bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
AKT activation by N-cadherin regulates beta-catenin signaling and neuronal differentiation during cortical development
Authors: Zhang Jianing , Shemezis Julie R , McQuinn Erin R , Wang Jing , Sverdlov Maria , Chenn Anjen
Published: April 2013

Background

During cerebral cortical development, neural precursor-precursor interactions in the ventricular zone neurogenic niche coordinate signaling pathways that regulate proliferation and differentiation. Previous studies with shRNA knockdown approaches indicated that N-cadherin adhesion between cortical precursors regulates β-catenin signaling, but the underlying mechanisms remained poorly understood.

Results

Here, with conditional knockout approaches, we find further supporting evidence that N-cadherin maintains β-catenin signaling during cortical development. Using shRNA to N-cadherin and dominant negative N-cadherin overexpression in cell culture, we find that N-cadherin regulates Wnt-stimulated β-catenin signaling in a cell-autonomous fashion. Knockdown or inhibition of N-cadherin with function-blocking antibodies leads to reduced activation of the Wnt co-receptor LRP6. We also find that N-cadherin regulates β-catenin via AKT, as reduction of N-cadherin causes decreased AKT activation and reduced phosphorylation of AKT targets GSK3β and β-catenin. Inhibition of AKT signaling in neural precursors in vivo leads to reduced β-catenin-dependent transcriptional activation, increased migration from the ventricular zone, premature neuronal differentiation, and increased apoptotic cell death.

Conclusions

These results show that N-cadherin regulates β-catenin signaling through both Wnt and AKT, and suggest a previously unrecognized role for AKT in neuronal differentiation and cell survival during cortical development.
Partitioning of silver and chemical speciation of free Ag in soils amended with nanoparticles
Authors: Benoit Rachel , Wilkinson Kevin J , Sauvé Sébastien
Published: April 2013

Background

Knowledge about silver nanoparticles in soils is limited even if soils are a critical pathway for their environmental fate. In this paper, speciation results have been acquired using a silver ion selective electrode in three different soils.

Results

Soil organic matter and pH were the most important soil properties controlling the occurrence of silver ions in soils. In acidic soils, more free silver ions are available while in the presence of organic matter, ions were tightly bound in complexes. The evolution of the chemical speciation of the silver nanoparticles in soils was followed over six months.

Conclusion

During the first few hours, there appeared to be a strong sorption of the silver with soil ligands, whereas over time, silver ions were released, the final concentration being approximately 10 times higher than at the beginning. Ag release was associated with either the oxidation of the nanoparticles or a dissociation of adsorbed silver from the soil surfaces.
B-Raf and the inhibitors: from bench to bedside
Authors: Huang Tiangui , Karsy Michael , Zhuge Jian , Zhong Minghao , Liu Delong
Published: April 2013

The B-Raf protein is a key signaling molecule in the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of a variety of cancers. An important V600E mutation has been identified and can cause constitutive B-Raf activation. Recent studies have evaluated a variety of small molecule inhibitors targeting B-Raf, including PLX4032/vemurafenib, dabrafenib, LGX818, GDC0879, XL281, ARQ736, PLX3603 (RO5212054), and RAF265. Therapeutic resistance has been identified and various mechanisms described. This review also discussed the current understanding of B-Raf signaling mechanism, methods of mutation detection, treatment strategies as well as potential methods of overcoming therapeutic resistance.
Ab initio simulations of p-type porous silicon nanostructures
Authors: Landa Loustau Emilye Rosas , del Río Jesús A , Tagüeña-Martínez Julia , Sansores Luis E , Nava Rocío
Published: April 2013

The morphology of porous silicon (p-Si) depends on several parameters such as the doping type and the carriers’ concentration of the crystalline silicon substrate. The electrolytes used in the p-Si fabrication also have an important role. The final structure determines if p-Si is luminescent or suitable for photonic applications. Experimental results on p-Si produced by electrochemical etching show that although the carriers are greatly reduced by the etching process, boron atoms remain in the bulk. The study of p-type porous silicon nanostructures by means of an ab initio computational simulation might help to understand how boron atoms influence the p-Si final structure. Here, we report electronic and topological properties of ten p-type porous silicon structures as an extension of our previous paper on p-type crystalline silicon. Our results suggest that the boron atoms can not remain bonded on the porous surface but do so in the bulk. The presence of impurities changes the bond distance of their neighbors within a radius of 5 Å. The energy of the models is essentially the same for all the boron positions in the silicon backbone. The high electronic density around the boron impurity could influence the trajectory of an HF ion entering a p-Si pore during the fabrication process.
TopHat2: accurate alignment of transcriptomes in the presence of insertions, deletions and gene fusions
Authors: Kim Daehwan , Pertea Geo , Trapnell Cole , Pimentel Harold , Kelley Ryan , Salzberg Steven L
Published: April 2013

TopHat is a popular spliced aligner for RNA-sequence (RNA-seq) experiments. In this paper, we describe TopHat2, which incorporates many significant enhancements to TopHat. TopHat2 can align reads of various lengths produced by the latest sequencing technologies, while allowing for variable-length indels with respect to the reference genome. In addition to de novo spliced alignment, TopHat2 can align reads across fusion breaks, which can occur after genomic translocations. TopHat2 combines the ability to identify novel splice sites with direct mapping to known transcripts, producing sensitive and accurate alignments, even for highly repetitive genomes or in the presence of pseudogenes. TopHat2 is available at http://ccb.jhu.edu/software/tophat.
Exosomes released by human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells protect against cisplatin-induced renal oxidative stress and apoptosis in vivo and in vitro
Authors: Zhou Ying , Xu Huitao , Xu Wenrong , Wang Bingying , Wu Huiyi , Tao Yang , Zhang Bin , Wang Mei , Mao Fei , Yan Yongmin , Gao Shuo , Gu Hongbing , Zhu Wei , Qian Hui
Published: April 2013

Introduction

Administration of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) or secreted microvesicles improves recovery from acute kidney injury (AKI). However, the potential roles and mechanisms are not well understood. In the current study, we focused on the protective effect of exosomes derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hucMSC-ex) on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in vivo and in vitro.

Methods

We constructed cisplatin-induced AKI rat models. At 24 h after treatment with cisplatin, hucMSC-ex were injected into the kidneys via the renal capsule; human lung fibroblast (HFL-1)-secreted exosomes (HFL-1-ex) were used as controls. All animals were killed at day 5 after administration of cisplatin. Renal function, histological changes, tubular apoptosis and proliferation, and degree of oxidative stress were evaluated. In vitro, rat renal tubular epithelial (NRK-52E) cells were treated with or without cisplatin and after 6 h treated with or without exosomes. Cells continued to be cultured for 24 h, and were then harvested for western blotting, apoptosis and detection of degree of oxidative stress.

Results

After administration of cisplatin, there was an increase in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) levels, apoptosis, necrosis of proximal kidney tubules and formation of abundant tubular protein casts and oxidative stress in rats. Cisplatin-induced AKI rats treated with hucMSC-ex, however, showed a significant reduction in all the above indexes. In vitro, treatment with cisplatin alone in NRK-52E cells resulted in an increase in the number of apoptotic cells, oxidative stress and activation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) pathway followed by a rise in the expression of caspase 3, and a decrease in cell multiplication, while those results were reversed in the hucMSCs-ex-treated group. Furthermore, it was observed that hucMSC-ex promoted cell proliferation by activation of the extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 pathway.

Conclusions

The results in the present study indicate that hucMSC-ex can repair cisplatin-induced AKI in rats and NRK-52E cell injury by ameliorating oxidative stress and cell apoptosis, promoting cell proliferation in vivo and in vitro. This suggests that hucMSC-ex could be exploited as a potential therapeutic tool in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity.
The innate defense regulator peptides IDR-HH2, IDR-1002, and IDR-1018 modulate human neutrophil functions
Authors: Niyonsaba François , Madera Laurence , Afacan Nicole , Okumura Ko , Ogawa Hideoki , Hancock Robert E W
Published: April 2013

Although HDPs were originally hypothesized to act as antimicrobial agents, they also have been shown to broadly modulate the immune response through the activation of different cell types. We recently developed a series of novel, synthetic peptides, termed IDRs, which are conceptually based on a natural HDP, bovine bactenecin. We showed that IDR-1 and IDR-1002 protect the host against bacterial infections through the induction of chemokines. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the IDRs on various functions of human neutrophils. Here, we demonstrated that IDR-HH2, IDR-1002, and IDR-1018 modulated the expression of neutrophil adhesion and activation markers. Moreover, these IDRs enhanced neutrophil adhesion to endothelial cells in a β2 integrin-dependent manner and induced neutrophil migration and chemokine production. The IDR peptides also increased the release of the neutrophil-generated HDPs (antimicrobial), human α-defensins, and LL-37 and augmented neutrophil-mediated killing of Escherichia coli. Notably, the IDRs significantly suppressed LPS-mediated neutrophil degranulation, the release of ROS, and the production of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-10, consistent with their ability to dampen inflammation. As evidenced by the inhibitory effects of MAPK-specific inhibitors, IDRs activated the MAPK pathway that was required for chemokine production. In conclusion, our study provides novel evidence regarding the contribution of the IDR peptides to the innate immune response through the modulation of neutrophil functions. The results described here may aid in the development of IDRs as novel, anti-infective and immunomodulatory agents.
Cuba Calls: African American Tourism, Race, and the Cuban Revolution, 1959–1961
Authors: Benson Devyn Spence
Published: April 2013

This essay explores the role that conversations about race and racism played in forming a partnership between an African American public relations firm and the Cuban National Tourist Institute (INIT) in 1960, just one year after Fidel Castro’s victory over Fulgencio Batista. The article highlights how Cuban revolutionary leaders, Afro-Cubans, and African Americans exploited temporary transnational relationships to fight local battles. Claiming that the Cuban Revolution had eliminated racial discrimination, INIT invited world champion boxer Joe Louis and 50 other African Americans to the island in January 1960 to experience “first class treatment — as first class citizens.” This move benefited Cuban revolutionary leaders by encouraging new tourism as the number of mainstream white American travelers to the island declined. The business venture also allowed African Americans to compare racial violence in the US South to the supposed integrated racial paradise in Cuba and foreshadowed future visits by black radicals, including NAACP leader Robert F. Williams. The politics expressed by Cuban newspapers and travel brochures, however, did not always fit with the lived experiences of Afro-Cubans. This essay uncovers how Afro-Cubans threatened national discourses by invoking revolutionary promises to denounce continued racial segregation in the very facilities promoted to African American tourists. Ultimately, ideas about race did not just cross borders between Cuba and the United States in 1960. Rather, they constituted and constructed those borders as Afro-Cubans used government claims to reposition themselves within the new revolutionary state.
In Defense of Louis Xvi
Authors: Tamen Miguel
Published: April 2013

In this guest column, the author argues, first, that being at the place of an event does not guarantee that one understands what is going on and, second, that something's happening with or to me does not guarantee that I understand what has occurred. He shows that it is generally assumed that the best descriptions of oneself are those given by oneself and, further, generally felt that allowing for the possibility that better descriptions than one's own have been produced by others is comparable to surrendering a civil right. He concludes instead that allowing for that possibility is commendable and shows its application to an aspect of the life of Louis XVI that historians and ideologists of revolution have widely ridiculed.
BARNETT Newman's “SENSE OF Space”
Authors: Schreyach Michael
Published: April 2013

Barnett Newman professed that a beholder's encounter with his paintings was like meeting another person for the first time. He believed the experience produced the conditions for apprehending an ethical relationship that would entail both the individual's achievement of his or her own understanding of “self” and his or her acknowledgment of another individual. But it would be their mutual recognition of separateness as the condition of possibility for communication — for sharing worlds — that would ground the ethical relationship between them. Not just interested in matters of theory, the artist was also specific about the modes of spatial experience that he intended his canvases to inaugurate for a beholder. A detailed phenomenological account of how, in particular cases, the perceptual effects of Newman's paintings are created, both technically and artistically, helps to develop the implications, for his ethics of relationship, of what he called his “sense of space.” This article focuses on major paintings (particularly Vir Heroicus Sublimis and The Wild) in order to ground an interpretation of the perceptual effects of Newman's works.
Shaping the Urban Life of Oil in Bahrain
Authors: Fuccaro Nelida
Published: April 2013

Fuccaro’s article explores new geographies of leisure and consumption that emerged in Manama and in Bahrain’s oil camps in the first decades of oil development. New forms of public communication such as the press, printed materials, and cinema are used to explore urban spaces, actors, and social contexts of leisure and consumption as the unique by-product of oil. On the one hand, the focus is on the images and messages popularized by these new media and on the emergence and influence of an advertising and public relations market. On the other, a variety of actors are analyzed as the producers and recipients of these messages and images: Manama’s young people and the city’s entrepreneurs, the public relations strategists of the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) and the Bahrain government, the expatriate housewives, and the indigenous oil workers. The article begins with a discussion of Manama’s youth culture in the 1950s as epitomized by the cinema and the youth club. It then opens the discussion to the broader landscape of Bahrain’s capital city as the center of a new world of commodities and services. Manama’s urban life is then contrasted to that of opulent and secluded Awali, the company town built by BAPCO in 1937, in order to illustrate how Awali’s lifestyle was experienced, represented, and perceived by its expatriate population, foreign visitors, and Bahrainis. The last section of the article analyzes the role of BAPCO in popularizing new urban and suburban consumer and leisure cultures since the early 1950s through magazines, cinema, and propaganda materials.
Cortical excitatory neurons become protected from cell division during neurogenesis in an Rb family-dependent manner
Authors: Oshikawa Mio , Okada Kei , Nakajima Kazunori , Ajioka Itsuki
Published: April 2013

Cell cycle dysregulation leads to abnormal proliferation and cell death in a context-specific manner. Cell cycle progression driven via the Rb pathway forces neurons to undergo S-phase, resulting in cell death associated with the progression of neuronal degeneration. Nevertheless, some Rb- and Rb family (Rb, p107 and p130)-deficient differentiating neurons can proliferate and form tumors. Here, we found in mouse that differentiating cerebral cortical excitatory neurons underwent S-phase progression but not cell division after acute Rb family inactivation in differentiating neurons. However, the differentiating neurons underwent cell division and proliferated when Rb family members were inactivated in cortical progenitors. Differentiating neurons generated from Rb−/−; p107−/−; p130−/− (Rb-TKO) progenitors, but not acutely inactivated Rb-TKO differentiating neurons, activated the DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair pathway without increasing trimethylation at lysine 20 of histone H4 (H4K20), which has a role in protection against DNA damage. The activation of the DSB repair pathway was essential for the cell division of Rb-TKO differentiating neurons. These results suggest that newly born cortical neurons from progenitors become epigenetically protected from DNA damage and cell division in an Rb family-dependent manner.
Scx+/Sox9+ progenitors contribute to the establishment of the junction between cartilage and tendon/ligament
Authors: Sugimoto Yuki , Takimoto Aki , Akiyama Haruhiko , Kist Ralf , Scherer Gerd , Nakamura Takashi , Hiraki Yuji , Shukunami Chisa
Published: April 2013

SRY-box containing gene 9 (Sox9) and scleraxis (Scx) regulate cartilage and tendon formation, respectively. Here we report that murine Scx+/Sox9+ progenitors differentiate into chondrocytes and tenocytes/ligamentocytes to form the junction between cartilage and tendon/ligament. Sox9 lineage tracing in the Scx+ domain revealed that Scx+ progenitors can be subdivided into two distinct populations with regard to their Sox9 expression history: Scx+/Sox9+ and Scx+/Sox9− progenitors. Tenocytes are derived from Scx+/Sox9+ and Scx+/Sox9− progenitors. The closer the tendon is to the cartilaginous primordium, the more tenocytes arise from Scx+/Sox9+ progenitors. Ligamentocytes as well as the annulus fibrosus cells of the intervertebral discs are descendants of Scx+/Sox9+ progenitors. Conditional inactivation of Sox9 in Scx+/Sox9+ cells causes defective formation in the attachment sites of tendons/ligaments into the cartilage, and in the annulus fibrosus of the intervertebral discs. Thus, the Scx+/Sox9+ progenitor pool is a unique multipotent cell population that gives rise to tenocytes, ligamentocytes and chondrocytes for the establishment of the chondro-tendinous/ligamentous junction.
Modulation of T cell signaling by the actin cytoskeleton
Authors: Yu Yan , Smoligovets Alexander A. , Groves Jay T.
Published: April 2013

The actin cytoskeleton provides a dynamic framework to support membrane organization and cellular signaling events. The importance of actin in T cell function has long been recognized to go well beyond the maintenance of cell morphology and transport of proteins. Over the past several years, our understanding of actin in T cell activation has expanded tremendously, in part owing to the development of methods and techniques to probe the complex interplay between actin and T cell signaling. On the one hand, biochemical methods have led to the identification of many key cytoskeleton regulators and new signaling pathways, whereas, on the other, the combination of advanced imaging techniques and physical characterization tools has allowed the spatiotemporal investigation of actin in T cell signaling. All those studies have made a profound impact on our understanding of the actin cytoskeleton in T cell activation. Many previous reviews have focused on the biochemical aspects of the actin cytoskeleton. However, here we will summarize recent studies from a biophysical perspective to explain the mechanistic role of actin in modulating T cell activation. We will discuss how actin modulates T cell activation on multiple time and length scales. Specifically, we will reveal the distinct roles of the actin filaments in facilitating TCR triggering, orchestrating ‘signalosome’ assembly and transport, and establishing protein spatial organization in the immunological synapse.
Autophagy and microtubules – new story, old players
Authors: Mackeh Rafah , Perdiz Daniel , Lorin Séverine , Codogno Patrice , Poüs Christian
Published: April 2013

Both at a basal level and after induction (especially in response to nutrient starvation), the function of autophagy is to allow cells to degrade and recycle damaged organelles, proteins and other biological constituents. Here, we focus on the role microtubules have in autophagosome formation, autophagosome transport across the cytoplasm and in the formation of autolysosomes. Recent insights into the exact relationship between autophagy and microtubules now point to the importance of microtubule dynamics, tubulin post-translational modifications and microtubule motors in the autophagy process. Such factors regulate signaling pathways that converge to stimulate autophagosome formation. They also orchestrate the movements of pre-autophagosomal structures and autophagosomes or more globally organize and localize immature and mature autophagosomes and lysosomes. Most of the factors that now appear to link microtubules to autophagosome formation or to autophagosome dynamics and fate were identified initially without the notion that sequestration, recruitment and/or interaction with microtubules contribute to their function. Spatial and temporal coordination of many stages in the life of autophagosomes thus underlines the integrative role of microtubules and progressively reveals hidden parts of the autophagy machinery.
Methodological Basis of Infrastructural Project Implementation on Public and Private Partnership Foundation
Authors: ��������
Published: April 2013

The main task of country economy modernizing aimed to improve its competitiveness and sustainability is the corresponding infrastructure creation. This problem solution is possible only through the joint efforts of state and private business. In this article the common and specific factors that affect the transport infrastructure project management are revealed on the basis of infrastructural project managing experience analysis, the principles of public-private partnership (PPP) as the format of such projects� realization are systematized and developed taking into account their characteristics. The offers directed on improvement of organizational and economic mechanism of infrastructural project management in the railway infrastructure sphere in the PPP model (the life-cycle contract) are developed.
Development of students-designers’ professional competence
Authors: Ульянова  , Ulyanova Nataliya , Романова
Published: April 2013

Design has become today a fashionable profession as a lineage of creative persons made it attractive, showed possibilities of designers in the life organization and cultural development. The graphic art knowledge can promote not only to cultural space understanding, but also introduction of methods of figurative modeling, planning and rationalization in the sphere of graphic designer profession activity.
Information and educational environment of students’ advanced professional training in higher educational institutions
Authors: Рабаданова  , Rabadanova Raziyat
Published: April 2013

Using of information and communication technologies in educational process allows provide the information and educational environment of advancing training at all levels of educational system. At the same time it calls the necessity of constant renovation of teacher’s edagogical professionalism: realization of his management potential, formation of key competences in teaching result design.
Computational Method Improvement for Definition of Waste Hazard Classes
Authors: Григорьев  , Grigorev L. , Шанова  , Shanova O.
Published: April 2013

The improvement practicability of current method for definition of waste hazard classes is shown. The new approach for hazard

class calculation is proposed, its application examples are given.
Web-Application for Evaluating of Working Process Severity and Intensity
Authors: Боровик  , Borovik D.
Published: April 2013

The author of this article has developed a web-application (arm-online.ru) for automated evaluation of working process severity and intensity. The web-application enables employer by himself evaluate the bad and injuring factors of working process and get thereby necessary information for risk management without waiting an official procedure of workplace certification.
Technological Development Related to Restoration of Lubricant Cooling Liquids for Creation of Ecologically Safe Producti
Authors: Сергеев  , Sergeev Yu. , Некруто  , Nekruto V. , Сергеев  , Sergeev S. , Иршин  , Irshin A.
Published: April 2013

The ecological problems of oil and gas complex industrial enterprises and machine engineering as related to use and regeneration of toxic process liquids. It has been shown that restoration optimization of process liquids’ quality characteristics is possible during the intermixing of its components through simultaneous implementation of a number of physical effects. This will lead to environment improvement in such enterprises.
Experience of Training of Specialists and Bachelors in Life Safety Sphere at Ufa State Aviation Technical University
Authors: Красногорская  , Krasnogorskaya N. , Цвиленева  , Tsvileneva N.
Published: April 2013

The analysis of requirements to the content of discipline "Life Safety" as obligatory discipline of professional cycle for various directions and specialties on which the training is conducted at Ufa State Aviation Technical University has been carried out. Comparison of requirements to discipline content minimum in the context related to the 2nd and 3d generations of State standards of higher professional education has revealed essential shortcomings of formulations of Federal state educational standard (3d generation GOSt) competences, referring to knowledge and abilities in the life safety area. The ways related to problem solution of drawing up of training programs and formation of lecture streams for discipline teaching are offered. The features of training of bachelors in “Technosphere Safety” direction, a content ratio of such obligatory disciplines as "Noksology" and "Life safety", as well as questions of graduate’s competence-based model formation are considered.
Development of Molybdenum Extraction Method from Petrochemical Industry Waste
Authors: Забенькина  , Zabenkina E. , Житков  , Zhitkov M. , Сотникова  , Sotnikova Elena , Курмышева  , Kurmysheva A. , Графкина  , Grafkina M.
Published: April 2013

Regularities of molybdenum adsorption on alumina during the processing of molybdenum catalysts for oil second-stage treatment have been considered in this work. The method of extraction of molybdenum ions from the sorbent surface to solution has been developed. The possibility of sorbent regeneration in phosphate solutions for its subsequent re-use has been proved.
Violence and Biology: A Review of the Literature
Authors: Johnson Harriette C.
Published: April 2013

Experts agree that the origins of violence are multifactorial, involving the complex interactions of macro-, meso-, and micro-system factors. The roles of cultural, economic, and family factors have been noted extensively in the social work literature, but the contributions of biological factors to violence have been overlooked. The author reviews evidence pertaining to the role of biology in interaction with the myriad other forces that converge in acts of violence. Social work administrators as well as direct practitioners need such knowledge to make informed judgments about the role of social work in violent situations. Implications for practice are discussed.
Organ Preservation for Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Larynx
Authors: Misiukiewicz Krzysztof J. , Camille Nadia , Tishler Roy , Haddad Robert , Limaye Sewanti , Posner Marshall
Published: April 2013

Objectives.

Two cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the larynx were treated with chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for organ preservation. We reviewed case series and current literature to contrast the potential role of primary CRT as an organ-sparing modality with standard laryngectomy and radiotherapy in patients with laryngeal ACC.

Methods.

Two treatment-naïve patients with laryngeal ACC treated at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute between 2002 and 2007 were identified. Both patients were offered standard laryngectomy followed by adjuvant radiotherapy or organ-sparing treatment modality.

Results.

Both patients were males, aged 57 and 73. The patients completed a course of combined chemoradiotherapy with weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel and 7–8 weeks of radiotherapy to a total dose of 6,600 and 7,000 cGy over 50 and 57 days, respectively. There were no treatment breaks or delays because of toxicity. The major toxicities reported by both patients, as anticipated, were Grade 3 mucositis, desquamative dermatitis, and severe dysphagia, all of which resolved. Both patients are alive with local regional control and functional larynx; one at 112+ months with pulmonary metastases at 54 months, and the other disease free at 60+ months.

Conclusions.

Definitive chemoradiation with weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel may be a potential alternative to the current standard of surgery and radiation for patients with locally advanced laryngeal ACC who request an organ-sparing approach. In this group of patients, salvage laryngectomy may be reserved for those who are locally recurrent or chemoradiotherapy resistant. Although CRT provided long-term local regional control in our two patients, there are evident limitations in obtaining evidence for a determination of treatment of rare diseases. This report provides support for following an organ preservation plan in selected patients.
Targeted Therapies in Neuroendocrine Tumors (NET): Clinical Trial Challenges and Lessons Learned
Authors: Yao James C. , Lagunes Diane Reidy , Kulke Matthew H.
Published: April 2013

In the past 3 years, we have witnessed the completion of four randomized phase III studies in neuroendocrine tumors and the approval of two new drugs, everolimus and sunitinib, for the treatment of patients with well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. These studies demonstrate a shift from case series and single-arm studies toward prospective, randomized controlled clinical trials and evidence-based therapy in the neuroendocrine tumor field. However, the clinical development of these agents also highlights the potential challenges awaiting other new drugs in this area. Herein, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the most recent phase II and phase III neuroendocrine tumor studies and discuss how limitations inherent in current trial design can lead to potential pitfalls. We also discuss how trial design can be improved, with the hope of increasing the number of drugs successfully developed to treat patients with neuroendocrine tumors.
The European Medicines Agency Review of Pixantrone for the Treatment of Adult Patients With Multiply Relapsed or Refractory Aggressive Non-Hodgkin's B-Cell Lymphomas: Summary of the Scientific Assessment of the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use
Authors: Péan Elias , Flores Beatriz , Hudson Ian , Sjöberg Jan , Dunder Kristina , Salmonson Tomas , Gisselbrecht Christian , Laane Edward , Pignatti Francesco
Published: April 2013

Learning Objectives

Describe the efficacy profile of pixantrone in patients with relapsed or refractory NHL. Identify the most frequent toxicities associated with pixantrone treatment.
Role and size of informal sector in waste management – a review
Authors: Linzner Roland , Lange Ulrike
Published: April 2013

The contribution of informal activities is per definition difficult to estimate as informal waste reclaimers have no inherent reason, obligations or simply not the capabilities to keep records. As ‘formal’ (official) performance data do not usually cover informal systems, official statistics (if even available) do not reflect the bigger picture of waste management in low-income countries. Data on informal sector waste management performance is important in policy-making and enforcement but also with respect to advocacy and visibility of informal systems. In many cases the informal workers are not recognised in having a key role in waste management systems and are running the risk of losing their livelihoods in modernisation processes. This paper aspires to bring together a large amount of research in this area and to compile research outcomes, mainly from the last decade, aimed at providing key parameters for initial appraisals in waste management planning or monitoring purposes. Key parameters include data on the size of the informal sector in different regions, amounts of materials collected daily, estimates of the contribution of informal work to recycling rates and data on livelihood aspects such as income and job creation potential.
Pore-Scale Evaluation of Polymers Displacing Viscous Oil—Computational-Fluid-Dynamics Simulation of Micromodel Experiments
Authors: Clemens Torsten , Tsikouris Kostas , Buchgraber Markus , Castanier Louis , Kovscek Anthony
Published: April 2013

The recovery of viscous oil can be significantly improved by injecting polymer solutions. The processes leading to increased oil production occur on a large scale—improving vertical and areal sweep efficiency—but they begin on a microscale.

Micromodels with realistic pore geometries have been created. These micromodels were saturated with viscous oil, and the displacement of the oil by water and polymer solutions was investigated experimentally. Polymer injection reduced fingering compared with water injection and increased sweep efficiency accordingly.

The micromodel pore-network geometry was digitized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The digitized model was used to perform computational-fluid-dynamics (CFD) simulation of the displacement processes.

The displacement efficiencies and displacement patterns of the CFD simulations with water, polymer solutions, and polymer solutions after water breakthrough at the outlet end to displace oil were very similar to the results of the micromodel experiments.

Then, the CFD simulations were used to investigate the displacement at the pore scale. Water injection leads to the creation of fingers along slightly more-permeable flow paths. The number and length of the fingers decrease if polymer solution is injected. Even for polymer injection after water breakthrough, the fingering is reduced, polymer solutions are diverted into less-favorable flow paths, and sweep efficiency is increased.

CFD simulations can also be used to look into non-Newtonian fluid behavior at the pore scale. The polymers injected in the micromodel experiments exhibited shear-thinning behavior. On a pore scale, CFD simulations showed that the shear stress and viscosity of the polymer solutions accordingly are significantly lower in the pore throats than in the pores. Thus, the displacement efficiency of the polymer solutions is affected by the shear-thinning behavior.

The CFD simulations are in remarkable agreement with the micromodel experiments and can be used to quantify the displacement processes at pore scale.
Long-Term Lunar Atmospheric Tides in the Southern Hemisphere
Authors: Wilson Ian R. G. , Sidorenkov Nikolay S.
Published: April 2013

The longitudinal shift-and-add method is used to show that there are N=4 standing wave-like patterns in the
summer (DJF) mean sea level pressure (MSLP) and sea-surface temperature (SST) anomaly maps of the Southern
Hemisphere between 1947 and 1994. The patterns in the MSLP anomaly maps circumnavigate the Earth in 36, 18, and 9
years. This indicates that they are associated with the long-term lunar atmospheric tides that are either being driven by the
18.0 year Saros cycle or the 18.6 year lunar Draconic cycle. In contrast, the N=4 standing wave-like patterns in the SST
anomaly maps circumnavigate the Earth once every 36, 18 and 9 years between 1947 and 1970 but then start
circumnavigating the Earth once every 20.6 or 10.3 years between 1971 and 1994. The latter circumnavigation times
indicate that they are being driven by the lunar Perigee-Syzygy tidal cycle. It is proposed that the different drift rates for
the patterns seen in the MSLP and SST anomaly maps between 1971 and 1994 are the result of a reinforcement of the
lunar Draconic cycle by the lunar Perigee-Syzygy cycle at the time of Perihelion. It is claimed that this reinforcement is
part of a 31/62/93/186 year lunar tidal cycle that produces variations on time scales of 9.3 and 93 years. Finally, an N=4
standing wave-like pattern in the MSLP that circumnavigates the Southern Hemisphere every 18.6 years will naturally
produce large extended regions of abnormal atmospheric pressure passing over the semi-permanent South Pacific subtropical
high roughly once every ~ 4.5 years. These moving regions of higher/lower than normal atmospheric pressure
will increase/decrease the MSLP of this semi-permanent high pressure system, temporarily increasing/reducing the
strength of the East-Pacific trade winds. This may led to conditions that preferentially favor the onset of La Nina/El Nino
events.
Metabolic status in simmental dairy cows during transition period
Authors: Djokovic R. , Kurcubic V. , Ilic Z. , Petrovic M.D. , Stojkovic J. , Milosevic B. , Cincovic M.
Published: April 2013

The objective of the present study was to determine metabolic status in late
pregnant (n = 15) and puerperal (n = 15) Simmental dairy cows. The various
blood metabolites and serum enzyme activities were determined by photometric
methods. The early lactation cows had the indicative values of the
beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) (> 1.20 mmol/l) but did not display any clinical
signs, which means that they had a typical subclinical condition. The
lipomobilization markers, serum BHB and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA)
concentrations, were markedly enhanced (P<0.05) in early lactation cows.
Liver steatosis compromised hepatocyte metabolism, leading to significantly
weaker (P<0.05) circulating concentrations of glucose, triglyceride (TG) and
urea, and induced some cellular lesions as evidenced by significant increases
(P<0.05) in the serum bilirubin concentrations and theaspartate transaminase
(AST) enzyme activities in early lactation cows. On the basis biochemistry
estimation, early lactation cows had metabolic disturbances which were
associated with ketosis, and some degree of hepatic lesions, probably due to
fat infiltration.
Colony strength in the spring inspection and its impact on the amount of foraged pollen at the time of red clover pollination
Authors: Jevtic G. , Andjelkovic B. , Lugic Z. , Nedic N. , Matovic K.
Published: April 2013

In this study, the impact of honey bee colony strength in the spring
inspection on the colony strength at the time of pollination, the amount of
foraged pollen and on the colony strength in autumn was observed. The honey
bee colonies were, after the spring inspection, divided into two groups,
based on the amount of bees. The weak colonies, in spring inspection, had an
average up to 4 frames occupied by bees and the strong colonies, in the
spring inspection, had more than 6 frames occupied by bees. In addition to
the amount of bees, the amount of brood and food supplies were assessed in
the inspections. It was determined that the stronger colonies had more pollen
foragers in all three year of observation. The quantity of foraged pollen, in
addition to strength in the spring inspection, was influenced by year. In two
years (first and third) more pollen and larger quantity of red clover pollen
was collected by the strong colonies, while in the second year, more pollen
and a large quantity of red clover pollen was collected by weak colonies. In
the fall inspections was found that the strong colonies still had more bees
and brood, more pollen and, also, more honey in relation to the weak
colonies.
Correlation between protein to fat ratio of milk and chemical parameters and the yield of semi-hard cheese
Authors: Bojanic-Rasovic M. , Nikolic N. , Martinovic A. , Katic V. , Rasovic R. , Walzer M. , Domig K.
Published: April 2013

In order to obtain good cheese quality, the milk has to possess good
physical-chemical properties and should originate from healthy cows. Since
milk fat and milk protein are the main constituents of cheese, their
proportion in milk is of particular importance for the product yield and
quality. This paper describes studies on the protein to fat ratio of milk and
the consequent influence on the chemical composition and yield of semi-hard
cheese, commercially called "Montenegrin naturally dried cheese". The tests
were conducted on six bulk milk samples and six cheese samples. The milk
parameters were analysed by the Milkoscan 400 unit whereas chemical analysis
of cheese and whey were carried out with the Milkoscan FT 120 device. The
average composition of the cheeses was: 29.27% fat, 21.90% protein, 55.27%
total dry matter and 0.78% sodium chloride. The mean value for the content of
dry matter without fat was 26%, whereas the fat content of the cheese dry
matter was 53.18%, the moisture content in cheese 44.73% and moisture content
in fat-free matter 63.24%. There was a medium positive correlation between
the ratio of fat to protein in milk and fat content in cheese (r = 0.60309),
the ratio of fat to protein in milk and dry matter of cheese (r = 0.57103),
weak positive correlation between the ratio of fat to protein in milk and
cheese protein (r = 0.48067) and medium negative correlation between the
ratio of fat to protein in milk and moisture content in cheese (r =
-0.57103). Medium negative correlation was found between the ratio of protein
to fat in milk and content of cheese fat (r = -0.56416), the ratio of protein
to fat in milk and cheese protein content (r = -0.51899), the ratio of
protein to fat in milk and dry matter of cheese (r = -0.53118) and medium
positive correlation between the ratio of protein to fat in milk and moisture
content in cheese (r = -0.53118). Ratio fat to protein in milk and the actual
yield of cheese was determined as medium positive (r = 0.66459) and the ratio
protein to fat in milk and the actual yield of cheese as medium negative
correlation (r = -0.67807). The protein to fat ratio in milk influences the
decline of fat, protein, dry matter and yield of cheese and increase moisture
content in cheese.
Urobilinogenic chlorophyll catabolite behaviuor in oxygen-containing moiety
Authors: Djapic Nina
Published: April 2013

The urobilinogenic chlorophyll catabolite upon standing in oxygen-containing
moiety, after three months, forms the C-82-hydroxy urobilinogenic chlorophyll
catabolite. The chromatographic and spectroscopic methods have been used to
study the hydroxylated urobilinogenic chlorophyll catabolite product formed.
Using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance
spectroscopy identified was the C-82 hydroxylated urobilinogenic chlorophyll
catabolite. Analysis of the results obtained enables the propositions of the
reaction mechanism.
Temporal changes of beryllium-7 and lead-210 in ground level air in Serbia
Authors: Jankovic Marija , Todorovic Dragana , Nikolic Jelena , Rajacic Milica , Pantelic Gordana , Sarap Natasa
Published: April 2013

7Be, 210Pb and 137Cs activity concentrations in ground level air at five
monitoring stations (MS Vinca, Zeleno Brdo, Zajecar, Vranje and Zlatibor) in
Serbia were determined during the period from May 2011. to September 2012.,
as part of the project monitoring of Serbia. Activity of the radionuclides in
air was determined on an HPGe detector (Canberra, relative efficiency 20 %)
by standard gamma spectrometry. Concentrations of cosmogenic 7Be, ranged from
1.5 to 8.8 mBq m-3 and exhibit maxima in the spring/summer period. The
maximum concentrations for 210Pb were generally obtained in the fall for all
investigated locations, and concentrations were in range 3.6 - 30 ? 10-4 Bq
m-3. The activity concentrations of anthropogenic 137Cs in ground level air,
during the observed period, were at level 0.3 - 8 ?Bq m-3. The variations in
7Be/210Pb activity ratio for the investigated stations are also presented.
Comparison of actinides and fission products recycling scheme with the normal plutonium recycling scheme in fast reactors
Authors: Salahuddin Asif , Iqbal Masood
Published: April 2013

Multiple recycling of actinides and non-volatile fission products in fast
reactors through the dry re-fabrication/reprocessing atomics international
reduction oxidation process has been studied as a possible way to reduce the
long-term potential hazard of nuclear waste compared to that resulting from
reprocessing in a wet PUREX process. Calculations have been made to compare
the actinides and fission products recycling scheme with the normal plutonium
recycling scheme in a fast reactor. For this purpose, the Karlsruhe version
of isotope generation and depletion code, KORIGEN, has been modified
accordingly. An entirely novel fission product yields library for fast
reactors has been created which has replaced the old KORIGEN fission products
library. For the purposes of this study, the standard 26 groups data set,
KFKINR, developed at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Germany, has been extended
by the addition of the cross-sections of 13 important actinides and 68 most
important fission products. It has been confirmed that these 68 fission
products constitute about 95% of the total fission products yield and about
99.5% of the total absorption due to fission products in fast reactors. The
amount of fissile material required to guarantee the criticality of the
reactor during recycling schemes has also been investigated. Cumulative high
active waste per ton of initial heavy metal is also calculated. Results show
that the recycling of actinides and fission products in fast reactors through
the atomics international reduction oxidation process results in a reduction
of the potential hazard of radioactive waste.
Photon albedo for water, concrete, and iron at normal incidence, and dependence on the thickness of reflecting material
Authors: Markovic Vladimir , Krstic Dragana , Stevanovic Nenad , Nikezic Dragoslav
Published: April 2013

Total number and angular albedo were calculated for commonly used shielding
materials, water, concrete, and iron, for photons with initial energies from
10 keV up to 10 MeV and normal incident angle. Influence of material
thickness on total number albedo was also investigated. Double differential
albedo was determined from simulation of photon transport through materials
by using PENELOPE and MCNP software. Backscattered photons were scored and
grouped in equal intervals of energy and angle. Analytical expressions for
angular and total number albedo as a function of initial energy were
obtained. It was shown that angular albedo can be determined with the same
formula for three examined materials. Corresponding analytical expressions
for number albedo as a function of material thickness were presented in this
paper.