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Abstract: Both quantitative and qualitative methods are being increasingly used to investigate the learning dynamics that take place within CSCL environments. Since such practices are a crucial aspect of the CSCL field, Design Patterns (DPs) can be used for capitalizing on experience and sharing know-how among practitioners. This paper describes three DP instances that have been developed and fine tuned by a community of practice consisting of researchers, instructional designers and tutors with the aim of supporting monitoring and evaluation of CSCL interactions. The DP solutions are based on a set of indicators, some of quantitative and some of qualitative nature, as well as on the methods to gauge these indicators, starting from data tracked by the e-learning system. The process of development of these DPs is described and examples of use are reported and discussed in order to advance the instructional design field and inform the development of CSCL systems. The proposed DPs belong to a Language, aimed at describing tracking problems in different types of e-learning systems and at capturing in their solutions the know-how developed by communities of experts in the different fields. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents the results of the study on the sensitivity and the specificity of skin tests compared with drug provocation test (DPT). It states that the sensitivity and specificity of skin tests for non-immediate amoxicillin reactions were 8 and 99.7 percent. It mentions that children with mild non-immediate cutaneous reactions to amoxicillin will not react on DPT.

Abstract: In this paper, we introduce a new recursive neural network model able to process directed acyclic graphs with labelled edges. The model uses a state transition function which considers the edge labels and is independent both from the number and the order of the children of each node. The computational capabilities of the new recursive architecture are assessed. Moreover, in order to test the proposed architecture on a practical challenging application, the problem of object detection in images is also addressed. In fact, the localization of target objects is a preliminary step in any recognition system. The proposed technique is general and can be applied in different detection systems, since it does not exploit any a priori knowledge on the particular problem. Some experiments on face detection, carried out on scenes acquired by an indoor camera, are reported, showing very promising results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Localizing faces in images is a difficult task, and represents the first step towards the solution of the face recognition problem. Moreover, devising an effective face detection method can provide some suggestions to solve similar object and pattern detection problems. This paper presents a novel approach to the solution of the face localization problem using Recursive neural networks (RNNs). The proposed method assumes a graph-based representation of images that combines structural and symbolic visual features. Such graphs are then processed by RNNs, in order to establish the possible presence and the position of faces inside the image. A novel RNN model that can deal with graphs with labeled edges has been also exploited. Some experiments on snapshots from video sequences are reported, showing very promising results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background and objective: Drug Hypersensitivity Reactions (DHRs) are considered adverse effects of medications that resemble allergy symptoms. The reported positive clinical history of pediatric drug reactions is about 10%, however, after allergy investigations, only a small percent is confirmed as hypersensitivity. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical history, allergy work-up results and sensitization profile of children and adolescents referred to our Allergy Unit for suspected DHRs. Methods: The study evaluated data related to a group of children with a positive history of drug reactions during a two-year period. The allergy work-up consisted of in vivo and in vitro tests, in accordance with the recommendations of the ENDA/EAACI guidelines. Results: Data from a group of 637 patients [348 M (54.6%); 289 F (45.4%)] were retrospectively analyzed. Beta lactams (BLs) were the most common drugs involved in the reported clinical history, followed by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs) were most frequently observed during BL treatment. The confirmation of BL hypersensitivity was higher for immediate reactions (IRs) [9.4%; 5.1% through positive skin tests (STs) and 5.5% through drug provocation test (DPT)] compared to non-immediate reactions (non-IRs) (8.1%; 2.2% through STs and 6.2% through DPT). A higher number of positive results was obtained for BLs and macrolides when the tests were performed within 12 months after the index reaction (p < 0.05). During DPTs with amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, four hypersensitivity reactions (including one anaphylaxis) occurred despite negative STs. Conclusion: Our data demonstrated that only 9.1% of patients resulted in being positive to allergy tests which is in line with the data in literature. An allergy work-up is mandatory for excluding suspected hypersensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of replacing monensin (MON) with a spray-dried multivalent polyclonal antibody preparation (PAP) against several ruminal microorganisms on feedlot performance, carcass characteristics, feeding behavior, blood gas profile, and the rumenitis incidence of Brangus and Nellore yearling bulls. The study was designed as a completely randomized design with a 2 ? 2 factorial arrangement, replicated 6 times (4 bulls per pen and a total of 24 pens), in which bulls (n = 48) of each biotype were fed diets containing either MON fed at 300 mg/d or PAP fed at 3 g/d. No significant feed additive main effects were observed for ADG (P = 0.27), G:F (P = 0.28), HCW (P = 0.99), or dressing percentage (P = 0.80). However, bulls receiving PAP had greater DMI (P = 0.02) and larger (P = 0.02) final LM area as well as greater (P < 0.01) blood concentrations of bicarbonate and base excess in the extracellular fluid than bulls receiving MON. Brangus bulls had greater (P < 0.01) ADG and DMI expressed in kilograms, final BW, heavier HCW, and larger initial and final LM area than Nellore bulls. However, Nellore bulls had greater daily DMI fluctuation (P < 0.01), expressed as a percentage, and greater incidence of rumenitis (P = 0.05) than Brangus bulls. In addition, Brangus bulls had greater (P < 0.01) DMI per meal and also presented lower (P < 0.01) DM and NDF rumination rates when compared with Nellore bulls. Significant interactions (P < 0.05) between biotype and feed additive were observed for SFA, unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), MUFA, and PUFA concentrations in adipose tissues. When Nellore bulls were fed PAP, fat had greater (P < 0.05) SFA and PUFA contents but less (P < 0.01) UFA and MUFA than Nellore bulls receiving MON. For Brangus bulls, MON led to greater (P < 0.05) SFA and PUFA and less (P < 0.05) UFA and MUFA than Brangus bulls fed PAP. Feeding a spraydried PAP led to similar feedlot performance compared with that when feeding MON. Spray-dried PAP might provide a new technology alternative to ionophores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]