The effect of the beta phase on the micromechanical response of dual-phase titanium alloys

This paper investigates the role of beta phase on the micro-mechanical behaviour of dual-phase titanium alloys, with particular emphasis on the phenomenon of cold dwell fatigue, which occurs in such alloys under room temperature conditions. A strain gradient crystal plasticity model is developed and calibrated against micro-pillar compression test data for a dual-phase alpha-beta specimen. The effects of key microstructural variables, such as relative beta lath orientation, on the micromechanical response of idealised alpha-beta colony microstructures are shown to be consistent with previously-published test data. A polycrystal study on the effects of the calibrated alpha-beta crystal plasticity model on the local micromechanical variables controlling cold dwell fatigue is presented. The presence of the alpha-beta phase is predicted to increase dwell fatigue resistance compared to a pure alpha phase microstructure

Object Relations in the Museum: A Psychosocial Perspective

This article theorises museum engagement from a psychosocial perspective. With the aid of selected concepts from object relations theory, it explains how the museum visitor can establish a personal relation to museum objects, making use of them as an ‘aesthetic third’ to symbolise experience. Since such objects are at the same time cultural resources, interacting with them helps the individual to feel part of a shared culture. The article elaborates an example drawn from a research project that aimed to make museum collections available to people with physical and mental health problems. It draws on the work of the British psychoanalysts Donald Winnicott and Wilfred Bion to explain the salience of the concepts of object use, potential space, containment and reverie within a museum context. It also refers to the work of the contemporary psychoanalyst Christopher Bollas on how objects can become evocative for individuals both by virtue of their intrinsic qualities and by the way they are used to express personal idiom

Cancer Stem Cells and Side Population Cells in Breast Cancer and Metastasis

In breast cancer it is never the primary tumour that is fatal; instead it is the development of metastatic disease which is the major cause of cancer related mortality. There is accumulating evidence that suggests that Cancer Stem Cells (CSC) may play a role in breast cancer development and progression. Breast cancer stem cell populations, including side population cells (SP), have been shown to be primitive stem cell-like populations, being long-lived, self-renewing and highly proliferative. SP cells are identified using dual wavelength flow cytometry combined with Hoechst 33342 dye efflux, this ability is due to expression of one or more members of the ABC transporter family. They have increased resistance to chemotherapeutic agents and apoptotic stimuli and have increased migratory potential above that of the bulk tumour cells making them strong candidates for the metastatic spread of breast cancer. Treatment of nearly all cancers usually involves one first-line agent known to be a substrate of an ABC transporter thereby increasing the risk of developing drug resistant tumours. At present there is no marker available to identify SP cells using immunohistochemistry on breast cancer patient samples. If SP cells do play a role in breast cancer progression/Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC), combining chemotherapy with ABC inhibitors may be able to destroy both the cells making up the bulk tumour and the cancer stem cell population thus preventing the risk of drug resistant disease, recurrence or metastasis

Characterising stationary and translating vortex flow using magnetic resonance

We report magnetic resonance (MR) velocity and diffusion maps in three directions for stationary vortices (Taylor vortex flow —TVF) and velocity maps for translating vortices (vortex flow reactor —VFR) produced in a Couette cell. Motion artefacts in the translating vortex flow are removed by synchronising data acquisition with the translation period of the vortices. MR propagator experiments, which measure the conditional probability density for displacement, were performed to characterise molecular displacements in these systems. Simulations were performed using the experimental velocity and diffusion maps to aid interpretation of experimentally measured propagators and enable characterisation of the macro-mixing and transport properties within TVF and VFR systems. These simulations enabled molecular transport and mixing to be assessed over longer-time scales than are accessible experimentally, allowing plug flow, by-pass flow and inter-vortex mixing to be quantified

Knowledge and attitudes to sexual health and STI testing for students at an Australian regional university: a cross-sectional study

Notifications for sexually transmitted diseases in young people in Australia are increasing. Young people are a priority population within the National Sexually Transmissible Infections Strategy, yet their knowledge of sexual health issues is limited. In the context of Health-Promoting Universities, we examined sexual health knowledge and access to care of both on and off-campus students at a regional university. In late 2012, 418 tertiary students aged 18-29 years completed an online baseline survey on their recent sexual behaviours and attitudes. In mid-2014, 956 students aged 18-31 years, of which 105 had completed the 2012 survey, completed the same or endline survey which also measured exposure to a university sexual health campaign. The low response rate to both the baseline and endline surveys meant only endline survey data were analysed. Two-thirds of students had been sexually active in the past 12 months. Students had positive attitudes towards condom use and STI screening. Around half reported using condoms at last sexual encounter. Students were positive about condom use, but hesitant about instigating it. STI screening was more prevalent than in the general Australian population, and largely accessed at General Practices. Screening was least likely in those with the greatest number of recent sexual partners and highest for those in de facto relationships. Students felt annual reminders or scheduled appointments would assist in ensuring STI screening. Findings showed regional university students are positive and knowledgeable about sexual health issues. Despite this, condom use is not consistent and more emphasis needs to be placed on STI transmission in this population. Students were willing to increase STI screening, and current initiatives to increase chlamydia screening in Australia are relevant to this population

A supply chain diagnostic methodology Quick scans

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:6217.1627(58) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

High resolution β - γ coincidence spectrometry at the UK CTBT Radionuclide Laboratory

Detection of radioxenon is often considered the most probable indicator of an underground nuclear explosion. GBL15 is the UK's Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Certified Radionuclide Laboratory, operated at AWE Aldermaston and has a history of developing high fidelity coincidence detection systems for particulate radionuclides. The Laboratory also operates a SAUNA II system, using NaI(Tl) and plastic scintillator detectors to measure β - γ coincidences from the decay of the four radioxenon isotopes, namely 133Xe, 135Xe, 131mXe & 133mXe. Here the efforts to date in exploring new technologies for next generation laboratory-based β - γ coincidence spectrometry for radioxenon measurements are discussed. Results are presented from preliminary measurements using a PIPSBox detector with a high purity germanium γ detector and the output compared to that of lower resolution systems. This investigation will be used to scope future programmes on the technology used for the measurement of radioactive noble gas nuclides at GBL15

The temporal and spatial expression patterns of ABCG2 in the developing human heart

BACKGROUND: The discovery that the adult heart is not a terminally differentiated organ and contains stem/progenitor cells has important implications for the development of cellular therapeutics to treat heart disease. Moreover the discovery of cardiac stem cells might be important in furthering our understanding of both normal and abnormal cardiac development and yet little is known about these cell populations in the developing human heart, which we have focused on in this study. METHODS: The presence of ABCG2 and islet-1 expressing cells in human heart was determined using immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR (and western blotting for ABCG2). Cardiac SP cells were isolated using FACS. Co-localisation immunohistochemistry was used to determine if ABCG2 positive cells expressed other known stem/progenitor cell, endothelial markers or cardiac markers. RESULTS: We observed that ABCG2 expressing cells show a difference in both their temporal and spatial pattern of expression from Islet-1 expressing cardiac progenitors. We identified rare cells that expressed both ABCG2 and markers of other cell lineages including CD31, CD34 and alpha actinin. We also noted the presence of cells that only expressed ABCG2. We isolated cardiac SP cells and confirmed the SP cell phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the developing human heart contains at least two distinct cardiac stem/progenitor cell populations one of which, the ABCG2 positive cells, can be readily isolated, suggesting that this tissue could be a useful source of cardiac stem cells

Baseline depression predicts malnutrition in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy

Purpose: Poor nutritional status is common and associated with mortality and morbidity in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). While there are several established clinical risk factors for poor nutritional status during HNC radiotherapy, the complete aetiology is not known. The association of malnutrition with psychological factors has been recognised in other chronic illnesses but has not been studied in HNC patients who have higher levels of malnutrition and psychological disorder than many other patient populations. Method: Patients with HNC were assessed at three time points: week 1 of radiotherapy treatment (T1, n = 72), end of radiotherapy treatment (T2, n = 64) and 4 weeks post-radiotherapy treatment (T3, n = 58). Nutritional outcome was measured using the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment, and psychological factors measured were depression, anxiety and adjustment style. Results: Linear mixed models indicated that a model containing the variables time, tumour site and baseline depression best explained malnutrition at T2 and T3 (−2 restricted log likelihood = 695.42). The clinical risk factors: cancer stage, number of radiotherapy fractionations, a PEG feeding tube, availability of a care giver and dietitian's informal clinical assessment did not predict later nutritional status. Conclusions: Depression is a modifiable risk factor for malnutrition among HNC patients undergoing radiation therapy, offering the potential to ameliorate malnutrition in this group. While the nature of any causal relationship between depression and malnutrition in HNC is yet to be understood, the utility of a short depression screen in predicting malnutrition has been demonstrated and could be adopted in clinical practice