Analysis of the Response of Smoke Detectors to Smoldering Fires and Nuisance Sources

Since the initial smoke detector was developed, research has been ongoing to reduce the response times to fire sources and improve the ability of detectors to ignore nuisance sources. Research has been conducted to analyze the signatures from cooking activities, ranging from normal cooking to the flaming ignition of food products with the intent of identifying the precursors to flaming ignition. In particular, the goal of the research is to provide an alarm sufficiently prior to flaming ignition to allow homeowners to take corrective actions to prevent a fire. For the 11 experiments analyzed, the optical density measured in the range hood was the most accurate precursor signal, having the greatest ability to predict the imminent transition to a flaming fire with a minimum of false positives. Though plagued by false positives, the temperature of the heating element and response of an ionization detector provided a faster response than the optical density measure. Given that this research only included 11 experiments, further research should be conducted on a broader range of cooking styles and items being cooked.     

Targeting Deubiquitinating Enzymes (DUBs) That Regulate Mitophagy via Direct or Indirect Interaction with Parkin

The quality control of mitochondria is critical for the survival of cells, and defects in the pathways required for this quality control can lead to severe disease. A key quality control mechanism in cells is mitophagy, which functions to remove damaged mitochondria under conditions of various stresses. Defective mitophagy can lead to a number of diseases including neurodegeneration. It has been proposed that an enhancement of mitophagy can improve cell survival, enhance neuronal function in neurodegeneration and extend health and lifespans. In this review, we highlight the role of deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) in the regulation of mitophagy. We summarise the current knowledge on DUBs that regulate mitophagy as drug targets and provide a list of small molecule inhibitors that are valuable tools for the further development of therapeutic strategies targeting the mitophagy pathway in neurodegeneration.     

Palladium-Catalyzed Domino Reaction for the Synthesis of 3-Amino 1,2,4-Benzothiadiazine 1,1-Dioxides

A palladium-catalyzed domino reaction of 2-azidosulfonamides and isocyanides enables the synthesis of 3-amino-substituted 1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides at room temperature. By applying commercially available Pd(dba)₂ in catalyst loadings as low as 1.0 mol%, a variety of 21 differently substituted 2H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides can be prepared within 2 h. Moreover, the developed protocol gives access to the related 4H heterocycles.     

Étude,par diffraction des rayons X,de I'influence de la cryodessiccation sur la structure cristalline de I'amidon

Examination on the Influence of Freeze-Drying on Crystalline Starch Structure by Means of X-Ray Diffractometry. The influence of freeze-drying on the crystalline structure of various starches (potato, wheat, maize, waxy maize, manioca, arrow-root) and wheat amylose has been examined by means of X-ray diffractometric diagrams. Only the crystalline structure of potato starch is altered by the treatment. A change in structure becomes apparent only, if freeze-drying is done slowly and if the water content of starch is above 25%, related to d. s. However, a restoration of the original structure of starch is possible, by moistening under certain conditions as described in the text. An explanation for the observations is proposed by means of a new hypothesis on structure organization of starch granules as well as the part of water as a determining factor for organization.     

Reference publication year spectroscopy (RPYS) of Eugene Garfield’s publications

Which studies, theories, and ideas have influenced Eugene Garfield’s scientific work? Recently, the method reference publication year spectroscopy (RPYS) has been introduced, which can be used to answer this and related questions. Since then, several studies have been published dealing with the historical roots of research fields and scientists. The program CRExplorer (http://www.crexplorer.net) was specifically developed for RPYS. In this study, we use this program to investigate the historical roots of Eugene Garfield’s oeuvre.     

Constrained pole-placement using transformation and LQ-design

A new procedure for constrained pole-placement is presented. The poles of the closed loop system are placed within a circle in the left half plane. The design procedure is noniterative and the solution is obtained via linear quadratic (LQ) design for a transformed system. The circle can be chosen in order to obtain good transient properties of the closed loop system. The method combines the properties of pole-placement and LQ-design.     

The Persuasive Influence of Emotion in Cancer Prevention and Detection Messages

This paper reviews and summarizes the literature on the relationship between emotion and persuasion as it bears on the production of cancer prevention and detection messages. A series of propositions are presented that serve to illustrate the intricacies of the emotion–persuasion relationship. These propositions deal with the necessary conditions for emotional arousal, individual differences in emotional reactivity to cancer messages, the potential for emotion-inducing messages to produce persuasive and counterpersuasive effects, the conditions that circumscribe the influence of emotions on persuasion, and the mechanisms by which that influence is achieved. To the extent that the literature permits, advice on message design is offered.     

Temporal variations in road traffic fatalities in South Africa

The annual road traffic fatality (RTF) burden of 43 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants in South Africa (SA) is disproportionately high in comparison to the world average of 22 per 100 000 population. Recent research revealed strong geographical variations across district councils in the country, as well as a substantial peak in mortality occurring during December. In this study, the factors that explain temporal variations in RTFs in SA are examined. Using weekly data from the period 2002–2006 for the country's nine provinces, non-linear auto-regression exogenous (NARX) regression models were fitted to explain variations in RTFs and to assess the degree to which the variations between the provinces were associated with the temporal variations in risk factors. Results suggest that a proportion of the variations in weekly RTFs could be explained by factors other than the size of the province population, with both temporal and between-province residual variance remaining after accounting for the modelled risks. Policies directed at reducing the effects of the modifiable risks identified in our study will be important in reducing RTFs in SA.