a same carbon molecular sieve to study its gradual pore structure modifications. The changes in microporous properties resulting from these cycles were studied by N₂ physisorption at 77 K and analyzed by using the Dubinin–Radushkevich equation. The observed textural behaviour is different from those usually observed using conventional activation processes. The surface complexes created on the surface of carbon by each NaOCl oxidation were characterized by temperature-programmed desorption (TG-TPD-MS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Corresponding surface functional species have been identified and quantified.

Each of the two methods leads to the formation of two distinct microporous domains developed on the obtained modified CMS series. The gradual mean pore size values of one of those domains are common to the two series while the others are much more enlarged by the oxygen than by the NaOCl treatments. Therefore, the two methods lead to complementary data allowing experimental differentiation of the different porosities encountered in activated carbons. Such series of materials of common origin and surface chemistry but different gradual textural properties are of great interest for activated carbons structural studies as well as for characterization technique improvements.