Development of a thorium coating on an aluminium substrate by using electrodeposition method and alpha spectroscopy

A thin coating of thorium on aluminium substrates with the areal density of 110 to 130 $\mu g/cm^2$ is developed over a circular area of 22 mm diameter by using the electrodeposition method. An electrodeposition system is fabricated to consist of three components; an anode made of a platinum mesh, a cylindrical-shape vessel to contain the thorium solution, and a cathode in the form of a circular aluminium plate. The aluminium plate is mounted horizontally, and the platinum mesh is connected to an axial rod of an electric motor, mounted vertically and normal to the plane of the aluminium. The electrolyte solution is prepared by dissolving a known-weight thorium nitrate powder in 0.8 M HNO3 and isopropanol. The system is operated either in constant voltage (CV) or constant current (CC) mode. Under the electric field between the anode and cathode, thorium ions were deposited on the aluminium substrate mounted on the cathode. In the CV mode at 320, 360, and 400 V and in the CC mode at 15 mA, thorium films were formed over a circular area of the aluminium substrate. The areal density of thorium coating was measured by detecting emitted alpha particles. The areal density of thorium varied from 80 to 130 $\mu g/cm^2$ by changing the deposition time from 10 to 60 min. The results from the CV mode and CC mode are compared, and the radial dependence in the measured areal density is discussed for different modes of the electric field. The developed thorium coatings are to be used in the in-house development of particle detectors, fast neutron converters, targets for thorium fission experiments, and other purposes.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

Engineering PSU\u27s Future: An Interview with Dr. Rahmat Shoureshi

PSU’s ninth president, Dr. Rahmat Shoureshi (pronounced Shoe-re-she) is an experienced administrator and innovative academic who considers his work with students his greatest accomplishment. Shoureshi is a mechanical engineer who earned a master’s degree and a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Shoureshi says PSU’s commitment to diversity, civic engagement and innovation persuaded him to join the university

Molecular Subgroup Analysis of Clinical Outcomes in a Phase 3 Study of Gemcitabine and Oxaliplatin with or without Erlotinib in Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer

AbstractBACKGROUND: We previously reported that the addition of erlotinib to gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GEMOX) resulted in greater antitumor activity and might be a treatment option for patients with biliary tract cancers (BTCs). Molecular subgroup analysis of treatment outcomes in patients who had specimens available for analysis was undertaken. METHODS: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), KRAS, and PIK3CA mutations were evaluated using peptide nucleic acid–locked nucleic acid polymerase chain reaction clamp reactions. Survival and response rates (RRs) were analyzed according to the mutational status. Sixty-four patients (48.1%) were available for mutational analysis in the chemotherapy alone group and 61 (45.1%) in the chemotherapy plus erlotinib group. RESULTS: 1.6% (2/116) harbored an EGFR mutation (2 patients; exon 20), 9.6% (12/121) harbored a KRAS mutation (12 patients; exon 2), and 9.6% (12/118) harbored a PIK3CA mutation (10 patients, exon 9 and 2 patients, exon 20). The addition of erlotinib to GEMOX in patients with KRAS wild-type disease (n = 109) resulted in significant improvements in overall response compared with GEMOX alone (30.2% vs 12.5%, P = .024). In 95 patients with both wild-type KRAS and PIK3CA, there was evidence of a benefit associated with the addition of erlotinib to GEMOX with respect to RR as compared with GEMOX alone (P = .04). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that KRAS mutational status might be considered a predictive biomarker for the response to erlotinib in BTCs. Additionally, the mutation status of PIK3CA may be a determinant for adding erlotinib to chemotherapy in KRAS wild-type BTCs

Fatty acid compositions, free radical scavenging activities, and antioxidative enzyme activities of high-preference and low-preference beef cuts of Hanwoo () cows

Objective This study compared fatty acid compositions and antioxidant activities of high-preference cuts (loin, tenderloin, and rib) and low-preference cuts (brisket, topside, and shank) of Hanwoo (Bos taurus coreanae) cows to obtain potentially useful information for promoting the consumption of various low-preference cuts. Methods Individual 500 g samples of fresh beef were collected from each of the six cuts from 10 Hanwoo cows (quality grade 1) and immediately freeze-dried. The dried samples were evaluated for fatty acid composition, free radical scavenging activities (hydroxyl, alkyl, and 2, 2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH] radical), and antioxidative enzyme activities (glutathione peroxidase [GPx], glutathione-S-transferase [GST], and superoxide dismutase [SOD]). Results The percentages of total polyunsaturated fatty acids were significantly higher in low-preference cuts than in high-preference cuts (p<0.05). Hydroxyl, alkyl, and DPPH radical scavenging activities were significantly higher in low-preference cuts than in high-preference cuts (p<0.05). In addition, the activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as GPx, GST, and SOD, were significantly higher in low-preference cuts compared with high-preference cuts (p<0.05). Conclusion These results may influence consumers to include more low-preference cuts in their selections based on the nutritional facts, which could help to balance the beef market in South Korea

Easy Diagnosis of Asthma: Computer-Assisted, Symptom-Based Diagnosis

Diagnosis of asthma is often challenging in primary-care physicians due to lack of tools measuring airway obstruction and variability. Symptom-based diagnosis of asthma utilizing objective diagnostic parameters and appropriate software would be useful in clinical practice. A total of 302 adult patients with respiratory symptoms responded to a questionnaire regarding asthma symptoms and provoking factors. Questions were asked and recorded by physicians into a computer program. A definite diagnosis of asthma was made based on a positive response to methacholine bronchial provocation or bronchodilator response (BDR) testing. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the significance of questionnaire responses in terms of discriminating asthmatics. Asthmatic patients showed higher total symptom scores than non-asthmatics (mean 5.93 vs. 4.93; p<0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that response to questions concerning the following significantly discriminated asthmatics; wheezing with dyspnea, which is aggravated at night, and by exercise, cold air, and upper respiratory infection. Moreover, the presence of these symptoms was found to agree significantly with definite diagnosis of asthma (by kappa statistics). Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the diagnostic accuracy of symptom-based diagnosis was high with an area under the curve of 0.647±0.033. Using a computer-assisted symptom-based diagnosis program, it is possible to increase the accuracy of diagnosing asthma in general practice, when the facilities required to evaluate airway hyperresponsiveness or BDR are unavailable

Results from the safety interim analysis of the adjuvant chemoradiotherapy in stomach tumors 2 trial: a multicenter, randomized phase III clinical trial

Purpose The Adjuvant chemoRadioTherapy In Stomach Tumors 2 (ARTIST 2) trial was conducted to compare the efficacy between adjuvant chemotherapy regimens and chemoradiotherapy in D2-resected, node-positive, stage 2 or 3 gastric cancer. Methods In this prospective, multicenter, phase IIItrial, we randomly assigned patients to three treatment arms: patients who receive adjuvant S-1 for 1 year, S-1 plus oxaliplatin (SOX) for 6 months, or SOX plus chemoradiotherapy (SOXRT). Herein, we report the safety outcomes of patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. Results Among a total of 514 patients registered between February 2013 and December 2017, 499 patients who either completed or discontinued the assigned study treatments were included in the present analysis. Allthe three treatment arms were generally well-tolerated, with the overall treatment completion rate of 94% (96% in S-1, 93% in SOX, and 92% in SOXRT). The median delivered dose of radiotherapy in the SOXRT arm was 4,500 cGy (range, 0 to 4,500 cGy). The most frequently observed adverse events were fatigue (29%) in S-1 arm and peripheral neuropathy in the SOX and SOXRT arms (59% and 50%,respectively). Conclusion Our preliminary data confirm that there are no significant safety concerns in ARTIST 2 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT0176146). According to the Independent Data Monitoring Committee, patient accrual is underway