4,568 research outputs found
PHASE I STUDY OF PKC412 (N-BENZOYL-STAUROSPORINE), A NOVEL ORAL PROTEIN KINASE C INHIBITOR, COMBINED WITH GEMCITABINE AND CISPLATIN IN PATIENTS WITH NON-SMALL-CELL LUNG CANCER.
GLRT-based array receivers for the detection of a known signal with unknown parameters corrupted by noncircular interferences
Phase II trial of raltitrexed ('Tomudex') in advanced small-cell lung cancer.
Raltitrexed, a thymidylate synthase inhibitor, was given to 21 patients with advanced small-cell lung cancer, at a dose of 3 mg m(-2) as a 15-min intravenous infusion at 21-day intervals. All of the patients had extensive disease and 17 had received prior therapy. Patients with disease refractory to primary chemotherapy were excluded. Forty-one treatment cycles were given (median two, range one to four). The drug was well tolerated. No objective tumour response was documented. The patients had chemoresistant disease, as shown by a response in only one of ten patients who went on to receive alternative cytotoxic regimens. We conclude that raltitrexed given in this schedule is inactive as second line therapy for small-cell lung cancer
Application de la borne de Cramer-Rao dans le cas de systèmes antennaires complexes de goniométrie
Généralement, la borne de Cramer-Rao des directions d'arrivée de signaux sur un réseau de capteurs est calculée de façon théorique [1] [2] [3]. Or dès que l'on désire effectuer une application numérique de la borne de Cramer-Rao pour un système donné, on est souvent amené à effectuer des suppositions et/ou des simplifications. En effet, il est souvent très difficile de tenir compte et de modéliser l'environnement et les différents phénomènes pouvant perturber le réseau de capteurs, comme le couplage entre antennes, l'influence d'un porteur (mat ou véhicule) en termes de diffraction, de réflexion ou même la présence d'un sol. Dans ce travail, nous utilisons un logiciel de simulation électromagnétique pour estimer l'impact de l'environnement réel sur le vecteur direction d'un système antennaire complexe de goniométrie. La borne de Cramer-Rao déterministe des directions d'arrivée de signaux est ensuite déterminée pour le réseau de capteurs de goniométrie soumis à des perturbations. Les résultats montrent que la précision dépend fortement de la prise en compte des couplages et perturbations du système antennaire. On montre ainsi que l'environnement a un impact non négligeable et que l'on peut calculer une borne de Cramer Rao des directions d'arrivée plus réaliste et ainsi optimiser dans certains cas le système antennaire de goniométrie en fonction de son environnement
Classification of array calibration and self-calibration methods
The purpose of this article is to present a classification of the main tnethods for
the estimation of the parameters of both the propagation and the reception models
of the received signals along an array (calibration or self-calibration) . These
methods are classified according to the a priori information they require (external
or not), according to the way used to estimate the parameters (identification
of the received data ta a model or optimisation of a criterion or according to
the criterion itself (projection on the noise subspace, maximum likelihood or
sharpness fonction).Nous présentons dans cet article une classification des principales méthodes pour estimer les paramètres du modèle de propagation et de réception des signaux sur une antenne (calibration ou auto-calibration). Ces méthodes sont classées selon l'information qu'elles nécessitent a priori (externe ou non), selon la technique utilisée (identification des données reçues à un modèle ou optimisation d'un certain critère) ou enfin selon le critère mis en oeuvre (projection sur le sous-espace bruit, maximum de vraisemblance ou function de contraste
A new scab-like disease on apple caused by the formerly saprotrophic fungus Venturia asperata
Atypical scab-like symptoms were reported for the first time in 2007 in the south of France on fruits of apple cultivars carrying the Rvi6 (=Vf) major resistance gene to Venturia inaequalis. With microscopic observations, nucleotide sequence data and pathological tests, it was shown that the causal agent was Venturia asperata. Scanning electron microscopy was used to compare its infection process and conidiogenesis to those of Venturia inaequalis on apple and Venturia pirina on pear. Venturia asperata produced fewer hyphae and fewer spores than the two other Venturia species, and resulted in weaker symptoms. This fungal species was previously described as a saprotroph on apple leaf litter. This is the first report of damage on apple fruits caused by V. asperata. Changes in host and cultural practices may have created a new context favourable for the emergence of this pathogen. It was also detected on symptomless leaves and on overwintered leaves on the ground. Pseudothecia developed on overwintered leaves and released ascospores over a 2-month period from the end of March until the end of May, suggesting that the fungus is able to survive from season to season. However, it is not yet known if this new disease will establish over coming years and become an emergent disease
Multicolour CCD Measurements of Visual Double and Multiple Stars. III
Recent CCD observations were performed in the period 1998-2004 for a large
sample of visual double and multiple stars selected from the Hipparcos
Catalogue and/or from the Gliese Catalogue of Nearby Stars. Accurate
astrometric and photometric data allowing to characterize the individual
components are provided. These data are confronted to Hipparcos data or to data
from an older epoch in order to assess the nature of the observed systems. We
simultaneously apply a Moffat-Lorentz profile with a similar shape to all
detected components and adjust the profile parameters from which we obtain the
relative astrometric position (epoch, position angle, angular separation) as
well as differential multi-colour photometry (filters (B)VRI). We thus acquired
recent data for 71 visual systems of which 6 are orbital binaries, 27 are
nearby and 30 are multiple systems. In three cases, the systems remained
unresolved. 23 new components were detected and measured. Two new visual double
stars of intermediate separation were also found. The estimated accuracies in
relative position are 0.04 deg and 0.01" respectively, while those in
differential photometry are of the order of 0.01-0.02 mag in general. The
nature of the association of 55 systems is evaluated. New basic binary
properties are derived for 20 bound systems. Component colours and masses are
provided for two orbital binaries.Comment: 7 pages, 2 Postscript figures, 1 appendix, 1 annex containing 3
tables. Appendix A and Tables~4-6 are only available in electronic form.
Astronomy and Astrophysics, in press (2006
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon processing in a hot gas
Context: PAHs are thought to be a ubiquitous and important dust component of
the interstellar medium. However, the effects of their immersion in a hot
(post-shock) gas have never before been fully investigated. Aims: We study the
effects of energetic ion and electron collisions on PAHs in the hot post-shock
gas behind interstellar shock waves. Methods: We calculate the ion-PAH and
electron-PAH nuclear and electronic interactions, above the carbon atom loss
threshold, in H II regions and in the hot post-shock gas, for temperatures
ranging from 10^3 to 10^8 K. Results: PAH destruction is dominated by He
collisions at low temperatures (T < 3x10^4 K), and by electron collisions at
higher temperatures. Smaller PAHs are destroyed faster for T < 10^6 K, but the
destruction rates are roughly the same for all PAHs at higher temperatures. The
PAH lifetime in a tenuous hot gas (n_H ~ 0.01 cm^-3, T ~ 10^7 K), typical of
the coronal gas in galactic outflows, is found to be about thousand years,
orders of magnitude shorter than the typical lifetime of such objects.
Conclusions: In a hot gas, PAHs are principally destroyed by electron
collisions and not by the absorption of X-ray photons from the hot gas. The
resulting erosion of PAHs occurs via C_2 loss from the periphery of the
molecule, thus preserving the aromatic structure. The observation of PAH
emission from a million degree, or more, gas is only possible if the emitting
PAHs are ablated from dense, entrained clumps that have not yet been exposed to
the full effect of the hot gas.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables, typos corrected and PAH acronym in
the title substituted with full name to match version published in Astronomy
and Astrophysic
Phase II study of gemcitabine plus oxaliplatin as first-line chemotherapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer
This phase II study evaluated the response rate and tolerability of gemcitabine–oxaliplatin chemotherapy in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Chemonaive patients with stage IIIB or IV NSCLC received gemcitabine 1000 mg m−2 on days 1 and 8, followed by oxaliplatin 130 mg m−2 on day 1. Cycles were repeated every 21 days for up to six cycles. From February 2002 to May 2004, 60 patients were enrolled into the study in seven Italian institutions. We observed one complete response (1.7%) and 14 partial responses (23.3%), for an overall response rate of 25.0% (95% confidence interval, 14.7–37.9%). The median duration of response was 5.9 months (range 1.5–17.1 months). With a median follow-up of 6.7 months, median time to progressive disease and overall survival were 2.7 (range 1.9–3.4 months) and 7.3 months (range 7.2–8.6 months), respectively. The main grade 3–4 haematological toxicities were transient neutropenia in 11.7% and thrombocytopenia in 8.3% of the patients. Nausea/vomiting was the main grade 3–4 nonhaematological toxicity, occurring in 10.0% of the patients. Two (3.3%) patients developed grade 3 neurotoxicity. Our results show that gemcitabine–oxaliplatin chemotherapy is active and well tolerated in patients with advanced NSCLC, deserving further study, especially for patients not eligible to receive cisplatin
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