Calcium Niobate Ca(NbO3)2—A New Laser Host Crystal

Large single crystals of calcium niobate Ca(NbO3)2, grown by the zochralski technique, are transparent and can be doped with rare earth or transition metal ions. Laser action has been observed in calcium niobate doped with trivalent neodymium, holmium, praseodymium, erbium, and thulium

S2E11: What’s the tick situation in Maine?

Tick-borne diseases, some of which are debilitating, are on the rise. Allison Gardner investigates environmental factors that could limit the geographic spread of blacklegged ticks. And Elissa Ballman coordinates a tick surveillance citizen scientist program to learn more about which tick species are where and what pathogens they carry

A Catalog of Melodies Composed by Pauline Viardot

Thesis (DM) – Indiana University, Music, 202

Prognostic and Predictive Value of Immune-Related Gene Expression Signatures vs Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Early-Stage ERBB2/HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: A Correlative Analysis of the CALGB 40601 and PAMELA Trials

Càncer de mama; Expressió gènicaCáncer de mama; Expresión génicaBreast cancer; Gene ExpressionImportance Both tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) assessment and immune-related gene expression signatures by RNA profiling predict higher pathologic complete response (pCR) and improved event-free survival (EFS) in patients with early-stage ERBB2/HER2-positive breast cancer. However, whether these 2 measures of immune activation provide similar or additive prognostic value is not known. Objective To examine the prognostic ability of TILs and immune-related gene expression signatures, alone and in combination, to predict pCR and EFS in patients with early-stage ERBB2/HER2-positive breast cancer treated in 2 clinical trials. Design, Setting, and Participants In this prognostic study, a correlative analysis was performed on the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) 40601 trial and the PAMELA trial. In the CALGB 40601 trial, 305 patients were randomly assigned to weekly paclitaxel with trastuzumab, lapatinib, or both for 16 weeks. The primary end point was pCR, with a secondary end point of EFS. In the PAMELA trial, 151 patients received neoadjuvant treatment with trastuzumab and lapatinib for 18 weeks. The primary end point was the ability of the HER2-enriched subtype to predict pCR. The studies were conducted from October 2013 to November 2015 (PAMELA) and from December 2008 to February 2012 (CALGB 40601). Data analyses were performed from June 1, 2020, to January 1, 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures Immune-related gene expression profiling by RNA sequencing and TILs were assessed on 230 CALGB 40601 trial pretreatment tumors and 138 PAMELA trial pretreatment tumors. The association of these biomarkers with pCR (CALGB 40601 and PAMELA) and EFS (CALGB 40601) was studied by logistic regression and Cox analyses. Results The median age of the patients was 50 years (IQR, 42-50 years), and 305 (100%) were women. Of 202 immune signatures tested, 166 (82.2%) were significantly correlated with TILs. In both trials combined, TILs were significantly associated with pCR (odds ratio, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.01-1.02; P = .02). In addition to TILs, 36 immune signatures were significantly associated with higher pCR rates. Seven of these signatures outperformed TILs for predicting pCR, 6 of which were B-cell related. In a multivariable Cox model adjusted for clinicopathologic factors, including PAM50 intrinsic tumor subtype, the immunoglobulin G signature, but not TILs, was independently associated with EFS (immunoglobulin G signature–adjusted hazard ratio, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.42-0.93; P = .02; TIL-adjusted hazard ratio, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.98-1.02; P = .99). Conclusions and Relevance Results of this study suggest that multiple B-cell–related signatures were more strongly associated with pCR and EFS than TILs, which largely represent T cells. When both TILs and gene expression are available, the prognostic value of immune-related signatures appears to be superior

Room-Temperature Freeze Casting for Ceramics with Nonaqueous Sublimable Vehicles in the Naphthalene–Camphor Eutectic System

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66312/1/j.1151-2916.2004.tb06353.x.pd

New Freeze-Casting Technique for Ceramics with Sublimable Vehicles

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65830/1/j.1151-2916.2004.tb06331.x.pd

Measurable versions of the LS category on laminations

We give two new versions of the LS category for the set-up of measurable laminations defined by Berm\'udez. Both of these versions must be considered as "tangential categories". The first one, simply called (LS) category, is the direct analogue for measurable laminations of the tangential category of (topological) laminations introduced by Colman Vale and Mac\'ias Virg\'os. For the measurable lamination that underlies any lamination, our measurable tangential category is a lower bound of the tangential category. The second version, called the measured category, depends on the choice of a transverse invariant measure. We show that both of these "tangential categories" satisfy appropriate versions of some well known properties of the classical category: the homotopy invariance, a dimensional upper bound, a cohomological lower bound (cup length), and an upper bound given by the critical points of a smooth function.Comment: 22 page

Fetal hyperglycemia and a high fat diet contribute to aberrant glucose tolerance and hematopoiesis in adulthood

Background Children exposed to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) during pregnancy are at increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Our goal was to identify metabolic and hematopoietic alterations after intrauterine exposure to maternal hyperglycemia that may contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic morbidities. Methods Streptozotocin treatment induced maternal hyperglycemia during the last third of gestation in rat dams. Offspring of control mothers (OCM) and diabetic mothers (ODM) were evaluated for weight, glucose tolerance, insulin tolerance, and hematopoiesis defects. The effects of aging were examined in normal and high fat diet (HFD)-fed young (8-week-old) and aged (11-month-old) OCM and ODM rats. Results Young adult ODM males on a normal diet, but not females, displayed improved glucose tolerance due to increased insulin levels. Aged ODM males and females gained more weight than OCM on a HFD and had worse glucose tolerance. Aged ODM males fed a HFD were also neutrophilic. Increases in bone marrow cellularity and myeloid progenitors preceded neutrophilia in ODM males fed a HFD. Conclusion When combined with other risk factors like HFD and aging, changes in glucose metabolism and hematopoiesis may contribute to the increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension observed in children of GDM mothers