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BackgroundIn 2014, data from a comprehensive multiplatform analysis of 496 adult papillary thyroid cancer samples reported by The Cancer Genome Atlas project suggested that reclassification of thyroid cancer into molecular subtypes, RAS-like and BRAF-like, better reflects clinical behavior than sole reliance on pathological classification. The aim of this study was to categorize the common oncogenic variants in pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer and investigate if mutation subtype classification correlated with the risk of metastasis and response to initial therapy in pediatric DTC.MethodsSomatic cancer gene panel analysis was completed on DTC from 131 pediatric patients. DTC were categorized into RAS-mutant (H-K-NRAS), BRAF-mutant (BRAF p.V600E) and RET/NTRK fusion (RET, NTRK1 and NTRK3 fusions) to determine differences between subtype classification in regard to pathological data (AJCC TNM) as well as response to therapy 1-year after initial treatment had been completed.ResultsMutation-based subtype categories were significant in most variables, including age at diagnosis, metastatic behavior, and the likelihood of remission at 1-year. Patients with RET/NTRK fusions were significantly more likely to have advanced lymph node and distant metastasis and less likely to achieve remission at one year than patients within RAS- or BRAF-mut subgroups.ConclusionsOur data supports that genetic subtyping of pediatric DTC more accurately reflects clinical behavior than sole reliance on pathological classification with patients with RET/NTRK fusions having worse outcomes than those with BRAF-mutant disease. Future trials should consider inclusion of molecular subtype into risk stratification.

The Olympic Mountains Experiment (OLYMPEX) took place during the 2015/16 fall–winter season in the vicinity of the mountainous Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. The goals of OLYMPEX were to provide physical and hydrologic ground validation for the U.S.–Japan Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite mission and, more specifically, to study how precipitation in Pacific frontal systems is modified by passage over coastal mountains. Four transportable scanning dual-polarization Doppler radars of various wavelengths were installed. Surface stations were placed at various altitudes to measure precipitation rates, particle size distributions, and fall velocities. Autonomous recording cameras monitored and recorded snow accumulation. Four research aircraft supplied by NASA investigated precipitation processes and snow cover, and supplemental rawinsondes and dropsondes were deployed during precipitation events. Numerous Pacific frontal systems were sampled, including several reaching “atmospheric river” status, warm- and cold-frontal systems, and postfrontal convection.

Airborne radar data collected within Hurricane Karl (2010) provide a high-resolution glimpse of variations in the vertical precipitation structure around complex terrain in eastern Mexico. Widespread precipitation north of Karl’s track traced the strong gradient of terrain, suggesting orographic enhancement. Although the airborne radar did not sample the period of peak precipitation, time series of surface rainfall at three locations near the inner core show greater precipitation where flow was oriented to rise over the terrain. In regions of upslope flow, radar observations reveal reflectivity enhancement within 1–2 km of the surface. The shallow nature of the enhancement points to orographically generated cloud water accreted by falling drops as a mechanism consistent with prior studies, while the heterogeneous nature of the enhancement suggests shallow convection was playing a role. In contrast, regions of downslope flow were characterized by uniform reflectivity above the ground and fallstreaks originating above the melting level. Unlike most previously studied tropical cyclones passing over topography, Karl made landfall on a mountainous continent, not an island. As Karl weakened and decayed over land, the vertical structure of the radar echo deteriorated north of the storm center, and infrared satellite imagery revealed a strong reduction in the upper-level cloud coverage; however, a small region of intense convection appeared and produced locally heavy rainfall as Karl was close to dissipation. These results indicate that orographic modification processes in a landfalling tropical cyclone are not static, and surface precipitation is highly sensitive to the changes.

We observe the electric-dipole forbidden $7s\rightarrow8s$ transition in the francium isotopes $^{208-211}$Fr and $^{213}$Fr using a two-photon excitation scheme. We collect the atoms online from an accelerator and confine them in a magneto optical trap for the measurements. In combination with previous measurements of the $7s\rightarrow7p_{1/2}$ transition we perform a King Plot analysis. We compare the thus determined ratio of the field shift constants (1.230 $\pm$ 0.019) to results obtained from new ab initio calculations (1.234 $\pm$ 0.010) and find excellent agreement.

Airborne Doppler radar data collected in tropical cyclones by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration WP-3D aircraft over an 8-yr period (2003–10) are used to statistically analyze the vertical structure of tropical cyclone eyewalls with reference to the deep-layer shear. Convective evolution within the inner core conforms to patterns shown by previous studies: convection initiates downshear right, intensifies downshear left, and weakens upshear. Analysis of the vertical distribution of radar reflectivity and vertical air motion indicates the development of upper-level downdrafts in conjunction with strong convection downshear left and a maximum in frequency upshear left. Intense updrafts and downdrafts both conform to the shear asymmetry pattern. While strong updrafts occur in the eyewall, intense downdrafts show far more radial variability, particularly in the upshear-left quadrant, though they concentrate along the eyewall edges. Strong updrafts are collocated with low-level inflow and upper-level outflow superimposed on the background flow. In contrast, strong downdrafts occur in association with low-level outflow and upper-level inflow.

Rear-end crashes are the most frequently occurring type of crash, making up approximately 25% of all crashes. Crash analysis has revealed a need to detect stopped and slowing lead vehicles with peripheral vision, as well as to detect stopped and slowing lead vehicles with foveal vision more quickly. Two experiments were conducted in an effort to develop systems that have these properties, yet do not have too much discomfort glare. Both experiments used the same four dependent measures: attention-getting rating, discomfort-glare rating, horizontal peripheral detection angle, and diagonal peripheral detection angle. Experiment 1 examined 17 candidate systems, all using white light and clear lenses. The results showed that the TCL, a lamp with a motorized reflector that moves in an M-sweep pattern, was the top candidate for an imminent crash warning signal, while a pair of centrally located alternating halogen lamps would be optimal for a stopped or slowly moving vehicle signal. Experiment 2 examined the effect of colored lenses for the top four configurations identified from Experiment 1. The results showed that TCL is superior to the alternating pair configurations in attention getting and peripheral detection for an imminent crash warning signal, with glare reduced by the use of tinted lenses in either red or amber. The high-output halogen alternating pair with either amber or red dispersive lenses represents the best available configuration for the stopped or slowly moving vehicle signal.

A process for transferring patterns into HgCdTe epilayers using a hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) photomask has been demonstrated. a-Si:H films were grown using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). A latent image of a projected mask pattern was created at the a-Si:H surface by ultraviolet enhanced oxidation in the load lock of the PECVD vacuum chamber. This image was transformed into a mask by hydrogen plasma removal of the unexposed areas. A hydrogen plasma etch selectivity value greater than 500:1 for oxide and a-Si:H allows patterns as thick as 700 nm to be generated. a-Si:H masks were used to create arrays of mesas in planar HgCdTe epilayers by etching in an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma reactor. Etch selectivity between a-Si:H and HgCdTe during an ECR hydrogen plasma etch was measured to be greater than 18:1. RoA values > 103 were obtained for mid-wavelength infrared diodes made from HgCdTe heterojunctions using a-Si:H masks.

This paper reports the properties of undoped CdO films and CdO films doped with the group VII element F and the group IV element Sn. The CdO films are made by low-pressure chemical-vapor deposition. We observe that undoped CdO films can achieve a carrier concentration of 1021 cm−3, apparently by controlling the intrinsic defect. However, the electron mobility of these films is only around 2 cm2 V−1 s−1. With fluorine doping, an electron mobility of ∼260 cm2 V−1 s−1 has been achieved. However, low carrier concentration results because of the low solubility of F in CdO film. CdO films doped with both Sn and F demonstrate carrier concentrations of 1021 cm−3 and reasonable electron mobilities of around 20 cm2 V−1 s−1. Due to the small effective electron mass of CdO, a large Burstein-Moss shift is observed for films with high carrier concentration. The shift enables the fundamental absorption edges of undoped CdO films to reach 3.0 eV and 3.3 eV for films doped with both Sn and F.

Manufacturable, sputtered, device-quality, CdS thin films are reported for high efficiency solar cell applications. The sputtering plasma is monitored during deposition using optical emission spectroscopy. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) is commonly used as an end point detector in plasma etching processes, where the disappearance of the etch product wavelength signature provides an unambiguous indication of completion. OES is only now beginning to be examined for controlling deposition processes, primarily because the dependence between OES signal and film properties can frequently be a quite complex function of the electron and gas densities, the emitting species concentration, the electron impact excitation cross section, the electron energy distribution function, and the probability of inelastic collisions between plasma species. OES monitoring during CdS sputtering allows accurate determination of deposition rate. Both Cd and S emission peaks can be identified, allowing tracking of the results of preferential sputtering. The OES output has been tied directly into the chamber controls, resulting in automatic closed-loop control of deposition rate. The resulting CdS films are device-quality and well-suited to large-scale manufacturing. A photovoltaic efficiency of 12.1 % was obtained from sputtered CdS on CIGS absorber, compared to 12.9% for the traditional, but less manufacturable, chemical bath deposited CdS on the same batch of CIGS. The sputtering technique has many advantages over other deposition techniques, such as easy scaleablity to large areas, simple process control, compatibility with in-line manufacturing of layered devices and low cost. RF, or lower-cost pulsed DC, sputtering power supplies can be used with comparable deposition rates. The structure, optical, and electrical properties of the sputtered CdS thin films have been characterized.

A process to use a hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) film as a dry photoresist mask for plasma etching of HgCdTe has been demonstrated. The a-Si:H films were deposited using standard plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition with pure silane as the source gas. X-ray photoelectron spectra show that virtually no oxide grows on the surface of an a-Si:H film after 3 hours in air, indicating that it is hydrogen passivated. Ultraviolet light frees hydrogen from the surface and enhances the oxide growth rate. A pattern of 60 micron square pixels was transferred from a contact mask to the surface of an a-Si:H film by ultraviolet enhanced oxidation in air. For the conditions used, the oxide thickness was 0.5–1.0 nm. Hydrogen plasmas were used to develop this pattern by removing the unexposed regions of the film. A hydrogen plasma etch selectivity between oxide and a-Si:H of greater than 500:1 allows patterns as thick as 700 nm to be generated with this very thin oxide. These patterns were transferred into HgCdTe by etching in an electron cyclotron resonance plasma. An etch selectivity between a-Si:H and HgCdTe of greater than 4:1 was observed after etching 2500 nm into the HgCdTe. All of the steps are compatible with processing in vacuum.

1514 Background: Little is known about prevalence or ancestral origins of BRCA1and BRCA2 (BRCA) mutations among high-risk Hispanics, the fastest growing relatively underserved population in the U.S...

Utilizing the birefringent-coating technique complemented with data from electrical-resistance type of strain gages, the whole field stresses and stress-concentration factors were determined for single fillets and grooves for uniaxially and biaxially applied loads. The experimentally determined stress-concentration factors for the nonsymmetrical specimens subjected to uniaxially applied loads were considerably higher than the previously determined factors for symmetrical specimens subjected to uniaxial loads, or for the specimens in this study having a similar geometry but subjected to biaxial loads. The particular stress-concentration factors determined are not available in the literature, and these factors should, therefore, be especially useful for design purposes.

This paper presents a moment-distribution procedure for determining the moments and shears produced in a three-dimensional pipe structure subjected to expansion resulting from temperature change. From the shears existing in the various members, end reactions can be easily determined. The method offers an advantage over virtual-work methods in that fewer calculations are required, consequently reducing the time involved and the danger of omitting some item in the solution.

To achieve greater cost effectiveness in designing tunnel liners for a large transfer system in the California State Water Project, a model study was conducted. The main concern was the ability of a ringstiffened cylindrical shell encased in concrete to resist buckling when subjected to external hydrostatic pressure.

A need exists for a birefringent material having phenomenological characteristics similar to solid propellants, which can be used in photoelastic studies for grain design of rocket engines. Comparisons of the isoclinics and the isochromatics in several segmentally cast specimens and continuous cast specimens of various geometries and loading conditions were made. Some of the specimens contained oriented or random inclusions. The investigations indicated that tolylene di-isocyanate polyurethane would be a satisfactory and a useful photoelastic material for grain-design applications.

Penetrations, in the pressure-resistant structure of a submersible, disturb the stress condition in the shell and may cause a premature failure. In this paper, two types of finite-element solutions are used to predict the stress distribution near view port openings in spherical shells under external pressure. Results of experimental stress analyses are also given and compared to the theoretical results.

Two techniques are presented for the measurement of internal deformations in members composed of a large mass of load-bearing, viscoelastic material. In Part A, an embedded particle, X-ray scintillation detector system is described which acquires displacement data from cylindrical models (less than 6-inch diameter). A brief description of the X-ray facility and its operation, specimen design and casting are presented. In Part B, a device is described that measures strain (up to 50%) on viscoelastic materials such as the binder used in solid-propellant motors. The transducer's active element is a mercury base fluid column of 6-mil diameter and 0.5-inch length.

The transducer discussed in this report is a device that measures strain (up to 50 per cent) on viscoelastic materials such as the binder used in solid-propellant motors. The transducer is designed for surface mounting although the basic gage concept is also applicable to a device which can be embedded within a material. The active element is a mercury base fluid column of 6-mil diameter and 0.5-inch lengths. Complete information is presented regarding the transducer construction, calibration and evaluation testing.

Underwater explosions at great depth have been simulated by detonating small spherical pentolite charges in vessels hydrostatically pressured to 4000 psi. An increase in hydrostatic pressure is found to have no effect on the peak magnitude of the primary shock wave, but the impulse per unit area and the duration of the positive phase of the initial pressure pulse are observed to decrease with an increase in hydrostatic pressure. The magnitude of the negative phase of the shock wave increases as the hydrostatic pressure increases. Although little difficulty is encountered in studying primary pressure pulses in pressure vessels, secondary pressure pulses created by expansion and contraction of the gas bubble formed by the detonation are difficult to observe due to the large displacement of the water particles at close-in distances and the associated acceleration of the piezoelectric pressure transducer at the times of interest. Also, the myriad of reflections from the gauge positioning devices and the vessel walls and the inconsistency usually exhibited by bubble pulses under seemingly identical conditions complicate analysis of the secondary pulses. The magnitude of the bubble pulse appears to increase as the hydrostatic pressure increases, and, at moderately high hydrostatic levels, the frequency of the bubble oscillation is such that the bubble pulse is recorded as a vibration.

The development of the elastomeric strain gage has progressed through two stages and is well into the third stage. With the validation of the strain transducer concept, a second stage of effort was initiated in which a strain gage was designed, cast and tested. The results of this work effort further demonstrated the practicality of the gage; however, certain undesirable gage features such as low nominal resistance and low sensitivity became apparent. The third stage of development effort has been under way and has produced some noted improvements in the elastomeric gage. These are presented in the report. (Author)

Procedures for analytically predicting the response of missile bodies to blast loadings are presented. The investigation involves the behavior of cylindrical shells (with various end-closures) and circular, flat plates. The numerical results obtained from the analytical methods compare favorably with the experimental data acquired during the study. (auth)

An x-ray scintillation facility was used to study the manner in which the sub-surface material in a viscoelastic, thick-walled cylinder deforms with time while subjected to relatively simple mechanical loadings. Measurements of internal displacements were acquired for two, free-stand ing, solid propellant models. Each model was subjected to a mechanical loading consisting of either a sustained uniaxial compression or a combination of sustained uniaxial compression and internal pressure.

The response of deep reinforced concrete slabs to uniformly distributed dynamic loads as high as 700 psi was measured and compared with the static behavior of companion slabs. Comparisons between theoretical and experimental results were made. Experience has shown that one of the major difficulties in predicting the static behavior of reinforced concrete slabs results from the varying friction between the slab and bearing plate. The pressure seals and seal devices presented the primary experimental difficulty and made it impossible to yield the strongest slabs.

An inexpensive device for sealing one-half-inch diameter coaxial cable against 4500 psi gas pressure on which explosively generated shock pressure is superposed has operated successfully for repeated shots. No distortion of transducer signal due to the seal has been noted.

Techniques for using pressure vessels to study the characteristics of shock waves from high explosives detonated under high hydrostatic pressure have provided empirical observations not previously available in the literature. Results indicate that although peak pressure is not affected by hydrostatic pressure, the duration is shortened and the impulse lowered by increasing the hydrostatic pressure. Also, the negative phase of the pressure pulse appears to increase as the ambient pressure increases.