Strain gage

A strain gage particularly suited for use in detecting and measuring mechanically induced strain in thermally strained specimens including an elongated link, adapted to be fixedly secured to the surface of a specimen, having thermal expansion characteristics matched with those of the specimen, and characterized by a differential capacitor employed for detecting strain induced motion as such motion is effected between the link and the surface of the specimen

On the exponential stability of uniformly damped wave equations

We study damped wave propagation problems phrased as abstract evolution equations in Hilbert spaces. Under some general assumptions, including a natural compatibility condition for initial values, we establish exponential decay estimates for all mild solutions using the language and tools of Hilbert complexes. This framework turns out strong enough to conduct our analysis but also general enough to include a number of interesting examples. Some of these are briefly discussed. By a slight modification of the main arguments, we also obtain corresponding decay results for numerical approximations obtained by compatible discretization strategies

Gender differences in survival among adult patients starting antiretroviral therapy in South Africa: a multicentre cohort study.

Increased mortality among men on antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been documented but remains poorly understood. We examined the magnitude of and risk factors for gender differences in mortality on ART

Dust Properties in the FUV in Ophiuchus

We have derived the albedo ($a$) and phase function asymmetry factor ($g$) of interstellar dust grains at 1100 \AA ~ using archival {\it Voyager} observations of diffuse radiation in Ophiuchus. We have found that the grains are highly forward scattering with $g =$ 0.55 $\pm$ 0.25 and $a =$ 0.40 $\pm$ 0.10. Even though most of the gas in this direction is in the Ophiuchus molecular cloud, the diffuse FUV radiation is almost entirely due to scattering in a relatively thin foreground cloud. This suggests that one cannot assume that the UV background is directly correlated with the total amount of gas in any direction.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables, ApJ, accepte

HIV-1 subtype-specific drug resistance on dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy: protocol for a multicentre study (DTG RESIST).

INTRODUCTION HIV drug resistance poses a challenge to the United Nation's goal of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The integrase strand transfer inhibitor (InSTI) dolutegravir, which has a higher resistance barrier, was endorsed by the WHO in 2019 for first-line, second-line and third-line antiretroviral therapy (ART). This multiplicity of roles of dolutegravir in ART may facilitate the emergence of dolutegravir resistance. METHODS AND ANALYSIS Nested within the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA), DTG RESIST is a multicentre study of adults and adolescents living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and South and Central America who experienced virological failure on dolutegravir-based ART. At the time of virological failure, whole blood will be collected and processed to prepare plasma or dried blood spots. Laboratories in Durban, Mexico City and Bangkok will perform genotyping. Analyses will focus on (1) individuals who experienced virological failure on dolutegravir and (2) those who started or switched to such a regimen and were at risk of virological failure. For population (1), the outcome will be any InSTI drug resistance mutations, and for population (2) virological failure is defined as a viral load >1000 copies/mL. Phenotypic testing will focus on non-B subtype viruses with major InSTI resistance mutations. Bayesian evolutionary models will explore and predict treatment failure genotypes. The study will have intermediate statistical power to detect differences in resistance mutation prevalence between major HIV-1 subtypes; ample power to identify risk factors for virological failure and limited power for analysing factors associated with individual InSTI drug resistance mutations. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION The research protocol was approved by the Biomedical Research Ethics Committee at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and the Ethics Committee of the Canton of Bern, Switzerland. All sites participate in International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS and have obtained ethics approval from their local ethics committee to collect additional data. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT06285110

Spin and interaction effects on charge distribution and currents in one-dimensional conductors and rings within the Hartree-Fock approximation

Using the self--consistent Hartree-Fock approximation for electrons with spin at zero temperature, we study the effect of the electronic interactions on the charge distribution in a one-dimensional continuous ring containing a single $\delta$ scatterer. We reestablish that the interaction suppresses the decay of the Friedel oscillations. Based on this result, we show that in an infinite one dimensional conductor containing a weak scatterer, the current is totally suppressed because of a gap opened at the Fermi energy. In a canonical ensemble of continuous rings containing many scatterers, the interactions enhance the average and the typical persistent current.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

COVID-19 epidemic in Switzerland: on the importance of testing, contact tracing and isolation.

Switzerland is among the countries with the highest number of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) cases per capita in the world. There are likely many people with undetected SARS-CoV-2 infection because testing efforts are currently not detecting all infected people, including some with clinical disease compatible with COVID-19. Testing on its own will not stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Testing is part of a strategy. The World Health Organization recommends a combination of measures: rapid diagnosis and immediate isolation of cases, rigorous tracking and precautionary self-isolation of close contacts. In this article, we explain why the testing strategy in Switzerland should be strengthened urgently, as a core component of a combination approach to control COVID-19

Portfolio Vol. VI N 2

Wyman, John. Mrs. Brannon\u27s Bathtub . Prose. 1. Holbrook, Harold R. Sonnet . Poem. 7. Hayne, Barbara. Prayer of A Youth . Poem. 7. Egger, Ellen. An Evening . Poem. 7. Cuninggim, Merrimon. Lambda Pi Beta Mu . Prose. 9. Willett, Thelma. White Rosebuds . Poem. 11. Willett, Thelma. Span of A Life in Mine . Poem. 11. Willett, Thelma. Seventeen . Poem. 11. Willett, Thelma. Ave Atque Vale . Poem. 11. Willett, Thelma. The Ashes of Letters . Poem. 11. Miller, Albert. ...To One I Have Known and Loved . Prose. 12. Wyman, John. Browning the Artist . Prose. 14. Brannon, Pat. Revolution . Poem. 18. Forsberg, Nancy. Unnamed. Poem. 18. Kearns, Carolyn. A Co-Ed\u27s Wish . Poem. 18. Goetz, Marilyn. Fate\u27s Fury . Prose. 19. Harvey, Richard. Man Who Ate the Cheesecake . Prose. 21. Spike, Robert. Mechanikos . Poem. 22. Stodghill, Patricia. Anodyne . Poem. 23. Ladd, Donald. Torch-Light . Poem. 23

Preoperative fibrinogen/CRP score predicts survival in upper urothelial tract carcinoma patients undergoing radical curative surgery

Purpose Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) represents an often aggressive malignancy associated with poor prognosis. Therefore, finding reliable prognostic biomarkers in patients undergoing curative surgery for improved risk stratification is crucial. We evaluated the prognostic value of the Fibrinogen/C-reactive protein (FC)-score in a cohort of surgically treated UTUC patients. Methods 170 patients with radiologically and histologically verified UTUC who underwent radical curative surgery between 1990 and 2020, were included. The FC-score was calculated for each patient, with patients receiving 1 point each if Fibrinogen and/or CRP levels were elevated above the 25th or 75th percentile, respectively. Patients were divided into three subgroups according to their FC-score of 0, 1 or 2 point(s). Kaplan–Meier analysis, uni- and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were implemented. We determined cancer-specific survival (CSS) as primary endpoint, whereas overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were considered secondary endpoints. Results High FC-score (2 points) was significantly associated with adverse histological features such as vascular invasion (OR = 4.08, 95%CI 1.18–14.15, p = .0027) and tumour necrosis (OR = 6.67, 95%CI 1.35–32.96, p = 0.020). Both, uni- and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models showed the FC-score as a significant predictor for CSS (univariable analysis: FC-score = 1: HR = 1.90, 95%CI 0.92–3.93, p = 0.085 | FC-score = 2: HR = 2.86, 95%CI 1.22–6.72, p = 0.016). Furthermore, in univariable analysis, patients with higher FC-score had significantly shorter OS (FC-score = 1: HR = 1.32, 95%CI 0.70–2.49, p = 0.387 | FC-score = 2: HR = 2.19, 95%CI 1.02–4.67, p = 0.043). However, this did not prevail in multivariable analysis. Conclusion The FC-score represents a novel potential biomarker in patients with UTUC undergoing radical curative surgery