NIKEL_AMC: Readout electronics for the NIKA2 experiment

The New Iram Kid Arrays-2 (NIKA2) instrument has recently been installed at the IRAM 30 m telescope. NIKA2 is a state-of-art instrument dedicated to mm-wave astronomy using microwave kinetic inductance detectors (KID) as sensors. The three arrays installed in the camera, two at 1.25 mm and one at 2.05 mm, feature a total of 3300 KIDs. To instrument these large array of detectors, a specifically designed electronics, composed of 20 readout boards and hosted in three microTCA crates, has been developed. The implemented solution and the achieved performances are presented in this paper. We find that multiplexing factors of up to 400 detectors per board can be achieved with homogeneous performance across boards in real observing conditions, and a factor of more than 3 decrease in volume with respect to previous generations.Comment: 21 pages; 16 figure

Trigger and readout electronics for the STEREO experiment

The STEREO experiment will search for a sterile neutrino by measuring the anti-neutrino energy spectrum as a function of the distance from the source, the ILL nuclear reactor. A dedicated electronic system, hosted in a single microTCA crate, was designed for this experiment. It performs triggering in two stages with various selectable conditions, processing and readout via UDP/IPBUS of 68 photomultiplier signals continuously digitized at 250 MSPS. Additionally, for detector performance monitoring, the electronics allow on-line calibration by driving LED synchronously with the data acquisition. This paper describes the electronics requirements, architecture and the performances achieved.Comment: Topical Workshop on Electronics for Particle Physics (TWEPP) 2015, Lisboa. 9 pages, 9 figure

In-Vitro cytotoxicity activity of Mallotus oppositifolius and Enantia polycarpa extracts against Human Foreskin Fibroblast (HFF) Cell Line

The use of plants in traditional medicine become very common nowadays throughout the world and in developing countries in particular. The current study was carried out aiming to evaluate the cytotoxicity of Mallotus oppositifolius (Geisel.) Müll.-Arg (Euphorbiaceae) and Enantia polycarpa (DC) Engl. and Diels (Annonaceae) two medicinal plants mostly used for human traditional medicine to treat diarrhea in Côte d’Ivoire on Human Foreskin Fibroblast (HFF) cells. These plants were selected after ethno-botanical investigations in southern Côte d’Ivoire. Therefore, The results proved that the ethanolic extract of Enantia polycarpa showed the biggest yield (56,4%). The 70 % éthanolic extract of Mallotus oppositifolius is not cytotoxic at 1000 µg / ml concentration, but mitogen. Our study has shown that the ethanolic extract of Mallotus oppositifolius stimulates HFF cells (131% of viability confluents cells and 156% of viability cells in division). While Enantia polycarpa seems cytotoxic on HFF cells at 1000 µg / ml concentration (36% of viability confluents cells and 55% of viability cells in division). The study revealed that the moderate use of these medicinal plants only represents a limited risk of toxicity

Decadal evolution of a very small heavily debris-covered glacier in an Alpine permafrost environment

Glacier response to climate forcing can be heterogeneous and complex, depending on glacier system characteristics. This article presents the decadal evolution of the Tsarmine Glacier (Swiss Alps), a very small and heavily debris-covered cirque glacier located in the Alpine periglacial belt. Archival aerial photogrammetry and autocorrelation of orthophotos were used to compute surface elevation, volume and geodetic mass changes, as well as horizontal displacement rates for several periods between 1967 and 2012. A GPR survey allowed us to investigate glacier thickness (15 m mean) and volume (4 × 106 m3) in 2015 and to anticipate its future evolution. Different dynamics occurred in recent decades because of the heterogeneous surface characteristics. The climate-sensitive upper debris-free zone contrasts with the progressively stagnant heavily debris-covered glacier tongue. Between 1967 and 2012, the glacier lost 1/3 of its initial volume (2 × 106 m3). The average mass balance stabilised at ~−0.3 m w.e. a −1 since 1999. Compared with other local glaciers, the Tsarmine Glacier shows a particular decadal behaviour both in time (divergence of mass balance since the 2000s) and space (inverted ablation pattern). This might be explained by the combined influence of debris cover, shadow, snow redistribution and permafrost conditions on this very small glacier

Cementless short-stem total hip arthroplasty in the elderly patient - is it a safe option?: a prospective multicentre observational study.

Due to its bone preserving philosophy, short-stem total hip arthroplasty (THA) has primarily been recommended for young and active patients. However, there may be benefits for elderly patients given a less invasive operative technique due to the short curved implant design. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical and radiological outcomes as well as perioperative complications of a calcar-guided short stem between a young (< 60 years) and a geriatric (> 75 years) population. Data were collected in a total of 5 centers, and 400 short-stems were included as part of a prospective multicentre observational study between 2010 and 2014 with a mean follow-up of 49.2 months. Preoperative femur morphology was analysed using the Dorr classification. Clinical and radiological outcomes were assessed in both groups as well as perioperative complications, rates and reasons for stem revision. No differences were found for the mean visual analogue scale (VAS) values of rest pain, load pain, and satisfaction, whereas Harris Hip Score (HHS) was slightly better in the young group. Comparing both groups, none of the radiological parameters that were assessed (stress-shielding, cortical hypertrophy, radiolucency, osteolysis) reached differences of statistical significance. While in young patients aseptic loosening is the main cause of implant failure, in the elderly group particularly postoperative periprosthetic fractures due to accidental fall have to be considered to be of high risk. The incidence of periprosthetic fractures was found to be 0% in Dorr type A femurs, whereas in Dorr types B and C fractures occurred in 2.1 and 22.2% respectively. Advanced age alone is not necessarily to be considered as contra-indications for calcar-guided short-stem THA, although further follow-up is needed. However, markedly reduced bone quality with femur morphology of Dorr type C seems to be associated with increased risk for postoperative periprosthetic fractures, thus indication should be limited to Dorr types A and B. German Clinical Trials Register; DRKS00012634 , 07.07.2017 (retrospectively registered)

Is virtual reality effective to teach prevention of surgical site infections in the operating room? study protocol for a randomised controlled multicentre trial entitled VIP Room study

INTRODUCTION: Some surgical site infections (SSI) could be prevented by following adequate infection prevention and control (IPC) measures. Poor compliance with IPC measures often occurs due to knowledge gaps and insufficient education of healthcare professionals. The education and training of SSI preventive measures does not usually take place in the operating room (OR), due to safety, and organisational and logistic issues. The proposed study aims to compare virtual reality (VR) as a tool for medical students to learn the SSI prevention measures and adequate behaviours (eg, limit movements…) in the OR, to conventional teaching. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This protocol describes a randomised controlled multicentre trial comparing an educational intervention based on VR simulation to routine education. This multicentre study will be performed in three universities: Grenoble Alpes University (France), Imperial College London (UK) and University of Heidelberg (Germany). Third-year medical students of each university will be randomised in two groups. The students randomised in the intervention group will follow VR teaching. The students randomised in the control group will follow a conventional education programme. Primary outcome will be the difference between scores obtained at the IPC exam at the end of the year between the two groups. The written exam will be the same in the three countries. Secondary outcomes will be satisfaction and students' progression for the VR group. The data will be analysed with intention-to-treat and per protocol. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has been approved by the Medical Education Ethics Committee of the London Imperial College (MEEC1920-172), by the Ethical Committee for the Research of Grenoble Alpes University (CER Grenoble Alpes-Avis-2019-099-24-2) and by the Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University (S-765/2019). Results will be published in peer-reviewed medical journals, communicated to participants, general public and all relevant stakeholders

The risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy in patients with cancer-associated thrombosis:a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The optimal duration of anticoagulation in patients with active cancer and venous thromboembolism (VTE) is unknown. Current clinical guidelines advocate anticoagulant therapy for 3–6 months and to continue anticoagulant therapy for as long as the cancer is active. However, an adequate systematic review on the rate of recurrent VTE after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy has not been performed. Methods: For this systemic review and meta-analysis, we searched Embase.com, Medline (Ovid), Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, from database inception to February 16, 2023, for studies on anticoagulant therapy in patients with cancer and the recurrence of venous thromboembolism after discontinuation of this therapy. We included randomised controlled trials and cohort studies published in English that reported on patients who met the following: cancer and a first VTE, completed at least 3 months of anticoagulant therapy, were followed after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy, and with symptomatic recurrent VTE as an outcome during follow-up. Study-level data were requested from study authors. The primary outcome was the rate of recurrent VTE after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy. A Bayesian random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the rate of recurrent VTE per 100 person-years for the pooled studies at different time intervals after discontinuation of anticoagulation therapy. We also calculated the cumulative VTE recurrence rate at different time intervals. Forest plots were mapped and the results were summarized by the median and 95% credible interval (CIs). This study was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42021249060. Findings: Of 3856 studies identified in our search, 33 studies were identified for inclusion. After requesting study-level data, 14 studies involving 1922 patients with cancer-associated thrombosis were included. The pooled rate of recurrent VTE per 100 person-years after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy was 14.6 events (95% credible interval 6.5–22.8) in the first three months, decreasing to 1.1 events (95% CI 0.3–2.1) in year 2–3, and 2.2 events (95% CI 0.0–4.4) in year 3–5 after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy. The cumulative VTE recurrence rate was 28.3% (95% CI 15.6–39.6%) at 1 year; 31.1% (95% CI 16.5–43.8%) at 2 years; 31.9% (95% CI 16.8–45.0%) at 3 years; and 35.0% (95% CI 16.8–47.4%) at 5 years after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy. Interpretation: This meta-analysis demonstrates a high rate of recurrent VTE over time after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy in patients with cancer-associated thrombosis. Our results support the current clinical guidelines to continue anticoagulant therapy in patients with active cancer. Funding: Erasmus MC.</p

The risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy in patients with cancer-associated thrombosis:a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The optimal duration of anticoagulation in patients with active cancer and venous thromboembolism (VTE) is unknown. Current clinical guidelines advocate anticoagulant therapy for 3–6 months and to continue anticoagulant therapy for as long as the cancer is active. However, an adequate systematic review on the rate of recurrent VTE after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy has not been performed. Methods: For this systemic review and meta-analysis, we searched Embase.com, Medline (Ovid), Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, from database inception to February 16, 2023, for studies on anticoagulant therapy in patients with cancer and the recurrence of venous thromboembolism after discontinuation of this therapy. We included randomised controlled trials and cohort studies published in English that reported on patients who met the following: cancer and a first VTE, completed at least 3 months of anticoagulant therapy, were followed after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy, and with symptomatic recurrent VTE as an outcome during follow-up. Study-level data were requested from study authors. The primary outcome was the rate of recurrent VTE after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy. A Bayesian random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the rate of recurrent VTE per 100 person-years for the pooled studies at different time intervals after discontinuation of anticoagulation therapy. We also calculated the cumulative VTE recurrence rate at different time intervals. Forest plots were mapped and the results were summarized by the median and 95% credible interval (CIs). This study was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42021249060. Findings: Of 3856 studies identified in our search, 33 studies were identified for inclusion. After requesting study-level data, 14 studies involving 1922 patients with cancer-associated thrombosis were included. The pooled rate of recurrent VTE per 100 person-years after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy was 14.6 events (95% credible interval 6.5–22.8) in the first three months, decreasing to 1.1 events (95% CI 0.3–2.1) in year 2–3, and 2.2 events (95% CI 0.0–4.4) in year 3–5 after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy. The cumulative VTE recurrence rate was 28.3% (95% CI 15.6–39.6%) at 1 year; 31.1% (95% CI 16.5–43.8%) at 2 years; 31.9% (95% CI 16.8–45.0%) at 3 years; and 35.0% (95% CI 16.8–47.4%) at 5 years after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy. Interpretation: This meta-analysis demonstrates a high rate of recurrent VTE over time after discontinuation of anticoagulant therapy in patients with cancer-associated thrombosis. Our results support the current clinical guidelines to continue anticoagulant therapy in patients with active cancer. Funding: Erasmus MC.</p

Gendered self-views across 62 countries: A test of competing models

Social role theory posits that binary gender gaps in agency and communion should be larger in less egalitarian countries, reflecting these countries’ more pronounced sex-based power divisions. Conversely, evolutionary and self-construal theorists suggest that gender gaps in agency and communion should be larger in more egalitarian countries, reflecting the greater autonomy support and flexible self-construction processes present in these countries. Using data from 62 countries (N = 28,640), we examine binary gender gaps in agentic and communal self-views as a function of country-level objective gender equality (the Global Gender Gap Index) and subjective distributions of social power (the Power Distance Index). Findings show that in more egalitarian countries, gender gaps in agency are smaller and gender gaps in communality are larger. These patterns are driven primarily by cross-country differences in men’s self-views and by the Power Distance Index (PDI) more robustly than the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI). We consider possible causes and implications of these findings.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio