bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ortung - die multimediale Vermessung eines Militärstandortes
Authors: Edinger Kathrina
Published: May 2015

Dieses Buch ist Teil eines Projekts zur multimedial-dokumentarischen Vermessung eines Ortes und seiner Vergangenheit. Es wirft einen Blick auf die über 100-jährige gemeinsame Geschichte der Garnisonsgemeinde Stetten am kalten Markt und des Truppenübungsplatzes Heuberg. Es versammelt einerseits Menschen, (historische) Texte, Archivdokumente und Perspektiven. Andererseits bietet es eine wissenschaftliche Abhandlung über Geschichtsschreibung im Film. Auf Grundlage unterschiedlicher Konzepte aus der Dokumentarfilm- und Geschichtstheorie entwickelt Kathrina Edinger eine eigene »Historiophotologie« und reflektiert diese an dem Dokumentarfilm »Ortung«, der den Lesern online zur Verfügung steht. Mit einem Vorwort von Prof. Dr. Martin Zimmermann.
Casellis Pantelegraph
Authors: Zons Julia
Published: May 2015

Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts erfindet der Physiker und Priester Giovanni Caselli den ersten Bildtelegraphen, der öffentlich eingesetzt wird und vor allem Unterschriften (Schrift als Bild), aber auch Portraits und Grußkärtchen verschickt. Obwohl es sich bei dem »Pantelegraphen« um einen Vorgänger der Fax- und Fernsehtechnologie handelt, ist seine Geschichte bisher nicht erzählt worden. Julia Zons folgt den Spuren des »Alles-Schreibers« und rekonstruiert seine bruchstückhafte Geschichte anhand von Patenten, aber auch von Briefen, Geschichten, einem Comic, verblichenen Telegrammen sowie konkreten Apparaten.
Jenseits von Religion?
Authors: Führding Steffen
Published: May 2015

Seit mehr als 40 Jahren drehen sich viele Diskussionen in der Religionswissenschaft um eine genaue Ortsbestimmung der Disziplin in Abgrenzung zu anderen religionsbezogenen Fächern. Mit einem in Anlehnung an den nordamerikanischen Religionswissenschaftler Russell T. McCutcheon »sozio-rhetorisch« genannten Ansatz stellt Steffen Führding eine aktuell kontrovers diskutierte Position in dieser internationalen Debatte vor. Er verortet den Ansatz kontrastierend in der nordamerikanischen und europäischen Disziplingeschichte, wendet ihn exemplarisch an und zeigt Perspektiven auf, wie damit theorie- und methodikbezogene Herausforderungen in der Religionswissenschaft produktiv angegangen werden können.
Subchronic toxicity of aqueous extract of Alstonia boonei de wild. (apocynaceae) stem bark in normal rats
Authors: Nkono Ya Nkono BarnabÃ© Lucien , Dongmo Sokeng Selestin , Dzeufiet Djomeni Paul DÃ©sirÃ© , Longo Frida , Kamtchouing Pierre
Published: May 2015

Methodology: Wistar rats were randomly assigned into eight groups of five animals each: four male groups and four female groups. Each sex group had a control group receiving distilled water and three test groups receiving 200, 500 and 1000mg/kg respectively. Animalâ€™s body weights were recorded on the first day and once a week for the four experiment weeks. The hematological analysis included total WBC count, total RBC count, Hb, %HCT, MCV, MCH and MCHC. Biochemical/serum profile studies include TG, TC, ALT, AST, urea and TP. Tissue specimens of the liver, kidney and lung were subjected to histological examination using standard hematoxylin-eosin staining.Results: In male rats, aqueous extract showed significant decreases in relative weight of liver with extreme significance P<0.001 at a dose of 200mg/kg (vs. control group), P<0.001 of lung at all the doses, P<0.05 (200 and 500mg/kg) and P<0.01 (1000mg/kg) in heart weight. In relative kidney weight, only the dose of 1000mg/kg showed a significant increase vs. normal control male rats. Unlike male rats, only relative kidney weight in female rats was significantly different from the control group in a dose-dependent manner. The aqueous extract treated male groups showed significant increases P<0.001 (1000mg/kg) of total WBC count and MCHC, significant decreases of %HTC (dose response manner), P<0.05 total RBC count (at doses of 500 and 1000mg/kg) and Hb P<0.01 (500mg/kg) vs. normal male rats. In female rats, the haematological study showed significant increase P<0.01 of total WBC count (at the doses of 500 and 1000mg/kg), significant decreases P<0.05 and P<0.01 of total RBC respectively at the doses of 200 and 1000mg/kg, significant decrease of Hb with extreme significance P<0.001 at the dose 1000mg/kg, %HTC also decrease dose response manner vs. control female rats. Biochemical study showed in male rats significant decreases in level of TG P<0.001 (at the doses of 200 and 500mg/kg) and urea, although it showed any dose-dependent effect vs. control male rats. AST also decreases (P<0.05) in male rats at the dose of 200mg/kg but significantly increase P<0.001 at the dose of 500mg/kg. In the female rats, biochemical study revealed significant increases in level of TG P<0.001 and urea P<0.01 at the dose of 200mg/kg and significant decreases in level of TG P<0.01, AST P<0.05 and urea P<0.05 at the dose of 500mg/kg (vs. control female rats). Microscopically, there were mild hepatic and renal tissue injuries supporting the hematological analysis.Conclusion: The results indicated that aqueous extract of Alstonia boonei De Wild is toxic in high doses.
An examination of 3D virtual worlds, design issues, and motivational theory
Authors: Reisoğlu İlknur , Yılmaz Rabia , Çoban Murat , Topu Fatma Burcu , Karakuş Türkan , Göktaş Yüksel
Published: May 2015

The purpose of this study is to assess the motivational qualities of specific design elements in a three-dimensional (3D) virtual winter sports learning environment comprised of an Information House, Practice Area, and Exercise Area by considering two motivational models. The study employed causal comparative research methods. Participants included 150 fifth, sixth, and seventh grade middle school students. A motivation survey developed by the researchers served as the data collection tool; data were analyzed with descriptive and predictive methods. Data analysis revealed that the animations in the Practice Area of the 3D virtual environment drew the most attention when compared to the other design elements. Elements in the Exercise Area encouraged students to conduct more research, and elements in the Information House were efficient at increasing students' satisfaction. In addition, design elements such as animations, images, display boards, and videos helped students to learn individually and provided opportunities to practice within a 3D virtual environment.
From Philadelphia-Negative to JAK2-Positive: Effect of Genetic Discovery on Risk Stratification and Management
Authors: Pemmaraju Naveen , Moliterno Alison R.
Published: May 2015

The 2005 discovery of the JAK2 mutation redefined the diagnosis and natural history of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Most importantly, this improvement in the pathobiologic conceptualization has focused our evolution of this field from being defined as what it is not (e.g., Philadelphia [Ph]-negative) to what it is (e.g., JAK2-positive, CALR-positive) in the majority of MPN cases. In the ensuing 10 years, the field has experienced a paradigm shift in terms of understanding of the biologic basis of the development of MPNs, an explosion of knowledge of the genetics of MPNs, and has translated disease knowledge into effective targeted therapies. With greater uniformity and agreement on the diagnosis and differences among the individual MPNs, augmented by improved cytogenetic and molecular classification, attention has turned now to addressing the need for uniformity in risk stratification of patients in the clinic for both disease complications and disease transformation. This article will highlight the developments in the field with regard to risk stratification and prognostication in MPNs with focus on the clinical aspects of the patient who presents with either essential thrombocytosis (ET), polycythemia vera (PV), or myelofibrosis (MF).
Management of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Authors: Stilgenbauer Stephan , Furman Richard R. , Zent Clive S.
Published: May 2015

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL) is usually diagnosed in asymptomatic patients with early-stage disease. The standard management approach is careful observation, irrespective of risk factors unless patients meet the International Workshop on CLL (IWCLL) criteria for “active disease,” which requires treatment. The initial standard therapy for most patients combines an anti-CD20 antibody (such as rituximab, ofatumumab, or obinutuzumab) with chemotherapy (fludarabine/cyclophosphamide [FC], bendamustine, or chlorambucil) depending on multiple factors including the physical fitness of the patient. However, patients with very high-risk CLL because of a 17p13 deletion (17p-) with or without mutation of TP53 (17p-/ TP53mut) have poor responses to chemoimmunotherapy and require alternative treatment regimens containing B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling pathway inhibitors. The BCR signaling pathway inhibitors (ibrutinib targeting Bruton's tyrosine kinase [BTK] and idelalisib targeting phosphatidyl-inositol 3-kinase delta [PI3K-delta], respectively) are currently approved for the treatment of relapsed/refractory CLL and all patients with 17p- (ibrutinib), and in combination with rituximab for relapsed/refractory patients (idelalisib). These agents offer great efficacy, even in chemotherapy refractory CLL, with increased tolerability, safety, and survival. Ongoing studies aim to determine the best therapy combinations with the goal of achieving long-term disease control and the possibility of developing a curative regimen for some patients. CLL is associated with a wide range of infectious, autoimmune, and malignant complications. These complications result in considerable morbidity and mortality that can be minimized by early detection and aggressive management. This active monitoring requires ongoing patient education, provider vigilance, and a team approach to patient care.
Management of Older Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer
Authors: Punglia Rinaa S. , Hughes Kevin S. , Muss Hyman B.
Published: May 2015

Breast cancer is a disease of aging. The average age at diagnosis is 61, and the majority of deaths occur after age 65. Caring for older women with breast cancer is a major challenge, as many have coexisting illness that can preclude optimal breast cancer treatment and which frequently have greater effect than the breast cancer itself. Older patients with cancer should be screened or have a brief geriatric assessment to detect potentially remediable problems not usually assessed by oncologists (e.g., self-care, falls, social support, nutrition). Older women with early-stage breast cancer should be treated initially with surgery unless they have an exceedingly short life expectancy. Primary endocrine therapy should be considered for patients who have hormone receptor–positive tumors and a very short life expectancy, an acute illness that delays surgery, or tumors that need to be downstaged to be resectable. Sentinel node biopsy should be considered for patients in whom it might affect treatment decisions. Breast irradiation after breast-conserving surgery may be omitted for selected older women, especially for those with hormone receptor–positive early-stage breast cancer that are compliant with adjuvant endocrine therapy. The majority of older women with stage I and II breast cancer have hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative tumors, and endocrine therapy provides them with optimal systemic treatment. If these patients have life expectancies exceeding at least 5 years, they should be considered for genetic assays to determine the potential value of chemotherapy. Partnering care with geriatricians or primary care physicians trained in geriatrics should be considered for all vulnerable and frail older patients.
Geriatric Oncology and Clinical Trials
Authors: Lichtman Stuart M.
Published: May 2015

The overall aging of the population has resulted in a marked increase in the number of older patients with cancer. These patients have specific needs that are different from those of the younger population. Cancer clinical trials have included an inadequate number of older patients, resulting in lack of meaningful data to make evidence-based decisions for this population. As a result, clinicians have to extrapolate data from younger and healthier patients. There are a number of reasons for this under-representation, including a design and implementation structure for clinical trials that does not meet the needs of this vulnerable population. Issues that need to be addressed include alterations in eligibility criteria to make them less restrictive by accounting for multiple comorbidities and prior malignancy and endpoints specific for older patients, such as quality of life, changes in function, and maintenance of independence. Other issues specific to the older population include alterations in dose-limiting toxicity, measures of treatment-related toxicity, and polypharmacy. Phase I trials can be appropriate for older patients but need to be tailored to their needs. Some form of geriatric assessment needs to be included to help with eligibility, assessment, and stratification. For future clinical trials to be truly meaningful they need to appropriately assess and incorporate the needs of the majority of the cancer population.
Improving Clinical Trial Efficiency: Thinking outside the Box
Authors: Mandrekar Sumithra J. , Dahlberg Suzanne E. , Simon Richard
Published: May 2015

Clinical trial design strategies have evolved over the past few years as a means to accelerate the drug development process so that the right therapies can be delivered to the right patients. Basket, umbrella, and adaptive enrichment strategies represent a class of novel designs for testing targeted therapeutics in oncology. Umbrella trials include a central infrastructure for screening and identification of patients, and focus on a single tumor type or histology with multiple subtrials, each testing a targeted therapy within a molecularly defined subset. Basket trial designs offer the possibility to include multiple molecularly defined subpopulations, often across histology or tumor types, but included in one cohesive design to evaluate the targeted therapy in question. Adaptive enrichment designs offer the potential to enrich for patients with a particular molecular feature that is predictive of benefit for the test treatment based on accumulating evidence from the trial. This review will aim to discuss the fundamentals of these design strategies, the underlying statistical framework, the logistical barriers of implementation, and, ultimately, the interpretation of the trial results. New statistical approaches, extensive multidisciplinary collaboration, and state of the art data capture technologies are needed to implement these strategies in practice. Logistical challenges to implementation arising from centralized assay testing, requirement of multiple specimens, multidisciplinary collaboration, and infrastructure requirements will also be discussed. This review will present these concepts in the context of the National Cancer Institute's precision medicine initiative trials: MATCH, ALCHEMIST, Lung MAP, as well as other trials such as FOCUS4.
Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer: Time for Precision Therapeutics
Authors: Weiser Martin R. , Zhang Zhen , Schrag Deborah
Published: May 2015

The year 2015 marks the 30th anniversary of the publication of NSABP-R01, a landmark trial demonstrating the benefit of adding pelvic radiation to the treatment regimen for locally advanced rectal cancer with a resultant decrease in local recurrence from 25% to 16%. These results ushered in the era of multimodal therapy for rectal cancer, heralding modern treatment and changing the standard of care in the United States. We have seen many advances over the past 3 decades, including optimization of the administration and timing of radiation, widespread adoption of total mesorectal excision (TME), and the implementation of more effective systemic chemotherapy. The current standard is neoadjuvant chemoradiation with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and a radiosensitizer, TME, and adjuvant chemotherapy including 5-FU and oxaliplatin. The results of this regimen have been impressive, with a reported local recurrence rate of less than 10%. However, the rates of distant relapse remain 30% to 40%, indicating room for improvement. In addition, trimodality therapy is arduous and many patients are unable to complete the full course of treatment. In this article we discuss the current standard of care and alternative strategies that have evolved in an attempt to individualize therapy according to risk of recurrence.
Precision Medicine for Metastatic Breast Cancer
Authors: Deluche Elise , Onesti Elisa , Andre Fabrice
Published: May 2015

Genomic studies have shown that large numbers of candidate targets are observed in breast cancer. Nevertheless, only a few of them are validated as relevant targets in clinical studies. Estrogen receptor (ER) and HER2 expressions could be associated with a level I evidence. Beyond ER and HER2, BRCA and PIK3CA mutations (when targeted with alpha-specific PI3K inhibitors) could be considered as promising targets in breast cancer since they have been associated with objective responses in phase I/II trials. In addition to these four molecular alterations, several others have shown promising results in preclinical studies and are being investigated in clinical trials. These genomic alterations include AKT1, ERBB2, and ESR1 mutations. These considerations highlight the lack of evidence for using multiplex technologies to individualize therapy in metastatic breast cancer. Sequencing multiple genes to treat metastatic breast cancer is very promising but should be done in the context of clinical trials, either to enrich phase I/II trials in patients with genomic alterations or to show medical usefulness of new biotechnologies like next-generation sequencing (NGS). Although most current approaches of precision medicine are aiming at targeting drivers, additional applications could be developed in the future. This includes the identification of DNA repair deficiencies, mechanisms of immune suppression, and identification of minority lethal subclones. Finally, one of the very promising applications of genomics for metastatic breast cancer is the identification of pathway activation or defects at the individual level. For example, gene expression and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) signatures are being developed to detect kinase (such as mammalian target of rapamycin [mTOR]/CDK4) activations or DNA repair deficiencies.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma Tumor Board: Making Sense of the Technologies
Authors: Abou-Alfa Ghassan K. , Marrero Jorge , Renz John , Lencioni Riccardo
Published: May 2015

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death, with a rising global incidence. The vast majority of HCC cases occur in the setting of liver cirrhosis, mainly due to chronic hepatitis C (HCV) or hepatitis B (HBV) viral infections, alcohol consumption, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The new approval of curative therapy with two NS5A inhibitors, ledipasvir and sofosbuvir, for the treatment of HCV will no doubt affect HCC incidence and outcome. No studies have evaluated the use of the new antivirals in patients with HCC. Staging and scoring remain an integral part of the management of patients with advanced HCC. Curative therapies for the treatment of HCC are evolving. Improvements in surgical techniques and risk stratification for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) have expanded access and improved the outlook for patients suffering from HCC. Interventional locoregional treatments continue to play a key role in the management of HCC. Transarterial chemoembolization is considered the standard of care for patients with noninvasive multinodular tumors at the intermediate stage. Bland embolization appears to have similar virtues in some studies. Y90 radioembolization represents a promising treatment option for patients unfit or refractory to transarterial chemoembolization. The advent of sorafenib as a standard of care with an improvement in survival sadly remain the only major breakthrough in the treatment of advanced HCC, with mounting negative data from multiple clinical trials. Advances in immunotherapy and customized therapy may hopefully help reverse this tide.
Current and Future Care of Patients with the Cancer Anorexia-Cachexia Syndrome
Authors: Del Fabbro Egidio
Published: May 2015

Many important advances have occurred in the field of cancer cachexia over the past decade, including progress in understanding the mechanisms of the cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome (CACS) and the development of promising pharmacologic and supportive care interventions. However, no approved agents for cancer cachexia currently exist, emphasizing the unmet need for an effective pharmacologic therapy. This article reviews the key elements of CACS assessment in daily practice, the contribution of nutritional impact symptoms (NIS), the evidence for current pharmacologic options, and promising anticachexia agents in perclinical and clinical trials. It also proposes a model for multimodality therapy and highlights issues pertinent to CACS in patients with pancreatic, gastric, and esophageal cancer.
Nonsurgical Management of Cervical Cancer: Locally Advanced, Recurrent, and Metastatic Disease, Survivorship, and Beyond
Authors: Mackay Helen J. , Wenzel Lari , Mileshkin Linda
Published: May 2015

Despite the declining incidence of cervical cancer as a result of the introduction of screening programs, globally it remains a leading cause of cancer-related death in women. Outcomes for patients who are diagnosed with anything but early-stage disease remain poor. Here we examine emerging strategies to improve the treatment of locally advanced disease. We discuss emerging biologic data, which are informing our investigation of new therapeutic interventions in persistent, recurrent, and metastatic cervical cancer. We recognize the importance of interventions to improve quality of life and to prevent long-term sequelae in women undergoing treatment. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we recognize the need for global collaboration and advocacy to improve the outcome for all women at risk of and diagnosed with this disease.
Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Myelodysplastic Syndrome
Authors: Deeg H. Joachim
Published: May 2015

Although high-dose chemotherapy may cure a small subset of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is the only currently available modality that is curative in a large proportion of patients. Approximately 30% to 40% of patients with high-risk MDS and 60% to 80% of patients with low-risk MDS survive long-term in remission. Disease classification and risk assessment schemes, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) Prognostic Scoring System (WPSS), the Revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R), and patient characteristics as assessed by the HCT Comorbidity Index (HCT-CI) or other scores, provide guidance for patient management. First, by defining the prognosis of patients without HCT, these tools help physicians decide who should and who should not be transplanted. Second, they predict at least in part how successful a transplant is likely to be. Pretransplant cytogenetics and marrow myeloblast count are the strongest risk factors for post-transplant relapse. The HCT-CI allows physicians to estimate the probability of nonrelapse mortality after HCT; recent data suggest that there is also a relationship to the development of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). In general, the emphasis has shifted from high-dose therapy, aimed at maximum tumor-cell kill, to reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC), relying on the donor cell-mediated graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effects to eradicate the disease. GVT effects are most prominent in patients who also develop GVHD, especially chronic GVHD. Thus, ongoing work is directed at reducing GVHD while maintaining potent GVT effects and at exploiting the growing knowledge of somatic mutations for the development of targeted therapies.
Myelodysplastic Syndromes and Myelodysplastic/Myeloproliferative Neoplasms: An Update on Risk Stratification, Molecular Genetics, and Therapeutic Approaches Including Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Authors: Odenike Olatoyosi , Onida Francesco , Padron Eric
Published: May 2015

Myelodysplastic syndromes are a heterogeneous group of clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis, peripheral cytopenias, and a variable propensity for leukemic transformation. In recent years there has been an explosion of information on the molecular genetic changes underlying these disorders. This information has substantial prognostic implications, and the influence on therapeutic approaches and the treatment of patients is evolving. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) is the only known cure for these diseases, but appropriate patient selection is of utmost importance from a risk-benefit perspective. This review focuses on the factors influencing risk stratification in MDS and optimal choice of front-line therapy in the current era, including the interplay of clinical factors and molecular genetic factors, and factors that determine eligibility for alloSCT. The myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative diseases also will be discussed, including the increasing effort to understand the molecular genetics and natural history of these disorders and treatment approaches.
Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Therapy for HER2 Positive Disease
Authors: Chia Stephen K.
Published: May 2015

Since the initial description of the HER2 proto-oncogene as a poor prognostic factor in breast cancer in 1987, to the first randomized trial of a monoclonal antibody directed against HER2 in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer published in 2001, to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2005 Annual Meeting in which we saw the unprecedented collective presentations demonstrating the dramatic benefit of trastuzumab in the adjuvant setting—the clinical landscape of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer has forever changed. More recently, there has been increasing use of preoperative chemotherapy and anti-HER2 targeted therapies in primary operable HER2 disease in the research domain and in clinical practice. In the next few years, we will see if dual adjuvant anti-HER2 antibody inhibition produces clinically significant improvements in outcome; understand if there is a role of small molecule inhibitors of the HER family of receptors either in combination or sequential to trastuzumab; further refine the relationship between pathologic complete response (pCR) and long-term clinical outcomes; and find predictive biomarkers to identify cohorts of patients that may need differential combinations and/or durations of anti-HER2 therapies.
Current Standards and Clinical Trials in Systemic Therapy for Stage III Lung Cancer: What Is New?
Authors: Hanna Nasser
Published: May 2015

Patients with stage III non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) comprise a heterogeneous group, some of whom have curable disease. Although surgery plays a role for some patients, the majority of fit patients will be treated with chemotherapy and radiation alone. The optimal therapy for all patients remains undefined, but certain principles of care are widely accepted. Specifically, concurrent chemoradiation is the standard of care for patients who are able to tolerate such therapy, namely those with a good performance status, minimal or no weight loss, and adequate end-organ function, including pulmonary reserve. The most commonly used chemotherapy regimens given in combination with radiation therapy are cisplatin/etoposide or carboplatin/paclitaxel. Studies incorporating newer agents have not improved outcomes when compared to these older regimens. The merits of chemotherapy administered beyond the conclusion of radiation therapy continue to be debated, but thus far randomized phase III trials have not provided supporting evidence for this strategy. Incorporating antiangiogenics with chemoradiation has proven to be ineffective in some cases and unsafe in others. Studies with targeted agents in unselected patient populations with stage III disease have also been disappointing. Despite these recent setbacks, however, there remains a sound rationale for incorporating molecularly targeted agents into chemoradiation regimens in select patient groups or consolidating chemoradiation with immunotherapy. Studies that incorporate drugs targeting EGFR, ALK, RAS, programmed cell death 1 (PD-1), and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) into the management of patients with stage III NSCLC will be reviewed.
Clinical Oncology Practice 2015: Preparing for the Future
Authors: Kosty Michael P. , Acheson Anupama Kurup , Tetzlaff Eric D.
Published: May 2015

The clinical practice of oncology has become increasingly complex. An explosion of medical knowledge, increased demands on provider time, and involved patients have changed the way many oncologists practice. What was an acceptable practice model in the past may now be relatively inefficient. This review covers three areas that address these changes. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) National Oncology Census defines who the U.S. oncology community is, and their perceptions of how practice patterns may be changing. The National Cancer Institute (NCI)-ASCO Teams in Cancer Care Project explores how best to employ team science to improve the efficiency and quality of cancer care in the United States. Finally, how physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) might be best integrated into team-based care in oncology and the barriers to integration are reviewed.
Thermal analysis of N-carbamoyl benzotriazole derivatives
Authors: Kos Ivan , Weitner Tin , Grgac Sandra Flinčec , Jablan Jasna
Published: May 2015

Thermal properties of N-carbamoyl benzotriazole derivatives and N,N’,N’’-tribenzyloxyisocyanuric acid were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The results revealed a difference between structural analogs of N-carbamoyl benzotriazole derivatives. They seem to be in agreement with the previously proposed formation of N,N’,N’’-tribenzyloxyisocyanuric acid from 1-(N-benzyloxycarbamoyl) benzotriazole, via an intermediary N-benzyloxyisocyanate acid, during heating. Substantially different thermal properties were observed for structural analogues, 1-(N-methoxycarbamoyl) benzotriazole and 1-(N-ethoxycarbamoyl) benzotriazole. In contrast to N-benzyloxyisocyanate, no corresponding reactions were observed for their decomposition products, i.e., methoxyisocyanate and ethoxyisocyanate.
Rational application of fructose-1,6-diphosphate: From the perspective of pharmacokinetics
Authors: Li Ting-Ting , Xie Jian-Zhong , Wang Ling , Gao Yang-Yang , Jiang Xue-Hua
Published: May 2015

Fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP), a glycolytic metabolite, has been reported to protect susceptible organs during hypoxia or ischemia. However, there is paucity of human data on its pharmacokinetics after being exogenously administered. In the current study, the preliminary pharmacokinetics of FDP given orally to humans was investigated, and no typical peak was observed in the serum drug-time curve. Then, the pharmacokinetic studies were performed following multiple doses of FDP in rats, and the Caco-2 monolayer model was used to study the absorption of FDP in vitro. The results suggested that plasma FDP concentration was significantly increased after oral multiple doses of 180 mg kg-1 but not 90 mg kg-1 of FDP, and FDP was partly depleted during the absorption, which was supposed to be consumed by the intestinal epithelium cells. Thus, we conclude that a high dose of FDP should be orally administered in order to get an effective plasma level.
Modeling data acquisition during electrochemical noise measurements for corrosion studies
Authors: Curioni Michele , Monetta Tullio , Bellucci Francesco
Published: May 2015

Electrochemical noise measurement and analysis enable one to obtain information on corroding systems without applying any potential or current perturbation to the corroding surface, and they are thereby nondestructive techniques, suitable for corrosion monitoring. The measurement process requires converting the analog potential or current signal in a digital dataset that can be used to perform mathematical operations with a variety of approaches. The analog-to-digital conversion is a critical step since, after the conversion has been performed, it is impossible to correct for artefacts that occurred during the conversion. Additionally, the electrochemical noise generated during corrosion is generally overlapped to the instrumental noise and to the electrical interference that are present in the environment where the measurement is performed. In this work, the process of analog-to-digital conversion of electrochemical noise signals is analyzed in detail by simulating the conversion of a representative simulated noise signal. With this approach, the possible issues arising from the analog-to-digital conversion process are highlighted and the key features arising from instrumental noise, aliasing, and electrical interference are identified.
The issues of drainage of discussed mines in the Katowice conurbation, Poland
Authors: Lamparska Marzena
Published: May 2015

The Katowice conurbation is situated in the Upper-Silesian Coal Basin, in a region which had high rate of water inflow in the pre-mining period. In order to make deposits of mineral resources accessible, it was, and still is, necessary provide mines with a draining system, which now reaches as deep as 1200 m. The area of the depression sink which was thus created is about 1200 km2. Currently, all metal ore mines within the conurbation, as well as part of coal mines, have been closed down, but water which flows into them is still pumped out due to the legal obligation to protect neighbouring operating mines. After the operation and drainage of mines cease, water coming to abandoned excavations will begin restoring static reserves in the orogen, which, depending on hydrological conditions, will take between several and a few dozen years. As the level of underground water rises, the process of subsidence of old shallow mining excavations will intensify, and many depressions may appear in highly urbanized areas. In areas of mining subsidence, the underground water-table will be close to the surface, causing flooding of basements and building foundations, and the deepest subsidence basins will probably be completely flooded. Current location of operating mines on the northern and southern sides of the conurbation with the central belt of drained excavations is unfavourable for its sustainable development. A solution, which would make it possible for the conurbation to grow, would be to close down and flood the mines on the northern side as soon as their mining concessions expire, which will be in early 2020s. Then, the area would regain its original stability within a decade and all kinds of construction activities could be carried out there. That, however, requires authorities of municipalities to object to the extension of concessions for mines, which may be impossible to obtain due to fears of social discontent resulting from miners - residents of those municipalities - being made redundant.
The influence of water level fluctuations in the Ust-Ilimsk water reservoir in Russia on the action of some geological processes
Authors: Tashlykova Tatiana A.
Published: May 2015

The Ust-Ilimsk water reservoir is located in the taiga zone in the Central-Siberian Upland. It was created between 1975-1977 as a result of storage of flood waters and water from the higher located Bratsk Reservoir. With an area of 1873 km2 and a water capacity amounting to 59.4 km3 it belongs to the group of largest water reservoirs in the world. It is the third level of the Angara cascade, projected as a multifunctional object - for the efficient functioning of the Ust-Ilimsk Hydroelectric Power Station, to streamline navigation on the lower Angara, to fulfil municipal and industrial water needs and also for floating timber. On the basis of the author’s own investigations and source materials obtained from the Irkutskgidromet and the Institute of the Earth’s Crust in Irkutsk, the fluctuations of the water level and the volumes of water outflow in the period 1975-2007 and the volume of processed material at the selected water shores in the period 1977-1990 were analysed. In addition, the data of seismic events in the region of the Ust-Ilimsk water reservoir were compiled. During this period the functioning changes of the reservoir in terms of the capacity of the water mass occurred under the influence of both natural and anthropogenic factors. It was determined that the creation of this natural-technical water object activated two geological processes in its shore zone - abrasion and induced seismicity. It was stated that the especially large transformations of the reservoir shore zone by these dangerous processes occurred in the first years of its intensive exploitation, in the period of small water resources in the drainage basin of Yenisei - Angara, which forced specific conditions of reservoir functioning. At rocky shores the predominating process is abrasion of their waterside parts, whereas at shores built of loose deposits the complete transformation of underwater parts of shallows takes place.
Exogenous and endogenous functions of mining towns of the Silesian voivodeship, Poland
Authors: Heder Arkadiusz
Published: May 2015

Towns are of particular interest to geography which examines them in various objective and theoretical aspects. The concept of function is associated with the role which a particular town plays in the area, and this function is the entirety of socio-economic activity carried out in the town. The concept of the economic base of towns, which is used in this paper, distinguishes two groups of town inhabitants, namely such whose work directly contributes to the development of the town, the so-called primary builders (exogenous), and secondary builders (endogenous) who support the first group. This article presents the results of the study of changes in the function of 30 towns in the Silesian voivodeship in which coal mining is still carried out or has ended (18 mining towns and 12 post-mining towns). These towns have different sizes: small ones (up to 20,000 inhabitants; n=6), medium (20 to 100 thousand inhabitants; n=15), and large (with population of over 100,000 inhabitants; n=9). The study was conducted with the use of the indirect measurement of economic base method based on the location ratio, but in a modified form - i.e. the employee surplus rate. The analysis of functional changes in the mining towns of the Silesian voivodeship was performed in five aspects, in relation to: 1) the opening of the economy indicator, with the use of data concerning employment in the exogenous and endogenous group; 2) the employee surplus rate, determining the functional type of towns according to the dominant PKD [Polish Classification of Business Activities] section on the basis of the exogenous group; 3) the structure of exogenous functions of towns; 4) change of the exogenous function of towns; 5) the employee surplus rate, determining the share of section C (mining) in the exogenous function of towns. The analysis showed that in the period of 1996-2009 there has been a change in the functional type, from industrial to service type, in 8 towns; however, mining is still the primary branch of business activity in 11 towns studied, especially in small ones. Today, many service-based towns specialise in trade (n=7), and a small group of towns specialises in non-market services (n=4), which shows that the process of changes in this respect is still ongoing and the towns studied cannot be regarded as towns having a substantial share of higher-order services.
Delineation of post-industrial landscapes of the Upper Silesian corridor in the Basin of Ostrava
Authors: Kolejka Jaromír , Klimánek Martin , Martinát Stanislav , Ruda Aleš
Published: May 2015

The post-industrial landscapes represent a legacy of the industrial revolution. There have been gradually formed numerous enterprises of various industry branches on the territory between Czech-Polish border in the North and Moravian-Silesian Beskydes Mts. (a part of Carpathians) in the South (the western border follows the foothills of Hercynian Bohemian Highlands). In the given study, there are demonstrated examples of the post-industrial landscape in the concerned area of Ostrava, which is a part of the so called Upper Silesian industrial corridor that is intensively linking industrialized region of Upper Silesia in Poland and the Czech Republic with other developed regions of Europe to southwest through the Moravian Gate to the Danube region. This paper demonstrates the procedure for defining the post-industrial landscapes in general, their classification and standardization using the available data sources and GIS technology. For the processing the data of the deployment of brownfields, contaminated sites, industrial constructions of architectural heritage, mining points and areas, human made landforms, industrial and landfill sites etc. were used. They document the genesis, the territorial shape and the geographic position of the post-industrial landscape in the study region. In the concerned area of Ostrava four “rural” post-industrial landscapes were identified and classified into three different genetic types. This paper also presents a methodology for identifying, mapping and classification of post-industrial landscapes on the basis of publicly available and state-managed databases.
Emission and commercial utilization of coal mine methane in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin illustrated by the example of Katowice Coal Holding Company
Authors: Kędzior Sławomir
Published: May 2015

The article deals with the issue of the release of methane from coal seams and its emission to the atmosphere from the mines of Katowice Coal Holding Company in the years of 1997-2011. This period is characterized by organizational changes in Polish mining industry involving liquidation or a merger of mines, an increase in both the concentration of coal mining activity, and the depth of the exploitation at which the amount of methane in coal seams grows ever larger. The analysis of the variation in the methane emission from the coal mines in that period points out a decline in the intensity of the emission until 2005, probably owing to the liquidation of some mines, later, but in the years of 2006-2010 - a considerable increase in both the absolute methane emission of the mines and the methane emission to the atmosphere despite a dropping coal extraction. This signifies that mining activity takes place in increasingly difficult gas conditions prevailing at great depths. Despite a slight decrease in both the absolute methane emission and methane emission to the atmosphere in 2011, a continuously growing trend of this phenomenon should be expected in the future. A similar tendency is also visible in the whole Upper Silesian Coal Basin, however the methane emission peak falls in 2008. In order to curb the growth of the amount of the emitted methane, it should be commercially utilized. Particularly vital is considering methane as an unconventional resource, following the example of other countries.
Universities for sustainability – new challenges from the perspective of the University of Warsaw
Authors: Kalinowska Anna , Batorczak Anna
Published: May 2015

The documents adopted by the international community during the UN Conference on the Environment and Development convened in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 make clear the leading role institutions in higher education are to play in transforming contemporary civilisation in the direction of sustainable development. It is beyond dispute that higher education has a critical role to play in developing tomorrow’s decision makers, professionals and citizens. Universities can help with the accomplishment of sustainable development goals if they transform education in this direction, extend their support to interdisciplinary scientific research and ensure the appropriate evolution of the means by which they themselves are managed. However, ensuring that a higher education establishment heads in the direction of sustainability in all academic areas of activity is a difficult process requiring much effort. The article thus presents current international initiatives of the UN in this regard, as well as Higher Education initiatives, alliances and treaties in support of the process, and the objectives and activities of the network of cooperative links between universities that is now taking shape. Also the status of education for sustainable development (ESD) in higher education and existing ESD professional development opportunities for university educators is discussed. In this context, examples of good practice characterising the activity of the University Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development will serve as a case study.
Classification of labour markets in the Silesian Province (Poland)
Authors: Sitek Sławomir , Zuzańska-Żyśko Elżbieta
Published: May 2015

The purpose of this article is to try to classify labour markets of the Silesian Province on the municipality level. The proposed solution of grouping labour markets is based on three criteria: the size of the labour market measured by a number of jobs, the weight of the labour market expressed with a proportion of the number of jobs to the size of the population and that scale of the impact that is a proportion of the commuters to the ones leaving for work. As a result of the assumed criteria the municipalities have been grouped according to their meaning on the labour market, at the same time identifying weaker and stronger labour markets. The first stage of the research was to divide the municipal labour markets according to the number of the employed. As a result territorial units were grouped into 4 classes (small, medium, big and huge) including in total 9 subclasses. Then the municipal labour markets were sorted according to their weight and the scale of their impact, verifying their position in this way. The research pointed out that a lot of labour markets in the Katowice conurbation showed lower levels than the assumptions. Consequently, it suggests polarization of the labour market of this urban unit that is mainly focused on Katowice and Gliwice. Higher parameters than the assumed ones were reached by several municipalities that are small or medium labour markets. In many cases these are municipalities where there are huge businesses connected with coal mining. A beneficial situation was noted in the southern part of the province that has a relatively steady situation on the labour market. The presented classification of labour markets can support the management process of local and regional development.
The area preserving curve shortening flow with Neumann free boundary conditions
Authors: Mäder-Baumdicker Elena
Published: May 2015

We study the area preserving curve shortening flow with Neumann free boundary conditions outside of a convex domain in the Euclidean plane. Under certain conditions on the initial curve the flow does not develop any singularity, and it subconverges smoothly to an arc of a circle sitting outside of the given fixed domain and enclosing the same area as the initial curve.