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A report on the manufacture of the first European full-size joint sample for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Toroidal Field Model Coil project is presented. The sample, fabricated by Ansaldo, is composed of two parallel straight bars of full-size conductors that are connected at the bottom via a joint design based on the European Union proposal for the ITER coils. Three samples have already been fabricated and tested for the project.

Thin film Si:O alloys have been grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, as intrinsic or highly doped (1 to 5 at. % of B or P dopant) layers. UV-visible/near-infrared spectroscopy revealed a great dependence of the absorption coefficient and of the optical gap (Eg) on the dopant type and concentration, as Eg decreases from 2.1 to 1.9 eV, for the intrinsic or highly p-doped sample, respectively. Thermal annealing up to 400 °C induces a huge H out-diffusion which causes a dramatic absorption increase and a reduction of Eg, down to less than 1.8 eV. A prototypal solar cell has been fabricated using a 400 nm thick, p-i-n structure made of Si:O alloy embedded within flat transparent conductive oxides. Preliminary electrical analyses show a photovoltaic (PV) effect with an open circuit voltage of 0.75 V and a spectral conversion efficiency blue-shifted in comparison to a-Si:H based cell, as expected since the higher Eg in Si:O alloy. These data are presented and discussed, suggesting Si:O alloy as promising material for PV device fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• NET G3 category exists also in the lung, although it is a very rare entity. • Clinical behavior of lung NET G3 mimic those of AC, rather than lung NECs. • Platinum/Etoposide resulted less active in our lung NET G3 compared with lung NECs. • In this study Everolimus and PRRT results in a relatively long mPFS in lung NET G3. Highly proliferative lung carcinoids (HPLC) have been recently reported but information about this subset remains scarce. Clinical and pathological data of 630 patients with lung carcinoids (LC) referred to Gustave Roussy Institute (GR) and European Institute of Oncology (IEO) were retrospectively reviewed to select HPLC and analyze their frequency, behavior and compare their outcome to conventional LC with Ki-67 ≤ 20 % and mitotic count (MC)≤10/2 mm2. Selection criteria were: diagnosis of LC confirmed by local pathologist, and available clinical and follow-up data. Patients with Ki-67 > 20 % and/or MC > 10/ 2 mm2 in primary or metastatic specimens were identified as HPLC. 30/514 patients (6%) met the selection criteria of HPLC. Based on primary tumor evaluation, 22/25 (88 %) were classified as atypical carcinoids (AC). Median MC was 4.5/2 mm2 (1–11) 6/2 mm2 (3–15) in primary tumors and metastasis, respectively. Median Ki-67 was respectively 23 % (15–65) and 25 % (8–60). Recurrence rate was 66 % (12/18) in HPLC and 9 % (33/352) in conventional LC. Median RFS was 24 (10-NR) months in HPLC, 288 (141-NR) months in LC with Ki-67 index≤5 % and NR (148-NR) months in LC with Ki-67 6−20% (p < 001). Median OS was 203 (83-NR) months in LC with Ki-67 index≤5%, 101 (79-NR) months in LC with Ki-67 index 6−20 % and 53 (39-NR) months in HPLC (p = 002). Among 20 metastatic patients with HPLC, median PFS under platinum-based chemotherapy, everolimus, alkylating-based chemotherapy, FOLFOX and PRRT was 5.1 (95 % CI 0.7−9.4), 12.1(95 %CI 0.3−24), 6.8 (95 % CI 0−14.9), 10.2 (95 % CI 0.4−19.9) and 14.2 months (95 % CI 0-30) respectively. Best response was stable disease (SD) under platinum-based chemotherapy and partial response (PR) under alkylating-based chemotherapy and FOLFOX. This study confirms the existence and rarity of HPLC. Their characteristics and clinical behavior are more similar to LC rather than neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs), suggesting that this entity could be managed accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Past climate has always influenced human adaptation to the environment. In order to reconstruct palaeoclimate fluctuations and their role in the evolution of Near Eastern societies during the mid‐Holocene, high‐resolution Δ13C records from fossil wood remains at the archaeoloical site of Arslantepe (eastern Turkey) have been developed. Methods: After chemical treatment, δ13C values were measured by sample combustion flow using a FLASH EA‐CHNS instrument interfaced with a Delta V isotope ratio mass spectrometer via a CONFLO III. Two replicates per sample were analysed. The measurement precision was evaluated by propagating variations of the δ13C values of samples and V‐PDB standards, whereas the accuracy was checked by a quality control sample. To account for changes in atmospheric CO2, Δ13C values were calculated. In addition, 14C/12C ratios were measured by means of an AMS system (3 MV tandem accelerator). Results: Mean Δ13C curves of deciduous Quercus and Juniperus from archaeological levels between 4700 and 2000  bc (Arslantepe periods VIII‐VI D) were produced, where the isotope values were ordered by the available Radiocarbon ages. Interspecific variations of evergreen vs deciduous plants were postulated for the juniper Δ13C values being higher than 3‰. The seasonal rainfall amount was recorded by the juniper remains, while the water table levels were obtained from the oak samples. Conclusions: The local climate experienced times of enhanced/reduced precipitation in concert with regional trends. Anomalies in the air mass circulation from the Mediterranean basin also produced oscillations of rainfall amount. In such a frame the Rapid Climate Change dry events had a consistent signature in the Arslantepe Δ13C record, thus potentially contributing to social or organisational changes at the site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a technique for treating Eaton stage IV osteoarthritis of the first ray, which is a development of our previously published technique for treating trapeziometacarpal arthritis. This simple technique is based on a limited resection arthroplasty of the first trapeziometacarpal and the scaphotrapezial joints, with the aim of inducing the formation of a narrow pseudoarthrosis at both sites. A total of 26 consecutive patients were treated for Eaton stage IV arthritis at a mean follow-up of 4.7 years (range 3.2–6.6). There were statistically significant improvements in all clinical parameters: mean appositional and oppositional pinch strength, mean DASH score (65 points pre-operatively to 8.7 points at final follow-up), and in mean visual analogue scale score (8.6 to 0.2 points). Although a larger cohort and a longer follow-up will be necessary to evaluate this new technique fully, these results encourage us to believe that the limited excision arthroplasty of the trapeziometacarpal and scaphotrapezial joints is a viable alternative to the existing surgical treatments for stage IV thumb arthritis.Level of evidence: 4 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The short-chain non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) are mostly emitted into the atmosphere by anthropogenic processes. Recent studies have pointed out a tight linkage between the atmospheric mole fractions of the NMHC ethane and the atmospheric growth rate of methane. Consequently, atmospheric NMHC are valuable indicators for tracking changes in anthropogenic emissions, photochemical ozone production, and greenhouse gases. This study investigates the 1950-2010 Northern Hemisphere atmospheric C2-C5 NMHC ethane, propane, i-butane, n-butane, i-pentane, and n-pentane by (a) reconstructing atmospheric mole fractions of these trace gases using firn air extracted from three boreholes in 2008 and 2009 at the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling (NEEM) site and applying state-of-the-art models of trace gas transport in firn, and by (b) considering eight years of ambient NMHC monitoring data from five Arctic sites within the NOAA Global Monitoring Division (GMD) Cooperative Air Sampling Network. Results indicate that these NMHC increased by ~ 40-120% after 1950, peaked around 1980 (with the exception of ethane, which peaked approximately 10 yr earlier), and have since dramatically decreased to be now back close to 1950 levels. The earlier peak time of ethane vs. the C3-C5 NMHC suggests that different processes and emissions mitigation measures contributed to the decline in these NMHC. The 60 yr record also illustrates notable increases in the ratios of the isomeric iso-/n-butane and iso-/n-pentane ratios. Comparison of the reconstructed NMHC histories with 1950-2000 volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions data and with other recently published ethane trend analyses from ambient air Pacific transect data showed (a) better agreement with North America and Western Europe emissions than with total Northern Hemisphere emissions data, and (b) better agreement with other Greenland firn air data NMHC history reconstructions than with the Pacific region trends. These analyses emphasize that for NMHC, having atmospheric lifetimes on the order of <2 months, the Greenland firn air records are primarily a representation of Western Europe and North America emission histories. INSET: 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a technique that arose from the observation of the clinical outcome of failed arthrodeses of the thumb carpometacarpal joint. In these cases a pseudoarthrosis developed which, surprisingly, rarely lead to a poor clinical outcome. Thus we developed a simple technique which deliberately caused the formation of a narrow pseudoarthrosis in the carpometacarpal joint. We present a retrospective review of 248 consecutive patients treated for Eaton stages II and III osteoarthritis. We observed a statistically significant improvement in mean appositional and oppositional pinch strength, mean DASH score (63.8 pre-operatively to 10.5 at final follow-up), and the mean pain score (8.3 to 0.2). We conclude that trapeziometacarpal limited excision arthroplasty is a simple and reliable alternative to existing surgical techniques for treating Stage II or III thumb carpometacarpal joint arthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Firn air transport models are used to interpret measurements of the composition of air in firn and bubbles trapped in ice in order to reconstruct past atmospheric composition. The diffusivity profile in the firn is usually calibrated by comparing modelled and measured concentrations for tracers with known atmospheric history. However, in most cases this is an under-determined inverse problem, often with multiple solutions giving an adequate fit to the data (this is known as equifinality). Here we describe a method to estimate the firn diffusivity profile that allows multiple solutions to be identified, in order to quantify the uncertainty in diffusivity due to equifinality. We then look at how well different combinations of tracers constrain the firn diffusivity profile. Tracers with rapid atmospheric variations like CH3CCl3, HFCs and 14CO2 are most useful for constraining molecular diffusivity, while δ15N2 is useful for constraining parameters related to convective mixing near the surface. When errors in the observations are small and Gaussian, three carefully selected tracers are able to constrain the molecular diffusivity profile well with minimal equifinality. However, with realistic data errors or additional processes to constrain, there is benefit to including as many tracers as possible to reduce the uncertainties. We calculate CO2 age distributions and their spectral widths with uncertainties for five firn sites (NEEM, DE08-2, DSSW20K, South Pole 1995 and South Pole 2001) with quite different characteristics and tracers available for calibration. We recommend moving away from the use of a firn model with one calibrated parameter set to infer atmospheric histories, and instead suggest using multiple parameter sets, preferably with multiple representations of uncertain processes, to assist in quantification of the uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consumers' healthier trend towards ready-to-eat (RTE) minimally processed food products like fresh-cut fruits and RTE leafy green salads also increase the risks of foodborne outbreak since the food will be consumed without any further processing or with minimal preparation. Active packaging, more specifically, antimicrobial packaging systems is one of the safety strategies that could be applied to such products. Chlorine dioxide (ClO2), a strong oxidizing agent, is among the promising antimicrobial gases many researchers considering using in vapor-phase decontamination of food products. The compatibility of ClO2 as antimicrobial gas for food packaging was reviewed in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of 12 high volume air samples collected from the S2 firn core during the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling (NEEM) 2009 campaign have been measured for mixing ratio and stable carbon isotope composition of the chlorofluorocarbon CFC12 (CCl2F2). While the mixing ratio measurements compare favorably to other firn air studies, the isotope results show extreme 13C depletion at the deepest measurable depth (65 m), to values lower than δ13C=-80‰ vs. VPDB (the international stable carbon isotope scale), compared to present day surface tropospheric measurements near -40‰. Firn air modeling was used to interpret these measurements. Reconstructed atmospheric time series indicate even larger depletions (to -120‰) near 1950AD, with subsequent rapid enrichment of the atmospheric reservoir of the compound to the present day value. Mass-balance calculations show that this change must have been caused by a large change in the isotopic composition of anthropogenic CFC-12 emissions, probably due to technological changes in the CFC production process over the last 80 yr. Propagating the mass-balance calculations into the future demonstrates that as emissions decrease to zero, isotopic fractionation by the stratospheric sinks will lead to continued 13C enrichment in atmospheric CFC-12. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]