Evaluation of oil shale bitumen as a pavement asphalt additive to reduce moisture damage susceptibility

An unrefined shale bitumen was evaluated as an agent to reduce moisture damage susceptibility of asphalt aggregate mixtures. Some activity was observed but less than might have been expected based on the molecular weight and nitrogen content of the bitumen. The counter effects of free carboxylic acids, which are known to be variable in asphalt and which are also present in the unrefined bitumen, appear to diminish the activity of the bitumen to inhibit moisture damage. 5 refs., 1 tab

Groundwater: From Windmills to Comprehensive Public Management

I. Preface II. Introduction III. The First Period—Territorial Days to 1920 IV. The Second Period—The Impetus for Change Emerges in the \u2720s, \u2730s, and \u2740s … A. Mechanization and Electrification … B. Drought and Depression … C. Profitability of Irrigation … D. Knowledge about Groundwater Sources … E. Adoption of a Legal Rule to Govern Conflicts between Adjoining Owners—Olson v. City of Wahoo … F. Legislative Response and Public Opinion V. The Third Era—1950 to 1972 … A. Rapidity of Growth … B. Overview of Developments in Specific Areas … C. Declining Water Tables … D. Judicial Rules Governing Disputes between Adjacent Landowners … 1. The Reasonable Use Doctrine … 2. The Correlative Rights Doctrine … 3. Conclusion … E. Safeguarding Municipal Supplies … 1. Background … 2. Insecurity under Judge-Made Rules … 3. Omaha\u27s Leadership in Obtaining Enactment of the City, Village, and Municipal Corporation Ground Water Permit Act … a. Flaws in the Act … b. Litigation under the Act—MUD v. Merrit Beach Co. … F. Water for Industry … 1. Burger v. City of Beatrice … 2. The Stumbling Block of the Nebraska Preference Statute … 3. Proposals to Aid in Future Municipal Planning … 4. Conclusion … G. The Movement toward Management of Groundwater in Nebraska … 1. Non-Using Owners … 2. Overdevelopment … 3. Future Generations … 4. A Water Market … 5. The Public Interest … 6. Integration of Streams and Groundwater Supplies … a. Cut-Off Lines … b. The Restatement Position … H. Local Control … 1. Special Purpose Districts in Nebraska … 2. Summary of LB1357 … 3. Management Powers for Natural Resources Districts—An Appropriation, Permit System for Nebraska … a. Introduction … b. Permits … (1) Vested Rights … (2) Procedure for Issuance of Permits … (3) Subirrigation … (4) Standard Conditions … (5) Prescriptive Rights … c. General Powers … (1) Collection of Data … (2) Rules and Regulations … (3) Pollution … (4) Rotation and Exchange Agreements … (5) Practical Adjustments … (6) Substitute Supply from District … (7) Sales and Exchanges … (8) Taxes and Extraction Charges … (9) Eminent Domain … (10) Minimum Stream Flows … (11) Perched Water Tables … d. Critical Areas … e. Special Powers in Critical Areas … f. Litigation … g. Lobbying and Public Relations … h. Conjunctive Use VI. Conclusion VII. Appendi

Potential small-scale development of western oil shale

Several studies have been undertaken in an effort to determine ways to enhance development of western oil shale under current market conditions for energy resources. This study includes a review of the commercial potential of western oil shale products and byproducts, a review of retorting processes, an economic evaluation of a small-scale commercial operation, and a description of the environmental requirements of such an operation. Shale oil used as a blend in conventional asphalt appears to have the most potential for entering today's market. Based on present prices for conventional petroleum, other products from oil shale do not appear competitive at this time or will require considerable marketing to establish a position in the marketplace. Other uses for oil shale and spent shale, such as for sulfur sorbtion, power generation, cement, aggregate, and soil stabilization, are limited economically by transportation costs. The three-state area area consisting of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming seems reasonable for the entry of shale oil-blended asphalt into the commercial market. From a review of retorting technologies and the product characteristics from various retorting processes it was determined that the direct heating Paraho and inclined fluidized-bed processes produce a high proportion of heavy material with a high nitrogen content. The two processes are complementary in that they are each best suited to processing different size ranges of materials. An economic evaluation of a 2000-b/d shale oil facility shows that the operation is potentially viable, if the price obtained for the shale oil residue is in the top range of prices projected for this product. Environmental requirements for building and operating an oil shale processing facility are concerned with permitting, control of emissions and discharges, and monitoring. 62 refs., 6 figs., 10 tabs

Spinal involvement in mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (Morquio-Brailsford or Morquio A syndrome): presentation, diagnosis and management.

Mucopolysaccharidosis IVA (MPS IVA), also known as Morquio-Brailsford or Morquio A syndrome, is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by a deficiency of the enzyme N-acetyl-galactosamine-6-sulphate sulphatase (GALNS). MPS IVA is multisystemic but manifests primarily as a progressive skeletal dysplasia. Spinal involvement is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in MPS IVA. Early diagnosis and timely treatment of problems involving the spine are critical in preventing or arresting neurological deterioration and loss of function. This review details the spinal manifestations of MPS IVA and describes the tools used to diagnose and monitor spinal involvement. The relative utility of radiography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the evaluation of cervical spine instability, stenosis, and cord compression is discussed. Surgical interventions, anaesthetic considerations, and the use of neurophysiological monitoring during procedures performed under general anaesthesia are reviewed. Recommendations for regular radiological imaging and neurologic assessments are presented, and the need for a more standardized approach for evaluating and managing spinal involvement in MPS IVA is addressed

2-Deoxy-2[F-18]FDG-PET for Detection of Recurrent Laryngeal Carcinoma after Radiotherapy: Interobserver Variability in Reporting

Purpose: To evaluate accuracy and interobserver variability in the assessment of 2-deoxy-2[F-18]fluoro-d-glucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) for detection of recurrent laryngeal carcinoma after radiotherapy. Procedures: Eleven experienced nuclear physicians from eight centres assessed 30 FDG-PET scans on the appearance of local recurrence (negative/equivocal/positive). Conservative (equivocal analysed as negative) and sensitive (equivocal analysed as positive) assessment strategies were compared to the reference standard (recurrence within 6months after PET). Results: Seven patients had proven recurrences. For the conservative and sensitive strategy, the mean sensitivity was 87% and 97%, specificity 81% and 63%, positive predictive values 61% and 46% and negative predictive values 96% and 99%, respectively. Interobserver variability showed a reasonable relation in comparison to the reference standard (kappa = 0.55). Conclusions: FDG-PET has acceptable interobserver agreement and yields good negative predictive value for detection of recurrent laryngeal carcinoma. It could therefore be used as first diagnostic step and may reduce futile invasive diagnostics

Growth inhibition of thyroid follicular cell-derived cancers by the opioid growth factor (OGF) - opioid growth factor receptor (OGFr) axis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Carcinoma of the thyroid gland is an uncommon cancer, but the most frequent malignancy of the endocrine system. Most thyroid cancers are derived from the follicular cell. Follicular carcinoma (FTC) is considered more malignant than papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is one of the most lethal human cancers. Opioid Growth Factor (OGF; chemical term - [Met⁵]-enkephalin) and its receptor, OGFr, form an inhibitory axis regulating cell proliferation. Both the peptide and receptor have been detected in a wide variety of cancers, and OGF is currently used clinically as a biotherapy for some non-thyroid neoplasias. This study addressed the question of whether the OGF-OGFr axis is present and functional in human thyroid follicular cell - derived cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Utilizing human ATC (KAT-18), PTC (KTC-1), and FTC (WRO 82-1) cell lines, immunohistochemistry was employed to ascertain the presence and location of OGF and OGFr. The growth characteristics in the presence of OGF or the opioid antagonist naltrexone (NTX), and the specificity of opioid peptides for proliferation of ATC, were established in KAT-18 cells. Dependence on peptide and receptor were investigated using neutralization studies with antibodies and siRNA experiments, respectively. The mechanism of peptide action on DNA synthesis and cell survival was ascertained. The ubiquity of the OGF-OGFr axis in thyroid follicular cell-derived cancer was assessed in KTC-1 (PTC) and WRO 82-1 (FTC) tumor cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>OGF and OGFr were present in KAT-18 cells. Concentrations of 10^-6M OGF inhibited cell replication up to 30%, whereas NTX increased cell growth up to 35% relative to cultures treated with sterile water. OGF treatment reduced cell number by as much as 38% in KAT-18 ATC in a dose-dependent and receptor-mediated manner. OGF antibodies neutralized the inhibitory effects of OGF, and siRNA knockdown of OGFr negated growth inhibition by OGF. Cell survival was not altered by OGF, but DNA synthesis as recorded by BrdU incorporation was depressed by 28% in OGF-treated cultures compared to those exposed to sterile water. The OGF-OGFr axis was detected and functional in PTC (KTC-1) and FTC (WRO 82-1) cell lines.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data suggest that OGF and OGFr are present in follicular-derived thyroid cancers, and that OGF serves in a tonically active inhibitory manner to maintain homeostasis of cell proliferation. These results may provide a biotherapeutic strategy in the treatment of these cancers.</p

Imaging findings in craniofacial childhood rhabdomyosarcoma

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the commonest paediatric soft-tissue sarcoma constituting 3–5% of all malignancies in childhood. RMS has a predilection for the head and neck area and tumours in this location account for 40% of all childhood RMS cases. In this review we address the clinical and imaging presentations of craniofacial RMS, discuss the most appropriate imaging techniques, present characteristic imaging features and offer an overview of differential diagnostic considerations. Post-treatment changes will be briefly addressed

Rights to Nebraska Streamflows: A Historical Overview with Recommendations

I. Preface II. Introduction III. Riparian Rights in Nebraska … A. Requirement of Riparian Land … 1. Natural Watercourse or Lake … 2. Ownership of the Bank and Access to the Stream … 3. Statutory Abrogation of Riparian Rights … 4. Restrictions on the Quantity of Riparian Land … 5. Accretion and Reliction … B. General Nature of the Right … C. Riparian Uses and the Test of Reasonableness … D. Restrictions on Place of Use … 1. Use upon Non-Riparian Land … 2. Trans-Watershed Diversions IV. The Nebraska Appropriation System … A. Irrigation Development and the Law: 1860–1895 … 1. The Settlement Years … 2. Prior Appropriation Recognized: The Act of 1877 … 3. The 1889 St. Rayner Irrigation Laws a. Appropriation Established … b. Extent of the Right … c. Administration of the 1889 Law … d. Why Appropriation? … e. Federal Recognition of Appropriation … B. The Campaign for a Comprehensive Appropriation Law: 1890–1895 … 1. The Rise of the Irrigation Crusade … 2. The Political Background of the Movement … 3. Passage of the 1895 Law … C. The 1895 Appropriation and Irrigation Law … 1. Administrative Control … a. The Adjudication of Vested Rights … b. Applications for New Appropriations … c. Administration and Enforcement of Appropriative Rights … 2. Publici Juris … 3. Statutory Controls to Prevent Waste … 4. Preferential Uses … 5. Protection of Existing Rights … 6. Miscellaneous Provisions … D. Redress and Remedies … 1. Acts Not Involving Use … 2. Riparian v. Riparian … 3. Riparian v. Appropriator … E. 1895 to 1972 V. Recommendations … A. Riparian Rights … B. Preferences … C. The Three-Year Non-Use Rule … D. Flexibility of Use … E. Protected Rivers and Minimum Flows VI. Conclusio