Screening of serum samples from Wegener's granulomatosis patients using antibody microarrays

Wegener's Granulomatosis (WG) is an idiopathic granulomatosis autoimmune vasculitis that primarily affects small vessels and is associated with glomerulonephritis and pulmonary granulomatous vasculitis. Anti‐neutrophil cytoplasmic auto‐antibodies (cANCA) against proteinase‐3 are used to identify WG, but ANCA titers are not present in some patients with the localized disease. The objective of this study was to develop an antibody array to help identify protein expression patterns in serum from patients with WG as compared to normals. The arrays were tested for limits of detection, background, and cross reactivity using standard proteins. The arrays were hybridized with either normal patient serum (n = 30) or with serum samples from a population of WG patients (n = 26) that were age and sex matched. Data analysis and curve fitting of the standard dilution series calculated r² values and determined a sensitivity of <50 pg/mL for the majority of proteins. A total of 24 proteins were assessed. Several statistically significant increases (p<0.05) were seen in the expression of: angiotensin converting enzyme‐I, IFN‐γ, IL‐8, s‐ICAM‐1 and s‐VCAM in WG patients as compared to controls. Utilizing the antibody microarray technology has led to the identification of potential biomarkers of vascular injury in the serum of WG patients.     

Fringe—A Java-based finite fringe analysis package

A package for analysing two-dimensional finite fringe interferograms is described. Through a combination of automatic and interactive routines, an interferogram can be processed to extract the phase shift imparted on the recording light by a transparent object. The package consists of routines to condition and pad the original image for Fourier transform analysis, to filter the image and obtain the phase, to unwrap the phase, and to remove the background phase ramp. A sample image recorded using holographic interferometry is successfully analysed.Program summaryProgram title: FRINGECatalogue identifier: AEMM_v1_0Program summary URL: http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEMM_v1_0.htmlProgram obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen’s University, Belfast, N. IrelandLicensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.htmlNo. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 134006No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 4029801Distribution format: tar.gzProgramming language: Java.Computer: Personal Computers.Operating system: Mac OS X, Windows XP, Linux and any other system that can run Java Jar files.RAM: 1GB recommendedClassification: 18.Nature of problem: A standalone multi-platform program to perform analysis of finite fringe interferograms.Solution method: Fourier filtering approach with phase unwrapping and background subtraction.Restrictions: Designed to analyse square images.Running time: Interactive processing takes several minutes. Minimal cpu time.     

The stress dependence of the subgrain size in aluminium

Etch-pit (EP) technique and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) have been used to investigate the subgrain size, , as a function of applied shear stress, , during high-temperature creep of aluminium. Examination of thin foils, prepared from deformed specimens, in the electron microscope shows the presence of very large equiaxed sub-grains that approximate those observed in etch-pit photographs. By measuring the average subgrain size from transmission micrographs of representative areas of the foils, two observations are made. First, the average subgrain size is smaller than that determined from etch-pit procedure, but exhibits the same stress dependence: /b (/G)^– where b is the Burgers vector and G is the shear modulus. Second, the TEM subgrain size data of aluminium and those of other metals and alloys, when plotted in the normalized form of /Gb against /Gb on a logarithmic scale, where is the stacking-fault energy of the material, fall within a narrow, horizontal band, confirming earlier reports that the subgrain size is insensitive to stacking-fault energy.     

Rational Approach to Shear Design in Fiber-Reinforced Polymer-Prestressed Concrete Structures

The use of plasticity-based shear design methods for fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforced and prestressed concrete, as they are used at present, is inappropriate in the long term. In particular, the use of a plasticity-based truss model for shear behavior seems to be unsound, as reliance is placed on a predominantly elastic zone to redistribute stresses. A better approach to shear design would be to employ a model incorporating force equilibrium and compatibility of strains so that the elastic properties of the FRP could be included rationally. This would help to develop a real understanding and form a basis on which new guides and codes could be founded. In tandem with a more rational analytical approach, new configurations and types of FRP reinforcement need to be developed and researched so that these materials can be used more efficiently. An analytical approach to investigate the shear response of FRP-reinforced and -prestressed concrete has been developed, based on equilibrium and compatibility across a shear discontinuity. The analytical model presented here was developed in conjunction with an experimental program. Correlation between the analytical and experimental results is good and more accurate than the current guideline provisions for concrete beams containing FRP reinforcement.     

Multivariate Modeling of Age and Retest in Longitudinal Studies of Cognitive Abilities.

Longitudinal multivariate mixed models were used to examine the correlates of change between memory and processing speed and the contribution of age and retest to such change correlates. Various age- and occasion-mixed models were fitted to 2 longitudinal data sets of adult individuals (N > 1,200). For both data sets, the results indicated that the correlation between the age slopes of memory and processing speed decreased when retest effects were included in the model. If retest effects existed in the data but were not modeled, the correlation between the age slopes was positively biased. The authors suggest that although the changes in memory and processing speed may be correlated over time, age alone does not capture such a covariation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thermal stability of hafnium silicate dielectric films deposited by a dual source liquid injection MOCVD

The hafnium and silicon precursors, Hf(NMe₂)₄ and Bu^tMe₂SiOH, have been investigated for the MOCVD of high-κ hafnium silicate, (HfO₂)_1–x –(SiO₂) _x films for gate dielectric applications. Control of the silica concentration in the hafnium silicate can be achieved by varying the relative precursor ratios up to a saturation level of 35–40% SiO₂. The thermal stability of the resulting hafnium silicate films in air has been investigated using medium energy ion scattering. Internal oxidation of the underlying silicon substrate is discernable when the films are annealed in dry air for 15 min over the temperature range 800–1000 °C.     

Intelligence and Leadership: A Quantitative Review and Test of Theoretical Propositions.

Meta-analysis was used to aggregate results from studies examining the relationship between intelligence and leadership. One hundred fifty-one independent samples in 96 sources met the criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Results indicated that the corrected correlation between intelligence and leadership is .21 (uncorrected for range restriction) and .27 (corrected for range restriction). Perceptual measures of intelligence showed stronger correlations with leadership than did paper-and-pencil measures of intelligence. Intelligence correlated equally well with objective and perceptual measures of leadership. Additionally, the leader's stress level and the leader's directiveness moderated the intelligence-leadership relationship. Overall, results suggest that the relationship between intelligence and leadership is considerably lower than previously thought. The results also provide meta-analytic support for both implicit leadership theory and cognitive resource theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Use Disorders and Personality Disorder Symptoms.

In a nonclinical sample of 395 young adults, the authors evaluated the relations between major personality traits, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) personality disorder symptoms, and DSM-IV alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Consistent with previous findings, traits related to disinhibition and negative affectivity were consistently associated with AUDs, as were Cluster B personality disorder symptoms (especially antisocial and borderline disorder symptoms). Multivariate analyses revealed that Cluster B symptoms were significantly associated with AUDs above and beyond what was accounted for by personality traits. Further, the authors found differential patterns of relations between other substance use disorders (SUDs; i.e., tobacco dependence and drug use diagnoses) and personality disorder symptoms. Overall, these results suggest that personality disorder symptoms predict unique variance in SUDs that reflect maladaptive aspects of personality traits. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prediction of crack coalescence of steam generator tubes in nuclear power plants

Prediction of failure pressures of cracked steam generator tubes of nuclear power plants is an important ingredient in scheduling inspection and repair of tubes. Prediction is usually based on nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of cracks. NDE often reveals two neighboring cracks. If the cracks interact, the tube pressure under which the ligament between the two cracks fails could be much lower than the critical burst pressure of an individual equivalent crack. The ability to accurately predict the ligament failure pressure, called “coalescence pressure,” is important. The failure criterion was established by nonlinear finite element model (FEM) analyses of coalescence of two 100% through-wall collinear cracks. The ligament failure is precipitated by local instability of the ligament under plane strain conditions. As a result of this local instability, the ligament thickness in the radial direction decreases abruptly with pressure. Good correlation of FEM analysis results with experimental data obtained at Argonne National Laboratory’s Energy Technology Division demonstrated that nonlinear FEM analyses are capable of predicting the coalescence pressure accurately for 100% through-wall cracks. This failure criterion and FEA work have been extended to axial cracks of varying ligament width, crack length, and cases where cracks are offset by axial or circumferential ligaments.