Slope Stability Analysis of the Working Level and Final Slope in the Surface Mine of Marls Near \u27Hani I Elezit\u27

The future of Kosovo’s economic development relies on the exploration of natural resources, particularly, mining. Great importance has been placed on the exploitation of these resources via the surface utilization of marls. Marls being the prevalent raw material for cement production. Since the beginning of 20thcentury, great achievements have been made in the geo-techniques field, leading to the remarkable progress in the art of mining.This paper through the limit equilibrium solution examines the optimization of parameters for slope stability and presents the findings of the on-site research and lab workings conducted on the open-pit mines of marls near the cement plant “SHARR CEM” Hani i Elezit. Expansion of the mine to the south-eastern boundary will require significant stability analysis.Therefore in order to determine represented parameters as realistically as possible, physic-mechanical parameters were drawn from the material on the slope. The lab results were processed from astatistical perspective their reduction were conducted under geotechnical conditions for safety. This parameters where adopted so that slope stability calculations could take place. Two analytic methods were used for geostatic analyses,The Bishop’smethod and Janbu’s method

Like dust before the wind, or, the winds of change? The influence of international criminal tribunals on narratives and media frames

CITATION: Bachmann, K., et al. 2019. Like dust before the wind, or, the winds of change? the influence of international criminal tribunals on narratives and media frames. International Journal of Transitional Justice, 13(2):368-386, doi:10.1093/ijtj/ijz005.The original publication is available at https://academic.oup.com/ijtj/When created, international criminal tribunals (ICTs) were not only expected to do justice but also to provide stabilization to postconflict regions, contribute to reconciliation and curb the potential denial of atrocities. Based on media content analysis, this article examines whether controversial ICT decisions triggered changes in narratives or frames about the conflicts which formed the background of the respective ICT decisions. There is no evidence for dramatic changes in the preexisting narratives about these conflicts, but we found some cases in which tribunal decisions caused changes in media frames and in elements of such frames, mostly by emphasizing outgroup victimhood and individual responsibility of ingroup perpetrators, as well as triggering effects of collective guilt externalization. Although frame changes were often observed in both democratic and nondemocratic countries, only in democratic countries with pluralist and competitive media systems could they be attributed to tribunal decisions.https://academic.oup.com/ijtj/article/13/2/368/5372410Publisher's versio

Mathematical Modeling of Technological Parameters of The Work of Bucket Wheel Excavators

This paper presents the results of research in to the dependency between the technical and technological parameters of bucket wheel excavators in operation on the marly clay formations of coal open pits mines in Kosova, according to analysis and design of experiments models that use first order 2k orthogonal plans incorporating many factors. These types of computer simulation models were presented in such a way that perpetuated the dependence of exponential equation for each parameter with the inerpretation of a 3D graphics application model –MATLAB

Pharmacokinetics of radiolabeled dimeric sdAbs constructs targeting human CD20

Single-domain antibody fragments (sdAbs) are the smallest functional antigen-binding fragments, derived from heavy chain-only camelid antibodies. When designed as radiolabeled monomeric probes for imaging and therapy of cancer, their fast and specific targeting results in high tumor-to-background ratios early after injection. However, their moderate absolute uptake into tumors might not always be sufficient to treat cancerous lesions. We have evaluated the pharmacokinetics of seven constructs derived from a CD20-targeting monomeric sdAb (alphaCD20). The constructs differed in affinity or avidity towards CD20 (dimeric alphaCD20-alphaCD20 and alphaCD20 fused to a non-targeting control sdAb, referred to as alphaCD20-ctrl) and blood half-lives (alphaCD20 fused to an albumin-targeting sdAb (alphaAlb)=alphaCD20-alphaAlb). The constructs were radiolabeled with (111)In (imaging) and (177)Lu (therapy) using the bifunctional chelator CHX-A"-DTPA and evaluated in vitro and in vivo. In mice, tumor uptake of (177)Lu-DTPA-alphaCD20 decreased from 4.82+/-1.80 to 0.13+/-0.05% IA/g over 72h. Due to its rapid blood clearance, tumor- to-blood (T/B) ratios of >100 were obtained within 24h. Although in vitro internalization indicated that dimeric (177)Lu-DTPA-alphaCD20-alphaCD20 was superior in terms of total cell-associated radioactivity, this was not confirmed in vivo. Blood clearance was slower and absolute tumor uptake became significantly higher for alphaCD20-alphaAlb. Blood levels of (177)Lu-DTPA-alphaCD20-alphaAlb decreased from 68.30+/-10.53 to 3.58+/-0.66% IA/g over 120h, while tumor uptake increased from 6.21+/-0.94 to 24.90+/-2.83% IA/g, resulting in lower T/B ratios. Taken together, these results indicate that the increased size of dimeric alphaCD20-alphaCD20 or the fusion of monomeric alphaCD20 to an albumin- targeting moiety (alphaAlb) counterbalance their improved tumor targeting capacity compared to monomeric alphaCD20

Identification of Nanobodies against the Acute Myeloid Leukemia Marker CD33

Nanobodies (Nbs) are the smallest antigen-binding, single domain fragments derived from heavy-chain-only antibodies from Camelidae. Among the several advantages over conventional monoclonal antibodies, their small size (12–15 kDa) allows them to extravasate rapidly, to show improved tissue penetration, and to clear rapidly from blood, which are important characteristics for cancer imaging and targeted radiotherapy. Herein, we identified Nbs against CD33, a marker for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A total of 12 Nbs were generated against recombinant CD33 protein, out of which six bound natively CD33 protein, expressed on the surface of acute myeloid leukemia THP-1 cells. The equilibrium dissociation constants (KD) of these six Nbs and CD33 range from 4 to 270 nM, and their melting temperature (Tm) varies between 52.67 and 67.80 °C. None of these Nbs showed leukemogenicity activity in vitro. The selected six candidates were radiolabeled with 99mTc, and their biodistribution was evaluated in THP-1-tumor-bearing mice. The imaging results demonstrated the fast tumor-targeting capacity of the Nbs in vivo. Among the anti-CD33 Nbs, Nb_7 showed the highest tumor uptake (2.53 ± 0.69 % injected activity per gram (IA/g), with low background signal, except in the kidneys and bladder. Overall, Nb_7 exhibits the best characteristics to be used as an anti-CD33 targeting vehicle for future diagnostic or therapeutic applications

Theranostic radiolabeled anti-CD20 sdAb for targeted radionuclide therapy of non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Anti-CD20 radioimmunotherapy is an effective approach for therapy of relapsed or refractory CD20(pos) lymphomas, but faces limitations due to poor tumor penetration and undesirable pharmacokinetics of full antibodies. Camelid single-domain Ab fragments (sdAb) might circumvent some of the limitations of radiolabeled full antibodies. In this study, a set of hCD20-targeting sdAbs was generated, and their capacity to bind hCD20 was evaluated in vitro and in vivo A lead sdAb, sdAb 9079, was selected on the basis of its specific tumor targeting and significant lower kidney accumulation compared with other sdAbs. SdAb 9079 was then radiolabeled with (68)Ga and (177)Lu for PET imaging and targeted therapy. The therapeutic potential of (177)Lu-DTPA-sdAb was compared with that of (177)Lu-DTPA-rituximab and unlabeled rituximab in mice bearing hCD20(pos) tumors. Radiolabeled with (68)Ga, sdAb 9079 showed specific tumor uptake, with very low accumulation in nontarget organs, except kidneys. The tumor uptake of (177)Lu-DTPA-sdAb 9079 after 1.5 h was 3.4 +/- 1.3% ID/g, with T/B and T/M ratios of 13.3 +/- 4.6 and 32.9 +/- 15.6. Peak tumor accumulation of (177)Lu-DTPA-rituximab was about 9 times higher, but concomitantly with high accumulation in nontarget organs and very low T/B and T/M ratios (0.8 +/- 0.1 and 7.1 +/- 2.4). Treatment of mice with (177)Lu-DTPA-sdAb 9079 significantly prolonged median survival compared with control groups and was as effective as treatment with rituximab or its (177)Lu-labeled variant. Taken together, sdAb 9079 displays promising features as a theranostic drug to treat CD20(pos) lymphomas. Mol Cancer Ther; 16(12); 2828-39. (c)2017 AACR