Constraints for hypothetical interactions from a recent demonstration of the Casimir force and some possible improvements

The Casimir force is calculated in the configuration of a spherical lens and a disc of finite radius covered by $Cu$ and $Au$ thin layers which was used in a recent experiment. The correction to the Casimir force due to finiteness of the disc radius is shown to be negligible. Also the corrections are discussed due to the finite conductivity, large-scale and short-scale deviations from the perfect shape of the bounding surfaces and the temperature correction. They were found to be essential when confronting the theoretical results with experimental data. Both Yukawa-type and power-law hypothetical forces are computed which may act in the configuration under consideration due to the exchange of light and/or massless elementary particles between the atoms of the lens and the disc. New constraints on the constants of these forces are determined which follow from the fact that they were not observed within the limits of experimental errors. For Yukawa-type forces the new constraints are up to 30 times stronger than the best ones known up today. A possible improvement of experimental parameters is proposed which gives the possibility to strengthen constraints on Yukawa-type interactions up to $10^4$ times and on power-law interactions up to several hundred times.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, subm. to Phys. Rev.

Association between peri-operative angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin-2 receptor blockers and acute kidney injury in major elective non-cardiac surgery: a multicentre, prospective cohort study

The peri-operative use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin-2 receptor blockers is thought to be associated with an increased risk of postoperative acute kidney injury. To reduce this risk, these agents are commonly withheld during the peri-operative period. This study aimed to investigate if withholding angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin-2 receptor blockers peri-operatively reduces the risk of acute kidney injury following major non-cardiac surgery. Patients undergoing elective major surgery on the gastrointestinal tract and/or the liver were eligible for inclusion in this prospective study. The primary outcome was the development of acute kidney injury within seven days of operation. Adjusted multi-level models were used to account for centre-level effects and propensity score matching was used to reduce the effects of selection bias between treatment groups. A total of 949 patients were included from 160 centres across the UK and Republic of Ireland. From this population, 573 (60.4%) patients had their angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin-2 receptor blockers withheld during the peri-operative period. One hundred and seventy-five (18.4%) patients developed acute kidney injury; there was no difference in the incidence of acute kidney injury between patients who had their angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin-2 receptor blockers continued or withheld (107 (18.7%) vs. 68 (18.1%), respectively; p = 0.914). Following propensity matching, withholding angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin-2 receptor blockers did not demonstrate a protective effect against the development of postoperative acute kidney injury (OR (95%CI) 0.89 (0.58–1.34); p = 0.567)

Organisational innovation facilitators as drivers for international trade between China and European Union

This paper analyses the role of innovation policy and the main facilitators to promote China's international trade in the European Union. The theme Innovation Policy of China to potentiate their international trade in the European Union (EU), from 2014 to 2019. To undertake this, research was established the literature survey. The results show that regarding the research areas there is a multiplicity of themes, including Trade Policy, Digital Trade, International negotiations, Multilateral relations, Leadership, China – Politics & Government, Digital Trade Apps, International Trade, Trade Balance, and Goods balance. Also, the US–China trade war has consequences on the GTC because China, but also the EU and other countries are focussing their trade interest in other regions, especially consumers in Asia, Eurasia, Africa, and South America. For future studies, it is suggested to expand the search for articles concerning China and EU Trade on other databases.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Neonatal cranial ultrasonography as predictor of 2 year outcome of very low birthweight infants

Abstract Real time ultrasound scans using an ATL 300C sector scanner with 5–7.5 MHz transducer were performed on days 1, 4, 7 and thereafter as clinically necessary on 153 consecutively discharged very low birthweight (VLBW) infants. One hundred and forty-six long-term survivors were assessed fully at 2 years. The prevalence of cerebroventricular haemorrhage (CVH) in these survivors was 34.2% (grade 1—21.2%; grade 2—4.8%; grade 3—3.4%; grade 4—4.8%), ventricular dilatation 19.9% (including 4.1% with ventriculoperitoneal shunt), and ischaemia 9%. Impairments at 2 years were classified as nil, mild, moderate, severe or multiply severe, based on the criteria of Kitchen et al. Overall, 120 infants (82.2%) were unimpaired and 6.2% had mild, 3.4% had moderate, 4.1% had severe and 4.1% had multiply severe impairment. The major factors associated with impairment were gestational age < 28 weeks, birthweight < 1000 g, vaginal delivery, respiratory distress syndrome, mechanical ventilation, pulmonary air leaks and CVH. When these factors were reanalysed in a logistic regression model for odds ratios, only CVH (P < 0.005) and birth by spontaneous vaginal delivery (P < 0.05) were significant. The prevalence of impairment was 11.4% with no CVH, 6.5% grade 1, 71% grade 2, 20.0% grade 3 and 100.0% grade 4 CVH. The sensitivity of CVH of grade 2 or greater as a screening test was 64.7% for impairment, 78.6% for cerebral palsy and 70% for severe intellectual handicap. The mean general quotient (GQ) (Griffiths) at 2 years for infants with CVH was 89.1, and 97.5 for those without CVH (P < 0.001). Although infants with ventricular dilatation had an average GQ that was 13.1 units less than those with normal ventricles, the difference was only significant in those with a CVH of grade 2–4. The study shows the sonographic diagnosis of CVH and ventricular dilatation, but not ischaemia, to be a useful adjunct in predicting impairment and intellectual performance in VLBW infants but does not replace the need for multidisciplinary follow-up