Emergency Air Protection: A Survey of Smog Alarm Systems

As Central and Eastern Europe looks to its future, it is faced with a legacy of environmental pollution from its recent past. Three main environmental tasks confront the region: to reduce the burden of pollutants, to revitalize the environment, and to prevent future pollution by implementing "clean technologies." Unfortunately, the funds are not available for taking on all of these huge tasks at once, at least not in an effective way. For this reason it is of utmost importance to set near-term priorities for environmental protection. Faced with a difficult decision, perhaps we must choose the protection of human health as a number one near-term priority. This paper describes one approach to protecting human health from pollutants which can also be accomplished in the coming years; the authors aim to provide an overview of smog alarm systems to experts and citizens in Central and Eastern European cities so that they can consider the option of building such systems in their own cities. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first review of its kind, and it is hoped that it will lead to a closer examination of this practical and effective control strategy

Resource Allocation for Outdoor-to-Indoor Multicarrier Transmission with Shared UE-side Distributed Antenna Systems

In this paper, we study the resource allocation algorithm design for downlink multicarrier transmission with a shared user equipment (UE)-side distributed antenna system (SUDAS) which utilizes both licensed and unlicensed frequency bands for improving the system throughput. The joint UE selection and transceiver processing matrix design is formulated as a non-convex optimization problem for the maximization of the end-to-end system throughput (bits/s). In order to obtain a tractable resource allocation algorithm, we first show that the optimal transmitter precoding and receiver post-processing matrices jointly diagonalize the end-to-end communication channel. Subsequently, the optimization problem is converted to a scalar optimization problem for multiple parallel channels, which is solved by using an asymptotically optimal iterative algorithm. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed resource allocation algorithm for the SUDAS achieves an excellent system performance and provides a spatial multiplexing gain for single-antenna UEs.Comment: accepted for publication at the IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC) Spring, Glasgow, Scotland, UK, May 201

Nucleoside Drugs Induce Cellular Differentiation by Caspase-Dependent Degradation of Stem Cell Factors

BACKGROUND: Stem cell characteristics are an important feature of human cancer cells and play a major role in the therapy resistance of tumours. Strategies to target cancer stem cells are thus of major importance for cancer therapy. Differentiation therapy by nucleoside drugs represents an attractive approach for the elimination of cancer stem cells. However, even if it is generally assumed that the activity of these drugs is mediated by their ability to modulate epigenetic pathways, their precise mode of action remains to be established. We therefore analysed the potential of three nucleoside analogues to induce differentiation of the embryonic cancer stem cell line NTERA 2 D1 and compared their effect to the natural ligand retinoic acid. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: All nucleoside analogues analyzed, but not retinoic acid, triggered proteolytic degradation of the Polycomb group protein EZH2. Two of them, 3-Deazaneplanocin A (DZNep) and 2'-deoxy-5-azacytidine (decitabine), also induced a decrease in global DNA methylation. Nevertheless, only decitabine and 1beta-arabinofuranosylcytosine (cytarabine) effectively triggered neuronal differentiation of NT2 cells. We show that drug-induced differentiation, in contrast to retinoic acid induction, is caused by caspase activation, which mediates depletion of the stem cell factors NANOG and OCT4. Consistent with this observation, protein degradation and differentiation could be counteracted by co-treatment with caspase inhibitors or by depletion of CASPASE-3 and CASPASE-7 through dsRNA interference. In agreement with this, OCT4 was found to be a direct in-vitro-target of CASPASE-7. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We show that drug-induced differentiation is not a consequence of pharmacologic epigenetic modulation, but is induced by the degradation of stem-cell-specific proteins by caspases. Our results thus uncover a novel pathway that induces differentiation of embryonic cancer stem cells and is triggered by the established anticancer drugs cytarabine and decitabine. These findings suggest new approaches for directly targeting the stem cell fraction of human tumours

Radiologische Evaluation der Anatomie des Sakroiliakalgelenks zur Implementierung möglicher Arthrodese- und Fixationstechniken

Einleitung: Minimalinvasive Operationsmethoden (MIS) finden seit einigen Jahren bei bestehenden SIG Dysfunktionen zunehmend Anwendung. Die Gelenkfusion erfolgt bisher vorwiegend durch Einbringen der Implantate von transiliakal und Fixation orthogonal im SIG. Bisher nutzt keines der minimalinvasiven Wirkungsprinzipien eine Gelenkfusion des SIG mittels dorsaler Einbringung eines Arthrodeseimplantates, das entlang der gesamten Länge des Gelenkspaltes verankert wird. Um eine allgemeingültige Aussage über die Anforderung und Größe eines solches Arthrodeseimplantates treffen zu können, werden in dieser radiomorphometrischen Studie Daten evaluiert, die der Entwicklung neuer und der Weiterentwicklung der bisher bestehenden SIG Arthrodesen bzw. Fixationstechniken nutzen sollen. Methoden: Im Rahmen dieser Studie wurden retrospektiv 100 CT-Datensätze des Beckens mit einer Schichtdicke von 1 mm aus vorhandenen Traumaspiralen ausgewertet. Anhand axialer CT Schnittbilder erfolgte in dem Verarbeitungsprogramm VePro EMR Manager die Messungen der bilateralen SIG. Hierbei wurde die intraartikuläre Strecke mit einem möglichst geraden Verlauf durch das SIG gemessen, die einer optimalen Trajektorie entsprechen sollte. Für die Bestimmung der Knochenqualität wurden zum einen die Kortikalisdicke im anterioren Gelenkanteil und zum anderen die Hounsfield-Units in der paraartikulären Spongiosa jeweils für das Sakrum und Ilium bestimmt. Nach Abschluss der Datenerhebung wurde eine Varianzanalyse erstellt, die die Mittelwerte und Standardabweichungen der vorgenommenen Messungen testete. Ergebnisse: Insgesamt wurden von 100 erwachsenen Patienten CT- Bilder des Beckens bilateral untersucht, davon 71 männliche und 29 weibliche Patienten. Somit konnten n= 200 SIG untersucht werden. Das Alter der Patienten lag zwischen 17 und 83 Jahren, mit einem Mittelwert von 45,29 Jahren. Die durchschnittliche Gesamtlänge der intraartikulären Strecke entsprach 49,22 mm ± 5,44 mm (95% KI: 48,46- 49,97 mm). Für die Gelenkspaltweite ergaben sich Werte von 1,96 ± 0,51 mm. Für die Trajektorie konnte der gerade Verlauf des SIG auf einer Ebene bei n= 77 entlang des SWK 2 und auf Höhe des S2-Foramens und bei n=23 Fällen zwischen der Segmente SWK2 / SWK3 bestimmt werden. Für die Kortikalisdicke wurden Werte für das Sakrum 1,86 ± 0,49 mm und das Ilium 1,89 ± 0,45 mm (95%-KI: Sakrum 1,79- 1,92 mm, Ilium 1,82- 1,95 mm) gemessen. Die Spongiosadichte (HU) nahm mit progredientem Alter ab. Das Sakrum wies eine geringere Dichte von 105,67± 60,69 HU im Vergleich zu den erhobenen Werten für das Ilium 214,24 ± 81,88 HU auf. Schlussfolgerung: Die erhobenen Daten der vorliegenden Arbeit ermöglichen Rückschlüsse auf die anatomische Morphologie des SIG und können als Grundlage für eine Implantatentwicklung dienen. Die in dieser Studie ermittelten Ergebnisse sowie der Vergleich zu früheren Studien legen nahe, dass die dorsale Implantation eines MIS Arthrodeseimplantates in die kortikale Schichten des sakroiliakalen Gelenkspaltes eine weitere Behandlungsoption ermöglicht. Für die entsprechende Abschätzung der Knochenqualität ist die Verwendung der computertomographischen Hounsfield Messung wie auch die Messung der Kortikalisdicke dienlich. Eine optimale Trajektorie mit einem geraden Verlauf entlang des SIG wird in den axialen CT Bildern auf Höhe von SWK 2 erreicht

Emergency Air Protection: Implementing Smog Alarm Systems in Central and Eastern Europe

The first alarm system for summer smog was established in 1948 in Los Angeles. Following the tragic London Smog where several hundred people died, the Rhine-Ruhr area set up a winter smog alarm system in the early 1960s. Since that time, many industrialized countries have instituted smog-alarm systems, which have contributed to the reduction of air pollution risks to the public. Perhaps more importantly, these systems have stimulated progress in air pollution abatement technologies, since the costs of closing down industries during smog episodes is often higher than the necessary investments to reduce air pollution. Today, most countries with smog alarm systems have very infrequent air pollution episodes. The situation is different in industrially developing countries, where serious air pollution episodes are frequent. These countries may need to institute smog alarm systems to protect public health. For this reason, the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe asked IIASA to carry out a study that would help C&E European countries establish their own systems in collaboration with their neighbors. This report describes experience with winter and summer smog-alarm systems in western countries and makes recommendations for the design of cost-efficient and effective systems for C&E Europe. The Study was carried out in close collaboration with experts in these countries. We hope this report is helpful in assuring that, within a few years, efficient smog alarm systems are in place within the entire C&E European region. Moreover, we hope the information in this study is useful to other regions, in particular the Russian Republic, Ukraine, other states of the former Soviet Union, and also China, India, Brazil and newly industrializing countries

Ihanteellisen koulunuorisotyön jäljillä : Joensuun Lyseon peruskoulun näkemyksiä ja toiveita koulunuorisotyöhön

Yhteiskunnassamme pyritään jatkuvasti keksimään uusia keinoja syrjäytymisen ehkäisemiseksi. Koulunuorisotyön avulla taataan oppilaiden hyvinvointi yhdistämällä koulun ja nuorisotyön voimavarat siellä, missä nuoret viettävät suuren osan ajastaan. Koulunuorisotyötä pyritään vakiinnuttamaan niin erilaisten kokeilujen, hankkeiden kuin tutkimusten avulla eri puolilla Suomea. Se on muodostunut keskeiseksi aiheeksi ja kehittämisen kohteeksi nuorisotyön ammattialalla viimeisten vuosien aikana. Opinnäytetyöni tilaajana toimi Joensuun Lyseon peruskoulu, jossa koulunuorisotyötä on toteutettu vuodesta 2010. Opinnäytetyöni tavoite oli tehdä näkyväksi niin oppilaiden kuin koulun henkilökunnankin näkemyksiä siitä, millaista koulunuorisotyön koetaan olevan tällä hetkellä ja millaista se voisi parhaimmillaan olla. Tarkoitukseni oli tuoda esille myös koulunuorisotyöhön liittyviä kriittisiä näkemyksiä sekä marginaaliin jäävien oppilaiden ääniä. Tutkin aihetta kvantitatiivisin menetelmin kyselylomakkeiden avulla. Aineisto on kerätty Webropol-palvelussa tehdyn internetkyselyn avulla. Vastaajilla on ollut mahdollisuus tarkentaa vastauksiaan omin sanoin, mikä tuo myös laadullista näkökulmaa aineistooni. Työni keskeisiä tuloksia on, että suurin osa oppilaista ja koulun henkilökunnasta näkee koulunuorisotyön varsin tarpeellisena työmuotona. Moniammatillisuus on tulosten mukaan tervetullutta kouluun, sillä se mahdollistaa kouluun sellaisia toimia, jotka ensinnäkin piristävät oppilaiden koulupäivää ja toiseksi vapauttavat opettajaresurssit opetustehtäviin. Vastaajien peräänkuuluttama koululähtöisyyttä on vielä kehitettävä. Kaikki oppilaat eivät koe sen toimintoja omakseen eivätkä osallistu sen toimintaan. Kehitettävää koulunuorisotyössä on tulosten mukaan tiedonkulku koulunuorisotyöntekijän ja oppilaiden, kuin myös koulun henkilökunnan välillä. Tarkoituksenani ei ollut luoda mallia ihanteellisesta koulunuorisotyöstä, vaan pikemminkin löytää periaatteita, joilla koulunuorisotyötä tulisi rakentaa. Tämän vuoksi toivon, että opinnäytetyöni antaa työkaluja koulunuorisotyön toteuttajille ja kehittäjille niin Joensuun alueella kuten muuallakin Suomessa.In our society we constantly strive to invent new means to prevent social exclusion. The youth work in schools ensure the pupils’ wellbeing by uniting the resources of school and youth work there, where the youth spend a vast part of their time. The establishing of youth work in the schools around Finland is implemented via different experiments, projects as well as researches. The youth work in schools has become a central theme and an improving point during the last years on the professional field of youth work.The subscriber of my thesis is Joensuu’s Lyseo comprehensive school, where youth work has been implemented since the year 2010. The aim of my thesis was to study the insights of pupils’ and school personnel about how youth work in schools is experienced at the moment and what could it be at its best. One purpose of my thesis was also to bring out the criticism towards the youth work in school and take into account the insights of the pupils that represent the minority. I have researched the subject with quantitative methods by using questionnaires. The material has been collected via an online survey that was done in Webropol. The answerers have had the opportunity to specify their answers with their own words, which makes my material also partly qualitative. The central outcome of my research is that the majority of pupils and school personnel feel that youth work is a necessary form of work in school environment. The results also point out that professional co-operation is a welcomed method in schools, as it enables school activities that cheer up pupils’ school day and also free teacher resources primarily to teaching. The idea of school being the source of activities was brought up by the answerers and it still needs to be improved. Some of the pupils feel that school’s activities are not near them and therefore they do not participate. According to the results of this thesis, especially the information flow between the school’s youth worker and the pupils needs to be improved, as well as that between the school youth worker and the school personnel. My purpose was not to create an exact model of an ideal youth work in school, but rather to find principles for the school youth work to build on. Therefore I hope that my thesis will give working tool

Non-Iterative Joint Channel Equalisation and Channel Decoding

A non-iterative turbo equaliser scheme is proposed, which outperforms the iterative turbo equaliser by about 0.7 dB at a BER of 10E-3 over a symbol-spaced two-path channel and by about 3.4dB at a BER of 10e-3 over a five-path Gaussian channel

Le Corps Propre

Le Corpse Propre, is a series of large scaled paintings; performative archaeological stripteases through which layers of material stratigraphy reveal themselves through a deliberate process of revealing and concealing