Evaluation of a pulsed glow discharge time-of-flight mass spectrometer as a detector for gas chromatography and the influence of the glow discharge source parameters on the information volume in chemical speciation analysis

The figures of merit of a pulsed glow discharge time-of-flight mass spectrometer (GD-TOFMS) as a detector for gas chromatography (GC) analysis were evaluated. The mass resolution for the GD-TOFMS was determined on FWHM in the high mass range (208Pb+) as high as 5,500. Precision of 400 subsequent analyses was calculated on 63Cu+ to be better than 1% RSD with no significant drift over the time of the analysis. Isotope precision based on the 63Cu+/65Cu+ ratio over 400 analyses was 1.5% RSD. The limits of detection for gaseous analytes (toluene in methanol as solvent) were determined to be as low as several hundred ppb or several hundred pg absolute without using any pre-concentration technique. Furthermore, the different GD source parameters like capillary distance, cathode-anode spacing, and GD source pressure with regards to the accessible elemental, structural, and molecular information were evaluated. It was demonstrated that each of these parameters has severe influence on the ratio of elemental, structural, and parent molecular information in chemical speciation analysi

Kurs auf Inklusion

Am 2. Mai startete in insgesamt 33 öffentlichen Bibliotheken in Sachsen und mit rund 120 geschulten Bibliothekaren das Projekt „Chance Inklusion“. In den Partnerbibliotheken wird nun ein neuer Service angeboten, der den Gedanken der Inklusion unmittelbar stützt: Leser, deren Sehkraft nachlässt, werden fachkundig beraten und können auf einen zusätzlichen Bestand an speziellen Hörbüchern zugreifen. Mehr als 33.000 Hörbücher im barrierefreien DAISY-Format aus der Deutschen Zentralbücherei für Blinde (DZB) stehen den beteiligten Bibliotheken und ihren Nutzern zur Verfügung. Erste Erfahrungen beim Test des neuen Ausleihprojektes machte die Stadtbibliothek Strehla. Die Anmeldung und der Ablauf an sich sind einfach und unkompliziert, die Mitarbeiter der jeweiligen Bibliotheken stehen zudem jederzeit helfend zur Seite. Besonders für sehbehinderte Bibliotheksnutzer im ländlichen Raum eröffnen sich im Hinblick auf die große Medienauswahl der DZB nun ganz neue Perspektiven beim Lese- bzw. Hörvergnügen. „Chance Inklusion“ läuft zunächst für ein Jahr. Danach werden sich alle Beteiligten bei einem Treffen über die gesammelten Erfahrungen, entstandenen Möglichkeiten und das weitere Verfahren austauschen. Es soll in Zukunft an vielen weiteren öffentlichen Bibliotheken in ganz Sachsen etabliert werden

Evaluating the use of cytosine arabinoside for treatment for recurrent canine steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis

BackgroundRelapses in steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis (SRMA) are frequently observed but specific treatment protocols to address this problem are sparsely reported. Standard treatment includes prolonged administration of glucocorticoids as monotherapy or in combination with immunosuppressive drugs. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of cytosine arabinoside (CA) in combination with glucocorticoids for treatment of SRMA relapses in 12 dogs on a retrospective basis.MethodsDogs with recurrent episodes of SRMA and treated with a combination of CA and prednisolone were included. Information about clinical course, treatment response and adverse events was collected from medical records. Ethical approval was not required for this study.ResultsTen dogs (10/12) responded well to the treatment with clinical signs being completely controlled. One dog is in clinical remission, but still under treatment. One dog (8%) showed further relapse. Mean treatment period was 51 weeks. Adverse events of variable severity (grade 1–4/5) were documented in all dogs during treatment according to the veterinary cooperative oncology group grading. Three dogs developed severe adverse events. Laboratory findings showed marked changes up to grade 4. Diarrhoea and anaemia were the most often observed adverse events (6), followed by dermatitis (4), alopecia (3) and pneumonia (3). Including blood chemistry changes (13), 50 adverse events were found in total.ConclusionTreatment with CA and glucocorticoids resulted in clinical remission in 10/12 dogs, but a high incidence of adverse events occurred requiring additional measures. All adverse events could be managed successfully in all cases.</jats:sec

Manifestations of hypertensive encephalopathy in cats

Objectives Hypertensive encephalopathy in cats is an important entity but is underestimated in clinical practice. This could be explained, in part, by non-specific clinical signs. The objective of this study was to characterise the clinical manifestations of hypertensive encephalopathy in cats. Methods Cats with systemic hypertension (SHT) recognised by routine screening, associated with underlying predisposing disease or a clinical presentation suggestive of SHT (neurological or non-neurological), were prospectively enrolled over a 2-year period. Confirmation of SHT was based on at least two sets of measurements of systolic blood pressure >160 mmHg by Doppler sphygmomanometry. Results Fifty-six hypertensive cats with a median age of 16.5 years were identified; 31 had neurological signs. In 16/31 cats, neurological abnormalities were the primary complaint. The other 15 cats were first presented to the medicine or ophthalmology service, and neurological disease was recognised based on the cat’s history. The most common neurological signs were ataxia, various manifestations of seizures and altered behaviour. Individual cats also showed paresis, pleurothotonus, cervical ventroflexion, stupor and facial nerve paralysis. In 28/30 cats, retinal lesions were detected. Of these 28 cats, six presented with a primary complaint of visual deficits, and neurological signs were not the primary complaint; nine presented with non-specific medical issues, without suspicion of SHT-induced organ damage; in 13 cats, neurological issues were the primary complaint and fundic abnormalities were detected subsequently. Conclusions and relevance SHT is common in older cats and the brain is an important target organ; however, neurological deficits are commonly ignored in cats with SHT. Gait abnormalities, (partial) seizures and even mild behavioural changes should prompt clinicians to consider the presence of SHT. A fundic examination in cats with suspected hypertensive encephalopathy is a sensitive test to support the diagnosis

Leitfaden Smarte Quartiere : Ideenentwicklung und Prozessgestaltung für Genossenschaften und andere Akteure der Quartierentwicklung

Ein smartes Quartier vernetzt auf intelligente Weise die Bewohner und Bewohnerinnen, sowie Gewerbe, Logistik und Warenströme, um auf nachhaltige Weise eine hohe Lebensqualität zu schaffen.Die soziale Vernetzung unter den Quartierbewohnerinnen und Quartierbewohnern ermöglicht eine Sharing-Kultur und ist eine Bereicherung im alltäglichen Leben. Der Verkehr ist intelligent und die Warenströme sind effizient organisiert, Energie und natürliche Ressourcen werden dabei nachhaltig produziert und verantwortungsvoll genutzt. Informations- und  Kommunikationstechnologien werden dort eingesetzt, wo sie zur Lebensqualität und einer effizienten Organisation beitragen. Um dieser Idee näher zu kommen, braucht es einen koordinierten Prozess und gute Ideen für smarte Quartierprojekte. Dieser Leitfaden richtet sich an Genossenschaften und andere Akteure der Quartierentwicklung und soll Ideen für smarte Massnahmen im Quartier, sowie Anstösse für die Prozessgestaltung und Umsetzung bereitstellen