Some Contour Integrals Involving G-Function of two Variables

The object of this is to evaluate contour integrals for G-function of two variables. Some results for Meijer's G-function have been obtained as particular cases

Severe COVID-19

Introduction: There are substantial variabilities of the clinical characteristics and outcomes of severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) creating difficulty to do an optimal assessment of this condition. We reviewed the current English literature to quantify the findings of baselines characteristics and health outcomes of patients with severe COVID-19 primarily with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Methods: We examined only studies that assessed patients with proven COVID-19 by RT-PCR by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) with at least one of the following severity criteria: severe COVID-19, treated in the ICUs, ARDS and/or invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) treatment. We assessed the quality of the studies according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Study Quality Assessment Tools. Results: Seven of 39 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. These seven studies included a total 1,863 patients, the median age was 63.5 years (49-70). A total 370 (19.8%) were females. Four studies were from the USA, two from China and one from Italy. Comorbidities were reported in six studies. Fever was reported in five studies and it was present in 159 out of 272 patients. Cough and shortness of breath (SOB) were reported in four studies, they were present in 111 out of 142 and 100 out of 142 of patients respectively. The median of total lymphocytes was reported in five studies with a range of 400 – 889/ul. IMV ranged from 15% to 100% and mortality ranged from 14.6% to 88%. In a subgroup analysis by countries, patients from the US showed more comorbidities, higher percent of IMV and mortality. The assessment quality score of the seven studies was (5), for a total score of (8). Conclusions: Severe COVID-19 was predominantly seen in male patients who were 60 years and older associated with comorbidities. Most of the patients were admitted at the ICU, needed IMV support due to ARDS and had a mortality range of 14.6-88%

The Control of Myocardial Contraction with Skeletal Fast Muscle Troponin C.

The present study describes experiments on the myocardial trabeculae from the right ventricle of Syrian hamsters whose troponin C (TnC) moiety was exchanged with heterologous TnC from fast skeletal muscle of the rabbit. These experiments were designed to help define the role of the various classes of Ca2+-binding sites on TnC in setting the characteristic sensitivities for activations of cardiac and skeletal muscles. Thin trabeculae were skinned and about 75% of their troponin C extracted by chemical treatment. Tension development on activations by Ca2+ and Sr2+ was found to be nearly fully blocked in such TnC extracted preparations. Troponin C contents and the ability to develop tension on activations by Ca2+ and Sr2+ was permanently restored after incubation with 2-6 mg/ml purified TnC from either rabbit fast-twitch skeletal muscle (STnC) or the heart (CTnC, cardiac troponin C). The native (skinned) cardiac muscle is characteristically about 5 times more sensitive to activation by Sr2+ than fast muscle, but the STnC-loaded trabeculae gave response like fast muscle. Attempts were also made to exchange the TnC in psoas (fast-twitch muscle) fibers, but unlike cardiac muscle tension response of the maximally extracted psoas fibers could be restored only with homologous STnC. CTnC was effective in partially extracted fibers, even though the uptake of CTnC was complete in the maximally extracted fibers. The results in this study establish that troponin C subunit is the key in setting the characteristic sensitivity for tension control in the myocardium above that in the skeletal muscle. Since a major difference between skeletal and cardiac TnCs is that one of the trigger sites (site I, residues 28-40 from the N terminus) is modified in CTnC and has reduced affinity for Ca2+ binding, the possibility is raised that this site has a modulatory effect on activation in different tissues and limits the effectiveness of CTnC in skeletal fibers

Advanced biopolymer-coated drug-releasing titania nanotubes (TNTs) implants with simultaneously enhanced osteoblast adhesion and antibacterial properties

Abstract not availableTushar Kumeria, Htwe Mon, Moom Sinn Aw, Karan Gulati, Abel Santos, Hans J. Griesser, Dusan Losi

Comprehensive User Engagement Sites (CUES) in Philadelphia: A Constructive Proposal

This paper is a study about Philadelphia’s comprehensive user engagement sites (CUESs) as the authors address and examine issues related to the upcoming implementation of a CUES while seeking solutions for its disputed questions and plans. Beginning with the federal drug schedules, the authors visit some of the medical and public health issues vis-à-vis safe injection facilities (SIFs). Insite, a successful Canadian SIF, has been thoroughly researched as it represents a paradigm for which a Philadelphia CUES can expand upon. Also, the existing criticisms against SIFs are revisited while critically unpackaged and responded to in favor of the establishment. In the main section, the authors propose the layout and services of the upcoming CUES, much of which would be in congruent to Vancouver’s Insite. On the other hand, the CUES would be distinct from Insite, as the authors emphasize, in that it will offer an information center run by individuals in recovery and place additional emphasis on early education for young healthcare professionals by providing them a platform to work at the site. The paper will also briefly investigate the implementation of a CUES site under an ethical scope of the Harm Reduction Theory. Lastly, the authors recommend some strategic plans that the Philadelphia City government may consider employing at this crucial stage

Design and Fabrication of 35 GHz GaAs Gunn Diodes .

The paper describes design and fabrication of GaAs 100 mW Gunn diodes for operation at ~35 GHz. As the devices have low efficiency, a large ammount of input power is dessipated as heat, resulting in temperature rise in the device during operation beyond tolerable limits. Heat from these devices can be removed quickly and efficiently by using gold as integral heat sink (IHS). Further, the temperature of the device can be controlled by monitoring device area. Calculations for heat flow and expected efficiency have been done. Required Gunn structure has been grown by molecular beam epitaxy technique. The devices have been fabricated by IHS-IBR integral bonding ribbon technique. From the devices developed, 100 mW of output has been achieved in the frequency range 33-38 GHz with an efficiency of 3-4 percent

Pattern & correlates of neurocognitive dysfunction in Asian Indian adults with severe obstructive sleep apnoea

Background & Objectives: No published data are available on neurocognitive dysfunction in Asian Indians with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). We therefore, studied the pattern and correlates of neurocognitive dysfunction in Indian adults with severe OSA. Methods: Fifty patients aged 25-65 yr with severe OSA (apnoea-hypopnoea index>30) and 25 age, sex, and education level-matched normal controls were studied. Both groups were administered a standardized battery of neurocognitive tests. Results: Patients with severe OSA had significantly impaired performance on tests of alertness, working memory, response inhibition, problem solving, and executive function. However, the difference in executive function between the groups disappeared after adjusting for delayed information processing. The test scores did not correlate with apnoea-hypopnoea index, arousal index, or Epworth sleepiness score. However, the percentage of time spent at <90 per cent oxygen saturation had a weak correlation with the number of stroop errors (Spearman's rho=0.64; P=0.033), number of trials required (rho=0.05; P=0.02), and perseverative errors on Wisconsin card sorting test (rho=0.36; P=0.02). Interpretation & Conclusions: Our results suggested that delayed information processing rather than impaired abstract thinking was probably the cause of impaired performance on composite tests of neurocognitive function in patients with severe OSA