Institutionalized

Interior States: Institutional Consciousness and the Inner Life of Democracy in the Antebellum United States by Christopher Castiglia. (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2008. Pp. 400. $89.95 cloth, 24.95 paper.

Basal cell carcinoma treated successfully with combined CO2 laser and photodynamic therapy in a renal transplant patient: a case report

Renal transplant recipients are at significantly greater risk of developing skin malignancies due to combination immunosuppressive therapy. A significant number of patients present with lesions needing excision at multiple outpatient follow-up visits. For basal cell carcinoma, we have recently described how combining CO2 laser with Photodynamic therapy greatly increases the efficacy of long-term tumour clearance compared with each modality alone. We present a case of a 66-year-old renal transplant therapy patient who repeatedly presents with new skin malignancies, in whom we treated successfully with Laser-Photodynamic therapy in a see-and-treat setting. This therapy offers patients the possibility of better cosmetic and functional results whilst obviating the need for repeated surgery. Other pre-cancerous lesions such as solar keratoses are prevalent in this patient group and respond extremely well to Photodynamic therapy monotherapy. We propose a regular clinic for renal transplant patients in a laser facility equipped with CO2 laser and Photodynamic therapy, histopathology and punch-biopsy materials. This strategy allows simple and effective treatment of multiple lesions simultaneously, avoidance of numerous operations, avoidance of non-essential outpatient appointments that result in booking furthers visits for treatment, whilst facilitating diagnostic biopsies of potentially malignant lesions. We outline a care pathway for a see-and-treat clinic that implements this novel treatment modality improving the care of this unique patient population

The Full-sky Astrometric Mapping Explorer -- Astrometry for the New Millennium

FAME is designed to perform an all-sky, astrometric survey with unprecedented accuracy. It will create a rigid astrometric catalog of 4x10^7 stars with 5 < m_V < 15. For bright stars, 5 < m_V < 9, FAME will determine positions and parallaxes accurate to < 50 microarcseconds, with proper motion errors < 50 microarcseconds/year. For fainter stars, 9 < m_V < 15, FAME will determine positions and parallaxes accurate to < 500 microarcseconds, with proper motion errors < 500 microarcseconds/year. It will also collect photometric data on these 4 x 10^7 stars in four Sloan DSS colors.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, to appear in "Working on the Fringe

Stellar Astrophysics with a Dispersed Fourier Transform Spectrograph. II. Orbits of Double-lined Spectroscopic Binaries

We present orbital parameters for six double-lined spectroscopic binaries (iota Pegasi, omega Draconis, 12 Bootis, V1143 Cygni, beta Aurigae, and Mizar A) and two double-lined triple star systems (kappa Pegasi and eta Virginis). The orbital fits are based upon high-precision radial velocity observations made with a dispersed Fourier Transform Spectrograph, or dFTS, a new instrument which combines interferometric and dispersive elements. For some of the double-lined binaries with known inclination angles, the quality of our RV data permits us to determine the masses M_1 and M_2 of the stellar components with relative errors as small as 0.2%.Comment: 41 pages, 8 figures, accepted by A

Laryngeal transplantation in minipigs: vascular, myologic and functional outcomes

There is no effective way of replacing all the functions of the larynx in those requiring laryngectomy. Regenerative medicine offers promise, but cannot presently deliver implants with functioning neuromuscular units. A single well-documented laryngeal transplant in man was a qualified success, but more information is required before clinical trials may be proposed. We studied the early response of the larynx to laryngeal transplantation between 17 pairs of NIH minipigs full matched at the MHC2 locus. Following iterative technical improvements, pigs had good swallowing and a patent airway at 1 week. No significant changes in mucosal blood flux were observed compared with pre-operative measurements. Changes in muscle morphology and fibre phenotype were observed in transplant muscles retrieved after 7 days: the levels of fast and slow myosin heavy chain (MyHC) protein were reduced and embryonic MyHC was up regulated consistent with denervation induced atrophy. At 1 week laryngeal transplantation can result in good swallowing, and is not associated with clinical evidence of ischemia-reperfusion injury in MHC-matched pigs

Astrophysical Adaptation of Points, the Precision Optical Interferometer in Space

POINTS (Precision Optical INTerferometer in Space) would perform microarcsecond optical astrometric measurements from space, yielding submicroarcsecond astrometric results from the mission. It comprises a pair of independent Michelson stellar interferometers and a laser metrology system that measures both the critical starlight paths and the angle between the baselines. The instrument has two baselines of 2 m, each with two subapertures of 35 cm; by articulating the angle between the baselines, it observes targets separated by 87 to 93 deg. POINTS does global astrometry, i.e., it measures widely separated targets, which yields closure calibration, numerous bright reference stars, and absolute parallax. Simplicity, stability, and the mitigation of systematic error are the central design themes. The instrument has only three moving-part mechanisms, and only one of these must move with sub-milliradian precision; the other two can tolerate a precision of several tenths of a degree. Optical surfaces preceding the beamsplitter or its fold flat are interferometrically critical; on each side of the interferometer, there are only three such. Thus, light loss and wavefront distortion are minimized. POINTS represents a minimalistic design developed ab initio for space. Since it is intended for astrometry, and therefore does not require the u-v-plane coverage of an imaging, instrument, each interferometer need have only two subapertures. The design relies on articulation of the angle between the interferometers and body pointing to select targets; the observations are restricted to the 'instrument plane.' That plane, which is fixed in the pointed instrument, is defined by the sensitive direction for the two interferometers. Thus, there is no need for siderostats and moving delay lines, which would have added many precision mechanisms with rolling and sliding parts that would be required to function throughout the mission. Further, there is no need for a third interferometer, as is required when out-of-plane observations are made. An instrument for astrometry, unlike those for imaging, can be compact and yet scientifically productive. The POINTS instrument is compact and therefore requires no deployment of precision structures, has no low-frequency (i.e., under 100 Hz) vibration modes, and is relatively easy to control thermally. Because of its small size and mass, it is easily and quickly repointed between observations. Further, because of the low mass, it can be economically launched into high Earth orbit which, in conjunction with a solar shield, yields nearly unrestricted sky coverage and a stable thermal environment

Stellar Astrophysics with a Dispersed Fourier Transform Spectrograph. I. Instrument Description and Orbits of Single-lined Spectroscopic Binaries

We have designed and constructed a second-generation version of the Dispersed Fourier Transform Spectrograph, or dFTS. This instrument combines a spectral interferometer with a dispersive spectrograph to provide high-accuracy, high-resolution optical spectra of stellar targets. The new version, dFTS2, is based upon the design of our prototype, with several modifications to improve the system throughput and performance. We deployed dFTS2 to the Steward Observatory 2.3-meter Bok Telescope from June 2007 to June 2008, and undertook an observing program on spectroscopic binary stars, with the goal of constraining the velocity amplitude K of the binary orbits with 0.1% accuracy, a significant improvement over most of the orbits reported in the literature. We present results for radial velocity reference stars and orbit solutions for single-lined spectroscopic binaries.Comment: accepted by Ap

Drying and wetting soil-water retention behaviour of a highly expansive clay under varying initial density

Expansive (or swelling) clays are the most prolific problem soil across Southern Africa and many parts of the world. Large volume changes due to seasonal wetting and drying cause millions of dollars’ worth of damage to engineering infrastructure yearly. Soil-water retention behaviour is dependent on density, and determining the correct retention curve may be key for reliable design of infrastructure. Soilwater retention curves and shrinkage curves were measured for recompacted samples of a highly expansive bentonite clay from South Africa. Four samples were prepared at varying initial dry densities between approximately 1200 and 1500 kg/m3 and subjected to total suction testing in a dewpoint hygrometer. The water content of each sample was varied through wetting and drying. The sample volume was measured after each suction reading, allowing relationships between suction and void ratio, degree of saturation and water content to be determined. The relationship between gravimetric water content and suction was not significantly influenced by initial density. Degree of saturation at a given suction varied significantly according to initial density. Volume reductions of 25% to 36% from saturated to residual conditions were recorded, and samples tended to a residual void ratio of 0.35 to 0.4. The swelling clay showed propensity for maintaining high suctions (over 300 MPa at residual conditions) and hysteretic response between primary drying and wetting.The UK EPSRC Global Challenges Fund for the financial support under the WindAfrica project,https://www.e3s-conferences.orgam2024Civil EngineeringNon