Concrete Tank Failure as the Result of Implementing Wrong Boundary Conditions for Wall Support-Case Study

Damage to large reinforced concrete structures is rarely due to design errors. Sometimes, however, a small error can lead to major damage and costly repairs. The article describes the damage, the results of non-destructive and destructive tests, the results of numerical calculations, and the method of repairing a reinforced concrete tank in a sewage treatment plant. The failure was caused by applying the wrong boundary conditions to the reinforced concrete wall support inside an existing biological reactor. During leak testing, one of the new walls cracked and was displaced, which resulted in the tank leaking. An inspection of wall damage and displacement was carried out on termination of the leak testing and while the tank was draining. The causes of the failure were determined based on the inventory information and numerical simulations. Both non-destructive tests of reinforcement and concrete and destructive tests of concrete were carried out. The concrete class of the foundation slab was determined based on a compression test of sample cores obtained from drilling. The aim of the non-destructive tests was to indicate the location and diameter of reinforcement in the damaged wall using electromagnetic and radar methods, as well as the location of internal defects using ultrasonic and radar methods. It was found out that the failure was a result of an incorrect determination of the anchoring length of the reinforcement. Based on the analysis, a plan to repair the damaged wall was formulated and then successfully implemented. In the article the authors proposed the IVD (identification-verification-design) scheme to make the design easier in similar cases.

The relationship between RRM1 gene polymorphisms and effectiveness of gemcitabine-based first-line chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC patient

Purpose

Chemotherapy with platinum compounds and gemcitabine is frequently used in first-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in which tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR or ALK) cannot be administered. Unfortunately, less than half of the patients achieve the benefit from chemotherapy. Gemcitabine is an analog of deoxycytidine (pyrimidine antimetabolite) with antitumor activity. The excess of deoxycytidine synthesized by RRM1 enzyme activity may be a cause of competitive displacement of gemcitabine, which reduces the efficacy of this cytostatic. The aim of this study was to determine the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the RRM1 promoter (−37C>A, −524C>T) and the effectiveness of first-line chemotherapy based on platinum compounds and gemcitabine in NSCLC patients.

Patients and methods

SNPs were determined by SNaPshot PCR^® in DNA isolated from peripheral blood of 91 NSCLC patients.

Results

The median progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly longer in carriers of AA (−37C>A) as well as CC (−524C>T) genotype of RRM1 compared to patients with other genotypes (10.5 vs 3.5 months, p = 0.0437; HR = 2.17, 95 % CI 1.02–4.62 and 10.5 vs 3.5 months, p = 0.0343; HR = 2.12, 95 % CI 1.06–4.27). In addition, the CC genotype carriers (−37C>A) showed a significant increase in the risk of shortening overall survival (OS) in comparison to patients with AA or AC genotypes (9.5 vs 18 months, p = 0.0193; HR = 2.13, 95 % CI 1.13–4.03).

Conclusions

Presence of rare AA (−37C>A) and CC (−524C>T) genotypes of the RRM1 may be favorable predictive factors for chemotherapy with platinum compounds and gemcitabine in NSCLC patients.

Pressure Dependence of the Proton Transfer Equilibrium in Hydrogen Bonded Complexes

35Cl NQR measurements were carried out on complexes of pentachlorophenol with nitrogen bases as a function of pressure (up to 300 MPa) and of temperature. It is shown that the sign and magnitude of the pressure coefficient of the 35Cl NQR frequency is related to the degree of proton transfer. An anomaly in the pressure coefficient of ν (35Cl) has been observed near 50% of the proton transfer in the hydrogen bond. This anomaly is discussed assuming that the proton transfer equilibrium is pressure dependent. The fact that the transition from the double-well potential of the hydrogen bond to the single-well potential occurs in the critical manner is also taken into account.

Genetic data on 19 STR loci in south-east Poland

Allele frequencies for the 19 STRs loci, D3S1358, D5S818, D7S820, D8S1179, D13S317, D16S539, D18S51, D21S11, CSF1PO, F13A01, F13B, FESFPS, FGA, LPL, Penta D, Penta E, TH01, TPOX and VWA were obtained from a sample of 203-1188 unrelated individuals living in the area of south-east Poland.

Rare phenotypes of the phosphoglucomutase locus 1 detectable by isoelectric focusing on Cellogel

The rare phenotypes PGM1, determined by alleles PGM1(3), PGM1(4), PGM1(6), and PGM1(7) were examined by starch gel electrophoresis and cellulose acetate gel isoelectric focusing and were compared with the commonest phenotypes of PGM1. The frequencies of the rare genes found in the Polish populations were as follows: in Lublin, PGM1(3) = 0.0002, PGM1(4) = 0.0005, PGM1(6) = 0.0010, and PGM1(7) = 0.0005; in Wrocław, PGM1(3) = 0.0000, PGM1(4) = 0.0005, PGM1(6) = 0.0007, and PGM1(7) = 0.0002. The results suggest that the F and S type variants of the genes PGM1(4) and PGM1(7) probably do not occur. It is still possible that F and S variants exist for the genes PGM1(3) and PGM1(6).

[Histocompatibility antigens in pregnant women with preeclampsia and in their husbands]

OBJECTIVES

Several pedigree and epidemiological studies have suggested that preeclampsia (PE) has an immunogenetic basis. Therefore, we have attempted to disclose a possible association between antigens of the HLA system (HLA-A, B and C) and development of PE.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Peripheral blood lymphocytes were typed for HLA-A, B and C antigens by the two-stage microlymphocytotoxic test in 32 pregnant women with PE and in their husbands from south-east Poland. As a control population 411 healthy unrelated inhabitants of south-east Poland were studied. The obtained individual HLA antigens frequencies were compared with these in control individuals using Chi-square test and relative risk (RR) was computed as described by Svejgaard (1974).

RESULTS

The frequency of B13 antigen occurrence was significantly higher in the women group with PE as compared to that in general population, and revealed significant association with the development of PE (0.02 < p < 0.05; RR = 2.733), while the frequency of Cw4 antigen was significantly lower (0.02 < p < 0.05; RR = 0.283). The frequency of B22 antigen occurrence in husbands group was significantly higher as compared with that in general population and this difference achieved very high statistical significance and strong association with the development of PE (p < 0.001; RR = 9.452).

CONCLUSIONS

Results of our study point to the genetic transmission of susceptibility to PE. Typing for these antigens could be a potentially useful prenatal test for predicting which couples are at risk for PE.

Allele frequency distributions of D1S80 in the Polish population

The polymorphism of the D1S80 locus has been analyzed in a population sample of 208 unrelated individuals in the Southeast Poland and 103 mother/child pairs. PCR amplified alleles were separated by a vertical discontinuous polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system. Nineteen different alleles and 52 phenotypes could be distinguished. The alleles 18 (f = 0.267) and 24 (f = 0.300) were most common in Poland. D1S80 genotype frequencies of Poland population do not deviate from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. All mother/child pairs shared at least one D1S80 allele.

Subtypes of the phosphoglucomutase-1 (PGM1) locus detectable in Polish populations by isoelectric focusing on cellogel

The technique of isoelectric focusing on methylated 'cellogel' strips (CAGIF) was used to confirm the presence of four alleles of PGM1 in human red cell lysates. The subtypes of PGM1 were determined in two Polish population samples, from Southwestern Poland (Wrocław region, n=321) and Southeastern Poland (Lubin region, n=212). Ten different phenotypes are considered as gene products of four alleles at PGM1, with the following frequencies: Wrocław: PGM1F, 0.1044; PGM1S, 0.5966; PGM2F, 0.0685; and PGM2S, 0.2305; Lublin: PGM1F, 0.1439; PGM1S, 0.6014; PGM2F, 0.0825; and PGM2S, 0.1722.

Atypical segregation of esterase D: evidence of a rare "silent" allele EsD0

Electrophoretic study of esterase D in 1027 mother-child pairs showed an atypical segregation of EsD alleles in one pair. The family analysis confirmed the evidence of a 'silent' gene (EsD0), which was observed in child, mother and grandfather. R banding of the metaphasal chromosomes revealed the normal appearance of the No. 13 pair, and no deletion of homologues No. 13 was observed in this family.

GLO polymorphism in two Polish population samples

The red cell GLO phenotypes were determined in two Polish population samples. A total of 1310 people from the region of Lublin (Southeastern Poland, n = 797) and Wrocław (Southwestern Poland, n = 513) were investigated. The gene frequencies were calculated for GLO1 (= 0.4427) and GLO2 (= 0.5573). The evaluation of 372 mother-child pairs showed no deviation from a hereditary hypothesis.