Structural Fill of Steel Slag Caused Heave of a Building

The results of an investigation on the cause of damage to a two-story industrial building supported on 5.5m of steel slag fill in the town of Monclova in the north of Mexico are presented. Since six years it was built, the floor slab heaved between 2om and 25om. The columns were raised up between 2 cm and 20 cm. These movements cracked the building. Chemical analysis of slag showed 22% of calcium oxide and 5% of magnesium oxide, which on hydration cause swelling. At a distance of 4m on one side of the building was a hearth-bath, a molten iron pit, 5mx5m & 4m deep c0nstructedin the same slag fill. The heat transmitted from the hearth-bath to the fill beneath the building caused it to swell. The swell was proportional to the heat transmitted. The maximum heave was 25 cm at a distance of 4 m from the heat source. The heave decreased at increasing distances from the heat source

Permeability of Clays under Organic Permeants

A Magnesium Montmorillonite and a Kaolinite Clay Are Subjected to Organic and Inorganic Permeants to Study the Changes in Permeability Caused by the Reaction between Clays and Permeants. the Permeants Are Acetic Acid, Aniline, Methanol, and Xylene. Tests Are Conducted in Specially Designed and Constructed Flexible Wall Permeameters that Provide Precise Measurements of Pressures and Flows. Increases in Clay Permeability Due to Clay-Permeant Chemical Reactions Are Measured to Be on the Order of Two to Three Times the Original Permeability. This is in Contrast to the 100 to 1,000 Times Increases Reported by Others. the Writers Believe that the Large Increases Reported by Others is Probably Due to the Use of Fixed-Wall Permeameters. the Writers\u27 Results Show that Methanol Doubles the Permeability of Montmorillonite. Acetic Acid Reacts with the Carbonates in Montmorillonite and Liberated Carbon Dioxide. the Resulting Loss of Mass Triples the Clay\u27s Permeability. Aniline and Xylene Will Not Flow through Saturated Montmorillonite but Will Flow through Saturated Kaolinite at Reduced Flow Rates. Hydraulic Fracturing of the Montmorillonite Occurred When Methanol Passed through It under a High Gradient and Low Confining Pressure. © ASCE

Multicenter Phase 2 Trial of Sirolimus for Tuberous Sclerosis: Kidney Angiomyolipomas and Other Tumors Regress and VEGF- D Levels Decrease

Tuberous sclerosis (TSC) related tumors are characterized by constitutively activated mTOR signaling due to mutations in TSC1 or TSC2.We completed a phase 2 multicenter trial to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of the mTOR inhibitor, sirolimus, for the treatment of kidney angiomyolipomas.36 adults with TSC or TSC/LAM were enrolled and started on daily sirolimus. The overall response rate was 44.4% (95% confidence intervals [CI] 28 to 61); 16/36 had a partial response. The remainder had stable disease (47.2%, 17/36), or were unevaluable (8.3%, 3/36). The mean decrease in kidney tumor size (sum of the longest diameters [sum LD]) was 29.9% (95% CI, 22 to 37; n = 28 at week 52). Drug related grade 1-2 toxicities that occurred with a frequency of >20% included: stomatitis, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, bone marrow suppression (anemia, mild neutropenia, leucopenia), proteinuria, and joint pain. There were three drug related grade 3 events: lymphopenia, headache, weight gain. Kidney angiomyolipomas regrew when sirolimus was discontinued but responses tended to persist if treatment was continued after week 52. We observed regression of brain tumors (SEGAs) in 7/11 cases (26% mean decrease in diameter), regression of liver angiomyolipomas in 4/5 cases (32.1% mean decrease in longest diameter), subjective improvement in facial angiofibromas in 57%, and stable lung function in women with TSC/LAM (n = 15). A correlative biomarker study showed that serum VEGF-D levels are elevated at baseline, decrease with sirolimus treatment, and correlate with kidney angiomyolipoma size (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.54, p = 0.001, at baseline).Sirolimus treatment for 52 weeks induced regression of kidney angiomyolipomas, SEGAs, and liver angiomyolipomas. Serum VEGF-D may be a useful biomarker for monitoring kidney angiomyolipoma size. Future studies are needed to determine benefits and risks of longer duration treatment in adults and children with TSC.Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00126672

A comprehensive overview of radioguided surgery using gamma detection probe technology

The concept of radioguided surgery, which was first developed some 60 years ago, involves the use of a radiation detection probe system for the intraoperative detection of radionuclides. The use of gamma detection probe technology in radioguided surgery has tremendously expanded and has evolved into what is now considered an established discipline within the practice of surgery, revolutionizing the surgical management of many malignancies, including breast cancer, melanoma, and colorectal cancer, as well as the surgical management of parathyroid disease. The impact of radioguided surgery on the surgical management of cancer patients includes providing vital and real-time information to the surgeon regarding the location and extent of disease, as well as regarding the assessment of surgical resection margins. Additionally, it has allowed the surgeon to minimize the surgical invasiveness of many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, while still maintaining maximum benefit to the cancer patient. In the current review, we have attempted to comprehensively evaluate the history, technical aspects, and clinical applications of radioguided surgery using gamma detection probe technology