Small angle neutron scattering studies of vesicle stability

Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) was used to investigate the structure of mixed colloids of egg yolk phosphatidylcholine (EYPC) with the bile salt, cholylglycine (CG), in D{sub 2}O as a function of pressure (P) and temperature (T). At atmospheric pressure, the system forms an isotropic phase of mixed, single bilayer vesicles (SLV`s). Increasing the external hydrostatic pressure brought about significant changes in particle morphology. At T = 25 C, application of a pressure of 3.5 MPa resulted in the collapse of the SLV`s. Further increase of P, up to 51.8 MPa, resulted in a transition from a phase of ordered (stacked), collapsed vesicles to one of stacked, ribbon-like particles. A similar collapse of the vesicles was observed at higher temperature (T = 37 C) with increasing P, but at this temperature, no ribbon phase was found at the highest pressure explored

Global surveillance of cancer survival 1995-2009: analysis of individual data for 25,676,887 patients from 279 population-based registries in 67 countries (CONCORD-2)

BACKGROUND: Worldwide data for cancer survival are scarce. We aimed to initiate worldwide surveillance of cancer survival by central analysis of population-based registry data, as a metric of the effectiveness of health systems, and to inform global policy on cancer control. METHODS: Individual tumour records were submitted by 279 population-based cancer registries in 67 countries for 25·7 million adults (age 15-99 years) and 75,000 children (age 0-14 years) diagnosed with cancer during 1995-2009 and followed up to Dec 31, 2009, or later. We looked at cancers of the stomach, colon, rectum, liver, lung, breast (women), cervix, ovary, and prostate in adults, and adult and childhood leukaemia. Standardised quality control procedures were applied; errors were corrected by the registry concerned. We estimated 5-year net survival, adjusted for background mortality in every country or region by age (single year), sex, and calendar year, and by race or ethnic origin in some countries. Estimates were age-standardised with the International Cancer Survival Standard weights. FINDINGS: 5-year survival from colon, rectal, and breast cancers has increased steadily in most developed countries. For patients diagnosed during 2005-09, survival for colon and rectal cancer reached 60% or more in 22 countries around the world; for breast cancer, 5-year survival rose to 85% or higher in 17 countries worldwide. Liver and lung cancer remain lethal in all nations: for both cancers, 5-year survival is below 20% everywhere in Europe, in the range 15-19% in North America, and as low as 7-9% in Mongolia and Thailand. Striking rises in 5-year survival from prostate cancer have occurred in many countries: survival rose by 10-20% between 1995-99 and 2005-09 in 22 countries in South America, Asia, and Europe, but survival still varies widely around the world, from less than 60% in Bulgaria and Thailand to 95% or more in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the USA. For cervical cancer, national estimates of 5-year survival range from less than 50% to more than 70%; regional variations are much wider, and improvements between 1995-99 and 2005-09 have generally been slight. For women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005-09, 5-year survival was 40% or higher only in Ecuador, the USA, and 17 countries in Asia and Europe. 5-year survival for stomach cancer in 2005-09 was high (54-58%) in Japan and South Korea, compared with less than 40% in other countries. By contrast, 5-year survival from adult leukaemia in Japan and South Korea (18-23%) is lower than in most other countries. 5-year survival from childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is less than 60% in several countries, but as high as 90% in Canada and four European countries, which suggests major deficiencies in the management of a largely curable disease. INTERPRETATION: International comparison of survival trends reveals very wide differences that are likely to be attributable to differences in access to early diagnosis and optimum treatment. Continuous worldwide surveillance of cancer survival should become an indispensable source of information for cancer patients and researchers and a stimulus for politicians to improve health policy and health-care systems

Quantification of microstructural features in HMX using small angle neutron scattering techniques

Microstructural features in raw powders of High Explosives have been qualitatively observed by many researchers, using polarized light and scanning electron microscopy. Here, the authors present a method for non-destructive quantification of volume fraction and structure of intragranular cracks and crystallization voids in a bulk sample (100--300 mg). By employing Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) in conjunction with the method of contrast variation, they can effectively highlight different structural features of a complex system. The technique of contrast variation relies on immersing the sample in a uniform fluid of known neutron scattering length density. By selectively varying the scattering length density of the immersion fluid, scattering contributions from internal and external structures can be separated. This approach is analogous to varying the index of refraction for immersion oil relative to a sample in polarized light microscopy. SANS experiments on HMX were conducted using loose powders (261 and 10 micron mean particle diameters) and pellets made by uniaxial consolidation (without binder) to 7 and 10 volume percent porosity respectively. Detailed modeling of the SANS data indicate significant alteration of the intragranular void/crack/pore structure, with pressing, of the HMX powders

Parameterization of structures in HE composites using surrogate materials: A small angle neutron scattering investigation

High explosive materials used in the nuclear stockpile are composites of crystalline high explosives (HE) with binder materials, such as Estane. In such materials, there are naturally occurring density fluctuations (defects) due to cracks, internal (in the HE) and external (in the binder) voids and other artifacts of preparation. Changes in such defects due to material aging can affect the response of explosives due to shock, impact and thermal loading. Modeling efforts are attempting to provide quantitative descriptions of explosive response from the lowest ignition thresholds to the development of full blown detonations and explosions, however, adequate descriptions of these processes require accurate measurements of a number of structural parameters of the HE composite. Since different defects are believed to affect explosive sensitivity in different ways it is necessary to quantitatively differentiate between defect types. The authors report here preliminary results of SANS measurements on surrogates for HE materials. The objective of these measurements was to develop methodologies using SANS techniques to parameterize internal void size distributions in a surrogate material, sugar, to simulate an HE used in the stockpile, HMX. Sugar is a natural choice as a surrogate material, as it has the same crystal structure, has similar intragranular voids and has similar mechanical properties as HMX. It is used extensively as a mock material for explosives. Samples were used with two void size distributions: one with a sufficiently small mean particle size that only small occluded voids are present in significant concentrations, and one where the void sizes could be larger. By using methods in small-angle neutron scattering, they were able to isolate the scattering arising from particle-liquid interfaces and internal voids

Generation of aluminum nanoparticles using an atmospheric pressure plasma torch

An atmospheric pressure plasma torch was utilized for the generation of aluminum nanoparticles. A three-factor, two-level designed experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of plasma gas flow rate, aerosol gas flow rate, and applied power on the shape, size, and size distribution of the final particles. Relative particle velocities were estimated to equal the thermal velocity of the particles. The results indicate that viscous forces only play a role in particle collisions over a limited particle size range

Generation of aluminum nanoparticles using an atmospheric pressure plasma torch

An atmospheric pressure plasma torch was utilized for the generation of aluminum nanoparticles. A three-factor, two-level designed experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of plasma gas flow rate, aerosol gas flow rate, and applied power on the shape, size, and size distribution of the final particles. Relative particle velocities were estimated to equal the thermal velocity of the particles. The results indicate that viscous forces only play a role in particle collisions over a limited particle size range

Which regulatory state? Explaining the stability of the Keynesian state functions after regulatory reforms of network industries in UK and Germany

Novel species of microfungi described in the present study include the following from South Africa: Cercosporella dolichandrae from Dolichandra unguiscati, Seiridium podocarpi from Podocarpus latifolius, Pseudocercospora parapseudarthriae from Pseudarthria hookeri, Neodevriesia coryneliae from Corynelia uberata on leaves of Afrocarpus falcatus, Ramichloridium eucleae from Euclea undulata and Stachybotrys aloeticola from Aloe sp. (South Africa), as novel member of the Stachybotriaceae fam. nov. Several species were also described from Zambia, and these include Chaetomella zambiensis on unknown Fabaceae, Schizoparme pseudogranati from Terminalia stuhlmannii, Diaporthe isoberliniae from Isoberlinia angolensis, Peyronellaea combreti from Combretum mossambiciensis, Zasmidium rothmanniae and Phaeococcomyces rothmanniae from Rothmannia engleriana, Diaporthe vangueriae from Vangueria infausta and Diaporthe parapterocarpi from Pterocarpus brenanii. Novel species from the Netherlands include: Stagonospora trichophoricola, Keissleriella trichophoricola and Dinemasporium trichophoricola from Trichophorum cespitosum, Phaeosphaeria poae, Keissleriella poagena, Phaeosphaeria poagena, Parastagonospora poagena and Pyrenochaetopsis poae from Poa sp., Septoriella oudemansii from Phragmites australis and Dendryphion europaeum from Hedera helix (Germany) and Heracleum sphondylium (the Netherlands). Novel species from Australia include: Anungitea eucalyptorum from Eucalyptus leaf litter, Beltraniopsis neolitseae and Acrodontium neolitseae from Neolitsea australiensis, Beltraniella endiandrae from Endiandra introrsa, Phaeophleospora parsoniae from Parsonia straminea, Penicillifer martinii from Cynodon dactylon, Ochroconis macrozamiae from Macrozamia leaf litter, Triposporium cycadicola, Circinotrichum cycadis, Cladosporium cycadicola and Acrocalymma cycadis from Cycas spp. Furthermore, Vermiculariopsiella dichapetali is described from Dichapetalum rhodesicum (Botswana), Ophiognomonia acadiensis from Picea rubens (Canada), Setophoma vernoniae from Vernonia polyanthes and Penicillium restingae from soil (Brazil), Pseudolachnella guaviyunis from Myrcianthes pungens (Uruguay) and Pseudocercospora neriicola from Nerium oleander (Italy). Novelties from Spain include: Dendryphiella eucalyptorum from Eucalyptus globulus, Conioscypha minutispora from dead wood, Diplogelasinospora moalensis and Pseudoneurospora canariensis from soil and Inocybe lanatopurpurea from reforested woodland of Pinus spp. Novelties from France include: Kellermania triseptata from Agave angustifolia, Zetiasplozna acaciae from Acacia melanoxylon, Pyrenochaeta pinicola from Pinus sp. and Pseudonectria rusci from Ruscus aculeatus. New species from China include: Dematiocladium celtidicola from Celtis bungeana, Beltrania pseudorhombica, Chaetopsina beijingensis and Toxicocladosporium pini from Pinus spp. and Setophaeosphaeria badalingensis from Hemerocallis fulva. Novel genera of Ascomycetes include Alfaria from Cyperus esculentus (Spain), Rinaldiella from a contaminated human lesion (Georgia), Hyalocladosporiella from Tectona grandis (Brazil), Pseudoacremonium from Saccharum spontaneum and Melnikomyces from leaf litter (Vietnam), Annellosympodiella from Juniperus procera (Ethiopia), Neoceratosperma from Eucalyptus leaves (Thailand), Ramopenidiella from Cycas calcicola (Australia), Cephalotrichiella from air in the Netherlands, Neocamarosporium from Mesembryanthemum sp. and Acervuloseptoria from Ziziphus mucronata (South Africa) and Setophaeosphaeria from Hemerocallis fulva (China). Several novel combinations are also introduced, namely for Phaeosphaeria setosa as Setophaeosphaeria setosa, Phoma heteroderae as Peyronellaea heteroderae and Phyllosticta maydis as Peyronellaea maydis. Morphological and culture characteristics along with ITS DNA barcodes are provided for all taxa

Taxonomy of the order Mononegavirales: update 2016

In 2016, the order Mononegavirales was emended through the addition of two new families (Mymonaviridae and Sunviridae), the elevation of the paramyxoviral subfamily Pneumovirinae to family status (Pneumoviridae), the addition of five free-floating genera (Anphevirus, Arlivirus, Chengtivirus, Crustavirus, and Wastrivirus), and several other changes at the genus and species levels. This article presents the updated taxonomy of the order Mononegavirales as now accepted by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV)