Thermal conductivity profile determination in proton-irradiated ZrC by Spatial and frequency scanning thermal wave methods

Using complementary thermal wave methods, the irradiation damaged region of zirconium carbide (ZrC) is characterized by quantifiably profiling the thermophysical property degradation. The ZrC sample was irradiated by a 2.6 MeV proton beam at 600 °C to a dose of 1.75 displacements per atom. Spatial scanning techniques including scanning thermal microscopy (SThM), lock-in infrared thermography (lock-in IRT), and photothermal radiometry (PTR) were used to directly map the in-depth profile of thermal conductivity on a cross section of the ZrC sample. The advantages and limitations of each system are discussed and compared, finding consistent results from all techniques. SThM provides the best resolution finding a very uniform thermal conductivity envelope in the damaged region measuring ∼52 ± 2 μm deep. Frequency-based scanning PTR provides quantification of the thermal parameters of the sample using the SThM measured profile to provide validation of a heating model. Measured irradiated and virgin thermal conductivities are found to be 11.9 ± 0.5 W m−1 K−1 and 26.7 ±1 W m−1 K−1, respectively. A thermal resistance evidenced in the frequency spectra of the PTR results was calculated to be (1.58 ± 0.1) × 10−6 m2 K W−1. The measured thermal conductivity values compare well with the thermal conductivity extracted from the SThM calibrated signal and the spatially scanned PTR. Combined spatial and frequency scanning techniques are shown to provide a valuable, complementary combination for thermal property characterization of proton-irradiated ZrC. Such methodology could be useful for other studies of ion-irradiated materials

Photothermal infrared thermography applied to the identification of thin layer thermophysical properties

Abstract: The aim of the present work is the thermal non-destructive characterisation of layers at the surface of metals. The sample is sinusoidally heated by means of an argon ion laser and a focal plane array infrared camera (CEDIP IRC 320-4 LW) is used to measure the temperature variations at the surface of the layer. A numerical lock-in procedure allows the detection of very weak temperature variations at the surface of the sample, down to a few mK when working from the acquisition of hundreds of images, yielding amplitude and absolute phase maps for modulation frequencies ranging from 0.1 Hz to 1000 Hz. An inverse procedure uses the Gauss-Newton parameter estimation method, in order to identify the thermal conductivity and the optical absorption coefficient of the layer. Confidence intervals on the parameters can also be estimated by the inverse procedure. More particular attention is devoted to the study of the sensitivity coefficients, as functions of the frequency range and of the radial range along the profiles, in order to optimise the identification procedure

Case report of a clinically indolent but morphologically high-grade cutaneous mast cell tumor in an adult:Atypical cutaneous mastocytoma or mast cell sarcoma?

We present a case of an adult male with a solitary mast cell tumor of the skin with unusual nuclear pleomorphism and mitotic activity. The tumor was excised, recurred within 2 years, was reexcised after 4 years and did not recur >6 years after diagnosis. The tumor showed progressive cytonuclear atypia and a high mitotic and proliferation rate by Ki67‐staining from the onset. No KIT mutations were identified in the tumor and bone marrow. Serum tryptase levels and a bone marrow aspirate and trephine biopsy were normal. Although the histomorphology of the skin tumor was consistent with mast cell sarcoma, the clinical behavior without systemic progression argued against this diagnosis. The tumor was finally considered as atypical mastocytoma, borderline to mast cell sarcoma. Currently, the patient is in close follow‐up and still in complete remission

Splenomegaly, elevated alkaline phosphatase and mutations in the SRSF2/ASXL1/RUNX1 gene panel are strong adverse prognostic markers in patients with systemic mastocytosis

We evaluated the impact of clinical and molecular characteristics on overall survival (OS) in 108 patients with indolent (n=41) and advanced SM (advSM, n=67). Organomegaly was measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based volumetry of liver and spleen. In multivariate analysis of all patients, an increased spleen volume greater than or equal to450?ml (hazard ratio [HR], 5.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], [2.1–13.0]; P=0.003) and an elevated alkaline phosphatase (AP; HR 5.0 [1.1–22.2]; P=0.02) were associated with adverse OS. The 3-year OS was 100, 77, and 39%, respectively (P<0.0001), for patients with 0 (low-risk, n=37), 1 (intermediate-risk, n=32) or 2 (high-risk, n=39) parameters. For advSM patients with fully available clinical and molecular data (n=60), univariate analysis identified splenomegaly greater than or equal to1200?ml, elevated AP and mutations in the SRSF2/ASXL1/RUNX1 (S/A/R) gene panel as significant prognostic markers. In multivariate analysis, mutations in S/A/R (HR, 3.2 [1.1–9.6]; P=0.01) and elevated AP (HR 2.6 [1.0–7.1]; P=0.03) remained predictive adverse prognostic markers for OS. The 3-year OS was 76% and 38%, respectively (P=0.0003), for patients with 0-1 (intermediate-risk, n=28) or 2 (high-risk, n=32) parameters. We conclude that splenomegaly, elevated AP and mutations in the S/A/R gene panel are independent of the WHO classification and provide the most relevant prognostic information in SM patient

Systemic mastocytosis associated with t(8;21)(q22;q22) acute myeloid leukemia

Although KIT mutations are present in 20–25% of cases of t(8;21)(q22;q22) acute myeloid leukemia (AML), concurrent development of systemic mastocytosis (SM) is exceedingly rare. We examined the clinicopathologic features of SM associated with t(8;21)(q22;q22) AML in ten patients (six from our institutions and four from published literature) with t(8;21) AML and SM. In the majority of these cases, a definitive diagnosis of SM was made after chemotherapy, when the mast cell infiltrates were prominent. Deletion 9q was an additional cytogenetic abnormality in four cases. Four of the ten patients failed to achieve remission after standard chemotherapy and seven of the ten patients have died of AML. In the two patients who achieved durable remission after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant, recipient-derived neoplastic bone marrow mast cells persisted despite leukemic remission. SM associated with t(8;21) AML carries a dismal prognosis; therefore, detection of concurrent SM at diagnosis of t(8;21) AML has important prognostic implications

Acute myeloid leukemia of donor origin after allogeneic stem cell transplantation from a sibling who harbors germline XPD and XRCC3 homozygous polymorphisms

A 54-year-old woman was diagnosed with infiltrative ductal breast carcinoma. Two years after treatment, the patient developed an acute myeloid leukemia (AML) which harbored del(11q23) in 8% of the blast cells. The patient was submitted for allogeneic stem cell transplantation (aSCT) from her HLA-compatible sister. Ten months after transplantation, she relapsed with an AML with basophilic maturation characterized by CD45low CD33high, CD117+, CD13-/+, HLA Drhigh, CD123high, and CD203c+ blast cells lacking expression of CD7, CD10, CD34, CD15, CD14, CD56, CD36, CD64, and cytoplasmic tryptase. Karyotype analysis showed the emergence of a new clone with t(2;14) and FISH analysis indicated the presence of MLL gene rearrangement consistent with del(11q23). Interestingly, AML blast cell DNA tested with microsatellite markers showed the same pattern as the donor's, suggesting that this AML emerged from donor cells. Additionally, polymorphisms of the XPA, XPD, XRCC1, XRCC3 and RAD51 DNA repair genes revealed three unfavorable alleles with low DNA repair capacity

Maintaining (locus of) control? : Assessing the impact of locus of control on education decisions and wages

This paper establishes that individuals with an internal locus of control, i.e., who believe that reinforcement in life comes from their own actions instead of being determined by luck or destiny, earn higher wages. However, this positive effect only translates into labor income via the channel of education. Factor structure models are implemented on an augmented data set coming from two different samples. By so doing, we are able to correct for potential biases that arise due to reverse causality and spurious correlation, and to investigate the impact of premarket locus of control on later outcomes

Prostaglandin D2-supplemented “functional eicosanoid testing and typing” assay with peripheral blood leukocytes as a new tool in the diagnosis of systemic mast cell activation disease: an explorative diagnostic study

Background: Systemic mast cell activation disease (MCAD) is characterized by an enhanced release of mast cell-derived mediators, including eicosanoids, which induce a broad spectrum of clinical symptoms. Accordingly, the diagnostic algorithm of MCAD presupposes the proof of increased mast cell mediator release, but only a few mediators are currently established as routine laboratory parameters. We thus initiated an explorative study to evaluate in vitro typing of individual eicosanoid pattern of peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) as a new diagnostic tool in MCAD. Methods: Using the “functional eicosanoid testing and typing” (FET) assay, we investigated the balance (i.e. the complex pattern of formation, release and mutual interaction) of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and peptido-leukotrienes (pLT) release from PBLs of 22 MCAD patients and 20 healthy individuals. FET algorithms thereby consider both basal and arachidonic acid (AA)-, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA)-, and substance P (SP)-triggered release of PGE2 and pLT. The FET assay was further supplemented by analyzing prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), as mast cell-specific eicosanoid. Results: We observed marked PGE2-pLT imbalances for PBLs of MCAD patients, as indicated by a markedly enhanced mean FET value of 1.75 ± 0.356 (range: 1.14–2.36), compared to 0.53 ± 0.119 (range: 0.36-0.75) for healthy individuals. In addition, mean PGD2 release from PBLs of MCAD patients was significantly, 6.6-fold higher than from PBLs of healthy individuals (946 ± 302.2 pg/ml versus 142 ± 47.8 pg/ml; P < 0.001). In contrast to healthy individuals, PGD2 release from PBLs of MCAD patients was markedly triggered by SP (mean: 1896 ± 389.7 pg/ml; P < 0.001), whereas AA and ASA caused individually varying effects on both PGD2 and pLT release. Conclusions: The new in-vitro FET assay, supplemented with analysis of PGD2, demonstrated that the individual patterns of eicosanoid release from PBLs can unambiguously distinguish MCAD patients from healthy individuals. Notably, in our analyses, the FET value and both basal and triggered PGD2 levels were not significantly affected by MCAD-specific medication. Thus, this approach may serve as an in-vitro diagnostic tool to estimate mast cell activity and to support individualized therapeutic decision processes for patients suffering from MCAD