Journal articles on the topic 'EGAK 350'

Background:Evaluator’s global assessment (EGA) is the one component of indexed disease activity evaluation assessed by the rheumatologist for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It does not included in the Boolean remission criteria nor 28-joints disease activity score (DAS28), however it is widely recognized among rheumatologist as an only comprehensive and objective assessment parameter.Objectives:The aim of this study is to evaluate how EGA correlates with other components and the influence of EGA on disease activity and daily activity, and quality of life.Methods:A total of 24,075 times of monitoring out of 683 RA patients who were followed up for more than three consecutive years was performed. Contents of monitoring included tenderness joint count (TJC), swollen joint count (SJC), patient’s global assessment (PGA), EGA, C-reactive protein (CRP), and calculated values of DAS28, SDAI, composite index of Boolean evaluation, pain score with visual analog scale (PS-VAS), Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI), and quality of life score (QOLS) calculated from Euro-QOL questionnaire with 5th dimensions. Each measurement was classified with the EGA score divided by one increment from zero to ten. Mean values of DAS28, CDAI, SDAI, remission rate of these indices and Boolean remission rate, and mean values of PS-VAS, HAQ-DI, and QOLS were statistically evaluated. Results were compared to the results that was analyzed in according to the PGA score substituted with the EGA score.Moreover, EGA at the time of Boolean remission of the patients who achieved Boolean remission at least once during treating were picked up. Patients were classified according to the EGA level with 0.5 increment from zero. Mean value of TJC, SJC, PGA, EGA, SDAI, Boolean remission rate, HAQ-DI, and PS-VAS after attaining Boolean remission were compared statistically.Results:Number of measures counted 15424, 2001, 3688, 1731, 664, 293, 144, 88, 29, 2, and 11 for each level of EGA. The EGA score tended to concentrate more in zero to two in comparing to the PGA score. Mean DAS28, CDAI, and SDAI demonstrated significant increase as the EGA level increased, and remission rate of the all indices including Boolean demonstrated significant decrease as the EGA level increases (p<0.01%). CDAI, SDAI, and Boolean remission rate demonstrated zero percent from two. Mean value of PS-VAS and HAQ-DI score demonstrated also significant decrease as the EGA level increases, and QOLS demonstrated significant decrease as the EGA level increases (p<0.01%). However, these tendency showed more irregular compared to that analyzed with the PGA score. Correlation coefficients with regarding to the EGA score was always less than that with regarding to the PGA score.In the patients who achieved Boolean remission, EGA levels were divided with 294 with zero (G-0) and 118 with 0.5 (G-.5), whereas 71 could not achieve Boolean remission. Average TJC (p<0.05), SJC (p<0.001), EGA (p<0.001), CRP (p<0.05), and SDAI (p<0.01) level in the G-0 group demonstrated significant less than in the G-.5 group, whereas PGA, Boolean remission rate, HAQ-DI, and PS-VAS demonstrated no significant difference in between the two groups.Conclusion:It is more reliable to estimate daily activity and quality of life from the PGA score than to estimate from the EGA score. EGA correlates with SJC and CRP more strongly than with TJC and CRP. EGA does not reflect HAQ-DI and PS-VAS.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

<p>La utilización del render como simulador de realidad y transformador del imaginario arquitectónico es el asunto que pretendemos desarrollar en el contexto del cambio de paradigma gráfico de la representación arquitectónica actual. Jugamos con las palabras, la BIOS, Basic Input / Output System (Sistema Básico de entrada y salida), y conjugamos el acrónimo del nombre de un conocido sistema operativo (OS), que definimos en su versión tercera (3.0) existiendo dos versiones anteriores (1.0 y 2.0). La fonética DesBIOS acerca la palabra “desvío” que significa un cambio de vía, de ruta, que es lo producido. Ha existido un desplazamiento del uso del render, construyendo un encadenado de transformación, esto constituye las diferentes versiones que pasamos a explicar: DesBIOS 1.0. IMITACIÓN Operaciones digitales de render para producir simulación de materiales. DesBIOS 2.0. FABRICACIÓN Render desencadena producción de nuevos materiales de apariencia digital. DesBIOS 3.0. ESPACIALIDAD La utilización de elementos con apariencia digital, transforma la imagen espacial en aspecto digital. El sector profesional asume tales cambios, propiciando la creación de nuevos materiales por la industria de la construcción a través del diseño arquitectónico, avanzando así hacia la obtención de apariencias emuladoras de la representación digital en la configuración la construcción de los espacios.</p>

Telah dilakukan penelitian untuk mempelajari struktur dan sifat elektronik dari polimer furan dan turunannya (disubstitusi) dengan jumlah cincin furan n = 20 dengan menggunakan program PM3. Substituen yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini berupa atom atau molekul radikal pada posisi ujung. Subtituen yang dipelajari adalah fenil (Ph), radikal heksahalobenzena (-Z), radikal pirol (Py) dan tiofen (T).. Masukan data awal furan adalah sudut ikatan awal untuk C=C-C = 105˚, C=C-H = 120˚, H-C-C = 135˚, H-C-O = 123.872˚, O-C=C = 116˚, torsion angle = 0˚ dan panjang ikatan C=C, C-C = 1,4 Å, C-O = 1,408 Å dan C-H = 1 Å. Dalam penelitian ini digunakan komputasi secara RHF ( Restrical Hartree Fock) dengan pengoptimasi Polak Ribiere. Optimasi dilakukan dengan ketentuan berikut: spin multiplicity = 1; charge = 0; convergence limit = 0,001; iterration limit = 50; dan gradien 0,01 kCal/mol.Å. Luaran data (dalam keadaan optimal) yang dibutuhkan adalah Binding Energy (BE adalah energi ikatan antar atom-atom dalam molekul), EHOMO ( tingkat energi highest occupied molecular orbital dan ELUMO (tingkat energi lowest occupied molecular orbital). Sifat penghantar polimer ditentukan dari nilai ΔE atau (Egap). Nilai Egap suatu konduktor, semikonduktor dan isolator berturut-turut adalah < 1,0 eV; 1,0 – 3,0 eV; dan > 3 eV. Hasil pengoptimasian struktur turunan polifuran memperlihatkan bahwa seluruh substituen yang digunakan dapat menurunkan nilai band gap (Egap) polifuran. Nilai band gap (Egap) ternyata dipengaruhi oleh jumlah cincin furan yang berikatan membentuk polimer. Penurunan nilai band gap yang signifikan terjadi pada jumlah monomer furan n = 1 s.d 10.

<p>En el curso 2015/16 realicé una estancia, como profesor visitante, en la Escuela Parsons The New School, en Nueva York. Esta se centró en la investigación, la comunicación y la representación del Espacio Urbano y Paisaje. Pretendí registrar mi vivencia y relación emotiva con determinados espacios de esta ciudad, siendo que los barrios periféricos se proponían como alternativa a Manhattan. Intentar “ver”, a través del dibujo, esta excitante urbe, desde Long Island Beach al Bronx, fue una experiencia tan intensa como visualmente enriquecedora. Contemplar y posteriormente (o simultáneamente) expresar gráficamente el dinamismo, la atmósfera, las luces y las formas que sentí bajo las vigas metálicas de ciertas líneas de tren en Broadway, en el corazón de Brooklyn, fue tan desafiante como intenso y emocionante. De los cerca de 300 dibujos producidos, se seleccionó una pequeña muestra, que ilustra los diferentes temas, soportes, escalas y técnicas manipulados.</p>

Highly porous hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, HA) was prepared through hydrothermal (HT) transformation of aragonitic cuttlefish bones (Seppia Officinalis L. Adriatic Sea) in the temperature range from 140°C to 220°C for 20 minutes to 48 hours. Mechanism of hydrothermal transformation of bones was investigated by DTA/TG analyzer coupled online with FTIR spectrometric gas cell equipment (DTA-TG-EGA-FTIR analysis), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). DTA-TG-EGA-FTIR analysis have shown the release of CO2 at about 400°C, 680°C and 990°C. The first release could be attributed to organics not completely removed from the heat treated bones, and the second release to decomposition of unconverted aragonite, whereas, the third one could be attributed to CO3 2– groups incorporated in the structure of HA. The interconnecting porous morphology of the starting material (aragonite) was maintained during the HT treatment. The formation of dandelion-like HA spheres with diameter from 3 to 8 μm were observed, which further transformed into nanoplates and nanorods with an average diameter of about 200-300 nm and an average length of about 8-10 μm.

Penyakit karang adalah gangguan terhadap kesehatan karang yang menyebabkan hilang atau rusaknya jaringan karang. Biota karang yang terinfeksi penyakit telah diidentifikasikan sebagai salah satu faktor utama yang memperburuk tutupan terumbu karang secara global. Tujuan dari penelitian ini untuk mengetahui kelimpahan dan prevalensi penyakit karang di Perairan Langara, Konawe Kepulauan, Sulawesi Tenggara. Pengambilan data dilakukan di bulan April 2018 pada tiga stasiun penelitian. Metode pengambilan data kelimpahan dan prevalensi penyakit karang menggunakan metode belt transect (transek sabuk) dengan luas area transek 350 m2, yang ditarik sejajar garis pantai. Hasil penelitian menyebutkan bahwa penyakit karang yang ditemukan di lokasi penelitian sebanyak 8 jenis [Black Band Disease (BBD), Dark Spots Disease (DSD), Ulcerative White Spots (UWS), White Band Disease (WBD), Explained Growth Anomalies (EGA), White Syndrom (WS), Bleacing (BL) dan Yellow Band Disease (YBD)]. Kelimpahan dan prevalensi penyakit karang yang tertinggi terdapat di stasiun II, dimana nilai kelimpahan yaitu 0.063 koloni/m2 dan nilai prevalensi yaitu 92.187%. Jenis penyakit karang yang mendominasi di lokasi penelitian secara berturut-turut adalah UWS, BBD dan WS.Kata Kunci: Kelimpahan; Penyakit Karang; Perairan Langara; Prevalensi

Abstract. Fine aerosol particles were collected separately during daytime and nighttime at a tropical pasture site in Rondônia, Brazil, during the burning and dry-to-wet transition period in 2002. Total carbon (TC) and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) were measured by evolved gas analysis (EGA). Based on the thermochemical properties of the fine aerosol, the relative amounts of the volatile and refractory compounds were estimated. It was found that the thermally refractory (possibly higher molecular weight) compounds dominated the TC composition. Their contribution to TC was higher in the daytime than in the nighttime samples. The relative share of WSOC also showed a statistically significant diel variation as did its refractory fraction. Anhydrosugars and phenolic acids were determined by GC-MS and their diel variation was studied. Based on the decrease of their relative concentrations between the biomass burning and transition periods and their distinctly different diel variations, we suggest that the phenolic acids may undergo chemical transformations in the aerosol phase, possibly towards more refractory compounds (humic-like substances, HULIS), as has been suggested previously. These conclusions are supported by the results of the thermally assisted hydrolysis and methylation gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the same filter samples.

The purpose of this study is to assess and evaluate the physicochemical properties of the seed oils of two Moroccan varieties of watermelon “Citrullus lanatus” extracted by three different techniques, a mechanical process using cold press, and two chemical processes using a Soxhlet apparatus and a sonotrode ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) using n-hexane. The total phenolic compounds (TPC) and antioxidant properties against the DPPH radicals (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) were also studied. The seed oils of both varieties of watermelon exhibited high concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids with the predominance of linoleic and oleic fatty acids. The primary sterol was β-sitosterol, and high levels of total tocopherols were observed. Ɣ-tocopherol was the predominant tocopherol in all tested oils. The Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus variety seeds oil exhibited the highest TPC value (89.5 ± 0.06 mg EGA/100 g; EGA: gallic acid equivalent), with 82.4 ± 0.03% DPPH free radical inhibition efficiency. Nevertheless, all tested seeds oils showed a significant amount of total phenolic compounds and a good inhibition against DPPH radicals ranging from 51.1 ± 0.1% to 84.8 ± 0.04%. In addition, the influence of the ultrasonic extraction parameters was studied using two different solvents (n-hexane and the methanol-chloroform mixture), with different particle sizes (500–300 µm), duration (10 and 20 minutes), cycle (1–0.5), amplitude (80–100%) and solvent/seed ratios (1:5 and 1:10), and the seed roasting parameter was also studied. The oil yield was mainly affected by the extraction solvent, then the solvent/seed ratio and the duration, respectively.

Abstract. An optimized spectroscopic method combining quantitative evolved gas analysis via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-EGA) in combination with a qualitative in situ thermal reaction monitoring via diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (in situT DRIFTS) is being proposed to rapidly characterize soil organic matter (SOM) to study its dynamics and stability. A thermal reaction chamber coupled with an infrared gas cell was used to study the pattern of thermal evolution of carbon dioxide (CO2) in order to relate evolved gas (i.e., CO2) to different qualities of SOM. Soil samples were taken from three different arable sites in Germany: (i) the Static Fertilization Experiment, Bad Lauchstädt (Chernozem), from treatments of farmyard manure (FYM), mineral fertilizer (NPK), their combination (FYM + NPK) and control without fertilizer inputs; (ii) Kraichgau; and (iii) Swabian Alb (Cambisols) areas, Southwest Germany. The two latter soils were further fractionated into particulate organic matter (POM), sand and stable aggregates (Sa + A), silt and clay (Si + C), and NaOCl oxidized Si + C (rSOC) to gain OM of different inferred stabilities; respiration was measured from fresh soil samples incubated at 20 °C and 50% water holding capacity for 490 days. A variable long path length gas cell was used to record the mid-infrared absorbance intensity of CO2 (2400 to 2200 cm−1) being evolved during soil heating from 25 to 700 °C with a heating rate of 68 °C min−1 and holding time of 10 min at 700 °C. Separately, the heating chamber was placed in a diffuse reflectance chamber (DRIFTS) for measuring the mid-infrared absorbance of the soil sample during heating. Thermal stability of the bulk soils and fractions was measured via the temperature of maximum CO2 evolution (CO2max). Results indicated that the FYM + NPK and FYM treatments of the Chernozem soils had a lower CO2max as compared to both NPK and CON treatments. On average, CO2max of the Chernozem was much higher (447 °C) as compared to the Cambisol sites (Kraichgau 392 °C; Swabian Alb 384 °C). The POM fraction had the highest CO2max (477 °C), while rSOC had a first peak at 265 °C at both sites and a second peak at 392 °C for the Swabian Alb and 482 °C for the Kraichgau. The CO2max increased after 490 day incubation, while the C lost during incubation was derived from the whole temperature range but a relatively higher proportion from 200 to 350 °C. In situT DRIFTS measurements indicated decreases in vibrational intensities in the order of C-OH = unknown C vibration < C-H < −COO/C =C < C = C with increasing temperature, but interpretation of vibrational changes was complicated by changes in the spectra (i.e., overall vibrational intensity increased with temperature increase) of the sample during heating. The relative quality changes and corresponding temperatures shown by the in situT DRIFTS measurements enabled the fitting of four components or peaks to the evolved CO2 thermogram from the FTIR-EGA measurements. This gave a semi-quantitative measure of the quality of evolved C during the heating experiment, lending more evidence that different qualities of SOM are being evolved at different temperatures from 200 to 700 °C. The CO2max was influenced by long-term FYM input and also after 490 days of laboratory incubation, indicating that this measurement is an indicator for the relative overall SOM stability. The combination of FTIR-EGA and in situT DRIFTS allows for a quantitative and qualitative monitoring of thermal reactions of SOM, revealing its relative stability, and provides a sound basis for a peak fitting procedure for assigning proportions of evolved CO2 to different thermal stability components.

Abstract. An optimized spectroscopic method combining quantitative evolved gas analysis via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-EGA) and qualitative in situ thermal reaction monitoring via diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (in situT DRIFTS) is being proposed to rapidly characterize soil organic matter (SOM) to study its dynamics and stability. A thermal reaction chamber coupled with an infrared gas cell was used to study the pattern of thermal evolution of carbon dioxide (CO2) in order to relate evolved gas to different qualities of soil organic matter (SOM). Soil samples were from three different sites, i.e. (i) the Static Fertilization Experiment, Bad Lauchstädt (Chernozem) from treatments of farmyard manure (FYM), mineral fertilizer (NPK), combination (FYM + NPK) and control without fertilizer inputs, and cropped soils from the (ii) Kraichgau and (iii) Swabian Alb (Cambisols) areas, Southwest Germany. Soils from Kraichgau and Swabian Alb were further fractionated into particulate organic matter (POM), sand and stable aggregates (Sa + A), silt and clay (Si + C), and NaOCl oxidized Si + C (rSOC) to gain OM of different inferred stabilities. Fresh soil samples from the Kraichgau and Swabian Alb were incubated at 20 °C and 50% water holding capacity for 490 days in order to measure soil respiration under controlled conditions. A variable long path length gas cell was used to record the mid-infrared absorbance intensity of carbon dioxide (2400 to 2200 cm−1) being evolved during soil heating from 25 to 700 °C with a heating rate of 68 °C min−1 during an initial ramping time of 10 min and holding time of 10 min. Separately the heating chamber was placed in a diffuse reflectance chamber (DRIFTS) for measuring the mid-infrared absorption of the soil sample during heating. Thermal stability of the bulk soils and fractions was measured via the temperature of maximum CO2 (2400 to 2200 cm−1 evolution (CO2). Results indicated that the FYM + NPK and FYM treatments of the Chernozem soils of Bad Lauchstädt had a lower CO2max as compared to both NPK and CON treatments. On average CO2max in Bad Lauchstädt was much higher (447 °C) as compared to the Kraichgau (392 °C) and Swabian Alb (384 °C) sites. The POM fraction had the highest CO2 (477 °C), while rSOC had a first peak at 265 °C at both sites and a second peak at 392 °C for the Swabian Alb and 482 °C for the Kraichgau. The CO2 was found to increase after 490 day incubation, while the C lost during incubation was derived from the whole temperature range but a relatively higher proportion from 200 to 350 °C. In situT DRIFTS measurements indicated decreases in vibrational intensities in the order of C-OH = unknown C vibration <C-H<–COO/C=C<C=C with increasing temperature, but interpretation of vibrational changes was complicated by changes in the spectra (i.e. overall vibrational intensity increased with temperature increase) of the sample during heating. The relative quality changes and corresponding temperatures shown by the in situT DRIFTS measurements enabled the fitting of four components or peaks to the evolved CO2 thermogram from the FTIR-EGA measurements to have a semi-quantitative measure of the quality of evolved C during the heating experiment, lending more evidence that different qualities of SOM are being evolved at different temperatures from 200 to 700 °C. The CO2 was influenced by long-term farmyard manure input and also by 490 days of laboratory incubation, indicating that this measurement can be an indicator for the relative overall SOM stability. The combination of FTIR-EGA and in situT DRIFTS was shown to be useful for monitoring the rate of thermal decomposition of different soils and SOM fractions which were related to their relative stability. This knowledge was used for a peak fitting procedure for assigning proportions of evolved CO2 to different thermal stability components.

The effect of La content and its incorporation route on physicochemical properties of ZnO/Zn(Al,La)2O4 or La2O3–ZnO/ZnAl2O4 mixed oxides with a spinel structure obtained from ZnAlLa Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) or ex-ZnAl LDH materials was investigated. The heterostructural nanocomposites with the similar Zn/Al molar ratio and varied La content were prepared by two techniques: via co-precipitation and thermal treatment of ZnAlLa LDHs at 500 °C or via incipient wetness impregnation of ex-ZnAl LDHs with aqueous solutions of lanthanum nitrate and subsequent thermal treatment. The obtained series of materials were characterized by the following techniques: X-ray fluorescence (XRF), N2 adsorption (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis with evolved gas analysis (TG/DTG/EGA), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FFT). The evaluation of activity toward the high-temperature water gas shift (HT-WGS) within the temperature range of 350–420 °C was carried out on the basis of rate constant measurements in the kinetic mode using a differential reactor. The co-precipitation technique allowed for a better distribution of La in bulk and on the spinel surface than in case of lanthanum incorporation via impregnation. ZnO/Zn(Al,La)2O4 or La2O3–ZnO/ZnAl2O4 mixed oxides were characterized by moderate activity in the HT-WGS reaction. The results reveal that introduction of lanthanum oxide over 2.4–2.8 wt% induces the phase separation of the ZnAl2O4 spinel, forming ZnO on the ZnAl2O4 spinel surface.

This paper deals with porous silicate convert voluminous water—repellence treatment technological parameters and properties using bitumen emulsions. Bitumen emulsions were prepared using laboratory equipment made up of two electrically heated tanks for bitumen and emulsifier. The melted bitumen solution was added at an even rate to a mixer (3000 rpm). The bitumen emulsion temperature was 80–85 °C. The emulsifying agent used for rapidly decomposing emulsions (decomposition up to 5 min) was sulphate soap and naphthenate soap EGIK-3, for medially decomposition after 5-10 min)—crude residue from petroleum refining, slowly decomposing emulsions (decomposition after move than 10 min)—sulphite liquor residues. Composition of bitumen emulsions: bitumen BND 60190 47,9 %, water 47,6 %, emulsifier 3,45-3,81 %, trisodium polyphosphate 0,95-0,60 %, washing soap (70%) 0,40-0,29 %. The bitumen emulsion decomposition time was determined by mixing it with finely milled inert filler until the bitumen forms a “ball”. Formation mixture composition: activation degree—22%, water/solids ratio V/K—0,6, amount of aluminium powder—0,25% based on solids, bitumen emulsion—1, 3, 5, 10% based on solids and calculated as bitumen mass, hydrothermic treatment conditions 1,5+8+1,5 h at 0,8 MPa vapour pressure. Water absorption was determined using standard methods by immersing samples in water and using artificial rain (1,5—2 mm/mm). Bitumen emulsion additives have an influence on the formation mixture consistency and maximum mass temperature. The formation mixture consistency also depends on the nature of the emulsifying agent used (Fig. 1) slowly decomposing emulsions, made with sulphite liquor residue, slow down the formation mixture blowing and that is why it is necessary to heat water to increase the mortar temperature to 36 °C (Fig. 2). Medially and rapidly decomposing bitumen emulsions do not greatly decrease the mass blowing (Fig. 3, curve 3) and correspondingly increase the sample density (Table 1). Bitumen emulsion additive has also an effect on calcium hydrosilicate phase composition. Sample chemical (Table 2), thermic and roentgenogram analysis indicate that the control sample cementation material is CSH(I) (Fig. 4, curve 1). 1% bitumen addition does not change the calcium hydrosilicate phase composition. A 3–5% bitumen addition in porous silicate concrete samples lower the amount of SiO2 combined into calcium hydrosilicates and at the same time the C/S ratio increases, while there is a decrease in the general amount of cementation materials (Table 2). A 5–10% bitumen addition changes the phase composition of cementation materials radically, alongside CSH(I) and α-C2S appears, which is showed by endothermic peak at 455—470°C (Fig. 4, curve 4, 5) and diffractive lines 0,242, 0,353, 0,421 nm (Fig. 5, curves 4, 5). The decrease in cementation material is explained by the quartz granule and hampers the SiO2 reaction with CaO. For this reason there is a decrease in sample compression of bitumen lower the compression strength only by 17–22%. Water absorption data in Fig. 7 was determined using a rapidly decomposing water-proofing bitumen emulsion. 1% absorption addition lowers the sample's water absorption by 2,6—3,0 times (Fig. 7 a, b curves 1, 2). A 3—5 % bitumen addition decreases water absorption by 3,0—4,0 times (Fig. 7 a, b curves 3, 4). The use of bitumen emulsion changes the nature of water absorption. If control samples after 1 h absorbed all the water amount, the samples with bitumen additive absorb only 20—40 % of the amount. When slowly and medially decomposing bitumen emulsions are used, the water absorption is the same (Fig. 8, 9). On the average, bitumen emulsions decrease the water absorption by 2—3 times. An increase in bitumen over 1 % is not favourable, because water absorption changes insignificantly. Investigations using artificial rain give lower sample water absorption (Fig. 8, 9 curves 1, 2). Water-proofed 450 kg/m3 porous silicate concrete with bitumen emulsion were used during construction of 7 one- storey houses in Vilnius, Trakai and Salcininkai districts, where this porous concrete approved itself fully. It was determined, that 300—450 kg/m3 porous silicate concrete water-proofing with bitumen emulsion is purposeful. When medially and rapidly decomposing bitumen emulsions are used, the silicate mortar fluidity increases and the blowing decreases and that is why heated water needs to be used for mixing. Bitumen additives up to 3 % do not have any influence on calcium hydrosilicate phase composition. When larger amounts of bitumen (5—10 %) are present, alongside CSH(I), α-C2S is formed and the total amount of calcium hydrosilicate decreases. In this case the bitumen forms a film which covers the quartz grains. 1 % bitumen addition decreases the sample strength by 17—22 %, but bitumen emulsions are efficient additions and lower the porous silicate concrete sample water absorption by 1—3 times.

Background:The patient perspective is an essential outcome parameter in the quest for effective therapy in primary Sjögren’s Syndrome (PSS). The EULAR Sjögren’s Syndrome Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI) is recommended by EULAR to quantify patient’s symptom burden and has been used in several clinical trials. Surprisingly, the patient’s perception of dryness quantified with ESSPRI does not correlate with objective measures of salivary or lacrimal flow.Objectives:Thus, we evaluated a newly developed assessment tool-the Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome Quality of Life Questionnaire (PSS-QoL) - for quantifying symptoms of dryness in comparison with the ESSPRI and objective measurements of salivary and lacrimal flow.Methods:Data of patients from the PSS registry of the Medical University of Graz fulfilling the 2016 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for PSS were analysed. The patient perspective was analyzed by PSS-QoL, ESSPRI, Xerostomia Inventory (XI) and Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI). Sicca signs were measured with Schirmer’s test, unstimulated salivary flow test (USF) and stimulated salivary flow test (SSF). Patients were categorized into groups based on the presence of subjective and/or objective dryness: 1) objective dryness only, 2) subjective dryness only, and 3) both, subjective and objective dryness. ESSDAI (EULAR Sjögren’s Syndrome Disease Activity Index) and EGA (Evaluator Global Assessment, numeric rating scale from 0 to 10) were obtained. In addition, free light chains (FLC) ĸ and λ, rheumatoid factor (RF) IgM and IgA were determined.Results:Data from 123 PSS patients were analyzed; 91.9% (n=113) were female, with a mean disease duration of 6.2 (±5.3) years and mean age of 60.1 (±12.4) years. PSS-QoL-dryness revealed significant negative correlations with Schirmer’s test (r=-0.31, p<0.05) and SSF-test (r=-0.39, p<0.01). In contrast, we found no significant correlation between ESSPRI-dryness and any objective dryness test. Lower perceived dryness was associated with higher immunological activity determined by increased levels of IgG, FLC and RF-IgA. Patients with objective signs and subjective symptoms of dryness had higher clinical and immunological disease activity compared to patients with subjective symptoms only (table 1).Table 1.Comparison of perceived dryness-groups with clinical parametersPSS-QoL MouthpPSS-QoL Eyespsubjobj/subjsubjobj/subjEGA1.0 [0-5]2.0 [0-7]<0.051.0 [0-3]2.0 [0-7]<0.05ESSDAI1.0 [0-144.0 [0-15<0.053.0 [0-74.0 [0-15nsESSPRI-pain3.0 [0-9]3.0 [0-10]ns4.0 [1-8]3.0 [0-10]<0.05RF-IgM19.0 [5-524]31.0 [7-417]ns10.0[5-33]26.0[7-524]<0.01FLC-λ15.1 [7.0-68.3]20.1 [2.6-124.0]<0.0113.4 [7.0-54.5]18.7[2.6-124.0]<0.01IgG11.9 [6.5-37.2]16.1 [7.4-33.8]ns12.8 [6.5-20.6]14.8[7.4-37.2]nsC40.2 [0.01-0.41]0.17 [0.00-0.43]<0.010.2 [0.09-0.41]0.18 [0.00-0.43]nsRF-IgA11.0 [1-500]103 [0-500]<0.014.5 [1-465]63 [0-500]<0.01C4=Complementfactor 4; EGA=Evaluators Global Assessment; ESSDAI=EULAR Sjögren Syndrome Disease Activity Index; ESSPRI=EULAR Sjögren Syndrome Patient Reported Index; FLC-λ=Free light chain Lambda; IgG=Immunoglobulin G; obj/subj=objective and subjective dryness-group; PSS-QoL=Primary Sjögren Syndrome Quality of Life Questionnaire; RF-IgA=rheumatoid factor Immunoglobulin A; RF-IgM=rheumatoid factor Immunoglobulin M; subj=subjective dryness-group.Conclusion:Patients’ perception of dryness assessed by PSS-QoL correlates with objective measurements of salivary gland function while ESSPRI-dryness did not. Based on the PSS-QoL and objective measures of dryness two distinct groups of PSS patients could be distinguished, which may have implications in daily practice and future clinical studies.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

Background: In developing the PB-50 word lists, J. P. Egan suggested five developmental principles, two of which were “equal average difficulty” and an “equal range of difficulty” among the lists (page 963). Egan was satisfied that each of the 20 PB-50 lists had equivalent ranges of recognition performances and that the lists produced the same average performances. This was accomplished in preliminary studies that measured the recognition performance of each word and eliminated words that were always or never correct. In preparing for studies of interrupted words, we needed to know the range of difficulty inherent in the speaker specific NU-6 and Maryland CNC materials we planned to use when those words were not interrupted. There were only a few studies in the literature that touched on the range of difficulty characteristic of the word-recognition materials in common usage. The paucity of this information prompted this investigation whose scope broadened to include the CID W-22, Maryland CNC, NU-6, and PB-50 materials spoken by a variety of speakers. Purpose: The purpose was to evaluate the homogeneity with respect to intelligibility of the words that comprise several of the common word-recognition materials used in audiologic evaluations. Research Design: Both retrospective (10) and prospective (3) studies were involved. Data from six of the retrospective studies were from our labs. The prospective studies involved both listeners with normal hearing for pure tones and listeners with sensorineural hearing loss. Study Sample: The sample sizes for the 13 data sets ranged from 24 to 1,030, with 24 the typical number for listeners with normal hearing. Data Collection and Analysis: The retrospective data were from published studies and archived data from our laboratories. The prospective studies involved presentation of the word-recognition materials to the listeners at a comfortable level. An item analysis was conducted on each data set with descriptive statistics used to characterize the data. Additionally, skewness coefficients were calculated on the distributions of word performances and the interquartile range was used to determine minor and major outliers within each set of 200 words and their component 50-word lists (300 words for the Maryland CNCs). Results: For listeners with normal hearing the majority of performances on the words within a 50-word list were better than the mean performance, which produced negatively skewed distributions with outlier performances in every list. For listeners with sensorineural hearing loss the performances on the words within a 50-word list were evenly distributed above and below the mean performance, which yielded essentially normal distributions with few outliers. There were a few words on which performances were better by the listeners with hearing loss. Conclusions: Every list of word-recognition materials has a few words on which recognition performances are noticeably poorer than performances on the majority of the remaining words. If the intention of an experiment is to evaluate performance at the word level, then identifying these “outliers” becomes a necessity. Although not evaluated in this report, the implications for 25-word lists are they should be based on recognition-performance data and not compiled arbitrarily.

A number of lines of evidence implicate dopamine in timing [Rammsayer, T. H. Neuropharmacological approaches to human timing. In S. Grondin (Ed.), Psychology of time (pp. 295–320). Bingley, UK: Emerald, 2008; Meck, W. H. Neuropharmacology of timing and time perception. Brain Research, Cognitive Brain Research, 3, 227–242, 1996]. Two human genetic polymorphisms are known to modulate dopaminergic activity. DRD2/ANKK1-Taq1a is a D2 receptor polymorphism associated with decreased D2 density in the striatum [Jönsson, E. G., Nothen, M. M., Grunhage, F., Farde, L., Nakashima, Y., Propping, P., et al. Polymorphisms in the dopamine D2 receptor gene and their relationships to striatal dopamine receptor density of healthy volunteers. Molecular Psychiatry, 4, 290–296, 1999]; COMT Val158Met is a functional polymorphism associated with increased activity of the COMT enzyme such that catabolism of synaptic dopamine is greater in pFC [Meyer-Lindenberg, A., Kohn, P. D., Kolachana, B., Kippenhan, S., McInerney-Leo, A., Nussbaum, R., et al. Midbrain dopamine and prefrontal function in humans: Interaction and modulation by COMT genotype. Nature Neuroscience, 8, 594–596, 2005]. To investigate the role of dopamine in timing, we genotyped 65 individuals for DRD2/ANKK1-Taq1a, COMT Val158Met, and a third polymorphism, BDNF Val66Met, a functional polymorphism affecting the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor [Egan, M. F., Kojima, M., Callicott, J. H., Goldberg, T. E., Kolachana, B. S., Bertolino, A., et al. The BDNF val66met polymorphism affects activity-dependent secretion of BDNF and human memory and hippocampal function. Cell, 112, 257–269, 2003]. Subjects were tested on a temporal discrimination task with sub- and supra-second intervals (500- and 2000-msec standards) as well as a spontaneous motor tempo task. We found a double dissociation for temporal discrimination: the DRD2/ANKK1-Taq1a polymorphism (A1+ allele) was associated with significantly greater variability for the 500-msec duration only, whereas the COMT Val158Met polymorphism (Val/Val homozygotes) was associated with significantly greater variability for the 2000-msec duration only. No differences were detected for the BDNF Vall66Met variant. Additionally, the DRD2/ANKK1-Taq1a polymorphism was associated with a significantly slower preferred motor tempo. These data provide a potential biological basis for the distinctions between sub- and supra-second timing and suggest that BG are integral for the former whereas pFC is implicated in the latter.

Background:Evidence on the efficacy of Mepolizumab (MEPO) in Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA) is scarce [1].Objectives:To assess the efficacy and safety of MEPO in real-life clinical practice.Methods:We retrospectively included patients diagnosed with EGPA and treated with MEPO (100 or 300 mg/month). MEPO efficacy was evaluated in the first 12 months in terms of systemic disease and asthma control. The occurrence of any adverse event (AE) was recorded.Results:142 patients were included (38% males; median age 46.4 (IQR 36.7-54.4); 110 and 32 on MEPO 100 and 300 mg/month, respectively). General, ear-nose-throat, pulmonary, and neurological symptoms significantly decreased during treatment (table 1). MEPO accounted for a significant reduction in the BVAS (figure 1) and for a steroid sparing effect (figure 2). The proportion of patients with asthma attacks decreased by 90% at 12 months compared to t0, and asthma-related emergency accesses dropped from 17.4% to 2.3%. Overall, 21.1% of patients had a non-serious AE.Table 1.Control of clinical symptomsMEPO beginning (t0)3 monthsp-value(t3 vs t0)6 monthsp-value(t6 vs t0)12 monthsp-value(t12 vs t0)N obsN=142N=135N=123N=89General symptoms40 (28.2%)17 (12.6%)<0.00119 (15.5%)<0.00113 (14.6%)0.002Cutaneous manifestations13 (9.2%)6 (4.4%)0.0085 (4.1%)0.0254 (4.5%)0.180ENT manifestations106 (74.7%)52 (38.5%)<0.00144 (35.8%)<0.00129 (32.6%)<0.001Pulmonary manifestations130 (91.6%)59 (43.7%)<0.00139 (31.7%)<0.00128 (31.5%)<0.001Cardiac manifestations6 (4.2%)2 (1.5%)0.0832 (1.6%)0.08300.157Intestinal manifestations10 (7.0%)1 (0.7%)0.0054 (3.3%)0.0593 (3.4%)0.059Renal manifestations5 (3.5%)3 (2.2%)0.41400.0461 (1.1%)0.317Neurological manifestations36 (25.4%)22 (16.3%)0.01218 (14.6%)0.00310 (11.2%)0.035Figure 1.Changes in BVASFigure 2.Steroid treatmentConclusion:MEPO effectively controlled systemic and respiratory EGPA symptoms in a large European cohort, with no major safety concerns.References:[1]Wechsler et al. MEPO or Placebo for Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis. NEJM. 2017Disclosure of Interests:Alessandra Bettiol: None declared, Maria Letizia Urban: None declared, Federico Alberici: None declared, Carlo Agostini: None declared, Chiara Baldini: None declared, Enrica Bozzolo: None declared, Paolo Cameli: None declared, Nunzio Crimi: None declared, Stefano Del Giacco: None declared, Allyson Egan: None declared, Georgina Espigol-Frigole Consultant of: Roche and Janssen, Mara Felicetti: None declared, Marco Folci: None declared, Paolo Fraticelli: None declared, Marcello Govoni: None declared, Anna Kernder Grant/research support from: Grant/research support from: GlaxoSmithKline and UCB Pharma for performing the LuLa-study., Carlo Lombardi: None declared, Giuseppe Lopalco: None declared, Claudio Lunardi: None declared, Aladdin J Mohammad Speakers bureau: lecture fees from Roche and Elli Lilly Sweden, PI (GiACTA study), Frank Moosig: None declared, Simone Negrini: None declared, Thomas Neumann: None declared, Pavel Novikov Grant/research support from: This work was supported by the 5-100 Project, Sechenov University, Moscow, Giuseppe Paolazzi: None declared, paola parronchi: None declared, Luca Quartuccio Consultant of: Abbvie, Bristol, Speakers bureau: Abbvie, Pfizer, Vito Racanelli: None declared, Carlo Salvarani: None declared, Maxime Samson: None declared, Jan Schroeder: None declared, Savino Sciascia: None declared, Renato A. Sinico: None declared, Benjamin Terrier: None declared, Paola Toniati: None declared, Domenico Prisco: None declared, Augusto Vaglio: None declared, Giacomo Emmi: None declared

Background:The goal of treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is to achieve remission. There is the patient with residual symptoms in the Japanese RA patient who achieved clinical remission. There are not many studies to examine the relation between everyday life, social activity and evaluation of disease activities using musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSKUS).Objectives:To identify the factor to give residual symptoms of RA patients in SDAI-remission (REM) or low disease activity (LDA), using MSKUS.Methods:300 patients were enrolled. The synovitis evaluated gray scale (GS) and power doppler (PD) with 22 both hands joints by MSKUS. We evaluated age, sex, the number of tender joint (TJ) and swelling joint (SJ), the serologic characteristics (CRP, ESR, CCP, RF, MMP-3), Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) (morning stiffness (MS), pain-VAS, fatigue-VAS), HAQ and EQ5D-5L.Results:(1). Stratified analysis was performed between HAD/MDA group (N=106) and LDA/REM group (N=194). As a result of single variable analysis, many factors were extracted with significant difference. As a result of the multivariate analysis, MTX dose, number of TJ and SJ, MS, fatigue-VAS, HAQ, EQ5D-5L, and GS≧2 were extracted with a dominant difference. (2). For the stratified analysis in GS≧2, the ratio was low, and the disease duration was short significantly in the LDA/REM group. (3). Next, stratified analysis was performed between Low group (N=95) and REM group (N=99). As a result of single variable analysis, number of TJ and SJ, MTX dose, HAQ, EQ5D-5L, MS, pain-VAS, fatigue-VAS, EGA, GS≧1, GS≧2, GS total score, PD≧1 and PD total score were extracted with significant difference. As a result of the multivariate analysis, number of TJ and fatigue-VAS were extracted with a dominant difference.Conclusion:(1). It became clear that the factor which participated in the achievement with SDAI-remission or low disease activity was enough quantity of MTX dose, use of b/t DMARD, US-GS level, residual symptoms (lassitude · pain joint) to be caused by RA. Particularly, the ratio of GS≧2 was low, and the disease was short. (2). In the LDA patients (who do not achieve clinical remission), they had residual symptoms (fatigue and TJ). (3). In the REM patients, remaining inflammation was not seen in MSKUS. The conclusion is that the induction of remission is important from the viewpoint of not only the prevention of joint destruction but also improvement and maintenance of long-term QoL.Disclosure of Interests:MASAO NAWATA Grant/research support from: Eli Lilly Japan K.K., Masashi funada: None declared, YUYA FUJITA: None declared, Atsushi Nagayasu: None declared, Kazuki Someya: None declared, SAITO KAZUYOSHI: None declared, Yoshiya Tanaka Grant/research support from: Asahi-kasei, Astellas, Mitsubishi-Tanabe, Chugai, Takeda, Sanofi, Bristol-Myers, UCB, Daiichi-Sankyo, Eisai, Pfizer, and Ono, Consultant of: Abbvie, Astellas, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Speakers bureau: Daiichi-Sankyo, Astellas, Chugai, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, AbbVie, YL Biologics, Bristol-Myers, Takeda, Mitsubishi-Tanabe, Novartis, Eisai, Janssen, Sanofi, UCB, and Teijin

Целью данной статьи является введение в научный оборот кавалерийской железной шпоры с колесиком, найденной на территории Болгарского городища во время археологических работ 2010 года. Данное изделие может характеризовать часть снаряжения всадника второй половины XIII – первой половины XIV вв., предназначенную для исполнения тактических приемов кавалерийской атаки, связанных с копейным ударом тяжеловооруженной конницы. Внешние особенности и материал, из которого предмет изготовлен, заставляют автора предполагать, прежде всего, его функциональное и профессиональное использование.
 Библиографические ссылки
 Археологические исследования 2010 г.: Болгар и Свияжск. Казань: ИИ АН РТ, 2011. 40 с.
 Атавин А.Г. Погребальный обряд и имущественно-социальная структура кочевников лесостепной и степной зоны Юга России в конце IX – первой половине XIII вв. (печенеги, торки, половцы) // Древности юга России. Памяти А.Г. Атавина / Отв. ред. Г.Е. Афанасьев. М.: ИА РАН, 2008. С. 71–105.
 Белорыбкин Г.Н. Золотаревское поселение. СПб.; Пенза: ПГПУ. 2001. 198 с.
 Герберштейн С. Записки о Московии: в 2 т. / Под ред. А. Л. Хорошкевич. М.: Памятники исторической мысли, 2008. Т. I: Латинский и немецкий тексты, русские переводы с латинского А.И. Малеина и А.В. Назаренко, с ранненово- верхненемецкого А.В. Назаренко. 776 с., ил.
 Горелик М.В. Монгольская латная конница и ее судьба в исторической перспективе // Военное дело Золотой Орды: проблемы и перспективы изучения. Материалы круглого стола, проведенного в рамках Международного золотоордынского форума. (г. Казань, 29–30 марта 2011 г. ) / Отв. ред. и сост. И.М. Миргалеев. Казань: Фолиант, ИИ АН РТ, 2011. С. 47–58.
 Городцов В.А. Результаты археологических исследований в Изюмском уезде Харьковской губернии в 1901 г. // Труды XII АС в Харькове 1902 г. Т.1. М.: Товарищество типографии А.М. Мамонтова, 1905. С. 174–340.
 Двуреченский О.В. Колесцовые шпоры, происходящие с территории Русских княжеств и Московского государства второй половины XIII–XVII вв. // Военная археология. Сборник материалов научного семинара. Вып. 4 / Отв. ред. О.В. Двуреченский. М.: ИА РАН, 2018. С. 118–182.
 Измайлов И.Л. Вооружение и военное дело населения Волжской Булгарии X – начала XIII в. Казань-Магадан: СВНЦ ДВО РАН, 1997. 212 с.
 Измайлов И.Л. Защитники «Стены Искандера». Казань: Татар. кн. изд-во, 2008. 206 с.
 Измайлов И.Л. Комплекс вооружения Улуса Джучи (Золотой Орды): теория и практика военной археологии // Археология евразийских степей. 2020. №6. С. 279–300.
 Кирпичников А.Н. Древнерусское оружие. Выпуск второй. Копья, сулицы, боевые топоры, булавы, кистени IX–XIII вв. / САИ. Вып. Е1-36. М.-Л.: Наука, 1966. 362 с.
 Кирпичников А.Н. Снаряжение всадника и верхового коня на Руси в IX–XIII вв. / САИ. Вып. Е1-36. Л.: Наука, 1973. 138 с.
 Кирпичников А.Н. Военное дело на Руси в XIII–XV вв. Л.: Наука, 1976. 104 с. с табл.
 Кирпичников А.Н. Вооружение древнего «Изяславля» // Летописный «Изяславль»: Большое Шепетовское городище в свете археологии. Том I. Материалы раскопок М. К. Каргера 1957–1964 годов в исследованиях 1960–1980-х годов / ред.-сост. А. А. Пескова. СПб.: Нестор-История, 2020. С. 53–116.
 Кулешов Ю.А. Производство и импорт оружия как пути формирования золотоордынского комплекса вооружения // Золотоордынская цивилизация. Сборник статей. Вып. 3. / Отв. ред. И.М. Миргалеев. Казань: Фэн, АН РТ, 2010. С. 73–96.
 Кулешов Ю.А. «Монгольская латная конница» – историческая реальность или научная спекуляция? (К вопросу о тактике монголо-татар в период Великого завоевания) // Золотоордынская цивилизация. Сборник статей. Вып. 5. / Отв. ред. И.М. Миргалеев. Казань: Фолиант; ИИ АН РТ, 2012. С. 153–180.
 Ляхов С.В. Погребение со шпорами из Степного Прикумья // Археология Евразийских степей. 2018. №4. С. 109–112.
 Медведев А.Ф. Оружие Новгорода Великого // МИА. № 65. М.: АН СССР, 1959. С. 186–191.
 Никитин А.В. Русское кузнечное ремесло XVI –XVII вв. / САИ. Вып. Е1-34. М.: Наука, 1971. 84 с.
 Тихонов В. Высшая школа верховой езды. М.: ДОСААФ, 1953. 132 с.
 Шеляпина И.С., Панова Т.Д., Авдусина Т.Д. Предметы воинского снаряжения и оружие из раскопок в Московском Кремле // СА. 1979. № 2. С. 214–228.
 Ульянова Т.Н. Вооружение средневековой Коломны (XIII–XVII веков) по материалам археологических работ 1991–2006 годов // Археология Подмосковья. Вып. 4 / Отв. ред. А.В. Энговатова. М.: ИА РАН, 2008. С. 195–221.
 Федоров-Давыдов Г.А. Кочевники Восточной Европы под властью золотоордынских ханов. М.: МГУ, 1966. 275 с.
 Флори Ж. Повседневная жизнь рыцарей в средние века. М.: Молодая гвардия, 2006. 222 с.
 Хлебникова Т.А. История археологического изучения Болгарского городища. Стратиграфия. Топография // Город Болгар. Очерки истории и культуры / Отв. ред. Г.А. Федоров-Давыдов. М.: Наука, 1987. С. 32–88.
 Хузин Ф.Ш. Снаряжение всадника и верхового коня // Культура Биляра. Булгарские орудия труда и оружие X–XIII вв. / Отв. ред. А.Х. Халиков. М.: Наука, 1985. С. 193–213.
 Хузин Ф.Ш., Валиуллина С.И. Славяно-русские материалы в Биляре // Волжская Болгария и Русь: (к 1000-летию рус.-булгар. договора) / Отв. ред. А.Х. Халиков. Казань: ИЯЛИ, 1986. С. 97–116.
 Чхаидзе В.Н. Шпоры в погребениях средневековых кочевников степного Предкавказья // Археология евразийских степей. 2017. № 5. С. 90–95.
 Чхаидзе В.Н. Дружинина И.А. Отражение социальной стратификации в погребальной обрядности кочевников степного Предкавказья золотоордынского времени: продолжение дискуссии // Поволжская археология. 2013. № 2. С. 171–178.
 Шапиро Б.Л. Обувь, шпоры и элементы седельного сбора: материальная культура всадника в Московском государстве XVI–XVII вв. // Вестник Томского государственного университета. Культурология и искусствоведение. № 26. Томск: ТГУ, 2017. С. 189–201.
 Бохан Ю.М. Узбраенне войска Великого княжества Литовского другой паловы XIV – канца XVI ст. Минск, 2002. 336 с.
 Błoński M. Średniowieczne ostrogi z grodziska na Zawodzi u w Kaliszu // Archeologia Polski, t. XLV: 2000, z. 1-2. S. 53–91.
 Clark J., Ellis B. M. A., Egan G., Griffi ths N., Rackham D. J., Spenser B., Wradle A. The medieval horse and its equipment. London, 2004. 185 p.

Abstract Objective: Various cardiovascular risk scores have been developed and the RAMA-EGAT risk score was developed by Thai database with minority of diabetes. This study aims to compare the predictability of the ADVANCE, UKPDS, SCORE, Framingham Risk Score (FRS) and RAMA-EGAT risk score for carotid atherosclerosis, arterial stiffness and peripheral arterial disease in Thai T2DM patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in T2DM patients without established CVD at a tertiary care hospital. Demographic and DM-specific data were collected. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), carotid plaque, cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and ankle-brachial index (ABI) were measured as the markers of atherosclerosis. Risks of CVD were calculated according to the ADVANCE, UKPDS, SCORE, FRS and RAMA-EGAT risk scores. These risk scores were correlated with the atherosclerotic markers by odds ratio using logistic regression and the proper points of the risk scores to predict atherosclerosis were calculated by the areas under the curve (AUC). Results: There were 180 T2DM participants with the mean age of 60-year-old, diabetes duration of 13 years and mean A1C 7.4%. The highest sensitive risk score was FRS, following by UKPDS, SCORE, ADVANCE and RAMA-EGAT risk score, which indicated high-risk patients as 44.8%, 27.6%, 18.9%, 13.8% and 0% accordingly. There were 40.3% of the patients with arterial stiffness detected by CAVI > 9, 24.0% with carotid atherosclerosis defined by CIMT > 0.07 mm or presenting of carotid plague and 8.3% with ABI < 0.9. The odds ratios (OR) of 4 risk scores increased by the quartiles for carotid plaque, CIMT, CAVI and ABI while the OR of RAMA-EGAT scores increased by the quartiles only for carotid plaque. The highest quartile of ADVANCE, UKPDS, SCORE and FRS significantly (P<0.01) increased the risk of abnormal CIMT; OR 2.64-8.75, carotid plaque; OR 1.51-11.21, CAVI; OR 11.38-19.00, and ABI; OR 1.18-12.57. The highest quartile of RAMA-EGAT score significantly increased the risk of carotid plaque; OR 5.35 (1.44-19.91) P<0.01. ROC analysis revealed that ADVANCE > 3.0% in 4-year, UKPDS > 11% in 10-year, fatal-SCORE > 6% in 10-year and FRS > 18% in 10-year were predictive of carotid atherosclerosis with sensitivity of 76-84% and specificity of 61-69% and they were predictive of arterial stiffness with the sensitivity of 71-80% and specificity of 64-68%. Conclusion: There was no significant difference when comparing the predictability of the ADVANCE, UKPDS, FRS and SCORE risk estimation for carotid atherosclerosis, arterial stiffness and peripheral arterial disease and they were more correlative with atherosclerotic markers than RAMA-EGAT score in Thai type 2 diabetic patients.

Introduction The recent AOL/Time-Warner merger invites us to re-think the relationships amongst content producers, distributors, and audiences. Worth an estimated $300 billion (US), the largest Internet transaction of all time, the deal is 45 times larger than the AOL/Netscape merger of November 1998 (Ledbetter). Additionally, the Time Warner/EMI merger, which followed hard on the heels of the AOL/Time-Warner deal and is itself worth $28 billion (US), created the largest content rights organisation in the music industry. The joining of the Internet giant (AOL) with what was already the world's largest media corporation (Time-Warner-EMI) has inspired some exuberant reactions. An Infoworld column proclaimed: The AOL/Time-Warner merger signals the demise of traditional media companies and the ascendancy of 'new economy' media companies that will force any industry hesitant to adopt a complete electronic-commerce strategy to rethink and put itself on Internet time. (Saap & Schwarrtz) This comment identifies the distribution channel as the dominant component of the "new economy" media. But this might not really be much of an innovation. Indeed, the assumption of all industry observers is that Time-Warner will provide broadband distribution (through its extensive cable holdings) as well as proprietary content for AOL. It is also expected that Time-Warner will adopt AOL's strategy of seeking sponsorship for development projects as well as for content. However, both of these phenomena -- merger and sponsorship -- are at least as old as radio. It seems that the Internet is merely repeating an old industrial strategy. Nonetheless, one important difference distinguishes the Internet from earlier media: its characterisation of the audience. Internet companies such as AOL and Microsoft tend towards a simple and simplistic media- centred view of the audience as market. I will show, however, that as the Internet assumes more of the traditional mass media functions, it will be forced to adopt a more sophisticated notion of the mass audience. Indeed, the Internet is currently the site in which audience definitions borrowed from broadcasting are encountering and merging with definitions borrowed from marketing. The Internet apparently lends itself to both models. As a result, definitions of what the Internet does or is, and of how we should understand the audience, are suitably confused and opaque. And the behaviour of big Internet players, such as AOL and MSN, perfectly reflects this confusion as they seem to careen between a view of the Internet as the new television and a contrasting view of the Internet as the new shopping mall. Meanwhile, Internet users move in ways that most observers fail to capture. For example, Baran and Davis characterise mass communication as a process involving (1) an organized sender, (2) engaged in the distribution of messages, (3) directed toward a large audience. They argue that broadcasting fits this model whereas a LISTSERV does not because, even though the LISTSERV may have very many subscribers, its content is filtered through a single person or Webmaster. But why is the Webmaster suddenly more determining than a network programmer or magazine editor? The distinction seems to grow out of the Internet's technological characteristics: it is an interactive pipeline, therefore its use necessarily excludes the possibility of "broadcasting" which in turn causes us to reject "traditional" notions of the audience. However, if a media organisation were to establish an AOL discussion group in order to promote Warner TV shows, for example, would not the resulting communication suddenly fall under the definition as set out by Baran and Davis? It was precisely the confusion around such definitions that caused the CRTC (Canada's broadcasting and telecommunications regulator) to hold hearings in 1999 to determine what kind of medium the Internet is. Unlike traditional broadcasting, Internet communication does indeed include the possibility of interactivity and niche communities. In this sense, it is closer to narrowcasting than to broadcasting even while maintaining the possibility of broadcasting. Hence, the nature of the audience using the Internet quickly becomes muddy. While such muddiness might have led us to sharpen our definitions of the audience, it seems instead to have led many to focus on the medium itself. For example, Morris & Ogan define the Internet as a mass medium because it addresses a mass audience mediated through technology (Morris & Ogan 39). They divide producers and audiences on the Internet into four groups: One-to-one asynchronous communication (e-mail); Many-to-many asynchronous communication (Usenet and News Groups); One-to-one, one-to-few, and one-to-many synchronous communication (topic groups, construction of an object, role-playing games, IRC chats, chat rooms); Asynchronous communication (searches, many-to-one, one-to-one, one to- many, source-receiver relations (Morris & Ogan 42-3) Thus, some Internet communication qualifies as mass communication while some does not. However, the focus remains firmly anchored on either the sender or the medium because the receiver --the audience -- is apparently too slippery to define. When definitions do address the content distributed over the Net, they make a distinction between passive reception and interactive participation. As the World Wide Web makes pre-packaged content the norm, the Internet increasingly resembles a traditional mass medium. Timothy Roscoe argues that the main focus of the World Wide Web is not the production of content (and, hence, the fulfilment of the Internet's democratic potential) but rather the presentation of already produced material: "the dominant activity in relation to the Web is not producing your own content but surfing for content" (Rosco 680). He concludes that if the emphasis is on viewing material, the Internet will become a medium similar to television. Within media studies, several models of the audience compete for dominance in the "new media" economy. Denis McQuail recalls how historically, the electronic media furthered the view of the audience as a "public". The audience was an aggregate of common interests. With broadcasting, the electronic audience was delocalised and socially decomposed (McQuail, Mass 212). According to McQuail, it was not a great step to move from understanding the audience as a dispersed "public" to thinking about the audience as itself a market, both for products and as a commodity to be sold to advertisers. McQuail defines this conception of the audience as an "aggregate of potential customers with a known social- economic profile at which a medium or message is directed" (McQuail, Mass 221). Oddly though, in light of the emancipatory claims made for the Internet, this is precisely the dominant view of the audience in the "new media economy". Media Audience as Market How does the marketing model characterise the relationship between audience and producer? According to McQuail, the marketing model links sender and receiver in a cash transaction between producer and consumer rather than in a communicative relationship between equal interlocutors. Such a model ignores the relationships amongst consumers. Indeed, neither the effectiveness of the communication nor the quality of the communicative experience matters. This model, explicitly calculating and implicitly manipulative, is characteristically a "view from the media" (McQuail, Audience 9). Some scholars, when discussing new media, no longer even refer to audiences. They speak of users or consumers (Pavick & Dennis). The logic of the marketing model lies in the changing revenue base for media industries. Advertising-supported media revenues have been dropping since the early 1990s while user-supported media such as cable, satellite, online services, and pay-per-view, have been steadily growing (Pavlik & Dennis 19). In the Internet-based media landscape, the audience is a revenue stream and a source of consumer information. As Bill Gates says, it is all about "eyeballs". In keeping with this view, AOL hopes to attract consumers with its "one-stop shopping and billing". And Internet providers such as MSN do not even consider their subscribers as "audiences". Instead, they work from a consumer model derived from the computer software industry: individuals make purchases without the seller providing content or thematising the likely use of the software. The analogy extends well beyond the transactional moment. The common practice of prototyping products and beta-testing software requires the participation of potential customers in the product development cycle not as a potential audience sharing meanings but as recalcitrant individuals able to uncover bugs. Hence, media companies like MTV now use the Internet as a source of sophisticated demographic research. Recently, MTV Asia established a Website as a marketing tool to collect preferences and audience profiles (Slater 50). The MTV audience is now part of the product development cycle. Another method for getting information involves the "cookie" file that automatically provides a Website with information about the user who logs on to a site (Pavick & Dennis). Simultaneously, though, both Microsoft and AOL have consciously shifted from user-subscription revenues to advertising in an effort to make online services more like television (Gomery; Darlin). For example, AOL has long tried to produce content through its own studios to generate sufficiently heavy traffic on its Internet service in order to garner profitable advertising fees (Young). However, AOL and Microsoft have had little success in providing content (Krantz; Manes). In fact, faced with the AOL/Time-Warner merger, Microsoft declared that it was in the software rather than the content business (Trott). In short, they are caught between a broadcasting model and a consumer model and their behaviour is characteristically erratic. Similarly, media companies such as Time-Warner have failed to establish their own portals. Indeed, Time-Warner even abandoned attempts to create large Websites to compete with other Internet services when it shut down its Pathfinder site (Egan). Instead it refocussed its Websites so as to blur the line between pitching products and covering them (Reid; Lyons). Since one strategy for gaining large audiences is the creation of portals - - large Websites that keep surfers within the confines of a single company's site by providing content -- this is the logic behind the AOL/Time-Warner merger though both companies have clearly been unsuccessful at precisely such attempts. AOL seems to hope that Time- Warner will act as its content specialist, providing the type of compelling material that will make users want to use AOL, whereas Time- Warner seems to hope that AOL will become its privileged pipeline to the hearts and minds of untold millions. Neither has a coherent view of the audience, how it behaves, or should behave. Consequently, their efforts have a distinctly "unmanaged" and slighly inexplicable air to them, as though everyone were simultaneously hopeful and clueless. While one might argue that the stage is set to capitalise on the audience as commodity, there are indications that the success of such an approach is far from guaranteed. First, the AOL/Time-Warner/EMI transaction, merely by existing, has sparked conflicts over proprietary rights. For example, the Recording Industry Association of America, representing Sony, Universal, BMG, Warner and EMI, recently launched a $6.8 billion lawsuit against MP3.com -- an AOL subsidiary -- for alleged copyright violations. Specifically, MP3.com is being sued for selling digitized music over the Internet without paying royalties to the record companies (Anderson). A similar lawsuit has recently been launched over the issue of re- broadcasting television programs over the Internet. The major US networks have joined together against Canadian Internet company iCravetv for the unlawful distribution of content. Both the iCravetv and the MP3.com cases show how dominant media players can marshal their forces to protect proprietary rights in both content and distribution. Since software and media industries have failed to recreate the Internet in the image of traditional broadcasting, the merger of the dominant players in each industry makes sense. However, their simultaneous failure to secure proprietary rights reflects both the competitive nature of the "new media economy" and the weakness of the marketing view of the audience. Media Audience as Public It is often said that communication produces social cohesion. From such cohesion communities emerge on which political or social orders can be constructed. The power of social cohesion and attachment to group symbols can even create a sense of belonging to a "people" or nation (Deutsch). Sociologist Daniel Bell described how the mass media helped create an American culture simply by addressing a large enough audience. He suggested that on the evening of 7 March 1955, when one out of every two Americans could see Mary Martin as Peter Pan on television, a kind of social revolution occurred and a new American public was born. "It was the first time in history that a single individual was seen and heard at the same time by such a broad public" (Bell, quoted in Mattelart 72). One could easily substitute the 1953 World Series or the birth of little Ricky on I Love Lucy. The desire to document such a process recurs with the Internet. Internet communities are based on the assumption that a common experience "creates" group cohesion (Rheingold; Jones). However, as a mass medium, the Internet has yet to find its originary moment, that event to which all could credibly point as the birth of something genuine and meaningful. A recent contender was the appearance of Paul McCartney at the refurbished Cavern Club in Liverpool. On Tuesday, 14 December 1999, McCartney played to a packed club of 300 fans, while another 150,000 watched on an outdoor screen nearby. MSN arranged to broadcast the concert live over the Internet. It advertised an anticipated global audience of 500 million. Unfortunately, there was such heavy Internet traffic that the system was unable to accommodate more than 3 million people. Servers in the United Kingdom were so congested that many could only watch the choppy video stream via an American link. The concert raises a number of questions about "virtual" events. We can draw several conclusions about measuring Internet audiences. While 3 million is a sizeable audience for a 20 minute transmission, by advertising a potential audience of 500 million, MSN showed remarkably poor judgment of its inherent appeal. The Internet is the first medium that allows access to unprocessed material or information about events to be delivered to an audience with neither the time constraints of broadcast media nor the space limitations of the traditional press. This is often cited as one of the characteristics that sets the Internet apart from other media. This feeds the idea of the Internet audience as a participatory, democratic public. For example, it is often claimed that the Internet can foster democratic participation by providing voters with uninterpreted information about candidates and issues (Selnow). However, as James Curran argues, the very process of distributing uninterrupted, unfiltered information, at least in the case of traditional mass media, represents an abdication of a central democratic function -- that of watchdog to power (Curran). In the end, publics are created and maintained through active and continuous participation on the part of communicators and audiences. The Internet holds together potentially conflicting communicative relationships within the same technological medium (Merrill & Ogan). Viewing the audience as co-participant in a communicative relationship makes more sense than simply focussing on the Internet audience as either an aggregate of consumers or a passively constructed symbolic public. Audience as Relationship Many scholars have shifted attention from the producer to the audience as an active participant in the communication process (Ang; McQuail, Audience). Virginia Nightingale goes further to describe the audience as part of a communicative relationship. Nightingale identifies four factors in the relationship between audiences and producers that emphasize their co-dependency. The audience and producer are engaged in a symbiotic relationship in which consumption and use are necessary but not sufficient explanations of audience relations. The notion of the audience invokes, at least potentially, a greater range of activities than simply use or consumption. Further, the audience actively, if not always consciously, enters relationships with content producers and the institutions that govern the creation, distribution and exhibition of content (Nightingale 149-50). Others have demonstrated how this relationship between audiences and producers is no longer the one-sided affair characterised by the marketing model or the model of the audience as public. A global culture is emerging based on critical viewing skills. Kavoori calls this a reflexive mode born of an increasing familiarity with the narrative conventions of news and an awareness of the institutional imperatives of media industries (Kavoori). Given the sophistication of the emergent global audience, a theory that reduces new media audiences to a set of consumer preferences or behaviours will inevitably prove inadequate, just as it has for understanding audience behavior in old media. Similarly, by ignoring those elements of audience behavior that will be easily transported to the Web, we run the risk of idealising the Internet as a medium that will create an illusory, pre-technological public. Conclusion There is an understandable confusion between the two models of the audience that appear in the examples above. The "new economy" will have to come to terms with sophisticated audiences. Contrary to IBM's claim that they want to "get to know all about you", Internet users do not seem particularly interested in becoming a perpetual source of market information. The fragmented, autonomous audience resists attempts to lock it into proprietary relationships. Internet hypesters talk about creating publics and argue that the Internet recreates the intimacy of community as a corrective to the atomisation and alienation characteristic of mass society. This faith in the power of a medium to create social cohesion recalls the view of the television audience as a public constructed by the common experience of watching an important event. However, MSN's McCartney concert indicates that creating a public from spectacle it is not a simple process. In fact, what the Internet media conglomerates seem to want more than anything is to create consumer bases. Audiences exist for pleasure and by the desire to be entertained. As Internet media institutions are established, the cynical view of the audience as a source of consumer behavior and preferences will inevitably give way, to some extent, to a view of the audience as participant in communication. Audiences will be seen, as they have been by other media, as groups whose attention must be courted and rewarded. Who knows, maybe the AOL/Time-Warner merger might, indeed, signal the new medium's coming of age. References Anderson, Lessley. "To Beam or Not to Beam. MP3.com Is Being Sued by the Major Record Labels. Does the Digital Download Site Stand a Chance?" Industry Standard 31 Jan. 2000. <http://www.thestandard.com>. Ang, Ien. Watching Dallas: Soap Opera and the Melodramatic Imagination. London: Methuen, 1985. Baran, Stanley, and Dennis Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. 2nd ed. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth 2000. Curran, James. "Mass Media and Democracy Revisited." Mass Media and Society. Eds. James Curran and Michael Gurevitch. New York: Hodder Headline Group, 1996. Darlin, Damon. "He Wants Your Eyeballs." Forbes 159 (16 June 1997): 114-6. Egan, Jack, "Pathfinder, Rest in Peace: Time-Warner Pulls the Plug on Site." US News and World Report 126.18 (10 May 1999): 50. Gomery, Douglas. "Making the Web Look like Television (American Online and Microsoft)." American Journalism Review 19 (March 1997): 46. Jones, Steve, ed. CyberSociety: Computer-Mediated Communication and Community. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 1995. Kavoori, Amandam P. "Discursive Texts, Reflexive Audiences: Global Trends in Television News Texts and Audience Reception." Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media 43.3 (Summer 1999): 386-98. Krantz, Michael. "Is MSN on the Block?" Time 150 (20 Oct. 1997): 82. Ledbetter, James. "AOL-Time-Warner Make It Big." Industry Standard 11 Jan. 2000. <http://www.thestandard.com>. Lyons, Daniel. "Desparate.com (Media Companies Losing Millions on the Web Turn to Electronic Commerce)." Forbes 163.6 (22 March 1999): 50-1. Manes, Stephen. "The New MSN as Prehistoric TV." New York Times 4 Feb. 1997: C6. McQuail, Denis. Audience Analysis. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 1997. ---. Mass Communication Theory. 2nd ed. London: Sage, 1987. Mattelart, Armand. Mapping World Communication: War, Progress, Culture. Trans. Susan Emanuel and James A. Cohen. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1994. Morris, Merrill, and Christine Ogan. "The Internet as Mass Medium." Journal of Communications 46 (Winter 1996): 39-50. Nightingale, Virginia. Studying Audience: The Shock of the Real. London: Routledge, 1996. Pavlik, John V., and Everette E. Dennis. New Media Technology: Cultural and Commercial Perspectives. 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1998. Reid, Calvin. "Time-Warner Seeks Electronic Synergy, Profits on the Web (Pathfinder Site)." Publisher's Weekly 242 (4 Dec. 1995): 12. Rheingold, Howard. Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier. New York: Harper, 1993. Roscoe, Timothy. "The Construction of the World Wide Web Audience." Media, Culture and Society 21.5 (1999): 673-84. Saap, Geneva, and Ephraim Schwarrtz. "AOL-Time-Warner Deal to Impact Commerce, Content, and Access Markets." Infoworld 11 January 2000. <http://infoworld.com/articles/ic/xml/00/01/11/000111icimpact.xml>. Slater, Joanna. "Cool Customers: Music Channels Hope New Web Sites Tap into Teen Spirit." Far Eastern Economic Review 162.9 (4 March 1999): 50. Trott, Bob. "Microsoft Views AOL-Time-Warner as Confirmation of Its Own Strategy." Infoworld 11 Jan. 2000. <http://infoworld.com/articles/pi/xml/00/01/11/000111pimsaoltw.xml>. Yan, Catherine. "A Major Studio Called AOL?" Business Week 1 Dec. 1997: 1773-4. Citation reference for this article MLA style: Daniel M. Downes. "The Medium Vanishes? The Resurrection of the Mass Audience in the New Media Economy." M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 3.1 (2000). [your date of access] <http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/0003/mass.php>. Chicago style: Daniel M. Downes, "The Medium Vanishes? The Resurrection of the Mass Audience in the New Media Economy," M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 3, no. 1 (2000), <http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/0003/mass.php> ([your date of access]). APA style: Daniel M. Downes. (2000) The Medium Vanishes? The Resurrection of the Mass Audience in the New Media Economy. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 3(1). <http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/0003/mass.php> ([your date of access]).