Identifizierung von ökol. u. konv. Anbauvarianten bei DOK-Weizen mittels Fluoreszenz-Anregungs-Spektroskopie

At coded samples of wheat out of the DOK-trial of FiBL (Switzerland) it was possible to identify the organic and conventional grown variants. The method used was fluorescence-excitation-spectroscopy of whole samples. It was also possible to show differences between biodynamic and organic variants

Die Bestimmung des Physiologischen Aminosäurenstatus von Möhren und Weizen zur Unterscheidung ökol. und konv. Anbauvarianten

A procedure for the differentiation and identification of organic versus conventional grown crop is described. The validated (ISO 17025) procedure is based on the precise Determination of the N-Metabolom of the cultivated plant. With this procedure it was possible to distinguish organically from conventionally grown crops

Evaluating Centering for Information Ordering Using Corpora

In this article we discuss several metrics of coherence defined using centering theory and investigate the usefulness of such metrics for information ordering in automatic text generation. We estimate empirically which is the most promising metric and how useful this metric is using a general methodology applied on several corpora. Our main result is that the simplest metric (which relies exclusively on NOCB transitions) sets a robust baseline that cannot be outperformed by other metrics which make use of additional centering-based features. This baseline can be used for the development of both text-to-text and concept-to-text generation systems. </jats:p

A Case of Statin-Associated Autoimmune Myopathy.

A 70-year-old previously independent man developed progressive proximal leg weakness resulting in a fall at home suffering traumatic brain injury. He was prescribed a statin medication two years prior, but this was discontinued on admission to the hospital due to concern for statin myopathy. His weakness continued to progress while in acute rehabilitation, along with the development of dysphagia requiring placement of gastrostomy tube and respiratory failure requiring tracheostomy. Corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulin were administered without response. Nerve conduction study demonstrated no evidence of neuropathy; electromyography revealed spontaneous activity suggestive of myopathy. A muscle biopsy was performed and demonstrated myonecrosis. Serology was positive for autoantibodies to 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR), verifying our diagnosis of statin-associated autoimmune myopathy (SAM). The patient was subsequently treated with rituximab and methotrexate and demonstrated mild clinical improvement. He was eventually liberated from the ventilator. However, later in the course of treatment, he developed respiratory distress and required ventilator support. The patient was discharged to long-term acute care two months after his initial presentation and died due to ventilator-acquired pneumonia three months later. Since their introduction 30 years ago, statin medications have been widely prescribed to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Myalgias and/or myopathic symptoms are among the most recognized side effects of the medication. Statin-associated autoimmune myopathy is a very rare complication of statin use and estimated to affect two to three for every 100,000 patients treated. Clinically, the condition presents as progressive symmetric weakness, muscle enzyme elevations, necrotizing myopathy on muscle biopsy, and the presence of autoantibodies to HMGCR. These findings will often persist and even progress despite discontinuation of the statin. Very few cases of SAM have been described in the literature. Describing this rare condition and the ultimately fatal outcome of our patient, we aim to further understanding of SAM, its presentation and clinical course to promote earlier diagnosis and prompt management

Attractiveness as a Function of Skin Tone and Facial Features: Evidence From Categorization Studies

Participants rated the attractiveness and racial typicality of male faces varying in their facial features from Afrocentric to Eurocentric and in skin tone from dark to light in two experiments. Experiment 1 provided evidence that facial features and skin tone have an interactive effect on perceptions of attractiveness and mixed-race faces are perceived as more attractive than single-race faces. Experiment 2 further confirmed that faces with medium levels of skin tone and facial features are perceived as more attractive than faces with extreme levels of these factors. Black phenotypes (combinations of dark skin tone and Afrocentric facial features) were rated as more attractive than White phenotypes (combinations of light skin tone and Eurocentric facial features); ambiguous faces (combinations of Afrocentric and Eurocentric physiognomy) with medium levels of skin tone were rated as the most attractive in Experiment 2. Perceptions of attractiveness were relatively independent of racial categorization in both experiments

Behavioural clusters and predictors of performance during recovery from stroke

We examined the patterns and variability of recovery post-stroke in multiple behavioral domains. A large cohort of first time stroke patients with heterogeneous lesions was studied prospectively and longitudinally at 1-2 weeks, 3 months and one year post-injury with structural MRI to measure lesion anatomy and in-depth neuropsychological assessment. Impairment was described at all timepoints by a few clusters of correlated deficits. The time course and magnitude of recovery was similar across domains, with change scores largely proportional to the initial deficit and most recovery occurring within the first three months. Damage to specific white matter tracts produced poorer recovery over several domains: attention and superior longitudinal fasciculus II/III, language and posterior arcuate fasciculus, motor and corticospinal tract. Finally, after accounting for the severity of the initial deficit, language and visual memory recovery/outcome was worse with lower education, while the occurrence of multiple deficits negatively impacted attention recovery

Model Specification in Mixed-Effects Models: A Focus on Random Effects

Mixed-effect models are flexible tools for researchers in a myriad of fields, but that flexibility comes at the cost of complexity and if users are not careful in how their model is specified, they could be making faulty inferences from their data. We argue that there is significant confusion around appropriate random effects to be included in a model given the study design, with researchers generally being better at specifying the fixed effects of a model, which map onto to their research hypotheses. To that end, we present an instructive framework for evaluating the random effects of a model in three different situations: (1) longitudinal designs; (2) factorial repeated measures; and (3) when dealing with multiple sources of variance. We provide worked examples with open-access code and data in an online repository. We think this framework will be helpful for students and researchers who are new to mixed effect models, and to reviewers who may have to evaluate a novel model as part of their review.Comment: ~8,000 words body text, 7 figures, 4 tables. Currently posting version 3 responding to comments on previous draft