BACKGROUND: Pyrazinamide (PZA) is a key drug in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB), including multidrug-resistant TB. Drug susceptibility testing (DST) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis against PZA is not included in the World Health Organization's yearly proficiency testing. There is an increasing need to establish quality control of PZA DST. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance of PZA DST and to i

Aqueous dispersions of pure sodium and calcium smectite clays with platelet sizes on the order of a few hundred nanometers were characterized using a combination of cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). With monovalent sodium counterions the clay is dispersed as individual platelets, as seen by cryo-TEM, that order into a nematic phase. From SAXS

Criminologists have indicated that gender is one of the strongest predictors of fear of crime. The leading explanation for gender differences in fear of crime levels is the shadow of sexual assault hypothesis, claiming that women’s fear of sexual assault is one of the most salient factors influencing their fear of other crimes. Using a sample of 1,051 university students, this study examines the p

The reaction of the sigma-bonded (PCP)Pd-Me complex (PCP = 2,6-bis[(di-tert-butylphosphino)methyl]phenyl) with CO2 is first-order in palladium and first-order in CO, with a rate constant k(s) = 8.9 +/- 0.8 M-1 s(-1) at 353 K. Activation parameters are Delta H double dagger = 73 7 kJ/mol and Delta S double dagger = 118 +/- 19 J/K mol. Based on this and theoretical calculations we propose an S(E)2 m

Gloss is considered one of the most important visual attributes of many foods, which is difficult to measure objectively. In this paper, a gloss imaging system (GIS) was implemented to evaluate the suitability of four indexes for measuring gloss from intensity images in flat and curved surfaces and to analyze gloss of some fruits and vegetables. Three indexes were computed from goniometric curves:

Background Atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome is a genetic, life-threatening, chronic disease of complement-mediated thrombotic microangiopathy. Plasma exchange or infusion may transiently maintain normal levels of hematologic measures but does not treat the underlying systemic disease. Methods We conducted two prospective phase 2 trials in which patients with atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome wh

The tick-borne bacterium 'Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis' has recently been recognized as a human pathogen. Together with Borrelia afzelii, it is one of the most common pathogens found in the tick Ixodes ricinus. Here, we compared the epidemiology of 'Candidatus N. mikurensis' and B. afzelii by longitudinal sampling from May to September in one of their most abundant vertebrate hosts, the bank

Measurements of Last Interglacial stable water isotopes in ice cores show that central Greenland delta O-18 increased by at least 3 parts per thousand compared to present day. Attempting to quantify the Greenland interglacial temperature change from these ice core measurements rests on our ability to interpret the stable water isotope content of Greenland snow. Current orbitally driven interglacia

The International Society of Blood Transfusion Working Party on red cell immunogenetics and blood group terminology convened during the International congress in Cancun, July 2012. This report details the newly identified antigens in existing blood group systems and presents three new blood group systems.

Haemophilia A is a sex-linked disorder characterised chiefly by recurrent, spontaneous joint and muscle bleedings resulting from deficiency of factor VIII (FVIII). Recurrent joint bleeds result in haemophilic arthropathy. Unless treated with factor replacement therapy, many patients with severe haemophilia become disabled. The first clinical evidence favouring prophylaxis originated from the studi

Schrodinger operators on metric trees are considered. It is proven that for certain matching conditions the Titchmarsh-Weyl matrix function does not determine the underlying metric tree; i.e. there exist quantum trees with equal Titchmarsh-Weyl functions. The constructed trees form one-parameter families of isospectral and isoscattering graphs.

The design of sampling schemes affects the results of biodiversity inventories. As an approach for quantifying the implications of such effects, we compared data on spider communities sampled in a beech-dominated forest floor habitat by 1) a regular grid of pitfall traps (systematic design) and 2) an expert-based distribution of traps (stratified design). We tested whether the two designs would le

This article examines the case of a Chinese firm that has upgraded to lead firm position in the global biomass power plant industry mainly through acquisitions of technological frontier firms in Denmark. Sustaining the lead firm position was, however, challenged by difficulties in developing innovative capability. Drawing on the literature on (i) firm-level technological capability and (ii) knowle

We aimed to assess differences in incidence, clinical features, current treatment strategies and outcome in patients with type 2 vs. type 1 acute myocardial infarction (AMI).