New Form of the T-Duality Due to the Stability of a Compact Dimension

We study behaviors of a compact dimension and the $T$-duality, in the presence of the wrapped closed bosonic strings. When the closed strings interact and form another system of strings, the radius of compactification increases. This modifies the $T$-duality, which we call it as $T$-duality-like. Some effects of the $T$-duality-like will be studied.Comment: 12 pages, Latex, no figur

Cosmological Constant of the (p+1)(p+1)-Dimensional World, Embedded in the dd-Dimensional Bulk Space

In this manuscript we study the cosmological constant of a $(p+1)$-dimensional world, which lives in the higher dimensional bulk space. We assume the extra dimensions are compact on tori. We consider two cases: positive and negative bulk cosmological constant. It is pointed out that the tiny cosmological constant of our world can be obtained by the dynamics of a scalar field and adjusting the parameters of the model. The cosmological constant of the dual world also will be discussed. We obtain the Dirac quantization of these cosmological constants.Comment: 11 pages, Latex, No figure. In the revised version, major changes have been introduced and also references have been adde

Clear lens phacoemulsification in the anterior lenticonus due to Alport Syndrome: two case reports

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Alport Syndrome has a prevalence of 1 case per 5,000 people and 85% of patients have the X-linked form, where affected males develop renal failure and usually have high-tone sensorineural deafness by age 20. The main abnormality is deficient synthesis of type IV collagen, the main component of basement membranes. Common ocular abnormalities of this syndrome consist of dot-and-fleck retinopathy, posterior polymorphous corneal dystrophy, and anterior lenticonus, but other ocular defects such as cataracts, posterior lenticonus, and retinal detachments have also been reported.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report two cases of anterior lenticonus due to Alport Syndrome and describe clear lens phacoemulsification and foldable intraocular lens implantation as an effective and safe refractive procedure in the four eyes of these two patients.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>All four eyes of the two patients were in good condition after surgery and achieved satisfactory optical and visual results and had no remarkable complications at six-months follow-up. Clear lens phacoemulsification with foldable intraocular lens implantation can be used as an efficient and safe procedure for vision disorders in these patients.</p

Moving Branes with Background Massless and Tachyon Fields in the Compact Spacetime

In this article we shall obtain the boundary state associated with a moving $Dp$-brane in the presence of the Kalb-Ramond field $B_{\mu\nu}$, an internal U(1) gauge field $A_{\alpha}$ and a tachyon field, in the compact spacetime. According to this state, properties of the brane and a closed string, with mixed boundary conditions emitted from it, will be obtained. Using this boundary state we calculate the interaction amplitude of two moving $Dp_{1}$ and $Dp_{2}$-branes with above background fields in a partially compact spacetime. They are parallel or perpendicular to each other. Properties of the interaction amplitude will be analyzed and contribution of the massless states to the interaction will be extracted.Comment: 13 pages, Latex, no figur

Utjecaj različitih površinski aktivnih tvari i njihovih koncentracija na kontrolirano oslobađanje kaptoprila iz polimernih matriksa

Various methods are available to formulate water soluble drugs into sustained release dosage forms by retarding the dissolution rate. One of the methods used to control drug release and thereby prolong therapeutic activity is to use hydrophilic and lipophilic polymers. In this study, the effects of various polymers such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), ethylcellulose (EC) and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and surfactants (sodium lauryl sulphate, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and Arlacel 60) on the release rate of captopril were investigated. The results showed that an increase in the amount of HPMC K15M resulted in reduction of the release rate of captopril from these matrices. When HPMC was partly replaced by NaCMC (the ratio of HPMC/NaCMC was 5:1), the release rate of the drug significantly decreased. However, there was no significant difference in release rate of captopril from matrices produced with ratios of 5:1 and 2:1 of HPMC/NaCMC. The presence of lactose in matrices containing HPMC and NaCMC increased the release rate of captopril. It was interesting to note that although partial replacement of HPMC by EC reduced the release rate of the drug (ratio of HPMC/EC 2:1), the release rate was increased when the ratio of HPMC/EC was reduced to 1:1. The effects of various surfactants on the release rate of captopril from HPMC/EC 1:1 matrices were also investigated. The results showed that the surfactants did not significantly change the release rate of the drug. Release data were examined kinetically and the ideal kinetic models were estimated for the drug release. The kinetic analysis of drug release data from various formulations showed that incorporation of surfactants in HPMC/EC matrices did not produce a zero-order release pattern.Postoje različite metode formuliranja vodotopljivih lijekova u dozirane ljekovite oblike s polaganim oslobađanjem. Jedan od načina postizanja kontroliranog otpuštanja, a prema tome i produljenog učinka je upotreba hidrofilnih i lipofilnih polimera. U ovom radu proučavan je utjecaj različitih polimera poput hidroksipropil metilceluloze (HPMC), etilceluloze (EC) i natrijeve soli karboksimetilceluloze (NaCMC) i površinski aktivnih tvari (natrijevog lauril-sulfata, cetiltrimetilamonijevog bromida i Arlacela 60) na oslobađanje kaptoprila. Rezultati pokazuju da povećanje količine HPMC K15M ima za posljedicu smanjenje oslobađanja kaptoprila iz matriksa. Ako se HPMC djelomično zamijeni s NaCMC (omjer HPMC/NaCMC 5:1), oslobađanje ljekovite tvari značajno se smanjuje. Međutim, nema značajne razlike u oslobađanju kaptoprila iz matriksa s omjerom HPMC/NaCMC 5:1 i 2:1. Prisutnost laktoze u matriksu koji sadrži HPMC i NaCMC povećalo je oslobađanje kaptoprila. Iako djelomična zamjena HPMC s EC smanjuje oslobađanje ljekovite tvari (omjer HPMC/EC 2:1), oslobađanje se povećava uz omjer HPMC/EC 1:1. Nadalje, ispitivan je utjecaj površinski aktivnih tvari na oslobađanje kaptoprila iz matriksa u kojima je omjer HPMC/EC (1:1). Može se zaključiti da površinski aktivne tvari ne utječu značajno na oslobađanje ljekovite tvari. U sklopu istraživanja određen je i kinetički model oslobađanja kaptoprila. Analiza kinetičkih podataka ukazuje da dodatak površinski aktivnih tvari u HPMC/EC matrikse ne slijedi kinetiku nultog reda

Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

© 2020 Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license Background: Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all people receiving the health services they need, of high quality, without experiencing financial hardship. Making progress towards UHC is a policy priority for both countries and global institutions, as highlighted by the agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13). Measuring effective coverage at the health-system level is important for understanding whether health services are aligned with countries' health profiles and are of sufficient quality to produce health gains for populations of all ages. Methods: Based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we assessed UHC effective coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Drawing from a measurement framework developed through WHO's GPW13 consultation, we mapped 23 effective coverage indicators to a matrix representing health service types (eg, promotion, prevention, and treatment) and five population-age groups spanning from reproductive and newborn to older adults (≥65 years). Effective coverage indicators were based on intervention coverage or outcome-based measures such as mortality-to-incidence ratios to approximate access to quality care; outcome-based measures were transformed to values on a scale of 0–100 based on the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile of location-year values. We constructed the UHC effective coverage index by weighting each effective coverage indicator relative to its associated potential health gains, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years for each location-year and population-age group. For three tests of validity (content, known-groups, and convergent), UHC effective coverage index performance was generally better than that of other UHC service coverage indices from WHO (ie, the current metric for SDG indicator 3.8.1 on UHC service coverage), the World Bank, and GBD 2017. We quantified frontiers of UHC effective coverage performance on the basis of pooled health spending per capita, representing UHC effective coverage index levels achieved in 2019 relative to country-level government health spending, prepaid private expenditures, and development assistance for health. To assess current trajectories towards the GPW13 UHC billion target—1 billion more people benefiting from UHC by 2023—we estimated additional population equivalents with UHC effective coverage from 2018 to 2023. Findings: Globally, performance on the UHC effective coverage index improved from 45·8 (95% uncertainty interval 44·2–47·5) in 1990 to 60·3 (58·7–61·9) in 2019, yet country-level UHC effective coverage in 2019 still spanned from 95 or higher in Japan and Iceland to lower than 25 in Somalia and the Central African Republic. Since 2010, sub-Saharan Africa showed accelerated gains on the UHC effective coverage index (at an average increase of 2·6% [1·9–3·3] per year up to 2019); by contrast, most other GBD super-regions had slowed rates of progress in 2010–2019 relative to 1990–2010. Many countries showed lagging performance on effective coverage indicators for non-communicable diseases relative to those for communicable diseases and maternal and child health, despite non-communicable diseases accounting for a greater proportion of potential health gains in 2019, suggesting that many health systems are not keeping pace with the rising non-communicable disease burden and associated population health needs. In 2019, the UHC effective coverage index was associated with pooled health spending per capita (r=0·79), although countries across the development spectrum had much lower UHC effective coverage than is potentially achievable relative to their health spending. Under maximum efficiency of translating health spending into UHC effective coverage performance, countries would need to reach $1398 pooled health spending per capita (US$ adjusted for purchasing power parity) in order to achieve 80 on the UHC effective coverage index. From 2018 to 2023, an estimated 388·9 million (358·6–421·3) more population equivalents would have UHC effective coverage, falling well short of the GPW13 target of 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC during this time. Current projections point to an estimated 3·1 billion (3·0–3·2) population equivalents still lacking UHC effective coverage in 2023, with nearly a third (968·1 million [903·5–1040·3]) residing in south Asia. Interpretation: The present study demonstrates the utility of measuring effective coverage and its role in supporting improved health outcomes for all people—the ultimate goal of UHC and its achievement. Global ambitions to accelerate progress on UHC service coverage are increasingly unlikely unless concerted action on non-communicable diseases occurs and countries can better translate health spending into improved performance. Focusing on effective coverage and accounting for the world's evolving health needs lays the groundwork for better understanding how close—or how far—all populations are in benefiting from UHC. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant and child deaths between 2000 and 2017

Since 2000, many countries have achieved considerable success in improving child survival, but localized progress remains unclear. To inform efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.2—to end preventable child deaths by 2030—we need consistently estimated data at the subnational level regarding child mortality rates and trends. Here we quantified, for the period 2000–2017, the subnational variation in mortality rates and number of deaths of neonates, infants and children under 5 years of age within 99 low- and middle-income countries using a geostatistical survival model. We estimated that 32% of children under 5 in these countries lived in districts that had attained rates of 25 or fewer child deaths per 1,000 live births by 2017, and that 58% of child deaths between 2000 and 2017 in these countries could have been averted in the absence of geographical inequality. This study enables the identification of high-mortality clusters, patterns of progress and geographical inequalities to inform appropriate investments and implementations that will help to improve the health of all populations