Complex terrain experiments in the New European Wind Atlas.

The New European Wind Atlas project will create a freely accessible wind atlas covering Europe and Turkey, develop the model chain to create the atlas and perform a series of experiments on flow in many different kinds of complex terrain to validate the models. This paper describes the experiments of which some are nearly completed while others are in the planning stage. All experiments focus on the flow properties that are relevant for wind turbines, so the main focus is the mean flow and the turbulence at heights between 40 and 300 m. Also extreme winds, wind shear and veer, and diurnal and seasonal variations of the wind are of interest. Common to all the experiments is the use of Doppler lidar systems to supplement and in some cases replace completely meteorological towers. Many of the lidars will be equipped with scan heads that will allow for arbitrary scan patterns by several synchronized systems. Two pilot experiments, one in Portugal and one in Germany, show the value of using multiple synchronized, scanning lidar, both in terms of the accuracy of the measurements and the atmospheric physical processes that can be studied. The experimental data will be used for validation of atmospheric flow models and will by the end of the project be freely available.This article is part of the themed issue 'Wind energy in complex terrains'.

Association of body mass index and waist circumference with severity of knee osteoarthritis.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of the body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) with the severity of radiographic severity of knee osteoarthritis (rKOA) Methods. A cross-sectional study had been applied during the research which included 150 patients diagnosed at the General Hospital in Uzice and Health Center in Arilje (Serbia). The study included patients over the age of 50 diagnosed with OA according to The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) criteria. Data on social-demographic characteristics, health habits, and personal and family histories of the participants were collected through a specific questionnaire designated for this research. The severity of the disease was assessed pursuant to radiological changes using the Кellgren-Lawrence grading scale (K-L). The state of nourishment was assessed according to the BMI and WC. RESULTS: According to multivariate logistic regression analyses, after adjustment on age, sex, marital status, formal education, present occupation, smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity, higher grades of rKOA (grade III and grade IV) were significantly related to BMI (p = 0.038) and WC (p < 0.001). The association was much stronger for obesity defined as BMI ≥30 kg/m2 (p = 0.002) and for abdominal obesity - WC > 102 cm in men and > 88 cm in women (p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: This study showed that obesity defined as BMI ≥30 kg/m2 and abdominal obesity are strongly related to K-L of rKOA, the associations being of very similar extent.

Growth of epitaxial Pt1-xPbx alloys by surface limited redox replacement and study of their adsorption properties.

The surface limited redox replacement (SLRR) method has been used to design two-dimensional Pt-Pb nanoalloys with controlled thickness, composition, and structure. The electrochemical behavior of these alloys has been systematically studied as a function of alloy composition. A single-cell, two-step SLRR protocol based on the galvanic replacement of underpotentially deposited monolayers of Pb with Pt was used to grow epitaxial Pt1-xPbx (x < 0.1) alloys of up to 10 ML thickness on Au substrates. It is shown that by varying the terminating potential of the galvanic replacement step, the Pb atomic content can be controlled in the films. Electrochemical analysis of the alloys showed that the adsorption of both H and CO exhibits similar, and systematic, decreases with small increases in the Pb content. These measurements, commonly used in electrocatalysis for the determination of active surface areas of Pt, suggested area values much lower than those expected based on the net Pt composition in the alloy as measured by XPS. These results show that Pb has a strong screening effect on the adsorption of both H and CO. Moreover, changes in alloy composition result in a negative shift in the potential of the peaks of CO oxidation that scales with the increase of Pb content. The results suggest electronic and bifunctional effects of incorporated Pb on the electrochemical behavior of Pt. The study illustrates the potential of the SLRR methodology, which could be employed in the design of 2-dimensional bimetallic Pt nanoalloys for fundamental studies of electrocatalytic behavior in fuel cell reactions dependent on the nature of alloying metal and its composition.

Stressful life events and type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to compare cases with type 2 diabetes and their controls for the frequency of stressful life events and social support before the occurrence of the disease. METHODS: The study of cases and their controls was undertaken in Belgrade. A case group comprised 179 subjects in whom type 2 diabetes was for the first time diagnosed in the 'Savski Venac' Medical Center during the period 2005-2007 year. The diagnosis was made by a specialist of internal medicine according to criteria of the Expert Committee on the Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus. For each case two controls were chosen among patients with trauma (fracture, reposition, internal/external fixation) who were treated at the 'Banjica' Institute for Orthopedic-Surgical Diseases during the same period. Cases and controls were matched by sex, age (±2 years) and place of residence (Belgrade). Data were collected on demographic characteristics, habits, personal history, stressful life events, social support and family medical history. RESULTS: According to multivariate analysis low social support in personal history, such as relatives/friends help and financial assistance in solving problems, and bad management of monthly income were significantly positively related to type 2 diabetes. However, significantly more controls than cases had no financial insurance in case of urgent need CONCLUSION: Examine psychosocial factors play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes.

Association between DNA methylation of HSPB1 and death in low Gleason score prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp-27) encoded by gene HSPB1 is a critical regulator of the behavioral phenotype of human prostate cancer (PCa) cells, enhanced expression being associated with highly aggressive disease and poor clinical outcome. In contrast, the protein is not expressed in PCas of low malignant potential. To gain insight into the mechanism regulating its expression, we tested the hypothesis that differential methylation of CpG islands within HSPB1 controls transcription and subsequent translation of the gene. METHODS: We studied prostate epithelial cell lines and tissue biopsies, including 59 BPH and 415 PCas, of which 367 were a cohort of men with up to 20 years of follow-up. Methylation across the gene (DNA methylation (DNAme)) was assayed by pyrosequencing. Hsp-27 expression was assessed by western blot and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In cancer tissues, methylation increased in a 3' direction (P < 0.0001) whereas in benign hyperplasia methylation was constantly below 5%, a cutoff giving a specificity of 100% and sensitivity of 50%. Although methylation of the promoter region was significantly discriminating between benign and malignant prostatic epithelia, it compared poorly with methylation of the first intron. The prognostic value of HSPB1 DNAme was confirmed by both univariate (hazard ratio 1.77 per 50% increment, P = 0.02) and multivariate models. Interaction between HSPB1 methylation and Gleason score revealed high DNAme to be a reliable prognostic marker of poor outcome in men with low Gleason score (P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate CpG methylation of the first HSPB1 intron to be an important biomarker that identifies aggressive PCas otherwise regarded as low risk by current clinical criteria but that, biologically, require immediate active management.

From Au to Pt via surface limited redox replacement of Pb UPD in one-cell configuration.

This work is aimed at developing a protocol based on surface limited redox replacement (SLRR) of underpotentially deposited (UPD) Pb layers for the growth of epitaxial and continuous Pt thin films on polycrystalline and single crystalline Au surfaces. Different from previously reported papers using SLRR in multiple immersion or flow cell setups, this work explores the one-cell configuration setup as an alternative to improve the efficiency and quality of the growth. Open circuit chronopotentiometry and quartz-crystal microbalance experiments demonstrate steady displacement kinetics and a yield that is higher than the stoichiometric Pt(II)-Pb exchange ratio (1:1). This high yield is attributed to oxidative adsorption of OH(ad) taking place on Pt along with the displacement process. Also, ex situ scanning tunneling microscopy surface characterization reveals after the first replacement event the formation of a dense Pt cluster network that homogenously covers the Au surface. The Pt films grow homogenously with no significant changes in the cluster distribution and surface roughness observed up to 10 successive replacement events. X-ray diffraction analysis shows distinct (111) crystallographic orientation of thicker Pt films deposited on (111) textured Au thin films. Coarse energy dispersive spectroscopy measurements and finer X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggest at least 4 atom % Pb incorporating into the Pt layer compared to 13 atom % alloyed Cu when the growth is carried out by SLRR of Cu UPD.

Primary double invasive cervical carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma--case report.

A case of 56-year old women with double primary invasive cervical carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and endometrioid adenocarcinoma is presented. The patient was subjected to radical abdominal hysterectomy with pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy. Surgery was followed by radiotherapy. Since the treatment the patient has been doing well and is free of any signs of relapse of the disease.

Endometrial carcinoma with ovarian metastases incidentally detected in a 30-year-old infertile patient--case report.

This is a case of invasive endometrial carcinoma with ovarian metastases incidentally detected in a 30-year-old infertile woman. The patient was asymptomatic. Carcinoma was discovered during hysteroscopy. She was submitted to surgical treatment involving total hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and dissection of the pelvic and paraaortal lymph nodes. Postoperative irradiation therapy was performed. Since treatment the patient has been well.

Self-assembly of paired nanoribbons.

Self-assembly of surface phase domains is a promising route to fabricate stable nanometer-scale structures. This Letter reports a novel labyrinth structure of orthogonal nanoscale ribbons of Cu4Pb3 ordered-alloy on Cu(100) formed by electrochemical deposition. The labyrinth develops as loops of Cu4Pb3 ribbons elongate as closely spaced paired stripes. The structure is explained in terms of elastic interactions between anisotropic surface stress domains, wherein stripes of different phase variants form attractive dipoles. An energetic analysis determines the physical conditions necessary for the structure to form.

Anion adsorption induced reversal of coherency strain.

Experimental results are presented for stress evolution, in vacuum and electrolyte, for the first monolayer of Cu on Au(111). In electrolyte the monolayer is pseudomorphic and the stress-thickness change is -0.60 N/m, while conventional epitaxy theory predicts a value of +7.76 N/m. In vacuum, the monolayer is incoherent with the underlying gold. Using a combination of first-principles based calculations and molecular dynamic simulations we analyzed these results and demonstrate that in electrolyte, overlayer coherency is maintained owing to anion adsorption.

Electrocapillarity behavior of Au111 in SO4(2-) and F-.

We present the first set of results measuring the change in interfacial free energy and surface stress for Au(111) electrodes in an electrolyte containing a nonspecifically adsorbing anion and compare this behavior to that in an electrolyte containing an anion known to undergo specific adsorption. Generally, we find that the surface stress is more sensitive to changes in electrode potential and adsorption then the interfacial free energy. The results obtained in fluoride electrolytes are compared to the predictions of a thermodynamic analysis.

[Detection of anti-HCV antibodies in patients on long-term hemodialysis]. / Detekcija anti-HCV antitela kod bolesnika na dugotranoj hemodializi.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is highly prevalent among chronic dialysis patients and is the most common cause of chronic liver disease. Ninety six patients on chronic hemodialysis in our institute of transfusiology at the Military Medical Academy were evaluated for the presence of HCV infection. There was a significant relationship between presence of anti-HCV antibodies and number of blood transfusion received by examined patients. We concluded that hepatitis C is a common problem among patients on chronic hemodialysis in our institution: HCV infection is proved in about 48.95% of all patients on hemodialysis.

Heart phospholipid content and fatty acid composition in the rat after feeding different lipid supplemented diets.

The heart phospholipid content and fatty acid composition were examined in adult rats after four weeks of feeding lipid-supplemented diets (20 g % w/w) containing sunflower oil-lard (1:1) mixture (SL group) or margarine (M group). Our results showed a decreased cardiolipin content and distribution in both experimental groups and an increased lysophosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylcholine content and distribution in the SL group with a tendency to lower phosphatidylcholine/phospatidylethanolamine ratio in both experimental groups. In the SL group, the content of saturated fatty acids was higher and that of monounsaturated fatty acids was lower than in the control group. The M group showed inverse results. The content of saturated fatty acids was lower and that of monounsaturated was higher than in the control group. Polyunsaturated n-6 fatty acids were decreased in both experimental groups and n-3 fatty acids were increased in the M group. Feeding lipid-supplemented diets reduced n-6/n-3 and 20:4/22:6 ratios in the M group. The polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio was lower in the SL and higher in indicating the M group than in the control group. Our results are in agreement with the other reports indicating that the heart is sensitive to diet-induced lipid alterations.

Evaluation of the nutritional status and tumor characteristics in premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer patients.

Evaluation of the nutritional status, fat tissue distribution, and tumor characteristics was carried out in patients with primary breast cancer. The patients were classified into two groups according to their menopause: premenopausal and postmenopausal. Breast cancer prevalence was considerably higher in postmenopausal patients (61%). The patients' nutritional status was shown through the body mass index. Based on this indicator, the patients were characterized as nonobese and obese. In the premenopausal group, there was no significant difference between these categories, whereas the number of obese patients was significantly higher (80%) in the postmenopausal group. The analysis of tumor parameters as related to menopause and body size did not yield any significant differences. However, the estrogen receptor content was significantly higher in postmenopausal patients (p < 0.0001). Distribution of fat tissue of the android type was higher in obese postmenopausal women than in premenopausal ones (77%). The investigation showed that the breast cancer incidence odds are 3.5 times higher in obese postmenopausal than in premenopausal patients.

[Health implications of obesity]. / Zdravstvene implikacije gojaznosti.

The high prevalence of obesity in our society makes obesity a major and increasing health hazard. Extensive observations pointed out a connection of obesity with a variety of illnesses. The evidence shows that obesity is a major contributor to the high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, gallstone disease, osteoarthritis and hyperuricaemia in the general population. Obesity also appears to be a contributor to cancers of the colon, prostate and rectum in men and breast, ovary, uterus and biliary tract in women. Hormonal abnormalities tend to occur in both obese men and women. Obese women have menstrual irregularities more often than nonobese. Obese persons tend to have reduced pulmonary function compared with nonobese. Although there are many unresolved issues, weight control is necessary for avoiding and reducing health implications of obesity. More information is required for controlling obesity and its consequences, prior to recommending a dietary advice and treatment.

[The role of nutritional factors in pre-eclampsia and eclampsia]. / Uloga cinioca ishrane na pojavu preeklampcije i eklampcija.

Preeclampsia and eclampsia are very important health problems because they are the main contributors to maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. These disorders are unique in pregnancy and are characterized by oedema, proteinuria and hypertension. they occur in 0.5% to 30% of all pregnancies, primarily in primigravidas, after the 20-th week of gestation. Preeclampsia and eclampsia are diseases of undetermined cause. Many different factors might play an important role in the development of these diseases. One of them is nutrition. Recent studies have emphasized the possible role of general nutritional deficiency or imbalance of several specific nutrients in the aetiology of the disease. Deficiency of a variety of nutrients has been reported in patients with preeclampsia. The obtained results are contradictory and further study is necessary. Nevertheless, some evidence is highly suggestive of a relationship between nutritional status and the onset or progress of the disease. The article reviews the study that correlates the role of several nutritional elements with the pathophysiology of preeclampsia and eclampsia: proteins, lipids, calcium, vitamin D, sodium, magnesium and zinc. The evidence that supports or rejects the role of each of these nutrients is presented. In this way a guideline for general nutritional counseling in the prenatal period that will promote a healthier pregnancy, is offered.

Variations in steroid hormone receptor content throughout age and menopausal periods, and menstrual cycle in breast cancer patients.

Variations in steroid hormone receptor contents throughout age and menopausal periods define three breast carcinoma groups: younger premenopausal carcinomas (aged up to 45), middle-aged carcinomas (pre-, peri- and postmenopausal aged 45-59) and older postmenopausal carcinomas (aged over 59). Age-related steroid hormone receptor contents within premenopausal and postmenopausal carcinoma groups are characterized by the important increase of both receptor contents, while menopausal-related steroid hormone receptor contents within middle-aged carcinoma group (aged 45-59) are characterized by the important decrease of progesterone receptor content and estrogen receptor functionality. No variations in steroid hormone receptor contents throughout menstrual cycle within the follicular and the luteal phases were obtained. The important decrease of estrogen receptor content in the mid-cycle phase versus the perimenstrual phase was found. Variations in steroid hormone receptor contents throughout age and menopausal periods, as well as throughout menstrual cycle could not be associated with variations in the blood steroid hormone concentrations. However, important association between steroid hormone receptor contents and the blood steroid hormone concentrations was found within the luteal phase carcinoma group and within older postmenopausal carcinoma group. It is interesting that within carcinoma group with the highest concentration of progesterone, progesterone receptor content increases with an increase of the ratio of estradiol and progesterone blood concentrations, while within carcinoma group with the lowest steroid hormone concentration and the highest content of estrogen receptor content, estrogen receptor content decreases with an increase of either the blood estradiol concentration or the ratio of the blood estradiol and progesterone blood concentrations.