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Showing papers by "University of Zagreb published in 2007"


Journal ArticleDOI
G. L. Bayatian, S. Chatrchyan, G. Hmayakyan, Albert M. Sirunyan  +2060 moreInstitutions (143)
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a detailed analysis of the performance of the Large Hadron Collider (CMS) at 14 TeV and compare it with the state-of-the-art analytical tools.
Abstract: CMS is a general purpose experiment, designed to study the physics of pp collisions at 14 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It currently involves more than 2000 physicists from more than 150 institutes and 37 countries. The LHC will provide extraordinary opportunities for particle physics based on its unprecedented collision energy and luminosity when it begins operation in 2007. The principal aim of this report is to present the strategy of CMS to explore the rich physics programme offered by the LHC. This volume demonstrates the physics capability of the CMS experiment. The prime goals of CMS are to explore physics at the TeV scale and to study the mechanism of electroweak symmetry breaking--through the discovery of the Higgs particle or otherwise. To carry out this task, CMS must be prepared to search for new particles, such as the Higgs boson or supersymmetric partners of the Standard Model particles, from the start-up of the LHC since new physics at the TeV scale may manifest itself with modest data samples of the order of a few fb−1 or less. The analysis tools that have been developed are applied to study in great detail and with all the methodology of performing an analysis on CMS data specific benchmark processes upon which to gauge the performance of CMS. These processes cover several Higgs boson decay channels, the production and decay of new particles such as Z' and supersymmetric particles, Bs production and processes in heavy ion collisions. The simulation of these benchmark processes includes subtle effects such as possible detector miscalibration and misalignment. Besides these benchmark processes, the physics reach of CMS is studied for a large number of signatures arising in the Standard Model and also in theories beyond the Standard Model for integrated luminosities ranging from 1 fb−1 to 30 fb−1. The Standard Model processes include QCD, B-physics, diffraction, detailed studies of the top quark properties, and electroweak physics topics such as the W and Z0 boson properties. The production and decay of the Higgs particle is studied for many observable decays, and the precision with which the Higgs boson properties can be derived is determined. About ten different supersymmetry benchmark points are analysed using full simulation. The CMS discovery reach is evaluated in the SUSY parameter space covering a large variety of decay signatures. Furthermore, the discovery reach for a plethora of alternative models for new physics is explored, notably extra dimensions, new vector boson high mass states, little Higgs models, technicolour and others. Methods to discriminate between models have been investigated. This report is organized as follows. Chapter 1, the Introduction, describes the context of this document. Chapters 2-6 describe examples of full analyses, with photons, electrons, muons, jets, missing ET, B-mesons and τ's, and for quarkonia in heavy ion collisions. Chapters 7-15 describe the physics reach for Standard Model processes, Higgs discovery and searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model

973 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Experimental data strongly support an interpretation of these properties based on the creation of oxygen vacancies in the SrTiO3 substrates during the growth of the LaAlO3 layer, which opens interesting prospects for all-oxide electronics.
Abstract: We have investigated the dimensionality and origin of the magnetotransport properties of LaAlO3 films epitaxially grown on TiO2-terminated SrTiO3(001) substrates. High-mobility conduction is observed at low deposition oxygen pressures (PO2<10-5 mbar) and has a three-dimensional character. However, at higher PO2 the conduction is dramatically suppressed and nonmetallic behavior appears. Experimental data strongly support an interpretation of these properties based on the creation of oxygen vacancies in the SrTiO3 substrates during the growth of the LaAlO3 layer. When grown on SrTiO3 substrates at low PO2, other oxides generate the same high mobility as LaAlO3 films. This opens interesting prospects for all-oxide electronics.

547 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The experiments test the hypothesis that chronic dietary poisoning by aristolochic acid is responsible for EN and its associated urothelial cancer and conclude that dietary exposure to AA is a significant risk factor for ENand its attendant transitional cell cancer.
Abstract: Endemic (Balkan) nephropathy (EN), a devastating renal disease affecting men and women living in rural areas of Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and Serbia, is characterized by its insidious onset, invariable progression to chronic renal failure and a strong association with transitional cell (urothelial) carcinoma of the upper urinary tract. Significant epidemiologic features of EN include its focal occurrence in certain villages and a familial, but not inherited, pattern of disease. Our experiments test the hypothesis that chronic dietary poisoning by aristolochic acid is responsible for EN and its associated urothelial cancer. Using (32)P-postlabeling/PAGE and authentic standards, we identified dA-aristolactam (AL) and dG-AL DNA adducts in the renal cortex of patients with EN but not in patients with other chronic renal diseases. In addition, urothelial cancer tissue was obtained from residents of endemic villages with upper urinary tract malignancies. The AmpliChip p53 microarray was then used to sequence exons 2-11 of the p53 gene where we identified 19 base substitutions. Mutations at A:T pairs accounted for 89% of all p53 mutations, with 78% of these being A:T --> T:A transversions. Our experimental results, namely, that (i) DNA adducts derived from aristolochic acid (AA) are present in renal tissues of patients with documented EN, (ii) these adducts can be detected in transitional cell cancers, and (iii) A:T --> T:A transversions dominate the p53 mutational spectrum in the upper urinary tract malignancies found in this population lead to the conclusion that dietary exposure to AA is a significant risk factor for EN and its attendant transitional cell cancer.

515 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A critical review of published methods and approaches for the determination of acid dissociation constants, with a special emphasis on the p K a values of active pharmaceutical ingredients, can be found in this article.
Abstract: The acid dissociation constant is an important physicochemical parameter of a substance, and knowledge of it is of fundamental importance in a wide range of applications and research areas. We present a critical review of published methods and approaches for the determination of acid dissociation constants, with a special emphasis on the p K a values of active pharmaceutical ingredients.

427 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a class of h-convex functions, which generalize convex, s-concave, Godunova-Levin functions and P-functions, is introduced.

418 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: PT provides a statistically significant and practically relevant improvement in vertical jump height with the mean effect ranging from 4.7% (SJ and DJ), over 7.5% (CMJA) to 8.7%, which justifies the application of PT for the purpose of development of vertical jump performance in healthy individuals.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the precise effect of plyometric training (PT) on vertical jump height in healthy individuals. Meta-analyses of randomised and non-randomised controlled trials that evaluated the effect of PT on four typical vertical jump height tests were carried out: squat jump (SJ); countermovement jump (CMJ); countermovement jump with the arm swing (CMJA); and drop jump (DJ). Studies were identified by computerised and manual searches of the literature. Data on changes in jump height for the plyometric and control groups were extracted and statistically pooled in a meta-analysis, separately for each type of jump. A total of 26 studies yielding 13 data points for SJ, 19 data points for CMJ, 14 data points for CMJA and 7 data points for DJ met the initial inclusion criteria. The pooled estimate of the effect of PT on vertical jump height was 4.7% (95% CI 1.8 to 7.6%), 8.7% (95% CI 7.0 to 10.4%), 7.5% (95% CI 4.2 to 10.8%) and 4.7% (95% CI 0.8 to 8.6%) for the SJ, CMJ, CMJA and DJ, respectively. When expressed in standardised units (ie, effect sizes), the effect of PT on vertical jump height was 0.44 (95% CI 0.15 to 0.72), 0.88 (95% CI 0.64 to 1.11), 0.74 (95% CI 0.47 to 1.02) and 0.62 (95% CI 0.18 to 1.05) for the SJ, CMJ, CMJA and DJ, respectively. PT provides a statistically significant and practically relevant improvement in vertical jump height with the mean effect ranging from 4.7% (SJ and DJ), over 7.5% (CMJA) to 8.7% (CMJ). These results justify the application of PT for the purpose of development of vertical jump performance in healthy individuals.

406 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
B. I. Abelev1, Madan M. Aggarwal2, Zubayer Ahammed3, B. D. Anderson4  +365 moreInstitutions (45)
TL;DR: In this paper, the Star collaboration at the BNL Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) reports measurements of the inclusive yield of nonphotonic electrons, which arise dominantly from semileptonic decays of heavy flavor mesons, over a broad range of transverse momenta (1.2
Abstract: The STAR collaboration at the BNL Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC) reports measurements of the inclusive yield of nonphotonic electrons, which arise dominantly from semileptonic decays of heavy flavor mesons, over a broad range of transverse momenta (1.2

375 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
David D'Enterria1, David D'Enterria2, M. Ballintijn3, M. Bedjidian4  +2185 moreInstitutions (141)
TL;DR: In this paper, the capabilities of the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiment to explore the rich heavy-ion physics program offered by the LHC are presented, and the potential of the CMS experiment to carry out a series of representative Pb-Pb measurements.
Abstract: This report presents the capabilities of the CMS experiment to explore the rich heavy-ion physics programme offered by the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The collisions of lead nuclei at energies , will probe quark and gluon matter at unprecedented values of energy density. The prime goal of this research is to study the fundamental theory of the strong interaction ? Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) ? in extreme conditions of temperature, density and parton momentum fraction (low-x).This report covers in detail the potential of CMS to carry out a series of representative Pb-Pb measurements. These include bulk observables, (charged hadron multiplicity, low pT inclusive hadron identified spectra and elliptic flow) which provide information on the collective properties of the system, as well as perturbative probes such as quarkonia, heavy-quarks, jets and high pT hadrons which yield tomographic information of the hottest and densest phases of the reaction.

361 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The intracerebroventricular application of streptozotocin (STZ) in low dosage was used in 3‐month‐old rats to explore brain insulin system dysfunction, which may lead to an increase in hyperphosphorylated tau‐protein concentration.
Abstract: The intracerebroventricular (icv) application of streptozotocin (STZ) in low dosage was used in 3-month-old rats to explore brain insulin system dysfunction. Three months following STZ icv treatment, the expression of insulin-1 and -2 mRNA was significantly reduced to 11% in hippocampus and to 28% in frontoparietal cerebral cortex, respectively. Insulin receptor (IR) mRNA expression decreased significantly in frontoparietal cerebral cortex and hippocampus (16% and 33% of control). At the protein/activity level, different abnormalities of protein tyrosine kinase activity (increase in hippocampus), total IR beta-subunit (decrease in hypothalamus) and phosphorylated IR tyrosine residues (increase) became apparent. The STZ-induced disturbance in learning and memory capacities was not abolished by icv application of glucose transport inhibitors known to prevent STZ-induced diabetes mellitus. The discrepancy between reduced IR gene expression and increase in both phosphorylated IR tyrosine residues/protein tyrosine kinase activity may indicate imbalance between phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of the IR beta-subunit causing its dysfunction. These abnormalities may point to a complex brain insulin system dysfunction after STZ icv application, which may lead to an increase in hyperphosphorylated tau-protein concentration. Brain insulin system dysfunction is discussed as possible pathological core in the generation of hyperphosphorylated tau protein as a morphological marker of sporadic Alzheimer's disease.

351 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A review of recent studies of the evolution of collective excitations in atomic nuclei far from the valley of β-stability can be found in this article, where the authors focus on the applications of these models to studies of low-energy dipole modes from stable nuclei to systems near the particle emission threshold, to analyses of various isoscalar modes, those for which data are already available, as well as those that could be observed in future experiments, to a description of charge exchange modes and their evolution in neutron-rich nuclei, and to the role of exotic
Abstract: We review recent studies of the evolution of collective excitations in atomic nuclei far from the valley of β-stability. Collective degrees of freedom govern essential aspects of nuclear structure, and for several decades the study of collective modes such as rotations and vibrations has played a vital role in our understanding of complex properties of nuclei. The multipole response of unstable nuclei and the possible occurrence of new exotic modes of excitation in weakly bound nuclear systems, present a rapidly growing field of research, but only few experimental studies of these phenomena have been reported so far. Valuable data on the evolution of the low-energy dipole response in unstable neutron-rich nuclei have been gathered in recent experiments, but the available information is not sufficient to determine the nature of observed excitations. Even in stable nuclei various modes of giant collective oscillations had been predicted by theory years before they were observed, and for that reason it is very important to perform detailed theoretical studies of the evolution of collective modes of excitation in nuclei far from stability. We therefore discuss the modern theoretical tools that have been developed in recent years for the description of collective excitations in weakly bound nuclei. The review focuses on the applications of these models to studies of the evolution of low-energy dipole modes from stable nuclei to systems near the particle emission threshold, to analyses of various isoscalar modes, those for which data are already available, as well as those that could be observed in future experiments, to a description of charge-exchange modes and their evolution in neutron-rich nuclei, and to studies of the role of exotic low-energy modes in astrophysical processes.

336 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that short-term sprint training produces similar or even greater training effects in muscle function and athletic performance than does conventional plyometric training.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of sprint training on muscle function and dynamic athletic performance and to compare them with the training effects induced by standard plyometric training. Male physical education students were assigned randomly to 1 of 3 groups: sprint group (SG; n = 30), plyometric group (PG; n = 30), or control group (CG; n = 33). Maximal isometric squat strength, squat- and countermovement jump (SJ and CMJ) height and power, drop jump performance from 30-cm height, and 3 athletic performance tests (standing long jump, 20-m sprint, and 20-yard shuttle run) were measured prior to and after 10 weeks of training. Both experimental groups trained 3 days a week; SG performed maximal sprints over distances of 10-50 m, whereas PG performed bounce-type hurdle jumps and drop jumps. Participants in the CG group maintained their daily physical activities for the duration of the study. Both SG and PG significantly improved drop jump performance (15.6 and 14.2%), SJ and CMJ height ( approximately 10 and 6%), and standing long jump distance (3.2 and 2.8%), whereas the respective effect sizes (ES) were moderate to high and ranged between 0.4 and 1.1. In addition, SG also improved isometric squat strength (10%; ES = 0.4) and SJ and CMJ power (4%; ES = 0.4, and 7%; ES = 0.4), as well as sprint (3.1%; ES = 0.9) and agility (4.3%; ES = 1.1) performance. We conclude that short-term sprint training produces similar or even greater training effects in muscle function and athletic performance than does conventional plyometric training. This study provides support for the use of sprint training as an applicable training method of improving explosive performance of athletes in general.

Journal ArticleDOI
B. I. Abelev1, Joseph Adams2, Madan M. Aggarwal3, Zubayer Ahammed4  +373 moreInstitutions (45)
TL;DR: In this article, the authors measured the midrapidity of the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) spectra and showed that the scaling of hadron production in p+p collisions seems to break down at higher mT and that there is a difference in the shape of the mT spectrum between baryons and mesons.
Abstract: We present strange particle spectra and yields measured at midrapidity in √s=200 GeV proton-proton (p+p) collisions at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). We find that the previously observed universal transverse mass (m_T≡√pT2+m2) scaling of hadron production in p+p collisions seems to break down at higher mT and that there is a difference in the shape of the mT spectrum between baryons and mesons. We observe midrapidity antibaryon to baryon ratios near unity for Λ and Ξ baryons and no dependence of the ratio on transverse momentum, indicating that our data do not yet reach the quark-jet dominated region. We show the dependence of the mean transverse momentum ⟨pT⟩ on measured charged particle multiplicity and on particle mass and infer that these trends are consistent with gluon-jet dominated particle production. The data are compared with previous measurements made at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron and Intersecting Storage Rings and in Fermilab experiments and with leading-order and next-to-leading-order string fragmentation model predictions. We infer from these comparisons that the spectral shapes and particle yields from p+p collisions at RHIC energies have large contributions from gluon jets rather than from quark jets.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a comparative study of pure, SiC, and C doped MgB2 wires has revealed that the SiC doping allowed C substitution and formation to take place simultaneously at low temperatures, while the defects, small grain size, and nanoinclusions induced by C incorporation and low-temperature processing are responsible for the improvement in Jc.
Abstract: A comparative study of pure, SiC, and C doped MgB2 wires has revealed that the SiC doping allowed C substitution and MgB2 formation to take place simultaneously at low temperatures. C substitution enhances Hc2, while the defects, small grain size, and nanoinclusions induced by C incorporation and low-temperature processing are responsible for the improvement in Jc. The irreversibility field (Hirr) for the SiC doped sample reached the benchmarking value of 10 T at 20 K, exceeding that of NbTi at 4.2 K. This dual reaction model also enables us to predict desirable dopants for enhancing the performance properties of MgB2.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: By exploiting Coulomb dissociation of high-energy radioactive beams of the neutron-rich nuclei, their dipole-strength distributions have been measured as mentioned in this paper, and a sizable fraction of ''pygmy'' dipole strength, energetically located below the giant dipole resonance, is observed in all of these nuclei.
Abstract: By exploiting Coulomb dissociation of high-energy radioactive beams of the neutron-rich nuclei $^{129\ensuremath{-}132}\mathrm{Sn}$ and $^{133,134}\mathrm{Sb}$, their dipole-strength distributions have been measured. A sizable fraction of ``pygmy'' dipole strength, energetically located below the giant dipole resonance, is observed in all of these nuclei. A comparison with available pygmy resonance data in stable nuclei ($^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ and $N=82$ isotones) indicates a trend of strength increasing with the proton-to-neutron asymmetry. On theoretical grounds, employing the RQRPA approach, a one-to-one correlation is found between the pygmy strength and parameters describing the density dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy, and in turn with the thicknesses of the neutron skins. On this basis, by using the experimental pygmy strength, parameters of the nuclear symmetry energy (${a}_{4}=32.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.8$ MeV and ${p}_{o}=2.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.8$ MeV/fm${}^{3}$) are deduced as well as neutron-skin thicknesses ${R}_{n}\ensuremath{-}{R}_{p}$ of $0.24\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.04$ fm for $^{132}\mathrm{Sn}$ and of $0.18\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.035$ fm for $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$, both doubly magic nuclei. Astrophysical implications with regard to neutron stars are briefly addressed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: To characterize antifungal activities of essential oil of thyme and pure thymol, as comparative substance, on different mould species isolated from damp dwellings.
Abstract: Aims: To characterize antifungal activities of essential oil of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) and pure thymol, as comparative substance, on different mould species isolated from damp dwellings. Methods and Results: Fifty samples of wall scrapes were collected from damp dwellings in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. The members of the following mould genera were recovered from the samples: Aspergillus (44%), Penicillium (18%) Alternaria, Ulocladium, Absidia and Mucor (8%) Cladosporium, Trichoderma and Rhizopus (6%), and Chaetomium (2%). Two strains of Stachybotrys chartarum were isolated from damp dwellings in Slovakia. Antifungal activities of the thyme essential oil, which contains p-cymene (36.5%), thymol (33.0%) and 1,8-cineole (11.3%) as main components, and pure thymol were determined by the dilution method and exposure to vaporous phase of the oil. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of both thymol and essential oil were bellow 20 μg ml−1, except for Mucor spp. (50.20 μg ml−1). Thymol exhibited approximately three-times stronger inhibition than essential oil of thyme. The vaporous phase of the thyme essential oil (82 μg l−1) in glass chambers strongly suppressed the sporulation of moulds during 60 days of exposure. Conclusion: The thyme essential oil possesses a wide range spectrum of fungicidal activity. The vaporous phase of the oil exhibited long-lasting suppressive activity on moulds from damp dwellings. Significance and Impact of the Study: Essential oil of thyme and thymol could be used for disinfection of mouldy walls in the dwellings in low concentration.

Proceedings ArticleDOI
10 Apr 2007
TL;DR: A motion control method for mobile robots in partially unknown environments populated with moving obstacles based on the integration of focused D* search algorithm and dynamic window local obstacle avoidance algorithm with some adaptations that provide efficient avoidance of moving obstacles.
Abstract: This paper presents a motion control method for mobile robots in partially unknown environments populated with moving obstacles. The proposed method is based on the integration of focused D* search algorithm and dynamic window local obstacle avoidance algorithm with some adaptations that provide efficient avoidance of moving obstacles. The moving obstacles are modelled as moving cells in the occupancy grid map and their motion is predicted by applying a procedure similar to the dynamic window approach. The collision points of the robot predicted trajectory and moving cells predicted trajectories form the new active obstacles in the environment, which should be avoided. The algorithms are implemented and verified using a Pioneer 3DX mobile robot equipped with laser range finder.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Several Hadamard-type inequalities for products of two convex and s-convex functions are proved and some new inequalities for differentiable functions based on concavity and s -conveXity are established.

Book ChapterDOI
TL;DR: Evidence is obtained from this model indicating that central STZ administration induces brain pathology and behavioural alterations resembling those in sAD patients, and it is proposed that insulin resistance in the brain might be the primary event which precedes the Abeta pathology in s AD.
Abstract: A growing body of evidence implicates impairments in brain insulin signaling in early sporadic Alzheimer disease (sAD) pathology. However, the most widely accepted hypothesis for AD aetiology stipulates that pathological aggregations of the amyloid beta (Abeta) peptide are the cause of all forms of Alzheimer's disease. Streptozotocin-intracerebroventricularly (STZ-icv) treated rats are proposed as a probable experimental model of sAD. The current work reviews evidence obtained from this model indicating that central STZ administration induces brain pathology and behavioural alterations resembling those in sAD patients. Recently, alterations of the brain insulin system resembling those in sAD have been found in the STZ-icv rat model and are associated with tau protein hyperphosphorylation and Abeta-like aggregations in meningeal vessels. In line with these findings the hypothesis has been proposed that insulin resistance in the brain might be the primary event which precedes the Abeta pathology in sAD.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The observed significant synergistic effect of BPb and blood cadmium on increasing serum testosterone, and additive effect of a decrease in serum selenium on Increasing serumosterone, may have implications on the initiation and development of prostate cancer because testosterone augments the progress of prostatecancer in its early stages.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The ICE-PCS database offers a unique opportunity to evaluate the epidemiology, characteristics, and outcome of endocarditis due to non-HACEK gram-negative bacilli in a large, contemporary, and international cohort of well-characterized patients withendocarditis.
Abstract: Endocarditis caused by non-HACEK organisms (species other than Haemophilus species, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Cardiobacterium hominis, Eikenella corrodens, and Kingella species) has lon...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The most active imidazolyl-substituted compound 19 inhibits topoisomerase II and induces strong G2/M cell cycle arrest, pointing to the impairment in mitotic progression.
Abstract: Synthesis of novel cyano- and amidino-substituted styryl-2-benzimidazoles and benzimidazo[1,2-a]quinolines by condensation reactions and photochemical dehydrocyclization and dehydrohalogenation cyclization is described. Thermal denaturation experiments reveal that cyclic derivatives considerably stabilize DNA double helix, while the effect of their acyclic analogues is negligible. According to the spectroscopic study of the interaction of cyclic derivative 19, we propose intercalation of benzimidazo[1,2-a]quinoline moiety into ct-DNA as a dominant interaction underlying biologically relevant effects of this compound, whereas for its acyclic derivative 11, we propose binding into the minor groove of DNA. All compounds show noticeable antiproliferative effect. Morpholino- and chloro-substituted compound 9 is the most active among all acyclic derivatives. All cyclic compounds were 2- to 10-fold more potent, which is correlated with their property to intercalate into DNA. The most active imidazolyl-substituted compound 19 inhibits topoisomerase II and induces strong G2/M cell cycle arrest, pointing to the impairment in mitotic progression. Its pronounced selectivity toward colon carcinoma cells encourages further development of this compound as a lead.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An overview of extraction methods for environmental samples, focusing especially on pharmaceuticals, is presented in this paper, where there is great concern about them as pollutants and there are many methods to extract them.
Abstract: Sample preparation is a very important and essential step in environmental analysis. This article presents an overview of extraction methods for environmental samples, focusing especially on pharmaceuticals as there is great concern about them as pollutants.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 May 2007-Lupus
TL;DR: The bimodal mortality curve has flattened out and deaths now occur evenly throughout the disease course with infectious and cardiovascular complications as the main direct COD in both early and late fatalities.
Abstract: Current therapeutic and diagnostic resources have turned systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) into a chronic disease by reducing mortality rates. The exact contribution of disease activity and disease related damage to mortality is not well studied. The aim of this study was to describe the current causes of death (COD) in a multinational European cohort of patients with SLE in relation to quantified measures of disease activity and damage. Prospective five-year observational study of case fatalities in SLE patients at 12 European centres was performed. Demographics, disease manifestations, interventions and quantified disease activity (by ECLAM and SLEDAI) and damage (by SLICC-DI) at the time of death were related to the various COD. Ninety-one case fatalities (89% females) occurred after median disease duration of 10.2 years (range 0.2—40) corresponding to a annual case fatality of one for each of the participating cohorts. Cumulative mortality correlated linearly with disease duration with nearly 10% of ...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, removal of antibiotics by reverse osmosis/nanofiltration (RO/NF) from a model wastewater of a manufacturing plant producing pharmaceuticals for veterinary use was investigated.

Journal Article
TL;DR: In this paper, a model of sea connections during the Miocene Central Paratethys Sea is presented, where the authors consider the western Transtethyan Trench Corridor (Trans Dinaride Corridor) closed and there is no evidence to prove a supposed strait towards the Eastern Mediterranean.
Abstract: The Miocene Central Paratethys Sea covered wide areas of the Pannonian Basin System, bordered by the mountain chains of the Alps, Carpathians and Dinarides. The epicontinental sea spread not only in the back-arc basin area, but flooded even the Alpine-Carpathian Foredeep, situated along the front of gradually uplifting mountains. The Early Badenian (early Langhian) transgressions from the Mediterranean toward the Central Paratethys realm, via Slovenia and northern Croatia (Transtethyan Trench Corridor or Trans Dinaride Corridor) flooded the Pannonian Basin and continued along straits in the Carpathian Chain into the Carpathian Foredeep. The isolation of eastern parts of the Central Paratethys at the end of this period (late Langhian) resulted in the "Middle Badenian" salinity crisis. Thick evaporite sediments, above all halite and gypsum were deposited in the Transcarpathian Basin, Transylvanian Basin and Carpathian Foredeep. During the Late Badenian (early Serravallian), the latest full marine flooding covered the whole back-arc basin and a great part of the foredeep. The main problem is to create a model of sea connections during that time, because some authors consider the western Transtethyan Trench Corridor (Trans Dinaride Corridor) closed and there is no evidence to prove a supposed strait towards the Eastern Mediterranean. A proposed possibility is a connection towards the Konkian Sea of the Eastern Paratethys. The Badenian climate of the Central Paratethys realm can be characterized as fairly uniform, reflecting the stable subtropical conditions of the Miocene Climatic Optimum. No considerable changes in terrestrial ecosystems were documented. Nevertheless, evolution of steep landscape associated with rapid uplift of the East Alpine and Western Carpathian mountain chains (including high stratovolcanoes) caused development of vertical zonation of dry land and consequently close occurrence of different vegetation zones in a relatively small distance during this time. In the Central Paratethys Sea a slight N-S climatic gradient seems to be expressed already from the Early Badenian, but a biogeographic differentiation between basins in the North and South starts to become more prominent first during the Late Badenian, when a moderate cooling of the seawater can also be documented. The Late Badenian sea-level highstand coincides with the appearance of stress factors such as stratification of the water column and hypoxic conditions at the basin bottom in the whole area. Taking into account all bioevents and changes of paleogeography in the Central Paratethys realm, we can very roughly correlate the Early (and "Middle") Badenian with the eustatic sea-level changes of TB 2.3, TB 2.4 or Bur5/Lan1, Lan2/Ser1 and the Late Badenian with TB 2.5 or Ser2 cycles (sensu Haq et al. 1988; Hardenbol et al. 1998). Generally, we can assign the Early Badenian transgressions to be controlled by both, tectonics (induced mainly by back-arc basin REVIEW

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It has been found that photo-Fenton process was the most efficient with 74.2% TOC removal and complete color removal achieved after a 1h treatment.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a winter oceanographic field experiment provided an opportunity to examine the atmospheric marine conditions over the northern Adriatic, and the results showed that wind speeds are fastest in jets over the NE coast during bora events and weakest in the mid-northwestern adriatic.
Abstract: [1] A winter oceanographic field experiment provided an opportunity to examine the atmospheric marine conditions over the northern Adriatic. Mean February winds are from a northeasterly direction over most of the Adriatic and a more northerly direction along the western coast. Wind speeds are fastest in jets over the NE coast during bora events and weakest in the mid-northwestern Adriatic. Diurnal air temperature cycles are smallest on the NE coast and largest in the midwestern Adriatic. The maximum sea-air difference is +10°C on the eastern coast and near zero on the midwestern Adriatic. Boras are northeasterly (from) wind events that sweep off Croatia and Slovenia, bringing slightly colder and drier air over the northern Adriatic. The main bora season is December to March. Winter 2002–2003 was normal for bora events. Synoptic-scale temporal variations are correlated over the northern Adriatic. Fastest Bora winds and highest wind stress over the northern Adriatic is concentrated in four topographically controlled jets. The strongest is the Senj Jet, while the Trieste Jet extends across the entire northern Adriatic. Between each two jets is a weak wind zone. The greatest mean net heat loss is in bora jets in the NE Adriatic, where it was −438 W m−2 and is weakest in the midwestern northern Adriatic, where it was near zero. Wind stress is concentrated over the NE half of Adriatic in four bora jets, while wind stress is weak in the NW Adriatic. There is significant variation in wind stress mean and standard deviation structure over the northern Adriatic with each bora event.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used ultrasound as a pre-treatment method prior to drying of mushrooms, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower in order to achieve reduction in drying time and to understand the effect of the ultrasound in mass transfer process, where diffusivity is the limiting step in the process.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Interestingly, all compounds show noticeable selectivity toward breast cancer cell line MCF-7, and the most distinct and selective antiviral activity toward coxsackieviruses and echoviruses was observed with compounds having pyridine ring at C-2.