BACKGROUND The major characteristic of COPD is systemic inflammation. The parameters such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and eosinophil-to-basophil ratio (EBR) in routine blood test (RBT) are considered to be the underlying biomarkers of inflammation. We hypothesized that the prognosis of patients with COPD can be predicted with RBT. METHODS Patients with COPD in stable stage were en...

Control of brucellosis among farm animals, wildlife and humans require reliable diagnosis. Rose Bengal serological test (RBT) is based on lipopolysaccharide antigen of Brucella, which may cross react with other gram-negative bacteria and produce false positive result. Immunoreactive proteins, such as outer-membrane protein BP26, ribosome recycling factor protein CP24 and Brucella lumazine synth...

Here, we report the mineralogy, petrography, C-N-O-stable isotope compositions, degree of disorder of organic matter, and abundances of presolar components of the chondrite Roberts Massif (RBT) 04133 using a coordinated, multitechnique approach. The results of this study are inconsistent with its initial classification as a Renazzo-like carbonaceous chondrite, and strongly support RBT 04133 bei...

Robertsonian translocations (RBT) are associated with an increased risk of aneuploidy. Single RBT carriers are the most common balanced rearrangement among the carrier couples with the history of spontaneous abortion. However, double Robertsonian translocations (DRBT), in which two balanced RBT occur simultaneously, are an extremely rare condition. A 9-year-old mentally normal girl with mu...

Mycobacterium abscessus exhibits arr (ADP-ribosyltransferase)-dependent rifampin resistance. In apparent contrast, rifabutin (RBT) has demonstrated promising activity in M. infection models, implying that RBT might not be inactivated by Arr.

Employees are a strategic resource for agribusiness firms to achieve sustained competitive advantage (SCA). The resource-based theory (RBT) has emerged as a useful framework to analyze the significance of the human resource system in achieving SCA. However, few empirical studies in agribusiness provide evidence of a relationship between human resource system and SCA. This paper builds off our 2...

SUMMARY We have developed a tool implementing an efficient algorithm for refined Buneman tree reconstruction. The algorithm--which has the same complexity as the neighbour-joining method and the (plain) Buneman tree construction--enables refined Buneman tree reconstruction on large taxa sets. AVAILABILITY The source code for RBT, written in Java, is available under the GNU Public License (GPL...

This paper presents a novel approach to solve the Multiple Sequence Alignment (MSA) problem. The Rubber Band Technique: Location Base (RBT-L) introduced in this paper, is inspired by the elastic behaviour of a Rubber Band (RB) on a plate with poles. RBT-L is an iterative optimisation algorithm designed and implemented to find the optimal alignment for a set of input protein sequences. RBT-L is ...

PURPOSE To compare the reliability and accuracy of intraocular pressure (IOP) measured while wearing soft contact lenses (SCLs) using a non-contact tonometer (NCT), Goldmann applanation tonometer (GAT), iCare rebound tonometer (RBT) and the Tono-Pen XL. METHODS Twenty-six healthy subjects were examined. The IOP was measured using NCT, GAT, RBT, and the Tono-Pen XL, while the subjects wore SCL...

This controlled study examined the efficacy of reinforcement-based therapy (RBT) for producing enhanced abstinence outcomes over 12 months in opioid-dependent patients exiting a brief residential detoxification. Patients were randomly assigned upon completing their medically managed taper (i.e., detoxification) to RBT (N=66) or usual care (N=64) referral to community treatment programs. The 6-m...