TBI-based preparative regimens are considered as standard conditioning therapy for allogeneic stem cell transplantation (AHSC) in patients with ALL. We investigated toxicity and efficacy of a ...non-TBI-based regimen consisting of treosulfan, etoposide and cyclophosphamide for ALL within a prospective study. Major inclusion criteria were CR and non-eligibility for TBI. Fifty patients with a median age of 46.5 years (range, 18-64) were included. Donors were HLA-identical sibling (n=8), matched (n=42) or mismatched (n=10) unrelated. The toxicity was moderate, resulting in a cumulative incidence of non-relapse mortality (NRM) at 1 year of 8% (90% confidence interval: 2-15%). Acute GvHD grade II-IV and grade III/IV was noted in 53% and 14%, respectively. Chronic GvHD at one year was seen in 41%. After a median follow-up of 24 months the cumulative incidence of relapse was 36% (90% confidence interval: 24-48) and 51% (90% confidence interval: 37-65) at 1 and 2 years, respectively. The estimated 2-year disease-free and overall survivals were 36 and 48%, respectively. Treosulfan, etoposide and cyclophosphamide followed by AHSC has a favorable toxicity profile with low NRM and therefore represents a potential alternative regimen for ALL in 1. CR (NCT00682305).
Wideband Techniques for Outphasing Power Amplifiers Holzer, Kyle D.; Wen Yuan; Walling, Jeffrey S.
IEEE transactions on circuits and systems. I, Regular papers,
09/2018, Letnik:
65, Številka:
9
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
In this paper a wideband, high-power amplifier that achieves an output power of 20 W with a bandwidth greater than one octave in the L and S bands is presented. Two ~10 W Class AB PAs are implemented ...with Gallium Nitride-high electron mobility transistor devices and a low loaded-Q matching network to achieve wideband performance. High power added efficiency (PAE) is achieved by combining outphased saturated power amplifiers using a wideband isolated combiner. We introduce new analysis detailing proper selection of the isolation resistance in isolated outphasing combiners. The impedance transforming Wilkinson combiner is designed to interface the system with a 50-\Omega load. The L-S band (1.2~2.5GHz) amplifier was simulated, fabricated, and characterized. The fabricated HPA provides a peak output power of 43 dBm, gain of >15 dB with a peak PAE of >40% across the band. A 10 MHz, 64 QAM, long-term evolution signal is measured and achieves ACLR <; -30 dBc, EVM = 4.8%-rms at an average output power and efficiency of 39.3 dBm and 33.1%, respectively.
Purpose
The purpose of the study was to determine: (1) the relationship between ankle plantarflexor muscle strength and Achilles tendon (AT) biomechanical properties in older female adults, and (2) ...whether muscle strength asymmetries between the individually dominant and non-dominant legs in the above subject group were accompanied by inter-limb AT size differences.
Methods
The maximal generated AT force, AT stiffness, AT Young’s modulus, and AT cross-sectional area (CSA) along its length were determined for both legs in 30 women (65 ± 7 years) using dynamometry, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging.
Results
No between-leg differences in triceps surae muscle strength were identified between dominant (2798 ± 566 N) and non-dominant limb (2667 ± 512 N). The AT CSA increased gradually in the proximo-distal direction, with no differences between the legs. There was a significant correlation (
P
< 0.05) of maximal AT force with AT stiffness (
r
= 0.500) and Young’s modulus (
r
= 0.414), but only a tendency with the mean AT CSA. However, region-specific analysis revealed a significant relationship between maximal AT force and the proximal part of the AT, indicating that this region is more likely to display morphological adaptations following an increase in muscle strength in older adults.
Conclusions
These findings demonstrate that maximal force-generation capabilities play a more important role in the variation of AT stiffness and material properties than in tendon CSA, suggesting that exercise-induced increases in muscle strength in older adults may lead to changes in tendon stiffness foremost due to alterations in material rather than in its size.
The aim of this study was the evaluation of the antioxidant capacity of Cotoneaster melanocarpus Lodd. and the identification of antioxidant active constituents of this plant. C. melanocarpus Lodd. ...is a shrub indigenous to Mongolia and used in Traditional Mongolian Medicine as a styptic. Before extraction, the plant material was separated into three parts: young sterile shoots, older stems and leaves. All these parts were extracted with water, methanol, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane and hexane, successively. The methanolic extract of the sterile shoots showed the highest antioxidant activity in the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging assay (IC50 30.91 ± 2.97 µg/mL). This active extract was further analyzed with chromatographic methods. TLC fingerprinting and HPLC indicated the presence of the flavonol glycosides quercetin-3-O-rutinoside (rutin), quercetin-3-O-galactoside (hyperoside) and quercetin-3-O-glucoside (isoquercetin), ursolic acid as well as chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid and cryptochlorogenic acid. The findings were substantiated with LC-MS. All identified compounds have antioxidant properties and therefore contribute to the radical scavenging activity of the whole plant.
During the past decade, intense experimental studies on the heavy-ion induced molecular desorption were performed in several particle accelerator laboratories worldwide in order to understand and ...overcome large dynamic pressure rises caused by lost beam ions. Different target materials and various coatings were studied for desorption and mitigation techniques were applied to heavy-ion accelerators. For the upgrade of the CERN injector complex, a coating of the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) vacuum system with a thin film of amorphous carbon is under study to mitigate the electron cloud effect observed during SPS operation with the nominal proton beam for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Since the SPS is also part of the heavy-ion injector chain for LHC, dynamic vacuum studies of amorphous carbon films are important to determine their ion induced desorption yields. At the CERN Heavy Ion Accelerator (LINAC 3), carbon-coated accelerator-type stainless steel vacuum chambers were tested for desorption using 4.2MeV/u Pb54+ ions. We describe the experimental setup and method, present the results for unbaked and baked films, and summarize surface characterizations such as secondary electron yield measurements, x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy studies. Finally, we present a high-energy scaling of lead-ion induced desorption yields from the MeV/u to GeV/u range.
The calculation of composite indicators and the derivation of respective rankings is a common method used to benchmark countries or regions. However, although the statistical robustness of these ...rankings is often criticised, they often still spark off heated political debate. Here, we assess the sensitivity of the province ranking published by the Italian economics newspaper "Il Sole 24 Ore". For this purpose, various weighting, normalising and aggregation schemes were compared. Furthermore, to assess the accuracy of the underlying model, confidence intervals were calculated for the indicator values. The dynamic properties of the rankings were also analysed by evaluating the short- and long-term forecast properties of the rankings.
Abstract The 50 highest cited articles related to hip and knee arthroplasty were searched in Thomson ISI Web of Science®. The 50 highest cited articles had up to 2495 citations. The top 10 papers ...according to absolute number were cited 580 times at least. Most papers were published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery American Volume ( n = 22). Eight countries contributed to the list with most contributions from the United States ( n = 30). The majority of papers were published since 1990 ( n = 27). Studies focusing on the clinical outcome of hip arthroplasty dominate the literature in orthopedic arthroplasty in respect to absolute citations numbers. In the last decade however, papers on perioperative management have been published that show a high citation frequency.
Abstract
Many atomic force microscopes (AFM) are nowadays equipped with closed fluid cells. Most of these closed fluid cells have small volume, limiting the maximum sample size, and, furthermore, do ...not allow for investigations in chemically aggressive environments such as solvents. The closed fluid cell for MFP-3D, the atomic force microscope from Asylum Research, Santa Barbara, CA, has a glass base and is mainly intended for investigations of flat transparent biological samples.
Starting from the MFP-3D closed fluid cell, a fluid cell tailored for investigations in tribologically relevant environments, e.g. at extreme mechanical and chemical conditions which may vary with time, was developed. Samples of various shapes and sizes can thus be investigated in controlled environments, be they fluid (e.g. solvents) or gaseous (e.g. corrosive gases).
First results of AFM nanotribology experiments using this fluid cell are presented. Among the systems of interest are additives diluted in solvents adsorbing to surfaces and spreading and persistence of ionic liquids on tribologically stressed surfaces.
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