Odon device: a promising tool to facilitate vaginal delivery and increase access to emergency care

The last innovation in operative vaginal delivery happened centuries ago with the invention of the forceps and the vacuum extractor. The World Health Organization Odon Device Research Group recently published a protocol for a feasibility and safety study for a new device (Odon device) which aims to revolutionize assisted vaginal delivery. This editorial discusses the device and its pathway to global use. Although preliminary results look promising, the rigorous three-phased WHO protocol needs completion before the device can be determined, based on the evidence, to be safe and effective.Fil: Belizan, Jose. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Harris Requejo, Jennifer. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Institute for International Programs; Estados Unido

Citizenship in Britain and Europe: some missing links in T.H. Marshall's theory of rights

"T.H. Marshall’s reputation as an historian, social theorist, and practical interpreter of ideas about citizenship and welfare rights has probably never been higher than at the present time. Whether or not T. H. Marshall was ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in his analysis of the questions raised in Citizenship and Social Class (1949), he has come to be seen as a key figure in sparking-off and mediating far-reaching new approaches to ideas about social welfare policy, citizenship laws, and fundamental social rights. Full discussion of Marshall’s influence opens up some very large questions, going far beyond the scope of this paper. Here I want to focus on some curious historical gaps and unanswered questions in Marshalls Citizenship and Social Class - gaps that relate both to Marshall’s account of the longer-term historical past and to contemporary movements in his own times. First, in a British context, I am puzzled by his narrative of the long-term evolution of citizenship and wel-fare rights, as these had developed from the ‘early-modern’ period through into the twentieth-century. And, secondly, in a wider European context, I am equally if not more puzzled by Mar-shall’s relation to the massive debates about citizenship and rights of all kinds that was going on in Europe during the mid-to-late-1940s, at exactly the moment when he was preparing his Cam-bridge lectures on those same themes." (author's abstract)"Der Ruf von T.H. Marshall als Historiker, Gesellschaftstheoretiker und Deuter von Ideen über Bürgerrechte und soziale Klassen (1949) war wahrscheinlich nie besser als heute. Ob Marshalls Analyse in Bürgerrechte und soziale Klassen nun zutrifft oder nicht, er wird heute als einer der zentralen Denker gesehen, die unsere Ideen von Sozialpolitik, Bürgerschaft und grundlegenden sozialen Rechten angestoßen und gebündelt haben. Eine vollständige Diskussion von Marshalls Einfluss führte in eine Vielzahl großer Fragen hinein, die weit über dieses Papier hinausgehen würde. Hier möchte ich mich auf verschiedene auffällige historische Lücken und offene Fragen konzentrieren, die sich aus Bürgerrechte und soziale Klassen ergeben. Diese Lücken beziehen sich auf Marshalls Darstellung der langen historischen Wellen und auf die sozialen Bewegungen in seiner Gegenwart, also um 1949. Erstens, im britischen Zusammenhang gibt mir seine Erzählung der Langfristentwicklung von Bürgerrechten und sozialen Klassen wie sie sich von der frühen Neuzeit bis ins 20. Jahrhundert entwickelt haben, Fragen auf. Zweitens, in einem breiteren europäischen Zusammenhang frage ich besonders nach Marshalls Beziehungen zu den umfangreichen Diskussionen über Bürgerschaft und weitere Rechte aller Art, die im Europa der zweiten Hälfte der 40er Jahre stattgefunden haben, also genau zu dem Zeitpunkt als er seine Vorträge in Cambridge über diese Themen vorbereitete." (Autorenreferat

Spacecraft Charging at Geosynchronous Altitudes: Current Balance and Critical Temperature in a Non-Maxwellian Plasma

Spacecraft charging threatens to disable spacecraft components and adversely impact any satellite function. Electrostatic charge, and especially discharge, can hinder the proper operation of, or destroy, spacecraft components, thereby rendering the spacecraft ineffective or inoperative. The level of charging is dependent on the particle energy (speed) distribution. Current spacecraft design and material provide limited protection against the dangers of electrostatic discharge, and active measures such as beam emission are also employed

Math in Motion

Everything we know about the universe rests on the foundation of mathematics. Somehow, though, the magic of mathematics – the true power of numbers and their beautiful wildness – gets lost in math class. Children, our most magical thinkers, get turned off math in grade school and miss out on a language through which they could learn to read and change the world. VCU Math In Motion will generate a creative, dynamic STEM education initiative within the Richmond community using an innovative curriculum and a customized mobile unit to bring the beauty of math to Richmond region school children in grades 5-9, through partnerships across VCU and within the local school system

Deep Inspiration and the Emergence of Ventilation Defects during Bronchoconstriction: A Computational Study

Deep inspirations (DIs) have a dilatory effect on airway smooth muscle (ASM) that helps to prevent or reduce more severe bronchoconstriction in healthy individuals. However, this bronchodilation appears to fail in some asthmatic patients or under certain conditions, and the reason is unclear. Additionally, quantitative effects of the frequency and magnitude of DIs on bronchodilation are not well understood. In the present study, we used a computational model of bronchoconstriction to study the effects of DI volumes, time intervals between intermittent DIs, relative speed of ASM constriction, and ASM activation on bronchoconstriction and the emergence of ventilation defects (VDefs). Our results showed a synergistic effect between the volume of DIs and the time intervals between them on bronchoconstriction and VDefs. There was a domain of conditions with sufficiently large volumes of DIs and short time intervals between them to prevent VDefs. Among conditions without VDefs, larger volumes of DIs resulted in greater airway dilation. Similarly, the time interval between DIs, during which the activated ASM re-constricts, affected the amplitude of periodic changes in airway radii. Both the relative speed of ASM constriction and ASM activation affected what volume of DIs and what time interval between them could prevent the emergence of VDefs. In conclusion, quantitative characteristics of DIs, such as their volume and time interval between them, affect bronchoconstriction and may contribute to difficulties in asthma. Better understanding of the quantitative aspects of DIs may result in novel or improved therapeutic approaches

Supernovae and Positron Annihilation

Radioactive nuclei, especially those created in SN explosion, have long been suggested to be important contributors of galactic positrons. In this paper we describe the findings of three independent OSSE/SMM/TGRS studies of positron annihilation radiation, demonstrating that the three studies are largely in agreement as to the distribution of galactic annihilation radiation. We then assess the predicted yields and distributions of SN-synthesized radionuclei, determining that they are marginally compatible with the findings of the annihilation radiation studies.Comment: 7 pages, accepted for publication in New Astronomy Reviews (Astronomy with Radioactivites III

BioNetGen 2.2: Advances in Rule-Based Modeling

BioNetGen is an open-source software package for rule-based modeling of complex biochemical systems. Version 2.2 of the software introduces numerous new features for both model specification and simulation. Here, we report on these additions, discussing how they facilitate the construction, simulation, and analysis of larger and more complex models than previously possible.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure, 1 supplementary text file. Supplementary text includes a brief discussion of the RK-PLA along with a performance analysis, two tables listing all new actions/arguments added in BioNetGen 2.2, and the "BioNetGen Quick Reference Guide". Accepted for publication in Bioinformatic

Efficiency in Spanish banking: A multistakeholder approach analysis

Searching for greater inter efficiency has been used as a reason tomodify the Spanish banking system since 2009. This paper aimsto contribute to quantify the magnitude of efficiency, but not onlythe economic one, but also social and overall efficiency from 2000to 2011. The case of Spain – compared to other banking systems –provides unique information regarding the stakeholder governancebanking literature because over the last century savings banks havebecome rooted in the Spanish culture. The results – confirmed bya two-stage frontiers analysis, a DEA and a model combined withbootstrapped tests – indicate that Spanish savings banks are notless efficient globally than banks and are more efficient socially.Moreover, our results – with potentially important implications –encourage the participation of stakeholders in banking systems andunderline the importance of attaining long-term efficiency gains tosupport financial stability objectives

Education and polar research: bringing polar science into the classroom

The Polar Regions play an important role in the global processes of our planet, from climate change to sea level rise, protection from UV (ultraviolet) radiation to uptake of carbon dioxide. In addition, their scientific importance, extraordinary beauty and adventurous history provide perfect ingredients for both education and public outreach.Polar examples provide an excellent way to transmit basic concepts about a wide range of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines. The IPY (International Polar Year) brought educators and scientists together and provided the incentive for the formation of the PEI (Polar Educators International), an organization encouraging the exchange of ideas between educators and researchers and enhancement of the profile of polar education on the international scene. Educators must be adequately informed about current scientific polar research and have the confidenceto teach it to students. Scientists have the knowledge and data to explain these complexities, but may lack the communication skills to make the subject accessible to non-technical audiences. The development of this new network between polar educators and scientists has the potential to break down walls that restrict international collaboration and understanding, provide educators with topical and reliable information and share best practices internationally in an effective way