A holistic review of off-site construction literature published between 2008 and 2018

Off-site construction (i.e., OSC) has become an emerging research domain in the recent decade. Through a three-step holistic review approach incorporating bibliometric search, scientometric analysis, and in-depth qualitative discussion, this study contributes to the body of knowledge in OSC by critically reviewing and summarizing: 1) the latest research keywords and main research topics in OSC; 2) the performance of OSC compared to that of conventional construction approach; 3) current research gaps in integrating OSC with other emerging construction concepts; and 4) future research directions in OSC. OSC is a domain that can be extended to cross-disciplinary research from the perspectives of engineering, management, and technology. Existing research have been focusing on many research disciplines, such as structural behaviors and joint connections of prefabricated components, scheduling and planning of off-site activities, as well as performance evaluation of OSC. However, further research is needed in integrating the emerging digital construction technology, integrated project delivery method, lean construction, and issues of sustainability of OSC. There are still limited studies linking OSC to the concept of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly. Future research should also adopt a larger database and allow for comprehensive evaluation of OSC performance

Evaluation of [18F]AlF-EMP-105 for molecular imaging of 2 C-Met

C-Met is a receptor tyrosine kinase that is overexpressed in a range of different cancer types, and has been identified as a potential biomarker for cancer imaging and therapy. Previously, a 68Ga-labelled peptide, [68Ga]Ga-EMP-100, has shown promise for imaging c-Met in renal cell carcinoma in humans. Herein, we report the synthesis and preliminary biological evaluation of an [18F]AlF-labelled analogue, [18F]AlF-EMP-105, for c-Met imaging by positron emission tomography. EMP-105 was radiolabelled using the aluminium-[18F]fluoride method with 46 ± 2% RCY and >95% RCP in 35–40 min. In vitro evaluation showed that [18F]AlF-EMP-105 has a high specificity for c-Met-expressing cells. Radioactive metabolite analysis at 5 and 30 min post-injection revealed that [18F]AlF-EMP-105 has good blood stability, but undergoes transformation—transchelation, defluorination or demetallation—in the liver and kidneys. PET imaging in non-tumour-bearing mice showed high radioactive accumulation in the kidneys, bladder and urine, demonstrating that the tracer is cleared predominantly as [18F]fluoride by the renal system. With its high specificity for c-Met expressing cells, [18F]AlF-EMP-105 shows promise as a potential diagnostic tool for imaging cancer

Repeatability of quantitative18F-FLT uptake measurements in solid tumors: an individual patient data multi-center meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: 3'-deoxy-3'-[18F]fluorothymidine (18F-FLT) positron emission tomography (PET) provides a non-invasive method to assess cellular proliferation and response to antitumor therapy. Quantitative18F-FLT uptake metrics are being used for evaluation of proliferative response in investigational setting, however multi-center repeatability needs to be established. The aim of this study was to determine the repeatability of18F-FLT tumor uptake metrics by re-analyzing individual patient data from previously published reports using the same tumor segmentation method and repeatability metrics across cohorts. METHODS: A systematic search in PubMed, EMBASE.com and the Cochrane Library from inception-October 2016 yielded five18F-FLT repeatability cohorts in solid tumors.18F-FLT avid lesions were delineated using a 50% isocontour adapted for local background on test and retest scans. SUVmax, SUVmean, SUVpeak, proliferative volume and total lesion uptake (TLU) were calculated. Repeatability was assessed using the repeatability coefficient (RC = 1.96 × SD of test-retest differences), linear regression analysis, and the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). The impact of different lesion selection criteria was also evaluated. RESULTS: Images from four cohorts containing 30 patients with 52 lesions were obtained and analyzed (ten in breast cancer, nine in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and 33 in non-small cell lung cancer patients). A good correlation was found between test-retest data for all18F-FLT uptake metrics (R2 ≥ 0.93; ICC ≥ 0.96). Best repeatability was found for SUVpeak(RC: 23.1%), without significant differences in RC between different SUV metrics. Repeatability of proliferative volume (RC: 36.0%) and TLU (RC: 36.4%) was worse than SUV. Lesion selection methods based on SUVmax ≥ 4.0 improved the repeatability of volumetric metrics (RC: 26-28%), but did not affect the repeatability of SUV metrics. CONCLUSIONS: In multi-center studies, differences ≥ 25% in18F-FLT SUV metrics likely represent a true change in tumor uptake. Larger differences are required for FLT metrics comprising volume estimates when no lesion selection criteria are applied

Spatiotemporal co-existence of two Mycobacterium ulcerans clonal complexes in the Offin River Valley of Ghana

In recent years, comparative genome sequence analysis of African Mycobacterium ulcerans strains isolated from Buruli ulcer (BU) lesion specimen has revealed a very limited genetic diversity of closely related isolates and a striking association between genotype and geographical origin of the patients. Here, we compared whole genome sequences of five M. ulcerans strains isolated in 2004 or 2013 from BU lesions of four residents of the Offin river valley with 48 strains isolated between 2002 and 2005 from BU lesions of individuals residing in the Densu river valley of Ghana. While all M. ulcerans isolates from the Densu river valley belonged to the same clonal complex, members of two distinct clonal complexes were found in the Offin river valley over space and time. The Offin strains were closely related to genotypes from either the Densu region or from the Asante Akim North district of Ghana. These results point towards an occasional involvement of a mobile reservoir in the transmission of M. ulcerans, enabling the spread of bacteria across different regions

Effect of maturity stages on seed quality of two tomato accessions

Seed maturation is one of the main factors that determine vegetable seed quality, which is a prerequisite for successful germination and seedling emergence. The objective of this study was to evaluate maturity stages and their effect on seed quality of tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ) accessions. A field and laboratory studies were conducted at the experimental site of CSIR-Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute, Bunso, Ghana using two tomato accessions, GH 9207 and GH 9305. Seeds were extracted from fruits harvested at four maturity stages, namely, initially ripe, half ripe, fully ripe and rotten. Before seed extraction, data on fruit characteristics, including fruit diameter, fruit length and fruit weight were recorded. Seed quality was assessed by 100-seed weight, seed vigour and germination percentage. Tomato accession GH 9207 had a larger fruit diameter and weight than GH 9305. Both accessions did not differ in 100-seed weight among treatments. Higher seed vigour and germination percentage was observed in tomato accession GH 9207 than in GH 9305. Seeds extracted at the initially ripe stage had the least vigour in both accessions. Tomato seeds of high vigour and germination can be obtained from fruits harvested at half ripe, fully ripe and rotten stages irrespective of the accession.La maturation est l\u2019un des facteurs principaux qui d\ue9termine la qualit\ue9 des graines des cultures mara\ueech\ue8res, qui est un pr\ue9requis pour une germination r\ue9ussie et une \ue9mergence des plantules. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019\ue9valuer les stades de maturit\ue9 et leur effet sur la qualit\ue9 des graines des accessions de la tomate ( Solanum lycopersicum ). Des essais de champ et de laboratoire ont \ue9t\ue9 conduits sur le site exp\ue9rimental de CSIR-Institut de Recherches sur les Ressources G\ue9n\ue9tiques, Bunso, Ghana en utilisant deux accessions de tomate GH9207 et GH9305. Les graines ont \ue9t\ue9 extraites de fruits r\ue9colt\ue9s pendant quatre stades de maturit\ue9, d\ue9nomm\ue9es, initialement m\ufbr, moiti\ue9 m\ufbr, totalement m\ufbr et pourri. Avant l\u2019extraction des graines, les donn\ue9es ont \ue9t\ue9 collect\ue9es sur les caract\ue9ristiques de fruits, y compris le diam\ue8tre du fruit, la longueur de fruit et le poids du fruit. La qualit\ue9 des graines a \ue9t\ue9 \ue9valu\ue9e par le poids de 100 graines, lavigueur des graines et le pourcentage de germination. L\u2019accession GH 9207 de tomate a eu des fruits de diam\ue8tre et de poids plus grands que GH 9305. Toutes les deux accessions sont diff\ue9rentes sur le poids des 100 graines entre les traitements. Des graines de grande vigueur et de haut pourcentage de germination ont \ue9t\ue9 observ\ue9es sur l\u2019accession GH 9207 que sur GH 9305. Les graines extraites au stade de maturation initiale ont la plus faible vigueur sur les deux accessions. Les graines de vigueur \ue9lev\ue9e et de fort taux de germination peuvent \ueatre obtenues sur les fruits r\ue9colt\ue9s aux stades de moiti\ue9 m\ufbr, totalement m\ufbr et pourri selon l\u2019accession

Clinical translation of [18F]ICMT-11 for measuring chemotherapy-induced caspase 3/7 activation in breast and lung cancer

Background: Effective anticancer therapy is thought to involve induction of tumour cell death through apoptosis and/or necrosis. [18F]ICMT-11, an isatin sulfonamide caspase-3/7-specific radiotracer, has been developed for PET imaging and shown to have favourable dosimetry, safety, and biodistribution. We report the translation of [18F]ICMT-11 PET to measure chemotherapy-induced caspase-3/7 activation in breast and lung cancer patients receiving first-line therapy. Results: Breast tumour SUVmax of [18F]ICMT-11 was low at baseline and unchanged following therapy. Measurement of M30/M60 cytokeratin-18 cleavage products showed that therapy was predominantly not apoptosis in nature. While increases in caspase-3 staining on breast histology were seen, post-treatment caspase-3 positivity values were only approximately 1%; this low level of caspase-3 could have limited sensitive detection by [18F]ICMT-11-PET. Fourteen out of 15 breast cancer patients responded to first–line chemotherapy (complete or partial response); one patient had stable disease. Four patients showed increases in regions of high tumour [18F]ICMT-11 intensity on voxel-wise analysis of tumour data (classed as PADS); response was not exclusive to patients with this phenotype. In patients with lung cancer, multi-parametric [18F]ICMT-11 PET and MRI (diffusion-weighted- and dynamic contrast enhanced-MRI) showed that PET changes were concordant with cell death in the absence of significant perfusion changes. Conclusion: This study highlights the potential use of [18F]ICMT-11 PET as a promising candidate for non-invasive imaging of caspase3/7 activation, and the difficulties encountered in assessing early-treatment responses. We summarize that tumour response could occur in the absence of predominant chemotherapy-induced caspase-3/7 activation measured non-invasively across entire tumour lesions in patients with breast and lung cancer

Highly effective liquid and solid phase extraction methods to concentrate radioiodine isotopes for radioiodination chemistry

Radioactive iodine isotopes play a pivotal role in radiopharmaceuticals. Large-scale production of multi-patient dose of radioiodinated nuclear medicines requires high concentration of radioiodine. We demonstrate that tetrabutylammonium chloride and methyltrioctylamonium chloride are effective phase transfer reagents to concentrate iodide-124, iodide-125 and iodide-131 from the corresponding commercial water solutions. The resulting concentrated radioiodide, in the presence of either phase transfer reagent, does not hamper the chemical reactivity of aqueous radioiodide in the copper (II)-mediated one-pot three-component click chemistry to produce radioiodinated iodotriazoles