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The diagnosis of acute otitis media (AOM) is often difficult, depending heavily on the experience and skills of the examiner. However, it is important to identify episodes of AOM that involve the risk of complications and to treat these episodes appropriately. The present study was performed in order to evaluate the use of a rapid antigen assay for Streptococcus pneumoniae, the Binax NOW test, as
Purpose: To provide a guideline curriculum covering theoretical and practical aspects of education and training for medical physicists in radiotherapy within Europe. Material and methods: Guidelines have been developed for the specialist theoretical knowledge and practical experience required to practice as a medical physicist in radiotherapy. It is assumed that the typical entrant into training w
A simple method is tested for scaling climate-extreme results from high resolution regional climate models (RCMs) to time-periods and emission scenarios for which the RCMs have not been run. The 30 yr mean relationships between indicators of extremes (IoEs) and annual mean daily maximum temperature (T-xa) are investigated. Such relationships from the UK Met Office Hadley Centre RCM HadRM3P, along
This work describes a novel approach to detoxify lignocellulosic hydrolysates and facilitate the analysis of inhibitory compounds, namely supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). The efficiency of the fermentation of lignocellulosic dilute-acid hydrolysates depends upon the composition of the hydrolysate and the organism used. Furthermore, it has been shown that inhibitors in the hydrolysate reduce t
Adverse and analgesic effects of acupuncture during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy were studied retrospectively in an observational study including 167 consecutive patients with lower back pain, pelvic pain, or both. In each patient acupuncture was given on at least two different occasions by three manual stimulations of two or more acupuncture or tender points, mainly LR-3 and LI-4
The plasma membrane H+-ATPase is activated by binding of 14-3-3 protein to the phosphorylated C terminus. Considering the large number of 14-3-3 and H+-ATPase isoforms in Arabidopsis (13 and 11 expressed genes, respectively), specificity in binding may exist between 14-3-3 and H+-ATPase isoforms. We now show that the H'-ATPase is the main target for 14-3-3 binding at the plasma membrane, and that
The effectiveness of extracting p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE from aged contaminated soil samples by means of pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) was evaluated. Two soil samples, which were contaminated more than 10 years ago, were used in the investigation. The static extraction time was optimised and then validated against the total sum of target analytes obtained from multiple sequential extractions. T
Mucosal Toll-like receptors (TLRs) respond to pathogens, but remain inert to the indigenous flora, suggesting that the TLRs can receive pathogen-specific signals. For example, TLR4 signalling is activated in CD14-negative epithelial cells by P-fimbriated, uropathogenic Escherichia coli, but not by lipopolysaccharide. The fimbriae use glycosphingolipids as recognition receptors and there is release
The main concern about the technology for the production of hydrogen and transport fuels by biomass gasification is the presence of contaminants (H2S, tars, fly ash, alkali, and heavy metals, ammonia) that are poisonous for the catalysts used for upgrading the biomass-generated gas. The impact of the main contaminants on a Ni/MgAl(O) reforming catalyst was studied in a laboratory environment, by e
We compare different procedures for combining fixed-order tree-level matrix-element generators with parton showers. We use the case of W-production at the Tevatron and the LHC to compare different implementations of the so-called CKKW and MLM schemes using different matrix-element generators and different parton cascades. We find that although similar results are obtained in all cases, there are i
Poly(arylene ether sulfone)s have been functionalised with alkyl side chains carrying phosphonic acid and bis(phosphonic acid) in order to investigate their properties as membrane materials. The phosphonated and bisphosphonated polymers were synthesised via lithiation of poly(arylene ether sulfone)s, followed by reactions with triethyl 3-phosphonopropionate and tetraisopropyl vinylidenediphosphona
Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are potent mutagens/carcinogens to which humans are frequently exposed through the consumption of cooked meat and fish food. The effect of normal intake of HCAs and their role in the aetiology of human cancer is unknown. To some extent, limitations of the existing analytical methods in monitoring the low levels of HCAs in biological samples have hindered obtaining conclu
A Yersinia PCR-Compatible Enrichment (YPCE) medium was developed, which removes the necessity for sample pretreatment before PCR-based detection of Yersinia enterocolitica. The medium was designed through a sequence of independent screening and factorial design experiments to study the PCR inhibition and growth characteristics of medium components. The compatibility of the YPCE medium was evaluate
Bruchid beetles in the genus Zabrotes are important pests of field and stored beans all around the world and cause enormous economical losses in Mexico and Central America. Native parasitoids have been successfully used to suppress infestations by bruchid beetles in Africa, but few studies have assessed their potential to reduce seed damage in the New World and no successful biological control pro
A lab-on-a-chip device that enables positioning of single or small ensembles of cells on an aperture in close proximity to a mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) modified sensing electrode has been developed and characterized. The microchip was used for the detection of Ca(2+)-dependent quantal catecholamine exocytosis from single as well as small assemblies of rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. The frequ
The helicity dependence of the (γ) over right arrow(p) over right arrow -->ppi(0) reaction has been measured for the first time in the photon-energy range from 550 to 790 MeV. The experiment, performed at the Mainz microtron MAMI, used a 4pi -detector system, a circularly polarized, tagged photon beam, and a longitudinally polarized frozen-spin target. These data are predominantly sensitive to the
Micrometer-sized enzyme grids were fabricated on gold surfaces using a novel method based on a flow-through microdispenser. The method involves dispensing very small droplets of enzyme solution (similar to 100 pL) during the concomitant relative movement of a gold substrate with respect to the nozzle of a microdispenser, resulting in enzyme patterns with a line width of similar to 100 mum. Differe
