Scanning Electron Microscopy of Cyclosporine-Induced Gingival Overgrowth

Overgrown human gingival specimens were examined histologically and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to study structural changes caused by cyclosporine. The biopsy specimens were from organ transplant recipients receiving cyclosporine to suppress the rejection of the transplanted organ. The epithelium of the overgrown gingiva was thickened, acanthotic and parakeratotic. Retepegs were anastomosing and extending into connective tissue. The SEM examination of the outer surface of the attached gingival showed loss of cellular attachments and cells were exfoliating. The normal honeycomb structure formed by interconnecting microvilli surrounding the pits was distorted. Outer gingival cell surface showed numerous round, ovoid and dome-like structures instead of parallel, reticular or fingerprint-like microridges. It was concluded that cyclosporine not only caused hyperplasia but also changed the structure of the outer epithelial cell surface

Thermomagnetic history effects in SmMn2_2Ge2_2

The intermetallic compound SmMn$_2$Ge$_2$, displaying multiple magnetic phase transitions, is being investigated in detail for its magnetization behavior near the 145 K first order ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition occuring on cooling, in particular for thermomagnetic history effects in the magnetization data. The most unusual finding is that the thermomagnetic irreversibility, [= M$^{FCW}$(T)-M$^{ZFC}$(T)] at 135 K is higher in intermediate magnetic field strengths. By studying the response of the sample (i.e., thermomagnetic irreversibility and thermal hysteresis) to different histories of application of magnetic field and temperature, we demonstrate how the supercooling and superheating of the metastable magnetic phases across the first order transition at 145 K contribute to overall thermomagnetic irreversibility.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Physical Review

Short-Term Compassion Training Increases Prosocial Behavior in a Newly Developed Prosocial Game

Compassion has been suggested to be a strong motivator for prosocial behavior. While research has demonstrated that compassion training has positive effects on mood and health, we do not know whether it also leads to increases in prosocial behavior. We addressed this question in two experiments. In Experiment 1, we introduce a new prosocial game, the Zurich Prosocial Game (ZPG), which allows for repeated, ecologically valid assessment of prosocial behavior and is sensitive to the influence of reciprocity, helping cost, and distress cues on helping behavior. Experiment 2 shows that helping behavior in the ZPG increased in participants who had received short-term compassion training, but not in participants who had received short-term memory training. Interindividual differences in practice duration were specifically related to changes in the amount of helping under no-reciprocity conditions. Our results provide first evidence for the positive impact of short-term compassion training on prosocial behavior towards strangers in a training-unrelated task

Health performance and emotional intelligence : an exploratory study of retail managers

‘The definitive version is available at www3.interscience.wiley.com '. Copyright John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. DOI: 10.1002/smi.926 [Full text of this article is not available in the UHRA]Peer reviewe

The design of an inertial testbed for the tests of gearboxes

The paper presents the technical assumptions and the design of a testbed suitable for conducting experimental tests of gearboxes. In the case of drivetrain assemblies, most often they are built on testbeds, much more seldom in vehicles. Experimental tests constitute a broad field due to the differentiation of functions of individual assemblies and their components in the drivetrain system of cars and machines. Conducting simulation tests (on simulation testbeds) consists in the possibly faithful recreation of real operating conditions of an assembly in a vehicle. The testbeds for such tests are complex and expensive but the obtained results are more reliable and more precisely, than in the case of other methods, take into consideration the impact of different operating loads on the durability of the research object. Due to the extent of the topic, this study is only the introduction to the design work whose aim is to prepare the design of a testbed