Wegener''s granulomatosis manifested as a perirectal abscess

PURPOSE: To evaluate the detection of experimental hepatic metastases at CT with the hepatocyte-specific contrast medium FP 736-03. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A nude-rat model of experimental multiple hepatic metastases from a human colonic cancer was used. Three weeks after intraportal tumour cell injection, the CT examination was performed before and after i.v. injection of FP 736-03 at a dose of 0.5 ml/kg b.w. RESULTS: The overall detection rate was determined in a lesion-by-lesion analysis of 87 metastases. Irrespective of metastatic size, the mean detection rate for two viewers was significantly higher at the FP-736-03-enhanced examination (59%) than at the unenhanced CT examination (16%). CONCLUSION: The detection rate increased with the i.v. administration of FP 736-03 at a dose of 0.5 ml/kg b.w. compared with that at unenhanced examination.     

Smallholders’ Soil Fertility Management in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia: Implications for Nutrient Stocks, Balances and Sustainability of Agroecosystems

Low agricultural productivity caused by soil degradation is a serious problem in the Ethiopian Highlands. Here, we report how differences in soil fertility management between farming systems, based either on enset (Ensete ventricosum) or on teff (Eragrostis tef) as the major crops, affect the extent of nutrient stocks, balances and ecosystem sustainability. We collected information on farmers’ resources and nutrient management practices from stratified randomly selected households in two watersheds in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia. In addition, we collected soil samples from each land use and calculated nutrient stocks, partial and full nutrient balances (N, P and K) for one cropping season. Our results show that farmers in the two farming systems manage their soils differently and that nutrient inputs were positively related to farmers’ wealth status. The watershed with the enset-based system had higher soil N and K stocks than the watershed with the teff-based system, while P stocks were not different. Management related N?and K fluxes were more negative in the teff-based system (?28 kg N ha^?1 yr^?1 and ?34 kg K ha^?1 yr^?1) than in the enset-based system (?6 kg N ha^?1 yr^?1 and ?14 kg K ha^?1 yr^?1) while P fluxes were almost neutral or slightly positive. Within the enset-based system, a strong redistribution of N, P and K took place from the meadows and cereals (negative balance) to enset (positive balances). Although in the teff-based system, N, P and K were redistributed from meadows, small cereals and pulses to maize, the latter still showed a negative nutrient balance. In contrast to nutrient balances at land use level, nutrient balances at the watershed scale masked contrasting areas within the system where nutrient oversupply and deficiencies occurred.     

The instantaneous motion of a line in a t-position

This paper deals with matter belonging to plane instantaneous kinematics. It describes geometric properties of the motion of a line at an instant in which the pole of the motion is at infinity. This work has been stimulated by a recent paper of Kimbrell and Hunt on line-envelopes of 4-bar linkages in asymptotic configurations [1]. The first part (Sections 1 and 2) of the present paper concerns the behaviour and the mutual situation of the centrodes in the vicinity of the (infinite) pole. The Sections 3 and 4 are dealing with the nature of the point of contact of the line with its envelope. The remainder of the paper contains an application to 4-bar motion. It cannot be denied that in some respects the results of the present study contradict and unsettle various of the statements made in[1].     

Detailed observation and measurement of sewer sediment erosion under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

A greater understanding of the erosion behaviour of sewer sediments is necessary in order to reliably estimate the amount and nature of the sewer sediments released from deposits in sewers and transported either to waste water treatment plants or discharged into the environment. Research has indicated that microbial activity in sediment can influence the physical release of sediment from in-pipe deposits. This paper reports on a series of erosion tests in which sewer sediments from different sewer networks are kept under different environmental conditions and their resistance to erosion is examined. The erosion tests are carried out under aerobic and anaerobic conditions and two temperatures, one representing ambient sewer temperatures and a lower temperature that significantly suppresses bacterial activity.     

Staphylococcal culture supernates stimulate human phagocytes

c-fos induction was investigated as a potential component in the avian photic entrainment pathway and as a possible means of locating the central pacemaker in birds. In both quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) and starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) exposure to 1 h of light induced Fos-lir in the visual suprachiasmatic nucleus but not in the medial suprachiasmatic nucleus. However, the degree of c-fos induction in the visual suprachiasmatic nucleus was similar at different circadian times despite the fact that the light pulses caused differential phase shifts in the locomotor rhythm. For golden hamsters the same experiment resulted in significantly different levels of Fos-lir in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, as well as different phase shifts. Starlings and hamsters were also entrained to T-cycles that caused a large daily phase shift (T = 21.5 h in starlings, T = 22.67 hours in hamsters), or no daily phase shift (T = free running period). No difference in the induced levels of Fos-lir in the visual suprachiasmatic nucleus region was observed between the two groups of starlings, but in hamsters there were significantly different levels of Fos-lir in the suprachiasmatic nucleus between the two groups.     

On the use of dual numbers,vectors and matrices in instantaneous,spatial kinematics

This paper gives a self-contained account of the algebra of dual quantities, the differential-geometry of dual curves, and their application to theoretical space kinematics. The scope of the paper is mainly didactical, but its understanding by the reader requires a certain amount of mathematical maturity. Due to the way in which the matter is presented, the paper gives some formulae and facts about dual curves and dual motions which are not generally known.     

Comparing the input, output, and validation maps for several models of land change

This paper applies methods of multiple resolution map comparison to quantify characteristics for 13 applications of 9 different popular peer-reviewed land change models. Each modeling application simulates change of land categories in raster maps from an initial time to a subsequent time. For each modeling application, the statistical methods compare: (1) a reference map of the initial time, (2) a reference map of the subsequent time, and (3) a prediction map of the subsequent time. The three possible two-map comparisons for each application characterize: (1) the dynamics of the landscape, (2) the behavior of the model, and (3) the accuracy of the prediction. The three-map comparison for each application specifies the amount of the prediction’s accuracy that is attributable to land persistence versus land change. Results show that the amount of error is larger than the amount of correctly predicted change for 12 of the 13 applications at the resolution of the raw data. The applications are summarized and compared using two statistics: the null resolution and the figure of merit. According to the figure of merit, the more accurate applications are the ones where the amount of observed net change in the reference maps is larger. This paper facilitates communication among land change modelers, because it illustrates the range of results for a variety of models using scientifically rigorous, generally applicable, and intellectually accessible statistical techniques.     

The Benefit of Using an Ensemble of Global Hydrological Models in Surface Water Availability for Irrigation Area Planning

Water Resources Management - Hydrological data and information on the availability of water are essential to support water allocation decisions in irrigated agriculture, especially under...     

Exploring latent states of problem-solving competence using hidden Markov model on process data

The response process of problem-solving items contains rich information about respondents' behaviours and cognitive process in the digital tasks, while the information extraction is a big challenge. The aim of the study is to use a data-driven approach to explore the latent states and state transitions underlying problem-solving process to reflect test-takers' behavioural patterns, and to investigate how these states and state transitions could be associated with test-takers' performance. We employed the Hidden Markov Modelling approach to identify test takers' hidden states during the problem-solving process and compared the frequency of states and/or state transitions between different performance groups. We conducted comparable studies in two problem-solving items with a focus on the US sample that was collected in PIAAC 2012, and examined the correlation between those frequencies from two items. Latent states and transitions between them underlying the problem-solving process were identified and found significantly different by performance groups. The groups with correct responses in both items were found more engaged in tasks and more often to use efficient tools to solve problems, while the group with incorrect responses was found more likely to use shorter action sequences and exhibit hesitative behaviours. Consistent behavioural patterns were identified across items. This study demonstrates the value of data-driven based HMM approach to better understand respondents' behavioural patterns and cognitive transmissions underneath the observable action sequences in complex problem-solving tasks.     

Attention paid to feedback provided by a computer-based assessment for learning on information literacy

Three studies are presented on attention paid to feedback provided by a computer-based assessment for learning on information literacy. Results show that the attention paid to feedback varies greatly. In general the attention focuses on feedback of incorrectly answered questions. In each study approximately fifty percent of the respondents paid attention to feedback of incorrect answers only. Approximately another twenty-five percent did not pay attention to feedback at all. Results suggest that differences in attention paid to feedback are influenced by task difficulty and test length. Supervision, however, does not seem to influence the average attention paid to feedback. On the other hand, results show that indirect and direct supervision lead to a greater impact of feedback provided by a computer-based assessment for learning as the number increases of students taking the test and, as a consequence, paying attention to feedback.