The Relationship of Red and Photographic Infrared Spectral Data to Grain Yield Variation Within a Winter Wheat Field

Two band hand-held radiometer data from a winter wheat field, collected on 21 dates during the spring growing season, were correlated within field final grain yield. Significant linear relationships were found between various combinations of the red and photographic infrared radiance data collected and the grain yield. The spectral data explained approximately 64 percent of the within field grain yield variation. This variation in grain yield could not be explained using meteorological data as these were similar for all areas of the wheat field. Most importantly, data collected early in the spring were highly correlated with grain yield, a five week time window existed from stem elongation through antheses in which the spectral data were most highly correlated with grain yield, and manifestations of wheat canopy water stress were readily apparent in the spectral data

Lessons learned from the development and manufacture of ceramic reusable surface insulation materials for the space shuttle orbiters

Three ceramic, reusable surface insulation materials and two borosilicate glass coatings were used in the fabrication of tiles for the Space Shuttle orbiters. Approximately 77,000 tiles were made from these materials for the first three orbiters, Columbia, Challenger, and Discovery. Lessons learned in the development, scale up to production and manufacturing phases of these materials will benefit future production of ceramic reusable surface insulation materials. Processing of raw materials into tile blanks and coating slurries; programming and machining of tiles using numerical controlled milling machines; preparing and spraying tiles with the two coatings; and controlling material shrinkage during the high temperature (2100-2275 F) coating glazing cycles are among the topics discussed

Remote sensing of total dry-matter accumulation in winter wheat

The author has identified the following significant results. Red and photographic-infrared spectral data collected on 21 dates over the growing season with a hand-held radiometer was quantitatively correlated with total dry-matter accumulation in winter wheat. The spectral data were found to be highly related to vigor and condition of the plant canopy. Two periods of drought stress and subsequent recovery from it were readily apparent in the spectral data. Simple ratios of the spectral data compensated for variations in solar intensities and, when integrated over the growing season, explained 79% of the variation in total above-ground accumulation of dry matter

Selective intraarterial radionuclide therapy with Yttrium-90 (Y-90) microspheres for unresectable primary and metastatic liver tumors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to evaluate the success of selective intraarterial radionuclide therapy (SIRT) with Yttrium-90 (Y-90) microspheres in liver metastases of different tumors. We also interpreted the contribution of SIRT to survival times according to responder- non responder and hepatic- extra hepatic disease.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The clinical and follow-up data of 124 patients who were referred to our department for SIRT between June 2006 and October 2010 were evaluated retrospectively. SIRT has been applied to 78 patients who were suitable for treatment. All the patients had primary liver tumor or unresectable liver metastasis of different malignancies. The treatment was repeated at least one more time in 5 patients to the same or other lobes. Metabolic treatment response evaluated by fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F18-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in the 6^thweek after treatment. F18-FDG PET/CT was repeated in per six weeks periods. The response criterion had been described as at least 20% decrease of SUV value. Also in patients with neuroendocrine tumor serial Gallium-68 (Ga-68) PET/CT was used for evaluation of response. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to their treatment response.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>68 patients received treatment for the right lobe, seven patients received treatment for the left lobe and 3 patients for both lobes. The mean treatment dose was estimated at 1.62 GBq. In the evaluation of treatment response; 43(55%) patients were responder (R) and 35 (45%) patients were non-responder (NR) in the sixth week F18-FDG PET/CT. Mean pretreatment SUVmax value of R group was 11.6 and NR group was 10.7. While only 11 (31%) out of 35 NR patients had H disease, 30 (69%) out of 43 R patients had H disease (p < 0.05). The mean overall survival time of R group was calculated as 25.63 ± 1.52 months and NR group's 20.45 ± 2.11 (p = 0.04). The mean overall survival time of H group was computed as 25.66 ± 1.52 months and EH group's 20.76 ± 1.97 (p = 0.09).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>SIRT is a useful treatment method which can contribute to the lengthening of survival times in patients with primary or metastatic unresectable liver malignancies. Also F18-FDG PET/CT is seen to be a successful imaging method in evaluating treatment response for predicting survival times in this patient group.</p

Impact of 18F-FDG PET/CT for Detecting Primary Tumor Focus in Patients with Histopathologically Proven Metastasis

Purpose: To describe the impact of fluorine (18F) - fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in detecting primary tumor focus in our patient population who had histopathologically proven metastasis.Methods: 37 patients who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT to detect primary tumor focus in our department were included in the study. The results of PET/CT and clinical follow-up data were reviewed retrospectively. PET/CT results were compared with histological analysis and/or clinical follow-up data.Results: Primary site of malignancy was correctly identified by PET/CT in 16 patients (16/37, 43%). Lung was the most common detected site (7/16). The mean SUV of metastatic tumor was higher than that of primary tumor. False positive and false negative results were obtained in 2 patients, respectively. In the remaining patients (17/37; 46%) the primary tumor was not localized by PET/CT. According to these results, the sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT were calculated as 89% and 90%, respectively. However, PET/CT scan determined additional metastatic focus and therapy management was changed (9/37, 24%). The primary focus was established in 4 of 8 (50%) patients with metastatic cervical adenopathy and in 12 of 29 (41%) patients with extra cervical metastases.Conclusions: 18F-FDG PET/CT can detect the primary tumor focus in about half of all patients with histopathologically proven metastases. In the remaining patients, it may contribute to therapy management by identifying additional foci

Molecular cloning of a human homologue of Drosophila heterochromatin protein HP1 using anti-centromere autoantibodies with anti-chromo specificity

We have identified a novel autoantibody specificity in scleroderma that we term anti-chromo. These antibodies recognize several chromosomal antigens with apparent molecular mass of between 23 and 25 kDa, as determined by immunoblots. Anti-chromo autoantibodies occur in 10-15% of sera from patients with anti-centromere antibodies (ACA). We used anti-chromo antibodies to screen a human expression library and obtained cDNA clones encoding a 25 kDa chromosomal autoantigen. DNA sequence analysis reveals this protein to be a human homologue of HP1, a heterochromatin protein of Drosophila melanogaster. We designate our cloned protein HP1Hs alpha. Epitope mapping experiments using both human and Drosophila HP1 reveal that anti-chromo antibodies target a region at the amino terminus of the protein. This region contains a conserved motif, the chromo domain (or HP1/Pc box), first recognized by comparison of Drosophila HP1 with the Polycomb gene product. Both proteins are thought to play a role in creating chromatin structures in which gene expression is suppressed. Anti-chromo thus defines a novel type of autoantibody that recognizes a conserved structural motif found on a number of chromosomal proteins