Young Cities – Urban Energy Efficiency : The German-Iranian Research Project ; Accomplishments and Objectives

Gefördert vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung / Sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and ResearchThis is the first volume of the Young Cities Research Paper series presenting the scientific results of the mutual Iranian-German research Project Young Cities – Urban Energy Efficiency. Developing Energy-Efficient Urban Fabric in the Tehran-Karaj Region. The Project is funded for the German side by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research bmbf. From the Iranian side, the Building and Housing Research Center bhrc and the New Towns Development Corporation ntdc as the main Project Partners are both affiliated to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development mhud. The Young Cities Research Paper series shall disseminate the scientific results gained from project. The first volume is published on occasion of the completion of the first of the Pilot Project, i. e. the New Quality Pilot project building in Hashtgerd New Tow. Hashtgerd New Town, 70 km to the west of Tehran and 35 km to the west of Karaj forms the spatial focus of the Young Cities project. It is the place of intervention and for testing and trying the solutions and concepts developed for energy-efficient and sustainable urban design and planning, infrastructure provision, and object planning by the Iranian and German partners. The solutions shall, however, be applicable and transferable to other places in the Tehran-Karaj region as well as in Iran and in the Middle East North Africa region mena. The Young cities Project belongs to a worldwide “family” of ten research projects that are funded by the German bmbf and dedicated to the question of energy efficient urban development in future megacities. The other projects of this family are located in India, China, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa and Peru. The basic idea and commitment of this German research program is to produce research results useful for growing megacities. This research has to be done not on but for the growing megacities concerned and together with partners in these regions. In the case of the Young Cities project this led to an intensive and constructive cooperation between TU Berlin and the Iranian partners conducted by bhrc. The Research Paper series is intended to present the scientific results from the Young Cities project, while the consulting products including guidelines, software tools, instruments etc. are assembled after application and testing in a real project in Hashtgerd New Town and evaluation in a successively enlarged Manual. Since this first volume of the Young Cities Research Paper presents the overall Young Cities project in Farsi for the first time, focus is only partly laid on the results but also on its outline and objectives and only gives a glimpse into the first accomplishments and results. The present first volume of the Young Cities Research Paper series is to introduce the overall Young Cities Project with its accomplishments up to June 2010. It is divided into four main parts on the background of the project, its objectives and methodological approach, the results and accomplishments reached so far, and an outlook on the future progress of the project. The accomplishments form the main part and the focus of the volume. However, as the first volume, the Young Cities Project is also introduced with respect to some background information and primarily to its objectives and methodology forming the introduction into the whole series. Printed Version published by Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin (http://verlag.tu-berlin.de), ISBN 978-3-7983-2255-

LED-FISH: Fluorescence microscopy based on light emitting diodes for the molecular analysis of Her-2/neu oncogene amplification

Light emitting diodes (LED), which are available as small monochromatic light sources with characteristic features such as maximum illumination power combined with minimum energy consumption and extremely long lifespan have already proved as a highly potential low-cost alternative for specific diagnostic applications in clinical medicine such as tuberculosis fluorescence microscopy. Likewise, the most reliable evaluation of Her-2/neu (c-erbB2) gene amplification, which has been established in the last few years for routine diagnosis in clinical pathology as determinant towards Herceptin-based treatment of patients with breast cancer, is based on fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and corresponding high priced fluorescence equipment. In order to test the possibility to utilize the advantages of low-cost LED technology on FISH analysis of c-erbB2 gene expression for routine diagnostic purposes, the applicability of a standard bright field Carl Zeiss Axiostar Plus microscope equipped with a Fraen AFTER* LED Fluorescence Microscope Kit for the detection of Her-2/neu gene signals was compared to an advanced Nikon Eclipse 80i fluorescence microscope in combination with a conventional 100W mercury vapor lamp. Both microscopes were fitted with the same Quicam FAST CCD digital camera to unequivocally compare the quality of the captured images. C-erbB2 gene expression was analyzed in 30 different human tissue samples of primary invasive breast cancer, following formalin fixation and subsequent paraffin-embedding. The Her2/neu gene signals (green) were identifiable in the tumor cells in all cases and images of equal quality were captured under almost identical conditions by 480 nm (blue) LED module equipped standard Axiostar microscope as compared to conventional fluorescence microscopy. In this first attempt, these monochromatic LED elements proved in principle to be suitable for the detection of Her-2/neu gene expression by FISH. Thus, our own experiences emphasize the high potential of this technology to provide a serious alternative to conventional fluorescence microscopy in routine pathology; representing a sustainable technological progress, this low-cost technology will clearly give direction also to the growing field of molecular pathology

On the significance of Surfactant Protein-A within the human lungs

Surfactant Protein-A (SP-A) is the most prominent among four proteins in the pulmonary surfactant-system. SP-A is expressed by alveolar epithelial cells type II as well as by a portion of non small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC)

Introduction of a new model for time-continuous and non-contact investigations of in-vitro thrombolysis under physiological flow conditions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Thrombolysis is a dynamic and time-dependent process influenced by the haemodynamic conditions. Currently there is no model that allows for time-continuous, non-contact measurements under physiological flow conditions. The aim of this work was to introduce such a model.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The model is based on a computer-controlled pump providing variable constant or pulsatile flows in a tube system filled with blood substitute. Clots can be fixed in a custom-built clot carrier within the tube system. The pressure decline at the clot carrier is measured as a novel way to measure lysis of the clot. With different experiments the hydrodynamic properties and reliability of the model were analyzed. Finally, the lysis rate of clots generated from human platelet rich plasma (PRP) was measured during a one hour combined application of diagnostic ultrasound (2 MHz, 0.179 W/cm²) and a thrombolytic agent (rt-PA) as it is commonly used for clinical sonothrombolysis treatments.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All hydrodynamic parameters can be adjusted and measured with high accuracy. First experiments with sonothrombolysis demonstrated the feasibility of the model despite low lysis rates.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The model allows to adjust accurately all hydrodynamic parameters affecting thrombolysis under physiological flow conditions and for non-contact, time-continuous measurements. Low lysis rates of first sonothrombolysis experiments are primarily attributable to the high stability of the used PRP-clots.</p

Is it just about me? : A comparison between individual and cultural strategies of learning from failure

The aim of this exploratory study is to research individual and cultural strategies of learning from failure amongst German, Indian and Swedish university students. Our research provides (1) a framework of typal similarities of failure learning within the national cultures of Germany, India and Sweden, as well as (2) understanding of cultural effects on failure learning and (3) insights for entrepreneurship educators to develop programs that steer discussions and reflections on the event of failure as a likely part of the entrepreneurial process. Thus, this research provides a new brick of understanding as our results show that both culture-based strategies as well as culturally independent typical subjectivities in learning from failure exist for the three nations Germany, India and Sweden. The defined typologies can broaden our understanding of learning from failure at an intermediate level, bridging the gap between cultural and individual factors. Furthermore, our paper showcases the suitability of Q methodology to bring to front individual beliefs as well as group-specific opinions in higher education by discussing the methodological capabilities and challenges as experienced during our study.CC BY 4.0Corresponding author: E-mail address: [email protected] (B. Boers).</p

Recommendations for immunocytochemistry in lung cancer typing: An update on a resource-efficient approach with large-scale comparative Bayesian analysis

Objectives The majority of lung cancer cases are of advanced stage and diagnosis is usually made using minimally invasive small biopsies and cytological specimens. The WHO 2015 classification recommends limiting immunocytochemistry (ICC) to lung cancer typing and molecular testing drives for personalised therapies. An algorithm using Bayes' theorem could be useful for defining antibody profiles. This study aims to assess the impact of different antibody profiles for cytological samples on the accuracy of lung cancer typing with a large-scale Bayesian analysis. Methods A retrospective examination of 3419 consecutive smears and/or cytospins diagnosed over 2011-2016 found 1960 primary lung cancer tumours: 972 adenocarcinomas (ADC), 256 squamous carcinomas (SQC), 268 neuroendocrine tumours (NET), and 464 non-small cell cancer-not otherwise specified (NSCC-NOS). The a priori and a posteriori probabilities, before and after ICC using antibodies singly or in combination, were calculated for different lung cancer types. Results TTF-1 or CK7 alone improved the a posteriori probabilities of correct cytological typing for ADC to 86.5% and 95.8%, respectively. For SQC, using p40 ( increment Np63) or CK5/6 together with CK5/14 led to comparable results (78.3% and 90.3%). With synaptophysin or CD56 alone, improvements in a posteriori probabilities to 87.5 and 90.3% for the correct recognition of NET could be achieved. Conclusions Based on morphological and clinical data, the use of two antibodies appears sufficient for reliable detection of the different lung cancer types. This applies to diagnoses that were finalised following ICC both on a clinical or cytological basis and on a histological basis.WOS:0006994096000012-s2.0-85115704631PubMed: 3440210

Recommendations for immunocytochemistry in lung cancer typing: An update on a resource-efficient approach with large-scale comparative Bayesian analysis

Objectives The majority of lung cancer cases are of advanced stage and diagnosis is usually made using minimally invasive small biopsies and cytological specimens. The WHO 2015 classification recommends limiting immunocytochemistry (ICC) to lung cancer typing and molecular testing drives for personalised therapies. An algorithm using Bayes' theorem could be useful for defining antibody profiles. This study aims to assess the impact of different antibody profiles for cytological samples on the accuracy of lung cancer typing with a large-scale Bayesian analysis. Methods A retrospective examination of 3419 consecutive smears and/or cytospins diagnosed over 2011-2016 found 1960 primary lung cancer tumours: 972 adenocarcinomas (ADC), 256 squamous carcinomas (SQC), 268 neuroendocrine tumours (NET), and 464 non-small cell cancer-not otherwise specified (NSCC-NOS). The a priori and a posteriori probabilities, before and after ICC using antibodies singly or in combination, were calculated for different lung cancer types. Results TTF-1 or CK7 alone improved the a posteriori probabilities of correct cytological typing for ADC to 86.5% and 95.8%, respectively. For SQC, using p40 ( increment Np63) or CK5/6 together with CK5/14 led to comparable results (78.3% and 90.3%). With synaptophysin or CD56 alone, improvements in a posteriori probabilities to 87.5 and 90.3% for the correct recognition of NET could be achieved. Conclusions Based on morphological and clinical data, the use of two antibodies appears sufficient for reliable detection of the different lung cancer types. This applies to diagnoses that were finalised following ICC both on a clinical or cytological basis and on a histological basis.WOS:0006994096000012-s2.0-85115704631PubMed: 3440210