Renal Clearable Theranostic Nanoplatforms for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

Advances in molecular imaging modalities have accelerated the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. However, tumors less than 1 cm in size still remain difficult to localize by conventional means because of the difficulty in specific targeting/delivery to the tumor site. Furthermore, high nonspecific uptake in the major organs and persistent background retention results in low tumor-to-background ratio. The targeting and therapy of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) using nonsticky and renal clearable theranostic nanoparticles (a.k.a. H-Dots) are demonstrated. H-Dots not only target GIST for image-guided surgery, but also tailor the fate of anticancer drugs such as imatinib (IM) to the tumor site resulting in efficient treatment of unresectable GIST. In addition, H-Dots can monitor targetability, pharmacokinetics, and drug delivery, while also showing therapeutic efficacy in GIST-bearing xenograft mice following surgical resection. More importantly, IM loaded H-Dots exhibit lower uptake into the immune system, improved tumor selectivity, and increased tumor suppression compared to free IM, which accumulates in the spleen/liver. Precisely designed H-Dots can be used as a promising theranostic nanoplatform that can potentially reduce the side effects of conventional chemotherapies.     

Influence of Membrane Stresses on Postbuckling of Rectangular Plates Using a Nonlinear Elastic 3-D Cosserat Brick Element

This paper has two main objectives. The first is to examine the influence of membrane stresses on postbuckled deformations of nonlinear elastic isotropic rectangular plates. The second is to further examine the accuracy of a new 3-D Cosserat eight noded brick element (Nadler and Rubin in Int J Solids Struct 40: 4585–4614, 2003) which was developed within the context of the theory of a Cosserat point. The equations of the Cosserat element include both material and geometric nonlinearities. A number of example problems are considered which examine predictions of the Cosserat element for beams and plates and comparison has been made with results from the commercial codes ANSYS and ADINA. Also, the approximate nonlinear postbuckling solution described in Timoshenko and Gere (Theory of elastic stability, Mc Graw-Hill, New York) is shown to be more limited than originally expected. These results suggest that the Cosserat element is robust, can perform well under extreme conditions and is capable of modeling combinations of three-dimensional bodies with attached thin structures.     

Cuprate Superconducting Characteristics on the Doping Scale. A Multiband Approach

Some results on the doping dependence of cuprate superconductivity characteristics by an multiband approach are presented. A nonmonotonic dependence of the critical coherence length agrees with the experiment. Periodic spatial structures of T _c , etc. are expected at underdoping by Leggett noncritical mode fluctuations. The paired carrier effective mass diminishes moderately with doping. The inverse plane penetration depth shows a dependence with a maximum dominated by the supercarrier density. For the latter, the isotope effect is predicted and calculated. It is decisive for the isotope effect in the superfluid stiffness. This work was supported by the Estonian Science Foundation Grant No. 6540.     

Performance of the radphi detector and trigger in a high rate tagged photon beam

We describe the design and operation of a detector system for measuring all-photon decays of mesons photoproduced in a tagged photon beam with energies between 4.3 and 5.4 GeV and a flux of 5×10⁷ tagged photons per second. Photons from meson decays were detected with a lead-glass calorimeter with an energy resolution of 11% at 1 GeV. Various veto and trigger components were also present. Final states with as many as six photons were successfully detected and reconstructed.     

The effects of physician counseling technique on parent reactions to mental retardation diagnosis

Many parents of mentally retarded children express dissatisfaction with how physicians initially communicate the diagnosis. We conducted a structured interview to identify and evaluate circumstances and counseling techniques which parents felt influenced their reactions to the initial diagnostic interview. Significant physician behaviors were an attitude of concern, appreciation of the handicapped child's value to the parents as a love object, planning an uninterrupted and unhurried discussion of the findings, allowing parent contact with the child before the diagnosis was told, sharing extensive information with the parents but without absolute predictions, and making specific practical recommendations. Satisfied parents were more likely to follow the physician's recommendations. The degree of dissatisfaction did not correlate with lag time before parents enrolled in an early childhood special education program. Other obstacles exist to early intervention.     

ATS mechanically despun communications satellite antenna

The antenna system described is one of the experiments on NASAs ATS-III spin stabilized satellite that was launched on November 5, 1967. It was put into synchronous orbit shortly thereafter and has been operating satisfactorily since. Using a line source feed illuminating a parabolic cylindrical reflector, a linearly polarized gain over 17 dB is achieved. The antenna is positioned by means of a vernier type stepping motor-drive system that points the antenna beam towards earth within approximatelypm0.7degree in accordance with instructions received on the satellite from the ground control station. Prior to launch, the antenna system was subjected to extensive qualification testing. Confidence in a desired five-year life in orbit for the motor-drive system was obtained by testing the lubrication system and bearings for 7800 hours at temperatures ranging from-80degF to+120degF at vacuum pressures as low as1 times 10^{-8}torr.     

Equilibrium shapes and quasi-static formation of bubbles at submerged orifice

A detailed analysis of the effect of chamber volume, orifice radius, orifice submergence and contact angle on quasi-static formation of bubbles is presented. It is shown, that many aspects of slow bubble formation, involving phenomena leading to various modes of the bubble release, as well as the maximum orifice diameter which sustains a bubble at equilibrium, can be explained on the basis of information on equilibrium shapes and conditions. Scaling rules enabling adoption of results for water to other liquids are also presented.