Automated malfunction diagnosis of semiconductor fabricationequipment: a plasma etch application

A general methodology for the automated diagnosis of integrated circuit fabrication equipment is presented. The technique combines the best aspects of quantitative algorithmic diagnosis and qualitative knowledge-based approaches. Evidence from equipment maintenance history, real-time tool data, and incline measurements are integrated using evidential reasoning. This methodology is applied to the identification of faults in the Lam Research Autoetch 490 automated plasma etching system located in the Berkeley Microfabrication Laboratory     

Assessment of the biodistribution and metabolism of 5-fluorouracil as monitored by 18F PET and 19F MRI: a comparative animal study

The effective clinical use of the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) requires the non-invasive assessment of its transport and metabolism, particularly in the tumor and the liver, where the drug is catabolized to alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine (FBAL). In this study, the potentials and limitations of dynamic 18F PET and metabolic 19F MRI examinations for noninvasive 5-FU monitoring were investigated in ACI and Buffalo rats with transplanted MH3924A and TC5123 Morris hepatomas, respectively. Selective 5-[19F]FU and [19F]FBAL MR images were acquired 5 and 70 min after 5-FU injection using a CHESS MRI sequence. After administration of 5-[18F]FU, the kinetics of the regional 5-[18F]FU uptake were measured by dynamic PET scanning over 120 min. To allow a comparison between PET and MRI data, standardized uptake values (SUV) were computed at the same points in time. The TC5123 hepatoma showed a significantly (p < 0.002) higher mean SUV at 5 and 70 min post-5-FU injection than the MH3924A cell lines, whereas there were no significant differences between the mean SUV measured in the liver of both animal populations. In contrast to the PET data, no significant differences in the mean 5-[19F]FU and [19F]FBAL MR signal values in the tumor of both models were observed. The MR images, however, yielded the additional information that 5-FU is converted to FBAL only in the liver and not in the hepatomas.     

Solitary splenic metastasis of an adenocarcinoma of the ovaries

BACKGROUND: Topical application of inhibitors of HMGCoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme of cholesterol synthesis, has been shown to induce impairment of barrier function. OBJECTIVE: Assessing whether oral administration of statins used for reducing blood levels of cholesterol induces functional changes in stratum corneum barrier. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 69 subjects of both sexes under-going treatment for hypercholesterolemia (mean age 48 +/- 11 years) entered the study; 43 had been treated with simvastatin and 11 with pravastatin for 6 months; 15 only on dietary regimen served as controls. Efficiency of stratum corneum water barrier was evaluated by transepidermal water loss (TEWL) measurement using an evaporimeter; water-holding capacity of the stratum corneum was assessed by the sorption-desorption test measured by capacitance. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA. RESULTS: No differences were found between the groups (simvastatin, pravastatin, diet) concerning both basal TEWL and the dynamic of water binding in the stratum corneum. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged treatment with cholesterol-lowering drugs based on inhibition of HMGCoA reductase does not alter the permeability barrier of the skin.     

Synergic influence of Ukrain and protoporphyrin amino acid conjugates on human malignant cell lines

Simultaneous cytotoxicity of Ukrain and protoporphyrin amino-acid derivatives was tested on four malignant cell lines and the cytotoxic effect after laser irradiation was compared with cytotoxicity of Ukrain and protoporphyrin amino-acid derivatives applied on similar cell lines separately. It was found that Ukrain and protoporphyrin amino-acid derivatives act synergistically as cytotoxic substances on the malignant cell lines.     

Perceptions of client needs and counseling center staff roles and functions.

Used a national sample of 205 university and college counseling center staff members to obtain ratings of Ss' perceptions of changes in client presenting problems, changes in agency expectations with regard to 9 service-related tasks, and their comfort and skill in performing these tasks. Ratings were obtained from past and present time perspectives to aid in assessing perceived changes in these areas. Results indicate that Ss perceived client problems to be changing from more informational/educational to more serious emotional/behavioral problem areas. At the same time, staff members across all experience levels reported an increased pressure to perform in 7 of the 9 tasks listed. Staff members generally rated themselves as able to meet current service demands. Implications for counseling training programs indicate that an emphasis on acquiring traditional therapy and assessment skills may become increasingly important and that opportunities for specialty training should be expanded. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reciprocal regulation of neu tyrosine kinase activity and caveolin-1 protein expression in vitro and in vivo. Implications for human breast cancer

Neu (c-erbB2) is a proto-oncogene product that encodes an epidermal growth factor-like receptor tyrosine kinase. Amplification of wild-type c-Neu and mutational activation of Neu (Neu T) have been implicated in oncogenic transformation of cultured fibroblasts and mammary tumorigenesis in vivo. Here, we examine the relationship between Neu tyrosine kinase activity and caveolin-1 protein expression in vitro and in vivo. Recent studies have suggested that caveolins may function as negative regulators of signal transduction. Our current results show that mutational activation of c-Neu down-regulates caveolin-1 protein expression, but not caveolin-2, in cultured NIH 3T3 and Rat 1 cells. Conversely, recombinant overexpression of caveolin-1 blocks Neu-mediated signal transduction in vivo. These results suggest a reciprocal relationship between c-Neu tyrosine kinase activity and caveolin-1 protein expression. We next analyzed a variety of caveolin-1 deletion mutants to map this caveolin-1-dependent inhibitory activity to a given region of the caveolin-1 molecule. Results from this mutational analysis show that this functional in vivo inhibitory activity is contained within caveolin-1 residues 32-95. In accordance with these in vivo studies, a 20-amino acid peptide derived from this region (the caveolin-1 scaffolding domain) was sufficient to inhibit Neu autophosphorylation in an in vitro kinase assay. To further confirm or refute the relevance of our findings in vivo, we next examined the expression levels of caveolin-1 in mammary tumors derived from c-Neu transgenic mice. Our results indicate that dramatic reduction of caveolin-1 expression occurs in mammary tumors derived from c-Neu-expressing transgenic mice and other transgenic mice expressing downstream effectors of Neu-mediated signal transduction, such as Src and Ras. Taken together, our data suggest that a novel form of reciprocal negative regulation exists between c-Neu and caveolin-1.