Real-Time Operating System/360

RTOS has a cost savings advantage for real-time applications, such as those with random inputs requiring a flexible data routing facility, display systems simplified by a device independent interface language, and complex applications needing added storage protection and data queuing

Neoadjuvant therapy for breast cancer

Objective: To evaluate the frequency of neoadjuvant therapy (NT) in women with stage I–III breast cancer in Italy and whether it is influenced by biological characteristics, screening history, and geographic area. Methods: Data from the High Resolution Study conducted in 7 Italian cancer registries were used; they are a representative sample of incident cancers in the study period (2009–2013). Included were 3546 women aged <85 years (groups <50, 50–69, 70–64, and 75+) with stage I–III breast cancer at diagnosis who underwent surgery. Women were classified as receiving NT if they received chemotherapy, target therapy, and/or hormone therapy before the first surgical treatment. Logistic models were built to test the association with biological and contextual variables. Results: Only 8.2% of women (290 cases) underwent NT; the treatment decreases with increasing age (14.5% in age <50 and 2.2% in age 75+), is more frequent in women with negative receptors (14.8%), HER2-positive (15.7%), and triple-negative (15.6%). The multivariable analysis showed the probability of receiving NT is higher in stage III (odds ratio [OR] 3.83; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.83–5.18), luminal B (OR 1.87; 95% CI 1.27–2.76), triple-negatives (OR 1.88; 95% CI 1.15–3.08), and in symptomatic cancers (OR 1.98; 95% CI 1.13–3.48). Use of NT varied among geographic areas: Reggio Emilia had the highest rates (OR 2.29; 95% CI 1.37–3.82) while Palermo had the lowest (OR 0.41; 95% CI 0.24–0.68). Conclusions: The use of NT in Italy is limited and variable. There are no signs of greater use in hospitals with more advanced care

A meteorological report for the Mount Hopkins Observatory - 1968 - 1969

Meteorological data for Mt. Hopkins Observatory for 1968 and 196

Effect of an 860-m thick, cold, freshwater aquifer on geothermal potential along the axis of the eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho

A 1912-m exploration corehole was drilled along the axis of the eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho. Two temperature logs run on the corehole display an obvious inflection point at about 960 m. Such behavior is indicative of downward fluid flow in the wellbore. The geothermal gradient above 935 m is 4.5 °C/km, while the gradient is 72–75 °C/km from 980 to 1440 m. Projecting the higher gradients upward to where they intersect the lower gradient on the temperature logs places the bottom of the cold, freshwater Snake River Plain aquifer, which suppresses the geothermal gradient at this location, at least 860 m below the surface. The average heat flow for the corehole between 983 and 1550 m is 132 mW/m2. Although the maximum bottom-hole temperature extrapolated from a measured time–temperature curve was only 59.3 °C, geothermometers suggest an equilibrium temperature on the order of 125–140 °C based on a single fluid sample from 1070 m. Furthermore, below 960 m the basalt core shows obvious signs of alteration, including a distinct color change, the formation of smectite clay, and the presence of secondary minerals filling vesicles and fracture zones. This alteration boundary could act as an effective cap or seal for a hot-water geothermal system

DNA Extraction Method Development for Ocular Tissues

Purpose: DNA extraction kits are traditionally developed to work with liquid tissues such as blood, saliva, and swabs, but some have been proposed to work with solid tissues. Somatic variation in cancers can be important for tumor subtyping and treatment guidance, including ocular tumors. Additionally, epigenetic marks such as 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) are tissue-specific and change in disease states, particularly evident in diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. Commercial DNA extraction kits are available from several vendors, but the various kits have different strengths and weaknesses, and the removal of PCR inhibitors will vary with each kit. This project investigates the yield and purity of DNA from ocular tissues using commercial DNA extraction kits. Methods: Cornea, neural retina, RPE/choroid layer, optic nerve, and capsular bag were collected and aliquoted into 15 mg aliquots. Extractions were performed using the following kits: DNEasy Blood and Tissue Kit (Qiagen;), GeneJET Genomic DNA Purification Kit (ThermoFisher Scientific), Monarch HMW DNA Extraction Kit for Tissue (New England Biosciences), and genomicPrep Mini Spin Kit (Cytiva). DNA was quantified using the Qubit Fluorometer and molecular weight was checked by agarose gel. Several more kits are currently being tested. Results: All four kits yielded high molecular weight DNA (above 20 kbp). The Monarch HMW kit yielded DNA with significantly higher molecular weights. The DNA yields per milligram of tissue were highest using the DNEasy Blood and Tissue Kit for optic nerve, neural retina, and RPE/choroid. The yield was highest for the cornea using the genomicPrep Mini Spin Kit. Only the genomicPrep Mini Spin Kit yielded sufficient DNA for quantification from the capsular bag, and total yields were minimal (600 ng or less). Additional kits are currently being tested, but initial results indicate that several commercial kits will be sufficient for DNA extraction of ocular tissues. Further work is needed to purify epithelial cells and stem cells from the intraocular lens. Conclusions: Of the kits tested, all are sufficient to obtain significant amounts of DNA from all ocular tissues aside from the capsular bag. The Monarch HMW yielded the highest molecular weight, but significantly lower quantities of DNA than the other kits, indicating that it may not be ideal for most purposes. Protocol development for the capsular bag is still underway

Fracking in the UK press: threat dynamics in an unfolding debate

Shale gas is a novel source of fossil fuel which is extracted by induced hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”. This article examines the socio-political dimension of fracking as manifested in the UK press at three key temporal points in the debate on the practice. Three newspaper corpora were analysed qualitatively using Thematic Analysis and Social Representations Theory. Three overarching themes are discussed: “April–May 2011: From Optimism to Scepticism”; “November 2011: (De-)Constructing and Re-Constructing Risk and Danger”; “April 2012: Consolidating Social Representations of Fracking”. In this article, we examine the emergence of and inter-relations between competing social representations, discuss the dynamics of threat positioning and show how threat can be re-construed in order to serve particular socio-political ends in the debate on fracking

NGNP Point Design - Results of the Initial Neutronics and Thermal-Hydraulic Assessments During FY-03, Rev. 1

This report presents the preliminary preconceptual designs for two possible versions of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP), one for a prismatic fuel type helium gas-cooled reactor and one for a pebble bed fuel helium gas reactor. Both designs are to meet three basic requirements: a coolant outlet temperature of 1000 °C, passive safety, and a total power output consistent with that expected for commercial high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. The two efforts are discussed separately below. The analytical results presented in this report are very promising, however, we wish to caution the reader that future, more detailed, design work will be needed to provide final answers to a number of key questions including the allowable power level, the inlet temperature, the power density, the optimum fuel form, and others. The point design work presented in this report provides a starting point for other evaluations, and directions for the detailed design, but not final answers

Development of a Protocol for Obtaining Biological Samples for Genetic Testing from Remote Individuals

Pharmacogenomic sequencing allows individuals to learn more about how they will respond to certain medications but requires shipping of a biological sample. One complication of sending biological samples to remote laboratories is stability. Blood generally yields sufficient quantities of high-quality DNA but requires a clinic visit. Saliva and buccal swabs are routinely used for DNA extractions, but the DNA quality is notoriously low due to the presence of bacteria in the mouth. Additionally, elderly individuals have difficulty producing enough saliva for testing, and the tubes contain several milliliters of liquid and shipping requires special considerations. Dried blood spot cards, which serve as an alternative to saliva and buccal swabs, yield high-quality DNA and ship easily, but may produce a lower yield. This project aims to determine which biological sample methods can reasonably be obtained from remote individuals

Oscillatory cAMP signaling rapidly alters H3K4 methylation

receptors (GPCRs) alter H3K4 methylation via oscillatory intracellular cAMP. Activation of Gs-coupled receptors caused a rapid decrease of H3K4me3 by elevating cAMP, whereas stimulation of Gi-coupled receptors increased H3K4me3 by diminishing cAMP. H3K4me3 gradually recovered towards baseline levels after the removal of GPCR ligands, indicating that H3K4me3 oscillates in tandem with GPCR activation. cAMP increased intracellular labile Fe(II), the cofactor for histone demethylases, through a non-canonical cAMP target—Rap guanine nucleotide exchange factor-2 (RapGEF2), which subsequently enhanced endosome acidification and Fe(II) release from the endosome via vacuolar H+-ATPase assembly. Removing Fe(III) from the media blocked intracellular Fe(II) elevation after stimulation of Gs-coupled receptors. Iron chelators and inhibition of KDM5 demethylases abolished cAMP-mediated H3K4me3 demethylation. Taken together, these results suggest a novel function of cAMP signaling in modulating histone demethylation through labile Fe(II)

Optimal duration of risperidone or olanzapine adjunctive therapy to mood stabilizer following remission of a manic episode: A CANMAT randomized double-blind trial

Atypical antipsychotic adjunctive therapy to lithium or valproate is effective in treating acute mania. Although continuation of atypical antipsychotic adjunctive therapy after mania remission reduces relapse of mood episodes, the optimal duration is unknown. As many atypical antipsychotics cause weight gain and metabolic syndrome, they should not be continued unless the benefits outweigh the risks. This 52-week double-blind placebo-controlled trial recruited patients with bipolar I disorder (n=159) who recently remitted from a manic episode during treatment with risperidone or olanzapine adjunctive therapy to lithium or valproate. Patients were randomized to one of three conditions: discontinuation of risperidone or olanzapine and substitution with placebo at (i) entry (\u270-weeks\u27 group) or (ii) at 24 weeks after entry (\u2724-weeks\u27 group) or (iii) continuation of risperidone or olanzapine for the full duration of the study (\u2752-weeks\u27 group). The primary outcome measure was time to relapse of any mood episode. Compared with the 0-weeks group, the time to any mood episode was significantly longer in the 24-weeks group (hazard ratio (HR) 0.53; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.33, 0.86) and nearly so in the 52-weeks group (HR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.39, 1.02). The relapse rate was similar in the 52-weeks group compared with the 24-weeks group (HR: 1.18; 95% CI: 0.71, 1.99); however, sub-group analysis showed discordant results between the two antipsychotics (HR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.17; 1.32 olanzapine patients; HR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.00, 3.41 risperidone patients). Average weight gain was 3.2 kg in the 52-weeks group compared with a weight loss of 0.2 kg in the 0-weeks and 0.1 kg in the 24-weeks groups. These findings suggest that risperidone or olanzapine adjunctive therapy for 24 weeks is beneficial but continuation of risperidone beyond this period does not reduce the risk of relapse. Whether continuation of olanzapine beyond this period reduces relapse risk remains unclear but the potential benefit needs to be weighed against an increased risk of weight gain