Substantial Details Research Articles

Molecular allelokaryotyping of T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia cells with high density single nucleotide polymorphism arrays identifies novel common genomic lesions and acquired uniparental disomy

T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia is a rare aggressive lymphoproliferative disease with a mature T-cell phenotype and characteristic genomic lesions such as inv(14)(q11q34), t(14;14)(q11;q32) or t(X;14)(q28;q11), mutation of the ATM gene on chromosome 11 and secondary alterations such as deletions of chromosome 8p and duplications of 8q. We analyzed malignant cells from 18 patients with T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia using high density 250K single nucleotide polymorphism arrays and molecular allelokaryotyping to refine understanding of known alterations and identify new target genes. Our analyses revealed that characteristic disruptions of chromosome 14 are frequently unbalanced. In the commonly deleted region on chromosome 11, we found recurrent microdeletions targeting the microRNA 34b/c and the transcription factors ETS1 and FLI1. On chromosome 8, we identified genes such as PLEKHA2, NBS1, NOV and MYST3 to be involved in breakpoints. New recurrent alterations were identified on chromosomes 5p, 12p, 13q, 17 and 22 with a common region of acquired uniparental disomy in four samples on chromosome 17q. Single nucleotide polymorphism array results were confirmed by direct sequencing and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The first high density single nucleotide polymorphism array allelokaryotyping of T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia genomes added substantial new details about established alterations in this disease and moreover identified numerous new potential target genes in common breakpoints, deletions and regions of acquired uniparental disomy.

An infuriating geniusAnita McConnell, Jesse Ramsden (1735–1800): London's leading scientific instrument maker . Ashgate Publishing Limited, Aldershot, 2007. pp. 340, £60.00 (hardback). ISBN 978-0-7546-6136-8.

Anita McConnell, Jesse Ramsden (1735–1800): London's leading scientific instrument maker . Ashgate Publishing Limited, Aldershot, 2007. pp. 340, £60.00 (hardback). ISBN 978-0-7546-6136-8. Scientific instrument makers are rarely afforded the limelight by historians. Yet, as Martin Rees's foreword

Snapshot gradient-recalled echo-planar images of rat brains at long echo time at 9.4 T

With improved B 0 homogeneity along with satisfactory gradient performance at high magnetic fields, snapshot gradient-recalled echo-planar imaging (GRE-EPI) would perform at long echo times (TEs) on the order of T2*, which intrinsically allows obtaining strongly T2*-weighted images with embedded substantial anatomical details in ultrashort time. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and quality of long TE snapshot GRE-EPI images of rat brain at 9.4 T. When compensating for B 0 inhomogeneities, especially second-order shim terms, a 200 x 200 microm2 in-plane resolution image was reproducibly obtained at long TE (>25 ms). The resulting coronal images at 30 ms had diminished geometric distortions and, thus, embedded substantial anatomical details. Concurrently with the very consistent stability, such GRE-EPI images should permit to resolve functional data not only with high specificity but also with substantial anatomical details, therefore allowing coregistration of the acquired functional data on the same image data set.

Electric Generators for Direct Coupled High Speed Turbo Generators in Distributed Power Systems

This article addresses various technical challenges in developinghigh speed, lightweight electric generators for applications in directcoupled high speed generators for distributed power systems. Thesechallenges involve the technologies of electromagnetics, thermodynam-ics, rotor dynamics, and engineering assembly practices. How those chal-lenges are being addressed and the results of activities to date relating togenerators from several hundred kilowatts to a few megawatts will bediscussed. Current status and the test data relating to these generatorswill be presented.While the requirements of power and voltage levels as well as theduty cycle vary, the applicable generator technology is mainly impactedby the power level. The electric generator is typically driven by a highspeed turbine. The operating speeds of the turbine and the mechanicaland thermal interfaces with the generator have a substantial impact onthe design details of the generator.The best approach in interfacing the high speed turbine to the gen-erator is to directly couple the two by means of a mechanical couplingand exclude the need for gear, belt or other mechanical transmissionsystems. The high speed turbine operates most ef ficiently at their ratedspeed, which varies with rated power output. Thus while a typical 200kW turbine may operate at 60000 rpm, a MW class turbine may oper-ate in the range of 15000 rpm to 30000 rpm. It is often details such asthe coupling and mounting arrangement and the suitability of coolantsand lubricants that affect the generator design and impact the weight
 and size of the final product. Selection of the appropriate generatortechnology is highly dependent on the operating speed requirements.Examples of speci fic power and speed ratings as well as suitability ofgenerator technologies such as permanent magnet (PM), wound rotorsynchronous, switched reluctance (SR) and induction will be discussed.Current development programs for 30 kW to 2.5 MW power generatorswill be presented

Novel Nonviral Vectors Target Cellular Signaling Pathways: Regulated Gene Expression and Reduced Toxicity

Advances in cell biology over the last several decades have allowed for a much greater understanding of the regulation of cellular processes. Many of these revelations have provided substantial details regarding the key players in cellular pathways and the role small-molecule ligands may play in controlling their function. Although much progress has been made in these areas, optimization of nonviral gene delivery vectors has not met with similar success. Many of the issues that have plagued the field, such as limited transgene activity, difficulty with specific cell targeting, inflammatory responses, and degradation of the vector, among others, continue to limit the efficacy of these delivery systems. In this study, we investigate several cellular pathways in an effort to develop more efficient nonviral vectors. To increase nuclear uptake of the transgene, we explored the use of nuclear localization sequences (NLS) incorporated into our plasmid. The results indicated that the NLS did significantly increase gene expression under several circumstances in the presence of small-molecule ligands, as indicated by both in vitro and in vivo studies. Furthermore, to decrease inflammatory response to the vectors, additional studies were performed to demonstrate that the incorporation of free anti-inflammatory ligands into liposome formulations does not affect transgene activity but is able to significantly decrease the inflammatory response. Overall, these examples provide hope that free ligand can be used to effectively mediate cellular processes to overcome some of the obstacles limiting the success of gene therapy.

Boltzmann transport equation-based thermal modeling approaches for hotspots in microelectronics

Fourier diffusion has been found to be inadequate for the prediction of heat conduction in modern microelectronics, where extreme miniaturization has led to feature sizes in the sub-micron range. Over the past decade, the phonon Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) in the relaxation time approximation has been employed to make thermal predictions in dielectrics and semiconductors at micro-scales and nano-scales. This paper presents a review of the BTE-based solution methods widely employed in the literature and recently developed by the authors. First, the solution approaches based on the gray formulation of the BTE are presented. The semi-gray approach, moments of the Boltzmann equation, the lattice Boltzmann approach, and the ballistic-diffusive approximation are also discussed. Models which incorporate greater details of phonon dispersion are also presented. Hotspot self-heating in sub-micron SOI transistors and transient electrostatic discharge in NMOS transistors are also examined. Results, which illustrate the differences between some of these models reveal the importance of developing models that incorporate substantial details of phonon physics. The impact of boundary conditions on thermal predictions is also investigated.

Intraoperative Imaging of the Brachial Plexus by High-Resolution Ultrasound

The authors attempted to perform direct high resolution ultrasound imaging of the intraneural ultrastructure of the brachial plexus for intraoperative image guidance in brachial plexus surgery. The brachial plexuses of four fresh-frozen cadaver specimens were surgically exposed in a standard approach used in routine brachial plexus surgery to undergo direct ultrasound examination using a 15 MHz SonoCT scanhead. By placing the scanhead directly onto the epineurium, all components of the brachial plexus were directly visualized in an axial plane and compared with histologic findings. The internal neural structure at different levels could be visualized in high resolution, showing the specific fascicular pattern. The histologic processing revealed good correlation with the intraneural topography demonstrated on ultrasound. In the study, high resolution ultrasound examination of the brachial plexus showed substantial details of the ultrastructure of neural tissue, which may play a role in intraoperative image guidance in the surgical treatment of patients with brachial plexopathy.

Large-scale molecular dynamics simulation of surface nanostructuring with a laser-assisted scanning tunnelling microscope

In this work, large-scale molecular dynamics simulations are conducted to explore the thermal and mechanical phenomena in surface nanostructuring with a laser-assisted scanning tunnelling microscope. Employing a super parallel computer, more than 200 million atoms are modelled to provide substantial details about how the localized thermal and mechanical perturbations result in surface nanostructures. Extremely localized stress accumulation beneath the sample surface leads to an explosion of the melted/vaporized material, leaving a nanoscale hole in the sample surface. Normal and shear stress development are observed. Stress propagation in space is strongly influenced by the anisotropic nature of the crystal. The high pressure in the melted/vaporized region pushes the melt adjacent to the solid to move, thereby forming a protrusion at the edge of the hole. More importantly, visible sub-surface nanoscale structural damages are observed in a direction 45° with respect to the axial direction. Detailed study of the lattice structure reveals atomic dislocations in the damaged regions. Both temporary and permanent structural damages are observed in the material. The temporary structural damage is featured with a formation, propagation and disappearing procedure.

Climatology of thunderstorm activity over the Indian region : A study of east -west contrast

Based on the latest data (I. M. D., 1999) of monthly number of station thunderstorm days (Thn) and mean maximum surface air temperatures (Tmax) of 276 Indian stations, an important and a long pending issue of east- west contrast in the frequencies of occurrence of thunderstorms over India is resolved in substantial details in this study. On the premise of nearly equal land areas, and density of the station network, and location of ITCZ; India is divided in two regions: Eastern Region (ER) and Western Region (WR) across the 79° E longitude line over India. Results pertaining to the contrasting features of Thn over ER and WR are presented. Our analysis showed that the annual total Thn over the ER are 4763, and over the WR are 3194 and the prominent difference in Thn is associated with monsoon season months over the ER and WR. The temperature sensitivity of occurrence of Thn showed that thunderstorms respond exponentially to modest increment in Tmax on the semi-annual and annual time-scales in both the regions but with clear contrast in their sensitivity over ER. This result is in good agreement with the results cited in many studies, where relationship between global tropical surface air temperatures and GEC parameters are investigated. Our analysis suggests that the hot and humid extensive land region of the ITCZ of the ER is more suitable and responsible for the development of thunderstorms. Further, results showing higher values of CAPE and moisture field over the ER are discussed to explain the E-W pronounced contrast in the thunderstorm activity. It is believed that the results presented in this study will be useful.

Are other postemployment obligations impounded in borrowing costs for state governments?

Attempts to investigate whether unfunded post‐employment obligations are recognized in the borrowing costs for new state government bond issues. Suggest that such evidence would lend insight into the relationship between the unfunded liability for retiree healthcare costs and borrowing costs, which may have important implications for policy makers. Gives an overview of state retiree healthcare benefits and covers prior literature before providing substantial details of the methodology used. Results suggest that such liabilities are taken into account.

Magnetic resonance imaging for industrial process tomography

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive method for quantitating in three dimensions the spatial distribution of water and/or hydrocarbons in an optically opaque environment. This article uses three applications to illustrate how that unique ability of MRI can provide insight to aspects of process engineering. The first involves mapping temperature distribution due to microwave and/or conventional heating. The second demonstrates how MRI can be used to measure the flow of fluids through complex geometries, including a screw thread extruder and a porous medium. The third, measurement of solid-liquid separation, is illustrated by studies of two different types of filters. Although no background to the theory is provided, substantial practical details are given about the design of MRI-compatible processing equipment. © 2001 SPIE and IS&T.

The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya: An Illustrated Dictionary of Mesoamerican Religion

How did the hummingbird become the symbol of the chief Aztec god? Who were the Hero Twins? Why was Venus the planet of war? Did the Maya practise human sacrifice? And did they eat their victims? Who played the ancient ball game? Who were the first consumers of chocolate? What was a war of flowers? legends and beliefs of the great pre-Columbian civilizations of have baffled and fascinated outsiders ever since the Spanish Conquest. Yet, until now, no single-volume introduction has existed to act as a guide to this labyrinthine symbolic world. This book is the first-ever English-language dictionary of Mesoamerican mythology and religion. Nearly 300 entries, from accession to yoke, describe the main deities, motifs and practices of the Olmecs, Zapotecs, Maya, Teotihuacanos, Mixtecs, Toltecs and Aztecs. Introductory essays provide succinct accounts of Mesoamerican history and religion, while a substantial bibliography details original sources and recent discussions. Entries are illustrated with photographs and newly commissioned line drawings. Mary Miller is Professor of History of Art at Yale University. She is the author of The Art of Mesoamerica (1986) and co-author, with Linda Schele, of The Blood of Kings (1992), both published by Thames and Hudson. Karl Taube is Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology, University of California at Riverside.

On the algorithms for parameter estimation in one-dimensional densities and distributions in a general purpose statistical package

The substantial details of a complex of programs for estimating in respect to maximum likelihood or x2 method the parameters in densities or distributions given in arbitrary parametric form through an iteration process of MARQUARDT type are given. As an example, the results of estimating 5 parameters in a mixture of two symmetrical triangle densities are described. The complex of programs is a component of the general purpose statistical package STATES of the Tallinn Institute of cybernetics