Paramagnetic signature of microcrystalline silicon carbide

Abstract. The most important challenge on the way to optimized solar cells is to make the thickness of the individual layers smaller than the diffusion length of the charge carriers, in order to keep the collection efficiency close to unity. Here, we propose ß-SiC microcrystals grown by a sol-gel based process as a promising acceptor material. The samples are characterized by optical spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). With the help of band structures for selected surface states calculated in the framework of density functional theory (DFT) a possible scenario for the observed acceptor process is discussed

Rapid detection of resistance in Staphylococcus aureus by using Quicolor ES

PMID = 2407249

Comparing various agents in rats for preventing gastric damage caused by non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs [Siçanlarda non-steroid anti-inflamatuar i·laçla oluşan gastrik hasarlanmanin önlenmesinde farkli ajanlarin karşilaştirilmasi]

Objective: Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may cause damage in the gastrointestinal system mucosa due to topical harm produced by metabolites as well as a decrease in the hydrophobicity of the stomach mucosa and suppression of prostaglandin synthesis. Protecting the mucosa from these effects means using prophylactic agents. In our study, we aimed to compare the effects of L-glutamine, L-arginine, L-carnitine and ranitidine in preventing these effects among rats whose stomachs were damaged after intake of naproxen and hydrochloric acid (HCl). Material and Methods: The rats included in this study were divided into five groups one of which was the control group and prophylactic agents were administered through the intragastric route to all groups for 10 days (Ranitidine: 50 mg/kg, glutamine: 750 mg/kg, arginine: 300 mg/kg, carnitine: 50 mg/kg). In the second stage 40 mg/kg naproxen sodium followed by 0.5 M HCl (10 cc/kg) were administered to the rats in order to produce damage in the stomach mucosa. After sacrification, stomach materials were examined macroscopically, histologically and histomorphologically. Differences between groups were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U, Fischer's exact and one-way Anova tests. Statistical significance was set at p? 0.05. Results: Macroscopic examination revealed ulcerous mucosa in 60% and congestion as well as edema in 40% of rats not taking prophylactic agents during the test period. No lesion was present in 22.2% and 20% of the rats taking ranitidine and L-glutamine respectively, a wide-scale ulcer case was not discovered. On the other hand, no statistically significant difference in terms of macroscopic findings were determined between prophylactic agents (p> 0.05). Histological examination did not reveal any lesion in 28% of the rats in the ranitidine group and 4% of the control group (p< 0.05). Furthermore, we could not find any statistical difference between the control and prophylaxis groups in terms of average histomorphological measurements. However, significant differences between ranitidine and arginine groups appeared during histomorphological examinations (p< 0.05). Conclusion: We concluded that histological lesions developed less frequently in rats when they were given prophylactic agents to prevent damage in their stomach mucosa; the least damage in terms of morphological evaluation occurred in the ranitidine group. Further studies on this field, including biochemical mediators are required to accomplish higher rates of treatment in patients who widely depend on the intake of NSAIDs. Copyright © 2005 by Türkiye Klinikleri

Closure to "determination of crop water stress index and irrigation timing on olive trees using a handheld infrared thermometer" by Erhan Akkuzu, Ünal Kaya, Gökhan Çamoğlu, Gülay Pamuk Mengü, and Şerafettin Aşik

[No abstract available

Infliximab treatment of pediatric refractory Crohn's disease: A case report

PubMed ID: 16830299Infliximab is a monoclonal antibody that targets TNF-? and has been shown to be effective for the management of steroid-dependent or refractory Crohn's disease. It is an effective therapy in adult patients, but experience in children is limited. We report a case of Crohn's disease which was refractory to the conventional treatment. A 14-year-old boy was admitted to the hospital with arthralgia and oral and perianal lesions. On physical examination his body weight was below the 3rd percentile, and height was between the 3rd-10th percentiles. He had elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein and decreased hemoglobin, hematocrit and albumin levels. Barium enema and computerized abdominal tomography revealed a markedly distended small bowel with a narrowed area just above the ileocecal valve and terminal ileum. There was no mucosal pathology in his colonoscopic study. A regimen of prednisolone was begun with a diagnosis of Crohn's disease. In the first month of therapy the patient experienced progressive worsening of his symptoms, and azathioprine was added to the treatment in the second month. As he had exacerbation of his symptoms and worsening laboratory tests, infliximab infusions (5 mg/kg/d) were administered intravenously (at 0, 2 and 6 weeks) at the end of the 8th week. At the 6th week of treatment including two infusions of infliximab at 0 and 2 weeks, clinical and laboratory response occurred. The only side effect of the treatment was pneumonia, which was seen after the 6th week of the therapy. In conclusion, infliximab appears to be an effective and safe therapy for childhood refractory Crohn's disease

ASSESSMENT OF RPIM SHAPE PARAMETERS FOR SOLUTION ACCURACY OF 2D GEOMETRICALLY NONLINEAR PROBLEMS

This study discussed the effects of shape parameters on the radial point interpolation method (RPIM) accuracy in 2D geometrically nonlinear problems. Four finite deformation problems with compressible Neo-Hookean material are numerically solved with the RPIM algorithm using the multi-quadric (MQ) radial basis function. Both regular and irregular node distributions are used. Their displacements and Cauchy stresses are compared for different values of shape parameters and monomial basis. It is found that the shape parameters proposed for linearly elastic problems (q = 1.03, alpha(c) = 4) can still be applicable to 2D geometrically nonlinear problems but careful selections should be made for the calculation of stress. For example, when q is used as 1.75 with irregular node distributions, stresses can be calculated more precisely