Cancer statistics, 1998

The Surveillance Research Program of the American Cancer Society's Department of Epidemiology and Surveillance reports its 32nd annual compilation of cancer incidence, mortality, and survival data for the United States and around the world.     

gain bounds for systems with sector bounded and slope‐restricted nonlinearities

This paper proposes a new method for calculating a bound on the gain of a system comprising a linear time invariant part and a static nonlinear part, which is odd, bounded, zero at zero and has a restriction on its slope. The nonlinear part is also assumed to be sector bounded, with the sector bound being (possibly) different from that implied by the slope restriction. The computation of the gain bound is found by solving a set of linear matrix inequalities, which arise from an integral quadratic constraint formulation of a multiplier problem involving both Zames‐Falb and Popov multipliers. Examples illustrate the effectiveness of the results, and comparisons are made against the state‐of‐the‐art. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effects of various post-mortem treatments on certain physical and sensory properties of three different bovine muscles

Sixty crossbred steers with chronological ages approximating 15 months, carcass weights approximating 270 kg and subcutaneous fat thickness measurements approximating 1·2 cm, were maintained for approximately 210 days on a constantly increasing concentrate ration (13 to 75%, according to NAS nutrient requirements for beef cattle; NAS, 1976). These animals were utilized to evaluate the effects of delayed chilling, hot-boning and electrical stimulation on certain physical, histological, biochemical and sensory properties of three different muscles (Semimembranosus, SM; Longissimus dorsi, LD; and Triceps brachii, TB). Results indicated that neither delayed chilling nor electrical stimulation produced consistent meaningful alterations in any of the physical, cooking or palatability attributes evaluated. However, early post-mortem excision of muscle (hot-boning) consistently produced toughening in all of the muscles evaluated. This was observed to a much greater degree in the TB than in either the SM or LD. Based upon sarcomere length determinations, such toughening could be attributed to cold shortening only in the TB. Electrical stimulation of excised muscle was ineffective in preventing or offsetting this toughening. The delayed chilling treatment imposed (2 h at 12·5°C) was ineffective in enhancing potential effects of electrical stimulation on tenderness.     

Scene segmentation from visual motion using global optimization

This paper presents results from computer experiments with an algorithm to perform scene disposition and motion segmentation from visual motion or optic flow. The maximum a posteriori (MAP) criterion is used to formulate what the best segmentation or interpretation of the scene should be, where the scene is assumed to be made up of some fixed number of moving planar surface patches. The Bayesian approach requires, first, specification of prior expectations for the optic flow field, which here is modeled as spatial and temporal Markov random fields; and, secondly, a way of measuring how well the segmentation predicts the measured flow field. The Markov random fields incorporate the physical constraints that objects and their images are probably spatially continuous, and that their images are likely to move quite smoothly across the image plane. To compute the flow predicted by the segmentation, a recent method for reconstructing the motion and orientation of planar surface facets is used. The search for the globally optimal segmentation is performed using simulated annealing.     

Exosomal Cargo May Hold the Key to Improving Reproductive Outcomes in Dairy Cows

The reproductive status of dairy cows remains a challenge for dairy farmers worldwide, with impaired fertility linked to a significant reduction in herd profitability, due in part to impaired immunity, increased metabolic pressure, and longer postpartum anestrous interval (PPAI). Exosomes are nanovesicles released from a variety of cell types and end up in circulation, and carry proteins, bioactive peptides, lipids, and nucleic acids specific to the place of origin. As such, their role in health and disease has been investigated in humans and animals. This review discusses research into exosomes in the context of reproduction in dairy herds and introduces recent advances in mass-spectrometry (MS) based proteomics that have a potential to advance quantitative profiling of exosomal protein cargo in a search for early biomarkers of cattle fertility.     

Microstructure Evolution and Tensile Properties of a Selectively Laser Melted CoNi-Base Superalloy

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - A high $$\gamma ^{\prime }$$ volume fraction CoNi-base superalloy with roughly equal amounts of cobalt and nickel was successfully processed through...     

DRY-RO membranes from cellulose acetate carbamates

Cellulose acetate carbamates (CACs) are the polymers which result when organic isocyanates are reacted with the free hydroxyl groups of cellulose acetate (CA). CACs are more hydrolytically stable and exhibit physical properties which are superior to those of their CA mixed ester analogs. Two synthetic approaches to CACs have been utilized in this study: (1) preformation, i.e., separate synthesis of such polymers prior to their inclusion in solutions for membrane casting; and (2) in situ formation, i.e., the inclusion of blocked isocyanates in standard dry process casting solutions of CA followed by thermal activation of the resultant dry membranes leading to regeneration of free isocyanate and subsequent CAC formation. Preformed CAC polymers have been prepared utilizing phenyl-, 3-chloropropyl-, 3-bromopropyl-, and 3-bromopropyl-(isothio)-, isocyanates. Polymers containing omega-halocarbamate moieties were quaternized with dimethylbenzylamine to produce ionogenic (QCAC) polymers containing quaternary ammonium groups. DRY-RO membranes from the QCACs exhibit flux/rejection values varying between 6–8 gfd at 98% rejection and 20 gfd at 90% rejection (0.5% NaCl feed at 400 psi and 25°C). In situ formation of CAC membranes has been effected with tolylene- and hexamethylene-diisocyantes, with quaternized isocyanate monomers employed for the preformed CAC polymers, and with specially tailored diisocyanates containing ionogenic groups. Crosslinking rendered all of the membranes acetone insoluble. Inasmuch as in situ formation substitutes the easy synthesis of blocked isocyanate monomers for the more difficult separate synthesis of preformed CAC polymers, it is anticipated that the former will replace the latter.     

Monoterpene concentrations in fresh,senescent, and decaying foliage of singleleaf pinyon (Pinus monophylla Torr. & Frem.: Pinaceae) from the western Great Basin

Senescent foliage from pines is potentially a large contributor to the total monoterpene content of the litter layer, and the availability of these compounds as phytotoxins may result from release of these compounds into the vapor phase. In order to determine the fate of several monoterpene hydrocarbons in the natural environment, we examined their concentrations in fresh, senescent, and decaying needles from 32 single-leaf pinyon pine (Pinus monophylla Torr. & Frem.: Pinaceae) trees growing at two different locations. Total monoterpene content was highest in the fresh needles (mean=5.6 ± 2.2 mg/g extracted air dry weight), but also remained relatively high in senescent needles (mean=3.6 ±1.8 mg/g extracted air dry weight), either still attached to the tree or forming the freshest layer of understory litter. Decaying needles within a dark decomposing layer of litter material 5–20 cm from the surface were found to contain much lower amounts of total monoterpenes (average: =0.12 ±0.06 mg/g extracted air dry weight). Further investigation of the fate of these compounds in the pinyon understory is required to determine if these hydrocarbons are indeed exerting phytotoxic characteristics.     

Correlation of reactivity with chemical structure: Thermal hydrogenation of gas oils

The relationship between chemical structure and reactivity for thermal hydroprocessing was studied for five gas oils derived from Alberta bitumens. Chemical structure was characterized by combining data from ¹ H and ¹³ C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, class fractionation, and elemental analysis to calculate structural parameters. Thermal hydrotreating was performed in a continuous-flow stirred reactor at 420 and 440°C, 13.9 MPa hydrogen pressure, and 1.5 h¹ LHSV. Conversion of the 343–525°C boiling fraction of the gas oils was correlated with the concentration of naphthenic methylene groups in the feed. Formation of methane and ethane was dependent on the degree of condensation of the aromatic rings in the feed oils. Thermal desulfurization was highly correlated with the amount of saturates in the feed, and the aromaticity of the resin fraction. Hydrogen consumption increased with the aromaticity of the gas oil…