Matrix metalloproteinase-2 and-9 involvement in canine tumors

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of enzymes implicated in the degradation and remodeling of extracellular matrix and in vascularization. They are also involved in pathologic processes such as tumor invasion and metastasis in experimental cancer models and in human malignancies. We used gelatin zymography and inummohistochemistry to determine whether MMP-2 and MMP-9 are present in canine tumors and normal tissues and whether MMP production correlates with clinicopathologic parameters of prognostic importance. High levels of pro-MMP-9, pro-MMP-2, and active MMP-2 were detected in most canine tumors. Significantly higher MMP levels were measured in canine tumors than in nontumors, malignancies had higher MMP levels than benign tumors, and sarcomas had higher active MMP-2 than carcinomas. Cartilaginous tumors produced higher MMP levels than did nonsarcomatous malignancies, benign tumors, and normal tissues, and significantly greater MMP-2 than osteosarcomas and fibrosarcomas. Pro-MMP-9 production correlated with the histologic grade of osteosarcomas. The 62-kd form of active MMP-2 was detected only in high-grade, p53-positive, metastatic malignancies. Zymography proved to be a sensitive and quantitative technique for the assessment of MMP presence but has the limitation of requiring fresh tissue; inummohistochemistry is qualitative and comparatively insensitive but could be of value in archival studies. MMP presence was shown in a range of canine tumors, and their link to tumor type and grade was demonstrated for the first time. This study will allow a substantially improved evaluation of veterinary cancer patients and provides baseline information necessary for the design of clinical trials targeting MMPs.

Semi-analytical solution for nonlinear vibration of laminated FGM plates with geometric imperfections

This paper investigates the nonlinear vibration of imperfect shear deformable laminated rectangular plates comprising a homogeneous substrate and two layers of functionally graded materials (FGMs). A theoretical formulation based on Reddy's higher-order shear deformation plate theory is presented in terms of deflection, mid-plane rotations, and the stress function. A semi-analytical method, which makes use of the one-dimensional differential quadrature method, the Galerkin technique, and an iteration process, is used to obtain the vibration frequencies for plates with various boundary conditions. Material properties are assumed to be temperature-dependent. Special attention is given to the effects of sine type imperfection, localized imperfection, and global imperfection on linear and nonlinear vibration behavior. Numerical results are presented in both dimensionless tabular and graphical forms for laminated plates with graded silicon nitride/stainless steel layers. It is shown that the vibration frequencies are very much dependent on the vibration amplitude and the imperfection mode and its magnitude. While most of the imperfect laminated plates show the well-known hard-spring vibration, those with free edges can display soft-spring vibration behavior at certain imperfection levels. The influences of material composition, temperature-dependence of material properties and side-to-thickness ratio are also discussed. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Method for the generation and cultivation of functional three-dimensional mammary constructs without exogenous extracellular matrix

During puberty, pregnancy, lactation and postlactation, breast tissue undergoes extensive remodelling and the disruption of these events can lead to cancer. In vitro studies of mammary tissue and its malignant transformation regularly employ mammary epithelial cells cultivated on matrigel or floating collagen rafts. In these cultures, mammary epithelial cells assemble into three-dimensional structures resembling in vivo acini. We present a novel technique for generating functional mammary constructs without the use of matrix substitutes.

Determining the effective dimensionality of the genetic variance-covariance matrix

Determining the dimensionality of G provides an important perspective on the genetic basis of a multivariate suite of traits. Since the introduction of Fisher's geometric model, the number of genetically independent traits underlying a set of functionally related phenotypic traits has been recognized as an important factor influencing the response to selection. Here, we show how the effective dimensionality of G can be established, using a method for the determination of the dimensionality of the effect space from a multivariate general linear model introduced by AMEMIYA (1985). We compare this approach with two other available methods, factor-analytic modeling and bootstrapping, using a half-sib experiment that estimated G for eight cuticular hydrocarbons of Drosophila serrata. In our example, eight pheromone traits were shown to be adequately represented by only two underlying genetic dimensions by Amemiya's approach and factor-analytic modeling of the covariance structure at the sire level. In, contrast, bootstrapping identified four dimensions with significant genetic variance. A simulation study indicated that while the performance of Amemiya's method was more sensitive to power constraints, it performed as well or better than factor-analytic modeling in correctly identifying the original genetic dimensions at moderate to high levels of heritability. The bootstrap approach consistently overestimated the number of dimensions in all cases and performed less well than Amemiya's method at subspace recovery.

A scalarization technique for computing the power and exponential moments of gaussian random matrices

We consider the problems of computing the power and exponential moments EXs and EetX of square Gaussian random matrices X=A+BWC for positive integer s and real t, where W is a standard normal random vector and A, B, C are appropriately dimensioned constant matrices. We solve the problems by a matrix product scalarization technique and interpret the solutions in system-theoretic terms. The results of the paper are applicable to Bayesian prediction in multivariate autoregressive time series and mean-reverting diffusion processes.

Ultrasonic measurement technique of burning metals in normal and reduced gravity

The in situ real time measurement of the regression rate of a melting interface (RRMI) is performed by the ultrasonic measurement system reported here. The RRMI is the rate at which a solid/liquid interface (SLI) moves along a metallic rod while burning in an oxygen-enriched atmosphere and is an important flatnmability indicator. The ultrasonic transducer and associated equipment used to drive the transducer and record the echo signal is described, along with the process that transforms the acquired signals into a RRMI value. Test rods of various metals and geometric shapes were burned at several test conditions in different test facilities. The RRMI results with quantified errors are presented and reviewed. The effect of reduced gravity on burning metals is important to space-applications and RRMI results obtained in a reduced gravity environment are also presented.

A wavelet-based adaptive technique for adsorption problems involving steep gradients

A general, fast wavelet-based adaptive collocation method is formulated for heat and mass transfer problems involving a steep moving profile of the dependent variable. The technique of grid adaptation is based on sparse point representation (SPR). The method is applied and tested for the case of a gas–solid non-catalytic reaction in a porous solid at high Thiele modulus. Accurate and convergent steep profiles are obtained for Thiele modulus as large as 100 for the case of slab and found to match the analytical solution.

Gauge fields, geometric phases, and quantum adiabatic pumps

Quantum adiabatic pumping of charge and spin between two reservoirs (leads) has recently been demonstrated in nanoscale electronic devices. Pumping occurs when system parameters are varied in a cyclic manner and sufficiently slowly that the quantum system always remains in its ground state. We show that quantum pumping has a natural geometric representation in terms of gauge fields (both Abelian and non-Abelian) defined on the space of system parameters. Tunneling from a scanning tunneling microscope tip through a magnetic atom could be used to demonstrate the non-Abelian character of the gauge field.

A finite integral transform technique for solving the diffusion-reaction equation with Michaelis-Menten kinetics

An approximate analytical technique employing a finite integral transform is developed to solve the reaction diffusion problem with Michaelis-Menten kinetics in a solid of general shape. A simple infinite series solution for the substrate concentration is obtained as a function of the Thiele modulus, modified Sherwood number, and Michaelis constant. An iteration scheme is developed to bring the approximate solution closer to the exact solution. Comparison with the known exact solutions for slab geometry (quadrature) and numerically exact solutions for spherical geometry (orthogonal collocation) shows excellent agreement for all values of the Thiele modulus and Michaelis constant.

New calibration technique for multiple-component stress wave force balances

Force measurement in hypervelocity expansion tubes is not possible using conventional techniques. The stress wave force balance technique can be applied in expansion tubes to measure forces despite the short test times involved. This paper presents a new calibration technique for multiple-component stress wave force balances where an impulse response created using a load distribution is required and no orthogonal surfaces on the model exist.. This new technique relies on the tensorial superposition of single-component impulse responses analogous to the vectorial superposition of the calibration loads. The example presented here is that of a scale model of the Mars Pathfinder, but the technique is applicable to any geometry and may be useful for cases where orthogonal loads cannot be applied.

Matrix elements of U(2n) generators in a multishell spin-orbit basis. I. The del-operator MEs in a two-shell composite Gelfand-Paldus basis

This is the first in a series of three articles which aimed to derive the matrix elements of the U(2n) generators in a multishell spin-orbit basis. This is a basis appropriate to many-electron systems which have a natural partitioning of the orbital space and where also spin-dependent terms are included in the Hamiltonian. The method is based on a new spin-dependent unitary group approach to the many-electron correlation problem due to Gould and Paldus [M. D. Gould and J. Paldus, J. Chem. Phys. 92, 7394, (1990)]. In this approach, the matrix elements of the U(2n) generators in the U(n) x U(2)-adapted electronic Gelfand basis are determined by the matrix elements of a single Ll(n) adjoint tensor operator called the del-operator, denoted by Delta(j)(i) (1 less than or equal to i, j less than or equal to n). Delta or del is a polynomial of degree two in the U(n) matrix E = [E-j(i)]. The approach of Gould and Paldus is based on the transformation properties of the U(2n) generators as an adjoint tensor operator of U(n) x U(2) and application of the Wigner-Eckart theorem. Hence, to generalize this approach, we need to obtain formulas for the complete set of adjoint coupling coefficients for the two-shell composite Gelfand-Paldus basis. The nonzero shift coefficients are uniquely determined and may he evaluated by the methods of Gould et al. [see the above reference]. In this article, we define zero-shift adjoint coupling coefficients for the two-shell composite Gelfand-Paldus basis which are appropriate to the many-electron problem. By definition, these are proportional to the corresponding two-shell del-operator matrix elements, and it is shown that the Racah factorization lemma applies. Formulas for these coefficients are then obtained by application of the Racah factorization lemma. The zero-shift adjoint reduced Wigner coefficients required for this procedure are evaluated first. All these coefficients are needed later for the multishell case, which leads directly to the two-shell del-operator matrix elements. Finally, we discuss an application to charge and spin densities in a two-shell molecular system. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons.

Matrix elements of U(2n) generators in a multishell spin-orbit basis. II. The two-shell nonzero shift ACCs and U(2n) generator MEs

This is the second in a series of articles whose ultimate goal is the evaluation of the matrix elements (MEs) of the U(2n) generators in a multishell spin-orbit basis. This extends the existing unitary group approach to spin-dependent configuration interaction (CI) and many-body perturbation theory calculations on molecules to systems where there is a natural partitioning of the electronic orbital space. As a necessary preliminary to obtaining the U(2n) generator MEs in a multishell spin-orbit basis, we must obtain a complete set of adjoint coupling coefficients for the two-shell composite Gelfand-Paldus basis. The zero-shift coefficients were obtained in the first article of the series. in this article, we evaluate the nonzero shift adjoint coupling coefficients for the two-shell composite Gelfand-Paldus basis. We then demonstrate that the one-shell versions of these coefficients may be obtained by taking the Gelfand-Tsetlin limit of the two-shell formulas. These coefficients,together with the zero-shift types, then enable us to write down formulas for the U(2n) generator matrix elements in a two-shell spin-orbit basis. Ultimately, the results of the series may be used to determine the many-electron density matrices for a partitioned system. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Matrix elements of U(2n) generators in a multishell spin-orbit basis. III. General formulas

This is the third and final article in a series directed toward the evaluation of the U(2n) generator matrix elements (MEs) in a multishell spin/orbit basis. Such a basis is required for many-electron systems possessing a partitioned orbital space and where spin-dependence is important. The approach taken is based on the transformation properties of the U(2n) generators as an adjoint tensor operator of U(n) x U(2) and application of the Wigner-Eckart theorem. A complete set of adjoint coupling coefficients for the two-shell composite Gelfand-Paldus basis (which is appropriate to the many-electron problem) were obtained in the first and second articles of this series. Ln the first article we defined zero-shift coupling coefficients. These are proportional to the corresponding two-shell del-operator matrix elements. See P. J. Burton and and M. D. Gould, J. Chem. Phys., 104, 5112 (1996), for a discussion of the del-operator and its properties. Ln the second article of the series, the nonzero shift coupling coefficients were derived. Having obtained all the necessary coefficients, we now apply the formalism developed above to obtain the U(2n) generator MEs in a multishell spin-orbit basis. The methods used are based on the work of Gould et al. (see the above reference). (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Thermogravimetric determination of the carbon dioxide reactivity of char from some New Zealand coals and its association with the inorganic geochemistry of the parent coal

Thermogravimetrically-determined carbon dioxide reactivities of chars formed from New Zealand coals, ranging in rank from lignite to high volatile bituminous, vary from 0.12 to 10.63 mg/h/mg on a dry, ash-free basis. The lowest rank subbituminous coal chars have similar reactivities to the lignite coal chars. Calcium content of the char shows the strongest correlation with reactivity, which increases as the calcium content increases. High calcium per se does not directly imply a high char reactivity. Organically-bound calcium catalyses the conversion of carbon to carbon monoxide in the presence of carbon dioxide, whereas calcium present as discrete minerals in the coal matrix, e.g., calcite, fails to significantly affect reactivity. Catalytic effects of magnesium, iron, sodium and phosphorous are not as obvious, but can be recognised for individual chars. The thermogravimetric technique provides a fast, reliable analysis that is able to distinguish char reactivity differences between coals, which may be due to any of the above effects. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

CO2 reforming of methane on Ni catalysts: Effects of the support phase and preparation technique

The effects of the support phase and catalyst preparation methods on catalytic activity and carbon deposition were systematically investigated over nickel catalysts supported on Al2O3, SiO2 and MgO for the reforming reaction of methane with carbon dioxide. It is found that the pore structure of the support and metal-support interaction significantly affected the catalytic activity and coking resistance. Catalyst with well-developed porosity exhibited higher catalytic activity. Strong interaction between metal and the support made the catalyst more resistant to sintering and coking, thus resulting in a longer time of catalyst stability. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.