1,155 research outputs found
Internet as an innovative tool for the development of food products
As a result of the fast innovation activity, the so called âmany to manyâ communication channel has become one of the most important tools for the Hungarian food industry. The number of Internet users in Hungary was 6.5 million in 2011 that represents 65.4 percent of the total population. The Internet based social media provides a strong and active platform between food producers and consumers. The online platform gives up-to-date and precise information about food companies and food products to the consumers. The information flow is two-directional as food companies receive a precise overview on consumers, their habits and latent needs by using innovative market research methods. The aim of this paper is to present an example and to evaluate the customersâ socio-demographic profile and their preferences of a dominant food company and its product. We used data mining techniques to get more precise and the latest information about Hungarian food consumers. This survey supports more efficient marketing communication and strategies for the innovation of the food products
Lambda Polarization in Polarized Proton-Proton Collisions at RHIC
We discuss Lambda polarization in semi-inclusive proton-proton collisions,
with one of the protons longitudinally polarized. The hyperfine interaction
responsible for the - and - mass splittings gives
rise to flavor asymmetric fragmentation functions and to sizable polarized
non-strange fragmentation functions. We predict large positive Lambda
polarization in polarized proton-proton collisions at large rapidities of the
produced Lambda, while other models, based on SU(3) flavor symmetric
fragmentation functions, predict zero or negative Lambda polarization. The
effect of and decays is also discussed. Forthcoming
experiments at RHIC will be able to differentiate between these predictions.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figure
Game saturation of intersecting families
We consider the following combinatorial game: two players, Fast and Slow,
claim -element subsets of alternately, one at each turn,
such that both players are allowed to pick sets that intersect all previously
claimed subsets. The game ends when there does not exist any unclaimed
-subset that meets all already claimed sets. The score of the game is the
number of sets claimed by the two players, the aim of Fast is to keep the score
as low as possible, while the aim of Slow is to postpone the game's end as long
as possible. The game saturation number is the score of the game when both
players play according to an optimal strategy. To be precise we have to
distinguish two cases depending on which player takes the first move. Let
and denote the score of
the saturation game when both players play according to an optimal strategy and
the game starts with Fast's or Slow's move, respectively. We prove that
holds
Systems of Linear Equations over and Problems Parameterized Above Average
In the problem Max Lin, we are given a system of linear equations
with variables over in which each equation is assigned a
positive weight and we wish to find an assignment of values to the variables
that maximizes the excess, which is the total weight of satisfied equations
minus the total weight of falsified equations. Using an algebraic approach, we
obtain a lower bound for the maximum excess.
Max Lin Above Average (Max Lin AA) is a parameterized version of Max Lin
introduced by Mahajan et al. (Proc. IWPEC'06 and J. Comput. Syst. Sci. 75,
2009). In Max Lin AA all weights are integral and we are to decide whether the
maximum excess is at least , where is the parameter.
It is not hard to see that we may assume that no two equations in have
the same left-hand side and . Using our maximum excess results,
we prove that, under these assumptions, Max Lin AA is fixed-parameter tractable
for a wide special case: for an arbitrary fixed function
.
Max -Lin AA is a special case of Max Lin AA, where each equation has at
most variables. In Max Exact -SAT AA we are given a multiset of
clauses on variables such that each clause has variables and asked
whether there is a truth assignment to the variables that satisfies at
least clauses. Using our maximum excess results, we
prove that for each fixed , Max -Lin AA and Max Exact -SAT AA can
be solved in time This improves
-time algorithms for the two problems obtained by Gutin et
al. (IWPEC 2009) and Alon et al. (SODA 2010), respectively
Patterns of co-occurring addictions, PTSD, and MDD in detoxification treatment seekers: Implications for improving detoxification treatment outcomes
Background and objectives
Poly-substance use and psychiatric comorbidity are common among individuals receiving substance detoxification services. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) are the most common co-occurring psychiatric disorders with substance use disorder (SUD). Current treatment favors a one-size-fits-all approach to treating addiction focusing on one substance or one comorbidity. Research examining patterns of substance use and comorbidities can inform efforts to effectively identify and differentially treat individuals with co-occurring conditions.
Methods
Using latent class analysis, the current study identified four patterns of PTSD, MDD, and substance use among 375 addiction treatment seekers receiving medically supervised detoxification.
Results
The four identified classes were: 1) a PTSD-MDD-Poly SUD class characterized by PTSD and MDD occurring in the context of opioid, cannabis, and tobacco use disorders; 2) an MDD-Poly SUD class characterized by MDD and alcohol, opioid, tobacco, and cannabis use disorders; 3) an alcohol-tobacco class characterized by alcohol and tobacco use disorders; and 4) an opioid-tobacco use disorder class characterized by opioid and tobacco use disorders. The observed classes differed on gender and clinical characteristics including addiction severity, trauma history, and PTSD/MDD symptom severity.
Discussion and conclusions
The observed classes likely require differing treatment approaches. For example, people in the PTSD-MDD-Poly SUD class would likely benefit from treatment approaches targeting anxiety sensitivity and distress tolerance, while the opioid-tobacco class would benefit from treatments that incorporate motivational interviewing. Appropriate matching of treatment to class could optimize treatment outcomes for polysubstance and comorbid psychiatric treatment seekers. These findings also underscore the importance of well-developed referral networks to optimize outpatient psychotherapy for detoxification treatment-seekers to enhance long-term recovery, particularly those that include transdiagnostic treatment components
Recurrence of hepatitis C after liver transplantation is associated with increased systemic IL-10 levels.
BACKGROUND: Recurrence of hepatitis C after liver transplantation is an almost universal occurrence. T-cell derived cytokines have an important role in the development of liver damage associated with chronic hepatitis C, their post-transplant levels, however, have not been correlated with histologic recurrence of the disease. AIMS: We sought to analyze levels of TNF-alpha, soluble IL-2 receptor, IL-4 and IL-10 at 1 month, 6 months and 1 year after transplantation in 27 patients undergoing transplantation for hepatitis C related end-stage liver disease. METHODS: HCV RNA levels were monitored by a branched-chain DNA signal amplification assay. Diagnosis of recurrent hepatitis was based on 1-year protocol biopsies and on biopsies performed for liver enzyme elevations. RESULTS: Recurrent hepatitis C was detected in 52% (n=14) of the 27 patients. HCV RNA levels rose over time in all patients regardless of histologic recurrence. TNF-alpha, and IL-4 levels, although elevated, did not show specific patterns over time or in correlation with recurrence. Similarly, the early elevation followed by a gradual decrease over the first year in the amount of soluble IL-2 receptor was not related to histologic recurrence. We observed a significant increase in circulating IL-10 levels over the first year in patients with biopsy-proven recurrence, while patients with no signs of histologic recurrence displayed increased, but steady levels. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that while these cytokines are associated with post-transplant recurrence of hepatitis C, their production may be altered by additional factors
Th1/Th2 cytokines and ICAM-1 levels post-liver transplant do not predict early rejection.
Th1 derived cytokines IFN-gamma and IL-2, Th2 cytokine IL-4, and ICAM-1 have been implicated in liver allograft rejection. In order to determine whether monitoring of cytokine profiles during the first days post-liver transplant can predict early rejection we measured IFN-gg, IL-2, sIL-2 receptor, IL-4 and ICAM-1 in 22 patients, in plasma samples obtained within 4 h after liver perfusion (baseline) and between postoperative days (POD) 3-6. ICAM-1 and sIL-2R levels at POD 3-6 were significantly higher than at baseline but did not differ in presence or absence of rejection. Mean percentage increase of ICAM-1 levels was significantly lower in patients with Muromonab-C3 Orthoclone OKT3 (J.C. Health Care) (OKT3) whereas percentage increase of sIL-2R levels was higher in OKT3-treated patients. IFN-gamma levels at POD 3-6 increased from baseline while IL-4 levels were unchanged. Levels of IFN-gamma, IL-4 and their ratios did not correlate with rejection or immunosuppressive therapy. Thus, Th1/Th2 cytokine monitoring during the first week post-transplant does not predict early rejection and immunosuppressive therapy is the predominant factor affecting ICAM and sIL-2R levels after liver transplantation
Fructose impairs glucose-induced hepatic triglyceride synthesis
Obesity, type 2 diabetes and hyperlipidemia frequently coexist and are associated with significantly increased morbidity and mortality. Consumption of refined carbohydrate and particularly fructose has increased significantly in recent years and has paralled the increased incidence of obesity and diabetes. Human and animal studies have demonstrated that high dietary fructose intake positively correlates with increased dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and hypertension. Metabolism of fructose occurs primarily in the liver and high fructose flux leads to enhanced hepatic triglyceride accumulation (hepatic steatosis). This results in impaired glucose and lipid metabolism and increased proinflammatory cytokine expression. Here we demonstrate that fructose alters glucose-stimulated expression of activated acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC), pSer hormone sensitive lipase (pSerHSL) and adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) in hepatic HepG2 or primary hepatic cell cultures in vitro. This was associated with increased de novo triglyceride synthesis in vitro and hepatic steatosis in vivo in fructose- versus glucose-fed and standard-diet fed mice. These studies provide novel insight into the mechanisms involved in fructose-mediated hepatic hypertriglyceridemia and identify fructose-uptake as a new potential therapeutic target for lipid-associated diseases
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