Non-negligible Potential Research Articles

What is the current role of prophylactic cranial irradiation in the treatment algorithm for small cell lung cancer?

Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is considered an important technological advance made in oncology in an effort to reduce the incidence of brain metastases (BM) and improve overall survival (OS) of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Although it is often reported that PCI improves the therapeutic potential in limited-stage (LS) SCLC, no randomised trial has ever conclusively confirmed this. Nevertheless, PCI has been considered the standard of care for LS-SCLC since the late 1990s. The data supporting the use of PCI in LS-SCLC are based on an analysis of work performed prior to the current approach to staging [brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT)]. The evidence for the rationale and feasibility of this approach in the modern diagnostic era should be demonstrated. The situation with extensive stage (ES) SCLC is seemingly easier because, unlike LS-SCLC, we have data from two randomised trials. Unfortunately, their results are in direct conflict with each other. Although it is generally assumed that good control of brain disease leads to better quality of life, this has never been prospectively demonstrated. In fact, PCI is associated not only with increased treatment costs and some patient discomfort, but also with non-negligible potential toxicity. For this reason, efforts have been made to preserve cognitive function by sparing the hippocampus. This concept is called hippocampal avoidance. The optimal fractionation regimen is currently less controversial than the optimal integration of PCI into the treatment algorithm. A dose of 25 Gy administered in 10 fractions should remain the standard for the eventual use of PCI in patients with SCLC. In summary, PCI is not a conditio sine qua non in any indication. Neither in patients with LS-SCLC nor in patients with ES-SCLC has a clear improvement in OS been demonstrated at follow-up using current imaging modalities.

Nuciferine relieves type 2 diabetes mellitus via enhancing GLUT4 expression and translocation

Nuciferine contained in lotus leaves have been confirmed to have the effect of ameliorating hyperlipemia and hyperglycemia. A laser scanning confocal microscope was used to track the translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) in L6 cells and the changes in intracellular Ca2+ levels in real time, and related protease inhibitors combined with western blotting were used to explore the mechanism of nuciferine. Meanwhile, KK-Ay mice, the spontaneous type 2 diabetic mice, were used to evaluate the in vivo activity of nuciferine. In this study, the in vitro studies indicated that nuciferine-induced GLUT4 translocation was regulated by G protein-PLC-PKC and AMPK pathways and nuciferine-enhanced intracellular Ca2+ was mediated by G protein-PLC-IP3-IP3R pathway, the increase in intracellular Ca2+ caused by nuciferine was not directly related to GLUT4 translocation, but both promote glucose uptake. The in vivo results suggested that nuciferine ameliorated weight gain induced by high-fat diet, abnormal lipid metabolism and the symptoms of insulin resistance in KK-Ay diabetic mice. Western blot results suggested that nuciferine increased AMPK and PKC phosphorylation levels in skeletal muscle and liver, and enhanced GLUT4 expression in skeletal muscle. Taken together, this research showed that nuciferine has the non-negligible potential in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Thermodynamic Performance of a Cogeneration Plant Driven by Waste Heat from Cement Kilns Exhaust Gases

The dwindling and scarcity of fossil energy sources is the basis of the energy transition, where renewable resources are increasingly valued. The purpose of the cogeneration system studied in this article is to recover the residual heat from the gases coming out of the chimneys of the cement kilns, to produce at the same time the electricity and the heat required for offices and residential houses of cement workers. Cement kilns are reputed to be energy-intensive, generating excessive heat losses. These heat losses are found mainly in the conduction–convective and radiative modes, representing about 26% of the overall heat input to the system. Nevertheless, the gases at the chimney outlet can still have temperatures between 250 and 350 °C, which presents a non-negligible potential for a cogeneration system. This study compares the thermal performance of different cogeneration plant configurations (KCA, KCB, and KCC systems) using the Kalina cycle to determine the best one. Several assumptions were made to reduce the complexity of the model. MATLAB and Excel software were used to solve the system of equations. After extensive analysis of the results, the KCA system showed the best performance, compared to the KCB and KCC systems, with a thermal efficiency of 22.15%, an exergy efficiency of 45.12%, and a net electrical capacity of 2565.03 kWe. Model sensitivity to concentration, temperature, and pressure variations also gave the KCA system the best-performing system. Evaluation of the excess heat flux removed from the process yields values of 7368.20 kW, 7421.86 kW, and 8094.15 kW for the KCA, KCB, and KCC systems. The results of this article serve as a decision support tool for installing the cogeneration system via the Kalina cycle in cement installations.

Is g-C3N4 more suitable for photocatalytic reduction or oxidation in environmental applications?

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), as an efficient semiconductor photocatalyst with an excellent tunable bandgap, a high physicochemical stability and a proper optical performance, has shown its non-negligible potential in multifarious photocatalytic reactions, such as hydrogen (H2) evolution, carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production, pollutants degradation and so on. However, considering the solar light transfer efficiency, the accurate reaction mechanisms as well as the limitations of various reactions, is g-C3N4 more suitable for reduction or oxidation reactions? In this perspective, we think g-C3N4 might be more suitable for photocatalytic reduction reactions since the performances of single oxidation reactions maybe not ideal and sometimes the electrons are still essential during such a process.

Selective preparation of furfural via the pyrolysis of cellulose catalyzed with nitrided HZSM-5

Furfural is a high-value compound that can be prepared by catalytic pyrolysis of biomass. In order to improve the selectivity of furfural in the process of cellulose catalytic pyrolysis, the ammonia-modified HZSM-5 (N-HZSM-5) was used as the catalyst for experimental research on a horizontal fixed bed. The effects of different nitriding temperatures and times on N-HZSM-5, and the effects of different catalyst to cellulose (CA to CL) ratios on furfural selectivity were evaluated. The results showed that N-HZSM-5 can effectively improve the selectivity for furfural. At the optimal conditions (nitriding temperature: 800 °C, nitriding time: 6 h, CA to CL ratio: 4), the selectivity of furfural was up to 24%, which was much higher than those of noncatalytic pyrolysis (1.2%) and HZSM-5 catalytic pyrolysis (3.6%). In order to better evaluate the performance of the catalyst, a series of characterizations were carried out on the N-HZSM-5. The results showed that compared with HZSM-5, N-HZSM-5 had an increased pore size, it was less acidic, and it had more uniform surface acidity. It was conducive to the selective formation of furfural. Therefore, the ammonia-modification can effectively control the structure and acidity of HZSM-5, and N-HZSM-5 exhibits a non-negligible potential in catalyzing the pyrolysis of cellulose for furfural.

Some New Ideas on the Role of Legal Analysis applied to the Regulation of Telecommunications Services in Brazil

The paper aims to present new ideas and analytical approaches developed in recent years by Brazilian legal scholars regarding regulation and economic development. Regulatory law of telecommunications services is taken as an example of application of such new ideas and analytical approaches Two main approaches to the relationship between law and economic issues are described: the New Law and Development (NLD) approach and the Legal Analysis of Economic Policy (LAEP) perspective. The paper highlights prominent ideas of each perspective. The paper shows that there are structured ideas available in recent Brazilian legal literature which have a non-negligible potential of being explored in legal discussions and analyses of economic policy and regulatory issues of many sectors of emerging economies, including the telecommunications industry. The paper offers valuable contributions that may help in efforts to enhance and innovate the role of legal expertise in the regulatory process of several economic sectors, including the telecommunications sector.

Red emission ratio fluorescent probe for the activity of vanin-1 and imaging in vivo

Pantetheinase, also known as Vanin-1, catalyzes pantetheine to decompose into the precursor of CoA — pantothenic acid and aminothiol cysteamine. Studies have shown that Vanin-1 plays an important role in many important physiological pathologies. In this paper, a new red emission ratio fluorescent probe DCM-PA (I640 nm/I564 nm) has been implemented to detect the activity of Vanin-1 in cells and vivo. DCM-PA has short response time (30 min), high selectivity and low sensitivity (DL =0.69 ng/mL). Also, we have applied DCM-PA for imaging in cells and mice, and the results have indicated that the probe has a non-negligible potential for monitoring the activity of Vanin-1 in situ, benefiting further to study the role of Vanin-1 in physiology and pathology. In addition, the up-regulation of this enzyme by starvation confirmed the inevitable connection between diabetes and abnormal expression of Vanin-1.

Analysis of the magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of ALaFeMnO6 (A = Sr, Ba, and Ca) double perovskites

In previous studies, we have reported that double perovskite La2NiMnO6 presents non-negligible potential for room temperature magnetocaloric tasks. With the aim of improving even further the cooling performances and the working temperature range of double perovskites, we report the magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of La2MnFeO6 and ALaMnFeO6 (A = Sr, Ba, and Ca) compounds. X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement show that La2MnFeO6 (LMFO) and CaLaMnFeO6 (CLMFO) samples crystallize in an orthorhombic structure with the Pnma space group. However, a rhombohedral structure with the R3¯C space group is obtained for BaLaMnFeO6 (BLMFO) and SrLaMnFeO6 (SLMFO) samples. Substituting La by Ba or Sr in LMFO leads to a clear increase of the Curie temperature (Tc) compared to LMFO from 150 K for BLMFO up to 350 K for SLMFO. Moreover, CLMFO shows the smallest Tc down to 70 K. Ferromagnetic-like behavior is observed for SLMFO and BLMFO, while CLMFO's magnetism resembles that of LMFO. A clear connection between the structural parameters and the magnetic properties of these doped LMFO samples is unveiled as the highest Tc and the largest magnetization are observed for SLMFO which also shows bond angles closest to 180° and the smallest bond lengths, thus optimizing the superexchange interaction. The partial substitution of Sr for La leads, in fact, to a significant magnetocaloric effect over a wide operating temperature range extending beyond 300 K. For some optimal growth conditions, its entropy change varies slowly over an unusually large temperature range, which is of clear interest from a practical point of view.

A machine learning approach for mapping the very shallow theoretical geothermal potential

The very shallow geothermal potential (vSGP) is increasingly recognized as a viable resource for providing clean thermal energy in urban and rural areas. This is primarily due to its reliability, low-cost installation, easy maintenance, and little constraints regarding ground-related laws and policies. We propose a methodology to extract the theoretical vSGP (installed in the uppermost 10 m of the ground, and mostly at depths of 1–2 m) at the national scale for Switzerland, based on a combination of Geographic Information Systems, traditional modelling, and machine learning (ML). The theoretical vSGP is based on the estimation of three thermal characteristics of the ground that impact significantly the geothermal potential, namely the monthly temperature at various depths in the surface layer, the thermal conductivity, and the thermal diffusivity. Each of the three variables is estimated separately, to a depth of 1 m below the surface, using the following general strategy: (1) collect significant data related to the variable, (2) if not existing, extract values for the variable at available locations with the help of traditional models and part of the data as input for these models, (3) train a ML model (with the Random Forests algorithm) using the extracted variable values as examples (training output labels) and related information contained in the data as features (training input samples), (4) use the trained ML model to estimate the variable in unknown locations, (5) estimate the uncertainty attached to the estimations. The methodology estimates values for (200 × 200) (m2) pixels forming a grid over Switzerland. The strategy, however, can be generalized to any country with significant data (topographic, weather, and surface layer/soil data) available. The results indicate a very non-negligible potential for very shallow geothermal systems in Switzerland.

Surveillance, Criminal Procedure, and Regulatory Connection: The Case of Sewage Monitoring

This paper analyses the implications of a new form of surveillance—sewage monitoring—for criminal procedural law. Current law has not been written with a view to covering novel, technology-enabled forms of covert data acquisition, posing a challenge of regulatory connection. To what extent are new surveillance methods, such as sewage monitoring to combat drugs production, covered by existing legal frameworks? This question is answered through analysing the shifting nature of criminal investigation, reflecting on how to interpret laws not written for new technologies, and assessing checks and balances needed when law enforcement employ sewage monitoring in criminal investigation. The analysis is illustrated with reference to the legal systems of Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands, using legal doctrinal research. The main findings are 1) that sewage monitoring is not particularly intrusive as such, but constitutes a new form of investigation that legally differs significantly from traditional surveillance powers, 2) that comparable methods do not provide unequivocal analogies that could serve to find a legal basis, 3) that functionality of evidence collection poses legal and procedural challenges, which may have implications for the covertness of the method, and 4) that even if only used as a diagnostic tool, some form of transparency and oversight will be needed to legitimate the non-negligible potential interference with fundamental rights and to enable those subjected to sewage monitoring to contest the usage in court.

Agronomic and economic evaluation of Vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides L.) as means for phytoremediation of diesel polluted soils in Israel

Soil pollution in Israel, due to diesel contamination, is a major concern, with gas stations, factories and refineries being the main polluters (>60%). Vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides L.) is a perennial grass belonging to the Poaceae family, and is recognized world-wide for its potential as a plant with phytoremediation traits to contaminated soils. It is demonstrated here to decrease diesel contamination in field and court-yard trials. Chemical soil analysis indicated up to a 79% decrease (P < .05) in diesel pollution of contaminated soil planted with Vetiver; and at high soil contamination levels of 10 L/m2, a significant (P < .05) reduction of 96, 96 and 87% was recorded at soil depths of 0–20, 20–40 and 40–60 cm, respectively. Furthermore, in field plots contaminated with diesel and planted with Vetiver, weeds' biomass recovered to non-polluted levels following 8 to 9 months of Vetiver treatment. An economic evaluation conducted based on the cost-benefit analysis (CBA) principles, utilizing the Net Present Value (NPV) compared phytoremediation to other currently used decontamination procedures. The economic comparison showed that phytoremediation cleanup costs are lower and more beneficial to society at large, primarily from an ecosystem services perspective. Combining the results of the agronomic examination with the economic valuation, this research pointed out that phytoremediation with Vetiver has a non-negligible potential, making it a good solution for cleansing diesel from soils on a state-wide scale in Israel and worthy of further research and development.

Tailor-made Ge-doped silica-glass for clinical diagnostic X-ray dosimetry

In the modern clinical practice of diagnostic radiology there is a growing demand for radiation dosimetry, it also being recognized that with increasing use of X-ray examinations additional population dose will result, accompanied by an additional albeit low potential for genetic consequences. At the doses typical of diagnostic radiology there is also a low statistical risk for cancer induction; in adhering to best practice, to be also implied is a low but non-negligible potential for deterministic sensitive organ responses, including in regard to the skin and eyes. Risk reduction is important, in line with the principle of ALARP, both in regard to staff and patients alike; for the latter modern practice is usually guided by Dose Reference Levels (DRL) while for the former and members of the public, legislated controls (supported by safe working practices) pertain. As such, effective, reliable and accurate means of dosimetry are required in support of these actions. Recent studies have shown that Ge-doped-silica glass fibres offer several advantages over the well-established phosphor-based TL dosimeters (TLD), including excellent sensitivity at diagnostic doses as demonstrated herein, low fading, good reproducibility and re-usability, as well as representing a water impervious, robust dosimetric system. In addition, these silica-based fibres show good linearity over a wide dynamic range of dose and dose-rate and are directionally independent. In the present study, we investigate tailor made doped-silica glass thermoluminescence (TL) for applications in medical diagnostic imaging dosimetry. The aim is to develop a dosimeter of sensitivity greater than that of the commonly used LiF (Mg,Ti) phosphor. We examine the ability of such doped glass media to detect the typically low levels of radiation in diagnostic applications (from fractions of a mGy through to several mGy or more), including, mammography and dental radiology, use being made of x-ray tubes located at the Royal Surrey County Hospital. We further examine dose-linearity, energy response and fading.

Some New Ideas on the Role of Legal Analysis applied to the Regulation of Telecommunications Services in Brazil

Purpose – The paper aims to present new ideas and analytical approaches developed in recent years by Brazilian legal scholars regarding regulation and economic development. Regulatory law of telecommunications services is taken as an example of application of such new ideas and analytical approaches.&#x0D; Methodology/approach/design – Two main approaches to the relationship between law and economic issues are described: the New Law and Development (NLD) approach and the Legal Analysis of Economic Policy (LAEP) perspective. The paper highlights prominent ideas of each perspective.&#x0D; Findings – The paper shows that there are structured ideas available in recent Brazilian legal literature which have a non-negligible potential of being explored in legal discussions and analyses of economic policy and regulatory issues of many sectors of emerging economies, including the telecommunications industry.&#x0D; Originality/value – The paper offers valuable contributions that may help in efforts to enhance and innovate the role of legal expertise in the regulatory process of several economic sectors, including the telecommunications sector.

Cyanotoxins: from poisoning to healing –a possible pathway?

Cyanot oxins: from poisoning to healing –a possible pathway? Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microorganisms known for their multiple, and occasionally dual, ecologic roles. Cyanobacteria are major contributors to oxygen production on earth, but they often bloom in freshwater environments, depleting oxygen and inducing massive fish kills by anoxia. In addition, cyanobacteria are primary producers and the base of the food web in aquatic ecosystems, but they often “crowd out” other phytoplanktonic organisms by competing for nutrients. Cyanobacteria produce an array of beneficial, biologically active compounds, but some of their secondary metabolites are also known to be highly toxic to humans. Many cyanobacterial characteristics are still a mystery and raise many unsolved questions: Why do they bloom? How do they “communicate” with each other and “synchronise” to flourish? How do they colonise so many diverse habitats and are resistant to the most adverse of environments? Why do some strains produce toxins while others do not? Current research on cyanobacteria may provide answers to these “old” questions, but may also challenge us to consider new perspectives. In this paper, we will discuss the potential therapeutic application of cyanobacterial toxins, most of which are known as potent toxicants, but some of which have a non-negligible potential for drug discovery.

Recognizing the Multiple Reasons for Bushmeat Consumption in Urban Areas: A Necessary Step Toward the Sustainable Use of Wildlife for Food in Central Africa

Hunting in Central Africa poses a threat to several species and remains a crucial source of protein and income for African communities. However, we lack sufficient knowledge of the drivers of consumption to provide innovative strategies for sustainable use. Our literature review draws several conclusions based on available case studies. First, as the most highly valued bushmeat species are among the most common, there is a non-negligible potential to reduce the trade to the most resilient species without having to ban all bushmeat trade. Second, because bushmeat serves multiple functions above the purely consumptive, there is no guarantee that demand for bushmeat will decline. Third, bushmeat is perceived by consumers as a healthy food compared to industrial meats and consumer choices ignore the risks associated with zoonotic diseases. Multidisciplinary approaches that incorporate the human dimensions of wildlife are to be encouraged for a more sustainable use of bushmeat.

Poverty Reduction Strategies, Democratization and the Role of the World Bank

Through the principle of country ownership including broad-based participation, Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRS) introduced by the World Bank and the IMF as a new condition for aid at the turn of the century have a non-negligible potential to promote democratization in developing countries. In this paper, we highlight how this potential could be made use of. At the same time, we develop a simple model which shows that, from a rational choice perspective, we cannot currently expect this potential to be explored, except for highly exceptional conditions of international public attention and transparency. Case study evidence for Malawi and Uganda is consistent with this hypothesis.

On the leading nonlinear correction to gravity-wave dynamics

The principal nonlinear correction to the dynamics of gravity waves on an irrotational fluid is traditionally derived as a non-resonant perturbation solution to the Stokes expansion. When the problem is reformulated in the Hamiltonian description and limited to moderately collimated random waves over infinite depth, the perturbation term assumes a very simple and descriptive form. The sum-frequency component for the surface height is just a bilinear product of the height with the associated scalar strain, and the accompanying term in the potential is half the time derivative of the squared linear height. This solution is exact in one surface dimension and remains quite accurate for long-crested waves in two dimensions, with an error small to second order in the angular spread of constituent wave vectors. It is a natural generalization for random, disordered wave ensembles of the second-order Stokes solution, and its effect is to sharpen the random crests and to flatten the troughs. For wave sets of narrow relative bandwidth the difference-frequency component consists of a negligible elevation term and a non-negligible potential term whose gradient is the surface value of the volume return flow balancing the quadratic wave transport of fluid.

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibromas in Denmark 1981–2003: diagnosis, incidence, and treatment

Conclusions. Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA) is a rare tumor in young males, with a non-negligible potential for recurrence. Preoperative embolization is a safe procedure that diminishes the peroperative blood loss and the need for blood transfusion. The endoscopic approach was used with good results in JNA stage I and II (Chandler). Objectives. To estimate the incidence rate of JNA in the Danish population and to describe symptoms and treatment. Patients and methods. This was a national retrospective cohort study. All cases of JNA diagnosed in Denmark from 1981 to 2003 were identified. Data were extracted from medical records. Results. Forty-five male (no female) JNA cases were identified. In 43 cases, clinical data were recovered. Median age was 15 years. The incidence rate in Denmark was 0.4 cases per million inhabitants per year and 3.7 cases per million males (aged 10–24) per year. All patients underwent surgery, and the endoscopic approach was increasingly being used. The embolization procedure proved to be safe and decreased the intraoperative blood loss statistically to 650 ml in the embolized group from an average of 1200 ml in the non-embolized group (p<0.05). Similarly, the need for peroperative blood transfusion was reduced (p<0.005). The primary recurrence rate was 23% and no patients died.