Core neurocognitive functions in children treated for posterior fossa tumors.

Identifying cognitive deficits associated with pediatric brain tumors and their treatment is important in delineating the mechanisms of intellectual decline often associated with these diseases. The authors evaluated sustained attention, information processing speed, working memory, and IQ in 64 patients with posterior fossa tumors, including those treated with either: (a) surgery and cranial radiation (n = 32), and (b) surgery without radiation (n = 32). Ten patients treated for non-CNS solid tumors were included as a comparison group. The authors also examined the impact of relevant demographic and medical variables on neurocognitive outcome. The authors found that neither age at, nor time since, diagnosis predicted cognitive outcome in this sample. Further, sustained attention and working memory were largely intact and there were no differences between groups. Patients treated with cranial radiation demonstrated lowered short-form IQ and slow information processing speed: Patients treated with cranial radiation and who experienced postsurgical complications demonstrated the poorest performance. The authors consider information processing speed to be an excellent candidate mechanism in understanding the impact of cranial radiation on intellectual outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

MnS doped mesoporous silica catalysts for the generation of novel carbon nanocages

Novel MnS impregnated mesoporous silica systems have been originated for the generation of carbon nanocages. The procedure involves a simple catalytic vapour deposition (CVD) method. This is the first time that a transition metal sulfide has been used for the synthesis of carbon nanostructures.     

Gas-phase modeling of homogeneous boron/oxygen/hydrogen/carbon combustion

Boron has practical applications as an advanced fuel in propulsion systems due to its high energy content. The combustion of boron in the presence of hydrocarbon fuels is a complex problem involving heterogeneous particle oxidation followed by gas-phase kinetics of the volatilized boron species. In this study, we have modeled the high-temperature gas-phase combustion chemistry of the B/O/H/C system. We have examined the effects of recent experimental gas-phase kinetic measurements of several of the critical reaction rates and theoretical thermodynamic and transition state calculations on the previous model of boron combustion. Additional reactions that critically affect the combustion efficiency are identified for future experimental and theoretical study. The role of boron oxyhydrides, which are metastable species, is discussed.     

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