Clinical relevance of soluble c-erbB-2 for patients with metastatic breast cancer predicting the response to second-line hormone or chemotherapy

Concentrations of soluble c-erbB-2 were determined in the sera of 64 patients with distant metastasis from advanced breast cancer receiving second-line hormone or chemotherapy in comparison to 35 breast cancer patients without detectable recurrent disease and 17 healthy blood donors. The sera of non-metastatic breast cancer patients contained s-erbB-2 concentrations similar to those of healthy blood donors. Patients with distant metastasis from advanced breast cancer had significantly higher values of s-erbB-2 in comparison to patients with non-disseminated disease (mean: 59.6 vs. 11.6 U/ml; p = 0.022). A significant correlation was observed between s-erbB-2 serum levels and serum LDH concentrations (p < 0.001), levels of alkaline phosphatase (p < 0.001), and the presence of hepatic metastasis (p = 0.001). Time to tumor progression was significantly shorter in patients with s-erbB-2 levels above 40 U/ml (mean: 23.4 vs. 56.7 months; p = 0.002). Furthermore, breast cancer patients with hepatic metastasis and those with elevated s-erbB-2 serum levels above 40 U/ml had limited response to hormone or chemotherapy. Non-responders had significantly higher s-erbB-2 levels (mean: 270.3, range: 42-500 U/ml;) compared with the responder group (mean: 23.1, range: 0-149 U/ml; p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis indicated that elevated s-erbB-2 serum levels above 40 U/ml independently predicted an unfavorable response to second-line hormone or chemotherapy in patients with advanced metastatic breast cancer. Copyright (C) 2002 S. KargerAG, Basel

Two candidate brown dwarf companions around core helium-burning stars

Hot subdwarf stars of spectral type B (sdBs) are evolved, core helium-burning objects. The formation of those objects is puzzling, because the progenitor star has to lose almost its entire hydrogen envelope in the red-giant phase. Binary interactions have been invoked, but single sdBs exist as well. We report the discovery of two close hot subdwarf binaries with small radial velocity amplitudes. Follow-up photometry revealed reflection effects originating from cool irradiated companions, but no eclipses. The lower mass limits for the companions of CPD-64$^{\circ}$481 ($0.048\,M_{\rm \odot}$) and PHL\,457 ($0.027\,M_{\rm \odot}$) are significantly below the stellar mass limit. Hence they could be brown dwarfs unless the inclination is unfavourable. Two very similar systems have already been reported. The probability that none of them is a brown dwarf is very small, 0.02%. Hence we provide further evidence that substellar companions with masses that low are able to eject a common envelope and form an sdB star. Furthermore, we find that the properties of the observed sample of hot subdwarfs in reflection effect binaries is consistent with a scenario where single sdBs can still be formed via common envelope events, but their low-mass substellar companions do not survive.Comment: accepted to A&

Lattice-mismatch-induced granularity in CoPt-NbN and NbN-CoPt superconductor-ferromagnet heterostructures: Effect of strain

The effect of strain due to lattice mismatch and of ferromagnetic (FM) exchange field on superconductivity (SC) in NbN-CoPt bilayers is investigated. Two different bilayer systems with reversed deposition sequence are grown on MgO (001) single crystals. While robust superconductivity with high critical temperature (T_c ~ 15.3 K) and narrow transition width DelT_c ~ 0.4 K) is seen in two types of CoPt-NbN/MgO heterostructures where the magnetic anisotropy of CoPt is in-plane in one case and out-of-plane in the other, the NbN-CoPt/MgO system shows markedly suppressed SC response. The reduced SC order parameter of this system, which manifests itself in Tc, temperature dependence of critical current density J_c (T), and angular (Phi) variation of flux-flow resistivity Rho_f is shown to be a signature of the structure of NbN film and not a result of the exchange field of CoPt. The Rho_f (H,T,Phi) data further suggest that the domain walls in the CoPt film are of the Neel type and hence do not cause any flux in the superconducting layer. A small, but distinct increase in the low-field critical current of the CoPt-NbN couple is seen when the magnetic layer has perpendicular anisotropy.Comment: 9 figure

Low temperature acoustic properties of amorphous silica and the Tunneling Model

Internal friction and speed of sound of a-SiO(2) was measured above 6 mK using a torsional oscillator at 90 kHz, controlling for thermal decoupling, non-linear effects, and clamping losses. Strain amplitudes e(A) = 10^{-8} mark the transition between the linear and non-linear regime. In the linear regime, excellent agreement with the Tunneling Model was observed for both the internal friction and speed of sound, with a cut-off energy of E(min) = 6.6 mK. In the non-linear regime, two different behaviors were observed. Above 10 mK the behavior was typical for non-linear harmonic oscillators, while below 10 mK a different behavior was found. Its origin is not understood.Comment: 1 tex file, 6 figure

Exploring Ways to Support Preservice Teachers\u27 Use of UDL In Planning and Instruction

There is limited research documenting current efforts to support preservice teachers to use the universal design for learning (UDL) framework in authentic teaching experiences. To increase knowledge on the effects of preparing preservice teachers to incorporate the UDL framework, researchers examined the effects a UDL professional development seminar that was delivered during the student teaching phase had on eight teacher candidates during their K–12 placement. Using a concurrent triangulation mixed-method design, researchers examined lesson plans, video footage of teaching, teacher candidate reflections on their teaching sample, and university supervisor measures of the same sample before and after the UDL seminar. Findings are shared as well as recommendations for future practice

Results of a One-Day Seminar on Preservice Teachers’ Incorporation of the UDL Framework in Lesson Design

Students with disabilities are increasingly receiving their instruction in inclusive classrooms. General education teachers continue to report a lack of preparation to address their needs. This study examined the impact of a 6-hour professional development seminar on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework to determine if preservice general and special education teachers’ overall performance in lesson design to reduce barriers, identified through increased attention to student variability, improved. Two lesson plans, preseminar and postseminar, from 242 participants were scored using a modified education field experience (EFE) rubric that included 19 evaluation criteria. A Rasch analysis was used to determine pretest and posttest scoring validity and to enable regression analysis with a continuous outcome variable. Results indicated that the seminar resulted in higher scores for the participants’ postmeasures, controlling for the premeasure effects, as well as unique findings based on subject matter. These findings are presented, as well as implications for future research and practice

Exploring Ways to Support Preservice Teachers’ Use of UDL in Planning and Instruction

There is limited research documenting current efforts to support preservice teachers to use the universal design for learning (UDL) framework in authentic teaching experiences. To increase knowledge on the effects of preparing preservice teachers to incorporate the UDL framework, researchers examined the effects a UDL professional development seminar that was delivered during the student teaching phase had on eight teacher candidates during their K–12 placement. Using a concurrent triangulation mixed-method design, researchers examined lesson plans, video footage of teaching, teacher candidate reflections on their teaching sample, and university supervisor measures of the same sample before and after the UDL seminar. Findings are shared as well as recommendations for future practice

Iron bioavailability in low phytate pea

Non-Peer ReviewedThe objectives of this study are to determine the effect of genotype and environment on iron bioavailability in a set of five pea varieties differing in phytate concentration using the in vitro digestion/Caco-2 human cell assay (Glahn 2009), to determine whether iron bioavailability in field pea is heritable by evaluating recombinant inbred lines (RILs) differing in phytate concentration using in vitro digestion/Caco-2 human cell assay, and to determine the effect of the pea low phytate trait on chicken performance and iron bioavailability in chicken. In a previous study, two low phytate pea lines (1-2347-144 and 1-150-81) were developed from CDC Bronco at the Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan (Warkentin et al. 2012). As a powerful chelator of iron, phytate can reduce the iron bioavailability in diets. The low phytate peas may have increased iron bioavailability compared to the normal phytate peas. In the first objective of this project, the iron bioavailability of pea seeds of the two low phytate lines, their parent CDC Bronco and two other popular pea varieties in western Canada (CDC Meadow and CDC Golden), derived from 3 replicate field experiments conducted in 2009 and 2010 at SPG (Saskatchewan Pulse Growers land), Outlook and Rosthern, were assessed using the in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell culture. The result shows that the iron bioavailability of the two low phytate lines is significantly higher than the other three normal phytate varieties, although their iron concentrations have not significant difference. The low phytate line 1-2347-144 and CDC Meadow were crossed to develop RILs

Iron bioavailability in low-phytate pea

Non-Peer ReviewedPhytate is the main storage form of phosphorus in the seeds of most crops. Phytate is not well digested by monogastrics and it chelates iron, zinc and some other micronutrients. To increase the nutritional value of pea seeds, two low phytate lines (1-150-81 and 1-2347-144) were developed from CDC Bronco in previous research. In this study, an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell culture bioassay was used to simulate the iron absorption of peas in humans, as the cell line originated from human colon adenocarcinoma cells. The iron bioavailability of the two low-phytate lines was 1.4 to 1.9 times higher than that of three normal phytate varieties, while having the same total iron concentration. In vivo studies were used to evaluate iron absorption of chickens fed low phytate and normal phytate pea diets. The diets containing the two low-phytate pea lines had no significant effect on chicken body weight and hemoglobin level, compared with the diets containing normal phytate pea cultivars, however, iron deficiency was suspected in all diets used

Feature Nets: behavioural modelling of software product lines

Software product lines (SPL) are diverse systems that are developed using a dual engineering process: (a)family engineering defines the commonality and variability among all members of the SPL, and (b) application engineering derives specific products based on the common foundation combined with a variable selection of features. The number of derivable products in an SPL can thus be exponential in the number of features. This inherent complexity poses two main challenges when it comes to modelling: Firstly, the formalism used for modelling SPLs needs to be modular and scalable. Secondly, it should ensure that all products behave correctly by providing the ability to analyse and verify complex models efficiently. In this paper we propose to integrate an established modelling formalism (Petri nets) with the domain of software product line engineering. To this end we extend Petri nets to Feature Nets. While Petri nets provide a framework for formally modelling and verifying single software systems, Feature Nets offer the same sort of benefits for software product lines. We show how SPLs can be modelled in an incremental, modular fashion using Feature Nets, provide a Feature Nets variant that supports modelling dynamic SPLs, and propose an analysis method for SPL modelled as Feature Nets. By facilitating the construction of a single model that includes the various behaviours exhibited by the products in an SPL, we make a significant step towards efficient and practical quality assurance methods for software product lines