Active surveillance of health and safety in microbiology laboratories

In microbiology laboratories highly infectious material is handled alongside complex and potentially dangerous equipment, and staff are therefore at risk of infections and accidents. Acts of parliament and regulations exist to protect staff in the workplace, including those exposed to biological agents. The current monitoring of health and safety in laboratories seeks to ensure that employers and employees comply with existing regulations, but this form of passive surveillance is of limited value because it does not highlight shortcomings in techniques, equipment, premises, or personnel. We propose a scheme for the surveillance of health and safety in microbiology laboratories that will actively seek information about laboratory incidents and practices, in order to enable appropriate preventive measures to be instituted.     

The classification of diseases of the temporomandibular joint

There were 2040 patients with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) diseases in the investigation including clinical, physiological, X-ray methods of research, contrast arthrotomography, computer arthrotomography and magnetic resonance tomography. The changes of structure in different lesions were estimated. The result of received data was elaboration of classification of TMJ internal derangements with estimation of clinical forms in according with structural changes and characteristics of syndromes.     

Antagonism of NMDA receptors but not AMPA/kainate receptors blocks bursting in dopaminergic neurons induced by electrical stimulation of the prefrontal cortex

Evidence suggests that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays an important role in the burst activity of midbrain dopaminergic (DA) neurons. In particular, electrical stimulation of the PFC elicits patterns of activity in DA neurons, closely time-locked to the stimulation, which resemble natural bursts. Given that natural bursts are produced by the activity of excitatory amino acid (EAA)-ergic afferents, if PFC-induced time-locked bursts are homologues of natural bursts, EAA antagonists should attenuate them. Hence, the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) antagonist CPP (3-((+/-)-2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)propyl-1-phosphonic acid) and the AMPA (D,L-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxalone propionic acid)/kainate antagonist CNQX (6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione) were applied by iontophoresis to DA neurons exhibiting time-locked bursts during PFC stimulation. CPP produced a significant reduction in time-locked bursting. In contrast, CNQX (at currents which antagonised AMPA responses) did not. These effects of CPP and CNQX on time-locked bursting mirror the effects previously reported for these drugs on natural bursting. Since natural bursting and bursting induced by PFC stimulation are both blocked selectively by CPP, the present results increase the degree of analogy between the two burst phenomena, thereby adding extra support to the contention that the cortex is involved in producing the natural bursting in DA neurons.     

Unlike any other procedure

The paper presents several mnemonics to assist clinicians in recalling DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for personality disorders. The mnemonics are acronyms, and each letter is associated with a specific criterion. Each acronym reflects a facet of the related disorder; for example, the acronym for the diagnostic criteria for paranoid personality disorder is SUSPECT, and for histrionic personality disorder it is PRAISE ME. The mnemonics have been used to teach students and residents the conceptual nature of DSM-IV disorders and to help them remember the criteria.     

ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS: PRINCIPLE AND APPLICATION TO MODEL BASED CONTROL OF DRYING SYSTEMS - A REVIEW

Abstract

This paper reviews the developments in the model based control of drying systems using Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). Survey of current research works reveals the growing interest in the application of ANN in modeling and control of non-linear, dynamic and time-variant systems. Over 115 articles published in this area are reviewed. All landmark papers are systematically classified in chronological order, in three distinct categories; namely, conventional feedback controllers, model based controllers using conventional methods and model based controllers using ANN for drying process. The principles of ANN are presented in detail. The problems and issues of the drying system and the features of various ANN models are dealt with upto-date. ANN based controllers lead to smoother controller outputs, which would increase actuator life. The paper concludes with suggestions for improving the existing modeling techniques as applied to predicting the performance characteristics of dryers. The hybridization techniques, namely, neural with fuzzy logic and genetic algorithms, presented, provide, directions for pursuing further research for the implementation of appropriate control strategies. The authors opine that the information presented here would be highly beneficial for pursuing research in modeling and control of drying process using ANN     

A novel Asn344 deletion in the core domain of coagulation factor XIII A subunit: its effects on protein structure and function

We re-evaluated three schemes of liver organization: the classic lobule, the portal lobule, and Rappaport's liver acinus. The lobular angioarchitecture of normal rat liver and the three-dimensional structure of pseudolubules found in rat livers with fibrosis induced by swine serum were compared with the classic lobule of the pig. Normal and fibrotic rat livers and pig livers were perfused, injected with either India ink or 0.75% OsO4 through the portal and/or hepatic vein, and immersionfixed. Whole lobes and hand-cut thick sections were made transparent with a solution of benzyl benzoate and methyl salicylate. The angioarchitecture of normal rat liver differs from pig liver. In the former, terminal portal branches and central veins interdigitate, and in the latter, numerous terminal portal branches that arise from interlobular portal veins establish a vascular basket surrounding one central vein and forming classic lobule. The structure of liver acinus is never found in the pig liver. The terminal portal branch, together with the terminal hepatic artery and bile duct, are present inside each pseudolobule of fibrotic rat livers. Blood from the terminal portal branch flows through inlet venules into radiating sinusoids, and, at the periphery converges into newly formed septal and angular outlet venules; these venules terminate in fibrotic central veins located at each corner. Pseudolobules are not rugby ball-like as Rappaport's liver acini are but are polyhedron in shape. The rat pseudolobules are comparable with the portal lobule; its structure and microcirculation are the reverse of the pig classic lobule. Rat pseudolobules are different from liver acini, as shown by the following: 1) their three-dimensional shape is different; and 2) they have a reverse relationship to classic lobules while acini are defined to subdivide classic lobules. In normal and fibrotic rat livers, the liver unit is the portal lobule with a terminal portal branch as the axial branch and central veins at the periphery. The co-existence of liver acini and classic lobules is doubtful.