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Emerging Translational Opportunities in Comparative Oncology With Companion Canine Cancers: Radiation Oncology.
It is estimated that more than 6 million pet dogs are diagnosed with cancer annually in the USA. Both primary care and specialist veterinarians are frequently called upon to provide clinical care that improves the quality and/or quantity of life for affected animals. Because these cancers develop spontaneously in animals that often share the same environment as their owners, have intact immune systems and are of similar size to humans, and because the diagnostic tests and treatments for these cancers are similar to those used for management of human cancers, canine cancer provides an opportunity for research that simultaneously helps improve both canine and human health care. This is especially true in the field of radiation oncology, for which there is a rich and continually evolving history of learning from the careful study of pet dogs undergoing various forms of radiotherapy. The purpose of this review article is to inform readers of the potential utility and limitations of using dogs in that manner; the peer-reviewed literature will be critically reviewed, and current research efforts will be discussed. The article concludes with a look toward promising future directions and applications of this pet dog "model.
X-Ray Eclipse Timing in the LMXB EXO0748-676
Orbital period changes are an important diagnostic for understanding low mass
X-ray binary (LMXB) accretion-induced angular momentum exchange and overall
system evolution. We present our most recent results for the eclipse timing of
the LMXB EXO0748-676. Since its discovery in 1985 it has apparently undergone
three distinct orbital period "epochs", each characterized by a different
orbital period than the previous epoch. We outline the orbital period behavior
for EXO0748-676 over the past 18 years and discuss the implications of this
behavior in light of current theoretical ideas for LMXB evolution.Comment: 4 Pages, 3 Figures, Submitted to the X-Ray Timing 2003: Rossi and
Beyond conference, November 200
Possible Magnetic Activity in the Low Mass X-ray Binary EXO 0748-676
We report evidence of magnetic activity associated with the secondary star in
the EXO 0748-676 low mass X-ray binary system. An analysis of a sequence of
five consecutive X-ray eclipses observed during December 2003 with the RXTE
satellite brings out a feature occurring during ingress we interpret as the
X-ray photoelectric absorption shadow, as seen by an observer at Earth, of a
plasma structure suspended above the surface of the secondary star. The light
curve feature consists of an initial drop in count rate to near zero (the
absorption shadow) with a very short rebound to a significant fraction of the
pre-ingress count rate and then a final plunge to totality over a total time
scale of ~25 s. The ingress feature persists for at least 5 consecutive orbital
periods (a total of ~19 hr), and possibly up to 5 days in our data. Our data
also show significant post-egress dipping during this eclipse sequence, unusual
for this source, indicating possible secondary star mass ejection during this
episode.Comment: Accepted by Astrophysical Journal Letters; 11 Pages including 3
figures and 1 tabl
A Strong X-Ray Burst from the Low Mass X-Ray Binary EXO0748-676
We have observed an unusually strong X-ray burst as a part of our regular
eclipse timing observations of the low mass binary system EXO0748-676. The
burst peak flux was 5.2x10^-8 ergs cm^-2 s^-1, approximately five times the
normal peak X-ray burst flux observed from this source by RXTE. Spectral fits
to the data strongly suggest that photospheric radius expansion occurred during
the burst. In this Letter we examine the properties of this X-ray burst, which
is the first example of a radius expansion burst from EXO0748-676 observed by
RXTE. We find no evidence for coherent burst oscillations. Assuming that the
peak burst luminosity is the Eddington luminosity for a 1.4 solar mass neutron
star we derive a distance to EXO0748-676 of 7.7 kpc for a helium-dominated
burst photosphere and 5.9 kpc for a hydrogen-dominated burst photosphere.Comment: 15 pages including 2 figures and 1 table. Accepted for publication in
the Astrophysical Journa
Excessive Strand End Slip in Prestressed Piles
This paper presents the results of a research project that investigated excessive strand end slip observed recently in some prestressed piles. From measurements taken in the field, it is apparent that the problem o excessive initial strand slip is independent of pile shape and size. Strand end slip is evident in piles of different manufacturers in different states in the Southeast. Excessive strand end slip was found in both the top and bottom of the cross section of the piles, although the top portion of the cross section generally exhibited much higher initial slip. Several preventive measures can be adopted to reduce the excessive strand end slip. These preventive measures include: a) proper concrete mixture proportioning to reduce top bar effect; b) use of higher-strength concrete with the lowest possible slump and setting time; c) assessment of the condition of the strands prior to installation to insure excellent bond characteristics; d) gradual release of prestress, with an optimal release sequence; and e) use of adequate vibration to ensure consolidation. The strand end slip measured at five prestressing plants in the Southeast is considerably higher than the allowable end slip and is expected to affect the pile performance. If the strand slip theory is adopted, the strand development length increases substantially due to the excessive strand end slip. A top bar effect factor similar to the one used in reinforced concrete design is recommended. To maintain the excellent quality of precast and prestressed concrete products, manufacturers should adopt a dynamic quality control process that follows the rapid changes in the industry. More tests are necessary to ensure excellent quality, such as the Moustafa or an equivalent test, to assess the bond capabilities of the strands, end slip measurements, and direct measurement of the transfer length. Installation of piles should proceed in a manner to alleviate the top bar effects by placing piles alternately in their best and worst directions
Globe-hopping
We consider versions of the grasshopper problem (Goulko & Kent 2017 Proc. R. Soc. A473, 20170494) on the circle and the sphere, which are relevant to Bell inequalities. For a circle of circumference 2Ï€, we show that for unconstrained lawns of any length and arbitrary jump lengths, the supremum of the probability for the grasshopper’s jump to stay on the lawn is one. For antipodal lawns, which by definition contain precisely one of each pair of opposite points and have length Ï€, we show this is true except when the jump length Ï• is of the form Ï€(p/q) with p, q coprime and p odd. For these jump lengths, we show the optimal probability is 1 − 1/q and construct optimal lawns. For a pair of antipodal lawns, we show that the optimal probability of jumping from one onto the other is 1 − 1/q for p, q coprime, p odd and q even, and one in all other cases. For an antipodal lawn on the sphere, it is known (Kent & Pitalúa-GarcÃa 2014 Phys. Rev. A90, 062124) that if ϕ = π/q, where q∈N, then the optimal retention probability of 1 − 1/q for the grasshopper’s jump is provided by a hemispherical lawn. We show that in all other cases where 0 < ϕ < π/2, hemispherical lawns are not optimal, disproving the hemispherical colouring maximality hypotheses (Kent & Pitalúa-GarcÃa 2014 Phys. Rev. A90, 062124). We discuss the implications for Bell experiments and related cryptographic tests
Proximity-Coupled Ti/TiN Multilayers for use in Kinetic Inductance Detectors
We apply the superconducting proximity effect in TiN/Ti multi-layer films to
tune the critical temperature, Tc, to within 10 mK with high uniformity (less
than 15 mK spread) across a 75 mm wafer. Reproducible Tc's are obtained from
0.8 - 2.5 K. These films had high resistivities, > 100 uOhm-cm and internal
quality factors for resonators in the GHz range on the order of 100k and
higher. Both trilayers of TiN/Ti/TiN and thicker superlattice films were
prepared, demonstrating a highly controlled process for films over a wide
thickness range. Detectors were fabricated and showed single photon resolution
at 1550 nm. The high uniformity and controllability coupled with the high
quality factor, kinetic inductance, and inertness of TiN make these films ideal
for use in frequency multiplexed kinetic inductance detectors and other
potential applications such as nanowire detectors, transition edge sensors and
associated quantum information applications
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