The Bonebridge system – Our clinical experience /Case report/

Introduction: Bone conduction implants are a standard treatment option for patients with conductive or mixed, hearing loss. The Bonebridge system was introduced by MED-EL in 2012, and two years after its debut, it was used in more than 200 centers worldwide (6). For the first time the Bonebridge system was implanted in Bulgaria in 2015 by associated professor P. Rouev. The main audiological criteria for placement is conductive hearing loss, which is caused by atresia of the auditory canal or diseases of the middle ear with preserved bone conduction (below 45 dB), as well as unilateral hearing loss above 70 dB (contralateral hearing loss not more than 20 dB). The system does not penetrate the skin and consists of an internal part - an implant, which is placed completely under the skin, and an external part - a processor. The acoustic signal from the environment is transformed into mechanical vibrations that are transmitted to the mastoid bone. The expected results are an improved hearing threshold and better hearing in noisy environments.Methods: Our clinical experience with the Bonebridge system is based on three operated patients aged between 56 and 73 years. All three patients had evidence of bilateral conductive hearing loss. Here we present one of these cases.Results: Test results showed significant improvement in hearing sensitivity especially in frequencies round 1000 Hz.Conclusions: Bone conduction implants such as the Bonebridge system are an excellent treatment option for patients with bilateral conductive deafness. Bonebridge has good hearing results, relative simplicity, and low rate of complications. Experience has shown that the Bonebridge system is easy to use and highly reliable. The use of Bonebridge conduction implant system leads to a significant improvement in the quality of life

Дуготрајне промене трофије у бугарско-румунском делу Дунава и околних мочвара на територији бугарске током њене рестаурације

Based mainly on literature data and results of the monitoring program of the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water, the long-term changes of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), suspended solids and chlorophyll-concentrations in the Bulgarian–Romanian section of the Lower Danube during the period 1950–2014 were studied. The addition of more recent data from years 2008–2014 revealed stable lowering with values of PO4 3- concentrations close to those reported in the earliest 1962–1965 interval. The calculated load of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) showed a continuous but not significant decrease, while the PO4-P load dropped at the end of the 1950–2014 period to the values of its beginning. These changes of nitrogen and phosphorus led to a substantial shift of the N P-1 ratio towards phosphorus limitation of phytoplankton growth in the 2008–2014 period. The second part of the paper presented and analyzed the process of restoration of wetlands on the example of Srebarna Lake. The primary goal of this restoration was to sustain the valuable biodiversity supported by this lake, but as a wetland it should provide also most other services, one of which was nutrient removal. The monitoring of lake restoration started in 1990 and lasted with gaps until 2015. The main force driving the changes of other lake characteristics was the lake water level. Thus the lake water level correlated positively with water column transparency and negatively with chlorophyll-a, phytoplankton biovolume and the share of blue-greens from it. Since 1994 only one canal connected the lake with the Danube River, which seemed to be the reason for the limited success of the wetland restoration.На основу, пре свега, података из литературе и резултата програма праћења Министарства за животну средину и воде Бугарске, проучене су дугорочне промене нутријената (азота и фосфора), суспендованих чврстих честица и концентрација хлорофила у бугарско-румунском делу доњег тока Дунава током периода 1950–2014. године. Анализом и скоријих података за године 2008–2014, регистровано је стабилно снижавање са вредностима концентрација PO4 3- близу онима које су забележене у најранијем интервалу – у годинама 1962–1965. Израчунатo оптерећење раствореног неорганског азота (DIN) показало је стално, али не значајно смањење, док је оптерећење PO4-P пало крајем периода 1950–2014. на вредности са почетка. Те промене азота и фосфора довеле су до значајне промене показатеља N P-1 ка фосфорном ограничењу раста фитопланктона у периоду 2008–2014. године. У другом делу рада представљен је и анализиран процес санације мочварних подручја на примеру језера Сребарна. Главни циљ санације јесте одржавање вредног биодиверзитета који подржава то језеро; међутим, као мочварно подручје, оно треба да пружи и већину других услуга, које укључују, између осталог, уклањање нутријената. Праћење санације језера почело је 1990. и с прекидима трајало до 2015. године. Главни покретач промена других карактеристика језера био је ниво воде у језеру. Постојала је позитивна корелација између нивоа воде у језеру и прозирности воденог стуба и негативна корелација са хлорофилом а, биозапремином фитопланктона и уделом њихових плавозелених облика. Од 1994. године, само један канал повезује језеро са Дунавом, што вероватно представља разлог ограниченог успеха санације мочварног подручја.8. Конференција академија подунавске региј

Device applications of epitaxial graphene on silicon carbide

Graphene has become an extremely hot topic due to its intriguing material properties allowing for ground-breaking fundamental research and applications. It is one of the fastest developing materials during the last several years. This progress is also driven by the diversity of fabrication methods for graphene of different specific properties, size, quantity and cost. Graphene grown on SiC is of particular interest due to the possibility to avoid transferring of free standing graphene to a desired substrate while having a large area SiC (semi-insulating or conducting) substrate ready for device processing. Here, we present a review of the major current explorations of graphene on SiC in electronic devices, such as field effect transistors (FET), radio frequency (RF) transistors, integrated circuits (IC), and sensors. The successful role of graphene in the metrology sector is also addressed. Typical examples of graphene on SiC implementations are illustrated and the drawbacks and promises are critically analyzed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Funding Agencies|European Union [604391]; Swedish Research Council [VR 621-2014-5805]; LiU Linnaeus Grant</p

Alcohol and Acetaldehyde in African Fermented Milk Mursik

BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer is unusually frequent in western Kenya, despite the low prevalence of classical risk factors such as heavy drinking and tobacco smoking. Among Kenyans consumption of fermented milk is an old tradition. Our hypothesis is that alcohol and acetaldehyde are produced during the fermentation process and that their carcinogenic potential contributes to the high incidence of esophageal cancer. METHODS: Eight samples of mursik milk starter cultures were collected from different Kalenjin families in the Rift Valley province, Western Kenya. A protocol provided by the families was used for milk fermentation. Ethanol and acetaldehyde levels were measured by gas chromatography. The microbial flora in starter cultures was identified by 16S and 18S sequencing. RESULTS: 7/8 starter cultures produced mutagenic (>100 µM) levels of acetaldehyde and 4/8 starter cultures produced >1000 µM of acetaldehyde. The highest alcohol levels (mean 79.4 mM) were detected in the four fermented milks with highest acetaldehyde production. The mean number of microbial species in the starter cultures was 5 (range 2–8). Yeasts were identified in all starter cultures (mean 1.5 species/milk) but their proportion of the total microbial count varied markedly (mean 35%, range 7–90%). A combination of yeast and lactobacilli, especially Candida krusei with Lactobacillus kefiriwith the exclusion of other species, seemed to correlate with higher acetaldehyde and ethanol levels. CONCLUSIONS: Significant levels of ethanol and acetaldehyde were produced during mursik fermentation. IMPACT: When ingested several times daily the repeated exposure to carcinogenic levels of acetaldehyde may contribute to esophageal carcinogenesis

Caracterização físico-química e sensorial de kefir tradicional e derivados

Avaliaram-se diferentes populações de grãos de kefir tradicional e de seus derivados, o kefir, o kefir leban e o soro de kefir, quanto às características físico-químicas e sensoriais, quando inoculados em diferentes concentrações de leite padronizado, levando-se em consideração as variáveis tempo/temperatura de incubação, maturação e filtração. A manipulação da população de grãos de kefir foi eficaz na obtenção de produtos com características físico-químicas semelhantes. O volume de leite utilizado na incubação influenciou significativamente as características dos derivados. A avaliação sensorial de antepastos elaborados a partir de kefir leban, condimentados, apresentou boa aceitabilidade