Serials Handling in Essen University Library

It is so much published about serials automation that it is very difficult for librarians to give an up-to-date information and to cover the immense amount of information about the mysteries of serials automation. However, the routines in a manual series department have proved to be similar in all libraries and are equal to all new developments. Only on this base and with deep knowledge of serials procedures it is possible to develop new techniques, i.e. automated procedures that could be feasible and considered. Serials automation is no more a puzzle as documented by this IATUL meeting. A very wide range of presentations, lectures, and communications will touch on this topic, namely serials automation and/or handling. E A S Y \u27Essen Automated System\u27 - journal module is not a simple type of serials automated system, i.e., is not only a straight listing of information regarding each periodical .title, neither has the amption to automate clerical procedures involved with the receiving or check-in procedures and claiming. The aims of serials automation in Essen University Library within the frame of our automated system E A S Y is that it should has a complete bibliographic file with an access to records for all titles held in the library and include detailed description of holdings. It is the basis for the periodical holdingslist and a joint for a cooperation on nationwide scale for the publication of the union list of serials. In addition to subscription renewals, the binding of actively received serials, i.e. to automate the binding procedures is part of the system. We have a complete machine readable file for all our periodicals on subscription, gift, exchange, arid seized publication as well as on continuation. The file includes all pertinent bibliographic as well as holdings information. All needed data are entered into the applicable fields, corrections, additons, alterations, or deletion of information included in a record can be done at any time. We have different search keys which can be entered and the desired record is displayed on the terminal screen. The system produces - when needed - lists of all titles in an particular fund, arranged by entry, call number, or costs, displaying the subscription amounts paid for those titles year by year, etc. Bibliographic lists produced include main entry, call number, location etc. as long as the information is stored in the serials file. The Essen tagging scheme generally covers the following information: title, serial number, branch library, location, cost per copy, no. of copies, account no., call number, etc. For management purposes regular reports for each serial fund according to subject include all expenditures made from that fund

Three dimensional conformal postoperative radiotherapy for unilateral parotid gland cancer: A comparison of three different parotid gland irradiation techniques

Introduction: Postoperative radiotherapy of the parotid gland could be achieved with various radiotherapy techniques. However they irradiate differently the surrounding organs at risk (OARs) in particular the cochlea, oral cavity & contralateral parotid causing significant increase in the risk of oral mucositis, xerostomia, and hearing deficits on the irradiated side.Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare radiation doses received by target volume and different surrounding OARs using three different parotid irradiation techniques aiming to achieve the optimum technique which shows adequate target coverage and sparing of surrounding OARs during postoperative 3DCRT treatment of parotid gland cancer patients.Methodology: Ten patients diagnosed as having parotid cancer were included in this study. They were subjected to CT simulation and scans were transferred to the treatment planning system. Target volumes and contralateral parotid, oral cavity, cochlea, spinal cord, brain stem, eyes, lenses and optic nerves were contoured. Three plans were done using (a) ipsilateral oblique wedged photon pair, (b) oblique wedged photon pair  and direct lateral field, and (c) ipsilateral mixed photon electron beams. For three plans, the dose volume parameters (DVPs) for target volume and surrounding OARs were compared and analyzed statistically.Results: Target dose coverage was adequate and comparable for techniques 1 and 2. Technique 2 showed the best dose homogeneity and conformity and lowest max dose to PTV and to the whole body and although the dose to OARs was higher compared to technique 1 it was far lower than OARs tolerance. On the other hand, technique 3 showed unaccepted underdose & dose inhomogeneity within the PTV, the highest doses to OARs and the highest PTV max and body max dose.Conclusion: The ipsilateral oblique wedged photon pair and direct lateral photon field technique is an optimal treatment technique for parotid cancer patients in comparison to other plans.Keywords: Parotid gland cancer; 3DCRT; Postoperative radiotherapy techniques; Dose distributio

The use of isoenzymes in the study of germination, development and breeding of legumes

Amylase activities and patterns were compared in extracts from mature seeds and from different parts of seedlings at various stages of seed germination of various varieties of different legume species. Apart from soyabean, all varieties had low levels of amylase activities in extracts from mature seeds, while the former had a remarkably high level. Amylase activities and the number of bands increased during seed germination and showed time and tissue specifity. The extracts from cotyledons had the highest activities and the largest number of bands as compared to that of the various parts of embryonic axes. Amylase activities and patterns had time specific changes during the various stages of seed development of the 7 varieties of different legume species studied. All the different varieties showed changes in zymogram patterns and decreased amylase activity during seed development, except soyabean where amylase activity remained high at all stages. The different components of amylase were characterised in pea (var. Feltham First). One band of a -amylase activity, restricted to the cotyledons, was present in the middle stages of seed development only, then reappeared at the third day of seed germination. The embryonic axes β -amylase activity decreased as the seed developed, to reach zero level in mature seeds, and reappearred during seed germination. The reverse sequence occurred for the cotyledonary β -amylase. The pea a -amylase was partially purified using ethanol precipitation, glycogen complex and hydroxyapatite column chromatography. The purified protein had three major bands with few faint bands on the SDS polyacrylamide gel. The embryonic axes β -amylase of pea was partially purified using the conventional method, ammonium sulphate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The purified protein contained two thick bands and many faint bands on the SDS polyacrylamide gel. The zymogram patterns of phosphorylase, EST, GDH, GOT, LDH, ADH and MDH were investigated during seed development of various varieties of different legume species. The most noticeable changes as the seeds developed were the decrease in activities and number of bands of EST in pea and soyabean, shift in GDH activities between isoenzyme forms in pea (var. English Wonder), increase in GDH activities and number of bands in dwarf French bean and soyabean and increase in activities and number of bands of MDH in pea (var. Feltham First)

Optimal control of diabetes

This thesis considers optimal control problems related to one of the major global health problems, Diabetes. We adopt a comprehensive dynamic model of the blood glucose regulatory system and show how it can be readily fitted to individuals. Based on this, we develop a composite dynamic model for simulating the effects of exercise and subcutaneous insulin injections on the blood glucose regulatory system. We then determine that optimal treatment regimens on the basis of the composite model

Effect of Ripening and In Vitro Digestion on Bioactive Peptides Profile in Ras Cheese and Their Biological Activities

The effect of ripening and in vitro digestion on the biological activities, peptide profiles and release of bioactive peptides in Ras cheese has been investigated. Ras cheese ripening largely influenced the extent of protein hydrolysis. The advancement in ripening resulted in an increase in total peptides (from 0.97 to 2.46 mmol leucine/g in samples at 30 and 180 days of ripening, respectively) and bioactive peptides concentration, especially angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory, dipeptidyl-peptidase-IV-(DPP-IV)-inhibitory and antioxidant peptides. In vitro gastro-intestinal digestion further promoted protein hydrolysis and the release of bioactive peptides. Digested Ras cheese at 90 and 180 days of ripening displayed the highest bioactive peptides intensity. The variations in bioactive peptides amount during ripening and in vitro digestion were correlated with the changes in ACE-inhibitory, DPP-IV-inhibitory and antioxidant activities. The highest amounts of VPP and IPP were detected in digested Ras cheese at 90 days of ripening (17.44 and 36.50 mg/kg of cheese, respectively), whereas the highest concentrations of APFPE were found in undigested and digested 180-day ripened Ras cheese (82.09 and 52.01 mg/kg of cheese, respectively). The present investigation underlined potential differences in the biological effect after the ingestion of Ras cheese at different ripening times

Low Incidence of Contrast Induced Nephropathy after Coronary Angiography in Patients with Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease Treated with Prophylactic Continuous Veno-venous Hemofiltration

Introduction: Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is associated with increased risk of in-hospital morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to find out whether continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) after coronary angiography in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients is associated with a lower incidence of CIN than that reported in the literature. Methods: All patients with CKD who underwent coronary angiography in the Chest Disease Hospital, Kuwait, between January 2004 and December 2005 were treated by CVVH after the procedure. Renal function was assessed before and after the procedure. Results: A total of 98 patients were enrolled in the study, 52 (53.1%) of whom were males. Their mean age was 60.7 years. Before the procedure, the mean serum creatinine level was 4.65 mg/dl and the mean creatinine clearance (Cr Cl) was 18.04 ml/min. Patients underwent CVVH for a mean duration of 21.3 hours, after a mean time-interval of 44.3 min. Their mean serum creatinine was 4.57 mg/dl at discharge (within the first week after the procedure) and 4.78 mg/dl at 15 days after the procedure. Mean Cr Cl was 18.52 ml/min at discharge and 17.62 ml/min at 15 days after the procedure. There was no statistically significant difference between the mean serum creatinine and Cr Cl values before and after the procedure. However, one patient (1.02%) developed CIN and ended on regular hemodialysis. The in-hospital mortality was 0%. Conclusion: Patients with advanced CKD who undergo coronary angiography may be protected from further deterioration in their renal function after exposure to radiological contrast material if the procedure is immediately followed by CVVH. A randomized controlled clinical trial is needed to verify our encouraging results. Keywords: contrast induced nephropathy, chronic kidney disease, continuous venovenous hemofiltratio

IoTility:Architectural Requirements for Enabling Health IoT Ecosystems

The increasing ubiquity of the Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to drastically alter the way healthcare systems are utilized at home or in a care environment. Smart things offer new ways to assist in general patient wellness, such as promoting an active and healthy lifestyle and simplifying treatment management. We believe smart health things bring new requirements not typically addressed in traditional IoT systems, and that an architecture targeting these devices must address such requirements to fully utilize their potential and safe usage. We believe such an architecture will help improve adoption and efficacy, closing gaps between the variety of emerging health IoT systems. In this paper, we present a number of requirements we consider integral to the continued expansion of the digital health IoT ecosystem (Health IoT). We consider the current landscape of IoT in relation to these requirements and present solutions that address two pressing requirements: 1) democratizing mobile health apps (giving users control and ownership over their app and data), and 2) making mobile apps act and behave like any other thing in an IoT. We present an implementation and evaluation of these Health IoT requirements to show how health-specific solutions can drive and influence the design of more generalized IoT architectures

Effect of Fermentation with Streptococcus thermophilus Strains on In Vitro Gastro-Intestinal Digestion of Whey Protein Concentrates

Three Streptococcus thermophilus strains, namely RBC6, RBC20, and RBN16, were proven to release bioactive peptides during whey protein concentrate (WPC) fermentation, resulting in WPC hydrolysates with biological activities. However, these bioactive peptides can break down during gastro-intestinal digestion (GID), hindering the health-promoting effect of fermented WPC hydrolysates in vivo. In this work, the effect of simulated GID on three WPC hydrolysates fermented with S. thermophilus strains, as well as on unfermented WPC was studied in terms of protein hydrolysis, biological activities, and peptidomics profiles, respectively. In general, WPC fermentation enhanced protein hydrolysis compared to unfermented WPC. After in vitro GID, WPC fermented with S. thermophilus RBC20 showed the highest antioxidant activity, whereas WPC fermented with strain RBC06 displayed the highest angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)- and dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV)-inhibitory activities. Peptidomics analysis revealed that all digested WPC samples were highly similar to each other in peptide profiles, and 85% of the 46 identified bioactive peptides were shared among fermented and unfermented samples. However, semi-quantitative analysis linked the observed differences in biological activities among the samples to differences in the amount of bioactive peptides. The anti-hypertensive peptides VPP and IPP, as well as the DPP-IV-inhibitory peptide APFPE, were quantified. In conclusion, WPC fermentation with S. thermophilus positively impacted protein hydrolysis and bioactive peptide release during GID