BACKGROUND
Pregnancy is a successful transplantation. The factors evading rejection of the fetus are poorly understood. Recently an interest has grown, in HLA-G molecules as one of these factors. Since these antigens are mainly expressed on the surface of cytotrophoblasts that are in direct contact with maternal tissues, it has been suggested that these molecules may have a role in induction of immune tolerance in mothers.

OBJECTIVE
to find the association of soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) and the success of pregnancy with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedure.

METHODS
In this study, the supernatant of 287 individually cultured embryos corresponding to 96 women under ICSI procedure were assayed for soluble HLA-G1 and G5 by a sandwich ELISA.

RESULTS
Clinical pregnancy successfully occurred in 30 of candidates. No differences in clinical parameters (age, infertility duration, stimulation regimen) were observed between pregnant and nonpregnant women under ICSI procedure. None of the embryo supernatants in either group showed any detectable sHLA-G molecules.

CONCLUSION
Our results showed that detectable level of sHLA-G is not produced by day 2 embryos and such a measurement may not provide reliable information for embryo selection and estimation of pregnancy success.


Speciation analyses of an element allow obtaining information on the concentrations of its chemical forms present in specific environments. Chromium is largely distributed in industrial effluents often at acid pH, with the relevant oxidation states Cr (III) and Cr (VI) having contrasting impacts on the environment and health. While trivalent chromium is relatively harmelss and is an essential trace element, the hexavalent form is highly toxic. Therefore, it is important to know which species is stable, and pollution monitoring requires robust sensors that tolerate very acid pH levels. We investigate carbon-based screen-printed electrodes (SPEs), which are practical, disposable and low-cost devices and are easy to tailor to specific uses. Here, we add a specific ionophore, cuprizone, i.e. (cyclohexanone)oxaldihydrazone by electrodeposition to an electrode consisting of graphite bound with polyvinylbutyral (PVB). This matrix exhibits sufficient resistance to the acid working conditions. The combination of the analytical yield and the enormous possibilities of SPEs open the door to new sensor designs meeting the current needs of environmental and pharmacological chemical analysis.


A translator proposing to translate the Hikayat Hang Tuah is faced with several questions that he must answer and solve. Among these are: how should he render the semi-oral quality of the work? What type of English shall be used – classical or modern? To what extent should the traditional formulaic qualities be retained in the translated work? And finally, should the translator aim for a loyal rendering that is close to the original, or a freer one that allows it to live and be enjoyed in the 21st century?


Emergency calls are defined by an ever-expanding utilisation of information and sensing technology, leading to extensive volumes of spatio-temporal high-resolution data. The spatial and temporal character of the emergency calls is leveraged by authorities to allocate resources and infrastructure for an effective response, to identify high-risk event areas, and to develop contingency strategies. In this context, the spatio-temporal analysis of emergency calls is crucial to understanding and mitigating distress situations. However, modelling and predicting crime-related emergency calls remain challenging due to their heterogeneous and dynamic nature with complex underlying processes. In this context, we propose a modelling strategy that accounts for the intrinsic complex space-time dynamics of some crime data on cities by handling complex advection, diffusion, relocation, and volatility processes. This study presents a predictive framework capable of assimilating data and providing confidence estimates on the predictions. By analysing the dynamics of the weekly number of emergency calls in Valencia, Spain, for ten years (2010-2020), we aim to understand and forecast the spatio-temporal behaviour of emergency calls in an urban environment. We include putative geographical variables, as well as distances to relevant city landmarks, into the spatio-temporal point process modelling framework to measure the effect deterministic components exert on the intensity of emergency calls in Valencia. Our results show how landmarks attract or repel offenders and act as proxies to identify areas with high or low emergency calls. We are also able to estimate the weekly average growth and decay in space and time of the emergency calls. Our proposal is intended to guide mitigation strategies and policy.


The sectoring patterns of somatic pink mutations were analyzed in the stamen hairs of Tradescantia clone KU 20, a temperature-sensitive mutable clone. This clone is a blue/pink heterozygote, and its spontaneous pink mutation frequency increases up to about 40-fold at lower temperature. In order to elucidate the mutable nature of this clone, the sectoring patterns were analyzed on 1,123 spontaneous pink mutant events and on 2,725 pink mutant events induced by 0.606 and 1.28 Gy of gamma rays. The average number of pink cells per terminal pink mutant event (a row of pink cells including the terminal cell of a hair) occurred spontaneously was 7.40, whereas the number for the terminal pink mutant event induced by gamma rays varied from 3.33 to 9.88 depending on the post-irradiation days, i.e. , increased gradually as the number of days proceeded, then was stabilized at the level of spontaneous mutations after about three weeks. The average number of pink cells per interstitial pink mutant event (a single pink cell or two or more contiguous pink cells between blue cells) was 1.97 for spontaneous mutations, while the number for induced mutations varied also depending on the post-irradiation days. The ratio of the number of interstitial pink mutant events against that of terminal pink mutant events was 1.35 for spontaneous mutations, but the ratio for induced mutations varied also with post-irradiation period reaching 2.89 at the peak, indicating that more interstitial pink mutant events are induced by gamma rays than terminal pink mutant events, as compared with spontaneous mutations. The frequency of multiple pink mutant sectors in a hair was more than four times higher than that expected from independent occurrences in case of spontaneous mutations, while the frequency was close to the expectation in induced mutations, suggesting that somatic recombination is involved as one of the major causes of spontaneous mutations in this mutable clone.


IN AN effort to obtain as much solid information as possible about residency programs in dermatology, a brief questionnaire was sent to residents in 17 representative programs in the United States. The residencies were chosen from different parts of the country and included those considered to be research-oriented, clinically-oriented, combination programs and those conducted in Veterans Administration and Armed Services hospitals. The larger and well-established programs were selected because they were thought to accurately reflect the current practices in dermatologic training. The chairman of the department was asked to give a questionnaire accompanied by a magnetic tape to several of his secondand third-year residents. The questions were to be answered on the tape or some other recording device. The resident was asked not to identify his program and we hoped he would be completely candid. Of the 17 questionnaires sent out, 12 were returned. The replies were representative


The Le Fort I osteotomy is used to reposition the maxilla to correct numerous maxillofacial and occlusal deformities. The aim of this study was to delineate perioperative complication rates associated with Le Fort I osteotomy and determine whether the number of maxillary segments or bone grafting yielded increased complication rates. Patients undergoing Le Fort I osteotomy from 2012 to 2019 were identified from the multi-institution "National Surgical Quality Improvement Program" database using Current Procedure Terminology codes. The predictor variables of interest included maxillary segmentation defined as 1, 2, or 2 pieces and the presence or absence of bone graft. Perioperative complications were collected as the primary outcome variable, including superficial and deep space infections, wound dehiscence, airway complication, peripheral nerve injury, and hemorrhage. The secondary outcome variables included readmission and reoperation rate within the 30-day postoperative period. Complication rates were compared using multivariate analysis across groups stratified by the number of maxillary segments and inclusion of bone grafting. Of the 532 patients that met the inclusion criteria, 333 (63%) underwent 1-piece, 114 (21%) 2-piece, and 85 (16%) 2-piece Le Fort I osteotomy procedures. A total of 48 patients exhibited complications (9%), with hemorrhage (2.3%) being the most common complication observed. The number of maxillary segments was not a significant predictor of perioperative complications (P = 0.948) nor was the use of bone grafting (P = 0.279).


This two-part paper proposes a new collaborative approach to airframe maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO). A quantitative model is introduced in Part I to represent the business relationships between original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and MRO enterprises. In Part II, the presented model is used to assess potential financial benefits obtained by each of these stakeholders as a result of the


AIM
To evaluate online elective courses at Croatian medical schools with respect to the virtual mobility of national teachers and students and virtual team collaboration.

METHODS
A student-centered virtual learning environment developed within the framework of the European Union Tempus Programme allowed national educational services to design and deliver online undergraduate elective courses. Three online elective courses were created for second-year medical students of four Croatian medical schools by using Moodle, an open-source learning management system. The courses supported problem-, project-, and decision-based learning and required students to work in small collaborative teams using problem-solving and decision-making activities. The purpose was to foster teamwork and produce better outcomes than those potentially achieved through individual work. We evaluated the results of these online courses on the basis of the course test results and students' evaluation questionnaires.

RESULTS
Of 68 students enrolled in all e-courses, 97% (n=66) successfully passed the final exam. An anonymous online questionnaire was filled out by 83% (n=50) of the students. The majority expressed their satisfaction with the online electives, mostly because they had more contact with tutors and peers (n=47), better possibilities of self-assessment (n=38), more flexible learning (n=33), better access to learning materials (n=32), faster and easier information retrieval (n=31), and better quality of communication with tutors and peers (n=28). Although 38 of 50 students claimed that participating in e-courses was more demanding than participating in traditional electives, more than half (n=27) would enroll in an e-course again.

CONCLUSION
Elective e-courses may be a successful model of how faculty and students at higher education institutions can collaborate and integrate e-learning into their current curricula.


Background noise masks living sounds in apartment buildings. Depending on the sound insulation properties of the structures of the apartments, background noise affects the audibility of the perceived airborne and impact sounds from neighboring dwellings. This preliminary study focused
 on the masking effect of the background noise generated by HVAC systems on the impact sounds generated by walking on concrete floors. The study was carried out by determining the signal-to-noise ratios of walk induced sound levels on the concrete floors and measured background noise levels.
 The walking sounds were generated by walking with socks and shoes on nine concrete floors, and the sound pressure levels were measured in a receiving room below the floors. The background noise levels, where these walking sounds were compared, consisted of the results collected in 210 measurements
 carried out in Finnish apartment buildings. The results of the study show how it is likely that the background noise masks sound from walking with socks and shoes differently. To investigate the phenomenon more in detail, follow-up research has been proposed.


Acute liver injury in the setting of acute fulminant hepatitis caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) can occur both during primary infection and after chronic HBV reactivation. Guidelines recommend considering antiviral therapy in both cases. Antiviral therapy with a nucleoside analog may be beneficial in patients with acute liver failure from acute HBV infection, though not all studies have shown a benefit. This is a case of a 53-year-old woman with a past medical history of untreated hepatitis C with undetectable viral load and right breast cancer status post lumpectomy, who presented to the emergency department with complaints of yellowish skin and sclera discoloration with right upper quadrant pain for one week. She was a known intravenous drug abuser and binge alcohol user. Her labs were positive for hepatitis B, hepatitis E, and hepatitis C viruses. She also had elevated liver enzymes with hyperbilirubinemia showing severe acute liver injury. Computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis with contrast was normal, and the abdominal ultrasound showed homogenous echotexture of the liver without a focal lesion. The patient was diagnosed with acute fulminant hepatitis B. After initial hemodynamic stabilization, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and tenofovir were started, and transaminases were followed. Liver function tests showed a downtrend, and, in a few weeks, they came to baseline. Hepatitis B viral load became undetectable as well. Acute hepatitis B infection is seldom treated. The presented case depicts the use of tenofovir in the setting of severe acute liver injury due to hepatitis B. Starting antiviral therapy (especially tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) early in the disease course was shown to have very assuring results with complete resolution of symptoms and normalization of liver function tests. The treatment protocol for acute HBV deserves further investigation.


1. The conversion of cholest-5-en-3β-ol (cholesterol) into cholesta-5,7-dien-3β-ol by axenic Calliphora erythrocephala larvae was demonstrated. 2. The transformation is probably direct (Δ5→Δ5,7) and does not involve a Δ0 intermediate (Δ5→Δ0→Δ7→ Δ5,7). 3. Δ7-bond formation involves the stereospecific elimination of the 7β hydrogen atom. 4. The relative amounts of free and esterified sterols were determined in larvae grown on cholesterol as sole sterol source and on 5α-cholestan-3β-ol supplemented with minimal amounts of cholesterol. 5. The significance of the results is assessed in relation to the probable role of cholesta-5,7-dien-3β-ol as an intermediate in the biosynthesis of ecdysones.


The author gives account of a direct osteosynthesis--joining the defect of the interarticular part--made in case of spondylolisthesis in his department. They carry out the operation having modified the method of Buck as they use A-O malleolar compression screw instead of all threaded screw. Applying compression screws the author can ensure a successful osteosynthesis in case of a greater vertebral displacement. This method widens the indication area of the operation. The adventage of the operation over other ones made in spondylolisthesis is the fact that after the wound-healing the patient can get up and the lumbar spine will not be limited in motion. The operation was made in 16 cases until now and operative complication was not observed. They propose to make this operation as early as possible in case of definite spondylolisthesis to prevent the development of further progression.


Abstract. Severe vortex-wide ozone loss in the Arctic would expose both
ecosystems and several millions of people to unhealthy ultraviolet
radiation. Adding to these worries, and extreme events as the harbingers of
climate change, exceptionally low ozone with column values below 220 DU
occurred over the Arctic in March and April 2020. Sporadic occurrences of
low ozone with less than 220 DU at different regions of the vortex for almost
3 weeks were found for the first time in the observed history in the
Arctic. Furthermore, a large ozone loss of about 2.0–3.4 ppmv triggered by
an unprecedented chlorine activation (1.5–2.2 ppbv) matching the levels
occurring in the Antarctic was also observed. The polar processing situation
led to the first-ever appearance of loss saturation in the Arctic. Apart
from these, there were also ozone-mini holes in December 2019 and January 2020 driven by atmospheric dynamics. The large loss in ozone in the colder
Arctic winters is intriguing and demands rigorous monitoring of the region.


Background Allele-specific copy number alteration (CNA) analysis is essential to study the functional impact of single nucleotide variants (SNV) and the process of tumorigenesis. Most commonly used tools in the field rely on high quality genome-wide data with matched normal profiles, limiting their applicability in clinical settings. Methods We propose a workflow, based on the open-source PureCN R/Bioconductor package in conjunction with widely used variant-calling and copy number segmentation algorithms, for allele-specific CNA analysis from whole exome sequencing (WES) without matched normals. We use The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) ovarian carcinoma (OV) and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) datasets to benchmark its performance against gold standard SNP6 microarray and WES datasets with matched normal samples. Our workflow further classifies SNVs by somatic status and then uses this information to infer somatic mutational signatures and tumor mutational burden (TMB). Results Application of our workflow to tumor-only WES data produces tumor purity and ploidy estimates that are highly concordant with estimates from SNP6 microarray data and matched-normal WES data. The presence of cancer type-specific somatic mutational signatures was inferred with high accuracy. We also demonstrate high concordance of TMB between our tumor-only workflow and matched normal pipelines. Conclusion The proposed workflow provides, to our knowledge, the only open-source option for comprehensive allele-specific CNA analysis and SNV classification of tumor-only WES with demonstrated high accuracy.


Abstract The pathophysiological features of ischemia-related blood–brain barrier (BBB) disruption are widely studied using preclinical stroke models. However, in many of these models, craniectomy is required to confirm arterial occlusion via laser Doppler flowmetry or to enable direct ligation of the cerebral artery. In the present study, mice were used to construct a distal middle cerebral artery occlusion (dMCAO) model, a preclinical stroke model that requires craniectomy to enable direct ligation of the cerebral artery, or were subjected to craniectomy alone. dMCAO but not craniectomy caused neurodegeneration and cerebral infarction, but both procedures induced an appreciable increase in BBB permeability to Evans blue dye, fluorescein, and endogenous albumin but not to 10 kDa dextran-FITC, leading to cerebral edema. Using rats, we further showed that BBB disruption induced by craniectomy with no evidence of dural tearing was comparable to that induced by craniectomy involving tearing of the dura. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that craniectomy can be a major contributor to BBB disruption and cerebral edema in preclinical stroke models. The implications of this experimental artifact for translational stroke research and preclinical data interpretation are discussed.


A tunable ytterbium-doped fibre laser is fabricated. The laser is tuned by using a tunable fibre Bragg grating (FBG) as a selecting intracavity element. The laser is tunable within 45 nm (from 1063 to 1108 nm) and emits ~6 W in the line of width ~0.15 nm, the output power and linewidth being virtually invariable within the tuning range. The method is proposed for synchronous tuning the highly reflecting and output FBGs, and a tunable ytterbium all-fibre laser is built.


Centre of Excellence in Smart Radios and Wireless Research (SMARAD), originally established with the name Smart and Novel Radios Research Unit, is aiming at world-class research and education in Future radio and antenna systems, Cognitive radio, Millimetre wave and THz techniques, Sensors, and Materials and energy, using its expertise in RF, microwave and millimetre wave engineering, in integrated circuit design for multi-standard radios as well as in wireless communications. SMARAD has the Centre of Excellence in Research status from the Academy of Finland since 2002 (2002-2007 and 2008-2013). Currently SMARAD consists of five research groups from three departments, namely the Department of Radio Science and Engineering, Department of Micro and Nanosciences, and Department of Signal Processing and Acoustics, all within the Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering. The total number of employees within the research unit is about 100 including 8 professors, about 30 senior scientists and about 40 graduate students and several undergraduate students working on their Master thesis. The relevance of SMARAD to the Finnish society is very high considering the high national income from exports of telecommunications and electronics products. The unit conducts basic research but at the same time maintains close co-operation with industry. Novel ideas are applied in design of new communication circuits and platforms, transmission techniques and antenna structures. SMARAD has a well-established network of co-operating partners in industry, research institutes and academia worldwide. It coordinates a few EU projects. The funding sources of SMARAD are diverse including the Academy of Finland, EU, ESA, Tekes, and Finnish and foreign telecommunications and semiconductor industry. As a byproduct of this research SMARAD provides highest-level education and supervision to graduate students in the areas of radio engineering, circuit design and communications through Aalto University and Finnish graduate schools such as Graduate School in Electronics, Telecommunications and Automation (GETA). During years 2008 – 2010, 21 doctor degrees were awarded to the students of SMARAD. In the same period, the SMARAD researchers published 141 refereed journal articles and 333 conference papers.


This research is meant to test the influence of Internet Financial Reporting which on the level of Internet based information disclosure on price and market frequency of corporates' shares. This research used 30 samples of company from 2014-2015. Those companies used as the samples were registered in Jakarta Islamic Index. This research employed simple regression analysis with two analysis models. The results of this research shows that the first model of Internet Financial Reporting affects significantly market frequency of corporates' shares, which significance value is smaller than alpha (0.000<0.05). The second model of Internet Financial Reporting affects significantly price of corporates' shares, which significance value is smaller than alpha (0.001<0.05). Based on the results, this research shows that Internet Financial Reporting can help investors to make investment decisions thus market's reaction on information in market share can be accelerated. Keyword: Internet Financial report, Share Price, Share Frequency.


Purpose: In order to compensate for the early intrauterine growth restriction, small-for-gestational age (SGA) infants have "catch-up growth" after birth. Increased caloric intake has been suggested for SGA infants conventionally. It is important to determine if the early growth rate of body mass index (BMI) is associated with risk of persistent obesity later in life. In this longitudinal cohort study, we assessed the BMI of a large cohort of children who were SGA at birth to determine their risk of persistent obesity at school age (6–7 years) due to excessive weight gain in the first 3 years of life. Methods: We collected the height and weight data of 23,871 SGA babies. A polynomial function was used to fit the BMI-for-age z-score (BAZ) values of 0–6 years old SGA children and interpolate their growth trajectory. In addition, we screened out 6,959 children from 23,871 children to further evaluate the dynamic changes of early childhood BMI. We divided the school-age children into groups as non-obese (BAZ < 2) and obese (BAZ > 2), and determined the association between changes in BMI and school-age obesity. Results: From the perspective of BMI distribution, the interpolated growth trajectory indicated that SGA children reaching overweight status or developing obesity by 3 years of age, continued to have obesity until school age (R2, 0.65; R2, 0.21). The retrospective analysis showed that children who were overweight and had obesity during school age had a high BMI from early age. By analyzing the changes in early BMI, we found that the fastest growth of SGA children occurred in the early infancy before 6 months and they continued to grow rapidly for a period of time. Interestingly, former SGA children who maintained a near overweight (1 < BAZ < 2) status before the age of 2 maintained an appropriate growth rate and usually did not develop obesity. Conclusions: A rapid increase in BMI during early infancy in former SGA newborns leads to a persistent risk of obesity. The energy intake of SGA infants should appropriately meet the infants' growth needs and early BMI changes should be closely monitored for an optimal integrated management.


The field of visual analytics continues to expand into the realm of electronic health record (EHR) analysis. At the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Lifelines2, a visualization program from the University of Maryland's Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory, was recently integrated into the NIH's clinical repository, the Biomedical Translational Research Information System (BTRIS). To explore the functionality of Lifelines2, two markers of inflammation – erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) – were compared on patients both with and without the rare immune disorder chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) using ten years of de-identified patient data. We used Lifelines2 to visualize correlations among 12,266 laboratory events on 622 patients. The findings from our unrestricted sample identify areas warranting further studies on population subsets in which clinical features (such as disease activity) are known. Overall, visual aids such as Lifelines2 allowed for both rapid and powerful interpretation of EHR data.


This paper had made serious effort in defining the concept "giftedness". It went further to discuss the place of giftedness in Nigerian education system in the light of the recommendation of the national policy on education, disregard for merit in our society, the menace of our quota system syndrome, and tribal sentiments in the country. Consequently, in conclusion among other things the paper suggested that merit should not be compromised with, for any reason. The school system, educators, planners, administrators, counsellors, psychologists and government should play their parts in identifying and developing the gifted persons early enough, as doing this would mean developing the nation technologically and otherwise, for self-reliance and nation building.


The official screening results of the Belgian National Committee for Inherited Skeletal Disorders, an affiliate of the Belgian Kennel Club, have been used to estimate the prevalence of hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia and humeral head osteochondrosis in the dog breeds in Belgium, and these have been compared with reported prevalence data from other countries. In some breeds, the prevalence of hip and elbow dysplasia is very high, both in Belgium and in other countries. Comparisons of the prevalence of hip dysplasia are not always feasible because different systems are used to evaluate the quality of the hips and because there is no strict consensus on what should be considered a diseased hip joint.


The food service sector was among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to examine consumers' attitudes towards and transparency perceptions of COVID-19-related safety measures and to identify determinants of consumers' intentions and behaviour regarding visiting restaurants and bars once reopened. By also surveying food service businesses, this study allows for comparison between both target groups. A total of 1697 consumers and 780 businesses participated in this study, conducted in Belgium both during and in between waves of infections. The findings demonstrate that consumers evaluated safety measures as important when revisiting restaurants and bars, against business owners' expectations. Both consumers' revisit intentions and behaviours are influenced by the perceived importance of hygiene measures (negatively) and past visit frequency (positively). This study highlights the importance of good compliance with safety measures as a strategy to attract customers during the reopening period. Further, our findings emphasize the importance of transparent communication by food service businesses and the government.


The present level of intra-regional trade of Latin America and the Caribbean in relation to their total exports is still low when compared to the peak of 21.1% registered in 1997, despite its rebound in 2003 and continued recovery into 2004. While this trade holds a high potential for future growth, there are a series of problems to be addressed in order for regional integration to continue on the paths of recovery and deep integration. The countries in the region should keep working on the constraints that its regional integration process continues to suffer from the persistence of non-tariff barriers, perforations of common external tariffs (CET) and failure to complete customs unions. In addition to these aspects in the trade spheres, regional integration agreements should tackle several dimensions of "deep integration" in a context of "open regionalism" by intensifying efforts on the provision of regional public goods (RPGs): (i) addressing "behind-the-border" measures, while harmonizing regulatory regimes in areas such as services, investment, intellectual property rights, rules of origin, anti-dumping, safeguards, sanitary and phyto-sanitary norms, customs procedures, and factor mobility; (ii) advancing the efforts on the coordination of macroeconomic policy; and (iii) improving various kinds of infrastructure and providing crucial public goods. These efforts will enhance systemic competitiveness of each country and the region as a whole. These initiatives, which would result in the reduction of production and transaction costs inside the region and the avoidance of unnecessary competition among the countries, will likely facilitate inter-regional South-South trade as well.""


In this paper, by way of three examples - a fourth order low pass active RC filter, a rudimentary BJT amplifier, and an LC ladder - we show, how the algebraic capabilities of modern computer algebra systems can, or in the last example, might be brought to use in the task of designing analog circuits.


Abstract : Let c(m,n) be the least integer p such that for any graph G of order p, either G has an m-cycle or its complement (G bar) has an n-cycle. Values of c(m,n) are established for m,n = or < 6 and general formulas are proved for c(3,n), c(4,n), and c(5,n). (Author)


Objective
To assess the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and color Doppler ultrasound (DUS) on hemodynamic changes and cerebral perfusion quantitative analyses in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats with focal permanent ischemic stroke.

Methods
Sixteen SD rats with thin skulls were subjected to establish middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model. CEUS images were performed before modeling (T 0), immediately after modeling (5-15 min after modeling, T 1), 3 h after modeling (T 2), followed by the measurement of bilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA), anterior cerebral artery (ACA), posterior cerebral artery (PCA) using DUS. The peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV) and mean velocity (MV) of these arteries were obtained. The brain time-intensity curve was taken as interest region of the whole right brain, and the quantitative parameters of CEUS were obtained, including peak intensity (PI), area under the curve ( AUC), wash in slope (WIS), time to peak (TTP), rise time (RT) and time from peak to one half (TPH). The modified neurological deficit score (mNSS) of the rats was performed 3 h after the modeling, and the data of the rats with a score of 9-11 were statistically analyzed.

Results
A total of 12 rats were successfully modeled and completed with mNSS score 9-11. No blood flow signals were observed on the right MCA and ACA in the 12 rats at T 1 and T 2. From T 0 to T 1, PI, AUC and WIS of the right hemisphere decreased sharply with TTP and RT significantly prolonged, and the differences were statistically significant. However, there was no significant difference in hemodynamic parameters at that period of time. From T 1 to T 2, there were no significant changes in CEUS quantitative parameters (except AUCand TPH), while PSV, EDV, MV of LMCA and bilateral PCA showed significant acceleration, and the differences were statistically significant.

Conclusion
CEUS and DUS can reveal the intracranial hemodynamics and brain tissue perfusion trends of MCAO rats, which could be new methods in assessment of ischemic stroke model at multiple time points.


Background and Aims: The prognosis of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is expected to improve as multiple molecular target agents (MTAs) are now available. However, the impact of the availability of sequential MTAs has not been fully verified yet. Approach and Results: We retrospectively collected the data on the whole clinical course of 877 patients who received any MTAs as first-line systemic therapy for advanced HCC between June 2009 and March 2019. The study population was divided into 3 groups according to the date of first-line MTA administration (period 1: 2009–2012, n = 267; period 2: 2013–2016, n = 352; period 3: 2017–2019, n = 258). Then, we compared the number of MTAs used, overall survival (OS), and MTA treatment duration among the 3 groups. Analysis was also performed separately for advanced-stage and nonadvanced-stage HCC. The proportion of patients who received multiple MTAs was remarkably increased over time (1.1%, 10.2%, and 42.6% in periods 1, 2, and 3, respectively, p < 0.001). The median OS times were prolonged to 10.4, 11.3, and 15.2 months in periods 1, 2, and 3, respectively (p = 0.016). Similarly, the MTA treatment durations were extended (2.7, 3.2, and 6.6 months in periods 1, 2, and 3, respectively; p < 0.001). We confirmed that the correlation between OS and MTA treatment duration was strengthened (period 1: 0.395, period 2: 0.505, and period 3: 0.667). All these trends were pronounced in the patients with advanced-stage HCC but limited in the patients with nonadvanced-stage HCC. Conclusions: The availability of multiple MTAs had steadily improved the prognosis of patients with advanced HCC patients, particularly advanced-stage HCC patients.


We assessed whether resting anterior asymmetry would discriminate individual differences in repressive-defensive coping styles. In 2 sessions, resting electroencephalogram was recorded from female adults during 8 60-s baselines. Subjects were classified as repressors or nonrepressors on the basis of scores on the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MC), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). In midfrontal and lateral frontal sites, repressors demonstrated relative left hemisphere activation when compared with other groups. The MC, but not the STAI or the BDI, contributed unique variance to frontal asymmetry. Relative left frontal activation may be linked to a self-enhancing regulatory style that promotes lowered risk for psychopathology.


The dates of comparative integrated evaluation of conservative myomectomia by different accesses and different amount was presented. There were shown preferences of laparoscopic myomectomia compared laparotomic myomectomia compared laparotomic myomectomia. More significantchanges of psychoemotional states on woman after laparoscopic myomectomia testify that it is necessary to make the evaluation of their psycho-emotional status.


Thanks to the revolution in electronics and telecommunications, there is a proliferation of devices for medical applications and others operating in the body area. There is a novel way to connect two transceivers with the human body as a communication channel by body capacitive coupling. BCC (Body Coupled Communication) is a technology that uses the human body as an electric field propagation medium without using wires or RF technology. This work aims to design and implement a BCC audio transmission system by using the USRP1 hardware and GNU radio for the design, in this work we use measure the body channel frequency response by using a signal generator and an oscilloscope and we used a portable VNA to measure the impedance and verify the data. We were able to transmit at a bit rate of 128 Kbps.


Introduction The annual rate of development of high-grade dysplasia or adenocarcinoma in Barrett's columnar-lined oesophagus is 1.0%.1 2 This study uses data from the UK National Barrett's Oesophagus Registry (UKBOR) and the Office of National Statistics to predict the average number of surveillance endoscopies and lifetime risk of development of high-grade dysplasia and adenocarcinoma. Methods Data on patient gender, age at columnar-lined oesophagus diagnosis and date of columnar-lined oesophagus diagnosis were collected for patients diagnosed between 1994 and 2008 from centres registering ≤20 patients with UKBOR. Patients were included if aged between 18 and 95 years at date of diagnosis. This yielded a total of 7877 patients from 36 centres in the UK. Life expectancy/years at risk was evaluated using age at diagnosis and predicted life years from life expectancy tables.3 Standard surveillance practice was modelled as a single endoscopy at diagnosis with 3 yearly surveillance for no dysplasia and 6 monthly follow-up endoscopy for low-grade dysplasia or indefinite changes for dysplasia (14.7% of diagnostic endoscopy findings and 19.6% of subsequent endoscopy findings). Results There were 5137 males, mean age 61.6 years at diagnosis and 2740 females, mean age 67.3 years at diagnosis. The mean predicted years of life (exposure time to the risk of developing malignancy in the metaplastic segment) were 23.1 and 20.7 years, respectively, and 22.2 years overall. This would predict that the lifetime risk of developing high-grade dysplasia or cancer would be between 1:4 and 1:5 and of adenocarcinoma would be between 1:7 and 1:8. The average number of surveillance OGDs during a patient's lifetime using the above surveillance protocol is 9.8 per patient. Conclusion These data predict a significant lifetime risk of development of high-grade dysplasia or adenocarcinoma in patients diagnosed with Barrett's oesophagus. The total burden of surveillance endoscopies excluding those for therapeutic interventions to the metaplastic segment or for follow-up of high-grade dysplasia, cancer or endoluminal treatment is 9.8 per patient.


Recombination of chromosomes 3A(m) and 5A(m) of Triticum monococcum with closely homeologous chromosomes 3A and 5A of T. aestivum was compared with recombination across corresponding homologous chromosome pairs. Differentiation between the homeologues impacted recombination in the proximal regions of the long arms the most and in the distal regions of the long arms the least. It is concluded that this variation principally reflects allocation of multiple crossovers across an arm and positive crossover interference across chromosome arms. Recombination rates between homeologous chromosomes 5A(m) and 5A differed in the opposite sexes.


As a group, comorbid anxiety disorders among depressed persons have consistently been found to increase risk of suicide attempt (SA). Growing evidence supports the link between panic attacks (PAs) and suicidality, but prospective evidence is limited and the nature of the linkage remains unclear. The positive‐feedback model of suicide suggests that PAs eliciting catastrophic cognitions may drive SA.


The Darboux-dressing transformations developed in Degasperis and Lombardo (2007 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 961–77) are here applied to construct soliton solutions for a class of boomeronic-type equations. The vacuum (i.e. vanishing) solution and the generic plane wave solution are both dressed to yield one-soliton solutions. The formulae are specialized to the particularly interesting case of the resonant interaction of three waves, a well-known model which is of boomeronic type. For this equation a novel solution which describes three locked dark pulses (simulton) is introduced.


We demonstrate the emergence of an anomalous Hall effect in chiral magnetic textures which is neither proportional to the net magnetization nor to the well-known emergent magnetic field that is responsible for the topological Hall effect. Instead, it appears already at linear order in the gradients of the magnetization texture and exists for one-dimensional magnetic textures such as domain walls and spin spirals. It receives a natural interpretation in the language of Alain Connes' noncommutative geometry. We show that this chiral Hall effect resembles the familiar topological Hall effect in essential properties while its phenomenology is distinctly different. Our findings make the reinterpretation of experimental data necessary, and offer an exciting twist in engineering the electrical transport through magnetic skyrmions.


Morse decomposition has been shown a reliable way to compute and represent vector field topology. Its computation first converts the original vector field into a directed graph representation, so that flow recurrent dynamics (i.e., Morse sets) can be identified as some strongly connected components of the graph. In this paper, we present a framework that enables the user to efficiently compute Morse decompositions of 3D piecewise linear vector fields defined on regular grids. Specifically, we extend the 2D adaptive edge sampling technique to 3D for the outer approximation computation of the image of any 3D cell for the construction of the directed graph. To achieve finer decomposition, a hierarchical refinement framework is applied to procedurally increase the integration steps and subdivide the underlying grids that contain certain Morse sets. To improve the computational performance, we implement our Morse decomposition framework using CUDA. We have applied our framework to a number of analytic and real-world 3D steady vector fields to demonstrate its utility.


Bejan's Constructal theory has provided a dramatic contribution to the design
 of natural and industrial systems, mainly because all sort of flows tend to
 follow precise rules which Bejan was able to explain. Recently, for what
 concern heat removal systems, the Authors have extended the classical
 Constructal optimization to a broad range of 3-D geometries, also applying
 such results to the optimal choice of the suitable thermal carrier fluid. The
 definition of the Global Optimization was centred on the concepts of
 Relevance and Overall Performance Coefficient, which are technical
 parameters. This paper follows the principle of Constructal theory in the
 assessment of the Global Optimization to highlight how the coupling of the
 two may provide a tool becoming part of everyday decision making processes in
 future design. The results show not only which is the best performing module
 but also proves that, via the superimposition of a suitable Relevance value,
 the Overall Performance Coefficient allows for the correct characterization
 of the whole heat transfer process, so confirming the interesting perspective
 of the novel approach proposed.


A 1.5- mu m phase-controlled distributed feedback wavelength-tunable optical filter is studied. This is the first optical filter which controls the transmissivity (gain) and the transmission wavelength independently. Wavelength tuning range as wide as 43 GHz (3.4 AA) with high constant gain of 27 dB has been achieved. A five-channel wavelength selection with less than -10 dB crosstalk is expected with this filter. This device also operates as a wavelength tunable laser, and the wavelength tuning range as a laser is larger than as a filter. The reason is studied, and it is shown that suppression of the submodes is important to expand the wavelength tuning range. >


Presented here is a sensitivity analysis for the miniaturized laser heterodyne radiometer (mini-LHR). This passive, ground-based instrument measures carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmospheric column and has been under development at NASA/GSFC since 2009. The goal of this development is to produce a low-cost, easily-deployable instrument that can extend current ground measurement networks in order to (1) validate column satellite observations, (2) provide coverage in regions of limited satellite observations, (3) target regions of interest such as thawing permafrost, and (4) support the continuity of a long-term climate record. In this paper an uncertainty analysis of the instrument performance is presented and compared with results from three sets of field measurements. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and corresponding uncertainty for a single scan are calculated to be 329.4±1.3 by deploying error propagation through the equation governing the SNR. Reported is an absorbance noise of 0.0024 for 6 averaged scans of field data, for an instrument precision of ~0.2 ppmv for CO2.


This paper presents an advanced lumped parameter (LP) thermal model for a permanent-magnet assisted synchronous reluctance machine (PMaSRM) developed for propulsion in a hybrid electric vehicle. Particular focus is put on the stator winding and a thermal model is proposed that divides the stator slot into a number of elliptical copper and impregnation layers. The model is enabled by the derivation of an approximate analytical expression for the thermal resistance of an elliptical cylinder with constant thickness. The approach is attractive due to its simplicity and the fact that it closely models the actual temperature distribution for common slot geometries. Additionally, an analysis, using results from a proposed simplified thermal finite element model representing only one slot of the stator and its corresponding end winding, is presented in which the number of layers and the proper connection between the parts of the LP thermal model representing the end winding and the active part of winding is determined. The presented thermal model is evaluated experimentally on a PMaSRM equipped with a water cooling jacket, and a good correspondence between the predicted and measured temperatures is obtained.


The United States food system is comprised of a diversity of stakeholders representing a range of sectors including agriculture, health, hospitality, and other sectors of the economy. Coordinating these wide-ranging aspects of the food system is a challenging responsibility of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its counterparts at the state and county level. While the USDA acknowledges the institutional importance of diversity, it has only recently begun to meaningfully consider the agricultural needs of urban environments, the unique experiences from communities of color, and opportunities for urban agriculture in its purview. This study provides a framework for food systems leaders, specifically in food policy councils (FPCs) in large urban communities, to assess the visibility and effectiveness of their diversity and inclusion initiatives represented across three key domains: (1) leadership and governance structures, (2) key stakeholder engagement strategies, and (3) advance food justice. A cluster analysis of the study results for FPCs in 19 U.S. cities and metropolitan areas across these three domains revealed four distinct groups of food policy councils. Results from the assessment of the urban FPCs reveal that they succeed in embedding diversity and inclusion in all three diversity measures, with key stakeholder engagement receiving the highest score at 73%. On average, FPCs received a score of 54% when assessing diversity and inclusion in their leadership and governance and a score of 49% in their activities to advance food justice. Results of the analysis also highlights opportunities to improve individual, thematic, and cumulative scores. Participation from food systems leadership groups such as food policy councils will be vital in advocating for equitable food systems through urban producer and consumer programs in the upcoming reauthorization of the U.S. farm bill in 2024.


Background Genetic polymorphisms in the human MDM2 gene are suggested to be a tumor susceptibility marker and a prognostic factor for cancer. It has been reported that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) c.309T>G in the MDM2 gene attenuates the tumor suppressor activity of p53 and accelerates tumor formation in humans. Methodology In this study, to detect the SNP c.309T>G in the MDM2 gene, we have developed a new SNP detection method, named "Duplex SmartAmp," which enabled us to simultaneously detect both 309T and 309G alleles in one tube. To develop this new method, we introduced new primers i.e., nBP and oBPs, as well as two different fluorescent dyes that separately detect those genetic polymorphisms. Results and Conclusions By the Duplex SmartAmp method, the genetic polymorphisms of the MDM2 gene were detected directly from a small amount of genomic DNA or blood samples. We used 96 genomic DNA and 24 blood samples to validate the Duplex SmartAmp by comparison with results of the conventional PCR-RFLP method; consequently, the Duplex SmartAmp results agreed totally with those of the PCR-RFLP method. Thus, the new SNP detection method is considered useful for detecting the SNP c.309T>G in the MDM2 gene so as to judge cancer susceptibility against some cellular stress in the clinical setting, and also to handle a large number of samples and enable rapid clinical diagnosis.


Doctors were ambitious to radically transform health services in London but could "easily be crushed" by the weight of expectation and bureaucracy, a leading NHS manager has said.

Ruth Carnall, chief executive of the NHS London strategic health authority, said that GPs and their colleagues on clinical commissioning groups would find that delivering change was a "brutally exposing business."

She said this was being shown by current attempts to reconfigure services in northwest London, where a proposal that nine emergency departments be reduced to five has met fierce opposition.

"Clinicians trying to lead change can be put under enormous scrutiny and pressure," she said. She said that they could become stressed and disillusioned by the tendency of politicians who oppose the closure of local services "to reduce complex, finely balanced arguments to a soundbite" but should resist compromising …


Techniques of fabricating an n-channel silicon field-effect transistor using phosphorus ion implantation and a platinum silicide Schottky-barrier gate (SB-FET) have been developed. The platinum silicide Schottky-barrier top gate is part of the contact metallization process. The phosphorus-doped channel is obtained by using a 50-keV ion-implanted predeposition and an 1100°C drive-in. A range of implantation doses and drive-in times were used to achieve various SB-FET characteristics. A threshold/pinchoff voltage range of +0.4 to -7.5 V has been obtained with typical spreads of approximately 0.1 V across the slice. A positive threshold voltage represents a SB-FET that is normally off and is turned on by a forward-biased gate. Results have been obtained for


Objective: To report the successful percutaneous transcatheter removal of a snapped intracardiac fragment of the central vein catheter in an infant. Clinical Presentation and Intervention: A 3-month-old infant with short bowel syndrome who required long-term parenteral nutrition via portacath central catheter was hospitalized. Two months after the insertion of the second catheter, the distal tip of the catheter snapped and became tangled in the heart. The catheter fragment was removed by a percutaneous femoral vein approach using a 10-mm diameter snare-loop catheter (Amplatz®). The procedure was performed under fluoroscopy; the fragment was removed after being released into the right ventricle by pulling the proximal tip with a pigtail catheter. No complications were observed and the patient was transported back to the intensive unit in stable condition. Conclusion: Central catheter-related complications may cause difficulties in patients with short bowel syndrome prior to intestinal transplantation. The percutaneous retrieval of the fragmented catheter using a snare-loop catheter is a safe and reliable technique and may be used instead of surgery especially in small infants.


Since Noguchi's (1) reports on the transmission of yellow fever to animals and the isolation of Leptospira icteroides from patients and from experimentally infected guinea pigs, investigations of this organism have multiplied, and its specific role in yellow fever is unquestionable. Various observers have accomplished experimental transmission of the disease and isolation and cultivation of the microorganism (2), and recently the identity of the human and experimental lesions has been established in an indisputable manner (3).
The immunity reactions were carefully studied by Noguchi in connection with the demonstration of the etiological role of the parasite. Noguchi's results suggested the desirability of studying these reactions with a view to their practical application in early diagnosis of yellow fever, and the opportunity to carry out such an investigation presented itself during an epidemic of yellow fever in Vera Cruz.


This article examines the impact of microfinancing schemes in West Africa and the role of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in their development. Microfinancing or microcredit schemes are meant to create the kind of jobs that can keep households severely hit by the economic crisis afloat. They affect not only the financial but also the agricultural crafts financing of social economy and social protection sectors of the society. Thus they contribute to improved access to basic social health and family planning services and to drinking water. The challenge then is for institutes to adopt microfinancing and to reach out to more than 100 million families in the region. To realize this nongovernmental organizations are setting up as veritable microfinancing institutions which are able to realize the resulting benefits so as to be economically viable. In the context of its role in the development of microfinancing schemes ILO manages a portfolio of technical cooperation and research projects aimed at identifying and removing constraints in the access to credit savings insurance and other financial services through its Social Finance Unit. In addition ILO is promoting womens entrepreneurship through the International Small Enterprise Programme and the International Programme on More and Better Jobs for Women.


Occupational nasal allergies were studied in six wood furniture factories. The concentration of moulds, wood dust and endotoxins was registered and occasionally high values were found. Paecilomyces spec. was the most common mould. A special questionnaire showed that 16% (42/268) of the wood workers with a mean exposure time of 12 years had a history compatible with hypersensitivity in the upper airways associated to their work. Rhinomanometric investigations showed mucosal congestion in the workers with nasal discomfort and nasal clearance was pathologically slow in 54%. Histological studies revealed a high incidence of unciliated and metaplastic nasal epithelium. Skin prick tests and provocation tests with standard allergens and allergens prepared from the moulds and the wood dust in the environment showed that the wood furniture workers had an incidence of allergy to moulds in 3% and to wood dust in 2%. Most of the workers sensitive to moulds and/or woods were also skin prick sensitive to other allergens. No statistical difference concerning the presence of precipitating antibodies against mould and wood antigens could be registered between workers with discomfort and workers without symptoms.


Study of mechanism of medicine actions, by quantitative analysis of cultured cardiac myocyte, is one of the cutting edge researches in myocyte dynamics and molecular biology. The characteristics of cardiac myocyte auto-beating without external stimulation make the research sense. Research of the morphology and cardiac myocyte motion using image analysis can reveal the fundamental mechanism of medical actions, increase the accuracy of medicine filtering, and design the optimal formula of medicine for best medical treatments. A system of hardware and software has been built with complete sets of functions including living cardiac myocyte image acquisition, image processing, motion image analysis, and image recognition. In this paper, theories and approaches are introduced for analysis of living cardiac myocyte motion images and implementing quantitative analysis of cardiac myocyte features. A motion estimation algorithm is used for motion vector detection of particular points and amplitude and frequency detection of a cardiac myocyte. Beatings of cardiac myocytes are sometimes very small. In such case, it is difficult to detect the motion vectors from the particular points in a time sequence of images. For this reason, an image correlation theory is employed to detect the beating frequencies. Active contour algorithm in terms of energy function is proposed to approximate the boundary and detect the changes of edge of myocyte.


A series of new liquid crystalline homopolymers, copolymers, and block copolymers were polymerized from styrene-macroinitiator (SMi) and methacrylates with pendent 4,4′-bis(biphenyl)fluorene (M1) and biphenyl-4-ylfluorene (M2) groups through atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The number-average molecular weights (Mn) of polymers P1-P4 were 10,007, 14,852, 6,275, and 10,463 g mol−1 with polydispersity indices values of 1.21, 1.15, 1.31, and 1.22, respectively. All polymers exhibit the nematic phase. The thermal, mesogenic, and photoluminescent properties of all polymers were investigated. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4564–4572, 2007


This study qualitatively explored how readers use critical thinking to perceive leadership in The Walking Dead comic books. Sixty-nine participants gave responses regarding their thoughts about leadership in the comic via an online survey. A majority of the participants indicated a wide range of values for comics as a learning experience, regardless of education level or education and/or experience with comics studies. The most frequently mentioned value was the ability of comics to interact with teaching life lessons. Most participants perceived leadership in the comic books as an individual who protects others and makes decisions. After completing the online survey, 22 participants gave acceptable and relevant responses about their perceptions of leadership and how they form these perceptions. Information was collected through email interviewing. The study concluded that individuals did not have a process for perceiving leadership, but the central theme in identifying a leader was to simply determine who is leading, which participants defined as the individual who (a) makes decisions, (b) is imperfect/fallible, (c) takes control, and (c) protects others. Participants indicated that these perceptions were influenced by (a) the visual and verbal comics delivery, (b) the storytelling, noncomics specific, (c) personal education and experiences, and (d) real life decisions and comparisons. Critical thinking dispositions were demonstrated in the participants' perceptions of leadership, regardless of education and experience with comics, leadership, or critical thinking. The findings suggest comics can be used in the classroom to engage critical thinking when perceiving leadership.


Studies conducted over the past 20 years have found both knowledge models and affective models of drug prevention programs to be ineffective in changing adolescents' drug use. Social-Influence models have dominated school-based drug-prevention programs. This article reviews evaluation studies of programs published in the 1990s to identify significant program features that may influence the success of drug prevention education. Programs employing a social-influence model have not always been found to be effective. The results indicate that such models vary in their effectiveness depending on the substance. Reasons for limited program effectiveness are discussed along with recommendations for future programming and research.


The ultrastructure of cellular organelles involved in stylet formation is examined in six species of nemertean worms by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Stylets are nail‐shaped structures containing calcium phosphate that are assembled intracellularly in large uninucleate cells, called styletocytes. Each stylet develops within a membrane‐bound vacuole in the styletocyte cytoplasm. Well developed arrays of Golgi bodies are typically found in the vicinity of developing stylet vacuoles, and fully formed vacuoles are filled with PAS+ material that appears to be derived from the smooth endoplasmic reticulum. At the onset of styletogenesis, a conical sliver of organic material differentiates on the inner surface of the vacuolar membrane. This material displays a species‐specific banding pattern in decalcified sections, and apparently acts as a template during calcification of the stylet shaft. After the organic core of the shaft is formed, mitochondria aggregate around the stylet vacuole and presumably help accumulate the calcium used in mineralization of the stylet. A knob‐shaped proximal piece is subsequently assembled on the base of the shaft. The proximal piece contains a nonbanded matrix and has electron‐dense material at its surface that may help in correctly orienting this region toward the basis during replacement of the central stylet.


Forster's posthumously published short story about a Roman statue which comes to life in a museum can be read as an appropriation of the myth of Pygmalion in Ovid's Metamorphoses (10.243–97), the most famous example of a tale in which a statue becomes human. The Ovidian narrative frame gives homosexuality a significant role, as it is focalized through Orpheus, who rejects the many women who find him sexually attractive, and instead pursues young males (Met. 10.78–85). Ovid's classic version of the Pygmalion myth has inspired a multitude of artistic responses, most of which have downplayed homosexual undertones. This article suggests that Forster's 'The Classical Annex' offers a provocative counterpart. Forster's response to Ovid can be seen as an attempt to emphasize the homosexual aspect of an ancient myth in which homosexuality was present but marginalized, and should be read against contemporary attempts to deny the homosexual nature of love in antiquity (an issue Forster touched upon in his novel Maurice). In contrast, Forster asserts the positive homosexual nature of Classical eros and the inadequacy of some contemporary would-be 'curators' of Classical culture via his reinterpretation of a classic myth of male heterosexual desire and domination.


Inguinal hernia repair is still being studied today because it is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in the world and is used in people of all ages. Although many centers use spinal anesthetic to treat inguinal hernias, complications such as hypotension from peripheral vasodilation, delayed mobilization from paralysis, urine retention and post‐spinal headache might occur. Regional blocks are a significant component of multimodal anaesthesia that promotes postoperative recovery. Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is a regional anesthetic block technique that is effective on the parietal peritoneum, skin, and anterior abdominal wall.


A widely studied problem in communication networks is that of finding the maximum number of communication requests that can be concurrently scheduled, provided that there are at most $k$ requests that pass through any given edge of the network. In this work we consider the problem of finding the largest number of given subtrees of a tree that satisfy given load constraints. This is an extension of the problem of finding a largest induced $k$-colorable subgraph of a chordal graph (which is the intersection graph of subtrees of a tree). We extend a greedy algorithm that solves the latter problem for interval graphs, and obtain an $M$-approximation for chordal graphs where $M$ is the maximum number of leaves of the subtrees in the representation of the chordal graph. This implies a 2-approximation for \textsc{Vpt}} graphs (vertex-intersection graphs of paths in a tree), and an optimal algorithm for the class of directed path graphs (vertex-intersection graphs of paths in a directed tree) which in turn extends the class of interval graphs.
In fact, we consider a more general problem that is defined on the subtrees of the representation of chordal graphs, in which we allow any set of different bounds on the vertices and edges. Thus our algorithm generalizes the known one in two directions: first, it applies to more general graph classes, and second, it does not require the same bound for all the edges (of the representation). Last, we present a polynomial-time algorithm for the general problem where instances are restricted to paths in a star.


There is an extensive network of reinforced concrete bridges that give service to roads, highways and railways. These structures where constructed with quality standards of the past, and they suffer of severe problems. Now we consider the idea of substituting them with structural elements with much longer service life. However, there is an important question to be addressed in this area: what to do with the existing infrastructure that would be demolished. Even more if we consider environmental issues.One good example of this recurrent problem could be found in the case of the Gullspång bridge (Sweden). It was constructed in 1935 and it was severely damaged with corrosion. The administration decided in the 2016 that no further repair would be done and that the bridge would be demolished and a new erected in substitution. A fraction of the concrete from the old bridge was crushed and processed to produce new aggregate. With this aggregate, using the coarse fraction, it was analyzed the structural effect of replacing natural aggregates with these recycled aggregates. The performance of the new structural elements was positive, and it seems that a high percentage of the natural aggregates could be replaced with recycled ones.


The complex of protein O-mannosyltransferase 1 (POMT1) and POMT2 catalyzes the initial step of O-mannosyl glycan biosynthesis. The mutations in either POMT1 or POMT2 can lead to Walker-Warburg syndrome, a congenital muscular dystrophy with abnormal neuronal migration. Here, we used three algorithms for predicting transmembrane helices to construct the secondary structural models of human POMT1 and POMT2. In these models, POMT1 and POMT2 have seven- and nine-transmembrane helices and contain four and five potential N-glycosylation sites, respectively. To determine whether these sites are actually glycosylated, we prepared mutant proteins that were defective in each site by site-directed mutagenesis. Three of the POMT1 sites and all of the POMT2 sites were found to be N-glycosylated, suggesting that these sites face the luminal side of the endoplasmic reticulum. Mutation of any single site did not significantly affect POMT activity, but mutations of all N-glycosylation sites of either POMT1 or POMT2 caused a loss of POMT activity. The loss of activity appeared to be due to the decreased hydrophilicity. These results suggest that the N-glycosylation of POMT1 and POMT2 is required for maintaining the conformation as well as the activity of the POMT1-POMT2 complex.


Background and Purpose— We investigated the potential benefit of using a local infusion of low-dose and cold human albumin in ischemic rats as compared with systemic delivery. Methods— Stroke was induced in rats, and at 2 hours treatment groups received 0°C saline or low-dose albumin at 0°C or 37°C infused into the ischemic area. Results— The local low-dose cold albumin infusion, which achieved the hypothermic temperature (P<0.001), produced the greatest reduction in infarct volume and the best recovery of neurological function. Conclusions— The local low-dose cold albumin infusion into the ischemic area offered a combination of regional brain hypothermia and albumin administration, which enhanced neuroprotection and would be beneficial in the clinical setting.


Videotaping, direct observation, and biomechanical devices have been used to measure the wandering behavior of institutionalized people with dementia and to identify patterns of movement. Owing to technical limitations, the variability in movement patterns or the distance traveled could not be examined. The present study examined the feasibility of an integrated circuit tag monitoring system to monitor the movement patterns of Japanese dementia residents. This system generated the following data: the frequency of detection by each receiver, the duration of stay in each location, the cumulative distance walked per day, and the graphic display of the movement pattern. This new system offers objective measurements of ambulation in time and space, which can be used to characterize demented patients and to evaluate the effects of treatment and care.


BACKGROUND
To date, only few large studies are available concerning the safety and diagnostic concordance rates of outpatient flexible hysteroscopy. In our institution, outpatient hysteroscopy has been routinely and educationally applied Kosuke Tsuji to intrauterine lesions; thus, we retrospectively investigated the institution's outpatient flexible hysteroscopy cases.

METHODS
A total of 1591 cases of outpatient flexible hysteroscopy conducted at our institution in 2012-2016 were retrospectively analyzed in terms of their clinical background, complications and diagnostic concordance rates.

RESULTS
A total of 1591 cases included 546 cases of benign tumors (317 endometrial polyps, 168 myomas and 61 endometrial hyperplasia), 361 cases of atypical endometrial hyperplasia, 571 cases of endometrial cancers and 113 cases of other diagnoses. No major complications, including uterine perforation, occurred. However, one patient (0.06%) was diagnosed with septic shock caused by intrauterine infection that required prolonged immunosuppressive drug administration. Meanwhile, 335 patients diagnosed with benign tumors through outpatient flexible hysteroscopy underwent operation, and the diagnostic concordance rate was 74.6% (250 cases). However, this rate included 14 cases (4.2%) diagnosed with malignant tumors postoperatively. In preoperative endometrial cancer cases, the sensitivity and specificity for cervical invasion diagnosis were 39.4 and 90.8%, respectively. In addition, only one patient manifested positive ascites cytology intraoperatively, possibly caused by outpatient hysteroscopy.

CONCLUSIONS
Outpatient flexible hysteroscopy is highly safe, with a slight negligible effect on ascites cytology. However, the diagnosis should be determined by multidisciplinary approaches, as hysteroscopy alone can miss malignancy.


Several scholars have linked the growth of transnational Arab TV in the Middle East over the past decade to a rise in transnational Muslim and Arab political identification at the expense of national political identity. However, a theoretical context for understanding how media exposure may influence political identification in the Middle East at an individual level of analysis has been lacking, and to date very little quantitative evidence has been presented. Our article addresses this gap by presenting a theoretical framework for linking individual media use to political identity in the Middle East and then employing this framework to quantitatively test the association between transnational Arab TV exposure and individual political identification using a set of cross-national surveys conducted in six Middle Eastern states between 2004 and 2008. We find evidence that exposure to transnational Arab TV increases the probability of transnational Muslim and Arab political identification at the expense of national political identities, though the influence of transnational TV on identity salience varied significantly across levels of education. Theoretical implications for the role of media in political socialization and identity salience, as well as implications for American foreign policy, are discussed.


In vertebrates, a rise in intracellular free Ca2+ (Ca2+i) levels during fertilization initiates second metaphase (mII) exit and the developmental programme. The Ca2+ rise has long been considered to be crucial for development, but verifying this contribution would benefit from defining its role during fertilization. Here, we delineate the role of Ca2+ release during mII exit in wild-type mouse eggs and show that it is dispensable for full-term development. Exit from mII can be induced by Zn2+-specific sequestration without Ca2+ release, eliciting Cyclin B degradation in a manner dependent upon the proteasome pathway and intact microtubules, but not accompanied by degradation of the meiotic regulator Emi2. Parthenogenotes generated by Zn2+ sequestration developed in vitro with normal expression of Ca2+-sensitive genes. Meiotic exit induced by either Ca2+ oscillations or a single Ca2+ rise in oocytes containing a signaling-deficient sperm resulted in comparable developmental rates. In the absence of Ca2+ release, full-term development occurred ∼50% less efficiently, but at readily detectable rates, with the birth of 27 offspring. These results show in intact mouse oocytes that Zn2+ is essential for mII arrest and suggest that triggering meiotic exit is the sole indispensable developmental role of Ca2+ signaling in mammalian fertilization.


There were analyzed the conditions under which the basal glycemia and/or glucose tolerance curve is not contaminated by stress induced changes in glycide metabolism. When the basal glycemia was monitored, blood was sampled to heparinized capillaries from retrobulbar plexus under the light ether anaesthesia or by decapitation without narcosis. The animal represented the control for itself. No differences was found in basal glycemia under the two mentioned blood sampling. In the second series of experiments glycemia was monitored in the time schedule which is used in glucose tolerance test, i.e., blood sampling was performed 30, 60, 120 and 180 min after the first sampling from retrobulbar plexus either under light ether anaesthesia (in 14 h starvated rats or in rats with free access to diet) or under Nembutal anaesthesia (in 14 h starvated rats). No differences were found in glycemia when two types of narcosis is compared. No signs of augmentation were detected. In the last series when blood sampling was taken in two sec intervals, time dependent augmentation of stress glucose elevation was found. The augmentation was more expressed in the rats with free access to diet than in starvated animals.


The resistances of the horizontal cell syncytium in the vertebrate retina are modulated in a time-dependent fashion during light stimulation. Therefore, the spatial properties of horizontal cells are expected to change with time after the illumination conditions are altered. This study was designed to investigate time- and intensity-dependent changes in the receptive-field properties of L1-type horizontal cells in the turtle Mauremys caspica. Photoresponses were elicited by monochromatic (650 nm) light stimuli of 2-s duration covering retinal spots of different radii. The length constants were derived from the relationships between amplitude and spot radius that were constructed for different time intervals after onset of the light stimulus. For a given stimulus intensity, the length constant transiently increased to a peak value and then slowly recovered to a plateau level. When the length constant was compared to the amplitude of the response to full-field illumination for the entire duration of the light stimulus, an ellipse-like curve was obtained indicating that for a given membrane potential, two different values of the length constant could be obtained. Dopamine considerably reduced the size of the receptive fields but did not affect the time-dependent changes in the length constant. These results indicate that changes in the membrane resistance underlie short-term modulation of the receptive-field properties of turtle L1-type horizontal cells after onset of a light stimulus.


In this paper, we examine the problem of large-volume data dissemination via overlay networks. A natural way to maximize the throughput of an overlay multicast session is to split the traffic and feed them into multiple trees. While in single-tree solutions, bandwidth of leaf nodes may remain largely under-utilized, multi-tree solutions increase the chances for a node to contribute its bandwidth by being a relaying node in at least one of the trees. We study the following problems: (1) What is the maximum capacity multi-tree solutions can exploit from overlay networks? (2) When multiple sessions compete within the same network, what is the relationship of two contradictory goals: achieving fairness and maximizing overall throughput? (3) What is the impact of IP routing in achieving at constraining the optimal performance of overlay multicast.We extend the multicommodity flow model to the case of overlay data dissemination, where each commodity is associated with an overlay session, rather than the traditional source-destination pair. We first prove that the problem is solvable in polynomial time, then propose an ε-approximation algorithm, assuming that each commodity can be split in arbitrary ways. The solution to this problem establishes the theoretical upper bound of overall throughput that any multi-tree solution could reach. We then study the same problem with the restriction that each commodity can only be split and fed into a limited number of trees. A randomized rounding algorithm and an online tree-construction algorithm are presented. All these algorithms are evaluated by extensive simulations.


This paper provides a definition of epistemic stability of sets of strategy profiles, and uses it to characterize variants of curb sets in finite games, including the set of rationalizable strategies and minimal curb sets.


An electron diffraction apparatus has been constructed for studies at low temperature down to 4.2°K. In this apparatus, a specimen holder is attached to a bottom of a small cryostat, into which liquid helium is poured from a storage vessel through a transfer tube. The specimen temperature is controlled mainly by adjusting the flowing quantity of liquid helium and sometimes by the operations of a small electrical heater. The construction and characteristics of the apparatus are presented. Preliminary results on bismuth, gallium, Pb-12%Bi and beryllium films prepared by the low temperature condensation are also described. The present results on bismuth and gallium are different in some respects from those of a previous researcher. Correspondence between change of a state of atomic aggregate and anomalies of electrical resistance are confirmed in the cases of Pb-12%Bi and beryllium films prepared by low temperature condensation.


In this paper, the authors use an analytical model to calculate the losses in the metallized polypropylene film capacitors. The model is validated experimentally for capacitors having the same capacitance but different geometry. For each group of capacitors, a temperature distribution in the roll is assumed with the aim of optimizing its thermal performance. It appears that the heating of a long capacitor is higher than that of an equivalent flat capacitor subjected to the same electric stresses.


Background

During a pandemic, medical supplies are at increased risk of being depleted rapidly. The COVID-19 sanitary emergency has generated global shortages in critical supplies, like personal protective equipment and medicines. This study aimed to describe the pharmaceutical procurement challenges to overcome medicine shortages in a state-owned academic hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador.
Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study using secondary administrative data of documented public tenders for medicines and drug prescriptions for the critical care unit at Hospital Pablo Arturo Suárez in Quito, Ecuador. The occurrence of shortages, their frequency, and the procurement mechanisms used to overcome them were documented by the pharmacy service between January 1st and July 31th, 2020. The units purchased and unitary price of pharmaceuticals procured by the hospital was also documented and compared to data from 2019.
Results

From 38 medicines analyzed from 12 ATC groups, there were 84 shortages during the sanitary emergency period covered by the study, and 25 medicines had one or more shortages. Norepinephrine and midazolam shortages were most frequent. Retail or emergency direct purchase and loan-stock from other public hospitals were the main procurement methods to overcome the shortages. The purchase mechanism directly influenced the price. Drugs purchased in small tenders via retail or emergency direct purchase had the most significant price increase (up to 819%), while medicines acquired via the electronic catalog managed by the public procurement service experienced no price changes.
Conclusion

Monitoring and responding to drug shortages during a pandemic can be challenging, and governments must adapt quickly, providing specific guidance on how to deal with shortages.


In this paper, implementation of an integrated transformer applicable to power supply units (PSUs) for a 150-W LED with a wide range of output voltage is presented. The transformer is comprised of a PFC inductor and an LLC resonant transformer, each of which is placed and integrated on an E?I?E-type magnetic core. Integrated transformers with two different air gap topologies (i.e., the side and center gap topologies) are considered in the design phase to investigate their applicability. The design consideration on the LLC resonant converter used for the wide-output-voltage control ranges is described, and the overall performance of the proposed system is verified through realization of it onto a 150-W LED PSU board.


A screenhouse and field experiment was carried out at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, in 2016 to investigate the effect of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) on cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) using biochar as a carrier. This was to evaluate the suitability of PGPR as fertilizers, pesticides as well as soil fertility improvement. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with six treatments, replicated six times. Treatments used were Control, 40 ml biofertilizer (Bacillus thuringiensis, Pseudomonas putida and Klebsiella variicola), biofertilizer (40 ml) + biochar (40 g), biochar (40 g), 60 KgP2O5/ha Single Super Phosphate SSP and 2.5% of Lambda Cyhalothrin (Laraforce insecticide). Agronomic data were recorded and post-harvest soil analyses were carried out. The nodulation and plant heights of cowpea plants increased with the application of biofertilizer + biochar and showed about 13% and 53% increase in plant height and number of leaves respectively, over the control for the field experiment. Biofertilizer + biochar showed just about 2% decrease in the number of pods when compared with SSP which recorded the highest number. Biofertilizer + biochar treated soils recorded high microbial respiration with about 41% increase over control soils. Biochar application significantly increased the soil exchangeable K and Mg while the application of biofertilizer alone had a significant effect on Ca and the soil organic matter. The results suggest that PGPR as a potential alternative for chemical fertilizers and pesticides in cowpea production and its combination with biochar is a good technology to be adopted for soil fertility improvement.


Psychosocial stress is generally associated with adverse health behaviors and has been linked to the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Recently, an individual's sense of coherence (SOC), which is a concept that reflects the ability to cope with psychosocial stress, has been recognized as an essential component of long-term health and stress management. The association between SOC and traditional and alternative atherosclerotic markers in a community sample, however, has not been thoroughly investigated. In the present study, we evaluated stress management capability and psychological conditions using the Japanese version of the Sense of Coherence-13 (SOC-13) Scale, supplemented by the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) that screens for minor psychiatric disorders. The study subjects were 511 adults, median age 64 years (range 48-70), who participated in a regular medical screening program in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. We then correlated our findings with atherosclerotic risk factors in the same community sample, such as body mass index (BMI) and proper and regular sleeping habits. We found that close association between good stress management capability and lower BMI and/or regular sleeping habits in elderly Japanese. This provides strong evidence that BMI and sleep management are contributory to SOC. If the ability to cope with psychosocial stress is important to the prevention of CVD, then weight control and proper sleep habits must be emphasized from a psychosocial stress-management perspective as well as a physical one.


As a technology partner with NREL, Global Solar Energy (GSE) has initiated an extensive and systematic plan to accelerate the commercialization of thin-film photovoltaics (PV) based on copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS). The distinguishing feature of the GSE manufacturing process is the exclusive use of lightweight, flexible substrates. GSE has developed the technology to fabricate CIGS photovoltaics on both stainless-steel and polymer substrates. CIGS deposited on flexible substrates can be fabricated into either flexible or rigid modules. Low-cost, rigid PV panels for remote power, bulk/utility, telecommunication, and rooftop applications have been produced by affixing the flexible substrate to an inexpensive rigid panel by lamination or adhesive. Stainless-steel-based PV modules are fabricated by a novel interconnect method that avoids the use of wires or foils and soldered connections. In the case of polymer-based PV modules, the continuous roll is not sectioned into individual panels until the module buss and power leads are attached. Roll-to-roll vacuum deposition has several advantages that translate directly to reduced capital costs, greater productivity, improved yield, greater reliability, lower maintenance, and a larger volume of PV material. In combination with roll-to-roll processing, GSE has developed evaporation deposition operations that enable low-cost and high-efficiency CIGS modules. The CIGS deposition process relies heavily on effusion source technology developed at GSE, and solving numerous problems was an integral part of the source development effort. Cell interconnection for thin-film CIGS modules on a polyimide substrate presents a considerable challenge.


Piroxicam, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agent, is widely used as a first line drug in the symptomatic relief of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. One of the major problems with this drug is its very low solubility in biological fluids, which results into poor bioavailability after oral administration. Therefore, solid dispersions of piroxicam with polyethylene glycol 400 and polyvinyl pyrolidone K-30 were prepared to increase its water solubility. Solid dispersions of piroxicarn were prepared using polyethylene glycol 400 as a water soluble carrier (1:4, 1:8, 1:12, 1:16, 1:20 by weight) employing solvent evaporation method. The drug release profile was studied according to USP XXlll monograph in simulated gastric fluid. Piroxicam was released at a much higher rate from solid dispersions containing polyethylene glycol 400 and physical mixture as compared to that of pure drug powder. Faster dissolution rate was observed in 1:12 drug:carrier ratio. Physical mixture of piroxicam and polyethylene glycol 400 in a same ratio released the drug at a slower rate as compared to that of solid dispersions. Solid dispersions of piroxicam were also prepared using PVP K-30 as a water-soluble carrier (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4 and 1:5 by weight) employing solvent evaporation method. Piroxicam was released at a much higher rate from solid dispersion and physical mixture as compared to that of pure drug powder. Faster dissolution was exhibited by solid dispersion containing 1:4 ratio of drug: PVP compared to physical mixture and pure drug. The increase in dissolution rate of the drug may be due to increase of wettability, hydrophilic nature of carrier and also possibly due to reduction in drug crystalinity.


Prenatal ultrasound has concentrated on readily visible cerebral structures including head size, shape, ventricles, CSP (cavum septi pellucidi), cerebellar size/vermian presence and cisterna magna. However, apart from these easily visible structures it is important to evaluate the brain itself. Patients who initially appear to have mild isolated findings such as borderline ventriculomegaly in fact can have many more subtle findings that significantly alter prognosis and management that can be detected on detailed examination of the brain. There has been rapid evolution in imaging these foetuses, especially with neurosonography and MRI, and a revolution in understanding the underlying genetic and biochemical mechanisms. There is increasing emphasis to detect cortical abnormalities as early as possible. This article reviews development of the cerebral cortex, the classification, aetiologies and clinical manifestations of cortical disorders, normal and abnormal appearances at ultrasound and MRI, and approaches to investigation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


After more than twenty years of debate, regulatory under-enforcement and weighing overall welfare benefits against particular stakeholder concerns, the EU's third legislative package, as adopted by the Council on 29 June 2009, offers Member States a menu of regulatory futures to choose from. Even if these options were functionally equivalent in creating 'effective unbundling', their respective regulatory requirements are clearly not. Broadening the definition of unbundling may turn out to be the political price that the Commission is willing to pay for ultimately seeing its preferred model of ownership unbundling (OU) adopted across the EU. However, it is not the economic evidence supporting OU that makes it an attractive option. Rather, the regulatory burden imposed on its alternatives will cause integrated operators to consider transmission ownership a liability rather than an asset. Meanwhile regulatory diversity may persist and by negatively affecting investments and competition in energy-markets delay the attainment of the EU?s primary energy goals. To push ahead with its Single Energy Market initiative, the EU needs to 'sell' the overall efficiency of OU as a regulatory standard and limit itself to settling only those true cross-border concerns that are not sufficiently covered by existing competition rules.


The performance of chemical reactions has been enhanced immensely with surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based sensors. In this review, the principle and application of SPR sensors are introduced and summarized thoroughly. We introduce the mechanism of the SPR sensors and present a thorough summary about the optical design, including the substrate and excitation modes of the surface plasmons. Additionally, the applications based on SPR sensors are described by the Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy in plasmon-driven surface catalytic reactions and the measurement of refractive index sensing, especially.


The purpose of this study was to compare the relative severity of nausea and vomiting scores before and after initiation of treatnment regimens in end-of-life cancer patients, and secondarily to evaluate the efficacy of a combination antiemetic preparation (ABHR; lorazepam [Ativan], diphenhydramine [Benadryl], haloperidol [Haldol], and metoclopramide [Reglan] in this patient population. A retrospective analysis of antiemetic use was performed through a systematic chart review of patients with an end-of-life diagnosis of lung, pancreatic, or colorectal cancer whose medications were provided through Hospice Pharmacia. Information collected included patient age and sex; terminal diagnosis; pre- and post-antiemetic nausea and vomiting scores; and initial antiemetic choice. A total of 584 patient records were examined, and the most widely used antiemetics used were prochlorperazine, metoclopramide, and ABHR. The most prevalent diagnosis was lung cancer. All of the agents and preparations were determined to be effective as intial therapy for the management of nausea and vomiting in the end-of-life cancer patient; therefore use of these agents as first-line therapy options in this population appears to be justified. ABHR appears to be at least as efficacious as other first-line monotherapy options investigated. Despite a lack of information on the absolute bioavailability of alternative ABHR dosage forms such as suppositories and topical gels, these also appear to be efficacious and therefore are viable options in the treatment of nausea and vomiting in end-of-life cancer patients.


The authors have suggested the presence of reflux regulating the relationship between the urinary bladder and vesicoureteral segment which was called the vesico-osteal reflex (VOR). An original method of diagnostics of VOR with the help of profilometry was developed. A method of endoscopic correction of reflux was proposed with the help of glue MK-2 and KL-3 in combination with metoclopramide++ which made the treatment considerably more effective.


Flucloxacillin, a beta-lactam antibiotic of the penicillin class, is considered first line therapy for methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) in Australia. (1). At our tertiary referral hospital in the home (HITH) program, it has been prescribed in a standard dosage of 8 grams per day by continuous infusion for more than 20 years. The aim of this observational study was to characterize the pharmacokinetic profile of flucloxacillin in patients who receive continuous infusion in the HITH setting, and to undertake population pharmacokinetic analysis performed with NONMEM software by comparing various structural models. This study utilised flucloxacillin concentrations from 44 separate specimens obtained from 23 patients. Twenty-five of these were collected immediately after elastomeric device removal, representing steady-state concentrations, and the remaining 19 were each collected at least 45 minutes after device removal to determine clearance of the drug. Plasma concentrations ranged from 13 to 194 mg/L with median steady-state concentration of 51.5mg/L and inter-quartile range of 24.6 mg/L. The time-course of flucloxacillin was best described by a 1-compartment model. The best three covariates, CrCL (ΔOFV= -11.7), eGFR (ΔOFV= -5.9) and serum albumin (ΔOFV= -5.8) were found to be equivalent in terms of decreasing the OFV. CrCL was superior in explaining inter individual variability. The best model for flucloxacillin clearance was a one compartment model with CrCL as the sole covariate. The estimated population parameters were 9.5 L for volume of distribution and 8.1 L/h for flucloxacillin clearance.


I present the core principles of the "Self-Journal of Science" (SJS), an open repository as well as a new paradigm of scientific publication. Rooted in Science ethics, a full and consistent solution is proposed to address the many flaws in current systems. SJS implements an optimal peer review, which itself becomes a measurable process, and builds an objective and unfalsifiable evaluation system. In addition, it can operate at very low costs. One of the essential features of SJS is to allow every scientist to play his full role as a member of the scientific community and to be credited for all contributions – whether as author, referee, or editor. The output is the responsibility of each scientist, and no subgroup can dictate scientific policy to all. By fully opening up the process of publication, peer pressure becomes the force that drives output towards the highest quality in a virtuous self-regulating circle. SJS also provides a self-organizing and scalable solution to handle an ever-increasing number of articles.