Effects of Using Model Robots in the Education of Programming

In this article we try to show how new devices and methods can help in the educationof programming. At Kecskemét College programmable mobile robots and instead of behavioral,the constructivist pedagogical methods were used. Our experiments have proved our hypothesisas the improved new methodical education using devices can give more practical programmingknowledge, increases the attitude towards programming and helps to have positive programmingself-image. The results of the experimental and control groups were compared at the beginning andat the end of semester, when the programming knowledge and motives were measured. During thelearning process only the experimental groups used devices and new methods

Experiences of testing dietary supplements

Determination of the prohibited active ingredients, such as drugs and their designer compounds, of dietary supplements products intended for athletes is an important, but not yet well-known and regulated area of food analysis. In our laboratory, the analysis of three major product groups is carried out. The first group includes products intended for athletes. They can be dietary supplements or a group of products that had been classified as foodstuffs for particular nutritional uses before 2016, for example, high protein content products promoting great muscular effort, intended primarily for athletes and workers performing heavy labor, which were transferred to the category of dietary supplements or normal foods after 2016. For athletes, when consuming the products, in addition to preserving health and the physiological effects to be achieved, it is important that the products do not contain even trace amounts of substances that are on the prohibited list of WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency), because they are solely responsible for the presence of these in their bodies. The second group is that of weight loss products. Regarding the prohibited substances used in dietary supplements, products belonging to this group show a high degree of similarity to the group of products containing stimulants prohibited for athletes. The third group consists of products used for the treatment of sexual dysfunctions. In these, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, widely known as drugs, may be present as prohibited active ingredients or contaminants. The most common ingredients of these products include plant extracts. In all three cases, the extent of contamination may vary widely in the groups examined, from trace amounts to pharmaceutical active ingredient levels. 12 years ago, when the analysis of products has been started at our laboratory intended for athletes, our objective was to develop screening analytical methods that are able to determine prohibited stimulants with detection limits of 100 ng/g and anabolic agents with detection limits of 10 to 50 ng/g efficiently, in a robust way, with sufficient measurement (detection) accuracy. The analysis of potency enhancers was launched three years later. Since the initial analysis of 40 components, the number of types and components of active ingredients analyzed has increased significantly and, in addition, in the case of stimulants and narcotics, the detection limit improved to 10 ng/g. Currently, accredited analysis of 126 prohibited ingredients is performed in the laboratory. During this time, more than 10,000 raw materials and finished products have been tested. For the analysis of anabolic agents, hormone and metabolic modulators, GC-MS and LC-MS/MS methods have been used, while LC-MS/MS techniques have been used for the determination of stimulants, narcotics, beta-blockers, beta2 agonists and potency enhancers, following appropriate sample preparation. In our manuscript, of the compound groups examined in the laboratory, the analyses of anabolic agents and aromatase inhibitors, which belong to the group of hormone and metabolic modulators, are presented, in products intended for athletes and their raw materials. It should be noted that for the names of the compounds in dietary supplements contained in this paper, the Anglo-Saxon version common in international practice is used

Innovatív informatikai eszközök és módszerek a programozás oktatásban

Ebben az írásban bemutatjuk, hogy az oktatás során alkalmazott pedagógiamódszerek és eszközök milyen hatással vannak a Kecskeméti Főiskola GAMF karán a Programozás tantárgy tanulásában kezdő szinten lévő hallgatók eredményeire. A programozás tanulása során tapasztalataink szerint számos negatív hatással kell megküzdeniük a hallgatóknak, melyek "kiküszöbölésére" a programozás tanulás hagyományos módszerei mellett új eszközöket is használtunk, mint a programozható Survayor, RCX és NXT robotokat. Az újszerű eszközhasználat mellett szakítva a behaviorista oktatási módszerrel, óráinkon konstruktív oktatási módszerként a projektoktatást is bevezettünk. Egy tanítási szemeszter után azt mértük, hogy milyen hatással használhatóak fel a megváltozott tanulási környezetben a robotok, s az eredményesebb tanulási-tanítási folyamathoz társított tanítási stratégiák, tanulásszervezési módok, munkaformák és eszközök milyen hatással voltak a tanulók alapvető programozói tudására és készségeire, hogyan változtatták meg a tantárgy iránti attitűdöket, a programozási énképet mint tanulási motívumot

Étrend-kiegészítő készítmények vizsgálatának tapasztalatai

Az étrend-kiegészítők és a sportolóknak szánt termékek tiltott hatóanyagainak - gyógyszerek és ezek designer vegyületei - meghatározása az élelmiszer-analitikai vizsgálatok fontos, de a mai napig nem igazán ismert és szabályozott területe. Laboratóriumunkban három fő termékcsoport vizsgálatával foglalkozunk. Az első csoportba a sportolóknak szánt termékek tartoznak. Ezek lehetnek étrend-kiegészítők, valamint a 2016 előtt a különleges táplálkozási célú élelmiszerek közé sorolt készítmények csoportja - például az elsősorban sportolóknak és nehéz fizikai munkát végzőknek szánt nagy fehérje tartalmú, nagy izomerő kifejtését elősegítő termékek -, amelyek 2016 után az étrend-kiegészítők vagy a normál élelmiszerek kategóriájába kerültek át. A sportolók számára a készítmények fogyasztásakor az egészség megőrzése és az elérni kívánt élettani hatások mellett fontos szempont, hogy a termékek még nyomnyi mennyiségben se tartalmazzanak a WADA (Nemzetközi Doppingellenes Ügynökség) tiltólistáján szereplő hatóanyagokat, hiszen ezek jelenlétéért a szervezetükben kizárólagosan önmaguk felelnek. A második a fogyasztószerek csoportja. Az étrend-kiegészítőkben használt tiltott hatóanyagaikat tekintve az ide sorolt készítmények nagy hasonlóságot mutatnak a sportolók számára tiltott stimulánsokat tartalmazó termékek csoportjával. A harmadik csoportot a szexuális diszfunkciók kezelésében használt készítmények képezik. Ezekben a gyógyszerként széles körben ismer foszfodiészteráz-gátlók jelenhetnek meg tiltott hatóanyagként vagy szennyezőként. A termékek összetevői között leggyakrabban növényi kivonatokat tüntetnek fel. A szennyezés mértéke a vizsgált csoportokban széles skálán mozoghat mindhárom esetben, a nyomnyi mennyiségtől a gyógyszer hatóanyagnyi mennyiségekig is megtalálhatók egyes termékekben. 12 évvel ezelőtt, amikor a laboratóriumunkban hozzáfogtunk a sportolóknak szánt termékek vizsgálatához, célunk olyan áttekintő - screening - analitikai módszerek kidolgozása volt, amelyekkel a tiltott stimulánsokat 100 ng/g, míg az anabolikus hatású szereket 10-50 ng/g kimutatási határral tudtuk hatékonyan, robosztusán, kellő mérési (detektálási) pontossággal meghatározni. A potencianövelő készítmények vizsgálatát 3 évvel később indítottuk el. A kezdeti 40 komponens analízise óta a vizsgált hatóanyagok típusa és a komponensek száma is számottevően növekedett, ezen túlmenően a stimulánsok és narkotikumok esetében a kimutatási határ 10 ng/g-ra javult. Jelenleg 126 tiltott összetevő meghatározását végezzük akkreditáltan a laboratóriumban. Ez idő alatt alapanyagokból és késztermékekből együttesen több mint 10 000 elemzést végeztünk el. Az anabolikus hatású szerek, hormon és metabolikus módosítók vizsgálatára GC-MS és LC-MS/MS, míg a stimulánsok, narkotikumok, béta-blokkolók, béta2-agonisták, valamint a potencianövelő szerek meghatározására a megfelelő mintaelőkészítést követően LC-MS/MS méréstechnikát alkalmazunk. Kéziratunkban a laboratórium által vizsgált vegyületcsoportok közül az anabolikus hatású szerek, valamint a hormon és metabolikus módosítók közé tartozó aromatáz inhibitorok vizsgálatát mutatjuk be a sportolóknak szánt termékekben és alapanyagaikban. Megjegyezzük, hogy a dolgozatban szereplő, az étrend-kiegészítőkben található vegyületek nevére a nemzetközi gyakorlatban alkalmazott angolszász írásmódot alkalmazzuk, kivéve a magyar köznyelvben is használt vegyületneveket és - csoportokat (pl. koffein stb.)

Differential Regulatory Role of Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase–Activating Polypeptide in the Serum-Transfer Arthritis Model

OBJECTIVE: Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) expressed in capsaicin-sensitive sensory neurons and immune cells has divergent functions in inflammatory and pain processes. This study was undertaken to investigate the involvement of PACAP in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: Arthritis was induced in PACAP(-/-) and wild-type (PACAP(+/+) ) mice by K/BxN serum transfer. General features of the disease were investigated by semiquantitative scoring, plethysmometry, and histopathologic analysis. Mechano- and thermonociceptive thresholds and motor functions were also evaluated. Metabolic activity was assessed by positron emission tomography. Bone morphology was measured by in vivo micro-computed tomography, myeloperoxidase activity and superoxide production by bioluminescence imaging with luminol and lucigenin, respectively, and vascular permeability by fluorescent indocyanine green dye study. RESULTS: PACAP(+/+) mice developed notable joint swelling, reduced grasping ability, and mechanical (but not thermal) hyperalgesia after K/BxN serum transfer. In PACAP(-/-) mice clinical scores and edema were significantly reduced, and mechanical hyperalgesia and motor impairment were absent, throughout the 2-week period of observation. Metabolic activity and superoxide production increased in the tibiotarsal joints of wild-type mice but were significantly lower in PACAP(-/-) animals. Myeloperoxidase activity in the ankle joints of PACAP(-/-) mice was significantly reduced in the early phase of arthritis, but increased in the late phase. Synovial hyperplasia was also significantly increased, and progressive bone spur formation was observed in PACAP-deficient mice only. CONCLUSION: In PACAP-deficient mice with serum-transfer arthritis, joint swelling, vascular leakage, hyperalgesia, and early inflammatory cell accumulation are reduced; in the later phase of the disease, immune cell function and bone neoformation are increased. Elucidation of the underlying pathways of PACAP activity may open promising new avenues for development of therapy in inflammatory arthritis. © 2014 The Authors. Arthritis & Rheumatology is published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology

FHR-5 Serum Levels and CFHR5 Genetic Variations in Patients With Immune Complex-Mediated Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis and C3-Glomerulopathy

Factor H-related protein 5 (FHR-5) is a member of the complement Factor H protein family. Due to the homology to Factor H, the main complement regulator of the alternative pathway, it may also be implicated in the pathomechanism of kidney diseases where Factor H and alternative pathway dysregulation play a role. Here, we report the first observational study on CFHR5 variations along with serum FHR-5 levels in immune complex-mediated membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (IC-MPGN) and C3 glomerulopathy (C3G) patients together with the clinical, genetic, complement, and follow-up data.A total of 120 patients with a histologically proven diagnosis of IC-MPGN/C3G were enrolled in the study. FHR-5 serum levels were measured in ELISA, the CFHR5 gene was analyzed by Sanger sequencing, and selected variants were studied as recombinant proteins in ELISA and surface plasmon resonance (SPR).Eight exonic CFHR5 variations in 14 patients (12.6%) were observed. Serum FHR-5 levels were lower in patients compared to controls. Low serum FHR-5 concentration at presentation associated with better renal survival during the follow-up period; furthermore, it showed clear association with signs of complement overactivation and clinically meaningful clusters.Our observations raise the possibility that the FHR-5 protein plays a fine-tuning role in the pathogenesis of IC-MPGN/C3G

The Effect of Axial Length on the Thickness of Intraretinal Layers of the Macula.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of axial length (AL) on the thickness of intraretinal layers in the macula using optical coherence tomography (OCT) image analysis. METHODS: Fifty three randomly selected eyes of 53 healthy subjects were recruited for this study. The median age of the participants was 29 years (range: 6 to 67 years). AL was measured for each eye using a Lenstar LS 900 device. OCT imaging of the macula was also performed by Stratus OCT. OCTRIMA software was used to process the raw OCT scans and to determine the weighted mean thickness of 6 intraretinal layers and the total retina. Partial correlation test was performed to assess the correlation between the AL and the thickness values. RESULTS: Total retinal thickness showed moderate negative correlation with AL (r = -0.378, p = 0.0007), while no correlation was observed between the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCC), retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and AL. Moderate negative correlation was observed also between the thickness of the ganglion cell layer and inner plexiform layer complex (GCL+IPL), inner nuclear layer (INL), outer plexiform layer (OPL), outer nuclear layer (ONL) and AL which were more pronounced in the peripheral ring (r = -0.402, p = 0.004; r = -0.429, p = 0.002; r = -0.360, p = 0.01; r = -0.448, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results have shown that the thickness of the nuclear layers and the total retina is correlated with AL. The reason underlying this could be the lateral stretching capability of these layers; however, further research is warranted to prove this theory. Our results suggest that the effect of AL on retinal layers should be taken into account in future studies

A morphological study of retinal changes in unilateral amblyopia using optical coherence tomography image segmentation.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the possible structural changes of the macula in patients with unilateral amblyopia using optical coherence tomography (OCT) image segmentation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 38 consecutive patients (16 male; mean age 32.4+/-17.6 years; range 6-67 years) with unilateral amblyopia were involved in this study. OCT examinations were performed with a time-domain OCT device, and a custom-built OCT image analysis software (OCTRIMA) was used for OCT image segmentation. The axial length (AL) was measured by a LenStar LS 900 device. Macular layer thickness, AL and manifest spherical equivalent refraction (MRSE) of the amblyopic eye were compared to that of the fellow eye. We studied if the type of amblyopia (strabismus without anisometropia, anisometropia without strabismus, strabismus with anisometropia) had any influence on macular layer thickness values. RESULTS: There was significant difference between the amblyopic and fellow eyes in MRSE and AL in all subgroups. Comparing the amblyopic and fellow eyes, we found a statistically significant difference only in the thickness of the outer nuclear layer in the central region using linear mixed model analysis keeping AL and age under control (p = 0.032). There was no significant difference in interocular difference in the thickness of any macular layers between the subgroups with one-way between-groups ANCOVA while statistically controlling for interocular difference in AL and age. CONCLUSIONS: According to our results there are subtle changes in amblyopic eyes affecting the outer nuclear layer of the fovea suggesting the possible involvement of the photoreceptors. However, further studies are warranted to support this hypothesis

Validation of distinct pathogenic patterns in a cohort of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis patients by cluster analysis

Background: A novel data-driven cluster analysis identified distinct pathogenic patterns in C3-glomerulopathies and immune complex-mediated membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Our aim was to replicate these observations in an independent cohort and elucidate disease pathophysiology with detailed analysis of functional complement markers. ----- Methods: A total of 92 patients with clinical, histological, complement and genetic data were involved in the study, and hierarchical cluster analysis was done by Ward method, where four clusters were generated. ----- Results: High levels of sC5b-9 (soluble membrane attack complex), low serum C3 levels and young age at onset (13 years) were characteristic for Cluster 1 with a high prevalence of likely pathogenic variations (LPVs) and C3 nephritic factor, whereas for Cluster 2-which is not reliable because of the small number of cases-strong immunoglobulin G staining, low C3 levels and high prevalence of nephritic syndrome at disease onset were observed. Low plasma sC5b-9 levels, decreased C3 levels and high prevalence of LPV and sclerotic glomeruli were present in Cluster 3, and patients with late onset of the disease (median: 39.5 years) and near-normal C3 levels in Cluster 4. A significant difference was observed in the incidence of end-stage renal disease during follow-up between the different clusters. Patients in Clusters 3-4 had worse renal survival than patients in Clusters 1-2. ----- Conclusions: Our results confirm the main findings of the original cluster analysis and indicate that the observed, distinct pathogenic patterns are replicated in our cohort. Further investigations are necessary to analyse the distinct biological and pathogenic processes in these patient groups

C4 nephritic factor in patients with immune-complex-mediated membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis and C3-glomerulopathy

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