Effectiveness of an artificial intelligence-based system to curtail wind turbines to reduce eagle collisions.

Operating wind-power projects often includes protecting volant wildlife. One method for doing this uses an automated system to detect, identify (through use of artificial intelligence; AI), track animals (targets) and curtail turbines when risk of a collision is high. However, assessments of the effectiveness, in terms of identification accuracy and subsequent turbine curtailment of such systems are lacking. Over 1 year, we assessed such an automated system installed at a wind project in California, USA to determine its identification accuracy and rates at which "virtual" curtailments were ordered (without slowing turbines), for eagles (intended targets) and non-eagle targets. The system correctly identified 77% of eagles and 85% of non-eagles. Curtailment orders occurred 6 times more frequently for non-eagle targets (5,439) than for eagle targets (850). Greater abundance of common ravens that were misidentified as eagles influenced the effectiveness of the system by greatly increasing unintended curtailment orders. The balance between costs (price of the IdentiFlight system, reduced energy generation, turbine wear and maintenance) and benefits (reduced collisions between intended target species and turbines) may depend upon the biological setting, speed at which operators can curtail turbines, and the objectives of the operator when considering the IdentiFlight system.

Trauma-sensitive yoga as an adjunct mental health treatment in group therapy for survivors of domestic violence: a feasibility study.

This study is a feasibility test of whether incorporating trauma-sensitive yoga into group therapy for female victims of partner violence improves symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) beyond that achieved with group therapy alone. Seventeen (9 control, 8 intervention) adult female clients seeking group psychotherapy were enrolled. A 12-week trauma-sensitive yoga protocol was administered once weekly for 30-40 min at the end of each group therapy session. The control group received typical group psychotherapy. Feasibility was assessed through recruitment and retention rates as well as participants' self-reported perceptions of the safety and utility of the study. The study enrolled 85% (17/20) of those screened eligible. Loss to follow-up was 30% (5/17). No one reported emotional or physical harm. All of the respondents reported that the study was personally meaningful and that the results would be useful to others.

Retrospective study of intraepidermal nerve fiber distribution in biopsies of patients with nummular eczema.

BACKGROUND: Nummular eczema is a chronic inflammatory condition characterized by pruritus and histologically characterized by spongiosis. The etiology is unknown, and the lesions frequently arise spontaneously. Neuropeptides contribute to mediating and maintaining eczematous conditions. Previous research indicates that the number of immunoreactive nerve fibers is increased in pruritic skin lesions. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine if the number of immunoreactive nerve fibers is increased in nummular eczema, as in other inflammatory pruritic conditions. METHODS: Protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5) was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 22 biopsies of nummular eczema and was compared with immunohistochemical expression of 8 skin biopsies uninvolved by nummular eczema. RESULTS: Nerve fiber distribution using PGP 9.5 stain showed that there was significantly reduced PGP9.5 stain amount in the epidermis of patients with nummular eczema compared with their respective healthy control (P = 0.0054). However, no statistical difference was seen in the papillary dermis. CONCLUSION: Pruritus of nummular eczema is not associated with an increase of epidermal nerve fiber density and sprouting.

Filamentous bacteria masquerading as fungi: a diagnostic pitfall in direct smear interpretation with report of two cases.

Bacteria, particularly Gram-negative bacilli, can develop abnormal morphology after the administration of subinhibitory concentrations of antibacterial agents. Filamentation is a common response in which bacteria replicate but incompletely divide, leading to long slender chains that resemble fungal hyphae. Pathologists are frequently consulted to examine direct smears of body fluids, which often contain microorganisms. Antibiotic-related filamentous morphology may resemble fungal hyphae and this potential misinterpretation can lead to inappropriate treatment for presumed fungal infections. Two cases are described in which direct smears of body fluids were examined by on-call pathology residents who misinterpreted filamentous bacteria as fungal organisms, with one case leading to the initiation of antifungal medication. Although well-established within the field of microbiology, many residents and practising pathologists are less familiar with antibiotic-related bacterial morphology, as it may not be routinely encountered. It is important for pathologists to be aware of this phenomenon in order to avoid misinterpretation.

Early histopathologic changes in grover disease.

BACKGROUND: Grover disease is a clinicopathologic entity characterized by acantholysis. The histologic changes typically occupy circumscribed foci, therefore early stages could go unnoticed and be misdiagnosed. OBJECTIVE: To report on early histopathologic changes in Grover disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed 22 cases of Grover disease histologically diagnosed at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, NC, between 2000 and 2009. Early changes were defined as elongation of rete ridges and mild focal acantholysis. RESULTS: Six cases (27%) showed elongation of the rete ridges with focal acantholysis. Mild spongiosis was seen in 4 cases. Superficial perivascular inflammatory infiltrate was found in all cases, 5 of which showed eosinophils. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may represent a diagnostic clue in cases of early Grover disease, if clinical correlation is made.

Poliarteritis nodosa cutánea / Cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa

La poliarteritis nodosa clásica es una vasculitis necrosante sistémica, de arterias de pequeño y mediano calibre. Por otro lado, el término poliarteritis nodosa cutánea se utiliza para el compromiso limitado a la piel (dermis profunda y panículo).Clínicamente, esta enfermedad presenta nódulos en las piernas que se ulceran frecuentemente. La poliarteritis nodosa cutánea tiene un curso crónico, benigno, pero variable con repetidas exacerbaciones. No hay compromiso sistémico.

Histiocitoma epiteliode celular / Epithelioid cell histiocytoma

El histiocitoma epiteliode celular es un tumor benigno que se considera una variante rara del dermatofibroma. Característicamente, se presenta como una lesión polipoide eritematosa, razón por la cual se confunde frecuentemente en su aspecto clínico con un granuloma piógeno. Un pequeño collar epidérmico y, en la dermis, células redondeadas con abundante citoplasma eosinófilo y núcleo vesicular con nucléolo eosinófilo, son claves en su aspecto histológico.

Retiform hemangioendotheliomas usually do not express D2-40 and VEGFR-3.

Retiform hemangioendothelioma (RH) is a rare vascular neoplasm most often occurring in the limbs of middle-aged females. This entity is characterized by infiltrative vascular spaces arranged in a pattern similar to the rete testis. RH differs from angiosarcoma by lacking cytologic atypia and high mitotic rates. This neoplasm frequently recurs but rarely metastasizes. RH tumor cells react with vascular endothelial markers CD31, CD34, and factor VIII-related antigen. A review of the English literature provides only one attempt at staining RH with D2-40, a marker of endothelium of lymphatic vessels, which was negative, and one reported staining of RH with lymphatic endothelial marker VEGFR-3, which was positive. The etiology of RH is unknown. RH has previously been considered closely related to Dabska tumors, which are positive for lymphatic endothelial marker D2-40. We stained 4 RHs with mouse monoclonal antibodies against D2-40 and CD31 and 3 of the 4 RHs with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR-3), to further evaluate whether RH had lymphatic differentiation, in addition to vascular differentiation. Three of the 4 RH biopsies failed to demonstrate D2-40, none expressed VEGFR-3, whereas CD31 was strongly positive, suggesting that RH is a vascular entity which usually does not have lymphatic differentiation, but may rarely express D2-40.

Transglutaminases: the missing link in nephrogenic systemic fibrosis.

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), also known as nephrogenic fibrosing dermopathy (NFD), occurs in renal failure patients after gadolinium contrast exposure. The fibrosis of the dermis and subcutaneous septae accompanies fibrosis of other organs, including the heart, liver, lungs, and muscle. The fibrotic skin demonstrates increased dermal collagen, fibroblasts, and mucin. The mechanism by which gadolinium is associated with fibrosis is not known. We tested the hypothesis that upregulation of transglutaminases contributes to the fibrosis seen in the organs, including skin, of renal failure patients exposed to gadolinium contrast. We performed immunohistochemical studies using antibodies to transglutaminase-2, factor XIIIa, transglutaminase isopeptide, and the histiocyte marker CD68 on five archived skin biopsies of NSF. The results indicate that the dermal fibroblasts and histiocytes of NSF express transglutaminase-2, CD68, factor XIIIa, and transglutaminase isopeptide, indicating increased expression and/or activation of transglutaminases in NSF. We recommend further research into the use of transglutaminase inhibitors in the treatment and prevention of NSF.

An evaluation of the opinions of hospital employees regarding the contribution of internal marketing to the application of total quality management in Turkey.

This research was conducted in a training-research hospital in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, in order to assess the contributions of internal marketing to the success of TQM applications by means of employee communication and participation. The key findings of this research indicate that the cultural changes needed to maintain the success of TQM applications in the organization were not achieved, there were problems in the internal communication system, effective participation of employees was not achieved, and public relations and internal marketing activities were not employed in a sufficient manner. Specific managerial recommendations are offered in regard to ensuring effective employee support and participation in TQM applications, improving internal communication, and effective application of modern internal marketing tools and methods.

Managerial implications of medical sales representative perceptions of job duties, job qualifications, and other performance-related issues.

This study examined the perceptions of medical sales representatives of job related duties, job qualifications needed, and motivating factors and tested for differences based on gender, age, years of experience and education using prior research as a base. This study also explored issues that may arise between sales people and physicians. The authors surveyed 132 medical sales representatives from pharmaceutical firms located in Ankara, Turkey. The authors' findings highlight the need in Turkey for developing in-service training programs for medical sales representatives, especially in the areas related to technical aspects of the product, effective marketing and personal selling strategies, and consumer relations. Training in these areas will help salespeople to better manage the problems typically encountered in physician-sales representative relations. While the study was conducted in Turkey, the results are similar to findings in prior research conducted in other countries and therefore may be of interest to all sales managers.

Hospital choice factors: a case study in Turkey.

In an attempt to test the robustness of the numerous American findings related to hospital choice in the context of another country, this study examines the factors affecting hospital choice decisions of 869 patients in three public and one private hospital policlinics in Ankara, Turkey and attempts to determine their importance levels. Identification of these factors and determining their effect levels is important in concentrating management efforts on these key areas and in formulating effective marketing strategies to retain and expand hospital patient bases in the future. Our findings highlight the importance of accessibility of hospital services to consumers in hospital choice as well as the role of hospital's image, its physical appearance, and technological capabilities in informing such choices. American health care managers can use these findings to further understand how patients make choices related to health care facilities and to develop marketing strategies that may more effectively market their facilities.

Metastin-like immunoreactivity in the rat medulla oblongata and spinal cord.

Metastin, the product of metastasis suppressor gene KiSS-1, is proposed to be the natural ligand for the G-protein-coupled receptor GPR54, known also as AXOR12. This immunohistochemical study, using a rabbit polyclonal antiserum against the human metastin fragment (45-54)-NH(2), showed that in rats metastin-like immunoreactivity (MTS-LI) was present in neurons of the nucleus of the solitary tract and caudoventrolateral reticular nucleus, and in cell processes of the spinal trigeminal tract and lateral reticular nucleus. MTS-LI was confined mainly to neurons and fibers at or caudal to the area postrema. In the spinal cord, MTS-LI cell processes formed a dense plexus in superficial layers I and II of the dorsal horn. The pattern of distribution of MTS-LI in the medulla and spinal cord suggests that this novel peptide may participate in autonomic and sensory neural signaling.