Thermal conductivity of gaseous and liquid hydrogen

Normal and para-hydrogen conductivity measurements at temperatures from 200 to 17 deg K, at densities up to 2.6 times critical density, and at pressures to 15 MN/sq m are made. Using new calorimeter, data are analyzed as functions of density at fixed temperatures and of temperature at fixed densitie

Computer programs for thermodynamic and transport properties of hydrogen

Computer program subroutines provide the thermodynamic and transport properties of hydrogen in tabular form. The programs provide 18 combinations of input and output variables. This program is written in FORTRAN 4 for use on the IBM 7044 or CDC 3600 computers

Uniform data system standardizes technical computations and the purchasing of commercially important gases

Integrated tables of pressure, volume, and temperature for the saturated liquid, from the triple point to the critical point of the gases, have been developed. Tables include definition of saturated liquid curve. Values are presented in metric and practical units. Advantages of the new tables are discussed

Increased fluorescence of PbS quantum dots in photonic crystals by excitation enhancement

We report on the enhanced fluorescence of lead sulfide quantum dots interacting with leaky modes of slab type silicon photonic crystals. The photonic crystal slabs were fabricated, supporting leaky modes in the near infrared wavelength range. Lead sulfite quantum dots which are resonant in the same spectral range were prepared in a thin layer above the slab. We selectively excited the leaky modes by tuning the wavelength and angle of incidence of the laser source and measured distinct resonances of enhanced fluorescence. By an appropriate experiment design, we ruled out directional light extraction effects and determined the impact of enhanced excitation. Three dimensional numerical simulations consistently explain the experimental findings by strong near field enhancements in the vicinity of the photonic crystal surface. Our study provides a basis for systematic tailoring of photonic crystals used in biological applications such as biosensing and single molecule detection, as well as quantum dot solar cells and spectral conversion application

Cancer data and Aboriginal disparities (CanDAD)-developing an Advanced Cancer Data System for Aboriginal people in South Australia: a mixed methods research protocol

Introduction: In Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People carry a greater burden of cancerrelated mortality than non-Aboriginal Australians. The Cancer Data and Aboriginal Disparities Project aims to develop and test an integrated, comprehensive cancer monitoring and surveillance system capable of incorporating epidemiological and narrative data to address disparities and advocate for clinical system change. Methods and analysis: The Advanced Cancer Data System will integrate routinely collected unit record data from the South Australian Population Cancer Registry and a range of other data sources for a retrospective cohort of indigenous people with cancers diagnosed from 1990 to 2010. A randomly drawn non- Aboriginal cohort will be matched by primary cancer site, sex, age and year at diagnosis. Cross-tabulations and regression analyses will examine the extent to which demographic attributes, cancer stage and survival vary between the cohorts. Narratives from Aboriginal people with cancer, their families, carers and service providers will be collected and analysed using patient pathway mapping and thematic analysis. Statements from the narratives will structure both a concept mapping process of rating, sorting and prioritising issues, focusing on issues of importance and feasibility, and the development of a real-time Aboriginal Cancer Measure of Experience for ongoing linkage with epidemiological data in the Advanced Cancer Data System. Aboriginal Community engagement underpins this Project. Ethics and dissemination: The research has been approved by relevant local and national ethics committees. Findings will be disseminated in local and international peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations. In addition, the research will provide data for knowledge translation activities across the partner organisations and feed directly into the Statewide Cancer Control Plan. It will provide a mechanism for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the recommendations in these documents.Paul Henry Yerrell, David Roder, Margaret Cargo, Rachel Reilly, David Banham, Jasmine May Micklem, Kim Morey, Harold Bundamurra Stewart, Janet Stajic, Michael Norris, Alex Brown, On behalf of the CanDAD Aboriginal Community Reference Group and CanDAD Investigator

An appraisal of analytical tools used in predicting clinical outcomes following radiation therapy treatment of men with prostate cancer: a systematic review

Background: Prostate cancer can be treated with several different modalities, including radiation treatment. Various prognostic tools have been developed to aid decision making by providing estimates of the probability of different outcomes. Such tools have been demonstrated to have better prognostic accuracy than clinical judgment alone. Methods: A systematic review was undertaken to identify papers relating to the prediction of clinical outcomes (biochemical failure, metastasis, survival) in patients with prostate cancer who received radiation treatment, with the particular aim of identifying whether published tools are adequately developed, validated, and provide accurate predictions. PubMed and EMBASE were searched from July 2007. Title and abstract screening, full text review, and critical appraisal were conducted by two reviewers. A review protocol was published in advance of commencing literature searches. Results: The search strategy resulted in 165 potential articles, of which 72 were selected for full text review and 47 ultimately included. These papers described 66 models which were newly developed and 31 which were external validations of already published predictive tools. The included studies represented a total of 60,457 patients, recruited between 1984 and 2009. Sixty five percent of models were not externally validated, 57% did not report accuracy and 31% included variables which are not readily accessible in existing datasets. Most models (72, 74%) related to external beam radiation therapy with the remainder relating to brachytherapy (alone or in combination with external beam radiation therapy). Conclusions: A large number of prognostic models (97) have been described in the recent literature, representing a rapid increase since previous reviews (17 papers, 1966–2007). Most models described were not validated and a third utilised variables which are not readily accessible in existing data collections. Where validation had occurred, it was often limited to data taken from single institutes in the US. While validated and accurate models are available to predict prostate cancer specific mortality following external beam radiation therapy, there is a scarcity of such tools relating to brachytherapy. This review provides an accessible catalogue of predictive tools for current use and which should be prioritised for future validation.Elspeth Raymond, Michael E. O’Callaghan, Jared Campbell, Andrew D. Vincent, Kerri Beckmann, David Roder, Sue Evans, John McNeil, Jeremy Millar, John Zalcberg, Martin Borg and Kim Morett

Magnetoresistance in Mn pyrochlore: electrical transport in a low carrier density ferromagnet

We discuss magnetotransport in a low density electron gas coupled to spin fluctuations near and above a ferromagnetic transition. Provided the density is low enough ($n \lesssim 1/\xi^{3}(T)$, with $\xi(T)$ the ferromagnetic correlation length), spin polarons form in an intermediate temperature regime above $T_c$. Both in the spin polaron regime, and in the itinerant regime nearer $T_c$, the magnetoresistance is large. We propose that this provides a good model for ``colossal'' magnetoresistance in the pyrochlore Tl$_{2-x}$Sc$_x$Mn$_2$O$_7$, fundamentally different from the mechanism in the perovskite manganites such as La$_{1-x}$Sr$_x$MnO$_3$.Comment: 4 pages, LaTex, + 3 figure

Heart failure following cancer treatment: characteristics, survival and mortality of a linked health data analysis

Background: Cardiotoxicity resulting in heart failure is a devastating complication of cancer therapy. A patient may survive cancer only to develop heart failure (HF), which has a higher mortality rate than some cancers. Aim: This study aimed to describe the characteristics and outcomes of HF in patients with blood or breast cancer after chemotherapy treatment. Methods: Queensland Cancer Registry, Death Registry and Hospital Administration records were linked (1996–2009). Patients were categorised as those with an index HF admission (that occurred after cancer diagnosis) and those without an index HF admission (non-HF). Results: A total of 15 987 patients was included, and 1062 (6.6%) had an index HF admission. Median age of HF patients was 67 years (interquartile range 58–75) versus 54 years (interquartile range 44–64) for non-HF patients. More men than women developed HF (48.6% vs 29.5%), and a greater proportion in the HF group had haematological cancer (83.1%) compared with breast cancer (16.9%). After covariate adjustment, HF patients had increased mortality risk compared with non-HF patients (hazard ratios 1.67 (95% confidence interval, 1.54–1.81)), and 47% of the index HF admission occurred within 1 year from cancer diagnosis and 70% within 3 years. Conclusion: Cancer treatment may place patients at a greater risk of developing HF. The onset of HF occurred soon after chemotherapy, and those who developed HF had a greater mortality risk

Cancer survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: a national study of survival rates and excess mortality

BackgroundNational cancer survival statistics are available for the total Australian population but not Indigenous Australians, although their cancer mortality rates are known to be higher than those of other Australians. We aimed to validate analysis methods and report cancer survival rates for Indigenous Australians as the basis for regular national reporting.MethodsWe used national cancer registrations data to calculate all-cancer and site-specific relative survival for Indigenous Australians (compared with non-Indigenous Australians) diagnosed in 2001-2005. Because of limited availability of Indigenous life tables, we validated and used cause-specific survival (rather than relative survival) for proportional hazards regression to analyze time trends and regional variation in all-cancer survival between 1991 and 2005.ResultsSurvival was lower for Indigenous than non-Indigenous Australians for all cancers combined and for many cancer sites. The excess mortality of Indigenous people with cancer was restricted to the first three years after diagnosis, and greatest in the first year. Survival was lower for rural and remote than urban residents; this disparity was much greater for Indigenous people. Survival improved between 1991 and 2005 for non-Indigenous people (mortality decreased by 28%), but to a much lesser extent for Indigenous people (11%) and only for those in remote areas; cancer survival did not improve for urban Indigenous residents.ConclusionsCancer survival is lower for Indigenous than other Australians, for all cancers combined and many individual cancer sites, although more accurate recording of Indigenous status by cancer registers is required before the extent of this disadvantage can be known with certainty. Cancer care for Indigenous Australians needs to be considerably improved; cancer diagnosis, treatment, and support services need to be redesigned specifically to be accessible and acceptable to Indigenous people

Transport Properties of the One Dimensional Ferromagnetic Kondo Lattice Model : A Qualitative Approach to Oxide Manganites

The transport properties of the ferromagnetic Kondo lattice model in one dimension are studied via bosonization methods. The antiferromagnetic fluctuations, which normally appear because of the RKKY interactions, are explicitly taken into account as a direct exchange between the ``core'' spins. It is shown that in the paramagnetic regime with the local antiferromagnetic fluctuations, the resistivity decays exponentially as the temperature increases while in the ferromagnetic regime the system is an almost perfect conductor. %A non-perturbative description of localized spin polarons %in the paramagnetic region is obtained. The effect of a weak applied field is discussed to be reduced to the case of the ferromagnetic state leading to band splitting. The qualitative relevance of the results for the problem of the Oxide Manganites is emphasized.Comment: 4 pages, REVTe