Concentric differential gearing arrangement

Two input members and two concentric rotatable output members are interconnected by a planetary gear arrangement. The first input drives directly the first output. The second input engages a carrier having the planetary gears affixed thereto. Rotation of the carriage causes rotation of the central sun gear of the planetary gear system. The sun gear is journaled to the carriage and is drivingly connected to the second output through a direction reversing set of bevel gears. The first input drive member includes a ring gear drivingly connected to the planetary gears for driving the second output member in the same direction and by the same amount as the first output member. Motion of the first input results in equal motion of the two outputs while input motion of the second input results in movement of the second output relative to the first output. This device is useful where non-interacting two-axis control of remote gimbaled systems is required

Mechanical planetary compensating drive system

Drive enables two concentric output shafts to be controlled independently or rotated as a unit. Possible uses are pointing and tracking devices, rotary camera shutters with variable light control, gimbal systems with yaw and pitch movement, spectrometer mirror scanning devices, etc

"I need to terminate this pregnancy even if it will take my life": a qualitative study of the effect of being denied legal abortion on women's lives in Nepal.

BackgroundAlthough abortion was legalized in Nepal in 2002, many women are not able to obtain legal services. Using qualitative data from women who were denied legal abortion services, we examined reasons for seeking an abortion, options considered and pursued after being denied an abortion, reasons for delaying seeking care, as well as complications experienced among women who were denied legal abortion.MethodsAfter obtaining authorization from two health facilities in Nepal, we requested informed consent from all women who were seeking abortion services to complete a case report form to determine their eligibility for the study. We then recruited all eligible and interested women in to the study. Two months after recruitment, we conducted in-depth interviews with 25 women who were denied abortion services from the two recruitment facilities due to advanced gestational age (>12 weeks). Interviews were translated and transcribed, and the transcripts were analyzed through an iterative process grounded in thematic analysis, involving both a priori and emergent codes.ResultsEleven women were recruited from the government hospital and 14 from an NGO facility. The majority of women (15 women or 60 %) were living rural settings, ranged in age from 18 to 40 years and had an average of 2 children. None had completed any post-secondary education. Women most commonly cited financial concerns and health concerns as reasons for seeking termination. Not recognizing pregnancy, uncertainty about how to proceed, needing time to coordinate the trip to the facility or raise money, and waiting to know the sex of fetus were the commonly cited delays. Among the women interviewed, 12 decided to continue their pregnancies following denial, 12 terminated their pregnancies elsewhere, and one self-induced using medication. At least two women experienced significant complications after obtaining an abortion. Most women who continued their pregnancies anticipated negative consequences for their health, family relationships, and wellbeing.ConclusionsBarriers to seeking early abortion need to be addressed in order to reduce utilization of abortion services that may be unsafe and to improve women's health and wellbeing in Nepal

NMNAT1 inhibits axon degeneration via blockade of SARM1-mediated NAD+ depletion

Overexpression of the NAD(+) biosynthetic enzyme NMNAT1 leads to preservation of injured axons. While increased NAD(+) or decreased NMN levels are thought to be critical to this process, the mechanism(s) of this axon protection remain obscure. Using steady-state and flux analysis of NAD(+) metabolites in healthy and injured mouse dorsal root ganglion axons, we find that rather than altering NAD(+) synthesis, NMNAT1 instead blocks the injury-induced, SARM1-dependent NAD(+) consumption that is central to axon degeneration. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19749.00

'This Is Real Misery': Experiences of Women Denied Legal Abortion in Tunisia.

Barriers to accessing legal abortion services in Tunisia are increasing, despite a liberal abortion law, and women are often denied wanted legal abortion services. In this paper, we seek to explore the reasons for abortion denial and whether these reasons had a legal or medical basis. We also identify barriers women faced in accessing abortion and make recommendations for improved access to quality abortion care. We recruited women immediately after they had been turned away from legal abortion services at two facilities in Tunis, Tunisia. Thirteen women consented to participate in qualitative interviews two months after they were turned away from the facility. Women were denied abortion care on the day they were recruited due to three main reasons: gestational age, health conditions, and logistical barriers. Nine women ultimately terminated their pregnancies at another facility, and four women carried to term. None of the women attempted illegal abortion services or self-induction. Further research is needed in order to assess abortion denial from the perspective of providers and medical staff

'How shall we survive': a qualitative study of women's experiences following denial of menstrual regulation (MR) services in Bangladesh.

BackgroundAbout one quarter of women in Bangladesh are denied menstrual regulation (MR) due to advanced gestation [J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care 41(3):161-163, 2015, Issues Brief (Alan Guttmacher Inst) (3):1-8, 2012]. Little is known about barriers to MR services, and whether women denied MR seek abortion elsewhere, self-induce, or continue the pregnancy.MethodsAfter obtaining authorization from four health facilities in Bangladesh, we recruited eligible and interested women in to the study and requested informed consent for study participation. We conducted in-depth interviews with 20 women denied MR from four facilities in four districts in Bangladesh. Interviews were translated and transcribed, and the transcripts were analyzed by two researchers through an iterative process using a qualitative content analysis approach.ResultsOf those interviewed, 12 women sought abortion elsewhere and eight of these women were successful; four women who sought subsequent services were denied again. Two of the eight women who subsequently terminated their pregnancies suffered from complications. None of the participants were aware of the legal gestational limit for government-approved MR services. Given that all participants were initially denied services because they were beyond the legal gestational limit for MR and there were no reported risks to any of the mothers' health, we presume that the eight terminations performed subsequently were done illegally.ConclusionsBarriers to seeking safe MR services need to be addressed to reduce utilization of potentially unsafe alternative abortion services and to improve women's health and well being in Bangladesh. Findings from this study indicate a need to raise awareness about legal MR services; provide information to women on where, how and when they can access these services; train more MR providers; improve the quality and safety of second trimester services; and strengthen campaigns to educate women about contraception and pregnancy risk throughout the reproductive lifespan to prevent unintended pregnancies