Advantage of four-electrode over two-electrode defibrillators

Defibrillation is the standard clinical treatment used to stop ventricular fibrillation. An electrical device delivers a controlled amount of electrical energy via a pair of electrodes in order to reestablish the normal heart rate. We propose a new technique that is a combination of biphasic shocks applied with a four-electrode system rather than the standard two-electrode system. We use a numerical model of a one-dimensional ring of cardiac tissue in order to test and evaluate the benefit of such a new technique. We compare three different shock protocols, namely, a monophasic and two types of biphasic shocks. The results obtained by using a four-electrode system are compared quantitatively with those obtained with the standard two-electrode system. We find that a huge reduction in defibrillation threshold is achieved with the four-electrode system. For the most efficient protocol (asymmetric biphasic), we obtain a reduction in excess of 80 % in the energy required for a defibrillation success rate of 90 %. The mechanisms of successful defibrillation are also analyzed. This reveals that the advantage of asymmetric biphasic shocks with four electrodes lies in the duration of the cathodal and anodal phase of the shock

Abnormal motoneuron migration, differentiation, and axon outgrowth in spinal muscular atrophy

The role of heterotopic (migratory) motoneurons (HMN) in the pathogenesis of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is still controversial. We examined the occurrence and amount of HMN in spinal cord tissue from eight children with SMA (six with SMA-I and two with SMA-II). All affected subjects were carrying a homozygous deletion of exon 7 in the SMN1 gene. Unlike controls, virtually free from HMN, all SMA subjects showed a significant number of HMN at all levels of the spinal cord. Heterotopic neurons were hyperchromatic, located mostly in the ventral white matter and had no axon or dendrites. More than half of the HMN were very undifferentiated, as judged from their lack of immunoreactivity for NeuN and MAP2 proteins. Small numbers of more differentiated heterotopic neurons were also found in the dorsal and lateral white matter region. As confirmed by ultrastructural analysis, in situ end labeling (ISEL) and CD68 immunoreactivity, HMN in the ventral outflow were found to have no synapses, to activate microglial cells, and to eventually die by necrosis. An unbiased quantitative analysis showed a significant negative correlation between age of SMA subjects (a reflection of the clinical severity) and the number of HMN. Subjects who died at older ages had increased number of GFAP-positive astrocytes. Complementing our previous report on motoneuron apoptosis within the ventral horns in SMA, we now propose that abnormal migration, differentiation, and lack of axonal outgrowth may induce motoneuron apoptosis predominantly during early stages, whereas a slower necrosis-like cell death of displaced motoneurons which "escaped" apoptosis characterizes later stages of SMA

GRAIN YIELD AND BREWING QUALITY OF BARLEY IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

Provedeno je istraživanje o proizvodnji ozimog i jarog ječma u suodnosu s pivarskom kakvoćom i urodom zrna u Republici Hrvatskoj u razdoblju od 1970. do 2002. godine. Analizom uroda zrna na temelju pokusa na Poljoprivrednom institutu Osijek, sorata koje su bile najzastupljenije u pojedinim petogodišnjim razdobljima u širokoj proizvodnji ustanovili smo povećanje uroda zrna od 94 kg/ha/godini kod ozimog ječma i 26 kg/ha/godini kod jarog ječma. Analiza pivarske kakvoće slada u Republici Hrvatskoj u razdoblju od 1999. do 2002. godine pokazuje da je ukupno ostvaren sadržaj ekstrakta od 79.19%, razlika ekstrakta od 2.49%, uz maseni udio bjelančevina u sladu od 12.53%, te Kolbach indeks od 41.12%, Hartongov broj od 42.36%, viskozitet cp 8.6 od 1.549 mPas i dijastatska snaga od 309 U.WK. Uspoređujući kakvoću slada sorti ozimog i jarog ječma, uočavamo da su u prosjeku sorte jarog ječma u odnosu na ozime imale viši i nepovoljniji sadržaj bjelančevina u sladu, ali povoljniji niži viskozitet i veću dijastatsku snagu slada. U proizvodnji ozimog ječma u istraživanom razdoblju najznačajnije sorte bile su Mursa, Alpha, Pan, Robur, Sladoran, Plaisant, Rex, Zlatko, Angora, Lord i Barun. U proizvodnji jarog ječma u istraživanom razdoblju najznačajnije sorte bile su Union, Velebit, Berenice, Jaran, Gimpel, Astor, Scarlett.The investigation into winter and spring barley production in correlation with the brewing quality and yield of grains in the Republic of Croatia from 1970 to 2002 was carried out. The regression analysis of yield of kernels using the data from the State Institute for Statistics, Croatia, shows for this period the annual yield increase by 52 kg/hectare. The yield analysis from the trials at the Osijek Institute of Agriculture with the prevailing varieties in specific five-year periods in the large scale production, an annual increase by 94 kg/hectare/year in winter barley and by 26 kg/hectare in spring barley was found. The quality analysis in the Republic of Croatia of the period from 1970 to 2002 showed that, in total, the extract content was 79.19%, the extract difference 2.49%, mass portion of proteins in malt 12.53%, Kolbach index 41.12%, Hartong 42.36%, viscosity cp 8.6 1.549 mPas and diastatic power 309 U.WK. When comparing the malt quality in winter and spring barley varieties it was noticed that on average the spring barley varieties vs. the winter barley varieties had a higher and more unfavorable protein content in malt, but lower viscosity and greater diastatic malt power. In production of winter barley and in investigated thirty year period the most important varieties were Mursa, Alpha, Pan, Robur, Sladoran, Plaisant, Rex, Angora, Zlatko, Lord, Barun and in production of spring barley varieties Union, Velebit, Berenice, Jaran, Gimpel, Astor, Scarlett

Gene expression profiling of the dorsolateral and medial orbitofrontal cortex in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a complex polygenic disorder of unknown etiology. Over 3,000 candidate genes associated with schizophrenia have been reported, most of which being mentioned only once. Alterations in cognitive processing - working memory, metacognition and mentalization - represent a core feature of schizophrenia, which indicates the involvement of the prefrontal cortex in the pathophysiology of this disorder. Hence we compared the gene expression in postmortem tissue from the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC, Brodmann's area 46), and the medial part of the orbitofrontal cortex (MOFC, Brodmann's area 11/12), in six patients with schizophrenia and six control brains. Although in the past decade several studies performed transcriptome profiling in schizophrenia, this is the first study to investigate both hemispheres, providing new knowledge about possible brain asymmetry at the level of gene expression and its relation to schizophrenia. We found that in the left hemisphere, twelve genes from the DLPFC and eight genes from the MOFC were differentially expressed in patients with schizophrenia compared to controls. In the right hemisphere there was only one gene differentially expressed in the MOFC. We reproduce the involvement of previously reported genes TARDBP and HNRNPC in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, and report seven novel genes: SART1, KAT7, C1D, NPM1, EVI2A, XGY2, and TTTY15. As the differentially expressed genes only partially overlap with previous studies that analyzed other brain regions, our findings indicate the importance of considering prefrontal cortical regions, especially those in the left hemisphere, for obtaining disease-relevant insights

Učinkovitost u zadacima fine motorike i prostornih odnosa tijekom menstrualnog ciklusa

Various studies have shown fl uctuations in task performance during the menstrual cycle. The aim of this study was to see the effects of the menstrual cycle on performing fi ne motor and spatial tasks of different level of complexity in twenty students aged 18 to 21 years, with regular menstrual cycle (28 to 30 days). The students performed O’Connor Finger Dexterity Test and mental rotation test during the menstrual, late follicular, and midluteal phase. Before the tests were performed, we administered Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for each phase. After the tasks were completed, the subjects ranked their diffi culty on Borg’s scale. The results showed the best performance in both tests in the midluteal phase (with sex hormones at their peak). The anxiety level and task diffi culty ranking were the highest in the menstrual phase, when the hormone levels were the lowest.Različita su istraživanja pokazala promjene učinkovitosti tijekom menstrualnog ciklusa. U zadacima u kojima su uspješnije žene, najveća učinkovitost događa se tijekom kasne folikularne ili srednje lutealne faze. U zadacima u kojima su pak uspješniji muškarci najveća je učinkovitost nađena u menstrualnoj fazi. Na osnovi uporabe zadataka fi ne motorike i prostornih zadataka različitih razina kompleksnosti, cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati utjecaj menstrualnog ciklusa na kognitivne funkcije. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo dvadeset ispitanica, dobi od 18 do 21 godinu, s redovitim menstrualnim ciklusima (28 do 30 dana). Ispitanice su izvodile O’Connorov deksterimetar i zadatke mentalne rotacije tijekom menstrualne, kasne folikularne i srednje lutealne faze. Prije izvođenja zadataka, u svakoj fazi ciklusa primijenjen je Spielbergerov upitnik stanja anksioznosti. Nakon izvođenja zadataka, ispitanice su procjenjivale njihovu težinu na Borgovoj skali. Rezultati su pokazali najbolju učinkovitost u oba zadatka u fazi visokih razina spolnih hormona (srednja lutealna faza). Stanje anksioznosti i procijenjene težine zadataka bili su najviši u menstrualnoj fazi, kada su razine spolnih hormona najniže

Labour Mobility and Informality : Romanian Migrants in Spain and Ethnic Entrepreneurs in Croatia

This article is part of the issue "Re-Visioning Borders: Europe and Beyond" edited by Artur Gruszczak (Jagiellonian University) and Roderick Parkes (German Council on Foreign Relations).This article is a part of the Project "Institutional support to the immigrant entrepreneurs in Croatia: Socioeconomic and legal aspects" funded by the University of Zagreb (short-term research grants obtained in 2020 and 2021)Post-Weberian definitions see the state-individual relationship as a "do ut des" one. The state grants protection, education, medical care, and its citizens contribute labour, compliance, and taxes. When this does not occur, it is generally accepted that the citizens are deviating from state goals. However, there are cases where lack of compliance stems from the fact that society members do not feel protected by formal structures, and they rely on informal ones to replace, supplement, or even compete with state institutions. The starting point of this article is that this lack of support may result from enhanced labour mobility (and migration) across Europe, and may enhance the creation and persistence of informal practices. Taking advantage of two case studies, Romanian migrants to Spain and ethnic entrepreneurs in Croatia, we observe how governance is constructed and provide two novel interpretative frameworks. First, we explore the use of informality (informal practices) to suggest that apparently insignificant actions that are repeated routinely and without much thought, are a way to contribute to the construction of the political and that everyday governance should receive more attention. Second, we use this claim to argue that a better understanding of informality can help identify governance areas where interventions are more urgent. These are the spheres of public life where it is possible to identify a larger gap between the wishes of a state and the ways citizens actually act as they informally avoid or bypass its rules

Event-Related Potentials in Medical Workers with Long-Term Exposure to Xylene

The effects of chronic exposure to xylene on cognitive ability were studied in a group of 35 medical workers occupationally exposed to low-level concentrations of xylene for at least five years by using event-related potentials (ERPs), and compared with a control group of 21 subjects. The exposure to xylene was confirmed through determination of m-methylhippuric acid, a reliable biological indicator of xylene exposure, in pre- and post-shift urine. A dose-effect relationship between log m-methylhippuric acid and ERP log latency (p = 0.032), and the ERP amplitude (p = 0.047) was statistically significant. The group of medical workers showed significantly longer ERP log latency (p < 0.001) than did the control group with respect to factors of exposure to smoking, education and age as covariates. For the ERP amplitude the difference was found not to be significant (p = 0.263), probably due to high between subject variability. The cognitive impairment may occur in workers chronically exposed to xylene

Influence od storage duration on primary root and germ lenght of sunflower hybrid seed

Dorađeno sjeme (nezaprašeno) hibrida suncokreta Fakir, Orion i Apolon skladišteno je 36 mjeseci u dvoslojnim papir vrećama, u podnom betonskom skladištu s termoizolacijom (relativna vlaga zraka 55-60% i temperatura 10-12°C). Analiza istraživanih svojstava (dužina primarnog korijena i klice) bila je na početku skladištenja i nakon svakih 12 mjeseci skladištenja tijekom tri godine istraživanja. Rezultati istraživanja su pokazali da sjeme hibrida Fakir ima duži primarni korijen i klicu (0.3-0.6 cm i 0.3-0.7 cm) od Oriona i Apolona na početku i na kraju skladištenja. Hibrid Apolon ima najkraći primarni korijen i klicu (5.4 cm i 2.2 cm) na početku, kao i na kraju skladištenja (4.3 cm i 1.6 cm). Kod svih hibrida najveće smanjenje dužine primarnog korijena i klice bilo je poslije 36 mjeseca skladištenja. Dobivene razlike su statistički vrlo značajne za sva istraživana svojstva (hibrid, dužina skladištenja, interakcija hibrid x dužina skladištenja).After seed processing, sunflower seed Fakir, Orion and Apolon has been storage for 36 months. Seed samples were packed in two film paper bag and storage in two different storage. Concrete floor and storage with termoizolation (relative air humidity 55-60 % and air temperature 10 °C – 12 °C). In the time of storage, every 12 months, seed samples was getting and seed properties has been analyzed. After 36 months, primary root and germ length were measured. Results of this investigations approved, that Fakir hybrid seed has higher on primary root and germ length in accordance with Orion and Apolon. It was conclude that decreasing of primary root and germ length depend on hybrid and storage duration. Apolon hybrid had the largest decreasing of primary root (1.1cm) and germ length (0.6cm). Fakir hybrid had the smallest decreasing. Each hybrids in this investigations had the largest decreasing of primary root and germ length after 24 months of storage. Hybrid and storage duration, statistically very significant influence on seed quality decreasing

Influence od storage duration on primary root and germ lenght of sunflower hybrid seed

Dorađeno sjeme (nezaprašeno) hibrida suncokreta Fakir, Orion i Apolon skladišteno je 36 mjeseci u dvoslojnim papir vrećama, u podnom betonskom skladištu s termoizolacijom (relativna vlaga zraka 55-60% i temperatura 10-12°C). Analiza istraživanih svojstava (dužina primarnog korijena i klice) bila je na početku skladištenja i nakon svakih 12 mjeseci skladištenja tijekom tri godine istraživanja. Rezultati istraživanja su pokazali da sjeme hibrida Fakir ima duži primarni korijen i klicu (0.3-0.6 cm i 0.3-0.7 cm) od Oriona i Apolona na početku i na kraju skladištenja. Hibrid Apolon ima najkraći primarni korijen i klicu (5.4 cm i 2.2 cm) na početku, kao i na kraju skladištenja (4.3 cm i 1.6 cm). Kod svih hibrida najveće smanjenje dužine primarnog korijena i klice bilo je poslije 36 mjeseca skladištenja. Dobivene razlike su statistički vrlo značajne za sva istraživana svojstva (hibrid, dužina skladištenja, interakcija hibrid x dužina skladištenja).After seed processing, sunflower seed Fakir, Orion and Apolon has been storage for 36 months. Seed samples were packed in two film paper bag and storage in two different storage. Concrete floor and storage with termoizolation (relative air humidity 55-60 % and air temperature 10 °C – 12 °C). In the time of storage, every 12 months, seed samples was getting and seed properties has been analyzed. After 36 months, primary root and germ length were measured. Results of this investigations approved, that Fakir hybrid seed has higher on primary root and germ length in accordance with Orion and Apolon. It was conclude that decreasing of primary root and germ length depend on hybrid and storage duration. Apolon hybrid had the largest decreasing of primary root (1.1cm) and germ length (0.6cm). Fakir hybrid had the smallest decreasing. Each hybrids in this investigations had the largest decreasing of primary root and germ length after 24 months of storage. Hybrid and storage duration, statistically very significant influence on seed quality decreasing

Wild Boar Tissue Levels of Cadmium, Lead and Mercury in Seven Regions of Continental Croatia

Concentrations of cadmium, mercury and lead were analysed by atomic absorption spectrometry in the kidney and muscle of free-living wild boar (n = 169) from hunting grounds in seven counties of continental Croatia. Mean levels of metals (mg/kg) in muscle and kidney of boars ranged as follows: Cd: 0.005–0.016 and 0.866–4.58, Pb: 0.033–0.15 and 0.036–0.441, Hg: 0.004–0.012 and 0.04–0.152. In all seven regions, concentrations exceeded the permitted values (muscle and kidney mg/kg: cadmium 0.05/1; lead 0.1/0.5; mercury 0.03/0.1) in 13.6% and 71.6% of samples (muscle and kidney, respectively) for cadmium; 13.6% and 8.9% for lead; 19.5% and 2.4% for mercury. There were significant differences among the regions. Vukovar-Srijem and Virovitica-Podravina Counties were highly contaminated with cadmium, Sisak-Moslavina and Virovitica-Podravina Counties with lead and Brod-Posavina County had highest mercury concentrations. These results suggest a detailed investigation of physiological and environmental factors contributing to accumulation of metals in boars