THE APPLICATION OF PROBABILITY-DENSITY FUNCTION IN FIRING

In high-performance steamboilers of power stations pulsation in the firing chamber often occurs. Pulsation can be determined by measuring the pressure vibration. According to experience they have a stochastic character and their information content can be analyzed with the help of probability laws. The direct analytical description of such signals is not possible, these can only be referred to with statistical data, or characteristic functions

Complement factor H family proteins in their non-canonical role as modulators of cellular functions

Complement factor H is a major regulator of the alternative pathway of the complement system. The factor H-related proteins are less characterized, but recent data indicate that they rather promote complement activation. These proteins have some common ligands with factor H and have both overlapping and distinct functions depending on domain composition and the degree of conservation of amino acid sequence. Factor H and some of the factor H-related proteins also appear in a non-canonical function that is beyond their role in the modulation of complement activation. This review covers our current understanding on this emerging role of factor H family proteins in modulating the activation and function of various cells by binding to receptors or receptor ligands

Interaction of Dithane M-45 (Mancozeb) and lead acetate during a teratogenicity test in rats

The teratogenic effects of lead acetate (Trial 1) and the possible teratogenic effect of this compound administered in combination with a fungicide containing 80% mancozeb (Trial 2) were studied in rats. The test substances were administered by gavage on Days 6-15 of gestation. In Trial 1, five groups were treated with lead acetate administered at doses of 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 10.0 and 1000.0 mg/kg body weight (bwkg), respectively. In Trial 2, lead acetate was applied at doses of 0.1, 10.0 and 1000.0 mg/bwkg, respectively. In the latter case the dose of the pesticide was 750 mg/bwkg in all treated groups. Lead acetate was not teratogenic after a single administration. Combined administration of lead acetate and mancozeb gave rise to the following toxic effects: average maternal weight decreased during pregnancy, the ratio of live fetuses decreased after the two lowest doses, and fetal mortality increased in the lowest and in the highest dose groups. The ratio of fetal resorption was higher in all the treated groups than in the control group. A significant decrease occurred in average fetal and placental weight in each treated group as compared to the control. Maternal toxicity was expressed in paralysis of the hindlimbs in the two lowest dose groups. Maternal mortality was between 16.7 and 23.3% at the three dose levels. Phocomelia and hernia cerebri occurred as characteristic fetal developmental anomalies in all the treated groups. It is concluded that the joint administration of lead acetate and a mancozeb-containing fungicide can cause maternal toxicity, embryotoxicity and characteristic teratogenic effects

Band Formation during Gaseous Diffusion in Aerogels

We study experimentally how gaseous HCl and NH_3 diffuse from opposite sides of and react in silica aerogel rods with porosity of 92 % and average pore size of about 50 nm. The reaction leads to solid NH_4Cl, which is deposited in thin sheet-like structures. We present a numerical study of the phenomenon. Due to the difference in boundary conditions between this system and those usually studied, we find the sheet-like structures in the aerogel to differ significantly from older studies. The influence of random nucleation centers and inhomogeneities in the aerogel is studied numerically.Comment: 7 pages RevTex and 8 figures. Figs. 4-8 in Postscript, Figs. 1-3 on request from author

Arthritis psoriaticával társuló középsúlyos és súlyos psoriasis betegségterhe Magyarországon

INTRODUCTION: Psoriasis is a frequent, chronic, systemic immune-mediated disease mainly affecting the skin and joints. AIM: To assess health related quality of life and cost-of-illness in moderate to severe psoriasis associated with psoriatic arthritis. METHOD: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted at two academic dermatology clinics in Hungary. RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients (65% males) completed the survey with a mean age of 54.3+/-11.6 years and mean EQ-5D score of 0.48+/-0.4. Mean annual total cost was euro8,977 per patient, of which 71% occurred due to biological therapy and 21% were indirect costs, respectively. Permanent work disability due to psoriasis accounted for euro1,775 (95% of the indirect costs). Per patient costs of subgroups not receiving systemic therapy (21%), traditional systemic therapy (32%), and biological systemic therapy (47%) amounted to the sum of euro1,729, euro1,799, and euro16,983, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Patients on biological therapy showed significantly better health related quality of life. As for health economics, the efficacy of systemic treatments is appropriate to be assessed together in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis associated with psoriatic arthritis, since actual health gain might exceed that reported in psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis separately. Orv. Hetil., 2014, 155(48), 1913-1921