Advantage of four-electrode over two-electrode defibrillators

Defibrillation is the standard clinical treatment used to stop ventricular fibrillation. An electrical device delivers a controlled amount of electrical energy via a pair of electrodes in order to reestablish the normal heart rate. We propose a new technique that is a combination of biphasic shocks applied with a four-electrode system rather than the standard two-electrode system. We use a numerical model of a one-dimensional ring of cardiac tissue in order to test and evaluate the benefit of such a new technique. We compare three different shock protocols, namely, a monophasic and two types of biphasic shocks. The results obtained by using a four-electrode system are compared quantitatively with those obtained with the standard two-electrode system. We find that a huge reduction in defibrillation threshold is achieved with the four-electrode system. For the most efficient protocol (asymmetric biphasic), we obtain a reduction in excess of 80 % in the energy required for a defibrillation success rate of 90 %. The mechanisms of successful defibrillation are also analyzed. This reveals that the advantage of asymmetric biphasic shocks with four electrodes lies in the duration of the cathodal and anodal phase of the shock

Effects of induced maternal hypothyroidism on the ovarian development of offspring rats

The effects of propylthyouracil (PTU) induced hypothyroidism of rats during pregnancy and lactation on offspring ovarian development and maturation were studied. Thyroid hormones and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations were determined using the radioimmunoassay method in order to verify the hypothyroid status of treated mothers and their two months old pups. The ovaries of the offspring were processed for light microscopy analysis on the day of the first estrus after the 60th day of age. Histological analysis including follicle count was performed on serial sections stained with haematoxyline/eosin and on semithin sections stained with methylene blue. A significant increase of serum TSH and decrease in T3 and T4 levels was observed in treated mothers compared to controls. The levels of measured hormones in the control and PTU-treated two months old rats were not significantly different. Ten percent of 60-dayold treated females did not reach estrus and they were sacrificed in diestrus. The secondary interstitial cells were the dominant structures in the ovaries. The number of healthy growing and early antral follicles was markedly decreased. Ovaries of treated rats contained relatively few antral follicles, significantly more atretic antral follicles and a decreased number of corpora lutea, compared to controls. These results indicate that lack of thyroid hormones during prenatal and early postnatal development impair ovarian development in rats. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 175061

New data on hoverfly diversity (Insecta: Diptera: Syrphidae) of the special nature reserve the Obedska bara marsh (ramsar site in Serbia)

Hoverflies are well-investigated insects group on Obedska bara Marsh due to long-term investigations carried out by a scientific team from Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Serbia (Vujić et al., 1998). After 15 years, monitoring of biodiversity in this Ramsar site is continued by scientific project 1770 of Ministry of Science and Environmental Protection Republic of Serbia. Based on new investigations and current nomenclature changes, the following results were obtained: record of Eupeodes goeldlini Mazánek, Láska et Bičik, 1999 is the first for Serbia, nine species were recorded for the first time for Obedska bara Marsh, seven species were replaced by recently established junior synonyms and three were excluded from the faunal list of Obedska bara Marsh. These data complete the list of 93 hoverfly species registered on Obedska bara Marsh

POVEZANOST RAČUNALNE ANALIZE SLIKE S JAČINOM GLUTENA PŠENICE

The objective of this study was to determine bread slice medium part properties in relation to quality parameters with a focus on gluten strength. Since sensory evaluation of bread is time consuming, expensive and subjective in nature, computerized image analysis was applied as objective method of bread crumb quality evaluation. Gluten Index method was applied as fast and reliable tool for defining gluten strength of wheat. Significant (P90) Ana, Demetra, Klara, Srpanjka and Divana have shown trend to give unequal and bigger crumb grains while cultivars Golubica, Barbara, Žitarka, Kata and Sana with optimal gluten strength (GI= 60-90) have shown finer and uniform crumb grain.Cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi povezanost parametara izgleda sredine kruha i kakvoće pšenice, s naglaskom na jačinu glutena. Budući da je senzorska procjena kruha vremenski zahtjevna, skupa i relativno subjektivna, u procjeni izgleda sredine kruha korištena je računalna analiza slike kao objektivna metoda. Jačina glutena pšenice određena je brzom i pouzdanom gluten indeks metodom. Statistički značajna (p90), Anu, Demetru, Klaru, Srpanjku i Divanu, karakterizira neujednačena poroznost sredine kruha s velikim šupljinama, za razliku od kultivara Golubice, Barbare, Žitarke, Kate i Sane s optimalnom vrijednošću gluten indeksa (GI= 60-90), čija je poroznost, s obzirom na manje šupljine, bila ujednačenija

ZNAČAJ VISOKOMOLEKULARNIH PODJEDINICA GLUTENINA U PROCJENI KAKVOĆE PŠENICE

High-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) composition was analyzed by sodium-dodecyl-sulfat-polyacrilamid-gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), while the quantitative determination of total HMW-GS was obtained by reversed phase- high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Considering HMW-GS composition, the most frequent subunits at Glu-A1 locus were N, at Glu-B1 locus 7+9 and at Glu-D1 locus 2+12. The cultivars with the GS 5+10 at Glu-D1 locus have shown better technological characteristics in contrast to cultivars with the GS 2+12. The cultivars Žitarka, Srpanjka, Barbara, Klara and Golubica in spite of presence HMW-GS 2+12 have shown very good and good technological properties because they had optimal proportions (>10%) of total HMW-GS. The results of the linear correlation analysis between quality parameters and HMW-GS composition have shown significant (P10%) ukupnih HMW-GS. Rezultati linearne korelacije između parametara kakvoće i sastava HMW-GS pokazali su značajan (p<0,05) pozitivan utjecaj HMW-GS (Glu-1 bodovi) na sedimentacijsku vrijednost (r=0,55), gluten indeks (r=0,72), energiju tijesta (r=0,61), maksimalni otpor (r=0,64), te omjera otpora i rastezljivosti tijesta (r=0,58). U odnosu na sastav HMW-GS, njihovi udjeli pokazuju značajniji utjecaj na udio proteina (r=0,82), vrijeme razvoja tijesta (r=0,70), stupanj omekšanja (r=-0,90), energiju tijesta (r=0,74) i na volumen kruha (r=0,65)

Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Ectopic Pregnancy

During the period from 1995 to 1999, 64 patients were treated for ectopic pregnancy. All patients admitted to the department passed the same procedure including (complete preoperative laboratory findings, Beta HCG, serum progesterone and transvaginal colour Doppler). In patients who had ultrasound finding typical for ectopic pregnancy in combination with positive Beta HCG, conservative treatment was primarily done. In the rest of the patients, Beta HCG was tested every second day and in combination with the clinical and vaginosonographical findings the patients underwent diagnostic or operative laparoscopy. Out of 64 patients 36 had visible ectopic pregnancy when admitted to the clinical department. Three patients had no visible ectopic pregnancy neither at the time of their admission to the department nor at the time of laparoscopy. One of them had cervical pregnancy and the other two had pregnancies in the uterine part of the tube. The patient with cervical pregnancy was treated with metrotrexat (MTX) 12 mg daily in 5 doses. One patient with cornual pregnancy was treated with high doses of oxytocin infusion in combination with MEB intravenously 3x1 amp. The other patient with cornual pregnancy underwent laparoscopy with cornual resection and salpingectomy. Four of other tubar pregnancies were treated with metrotrexat 12mg/day for 5 days. Other ectopic pregnancies were treated as follows: 36 laparoscopic salpingectomies, 10 laparoscopic salpingotomies with ovum expression, 9 adnexectomies by laparotomy, and 2 laparoscopic adnexectomies

Epidemiologic characteristics of campylobacteriosis in hospitalized patients

Među 1632 bolesnika s kampilobakteriozom hospitalizirana od 1994.–2002. godine, nije utvrđen porast udjela kampilobakterioza u odnosu na sve druge uzročnike proljeva (p=0,333), niti u odnosu na salmoneloze (p=0,751), te je utvrđen porast bolesnika s C. jejuni (71,7%) u odnosu na one s C. coli (28,3%) infekcijom (p<0,001). Najviše je bolesnika u dobnoj skupini mlađih od tri godine (38,5 %), zatim u skupini 18–29 g. (9,9 %). Mu{karci prevladavaju u svim dobnim skupinama, osim u najstarijoj (≥60 g.) (p<0,001). Značajno najveći broj bolesnika je hospitaliziran u toplijim mjesecima godine; 14,3% bolesnika s C. jejuni tijekom lipnja, a po 11,5 % bolesnika s C. coli u lipnju i kolovozu (p<0,001). U skupinama seoskog, prigradskog i gradskog stanovništva je omjer bolesnika s C. jejuni i C. coli infekcijom podjednak (p=0,289). Bolest se u 83,9% bolesnika javila sporadično, a u 13,1% bolesnika nakon putovanja. Pohađanje kolektiva se pokazalo značajnim u odnosu na epidemijski oblik pojavnosti bolesti (p<0,001).Among 1632 patients with campylobacteriosis hospitalized in the period from 1994–2002, we did not record an increase in the ratio of campylobacteriosis compared to all other causative agents of diarrhoeal diseases (p=0.333), nor in comparison to salmonelloses (p=0.751), but a significant increase in the number of C. jejuni (71.7%) compared to C. coli infections (28.3 %) was noticed (p<0.001). The majority of patients belonged to age group of three years and younger (38.5 %), and to 18 –29 years group (9.9 %), respectively. Males predominated in all age groups, except in the oldest one (≥60 years) (p<0.001). Significantly highest number of patients was hospitalized during warm months of the year; 14.3% patients with C. jejuni infection during June, and 11.5 % of patients with C. coli infection in both June and August (p<0.001). In the groups of rural and urban population, the difference in the ratio between C. jejuni and C. coli infections was not recorded (p=0.289). The disease appeared in 83.9% of patients sporadically, and in 13.1% after travelling. Community setting was a significant factor in epidemic pattern of the disease (p<0.001)

Clinical characteristic of campylobacteriosis in hospitalised patients

Bolest izazavana gram-negativnim bakterijama iz roda Campylobacter u ljudi najčešće prolazi kao akutna proljevna bolest u trajanju do tjedan dana. Komplikacije bolesti su rijetke, a najznačajnije su među njima sepsa, bakterijemija s vancrijevnim žarištima zaraze, septički pobačaj, te imunološki uvjetovan Guillain-Barréov sindrom. Među 1632 bolesnika s kampilobakteriozom hospitalizirana od 1994.–2002. godine analizom pojedinih kliničkih parametara logističkom regresijom uočeno je značajno duže trajanje proljeva u bolesnika zaraženih s C. jejuni (p = 0,014, OR 1,06, 95 % CI 1,01–1,11). Komplikacije bolesti su zabilježene u 4,6 % bolesnika, a smrtni ishod ili naknadna hospitalizacija zbog Guillain-Barréovog sindroma u klinikama zagrebačkog područja nisu u njih zabilježeni. S učestalošću od 7,2 % komplikacije su bile značajno češće u dobnoj skupini mlađih od tri godine (p = 0,010). Odgovarajućim antimikrobnim lijekom je liječeno 78,7 %, neodgovarajućim antimikrobnim lijekom 6,7 %, a simptomatski 14,6 % bolesnika. Kliničke osobine u naših bolesnika s kampilobakteriozom ne odudaraju znatnije od onih opisanih u populacijama razvijenih zemalja. Kao osobitost bilježi se česta primjena antimikrobnog liječenja, a azitromicin, kojeg je dobijalo 46,4 % bolesnika liječenih odgovarajućim antimikrobnim lijekom, je najčešće primjenjivani lijek.Diseases caused by gram-negative bacteria from genus Campylobacter in humans are most often presented as an acute diarrhoeal illness, which lasts up to seven days. Complications are rare, and among them the most important are: sepsis, bacteremia with extraintestinal sites of infection, septic abortion, and immunologically triggered Guillain-Barré syndrome. Among 1632 hospitally treated patients in the period from 1994–2002, the analysis of a particular clinical parameters using logistic regression showed significantly longer duration of diarrhoea among patients with C. jejuni infection (p = 0.014, OR 1.06, 95 % CI 1.01–1.11). Disease complications were observed in 4.6 % patients, and no fatalities or hospitalisations of observed patients due to Guillain-Barré syndrome in any of the hospitals from Zagreb region were recorded. Complications were significantly more frequent (7.2 %) in the age group younger than three years (p = 0.010). Adequate antimicrobial treatment received 78.7 % of patients, unadequate antimicrobial treatment 6.7 %, and 14.6 % of patients were treated symptomaticaly. Clinical characteristics in our patients with campylobacteriosis do not differ significantly from those described in populations of developed countries. As a peculiarity, a common use of antimicrobial therapy is recorded, and azithromycin, used in 46.4 % of patients treated with adequate antimicrobial treatment, was the most frequently used drug

Supporting self-regulated learning in a blended learning environment using prompts and learning analytics

Higher education institutions, teachers, and students face new difficulties and opportunities resulting from the introduction of modern technology into the learning process. The widespread of learning environments that integrate online learning and face-to-face learning may pose some opportunities as well as difficulties for some groups of students' self-regulation skills. Providing automated prompts may help to support those students with insufficient self-regulation skills. The use of learning analytics and multiple methods and data sources (data triangulation) may give better insight into the self-regulation process. The objective of the proposed research is to explore the students' evaluation of the usefulness of prompts implemented in a blended learning environment. A secondary objective is to develop and evaluate a real-time dashboard designed to notify teachers of student responses to deployed prompts. The research methodology will be grounded in action research and empirical research. The scientific contribution will be achieved through the development of artefacts and the performance of empirical research to advance understanding of the student's self-regulation in a blended learning environment