Self in the City : Young Adult Fiction about New York City after 9/11

This chapter discusses fictional texts set in New York City soon after Septem- ber 11, 2001 (9/11), or whose characters are affected by the attacks on the World Trade Center. Whereas these texts may not have been directly marketed at young adults, they all address ‘youth issues’. Each of the books discussed here contain or are focalized through the eyes of adolescent protagonists. They are all coming-of-age narratives in that the crises within them are usually a result of a catastrophe, taking the characters on journeys of self-discovery, which, once fulfilled, lead them back home.1 As Jerry Griswold (1992) has suggested, coming-of-age stories are especially well suited to the American psyche, and are already familiar to readers of literature based in New York City (the most familiar work being J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye). As with other clas- sic American young adult (YA) literature, the journey and homecoming com- monly associated with coming-of-age are often employed in fiction about 9/11. With the key elements of loss and suffering, self-awareness, introspection, and growth, the coming-of-age novel also fulfils agendas common to both litera- ture and politics: the literary journey becomes the nation’s journey.

Weekly cisplatin concurrently with radiotherapy in head and neck squamous cell cancer : a retrospective analysis of a tertiary institute experience

Radiotherapy combined with three weekly 100 mg/m2 of cisplatin is the accepted standard of care in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. However, this regimen is associated with severe toxicities with devastating effects on patients. Alternative protocols like weekly 40 mg/m2 have been used in an attempt to reduce toxicities. The main objective of the present study is to identify the dose intensities and toxicities of weekly cisplatin in patients treated in a tertiary centre over a 12 month period. Included patients had squamous cell carcinoma arising in the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, or hypopharynx. Patients were excluded if they had nasopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, distant metastasis or if they had prior treatment for head and neck cancer excluding neck dissection. During the study period, 52 patients met the inclusion criteria and their data were retrospectively obtained from the patients' database of St James hospital, Dublin. The median age of the study cohort was 54 years (range 33-73). Of the patients, 40 (76.9 %) were male and 12 (20.1 %) were female. The primary tumour sites were as follows: oral cavity and oropharynx in 38 (73 %), larynx in 10 (19 %), and hypopharynx in 4 (8 %). In total, 33 (63.5 %) patients had stage IV disease, while 19 (36.5 %) had stage III disease. Treatment was definitive in 35 (67 %) patients and adjuvant in 17 (35 %). Full-dose radiotherapy was achieved in 50 (96 %) patients. Only 22 (42.3 %) patients completed the intended six cycles of chemotherapy. Cumulative dose of 200 mg/m2 or more was reached in 37 (71 %) patients. The acute adverse effects included grades 3 and 4 mucositis, which occurred in 22 (43.3 %) and 6 patients (12 %), respectively. Grade 3 and 4 neutropenia occurred in six (11.5 %) and three (5.7 %) patients, respectively. The only other haematological toxicity was grade 3 anaemia in 20 (38.4 %) patients. There was no grade 3 or 4 renal toxicity among the study cohort, although grade 2 was observed in six (11.5 %) patients. Death occurred in one patient due to neutropenic septicaemia. In conclusion, weekly cisplatin is associated with moderate to severe toxicities and might lead to suboptimal chemotherapy delivery. More prospective clinical studies are required to determine the optimal chemoradiation regimen in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Rediscovering the double Friedel-Crafts acylation : an expedient entry to phenanthrene-9,10-diones

The double Friedel–Crafts acylation of readily accessible biaryls with oxalyl chloride delivers the respective phenanthrene-9,10-diones, providing an alternative to the traditional methods, which require harsh oxidizing conditions and multistep sequences. This simple method allows the synthesis of various symmetrical and non-symmetrical targets, and is even effective for the synthesis of the parent ring system from (unactivated) biphenyl.

Assessment of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in samples collected from indoor environments in South East Queensland, Australia

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are compounds that are used as flame retardants. Human exposure is suggested to be via food, dust and air. An assessment of PBDE exposure via indoor environments using samples of air, dust and surface wipes from eight sites in South East Queensland, Australia was conducted. For indoor air, ΣPBDEs ranged from 0.5 -179 pg/m3 for homes and 15 - 487 pg/m3 for offices. In dust, ΣPBDEs ranged from 87 - 733 ng/g dust and 583 - 3070 ng/g dust in homes and offices, respectively. PBDEs were detected on 9 out of 10 surfaces sampled and ranged from non-detectable to 5985 pg/cm2. Overall, the congener profiles for air and dust were dominated by BDE-209. This study demonstrated that PBDEs are ubiquitous in the indoor environments of selected buildings in South East Queensland and suggest the need for detailed assessment of PBDE concentrations using more sites to further investigate the factors influencing PBDE exposure in Australia.

Wind speed perception and risk

Background How accurately do people perceive extreme wind speeds and how does that perception affect the perceived risk? Prior research on human–wind interaction has focused on comfort levels in urban settings or knock-down thresholds. No systematic experimental research has attempted to assess people's ability to estimate extreme wind speeds and perceptions of their associated risks. Method We exposed 76 people to 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 mph (4.5, 8.9, 13.4, 17.9, 22.3, and 26.8 m/s) winds in randomized orders and asked them to estimate wind speed and the corresponding risk they felt. Results Multilevel modeling showed that people were accurate at lower wind speeds but overestimated wind speeds at higher levels. Wind speed perceptions mediated the direct relationship between actual wind speeds and perceptions of risk (i.e., the greater the perceived wind speed, the greater the perceived risk). The number of tropical cyclones people had experienced moderated the strength of the actual–perceived wind speed relationship; consequently, mediation was stronger for people who had experienced fewer storms. Conclusion These findings provide a clearer understanding of wind and risk perception, which can aid development of public policy solutions toward communicating the severity and risks associated with natural disasters.

Understanding the abnormal brain activity in epilepsy as a potential predictor of the onset of an epileptic seizure

The Brain Research Institute (BRI) uses various types of indirect measurements, including EEG and fMRI, to understand and assess brain activity and function. As well as the recovery of generic information about brain function, research also focuses on the utilisation of such data and understanding to study the initiation, dynamics, spread and suppression of epileptic seizures. To assist with the future focussing of this aspect of their research, the BRI asked the MISG 2010 participants to examine how the available EEG and fMRI data and current knowledge about epilepsy should be analysed and interpreted to yield an enhanced understanding about brain activity occurring before, at commencement of, during, and after a seizure. Though the deliberations of the study group were wide ranging in terms of the related matters considered and discussed, considerable progress was made with the following three aspects. (1) The science behind brain activity investigations depends crucially on the quality of the analysis and interpretation of, as well as the recovery of information from, EEG and fMRI measurements. A number of specific methodologies were discussed and formalised, including independent component analysis, principal component analysis, profile monitoring and change point analysis (hidden Markov modelling, time series analysis, discontinuity identification). (2) Even though EEG measurements accurately and very sensitively record the onset of an epileptic event or seizure, they are, from the perspective of understanding the internal initiation and localisation, of limited utility. They only record neuronal activity in the cortical (surface layer) neurons of the brain, which is a direct reflection of the type of electrical activity they have been designed to record. Because fMRI records, through the monitoring of blood flow activity, the location of localised brain activity within the brain, the possibility of combining fMRI measurements with EEG, as a joint inversion activity, was discussed and examined in detail. (3) A major goal for the BRI is to improve understanding about ``when'' (at what time) an epileptic seizure actually commenced before it is identified on an eeg recording, ``where'' the source of this initiation is located in the brain, and ``what'' is the initiator. Because of the general agreement in the literature that, in one way or another, epileptic events and seizures represent abnormal synchronisations of localised and/or global brain activity the modelling of synchronisations was examined in some detail. References C. M. Michel, G. Thut, S. Morand, A. Khateb, A. J. Pegna, R. Grave de Peralta, S. Gonzalez, M. Seeck and T. Landis, Electric source imaging of human brain functions, Brain Res. Rev. , 36 (2--3), 2001, 108--118. doi:10.1016/S0165-0173(01)00086-8 S. Ogawa, R. S. Menon, S. G. Kim and K. Ugurbil, On the characteristics of functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, Annu. Rev. Bioph. Biom. , 27 , 1998, 447--474. doi:10.1146/annurev.biophys.27.1.447 C. D. Binnie and H. Stefan, Modern electroencephalography: its role in epilepsy management, Clin. Neurophysiol. , 110 (10), 1999, 1671--1697. doi:10.1016/S1388-2457(99)00125-X J. X. Tao, A. Ray, S. Hawes-Ebersole and J. S. Ebersole, Intracranial eeg substrates of scalp eeg interictal spikes, Epilepsia , 46 (5), 2005, 669--76. doi:10.1111/j.1528-1167.2005.11404.x S. Ogawa, D. W. Tank, R. Menon, J. M. Ellermann, S. G. Kim, H. Merkle and K. Ugurbil, Intrinsic signal changes accompanying sensory stimulation: Functional brain mapping with magnetic resonance imaging, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA , 89 (13), 1992, 5951--5955. doi:10.1073/pnas.89.13.5951 J. Engel Jr., Report of the ilae classification core group, Epilepsia , 47 (9), 2006, 1558--1568. doi:10.1111/j.1528-1167.2006.00215.x L. Lemieux, A. Salek-Haddadi, O. Josephs, P. Allen, N. Toms, C. Scott, K. Krakow, R. Turner and D. R. Fish, Event-related fmri with simultaneous and continuous eeg: description of the method and initial case r port, NeuroImage , 14 (3), 2001, 780--7. doi:10.1006/nimg.2001.0853 P. Federico, D. F. Abbott, R. S. Briellmann, A. S. Harvey and G. D. Jackson, Functional mri of the pre-ictal state, Brain , 128 (8), 2005, 1811-7. doi:10.1093/brain/awh533 C. S. Hawco, A. P. Bagshaw, Y. Lu, F. Dubeau and J. Gotman, bold changes occur prior to epileptic spikes seen on scalp eeg, NeuroImage , 35 (4), 2007, 1450--1458. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2006.12.042 F. Moeller, H. R. Siebner, S. Wolff, H. Muhle, R. Boor, O. Granert, O. Jansen, U. Stephani and M. Siniatchkin, Changes in activity of striato-thalamo-cortical network precede generalized spike wave discharges, NeuroImage , 39 (4), 2008, 1839--1849. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.10.058 V. Osharina, E. Ponchel, A. Aarabi, R. Grebe and F. Wallois, Local haemodynamic changes preceding interictal spikes: A simultaneous electrocorticography (ecog) and near-infrared spectroscopy (nirs) analysis in rats, NeuroImage , 50 (2), 2010, 600--607. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.01.009 R. S. Fisher, W. Boas, W. Blume, C. Elger, P. Genton, P. Lee and J. Engel, Epileptic seizures and epilepsy: Definitions proposed by the international league against epilepsy (ilae) and the international bureau for epilepsy (ibe), Epilepsia , 46 (4), 2005, 470--472. doi:10.1111/j.0013-9580.2005.66104.x H. Berger, Electroencephalogram in humans, Arch. Psychiat. Nerven. , 87 , 1929, 527--570. C. M. Michel, M. M. Murray, G. Lantz, S. Gonzalez, L. Spinelli and R. G. de Peralta, eeg source imaging, Clin. Neurophysiol. , 115 (10), 2004, 2195--2222. doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2004.06.001 P. L. Nunez and R. B. Silberstein, On the relationship of synaptic activity to macroscopic measurements: Does co-registration of eeg with fmri make sense?, Brain Topogr. , 13 (2), 2000, 79--96. doi:10.1023/A:1026683200895 S. Ogawa, T. M. Lee, A. R. Kay and D. W. Tank, Brain magnetic resonance imaging with contrast dependent on blood oxygenation, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA , 87 (24), 1990, 9868--9872. doi:10.1073/pnas.87.24.9868 J. S. Gati, R. S. Menon, K. Ugurbil and B. K. Rutt, Experimental determination of the bold field strength dependence in vessels and tissue, Magn. Reson. Med. , 38 (2), 1997, 296--302. doi:10.1002/mrm.1910380220 P. A. Bandettini, E. C. Wong, R. S. Hinks, R. S. Tikofsky and J. S. Hyde, Time course EPI of human brain function during task activation, Magn. Reson. Med. , 25 (2), 1992, 390--397. K. K. Kwong, J. W. Belliveau, D. A. Chesler, I. E. Goldberg, R. M. Weisskoff, B. P. Poncelet, D. N. Kennedy, B. E. Hoppelm, M. S. Cohen and R. Turner, Dynamic magnetic resonance imaging of human brain activity during primary sensory stimulation, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA , 89 (12), 1992, 5675--5679. doi:10.1073/pnas.89.12.5675 J. Frahm, K. D. Merboldt and W. Hnicke, Functional mri of human brain activation at high spatial resolution, Magn. Reson. Med. , 29 (1), 1993, 139--144. P. A. Bandettini, A. Jesmanowicz, E. C. Wong and J. S. Hyde, Processing strategies for time-course data sets in functional MRI of the human brain, Magn. Reson. Med. , 30 (2), 1993, 161--173. K. J. Friston, P. Jezzard and R. Turner, Analysis of functional MRI time-series, Hum. Brain Mapp. , 1 (2), 1994, 153--171. B. Biswal, F. Z. Yetkin, V. M. Haughton and J. S. Hyde, Functional connectivity in the motor cortex of resting human brain using echo-planar mri, Mag. Reson. Med. , 34 (4), 1995, 537--541. doi:10.1002/mrm.1910340409 K. J. Friston, J. Ashburner, C. D. Frith, J. Poline, J. D. Heather and R. S. J. Frackowiak, Spatial registration and normalization of images, Hum. Brain Mapp. , 3 (3), 1995, 165--189. K. J. Friston, S. Williams, R. Howard, R. S. Frackowiak and R. Turner, Movement-related effects in fmri time-series, Magn. Reson. Med. , 35 (3), 1996, 346--355. G. H. Glover, T. Q. Li and D. Ress, Image-based method for retrospective correction of physiological motion effects in fmri: Retroicor, Magn. Reson. Med. , 44 (1), 2000, 162--167. doi:10.1002/1522-2594(200007)44:13.0.CO;2-E K. J. Friston, O. Josephs, G. Rees and R. Turner, Nonlinear event-related responses in fmri, Magn. Reson. Med. , 39 (1), 1998, 41--52. doi:10.1002/mrm.1910390109 K. Ugurbil, L. Toth and D. Kim, How accurate is magnetic resonance imaging of brain function?, Trends Neurosci. , 26 (2), 2003, 108--114. doi:10.1016/S0166-2236(02)00039-5 D. S. Kim, I. Ronen, C. Olman, S. G. Kim, K. Ugurbil and L. J. Toth, Spatial relationship between neuronal activity and bold functional mri, NeuroImage , 21 (3), 2004, 876--885. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2003.10.018 A. Connelly, G. D. Jackson, R. S. Frackowiak, J. W. Belliveau, F. Vargha-Khadem and D. G. Gadian, Functional mapping of activated human primary cortex with a clinical mr imaging system, Radiology , 188 (1), 1993, 125--130. L. Allison, Hidden Markov Models, Technical Report , School of Computer and Software Engineering, Monash University, 2000. R. J. Elliott, L. Aggoun and J.B. Moore, Hidden Markov Models: Estimation and Control, Appl. Math.-Czech. , 2004. B. Bhavnagri, Discontinuities of plane functions projected from a surface with methods for finding these , Technical Report, 2009. B. Bhavnagri, Computer Vision using Shape Spaces , Technical Report,1996, University of Adelaide. B. Bhavnagri, A method for representing shape based on an equivalence relation on polygons, Pattern Recogn. , 27 (2), 1994, 247--260. doi:10.1016/0031-3203(94)90057-4 D. F. Abbott, A. B. Waites, A. S. Harvey and G. D. Jackson, Exploring epileptic seizure onset with fmri, NeuroImage , 36(S1) (344TH-PM), 2007. M. C. Mackey and L. Glass, Oscillation and chaos in physiological control systems, Science , 197 , 1977, 287--289. S. H. Strogatz, SYNC - The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order , Theia, New York, 2003. J. W. Kim, J. A. Roberts and P. A. Robinson, Dynamics of epileptic seizures: Evolution, spreading, and suppression, J. Theor. Biol. , 257 (4), 2009, 527--532. doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2008.12.009 Y. Kuramoto, T. Aoyagi, I. Nishikawa, T. Chawanya T and K. Okuda, Neural network model carrying phase information with application to collective dynamics, J. Theor. Phys. , 87 (5), 1992, 1119--1126. V. B. Mountcastle, The columnar organization of the neocortex, Brain , 120 (4), 1997, 701. doi:10.1093/brain/120.4.701 F. L. Silva, W. Blanes, S. N. Kalitzin, J. Parra, P. Suffczynski and D. N. Velis, Epilepsies as dynamical diseases of brain systems: Basic models of the transition between normal and epileptic activity, Epilepsia , 44 (12), 2003, 72--83. F. H. Lopes da Silva, W. Blanes, S. N. Kalitzin, J. Parra, P. Suffczynski and D. N. Velis, Dynamical diseases of brain systems: different routes to epileptic seizures, ieee T. Bio-Med. Eng. , 50 (5), 2003, 540. L.D. Iasemidis, Epileptic seizure prediction and control, ieee T. Bio-Med. Eng. , 50 (5), 2003, 549--558. L. D. Iasemidis, D. S. Shiau, W. Chaovalitwongse, J. C. Sackellares, P. M. Pardalos, J. C. Principe, P. R. Carney, A. Prasad, B. Veeramani, and K. Tsakalis, Adaptive epileptic seizure prediction system, ieee T. Bio-Med. Eng. , 50 (5), 2003, 616--627. K. Lehnertz, F. Mormann, T. Kreuz, R.G. Andrzejak, C. Rieke, P. David and C. E. Elger, Seizure prediction by nonlinear eeg analysis, ieee Eng. Med. Biol. , 22 (1), 2003, 57--63. doi:10.1109/MEMB.2003.1191451 K. Lehnertz, R. G. Andrzejak, J. Arnhold, T. Kreuz, F. Mormann, C. Rieke, G. Widman and C. E. Elger, Nonlinear eeg analysis in epilepsy: Its possible use for interictal focus localization, seizure anticipation, and prevention, J. Clin. Neurophysiol. , 18 (3), 2001, 209. B. Litt and K. Lehnertz, Seizure prediction and the preseizure period, Curr. Opin. Neurol. , 15 (2), 2002, 173. doi:10.1097/00019052-200204000-00008 B. Litt and J. Echauz, Prediction of epileptic seizures, Lancet Neurol. , 1 (1), 2002, 22--30. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(02)00003-0 M. M{a}kiranta, J. Ruohonen, K Suominen, J. Niinim{a}ki, E. Sonkaj{a}rvi, V. Kiviniemi, T. Sepp{a}nen, S. Alahuhta, V. J{a}ntti and O. Tervonen, {bold} signal increase preceeds eeg spike activity--a dynamic penicillin induced focal epilepsy in deep anesthesia, NeuroImage , 27 (4), 2005, 715--724. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.05.025 K. Lehnertz, F. Mormann, H. Osterhage, A. M{u}ller, J. Prusseit, A. Chernihovskyi, M. Staniek, D. Krug, S. Bialonski and C. E. Elger, State-of-the-art of seizure prediction, J. Clin. Neurophysiol. , 24 (2), 2007, 147. doi:10.1097/WNP.0b013e3180336f16 F. Mormann, T. Kreuz, C. Rieke, R. G. Andrzejak, A. Kraskov, P. David, C. E. Elger and K. Lehnertz, On the predictability of epileptic seizures, Clin. Neurophysiol. , 116 (3), 2005, 569--587. doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2004.08.025 F. Mormann, R. G. Andrzejak, C. E. Elger and K. Lehnertz, Seizure prediction: the long and winding road, Brain , 130 (2), 2007, 314--333. doi:10.1093/brain/awl241 Z. Rogowski, I. Gath and E. Bental, On the prediction of epileptic seizures, Biol. Cybern. , 42 (1), 1981, 9--15. Y. Salant, I. Gath, O. Henriksen, Prediction of epileptic seizures from two-channel eeg, Med. Biol. Eng. Comput. , 36 (5), 1998, 549--556. doi:10.1007/BF02524422 J. Gotman and D.J. Koffler, Interictal spiking increases after seizures but does not after decrease in medication, Evoked Potential , 72 (1), 1989, 7--15. J. Gotman and M. G. Marciani, Electroencephalographic spiking activity, drug levels, and seizure occurence in epileptic patients, Ann. Neurol. , 17 (6), 1985, 59--603. A. Katz, D. A. Marks, G. McCarthy and S. S. Spencer, Does interictal spiking change prior to seizures?, Electroen. Clin. Neuro. , 79 (2), 1991, 153--156. A. Granada, R. M. Hennig, B. Ronacher, A. Kramer and H. Herzel, Phase Response Curves: Elucidating the dynamics of couples oscillators, Method Enzymol. , 454 (A), 2009, 1--27. doi:10.1016/S0076-6879(08)03801-9 doi:10.1016/S0076-6879(08)03801-9 H. Kantz and T. Schreiber, Nonlinear time series analysis , 2004, Cambridge Univ Press. M. V. L. Bennett and R. S Zukin, Electrical coupling and neuronal synchronization in the mammalian brain, Neuron , 41 (4), 2004, 495 --511. doi:10.1016/S0896-6273(04)00043-1 L.D. Iasemidis, J. Chris Sackellares, H. P. Zaveri and W. J. Williams, Phase space topography and the Lyapunov exponent of electrocorticograms in partial seizures, Brain Topogr. , 2 (3), 1990, 187--201. doi:10.1007/BF01140588 M. Le Van Quyen, J. Martinerie, V. Navarro, M. Baulac and F. J. Varela, Characterizing neurodynamic changes before seizures, J. Clin. Neurophysiol. , 18 (3), 2001, 191. J. Martinerie, C. Adam, M. Le Van Quyen, M. Baulac, S. Clemenceau, B. Renault and F. J. Varela, Epileptic seizures can be anticipated by non-linear analysis, Nat. Med. , 4 (10), 1998, 1173--1176. doi:10.1038/2667 A. Pikovsky, M. Rosenblum, J. Kurths and R. C. Hilborn, Synchronization: A universal concept in nonlinear science, Amer. J. Phys. , 70 , 2002, 655. H. R. Wilson and J. D. Cowan, Excitatory and inhibitory interactions in localized populations of model neurons, Biophys. J. , 12 (1), 1972, 1--24. D. Cumin and C. P. Unsworth, Generalising the Kuramoto model for the study of neuronal synchronisation in the brain, Physica D , 226 (2), 2007, 181--196. doi:10.1016/j.physd.2006.12.004 F. K. Skinner, H. Bazzazi and S. A. Campbell, Two-cell to N-cell heterogeneous, inhibitory networks: Precise linking of multistable and coherent properties, J. Comput. Neurosci. , 18 (3), 2005, 343--352. doi:10.1007/s10827-005-0331-1 W. W. Lytton, Computer modelling of epilepsy, Nat. Rev. Neurosci. , 9 (8), 2008, 626--637. doi:10.1038/nrn2416 R. D. Traub, A. Bibbig, F. E. N. LeBeau, E. H. Buhl and M. A. Whittington, Cellular mechanisms of neuronal population oscillations in the hippocampus in vitro, Ann. Rev. , 2004. R. D. Traub, A. Draguhn, M. A. Whittington, T. Baldeweg, A. Bibbig, E. H. Buhl and D. Schmitz, Axonal gap junc ions between principal neurons: A novel source of network oscillations, and perhaps epileptogenesis., Rev. Neuroscience , 13 (1), 2002, 1. doi:10.1146/annurev.neuro.27.070203.144303 M. Scheffer, J. Bascompte, W. A. Brock, V. Brovkin, S. R. Carpenter, V. Dakos, H. Held, E. H. van Nes, M. Rietkerk and G. Sugihara, Early-warning signals for critical transitions, Nature , 461 (7260), 2009, 53--59. doi:10.1038/nature08227 K. Murphy, A Brief Introduction to Graphical Models and Bayesian Networks , 2008, http://www.cs.ubc.ca/murphyk/Bayes/bnintro.html . R. C. Bradley, An elementary

Predicting freeway pavement construction cost using a back-propagation neural network : a case study in Henan, China

The objective of this research was to develop a model to estimate future freeway pavement construction costs in Henan Province, China. A comprehensive set of factors contributing to the cost of freeway pavement construction were included in the model formulation. These factors comprehensively reflect the characteristics of region and topography and altitude variation, the cost of labour, material, and equipment, and time-related variables such as index numbers of labour prices, material prices and equipment prices. An Artificial Neural Network model using the Back-Propagation learning algorithm was developed to estimate the cost of freeway pavement construction. A total of 88 valid freeway cases were obtained from freeway construction projects let by the Henan Transportation Department during the period 1994−2007. Data from a random selection of 81 freeway cases were used to train the Neural Network model and the remaining data were used to test the performance of the Neural Network model. The tested model was used to predict freeway pavement construction costs in 2010 based on predictions of input values. In addition, this paper provides a suggested correction for the prediction of the value for the future freeway pavement construction costs. Since the change in future freeway pavement construction cost is affected by many factors, the predictions obtained by the proposed method, and therefore the model, will need to be tested once actual data are obtained.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 of tubular and macrophage origin contributes to the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis via macrophage recruitment through osteopontin cleavage

A pro-fibrotic role of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in tubular cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is well established in renal fibrosis; however studies from our group and others have demonstrated some previously unrecognized complexity of MMP-9 that has been overlooked in renal fibrosis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the expression pattern, origin and the exact mechanism underlying the contribution of MMP-9 to unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), a well-established model of renal fibrosis via MMP-9 inhibition. Renal MMP-9 expression in BALB/c mice with UUO was examined on day 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 14. To inhibit MMP-9 activity, MMP-2/9 inhibitor or MMP-9-neutralizing antibody was administered daily for 4 consecutive days from day 0-3, 6-9 or 10-13 and tissues harvested at day 14. In UUO, there was a bi-phasic early- and late-stage upregulation of MMP-9 activity. Interestingly, tubular epithelial cells (TECs) were the predominant source of MMP-9 during early stage, whereas TECs, macrophages and myofibroblasts produced MMP-9 during late-stage UUO. Early- and late-stage inhibition of MMP-9 in UUO mice significantly reduced tubular cell EMT and renal fibrosis. Moreover, MMP-9 inhibition caused a significant reduction in MMP-9-cleaved osteopontin and macrophage infiltration in UUO kidney. Our in vitro study showed MMP-9-cleaved osteopontin enhanced macrophage transwell migration and MMP-9 of both primary TEC and macrophage induced tubular cell EMT. In summary, our result suggests that MMP-9 of both TEC and macrophage origin may directly or indirectly contribute to the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis via osteopontin cleavage, which, in turn further recruit macrophage and induce tubular cell EMT. Our study also highlights the time dependency of its expression and the potential of stage-specific inhibition strategy against renal fibrosis.

MMP-9 secretion and MMP-2 activation distinguish invasive and metastatic sublines of a mouse mammary carcinoma system showing epithelial-mesenchymal transition traits

We have investigated the gelatinase profiles and invasiveness of clonal tumour sublines derived from a spontaneously arising mammary tumour in a Balb/cfC3H mouse. The 67NR, 66c14 and 4T1.2 sublines have low, intermediate and high metastatic potential respectively. In Boyden chamber studies, Matrigel invasion was seen to be progressively higher in the more metastatic lines 4T1.2>66c14>67NR, consistent with MMP-2 activation potential, MMP-9 secretion, and migration over either type I or IV collagen, which were low in both 67NR and 66c14 cells compared to 4T1.2 cells. These attributes are consistent with those seen in human breast cancer cell lines which appear to have undergone an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) as indicated by vimentin expression. We were, however, surprised to find vimentin expression, MT1-MMP expression and stellate Matrigel outgrowth in the non-invasive, non-metastatic 67NR cells, indicating that they had undergone an EMT despite not being invasive. We conclude that the EMT is manifested to differing degrees in these three clonal cell lines, and that the 67NR cells have either undergone a partial EMT or have since lost certain important attributes of the EMT-derived phenotype. This model should prove useful in further characterizing the regulation of MT1-MMP mediated MMP-2 activation and delineating the EMT in breast cancer progression.

Using objective physical activity measures with youth : How many days of monitoring are needed?

Purpose The purpose of this study was to establish the minimal number of days of monitoring required for accelerometers to assess usual physical activity in children. Methods A total of 381 students (189 M, 192 F) wore a CSA 7164 uniaxial accelerometer for seven consecutive days. To examine age-related trends students were grouped as follows: Group I: grades 1-3 (N = 92); Group II: grades 4-6 (N = 98); Group III: grades 7-9 (N = 97); Group IV: grades 10-12 (N = 94). Average daily time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was calculated from minute-by-minute activity counts using the regression equation developed by Freedson et al. (1997). Results Compared with adolescents in grades 7 to 12, children in grades 1 to 6 exhibited less day-to-day variability in MVPA behavior. Spearman-Brown analysts indicated that between 4 and 5 d of monitoring would be necessary to a achieve a reliability of 0.80 in children, and between 8 and 9 d of monitoring would be necessary to achieve a reliability of 0.80 in adolescents. Within all grade levels, the 7-d monitoring protocol produced acceptable estimates of daily participation in MVPA (R = 0.76 (0.71-0.81) to 0.87 (0.84-0.90)). Compared with weekdays, children exhibited significantly higher levels of MVPA on weekends, whereas adolescents exhibited significantly lower levels of MVPA on weekends. Principal components analysis revealed two distinct time components for MVPA during the day for children (early morning, rest of the day), and three distinct time components for MVPA during the day for adolescents (morning, afternoon, early evening). Conclusions These results indicate that a 7-d monitoring protocol provides reliable estimates of usual physical activity behavior in children and adolescents and accounts for potentially important differences in weekend versus weekday activity behavior as well as differences in activity patterns within a given day.

Validity of accelerometry for measurement of activity in people with brain injury

Purpose To evaluate the validity of a uniaxial accelerometer (MTI Actigraph) for measuring physical activity in people with acquired brain injury (ABI) using portable indirect calorimetry (Cosmed K4b(2)) as a criterion measure. Methods Fourteen people with ABI and related gait pattern impairment (age 32 +/- 8 yr) wore an MTI Actigraph that measured activity (counts(.)min-(1)) and a Cosmed K4b(2) that measured oxygen consumption (mL(.)kg(-1.)min(-1)) during four activities: quiet sitting (QS) and comfortable paced (CP), brisk paced (BP), and fast paced (FP) walking. MET levels were predicted from Actigraph counts using a published equation and compared with Cosmed measures. Predicted METs for each of the 56 activity bouts (14 participants X 4 bouts) were classified (light, moderate, vigorous, or very vigorous intensity) and compared with Cosmed-based classifications. Results Repeated-measures ANOVA indicated that walking condition intensities were significantly different (P < 0.05) and the Actigraph detected the differences. Overall correlation between measured and predicted METs was positive, moderate, and significant (r = 0.74). Mean predicted METs were not significantly different from measured for CP and BP, but for FP walking, predicted METs were significantly less than measured (P < 0.05). The Actigraph correctly classified intensity for 76.8% of all activity bouts and 91.5% of light- and moderate-intensity bouts. Conclusions Actigraph counts provide a valid index of activity across the intensities investigated in this study. For light to moderate activity, Actigraph-based estimates of METs are acceptable for group-level analysis and are a valid means of classifying activity intensity. The Actigraph significantly underestimated higher intensity activity, although, in practice, this limitation will have minimal impact on activity measurement of most community-dwelling people with ABI.

Designing mixed species tree plantations for the tropics : balancing ecological attributes of species with landholder preferences in the Philippines

A mixed species reforestation program known as the Rainforestation Farming system was undertaken in the Philippines to develop forms of farm forestry more suitable for smallholders than the simple monocultural plantations commonly used then. In this study, we describe the subsequent changes in stand structure and floristic composition of these plantations in order to learn from the experience and develop improved prescriptions for reforestation systems likely to be attractive to smallholders. We investigated stands aged from 6 to 11 years old on three successive occasions over a 6 year period. We found the number of species originally present in the plots as trees >5 cm dbh decreased from an initial total of 76 species to 65 species at the end of study period. But, at the same time, some new species reached the size class threshold and were recruited into the canopy layer. There was a substantial decline in tree density from an estimated stocking of about 5000 trees per ha at the time of planting to 1380 trees per ha at the time of the first measurement; the density declined by a further 4.9% per year. Changes in composition and stand structure were indicated by a marked shift in the Importance Value Index of species. Over six years, shade-intolerant species became less important and the native shade-tolerant species (often Dipterocarps) increased in importance. Based on how the Rainforestation Farming plantations developed in these early years, we suggest that mixed-species plantations elsewhere in the humid tropics should be around 1000 trees per ha or less, that the proportion of fast growing (and hence early maturing) trees should be about 30–40% of this initial density and that any fruit tree component should only be planted on the plantation margin where more light and space are available for crowns to develop.

Mechanisms of change in psychotherapy for people diagnosed with schizophrenia : the role of narrative reflexivity in promoting recovery

Narrative reflexivity was investigated as a potential mechanism of therapeutic change during a 12 - 18 month trial of Metacognitive Narrative Psychotherapy for people diagnosed with schizophrenia. Participants were nine adult clients (8 male, 1 female) aged between 25-65 years (M = 44, SD = 12.76) with a diagnosis of schizophrenia consistent with DSM-IV criteria and seven female provisional psychologists aged between 25-29 years (M = 26.8 years, SD = 1.47 years). Recovery and narrative reflexivity were measured at three time points using the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS) and the Narrative Processes Coding System (NPCS). Results were reported descriptively due to limited sample size (n = 9). The majority of clients (n = 7) reported an increase in recovery over the course of treatment. For six clients, an overall increase in recovery was associated with an increase in narrative reflexivity. This study provides preliminary support for narrative reflexivity as a potential mechanism of therapeutic change in the psychotherapy of people diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The impact of flood and post-flood cleaning on airborne microbiological and particle contamination in residential houses

In January 2011, Brisbane, Australia, experienced a major river flooding event. We aimed to investigate its effects on air quality and assess the role of prompt cleaning activities in reducing the airborne exposure risk. A comprehensive, multi-parameter indoor and outdoor measurement campaign was conducted in 41 residential houses, 2 and 6 months after the flood. The median indoor air concentrations of supermicrometer particle number (PN), PM10, fungi and bacteria 2 months after the flood were comparable to those previously measured in Brisbane. These were 2.88 p cm-3, 15 µg m-3, 804 cfu m-3 and 177 cfu m-3 for flood-affected houses (AFH), and 2.74 p cm-3, 15 µg m-3, 547 cfu m-3 and 167 cfu m-3 for non-affected houses (NFH), respectively. The I/O (indoor/outdoor) ratios of these pollutants were 1.08, 1.38, 0.74 and 1.76 for AFH and 1.03, 1.32, 0.83 and 2.17 for NFH, respectively. The average of total elements (together with transition metals) in indoor dust was 2296 ± 1328 µg m-2 for AFH and 1454 ± 678 µg m-2 for NFH, respectively. In general, the differences between AFH and NFH were not statistically significant, implying the absence of a measureable effect on air quality from the flood. We postulate that this was due to the very swift and effective cleaning of the flooded houses by 60,000 volunteers. Among the various cleaning methods, the use of both detergent and bleach was the most efficient at controlling indoor bacteria. All cleaning methods were equally effective for indoor fungi. This study provides quantitative evidence of the significant impact of immediate post-flood cleaning on mitigating the effects of flooding on indoor bioaerosol contamination and other pollutants.

Reliability of a wellness inventory for use among adolescent females aged 12-14 years

Background The wellness construct has application in a number of fields including education, healthcare and counseling, particularly with regard to female adolescents. The effective measurement of wellness in adolescents can assist researchers and practitioners in determining lifestyle behaviors in which they are lacking. Behavior change interventions can then be designed which directly aid in the promotion of these areas. Methods The 5-Factor Wellness Inventory (designed to measure the Indivisible Self model of wellness) is a popular instrument for measuring the broad aspects of wellness amongst adolescents. The instrument comprises 97 items contributing to 17 subscales, five dimension scores, four context scores, total wellness score, and a life satisfaction index. This investigation evaluated the test-retest (intra-rater) reliability of the 5 F-Wel instrument in repeated assessments (seven days apart) among adolescent females aged 12-14 years. Percentages of exact agreement for individual items, and the number of respondents who scored within +/-5, +/-7.5 and +/-10 points for total wellness and the five summary dimension scores were calculated. Results Overall, 46 (95.8%) participants responded with complete data and were included in the analysis. Item agreement ranged from 47.8% to 100% across the 97 items (median 69.9%, interquartile range 60.9%-73.9%). The percentage of respondents who scored within +/-5, +/-7.5 and +/-10 points for total wellness at the re-assessment was 87.0%, 97.8% and 97.8% respectively. The percentage of respondents who scored within +/-5, +/-7.5 and +/-10 for the domain scores at the reassessment ranged between 54.3-76.1%, 78.3-95.7% and 89.1-95.7% respectively across the five dimensions. Conclusions These findings suggest there was considerable variation in agreement between the two assessments on some individual items. However, the total wellness score and the five dimension summary scores remained comparatively stable between assessments.