Material Evaluation: Self Damping Wire SD/ACSR Conductor Failures

Following numerous 954 ACSR SD Wire failures from 2010 to 2012, Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) implemented an inspection program to determine the extent of condition for this type of widely used conductor. NPPD transmission system includes over 2000 miles of this particular conductor. Transmission line splices are installed every 15-20 spans, with failures being located in a span containing a splice. NPPD worked with Kinectrics to complete electromagnetic field inspections for three days in 2013, with retesting performed in 2015. Throughout this inspection of 54 spans of conductor, 36 were found to have deterioration and corrosion. Over 80% of the corrosion noted in the report was found on a conductor span containing a splice; only 45% of the spans tested contain a splice. All of the failures occurred in spans where a compression sleeve or compression dead-end was present. In all cases, only the steel core broke internal to trapezoidal aluminum wire layers. The results of the inspection indicated that there is a notable amount corrosion located in the few hundred feet at the center of the span. Removal of spans testing “marginal” occurred in April 2015, along with the physical evaluation of the conductor validating the results of the electromagnetic inspection tool. None of the conductors were rated as poor, which would indicate no imminent failures exist. Since none of these localized areas were in poor condition, it could be several years before more frequent findings of broken wire and related problems are observed. Advisor: Jeffrey E. Shiel

Material Evaluation: Self Damping Wire SD/ACSR Conductor Failures

Following numerous 954 ACSR SD Wire failures from 2010 to 2012, Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) implemented an inspection program to determine the extent of condition for this type of widely used conductor. NPPD transmission system includes over 2000 miles of this particular conductor. Transmission line splices are installed every 15-20 spans, with failures being located in a span containing a splice. NPPD worked with Kinectrics to complete electromagnetic field inspections for three days in 2013, with retesting performed in 2015. Throughout this inspection of 54 spans of conductor, 36 were found to have deterioration and corrosion. Over 80% of the corrosion noted in the report was found on a conductor span containing a splice; only 45% of the spans tested contain a splice. All of the failures occurred in spans where a compression sleeve or compression dead-end was present. In all cases, only the steel core broke internal to trapezoidal aluminum wire layers. The results of the inspection indicated that there is a notable amount corrosion located in the few hundred feet at the center of the span. Removal of spans testing “marginal” occurred in April 2015, along with the physical evaluation of the conductor validating the results of the electromagnetic inspection tool. None of the conductors were rated as poor, which would indicate no imminent failures exist. Since none of these localized areas were in poor condition, it could be several years before more frequent findings of broken wire and related problems are observed. Advisor: Jeffrey E. Shiel

Material Evaluation: Self Damping Wire SD/ACSR Conductor Failures

Following numerous 954 ACSR SD Wire failures from 2010 to 2012, Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) implemented an inspection program to determine the extent of condition for this type of widely used conductor. NPPD transmission system includes over 2000 miles of this particular conductor. Transmission line splices are installed every 15-20 spans, with failures being located in a span containing a splice. NPPD worked with Kinectrics to complete electromagnetic field inspections for three days in 2013, with retesting performed in 2015. Throughout this inspection of 54 spans of conductor, 36 were found to have deterioration and corrosion. Over 80% of the corrosion noted in the report was found on a conductor span containing a splice; only 45% of the spans tested contain a splice. All of the failures occurred in spans where a compression sleeve or compression dead-end was present. In all cases, only the steel core broke internal to trapezoidal aluminum wire layers. The results of the inspection indicated that there is a notable amount corrosion located in the few hundred feet at the center of the span. Removal of spans testing “marginal” occurred in April 2015, along with the physical evaluation of the conductor validating the results of the electromagnetic inspection tool. None of the conductors were rated as poor, which would indicate no imminent failures exist. Since none of these localized areas were in poor condition, it could be several years before more frequent findings of broken wire and related problems are observed. Advisor: Jeffrey E. Shiel

Experiments reveal enrichment of 11B in granitic melt resulting from tourmaline crystallisation

Tourmaline is the most common boron-rich mineral in magmatic systems. In this study, we determined experimentally the fractionation of boron isotopes between granitic melt and tourmaline for the first time. Our crystallisation experiments were performed using a boron-rich granitic glass (B2O3 ≈ 8 wt. %) at 660−800 °C, 300 MPa, and aH2O = 1, in which tourmaline occurs as the only boron-hosting mineral. Our experimental results at four different temperatures show a small and temperature-dependent boron isotope fractionation between granitic melt and tourmaline (Δ11Bmelt–Tur = þ0.90 ± 0.05 ‰ at 660 °C and þ0.23 ± 0.12 ‰ at 800 °C), and the temperature dependence can be defined as Δ11Bmelt–Tur = 4.51 × (1000/T [K]) − 3.94 (R2 = 0.96). Using these boron isotope fractionation factors, tourmaline can serve as a tracer to quantitatively interpret boron isotopic ratios in evolved magmatic systems. Our observation that 11B is enriched in granitic melt relative to tourmaline suggests that the δ11B of late-magmatic tourmaline should be higher than tourmaline that crystallised at an early stage, if B isotope fractionation is not affected by other processes, such as fluid loss. © 2022 The Authors

Cardiotoxicity of mitoxantrone treatment in a german cohort of 639 multiple sclerosis patients

Background and Purpose: The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of therapy-related cardiotoxicity in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with mitoxantrone and to identify potential predictors for individual risk assessment. Methods: Within a multicenter retrospective cohort design, cardiac side effects attributed to mitoxantrone were analyzed in 639 MS patients at 2 MS centers in Germany. Demographic, disease, treatment, and follow-up data were collected from hospital records. Patients regularly received cardiac monitoring during the treatment phase. Results: None of the patients developed symptomatic congestive heart failure. However, the frequency of patients experiencing cardiac dysfunction of milder forms after mitoxantrone therapy was 4.1% (26 patients) among all patients. Analyses of the risk for cardiotoxicity revealed that cumulative dose exposure was the only statistically relevant risk factor associated with cardiac dysfunction. Conclusions: The number of patients developing subclinical cardiac dysfunction below the maximum recommended cumulative dose is higher than was initially assumed. Interestingly, a subgroup of patients was identified who experienced cardiac dysfunction shortly after initiation of mitoxantrone and who received a low cumulative dose. Therefore, each administration of mitoxantrone should include monitoring of cardiac function to enhance the treatment safety for patients and to allow for early detection of any side effects, especially in potential high-risk subgroups (as determined genetically)

Blockade of insulin-like growth factors increases efficacy of paclitaxel in metastatic breast cancer

Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in women owing to metastasis and the development of resistance to established therapies. Macrophages are the most abundant immune cells in the breast tumor microenvironment and can both inhibit and support cancer progression. Thus, gaining a better understanding of how macrophages support cancer could lead to the development of more effective therapies. In this study, we find that breast cancer-associated macrophages express high levels of insulin-like growth factors 1 and 2 (IGFs) and are the main source of IGFs within both primary and metastatic tumors. In total, 75% of breast cancer patients show activation of insulin/IGF-1 receptor signaling and this correlates with increased macrophage infiltration and advanced tumor stage. In patients with invasive breast cancer, activation of Insulin/IGF-1 receptors increased to 87%. Blocking IGF in combination with paclitaxel, a chemotherapeutic agent commonly used to treat breast cancer, showed a significant reduction in tumor cell proliferation and lung metastasis in pre-clinical breast cancer models compared to paclitaxel monotherapy. Our findings provide the rationale for further developing the combination of paclitaxel with IGF blockers for the treatment of invasive breast cancer, and Insulin/IGF1R activation and IGF+ stroma cells as potential biomarker candidates for further evaluation

Safety and Availability of Clofazimine in the Treatment of Multidrug and Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: Analysis of Published Guidance and Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies

Objectives: Given the spread of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), new therapies are urgently needed, including the repurposing of existing drugs. We aimed to assess key considerations for the clinical and programmatic use of clofazimine (Cfz), a riminophenazine with anti-mycobacterial activity currently used to treat leprosy. Design: Fixed and random effects meta-analysis of cohort studies and systematic review Setting: Electronic and manual searches were combined. Inclusion criteria: Observational studies on treatment of multidrug- and extremely drug- resistant tuberculosis with clofazimine or a clofazimine-containing regimen, and published guidance and documents relating to cost and availability were eligible. Results: Five observational studies enrolled 861 patients, of which 602 received Cfz. The pooled proportion of adverse drug reactions requiring discontinuation of Cfz treatment was 0.1% (95% CI: [0.0, 0.6%]), and the median frequency of all adverse events was 5.1%. Cfz showed in vitro efficacy against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Cfz-containing regimens may have had a useful role in the treatment of patients with drug-resistant strains and who had limited alternative treatment options. However, Cfz uptake remains insufficient to meet global needs; there is only one internationally quality-assured manufacturer, which produces a limited quantity of the drug prioritised for treatment of leprosy, the only indication for which the drug is registered. Conclusions: While the data were limited, Cfz was associated with a risk for adverse drug reactions comparable to that of first-line TB treatment, which could be reasonably managed under programmatic conditions. However, low market availability and high cost are important barriers to access to Cfz for MDR-TB patients.Other Research Uni