Obtaining Parsimonious Hydraulic Conductivity Fields Using Head and Transport Observations: A Bayesian Geostatistical Parameter Estimation Approach

Flow path delineation is a valuable tool for interpreting the subsurface hydrogeochemical environment. Different types of data, such as groundwater flow and transport, inform different aspects of hydrogeologic parameter values (hydraulic conductivity in this case) which, in turn, determine flow paths. This work combines flow and transport information to estimate a unified set of hydrogeologic parameters using the Bayesian geostatistical inverse approach. Parameter flexibility is allowed by using a highly parameterized approach with the level of complexity informed by the data. Despite the effort to adhere to the ideal of minimal a priori structure imposed on the problem, extreme contrasts in parameters can result in the need to censor correlation across hydrostratigraphic bounding surfaces. These partitions segregate parameters into facies associations. With an iterative approach in which partitions are based on inspection of initial estimates, flow path interpretation is progressively refined through the inclusion of more types of data. Head observations, stable oxygen isotopes (18O/16O ratios), and tritium are all used to progressively refine flow path delineation on an isthmus between two lakes in the Trout Lake watershed, northern Wisconsin, United States. Despite allowing significant parameter freedom by estimating many distributed parameter values, a smooth field is obtained

Biodistributions, Myelosuppression and Toxicities in Mice Treated with an Anti-CD45 Antibody Labeled with the α-Emitting Radionuclides Bismuth-213 or Astatine-211

We previously investigated the potential of targeted radiotherapy using a bismuth-213- labeled anti-CD45 antibody to replace total body irradiation as conditioning for hematopoietic cell transplantation in a canine model. While this approach allowed sustained marrow engraftment, limited availability, high cost and short half-life of bismuth-213 induced us to investigate an alternative α-emitting radionuclide, astatine-211, for the same application. Biodistribution and toxicity studies were conducted with conjugates of the anti-murine CD45 antibody 30F11 with either bismuth-213 or astatine-211. Mice were injected with 2-50 μCi on 10 μg or 20 μCi on 2 or 40 μg 30F11 conjugate. Biodistribution studies showed that the spleen contained the highest concentration of radioactivity, ranging from 167±23 to 417±109 % injected dose/gram (%ID/g) after injection of the astatine-211 conjugate and 45±9 to 166±11 %ID/g after injection of the bismuth-213 conjugate. The higher concentrations observed for astatine-211- labeled 30F11 were due to its longer half-life, which permitted better localization of isotope to the spleen before decay. Astatine-211 was more effective at producing myelosuppression for the same quantity of injected radioactivity. All mice injected with 20 or 50 μCi astatine-211 but none with the same quantities of bismuth-213 had lethal myeloablation. Severe reversible acute hepatic toxicity occurred with 50 μCi bismuth-213, but not with lower doses of bismuth-213 or with any dose of astatine-211. No renal toxicity occurred with either radionuclide. The data suggest that smaller quantities of astatine-211-labeled anti-CD45 antibody are sufficient to achieve myelosuppression and myeloablation with less non-hematological toxicity compared with bismuth-213-labeled antibody

Hanford radiological protection support services annual report for 1988

The report documents the performance of certain radiological protection sitewide services during calendar year (CY) 1988 by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) in support of the US Department of Energy-Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) and contractor activities on the Hanford Site. The routine program for each service is discussed along with any significant program changes and tasks, investigations, and studies performed in support of each program. Other related activities such as publications, presentations, and memberships on standard or industry committees are also listed. The programs covered provide services in the areas of (1) internal dosimetry, (2) in vivo measurements, (3) external dosimetry, (4) instrument calibration and evaluation, (5) calibration of radiation sources traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (formerly the National Bureau of Standards), and (6) radiological records. 23 refs., 15 figs., 15 tabs

Landscapes of Urbanization and De-Urbanization: A Large-Scale Approach to Investigating the Indus Civilization's Settlement Distributions in Northwest India.

Survey data play a fundamental role in studies of social complexity. Integrating the results from multiple projects into large-scale analyses encourages the reconsideration of existing interpretations. This approach is essential to understanding changes in the Indus Civilization's settlement distributions (ca. 2600-1600 b.c.), which shift from numerous small-scale settlements and a small number of larger urban centers to a de-nucleated pattern of settlement. This paper examines the interpretation that northwest India's settlement density increased as Indus cities declined by developing an integrated site location database and using this pilot database to conduct large-scale geographical information systems (GIS) analyses. It finds that settlement density in northwestern India may have increased in particular areas after ca. 1900 b.c., and that the resulting landscape of de-urbanization may have emerged at the expense of other processes. Investigating the Indus Civilization's landscapes has the potential to reveal broader dynamics of social complexity across extensive and varied environments.ER

Anti-CD45 Pretargeted Radioimmunotherapy Prior to Bone Marrow Transplantation without Total Body Irradiation Facilitates Engraftment From Haploidentical Donors and Prolongs Survival in a Disseminated Murine Leukemia Model

s / Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 19 (2013) S211eS232 S228 chemotherapy was HIDAC (1-3 grams/m2 for 6-8 doses)/ Etoposide(15-40mg/kg) in 16 patients and growth factor alone in one patient. Median time from diagnosis to ASCT was 4.2 (range 3.6-7) months. Preparative regimen for ASCT was Busulfan (3.2mg/kg x 4)/Etoposide (60 mg/kg) in 12 patients and high dose melphalan in 5 patients. The median CD34 cells infused was 4.9 x 10e6/kg (range 2.8 to 15.9).All patients engrafted with a median time to neutrophil engraftment of 11 (range10-12) days. The median time to platelet engraftment was 20 (range15-40) days. The median length of inpatient stay during the ASCT admission was 14 (range 10-25) days. One patient died of progressive disease 14 months post ASCT. Two patients died in remission on day 53 (sepsis) and day 836 (unknown cause) post ASCT. Fourteen patients (82%) are currently alive in complete remission. at a median follow-up of 20 (range 140) months post ASCT. Conclusion: Consolidation of good risk AML patients with ASCT following induction of complete remission is safe and effective in preventing relapse in good risk AML patients

Pretargeted Radioimmunotherapy Using Genetically Engineered Antibody-Streptavidin Fusion Proteins for Treatment of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Pretargeted radioimmunotherapy (PRIT) using streptavidin (SAv)-biotin technology can deliver higher therapeutic doses of radioactivity to tumors than conventional RIT. However, “endogenous” biotin can interfere with the effectiveness of this approach by blocking binding of radiolabeled biotin to SAv. We engineered a series of SAv FPs that down-modulate the affinity of SAv for biotin, while retaining high avidity for divalent DOTA-bis-biotin to circumvent this problem

Nothing Lasts Forever: Environmental Discourses on the Collapse of Past Societies

The study of the collapse of past societies raises many questions for the theory and practice of archaeology. Interest in collapse extends as well into the natural sciences and environmental and sustainability policy. Despite a range of approaches to collapse, the predominant paradigm is environmental collapse, which I argue obscures recognition of the dynamic role of social processes that lie at the heart of human communities. These environmental discourses, together with confusion over terminology and the concepts of collapse, have created widespread aporia about collapse and resulted in the creation of mixed messages about complex historical and social processes

Quarries in Harappa

Chert was a material of major importance to the Bronze Age inhabitants of the Indus Civilizatio, The paper updates our knowledge of teh chert mines currently known in Sindh: the Rohri Hills, Ongar and Jhimpi