Risedronate in the treatment of Paget's disease of bone: an open label, multicenter study

An open-label, multicenter study was conducted to determine the efficacy and safety of oral risedronate (a pyridinyl bisphosphonate) in 162 patients (102 men, 60 postmenopausal women; mean age, 68 years) with moderate to severe Paget's disease of bone (mean serum alkaline phosphatase [ALP] approximately seven times the upper limit of normal). Patients were treated with oral risedronate, 30 mg/day for 84 days, followed by 112 days without treatment. This 196-day cycle was repeated once if serum ALP did not normalize or increased from the nadir value by > or = 25%. At the end of the first and second cycles, the mean percentage decreases for serum ALP were 65.7% and 69.1%, and for urinary hydroxyproline/creatinine 50.4% and 66.9%, respectively. The decreases from baseline in ALP and urinary hydroxyproline/creatinine were significant (p < 0.001). Normalization of serum ALP was observed in 86 patients (53.8%): 53 during the first treatment cycle and 33 during the second. There was a significant proportion of patients reporting a decrease in the pagetic bone pain at days 84 and 196 (p < 0.001). Overall, risedronate was well tolerated. Five patients withdrew due to adverse events, none of which were considered to be drug related. In conclusion, 30 mg of oral risedronate administered daily for 84 days significantly reduced the biochemical indices of disease activity and was associated with pain reduction in patients with moderate to severe Paget's disease of bone. Normalization of ALP was observed in the majority of patients. Repeated administration of risedronate was shown to be beneficial. In general, risedronate was well tolerated and demonstrated a good safety profile.     

The Relationships Among Part-Time Work, Work-Family Interference, and Well-Being.

The authors investigated the effect of part-time work on work-family interference and well-being among 160 part-time and 29 full-time employed mothers (with a partner) working at 2 insurance companies in the Netherlands. The authors controlled for working part time as a strategy for reducing work-family imbalance and found that part-time work was associated with a lower level of work-to-family interference. Also, high levels of work-family interference were associated with diminished well-being. Work-to-family interference played a mediating role in the relationship between part-time work and well-being. Results indicate that part-time jobs can enhance the work-family balance not only for those explicitly choosing part-time employment as a means to reduce work-family imbalance but also for other employees. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using computer simulation to determine operations policies for a mechanised car park

Using mechanised car parks to solve increasing parking demands is a relatively new concept. Processing a high number of clients each day ensures profitability, therefore time effective service which depends on efficient equipment and operations is vital for optimum car storage and retrieval. In focusing on a mechanised car park of known design characteristics (in the design phase) we identify factors that affect its operation, and use a discrete-event simulation model to evaluate proposed operations policies for efficiency. Simulation is shown to be a powerful tool for resolving complex, stochastic real-world problems.     

A comparison of two analytical evaluation methods for educational computer games for young children

In this paper we describe a comparison of two analytical methods for educational computer games for young children. The methods compared in the study are the Structured Expert Evaluation Method (SEEM) and the Combined Heuristic Evaluation (HE) (based on a combination of Nielsen’s HE and the fun-related concepts from Malone and Lepper) with both usability and fun heuristics for children’s computer games. To verify SEEM’s relative quality, a study was set up in which adult evaluators predicted problems in computer games. Outcomes based on thoroughness (whether the analytical method finds all problems), validity (whether the analytical method uncovers problems that are likely to be true) and appropriateness (whether the method is applied correctly) are compared. The results show that both the thoroughness and validity of SEEM are higher than the thoroughness and validity of the Combined HE. The appropriateness scores indicate that SEEM gives evaluators more guidance when predicting problems than the Combined HE does.

Illustrative Molecular Visualization with Continuous Abstraction

Molecular systems may be visualized with various degrees of structural abstraction, support of spatial perception, and ‘illustrativeness.’ In this work we propose and realize methods to create seamless transformations that allow us to affect and change each of these three parameters individually. The resulting transitions give viewers a dedicated control of abstraction in illustrative molecular visualization and, consequently, allow them to seamlessly explore the resulting abstraction space for obtaining a fundamental understanding of molecular systems. We show example visualizations created with our approach and report informal feedback on our technique from domain experts.     

Predicting effectiveness of children participants in user testing based on personality characteristics

This paper describes an experiment to determine which personality characteristics can be used to predict whether a child will make an effective participant in a user test, both in terms of the number of identified problems and the percentage of verbalised problems. Participant selection based on this knowledge can make user testing with young children more effective. The study shows that the personality characteristic Curiosity influences the number of identified problems; a combination of the personality characteristics Friendliness and Extraversion influences the percentage of verbalised problems. Furthermore, the study shows that selection of children based on these criteria does not lead to finding an unrepresentative sample of the product's problems.     

Growth of bulk β-BaB<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> crystals of high optical quality in the BaB<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>-NaBaBO<Subscript>3</Subscript> system

Phase equilibria along the BaB₂O₄-NaBaBO₃ join of the BaO-B 2 O 3 -Na 2 O system are studied by differential thermal analysis and modified visual thermal analysis. The join is shown to be suitable for growing - BaB₂O₄ crystal of high optical quality.Translated from Neorganicheskie Materialy, Vol. 41, No. 1, 2005, pp. 64–69. Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Kokh, Kononova, Fedorov, Bekker, Kuznetsov.     

A 1-D non-isothermal dynamic model for the thermal decomposition of a gibbsite particle

A 1-D mathematical model describing the thermal decomposition, or calcination, of a single gibbsite particle to alumina has been developed and validated against literature data. A dynamic, spatially distributed, mass and energy balance model enables the prediction of the evolution of chemical composition and temperature as a function of radial position inside a particle. In the thermal decomposition of gibbsite, water vapour is formed and the internal water vapour pressure plays a significant role in determining the rate of gibbsite dehydration. A thermal decomposition rate equation, developed by closely matching experimental data reported previously in the literature, assumes a reaction order of 1 with respect to gibbsite concentration, and an order of −1 with respect to water vapour pressure. Estimated values of the transformation kinetic parameters were k₀ = 2.5 × 10¹³ mol/(m³ s) for the pre-exponential factor, and E_a = 131 kJ/mol for the activation energy. Using these kinetic parameters, the gibbsite particle model is solved numerically to predict the evolution of the internal water vapour pressure, temperature and gibbsite concentration. The model prediction was shown to be very sensitive to the values of heat transfer coefficient, effective diffusivity, particle size and external pressure, but relatively less sensitive to the mass transfer coefficient and particle thermal conductivity. The predicted profile of the water vapour pressure inside the particle helps explain some phenomena observed in practice, including particle breakage and formation of a boehmite phase.     

Regulatory T Cells in Development and Prediction of Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Preterm Neonates: A Scoping Review

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a leading cause of mortality in premature infants. However, the pathophysiology and influence of regulatory T cells (Tregs) have not been sufficiently elucidated. We performed a scoping review to investigate current knowledge on the influence of Tregs in NEC, and to investigate the predictive value of Treg number in NEC development. Pubmed, Embase, Prospero and Cochrane Library were searched during December 2020. Primary research articles discussing Tregs and NEC development written in English were selected. Two reviewers screened title and abstract for relevance, after which full-text screening was performed. A total of 20 articles were selected—13 of the articles discussed studies performed in animal models, while 8 used human neonate data. One study discussed both animal and human data. It was shown that after NEC diagnosis or induction, Treg levels were decreased while Th17 levels were increased. No studies were found which investigated the predictive value of Treg number in NEC development. A reduced Treg level is found in animals and neonates with NEC. The question remains whether this effect is a factor on the causal pathway of NEC development or a bystander effect. Future research focusing on the pathophysiological timeline of NEC and the involvement of Tregs is required for better understanding of this disease.