2D Hybrid method:Case of VLF signal amplitude variations in the time vicinity of an earthquake

Extraction of information in the form of oscillations from noisy data of natural phenomena such as sounds, earthquakes, ionospheric and brain activity, and various emissions from cosmic objects is extremely difficult. As a method for finding periodicity in such challenging data sets, the 2D Hybrid approach, which employs wavelets, is presented. Our technique produces a wavelet transform correlation intensity contour map for two (or one) time series on a period plane defined by two independent period axes. Notably, by spreading peaks across the second dimension, our method improves apparent resolution of detected oscillations in the period plane and identifies the direction of signal changes using correlation coefficients. We demonstrate the performance of the 2D Hybrid technique on a very low frequency (VLF) signal emitted in Italy and recorded in Serbia in time vicinity of the occurrence of an earthquake on November 3, 2010, near Kraljevo, Serbia. We identified a distinct signal in the range 120-130 s that appears only in association with the considered earthquake. Other wavelets, such as Superlets, which may detect fast transient oscillations, will be employed in the future analysis.Comment: published in Mathematics MDP

A System for 3D Ultrasound-Guided Robotic Retrieval of Foreign Bodies from a Beating Heart

Abstract²By way of the venous system or direct penetration, particles such as thrombi, bullet fragments, and shrapnel can become trapped in the heart and disrupt cardiac function. The severity of disruption can range from asymptomatic to fatal. Injuries of this nature are common in both civilian and military populations. For symptomatic cases, the conventional approach is removal of the foreign body through open heart surgery, which comes with high perioperative risks and a long recovery period. To circumvent these disadvantages, we propose a minimally invasive surgical approach for retrieving foreign bodies from a beating heart. This paper describes the first use of 3D transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for steering a robot. Experiments demonstrate the feasibility of using 3D ultrasound to both guide and track a robot as it pursues a foreign body, with an RMS error of 1.6 mm in a laboratory setup. Results also support the hypothesis that direct pursuit of the foreign body may exceed the capabilities of conventional surgical robots, necessitating alternate retrieval strategies

Tratamento com estimulação elétrica funcional para facilitação da recuperação motora em paciente com acidente cerebrovascular subagudo

Objective: To determine the efficacy of a Functional Electrical Therapy (FET) protocol administered to a patient with subacute stroke. Case description: A 67-year-old right handed man who had infarct in left occipital and frontoparietal regions 6 months before study entry and who exhibited high motivation to get full arm power and fine control of fingers of the affected upper limb. Intervention: Thirty minutes of FET 5 times a week for 3 weeks (7 ½ hours in total) in addition to conventional physiotherapy. Main Outcome Measures: The Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), the Upper Extremity Function Test (UEFT), Motor Activity Log (MAL), The Brunnstrom’s 6 stages, the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Results: The patient exhibited substantial improvements on the UEFT and MAL amount scores. He specifically improved in the writing task by getting better fingers control and in ability of controlling heavy objects. Also, his active range of motion (ROM) of proximal muscles increased, although electrical stimulation was applied to distal muscles only. Quality of overall arm use improved, as measured by the MAL how well score. Conclusions: FET may be an efficacious method for improving function and use of the affected arms of subacute stroke patients with high motivation for specific tasks.Objetivo: Determinar a eficácia de um protocolo de Tratamento com Estimulação Elétrica Funcional (FET) administrado a um paciente com acidente cerebrovascular subagudo.Descrição do Caso: Paciente destro, 67 anos, sexo masculino, que sofreu infarto nas regiões occipital esquerda e frontoparietal 6 meses antes de sua admissão neste estudo e que demonstrou grau elevado de motivação para recuperar plenamente a força do braço e o controle adequado dos dedos do membro superior afetado. Intervenção: Trinta minutos de FET, 5 vezes por semana durante 3 semanas (7 ½ horas no total) além da fisioterapia convencional. Principais Medidas de Avaliação de Resultados: A Escala Modificada de Ashworth (MAS), o teste de funcionalidade das extremidades dos membros superiores (UEFT), o Registro de Atividade Motora (MAL), O teste de 6 fases de Brunnstrom, a Medida de Independência Funcional (MIF). Resultados: O paciente apresentou melhora bastante significativa nas escalas quantitativas UEFT e MAL. Ele melhorou de forma específica na atividade de escrever ao obter melhor controle dos dedos e na capacidade de controlar objetos pesados. Também, observou-se o aumento da amplitude ativa de movimento (ROM) dos músculos proximais, embora a estimulação elétrica tenha sido aplicada apenas aos músculos distais. Houve uma melhora na qualidade geral da utilização do braço, conforme mensurado pela escala qualitativa MAL. Conclusões: A terapia com Estimulação Elétrica Funcional (FET) em pacientes com acidente cerebrovascular subagudo com alta motivação para tarefas específicas pode ser um método eficaz para a melhora do funcionamento e da utilização dos braços afetados

Effects of n-3 Fatty Acids Supplementation on Plasma Phospholipids Fatty Acid Composition in Patients with Obstructive Jaundice- a Pilot Study

Nutritional and immunological status of patients with obstructive jaundice is usually severely altered, with high mortality rates. The n-3 polyunsaturate fatty acids (PUFA), particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 n-3), posess potent immunomodulatory activities. Thus, our aim was to compare the plasma phospholipid fatty acid (FA) composition of these patients with healthy subjects, as well as before and after 7 days preoperative supplementation with high doses of EPA (0.9 g per day) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 n-3, 0.6 g per day). We found impaired FA status in obstructive jaundice patients, especially EPA, DHA and PUFA, but significantly increased content of total n-3 FA, 22:5 n-3 FA and particularly EPA, which increased more than 3 fold, after 7 days supplementation. In addition, the n6/n3 ratio significantly decreased from 14.24 to 10.24, demonstrating severely improved plasma phospholipid profile in these patients after the intervention

LC-MS/MS određivanje ostataka pesticida u višnjama

The MRM for the determination of acetamiprid, dimethoate, carbendazim, pyraclostrobin, propiconazole and tebuconazole in sour cherries was done by LC-MS/MS. Propiconazole was detected in two samples above the MRL while all the other pesticide derections were belowe the established values.LC-MS/MS je korišćen u MRM određivanja ostataka acetamiprida, dimetoata, karbendazima, piraklostrobina, propikonazola i tebukonazola u uzorcima višanja. Propikonazol je detektovan u dva uzorka iznad MDK, dok su sve ostale detekcije bile ispod propisanih vrednosti

Soluble ST2 levels and left ventricular structure and function in patients with metabolic syndrome

Background: A biomarker that is of great interest in relation to adverse cardiovascular events is soluble ST2 (sST2), a member of the interleukin family. Considering that metabolic syndrome (MetS) is accompanied by a proinflammatory state, we aimed to assess the relationship between sST2 and left ventricular (LV) structure and function in patients with MetS. Methods: A multicentric, cross-sectional study was conducted on180 MetS subjects with normal LV ejection fraction as determined by echocardiography. LV hypertrophy (LVH) was defined as an LV mass index greater than the gender-specific upper limit of normal as determined by echocardiography. LV diastolic dysfunction (DD) was assessed by pulse-wave and tissue Doppler imaging. sST2 was measured by using a quantitative monoclonal ELISA assay. Results: LV mass index (β=0.337, P<0 .001, linear regression) was independently associated with sST2 concentrations. Increased sST2 was associated with an increased likelihood of LVH [Exp (B)=2.20, P=0.048, logistic regression] and increased systolic blood pressure [Exp (B)=1.02, P=0.05, logistic regression]. Comparing mean sST2 concentrations (adjusted for age, body mass index, gender) between different LV remodeling patterns, we found the greatest sST2 level in the group with concentric hypertrophy. There were no differences in sST2 concentration between groups with and without LV DD. Conclusions: Increased sST2 concentration in patients with MetS was associated with a greater likelihood of exhibiting LVH. Our results suggest that inflammation could be one of the principal triggering mechanisms for LV remodeling in MetS

Populacioni atributi Apodemus Agrarius Pallas 1771 u fragmentiranim staništima

The aim of the study is to present the population attributes: population density, sex ratio and age groups in striped field mouse populations at small areas of fragmented habitats. During an one-year study, 108 individuals were captured: 58 females and 50 males. The highest population density was found in the spring in the agroecosystem, and the lowest in the summer in the meadow ecosystem. The highest value of the sex index was calculated for the forest ecosystem in the spring. The highest numbers in all ecosystems and in all periods of study have had specimens of the medium reproductive period, which could be explained by an active search for food, partner or shelter.Cilj rada je da prikaže populacione atribute: gustinu, odnos polova i starosne grupe u populacijama prugastog miša u fragmentiranim staništima na malim površinama. Tokom jednogodišnjeg istraživanja izlovljeno je 108 jedinki, 58 ženki i 50 mužjaka. Najveća gustina populacije konstatovana je tokom prolećnog aspektu u agroekosistemu, a najmanja tokom letnjeg u livadskom ekosistemu. Najviša vrednost seksualnog indeksa izračunata je za šumski ekosistem u prolećnom aspektu. Najveću brojnost u svim ekosistemima i svim periodima ispitivanja imale su jedinke srednjeg reproduktivnog perioda, što se može objasniti aktivnom potragom za hranom, partnerom ili skloništem

Eating Habits and Body-weights of Students of the University of Belgrade, Serbia: A Cross-sectional Study

The purpose of this survey was to quantify the prevalence of overweight and obesity among a sample of students in Belgrade University, Serbia and to describe their main eating habits. A total of 1,624 questionnaire responses were analyzed (response rate 97.3%). The students were recruited during mandatory annual check-ups in April-June 2009. All subjects completed the questionnaire; height (in cm) and weight (in km) were measured by two physicians. Results were assessed statistically. Almost every fourth male student was overweight. Strikingly, 15% of female students were underweight. Highly-significant difference was found between average body mass index (BMI) of male and female students (F=317.8, p=0.001). Students\u2019 BMI did not correlate with average family income or with the frequency of taking breakfast (p=-0.064, p=0.152 for males and \u3c1=0.034, p=0.282 for females respectively). There is a growing demand for global health strategies which would encourage healthy body-image and figure; thus, these initiatives should mobilize the society on a national and international level