bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cascade vulnerability for risk analysis of water infrastructure
Authors: Sitzenfrei R. , Mair M. , Möderl M. , Rauch W.
Published: October 2011

One of the major tasks in urban water management is failure-free operation for at least most of the time. Accordingly, the reliability of the network systems in urban water management has a crucial role. The failure of a component in these systems impacts potable water distribution and urban drainage. Therefore, water distribution and urban drainage systems are categorized as critical infrastructure. Vulnerability is the degree to which a system is likely to experience harm induced by perturbation or stress. However, for risk assessment, we usually assume that events and failures are singular and independent, i.e. several simultaneous events and cascading events are unconsidered. Although failures can be causally linked, a simultaneous consideration in risk analysis is hardly considered. To close this gap, this work introduces the term cascade vulnerability for water infrastructure. Cascade vulnerability accounts for cascading and simultaneous events. Following this definition, cascade risk maps are a merger of hazard and cascade vulnerability maps. In this work cascade vulnerability maps for water distribution systems and urban drainage systems based on the ‘Achilles-Approach’ are introduced and discussed. It is shown, that neglecting cascading effects results in significant underestimation of risk scenarios.
Low-dosed Botulinum Toxin A in the Prophylactic Management of Unilateral Migraine: A Randomized Double-blind Placebo-Controlled Crossover Study
Authors: H. Jost Wolfgang
Published: October 2011

Botulinum toxin is a therapeutic option in chronic migraine. No dose-finding studies have been conducted so far. Some authors maintain that one injection into the corrugator muscle will do.

Objective: We studied the effect of Botulinum toxin (BTX) injections in patients with strictly unilateral migraine.Methods: We treated 22 patients (ITT) in a crossover design for 4 months with 2 x 5 units Onabotulinum toxin (in the corrugator and occipitalis muscle ipsilaterally). Aside from patient data, we also gathered information on undesired drug effects, besides IQOLA SF36, SF-MPQ SADP, OLBPDQ, VAS (pain intensity and daily living skills), PPI, frequency of attacks
and application of medication. The statistical evaluation was guided by SPSS (V.13).

Results: Assessed were 19 patients (PP) aged 45.2 ± 11.1 years, thereof 17 women. In both injection intervals there were no clinically relevant and/or statistically significant differences as to the target parameters (for example: VAS pain intensity p=0.702), with a notably evident placebo effect (VAS in placebo prior to the injection was 61.4, after 6 weeks 45.1; good or excellent improvement (TOQ) was quoted by 36.8% after 6 weeks in the placebo group). BTX merely proved superior in two aspects: Regarding the pain quality ”throbbing“ (SF-MPQ SADP), 11 patients initially indicated a pronounced intensity; after BTX only 4 of them did. As to the severity of the pain felt, (PPI) 42.2 of the subjects described ”limiting“ or ”horrible“ pain prior to the injection versus 26.3% six weeks after the injection and 21.1% 4 months later. The placebo group started out with 31.6%, that figure remaining the same (31.6%) 6 weeks later, rising to 42.2% after 4
months. 84.2% of the BTX-group and 63.2% in the placebo group requested a reinjection when the study was completed.

Conclusion: The injection of low-dosed Botulinumtoxin A did not show any relevant or significant effects in patients with unilateral migraine without aura. One injection into the corrugator muscle alone must be considered as ineffective. The place-value of the two injection sites remains in the open.
Adaptive Elastic-Net Sparse Principal Component Analysis for Pathway Association Testing
Authors: Chen Xi
Published: October 2011

Pathway or gene set analysis has become an increasingly popular approach for analyzing high-throughput biological experiments such as microarray gene expression studies. The purpose of pathway analysis is to identify differentially expressed pathways associated with outcomes. Important challenges in pathway analysis are selecting a subset of genes contributing most to association with clinical phenotypes and conducting statistical tests of association for the pathways efficiently. We propose a two-stage analysis strategy: (1) extract latent variables representing activities within each pathway using a dimension reduction approach based on adaptive elastic-net sparse principal component analysis; (2) integrate the latent variables with the regression modeling framework to analyze studies with different types of outcomes such as binary, continuous or survival outcomes. Our proposed approach is computationally efficient. For each pathway, because the latent variables are estimated in an unsupervised fashion without using disease outcome information, in the sample label permutation testing procedure, the latent variables only need to be calculated once rather than for each permutation resample. Using both simulated and real datasets, we show our approach performed favorably when compared with five other currently available pathway testing methods.
Why Systemic Risk Considerations Affect the Market for Long-Term Care Insurance
Authors: Lumsdaine Robin L.
Published: October 2011

New capital requirements and regulations, aimed at controlling systemic risk in the financial sector, could have the unfortunate, unintended consequence of discouraging insurers from offering long-term care insurance, according to Robin Lumsdaine of American University.
Statistical treatment of nuclear counting results
Authors: Dolicanin Cemal , StankoviC Koviljka , Dolicanin Diana , Loncar Boris
Published: October 2011

Since the exact time a specific nucleus undergoes radioactive decay cannot be
specified, nor can showers caused by secondary cosmic rays be predicted,
statistical laws play an important role in almost all cases of experimental
nuclear physics. This paper describes the method for the statistical
treatment of nuclear counting results obtained experimentally by taking into
account random variables pertaining to both frequent and infrequent
phenomena. When processing counting measurement data, it is recommended to
first discard spurious random variables that spoil the statistics by using
Chauvenet?s criterion, as well as to test if the results in the statistical
sample follow a unique statistical distribution by using the Wilcoxon
rank-sum test (U-test). The verification of the suggested statistical method
was performed on counting statistics obtained both from the radioactive
source Cs-137 and background radiation, expected to follow the normal
distribution and the Poisson distribution, respectively. Results show that
the application of the proposed statistical method excludes random
fluctuations of the radioactive source or of the background radiation from
the total statistical sample, as well as possible inadequacies in the
experimental set-up and show an extremely effective agreement of the
theoretical distribution of random variables with the corresponding
experimentally obtained random variables.
Evaluation of adnexal masses: Correlation between clinical, ultrasound and histopathological findings
Authors: Dotlic Jelena , Terzic Milan , Likic Ivana , Atanackovic Jasmina , Ladjevic Nebojsa
Published: October 2011

Background/Aim. Concerning the growth of ovarian carcinoma incidence and bad
prognosis for malignant forms, early and precise diagnostics is gaining in
importance as a condition for precise and appropriate therapy for ovarian
tumor masses. The aim of this study was to analyze pre- and postoperative
findings of patients with adnexal masses in order to identify factors which
could predict the nature and stage of the tumor prior to surgery. Methods.
All patients with adnexal masses who were treated in a 6-month period in the
Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinical Center of Serbia, (IOG,
CCS), Belgrade, had their epidemiologic and gynecologic anamnesis and
standard laboratory analyses taken prior to surgery. Also, clinical and
ultrasonographic check up of pelvic organs was performed, as well as
calculation of body mass index (BMI) and risk of malignancy index (RMI).
After surgery we analyzed histopathological (HP) findings of tumors as a mean
of final diagnosis and staging. For statistical analysis, we used SPSS 15
program. Results. Throughout a 6-month period, we examined 81 patients with
adnexal masses treated in the IOG CCS. HP findings showed that there were
significantly more benign (n = 51) than malignant (n = 30) tumors in all the
patients (?2 = 5.512). The patients with malignant HP findings were
significantly older than those with benign adnexal masses (t = 3.362; p =
0.001). Significantly more patients with malignant HP findings were in
menopause (p = 0.034). BMI values were highly significantly higher in the
patients with malignant adnexal tumors (t = 3.421; p = 0.001). There was a
statistically significant positive correlation between HP categories (benign,
malignant) and RMI categories (low, intermediate and high risk) of all the
patients (high risk, more malignant HP) (Roxy = 0.428; df = 78; p = 0.000).
Conclusion. Patients in menopause, especially older ones, with high BMI and
RMI should immediately be referred to a tertiary level institution, where
appropriate surgery could be performed.
Oxidative stress biomarkers and acetylcholinesterase activity in human erythrocytes exposed to clomazone (in vitro)
Authors: Santi Adriana , Menezes Charlene , Duarte Marta , Leitemperger Jossiele , Lópes Thais , Loro Vania
Published: October 2011

Oxidative stress biomarkers and acetylcholinesterase activity in human erythrocytes exposed to clomazone (in vitro)

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of clomazone herbicide on oxidative stress biomarkers and acetylcholinesterase activity in human erythrocytes inin vitroconditions. The activity of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE), as well as the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were measured in human erythrocytes exposed (in vitro) to clomazone at varying concentrations in the range of 0, 100, 250 and 500 μg/L for 1 h at 37°C. TBARS levels were significantly higher in erythrocytes incubated with clomazone at 100, 250 and 500 μg/L. However, erythrocyte CAT and AChE activities were decreased at all concentrations tested. SOD activity was increased only at 100 μg/L of clomazone. GSH levels did not change with clomazone exposure. These results clearly showed clomazone to induce oxidative stress and AChE inhibition in human erythrocytes (in vitro). We, thus, suggest a possible role of ROS on toxicity mechanism induced by clomazone in humans.
Evaluation of selenium status and its distribution in organs of free living foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from an Se deficient area
Authors: Pilarczyk B. , Pilarczyk R. , Tomza-Marciniak A. , Hendzel D. , Bąkowska M. , Stankiewicz T.
Published: October 2011

Evaluation of selenium status and its distribution in organs of free living foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from an Se deficient area

The objective of the study was to determine selenium status and its distribution in the organs of free living foxes from selenium deficient areas of north-western Poland. Samples of organs harvested from 40 foxes shot during the 2008-2009 hunting seasons served as experimental material. Selenium concentration in the organs was determined spectrofluorometrically. Selenium distribution in tissues depends largely on its dietary content. Our study indicated that concentrations of selenium in the examined organs followed the order: kidney>liver>spleen>lung>heart and kidneys were the organ with the highest retention of this element. Mean selenium concentration in fox kidneys was 0.60 ± 0.15 μg/g wet weight. Several times less selenium on average was found in the liver (0.27 plusmn; 0.09 μg/g w.w.), lungs (0.17 ± 0.06 μg/g w.w.), spleen (0.19 ± 0.06 μg/g w.w.) and heart (0.13 ± 0.05 μg/g w.w.). All the animals studied were deficient in selenium.
Paleolimnology of Lake Yamanaka as reflected on particle-size distribution
Authors: Adhikari Danda Pani
Published: October 2011

A 17.63 m long bore-hole core extracted from the deepest part of Lake Yamanaka, one of the Fuji-five Lakes at the northeasternfoot of Mount Fuji, central Japan, composed of sediment with intercalations of scoria fallout deposits. The sediment of the upper11.4 m was investigated for grain-size distribution by using a laser diffraction particle size analyser. The mean grain-size profileshowed various degrees of fluctuations, both short-and long-terms, and the size-frequency distribution revealed unimodal-trimodalmixing of sediments. Changes in lake size and water depth appear to be the main factors affecting the variability in the grain-sizedistribution and properties. The lake level appears low during 7000–5000 cal BP and 2800–1150 cal BP and relatively high during5000–2800 cal BP and 1150 cal BP– present.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/bdg.v14i0.5437Bulletin of the Department of Geology Vol.14 2011, pp.35-42
Inverted metamorphic zonation in the hanging and foot walls of the Mahabharat Thrust, Kathmandu-Trishuli area, central Nepal
Authors: Thapaliya Sobit Prasad , Paudel Lalu Prasad
Published: October 2011

Geological study was carried out along the Pasang Lahmu Highway from Kathmandu to Trishuli Bazaar covering both theLesser Himalayan autochthonous unit and the Kathmandu Nappe. The Lesser Himalayan rocks in the study area belong to theKunchha Formation, Benighat Slate and the Robang Formation of the Nawakot Complex. The Kathmandu Nappe (KathmanduComplex) comprises the Kalitar Formation, Gneiss Zone, Tistung Formation, Sopyang Formation and the Chandragiri Limestone.Petrographic study was carried out in the samples representing all the lithological units along the Pasang-Lahmu Highway.The study shows that the Kunchha Formation belongs to the biotite zone. The overlying units (Benighat Slate and RobangFormations) belong to the garnet zone. It is a clear evidence of inverted metamorphic zonation at the foot wall of the KathmanduNappe. The rocks of the Kathmandu Complex above the Mahabharat Thrust north of Kakani also show an inverse metamorphiczonation, i.e., the garnet zone is overlain by the sillimanite zone. However, in the southern part, the metamorphic zonation isnormal with biotite zone overlain by the chlorite zone. Although the inverted metamorphic zonation at the hanging wall of theMahabharat Thrust may be related to the high temperature contact metamorphism by pegmatite injection, the inverted metamorphismat the footwall needs an explanation.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/bdg.v14i0.5439Bulletin of the Department of Geology, Vol. 14, 2011 pp. 51–58
Palynological assemblages from the Late Pleistocene sediments of the Patan Formation in Kathmandu Valley and their climatic implications
Authors: Paudayal Khum Narayan
Published: October 2011

Palynological investigation of ten samples obtained from a drill core belonging to the Late Pleistocene deposits of the PatanFormation in the Kathmandu Valley revealed 40 plant species belonging to 22 families. The gymnosperms are represented byAbies, Picea, Pinus spp. (P. roxburghii and P. wallichiana) and Tsuga sp. The angiosperm tree and shrubs are represented bygenera Quercus (Q. semecarpifolia, Q. lanata, Q. leucotricophora and Q. lamellosa and Q. glauca), Castanopsis, Alnus, Betula,Carpinus, Juglans, Myrica, Ulmus, Ilex, Strobilanthes, Elaeagnus and families Meliaceae, Oleaceae, Ericaceae, Poaceae,Compositae, Caryophyllaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Apiaceae, and Dipsacaceae. Similarly the wetland and aquatic plants arerepresented by Polygonun, Myriophyllum and Trapa. The presence of significant number of pteridophytes indicates humid anddamp environment at the periphery of the lake and surrounding forest floor. The pollen assemblage suggests that the PatanFormation was deposited under humid subtropical climate except at the middle part which indicates of warm temperate climaticcondition. The result obtained from the recent surface samples analysis and its comparison with fossil assemblages show thatmodern pollen spectra are not different with the fossil assemblages. This justifies that the fossil palynomorphs are local and itdenies the influence of exotic pollen.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/bdg.v14i0.5440Bulletin of the Department of Geology Vol.14 2011, pp.59-66
Petrography and illite crystallinity of the Lesser Himalayan metasediments, Gorkha Narayangarh section, central Nepal
Authors: Paudyal Kabi Raj , Pokharel Tara Prasad , Paudel Lalu Prasad
Published: October 2011

Geological study was carried out in the Lesser Himalaya from Gorkha-Narayangarh section of central Nepal aiming to assessthe metamorphism of the area. The area consists of the Kunchha Formation, Fagfog Quartzite, Dandagaon Phyllites, NourpulFormation, Dhading Dolomite, Benighat Slate and the Robang Formation of the Nawakot Complex. Systematic study onpetrography and illite crystallinity was performed in the samples representing all types of lithology and formations. Bothpetrography and illite crystallinity show that the rocks south of Anbu Khaireni belong to chlorite zone. Biotite and garnet zonesare observed only in the north of Anbu Khaireni. The metamorphic zones are inverted as in the other parts of the Lesser Himalaya.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/bdg.v14i0.5441Bulletin of the Department of Geology Vol.14 2011, pp.67-76
Construction material assessment from quarry sites at Chaktan-Ghasa-Kaligandaki River area, western Nepal
Authors: Raghubanshi Ujwal , Tamrakar Naresh Kazi
Published: October 2011

Construction material assessment is the crucial part of the hydroelectric power projects. The quality and quantity of the construction materialis the major concern when exploring construction material. Four quarry sites (Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4) were identified and assessed for both quantityand quality. Distribution of rock quarry sites was taken for quantitative assessment of reserves. The rock samples were obtained from the sitesand were analysed for physical, mechanical and petrographic features. Rock types in quarry sites were schistose marble (in Q1), augen gneiss(in Q2), and banded gneisses (in Q3 and Q4). The analytical results showed that water absorption values were < 1% in all the samples, but wasthe highest in Q2 (0.92%). Contrarily, Q2 possessed the least specific gravity among the samples. Sodium sulphate soundness values rangedfrom 0.21 to 0.77, which was the highest in Q2. Samples Q1, Q3 and Q4 yielded Los Angeles Abrasion value below 45%, whereas Q2 gave57.5%. Similarly, Q2 also yielded the least value (1.82 MPa) of point-load strength index tested along the foliation. Augen gneiss (Q2) showedthe low abrasion resistance and soundness to freeze and thaw because of weak bonding between platy and other constituents of the rock , whereasschistose marble and banded gneisses yielded better resistance to abrasion and freeze and thaw, and possessed better strength perhaps due towell bonding among the mineralogical constituents due to the presence of appreciable amount of carbonate minerals.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/bdg.v14i0.5442Bulletin of the Department of Geology Vol.14 2011, pp.77-82
Safety and Operational Assessment of Yield-to-Bus Electronic Warning Signs on Transit Buses
Authors: Fabregas Aldo , Lin Pei-Sung , Gonzalez-Velez Enrique , Datz Amy , Zhou Huaguo
Published: October 2011

Transit buses generally experience difficulties merging into traffic after stopping at off-traffic stops; this situation generates potential hazards for both the bus moving back into traffic and the surrounding vehicles. Several states have implemented yield-to-bus (YTB) laws and programs to help alleviate these hazards. One of the challenges facing YTB initiatives is the lack of quantitative data to justify effectiveness. In this paper, flashing electronic YTB signs that use light-emitting diodes on the back of buses were evaluated as a major effort of the Florida Department of Transportation Transit Office to assess the effectiveness of the YTB program. YTB behavior, safety conflicts, and reentry time were proposed as three performance measures to evaluate the safety and operational impacts of electronic YTB signs. It was found that electronic YTB signs had the potential to improve YTB behavior of motorists behind the bus. In addition, with the electronic YTB signs, the number of safety conflicts was either reduced or was at least no greater than those of the baseline scenario, which consisted of a YTB decal. The reentry time from pullout bays was also improved. Additional recommendations about compliance, installation, and operation of electronic YTB signs are provided.
Creation of Life-Cycle Cost Tool for Transit Buses to Evaluate Hybrid Electric Bus Technologies in Real-World Operation
Authors: Golub Aaron , Zhen Feng , Clark Nigel N. , Wayne W. Scott , Schiavone John J. , Chambers Cliff , Chandler Kevin L.
Published: October 2011

Hybrid buses offer the potential for fuel savings for transit operators and are expected to become important components of bus fleets around the world in the coming decade. This paper describes how a spreadsheet tool for a life-cycle cost (LCC) model for transit buses was developed to assist transit agencies in forecasting life-cycle operating and capital costs when choosing among various bus technologies, including hybrids. The tool is a key deliverable in a project sponsored by TCRP to assess hybrid electric bus performance in real-world operation. Forty hybrid electric buses were evaluated at four U.S. transit agencies, along with comparable conventional diesel and compressed natural gas buses. The LCC tool was created to cover key capital- and operating-cost factors that are based on the real-world data collected. The model is extremely flexible, and the user can override nearly all the data so that the model can be used in the future as costs and technologies change. This paper focuses on the model's structure, describes the case study buses, and illustrates an example of LCC calculation by using the model. More information about the project and its other results and deliverables can be found in TCRP Report 132.
Innovative Operating Solutions for Bus Rapid Transit through a Congested Segment of San Jose, California
Authors: Iswalt Michael , Wong Corey , Connolly Kevin
Published: October 2011

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority in California recently developed a strategic plan for bus rapid transit (BRT) to establish a framework for BRT implementation. Stevens Creek Boulevard, an important east-west thoroughfare linking the California cities of San Jose and Cupertino, was one of three corridors selected for BRT service. To ensure the operating and ridership objectives along the Stevens Creek corridor, BRT must maintain adequate travel speeds and provide a convenient station location along the Valley Fair segment west of downtown San Jose. Meeting these objectives would be a challenge because the segment is highly congested and right-of-way constrained. Major shopping centers, existing land uses, and an Interstate freeway interchange are all factors that contribute to the operational challenges along the Valley Fair segment. These factors also limit any roadway widening and reconfiguration required to provide sufficient space for dedicated BRT lanes and station platforms. To provide some form of transit priority and a convenient BRT station at Valley Fair, a single reversible bus lane was proposed. This paper discusses the feasibility of a single reversible lane and key elements that led to a preferred configuration and operating plan. A range of options, including various station configurations and operating strategies, is evaluated. A microsimulation analysis of the options shows that a single reversible lane can generate significant operating benefits for BRT while not significantly affecting mixed-flow traffic. This paper and its results should encourage cities to consider single-lane reversible bus ways along constrained segments as part of a strategy to implement premium BRT service.
Green Contracting in Highway Construction
Authors: Cui Qingbin , Zhu Xinyuan
Published: October 2011

Growing public awareness of climate change requires transportation professionals to integrate green concepts into the transportation planning, design, construction, and operation processes. For the past decade, although many studies have been done on carbon emission reduction strategies for on-road and off-road operations, few studies have dealt with emission reduction issues in highway project delivery. This paper, based on a survey of 39 state departments of transportation, reports the green contracting practice for delivering highway projects in the United States. Four levels of green contracting strategies and their application procedures are identified. Organizational reasons for successful implementation of green contracting are presented and discussed. More important, the study discovers there is a substantial lack of consistent methodology and processes for implementing green contracting. Nor is there a common vocabulary in this field. In an effort to promote green contracting in highway construction, the study suggests that state highway agencies (a) establish organizationwide green initiatives, (b) develop green specifications and standards, and (c) encourage broader industry participation.
Transition in Adopting Project Delivery Method with Early Contractor Involvement
Authors: Scheepbouwer Eric , Humphries Adam B.
Published: October 2011

Recently asset owners have been investigating alternative delivery models for construction projects that offer improvements in value for money and project delivery time. One of these methods is the early contractor involvement (ECI) strategy. In this strategy a contractor is engaged before commencement of the construction work to give input during design. After the design, the construction work is negotiated with the contractor. Implementation of this new delivery strategy can raise issues with involved parties in the industry. To find these transitional issues, expectations and opinions were collected from practitioners from the three involved parties—owners, designers, and contractors—who had experience with ECI. The results show that all parties agreed in expecting improvements in quality and innovation and that the costs needed to adopt this system were not significant. Owners and contractors opined that the design phase could be expedited; however, the designers argued that any time savings were negated by increased collaboration and negotiation between the parties. There was also disagreement on risk allocation during construction. Contrary to the other parties, the contractors did not perceive the allocation of risk to them to be greater than with traditional procurement systems. Finally there was disagreement about whether the necessary collaborative culture was present in the construction industry for adopting “open book” costing, often practiced in ECI. It is recommended that for successful implementation of ECI, objectives in the areas of disagreement should be clarified between parties as they work through a transitional phase in adopting the ECI procurement method.
Validation of Cooling Curves Prediction Model for Nonconventional Asphalt Concrete Mixtures
Authors: Vargas-Nordcbeck Adriana , Timm David H.
Published: October 2011

Asphalt concrete (AC) cooling rates provide important information that can help with planning operations and field decisions made during construction. An increased cooling rate reduces the time available for compaction; as the mix cools down, the asphalt binder becomes stiff and makes it more difficult to achieve proper compaction, which can affect pavement performance. MultiCool is a computer program that predicts the rate of cooling in a hot-mix asphalt mat during construction on the basis of information related to the start time of the paving operation, environmental conditions, existing surface, and mix specifications. The software was originally developed and validated for conventional AC mixes. The objective of this study was to validate the cooling rates calculated by MultiCool for nonconventional mixes such as warm-mix asphalt (WMA), mixtures containing high percentages of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), and mixtures containing modified and alternative binders. The validation was performed by using construction data from the National Center for Asphalt Technology test track 2009 research cycle, which included a number of nonconventional mixtures as well as a control. Although results indicated that factors such as the use of WMA, high RAP contents, and modified and alternative binders affect the difference between the measured and predicted cooling curves, the differences were within the same tolerance as the original validation and the model can be used confidently with these materials.
Helical Tomotherapy in Children and Adolescents: Dosimetric Comparisons, Opportunities and Issues
Authors: Mascarin Maurizio , Giugliano Francesca Maria , Coassin Elisa , Drigo Annalisa , Chiovati Paola , Dassie Andrea , Franchin Giovanni , Minatel Emilio , Trovò Mauro Gaetano
Published: October 2011

Helical Tomotherapy (HT) is a highly conformal image-guided radiation technique, introduced into clinical routine in 2006 at the Centro di Riferimento Oncologico Aviano (Italy). With this new technology, intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is delivered using a helicoidal method. Here we present our dosimetric experiences using HT in 100 children, adolescents and young adults treated from May 2006 to February 2011. The median age of the patients was 13 years (range 1–24). The most common treated site was the central nervous system (50; of these, 24 were craniospinal irradiations), followed by thorax (22), head and neck (10), abdomen and pelvis (11), and limbs (7). The use of HT was calculated in accordance to the target dose conformation, the target size and shape, the dose to critical organs adjacent to the target, simultaneous treatment of multiple targets, and re-irradiation. HT has demonstrated to improve target volume dose homogeneity and the sparing of critical structures, when compared to 3D Linac-based radiotherapy (RT). In standard cases this technique represented a comparable alternative to IMRT delivered with conventional linear accelerator. In certain cases (e.g., craniospinal and pleural treatments) only HT generated adequate treatment plans with good target volume coverage. However, the gain in target conformality should be balanced with the spread of low-doses to distant areas. This remains an open issue for the potential risk of secondary malignancies (SMNs) and longer follow-up is mandatory.
A Germin-Like Protein Gene (CchGLP) of Capsicum chinense Jacq. Is Induced during Incompatible Interactions and Displays Mn-Superoxide Dismutase Activity
Authors: León-Galván Fabiola , Joaquín-Ramos Ahuizolt de Jesús , Torres-Pacheco Irineo , De la Rosa Ana P. Barba , Guevara-Olvera Lorenzo , González-Chavira Mario M. , Ocampo-Velazquez Rosalía V. , Rico-García Enrique , Guevara-González Ramón Gerardo
Published: October 2011

A germin-like gene (CchGLP) cloned from geminivirus-resistant pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq. Line BG-3821) was characterized and the enzymatic activity of the expressed protein analyzed. The predicted protein consists of 203 amino acids, similar to other germin-like proteins. A highly conserved cupin domain and typical germin boxes, one of them containing three histidines and one glutamate, are also present in CchGLP. A signal peptide was predicted in the first 18 N-terminal amino acids, as well as one putative N-glycosylation site from residues 44–47. CchGLP was expressed in E. coli and the recombinant protein displayed manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) activity. Molecular analysis showed that CchGLP is present in one copy in the C. chinense Jacq. genome and was induced in plants by ethylene (Et) and salicylic acid (SA) but not jasmonic acid (JA) applications in the absence of pathogens. Meanwhile, incompatible interactions with either Pepper golden mosaic virus (PepGMV) or Pepper huasteco yellow vein virus (PHYVV) caused local and systemic CchGLP induction in these geminivirus-resistant plants, but not in a susceptible accession. Compatible interactions with PHYVV, PepGMV and oomycete Phytophthora capsici did not induce CchGLP expression. Thus, these results indicate that CchGLP encodes a Mn-SOD, which is induced in the C. chinense geminivirus-resistant line BG-3821, likely using SA and Et signaling pathways during incompatible interactions with geminiviruses PepGMV and PHYVV.
Molecular Diagnosis of Analbuminemia: A New Case Caused by a Nonsense Mutation in the Albumin Gene
Authors: Dagnino Monica , Caridi Gianluca , Haenni Ueli , Duss Adrian , Aregger Fabienne , Campagnoli Monica , Galliano Monica , Minchiotti Lorenzo
Published: October 2011

Analbuminemia is a rare autosomal recessive disorder manifested by the absence, or severe reduction, of circulating serum albumin (ALB). We report here a new case diagnosed in a 45 years old man of Southwestern Asian origin, living in Switzerland, on the basis of his low ALB concentration (0.9 g/L) in the absence of renal or gastrointestinal protein loss, or liver dysfunction. The clinical diagnosis was confirmed by a mutational analysis of the albumin (ALB) gene, carried out by single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP), heteroduplex analysis (HA), and DNA sequencing. This screening of the ALB gene revealed that the proband is homozygous for two mutations: the insertion of a T in a stretch of eight Ts spanning positions c.1289 + 23–c.1289 + 30 of intron 10 and a c.802 G > T transversion in exon 7. Whereas the presence of an additional T in the poly-T tract has no direct deleterious effect, the latter nonsense mutation changes the codon GAA for Glu244 to the stop codon TAA, resulting in a premature termination of the polypeptide chain. The putative protein product would have a length of only 243 amino acid residues instead of the normal 585 found in the mature serum albumin, but no evidence for the presence in serum of such a truncated polypeptide chain could be obtained by two dimensional electrophoresis and western blotting analysis.
Towards Quantifying a Wider Reality: Shannon Exonerata
Authors: Ulanowicz Robert E.
Published: October 2011

In 1872 Ludwig von Boltzmann derived a statistical formula to represent the entropy (an apophasis) of a highly simplistic system. In 1948 Claude Shannon independently formulated the same expression to capture the positivist essence of information. Such contradictory thrusts engendered decades of ambiguity concerning exactly what is conveyed by the expression. Resolution of widespread confusion is possible by invoking the third law of thermodynamics, which requires that entropy be treated in a relativistic fashion. Doing so parses the Boltzmann expression into separate terms that segregate apophatic entropy from positivist information. Possibly more importantly, the decomposition itself portrays a dialectic-like agonism between constraint and disorder that may provide a more appropriate description of the behavior of living systems than is possible using conventional dynamics. By quantifying the apophatic side of evolution, the Shannon approach to information achieves what no other treatment of the subject affords: It opens the window on a more encompassing perception of reality.
Membrane Bioreactor Technology for the Development of Functional Materials from Sea-Food Processing Wastes and Their Potential Health Benefits
Authors: Kim Se-Kwon , Senevirathne Mahinda
Published: October 2011

Sea-food processing wastes and underutilized species of fish are a potential source of functional and bioactive compounds. A large number of bioactive substances can be produced through enzyme-mediated hydrolysis. Suitable enzymes and the appropriate bioreactor system are needed to incubate the waste materials. Membrane separation is a useful technique to extract, concentrate, separate or fractionate the compounds. The use of membrane bioreactors to integrate a reaction vessel with a membrane separation unit is emerging as a beneficial method for producing bioactive materials such as peptides, chitooligosaccharides and polyunsaturated fatty acids from diverse seafood-related wastes. These bioactive compounds from membrane bioreactor technology show diverse biological activities such as antihypertensive, antimicrobial, antitumor, anticoagulant, antioxidant and radical scavenging properties. This review discusses the application of membrane bioreactor technology for the production of value-added functional materials from sea-food processing wastes and their biological activities in relation to health benefits.
Apical Localization of Zinc Transporter ZnT4 in Human Airway Epithelial Cells and Its Loss in a Murine Model of Allergic Airway Inflammation
Authors: Murgia Chiara , Grosser Dion , Truong-Tran Ai Q. , Roscioli Eugene , Michalczyk Agnes , Ackland Margaret Leigh , Stoltenberg Meredin , Danscher Gorm , Lang Carol , Knight Darryl , Perozzi Giuditta , Ruffin Richard E. , Zalewski Peter
Published: October 2011

The apical cytoplasm of airway epithelium (AE) contains abundant labile zinc (Zn) ions that are involved in the protection of AE from oxidants and inhaled noxious substances. A major question is how dietary Zn traffics to this compartment. In rat airways, in vivo selenite autometallographic (Se-AMG)-electron microscopy revealed labile Zn-selenium nanocrystals in structures resembling secretory vesicles in the apical cytoplasm. This observation was consistent with the starry-sky Zinquin fluorescence staining of labile Zn ions confined to the same region. The vesicular Zn transporter ZnT4 was likewise prominent in both the apical and basal parts of the epithelium both in rodent and human AE, although the apical pools were more obvious. Expression of ZnT4 mRNA was unaffected by changes in the extracellular Zn concentration. However, levels increased 3-fold during growth of cells in air liquid interface cultures and decreased sharply in the presence of retinoic acid. When comparing nasal versus bronchial human AE cells, there were significant positive correlations between levels of ZnT4 from the same subject, suggesting that nasal brushings may allow monitoring of airway Zn transporter expression. Finally, there were marked losses of both basally-located ZnT4 protein and labile Zn in the bronchial epithelium of mice with allergic airway inflammation. This study is the first to describe co-localization of zinc vesicles with the specific zinc transporter ZnT4 in airway epithelium and loss of ZnT4 protein in inflamed airways. Direct evidence that ZnT4 regulates Zn levels in the epithelium still needs to be provided. We speculate that ZnT4 is an important regulator of zinc ion accumulation in secretory apical vesicles and that the loss of labile Zn and ZnT4 in airway inflammation contributes to AE vulnerability in diseases such as asthma.
Mechanisms of Resistance to Hsp90 Inhibitor Drugs: A Complex Mosaic Emerges
Authors: Piper Peter W. , Millson Stefan H.
Published: October 2011

The molecular chaperone Hsp90 holds great promise as a cancer drug target, despite some of the initial clinical trials of Hsp90 inhibitor drugs having not lived up to expectation. Effective use of these drugs will benefit greatly from a much more detailed understanding of the factors that contribute to resistance, whether intrinsic or acquired. We review how cell culture studies have revealed a number of different mechanisms whereby cells can be rendered less susceptible to the effects of Hsp90 inhibitor treatment. A major influence is Hsp90 inhibition causing strong induction of the heat shock response, a stress response that increases cellular levels of prosurvival chaperones such as Hsp27 and Hsp70. Another problem seems to be that these inhibitors do not always access the Hsp90 proteins of the mitochondrion, forms of Hsp90 that—in cancer cells—are operating to suppress apoptosis. It should be possible to overcome these drawbacks through the appropriate drug redesign or with the combinatorial use of an Hsp90 inhibitor with a drug that targets either heat shock factor or the chaperone Hsp70. Still though, cells will often differ in the key antiapoptotic versus proapoptotic activities that are dependent on Hsp90, in the key steps in their apoptotic pathways responsive to Hsp90 inhibition or Hsp70 level, as well as the extents to which their survival is dependent on oncogenic tyrosine kinases that are clients of Hsp90. A systems approach will therefore often be required in order to establish the most prominent effects of Hsp90 inhibition in each type of cancer cell.
Gold-Poly(methyl methacrylate) Nanocomposite Films for Plasmonic Biosensing Applications
Authors: Alsawafta Mohammed , Badilescu Simona , Paneri Abhilash , Truong Vo-Van , Packirisamy Muthukumaram
Published: October 2011

Gold-poly(methyl methacrylate) nanocomposites are prepared by an in situ method, by irradiating spin-coated films containing the polymer and the gold precursor dissolved in acetone. The reduction of gold ions results in the formation of Au that nucleates and grows within the polymer film. It is shown that, depending on the energy source, gold nanoparticles with different shapes can be formed. Nanocomposites prepared through UV-, thermal-, and MW-irradiation, respectively, show a low sensitivity toward the environment. However, by annealing the samples at temperatures well above the glass transition temperature of the polymer, the response to dielectric environment appears to be enhanced significantly. The sensitivity of samples synthesized through the three different methods is found to be comparable, around 100 nm/RIU. The increased sensitivity of the annealed sample is accounted for by the increased mobility of both polymer chains and gold nanoparticles in the rubbery state of the material and the presence of the monomer. Gold nanoparticles “freed” from the strong interaction with the polymer are now able to feel the molecules from the surrounding environment. The results show that, by using adequate post-synthesis heat treatments, gold-polymer nanocomposites can be used as plasmonic sensing platforms.
Historical Building Monitoring Using an Energy-Efficient Scalable Wireless Sensor Network Architecture
Authors: Capella Juan V. , Perles Angel , Bonastre Alberto , Serrano Juan J.
Published: October 2011

We present a set of novel low power wireless sensor nodes designed for monitoring wooden masterpieces and historical buildings, in order to perform an early detection of pests. Although our previous star-based system configuration has been in operation for more than 13 years, it does not scale well for sensorization of large buildings or when deploying hundreds of nodes. In this paper we demonstrate the feasibility of a cluster-based dynamic-tree hierarchical Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) architecture where realistic assumptions of radio frequency data transmission are applied to cluster construction, and a mix of heterogeneous nodes are used to minimize economic cost of the whole system and maximize power saving of the leaf nodes. Simulation results show that the specialization of a fraction of the nodes by providing better antennas and some energy harvesting techniques can dramatically extend the life of the entire WSN and reduce the cost of the whole system. A demonstration of the proposed architecture with a new routing protocol and applied to termite pest detection has been implemented on a set of new nodes and should last for about 10 years, but it provides better scalability, reliability and deployment properties.
A Novel Sensor-Assisted RFID-Based Indoor Tracking System for the Elderly Living Alone
Authors: Hsu Chien-Chang , Chen Jun-Hao
Published: October 2011

The population of elderly people is increasing rapidly in many developed nations. Providing safe and comfortable care to aging people is an important social goal. Moreover, obtaining correct activity and location information for an elderly person is an important research goal. This work proposes a novel intelligent RFID-based indoor tracking system for elderly people living alone. The proposed system uses environment information for inhabitants and received signal strength of an RFID reader to estimate the probable location of an inhabitant. The proposed system then coordinates with the wireless sensor node of a three-axis accelerometer and uses a genetic algorithm to compute the location of the inhabitant. The proposed system also uses context and gait information to improve inhabitant-tracking accuracy. Experiment results show that the accuracy of the proposed system is better than that of existing RFID-based systems.
Electrostatic Excitation for the Force Amplification of Microcantilever Sensors
Authors: Shokuhfar Ali , Heydari Payam , Ebrahimi-Nejad Salman
Published: October 2011

This paper describes an electrostatic excited microcantilever sensor operating in static mode that is more sensitive than traditional microcantilevers. The proposed sensor comprises a simple microcantilever with electrostatic excitation ability and an optical or piezoresistive detector. Initially the microcantilever is excited by electrostatic force to near pull-in voltage. The nonlinear behavior of the microcantilever in near pull-in voltage i.e., the inverse-square relation between displacement and electrostatic force provides a novel method for force amplification. In this situation, any external load applied to the sensor will be amplified by electrostatic force leading to more displacement. We prove that the proposed microcantilever sensor can be 2 to 100 orders more sensitive compared with traditional microcantilevers sensors of the same dimensions. The results for surface stress and the free-end point force load are discussed.
Optical properties of fully conjugated cyclo[n]thiophenes – An experimental and theoretical approach
Authors: Mena-Osteritz Elena , Zhang Fan , Götz Günther , Reineker Peter , Bäuerle Peter
Published: October 2011

Optical properties of two series of fully conjugated cyclo[n]thiophenes were analyzed experimentally and theoretically. The absorption spectra reveal a shift to higher wavelengths with increasing size of the cycles, which can be successfully described by an excitonic approach based on a Frenkel exciton Hamiltonian. Furthermore, intriguing new bands in the absorption and fluorescence spectra of the smaller macrocycles disclose the dominance of their ring strain.
Fluoroquinolones Inhibit HCV by Targeting Its Helicase
Authors: Khan Irfan A , Siddiqui Sammer , Rehmani Sadiq , Kazmi Shahana U , Ali Syed H
Published: October 2011

Background

HCV has infected >170 million individuals worldwide. Effective therapy against HCV is still lacking and there is a need to develop potent drugs against the virus. In the present study, we have employed two culture models to test the activity of fluoroquinolone drugs against HCV: a subgenomic replicon that is able to replicate independently in the cell line Huh-8 and the Huh-7 cell culture model that employs cells transfected with synthetic HCV RNA to produce the infectious HCV particles. Fluoroquinolones have also been shown to have inhibitory activity against certain viruses, possibly by targeting the viral helicase. To tease out the mechanism of the antiviral activity of fluoroquinolones, their effect on HCV NS3 helicase protein was also tested.

Methods

Huh-7 cells producing the HCV virion as well as Huh-8 cells were grown in the presence or absence of 12 different fluoroquinolones. Afterwards, Huh-7 and Huh-8 cells were lysed and viral RNA was extracted. The extracted RNA was reverse transcribed and quantified by real-time quantitative PCR. Fluoroquinolones were also tested on purified NS3 protein in a molecular-beacon-based in vitro helicase assay.

Results

To varying degrees, all of the tested fluoroquinolones effectively inhibited HCV replication in both Huh-7 and Huh-8 culture models. The inhibition of HCV NS3 helicase activity was also observed with all 12 of the fluoroquinolones.

Conclusions

Fluoroquinolones inhibit HCV replication possibly by targeting the HCV NS3 helicase. These drugs hold promise for the treatment of HCV infection.