Hybrid infrared focal plane signal and noise model

A signal and noise model is presented for an infrared sensor with an advanced hybrid focal plane that uses a CMOS readout integrated circuit (ROIC). Part of the motivation for this work is to present a clear foundation for some of the well-known practical and useful rules that apply to infrared sensors in use today. The model shows explicitly how a correlated double sampler (CDS) eliminates kTC noise, explains the interesting dependence of output 1/f noise on integration and epoch times, and is generic enough to treat a large class of ROIC preamps. A sensor with a direct injection readout is treated as an example and user-friendly formulas are listed and used to calculate sensor signal and noise     

Oxidation of Starch by Hydrogen Peroxide in the Presence of UV Light-Part II

Various reaction variables in the hydrogen peroxide oxidation of starch in the presence of UV light have been investigated. Higher carboxyl and carbonyl contents of oxystarches were obtained under acidic than under alkaline conditions. Extent of oxidation was found to increase with time. Increasing the concentration of hydrogen peroxide results in an increase in the carboxyl and carbonyl contents. Apparently, air has no effect on the degree of oxidation whereas, oxygen seems to accelerate it.     

Novel Systemic Treatment Modalities Including Immunotherapy and Molecular Targeted Therapy for Recurrent and Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are the sixth most common cancers worldwide. More than half of patients with HNSCC eventually experience disease recurrence and/or metastasis, which can threaten their long-term survival. HNSCCs located in the oral cavity and larynx are usually associated with tobacco and/or alcohol use, whereas human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, particularly HPV16 infection, is increasingly recognized as a cause of oropharyngeal HNSCC. Despite clinical, histologic, and molecular differences between HPV-positive and HPV-negative HNSCCs, current treatment approaches are the same. For recurrent disease, these strategies include chemotherapy, immunotherapy with PD-1-inhibitors, or a monoclonal antibody, cetuximab, that targets epidermal growth factor; these therapies can be administered either as single agents or in combination. However, these treatment strategies carry a high risk of toxic side effects; therefore, more effective and less toxic treatments are needed. The landscape of HNSCC therapy is changing significantly; numerous clinical trials are underway to test novel therapeutic options like adaptive cellular therapy, antibody-drug conjugates, new targeted therapy agents, novel immunotherapy combinations, and therapeutic vaccines. This review helps in understanding the various developments in HNSCC therapy and sheds light on the path ahead in terms of further research in this field.     

Neurocognitive signs in prodromal Huntington disease.

Objective: PREDICT-HD is a large-scale international study of people with the Huntington disease (HD) CAG-repeat expansion who are not yet diagnosed with HD. The objective of this study was to determine the stage in the HD prodrome at which cognitive differences from CAG-normal controls can be reliably detected. Method: For each of 738 HD CAG-expanded participants, we computed estimated years to clinical diagnosis and probability of diagnosis in 5 years based on age and CAG-repeat expansion number (Langbehn, Brinkman, Falush, Paulsen, & Hayden, 2004). We then stratified the sample into groups: NEAR, estimated to be ≤9 years; MID, between 9 and 15 years; and FAR, ≥15 years. The control sample included 168 CAG-normal participants. Nineteen cognitive tasks were used to assess attention, working memory, psychomotor functions, episodic memory, language, recognition of facial emotion, sensory–perceptual functions, and executive functions. Results: Compared with the controls, the NEAR group showed significantly poorer performance on nearly all of the cognitive tests and the MID group on about half of the cognitive tests (p = .05, Cohen's d NEAR as large as ?1.17, MID as large as ?0.61). One test even revealed significantly poorer performance in the FAR group (Cohen's d = ?0.26). Individual tasks accounted for 0.2% to 9.7% of the variance in estimated proximity to diagnosis. Overall, the cognitive battery accounted for 34% of the variance; in comparison, the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale motor score accounted for 11.7%. Conclusions: Neurocognitive tests are robust clinical indicators of the disease process prior to reaching criteria for motor diagnosis of HD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vaccines against endogenous hormones: a possible future tool in animal production

Vaccines have been widely used by the livestock industry to control and prevent disease. New technologies now permit development of vaccines against hormones that control reproduction, growth, and lactation in domestic farm animals. Results of research projects studying passive and active immunization against such hormones as estrogen, testosterone, LH, FSH, and somatotropin have demonstrated that reproductive efficiencies and growth can be altered through vaccination. Although immunizations against most of the hormones studied have proven effective in most cases, there remain problems related to longevity, consistency, and efficiency of response both within and between animals. When these areas have been clearly defined for individual hormones, standardized immunization regimens can be developed that will optimize antibody production in the animal, thus providing the animal agriculture industry with a powerful and profitable production tool.