Predictive factors for ovarian response in a corifollitropin alfa/GnRH antagonist protocol for controlled ovarian stimulation in IVF/ICSI cycles

Background This secondary analysis aimed to identify predictors of low (<6 oocytes retrieved) and high ovarian response (>18 oocytes retrieved) in IVF patients undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation with corifollitropin alfa in a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol. Methods Statistical model building for high and low ovarian response was based on the 150 μg corifollitropin alfa treatment group of the Pursue trial in infertile women aged 35–42 years (n = 694). Results Multivariable logistic regression models were constructed in a stepwise fashion (P <0.05 for entry). 14.1 % of subjects were high ovarian responders and 23.2 % were low ovarian responders. The regression model for high ovarian response included four independent predictors: higher anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and antral follicle count (AFC) increased the risk, and higher follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels and advancing age decreased the risk of high ovarian response. The regression model for low ovarian response also included four independent predictors: advancing age increased the risk, and higher AMH, higher AFC and longer menstrual cycle length decreased the risk of low ovarian response. Conclusions AMH, AFC and age predicted both high and low ovarian responses, FSH predicted high ovarian response, and menstrual cycle length predicted low ovarian response in a corifollitropin alfa/GnRH antagonist protocol

Landscape ecological Decision & Evaluation Support System LEDESS : users guide

To understand the basic strategies in nature development, it is necessary to examine existing plans and schemes in order to reveal and clarify underlying concepts. Two questions are crucial here: what is the ecological objective, and what is the spatial strategy? The first question is related to the level of the ecosystem. With different types of nature management, different ecosystems can develop at the same site. Nature policy decides which system is to be developed. The second question is related to the landscape as a whole, the spatial pattern of ecosystems. It is taken into account that other activities, such as farming, recreation, water supply and quarrying, also require space. Nature development cannot be considered independently from those activities. Therefore, a spatial strategy is required to combine all land use functions. To find an optimal balance between the two questions, different nature development scenarios are developed

Knowledge management for small languages

In this paper an overview of the knowledge components needed for extensive documentation of small languages is given. The Language Archive is striving to offer all these tools to the linguistic community. The major tools in relation to the knowledge components are described. Followed by a discussion on what is currently lacking and possible strategies to move forward

The Consequence of Self-field and Non-uniform Current Distribution on Short Sample Tests of Superconducting Cables

Electrical measurements on samples of superconducting cables are usually performed in order to determine the critical current $I_c$ and the n-value, assuming that the voltage U at the transition from the superconducting to the normal state follows the power law, U\sim($I/I_c$)$^n$. An accurate measurement of $I_c$ and n demands, first of all, good control of temperature and field, and precise measurement of current and voltage. The critical current and n-value of a cable are influenced by the self-field of the cable, an effect that has to be known in order to compare the electrical characteristics of the cable with those of the strands from which it is made. The effect of the self-field is dealt with taking into account the orientation and magnitude of the applied field and the n-value of the strands. An important source of inaccuracy is related to the distribution of the currents among the strands. Non-uniform distributions, mainly caused by non-equal resistances of the connections between the strands of the cable and the current leads, can easily result in a misinterpretation of the measured critical current and n-value by 5% and 50% respectively. In this paper this effect is explained in detail, taking also into account the influence of the current ramp-rate (during a voltage-current measurement), the sample length, the contact resistance between the strands and the placement of the voltage taps

Experiences of carriers of multidrug-resistant organisms: a systematic review

Contains fulltext : 202240.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)OBJECTIVES: A comprehensive overview of the ways control measures directed at carriers of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) affect daily life of carriers is lacking. In this systematic literature review, we sought to explore how carriers experience being a carrier and how they experience being subjected to control measures by looking at the impact on basic capabilities. METHODS: We searched Medline, Embase and PsychINFO until 26 May 2016 for studies addressing experiences of MDRO carriers. Twenty-seven studies were included, addressing experiences with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (n = 21), ESBL (n = 1), multiple MDRO (n = 4) and other (n = 1, not specified). We categorized reported experiences according to Nussbaum's capability approach. RESULTS: Carriage and control measures were found to interfere with quality of care, cause negative emotions, limit interactions with loved ones, cause stigmatization, limit recreational activities and create financial and professional insecurity. Further, carriers have difficulties with full comprehension of the problem of antimicrobial resistance, thus affecting six out of ten basic capabilities. CONCLUSIONS: Applying Nussbaum's capability approach visualizes an array of unintended consequences of control measures. Carriers experience stigmatization, especially in healthcare settings, and have limited understanding of their situation and the complexities of antimicrobial resistance

Heritability of autistic traits in the general population.

Item does not contain fulltextObjective: To explore genetic and environmental influences on individual differences in autistic traits in early adulthood and to test if there is assortative mating (non-random partner choice) for autistic traits in the general population. Design: Twin family study using structural equation modeling. Setting: Population-based twin family sample from the Netherlands. Participants: Twins aged 18 years (n=370) and their siblings (n=94); parents of twins (128 couples). Main Outcome Measure: Self-reported Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) scores, a quantitative measure of autistic traits. Results: Autistic traits were continuously distributed in the population. Twins and siblings did not significantly differ in AQ scores; men obtained significantly higher AQ scores than women (in twin-sibling sample, P <.001; twin-parent sample, P=.02). Individual differences in endorsement on autistic traits show substantial heritability (57%). No significant shared environmental influences were detected. The genes affecting autistic traits appear to be the same across the sexes. The correlation in AQ score between spouses was low and not significant (Pearson r=.05; P=.59). Conclusions: Previous general population twin studies reported high heritability for autistic traits in childhood and early adolescence. This study extends these findings to late adolescence and yields no evidence for sex-specific genetic influences on autistic traits in later stages of development. As autistic traits show substantial variation in the general population, future genetic studies may be facilitated by measuring autistic traits on a continuous scale like the AQ. No evidence for assortative mating for autistic traits was found, suggesting that, in the general population, there is no passive or active partner selection for autistic traits.6 p

Elevating crop disease resistance with cloned genes

Essentially all plant species exhibit heritable genetic variation for resistance to a variety of plant diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, oomycetes or viruses. Disease losses in crop monocultures are already significant, and would be greater but for applications of disease-controlling agrichemicals. For sustainable intensification of crop production, we argue that disease control should as far as possible be achieved using genetics rather than using costly recurrent chemical sprays. The latter imply CO2 emissions from diesel fuel and potential soil compaction from tractor journeys. Great progress has been made in the past 25 years in our understanding of the molecular basis of plant disease resistance mechanisms, and of how pathogens circumvent them. These insights can inform more sophisticated approaches to elevating disease resistance in crops that help us tip the evolutionary balance in favour of the crop and away from the pathogen. We illustrate this theme with an account of a genetically modified (GM) blight-resistant potato trial in Norwich, using the Rpi-vnt1.1 gene isolated from a wild relative of potato, Solanum venturii, and introduced by GM methods into the potato variety Desiree

Linking bayesian belief networks and GIS to assess the ecosystem integrity in the brazilian Amazon.

Deforestation and climate change heavily impact the ecosystem of the Amazon rainforest threatening its resilience and the sustainability of many human activities. Land protection may prevent ecosystems and their services to deteriorate from the pressures of agricultural expansion, population growth and wood harvesting. In the Brazilian Amazon land protection occurs in several forms such as environmental conservation, setting biodiversity priority areas and the delineation of indigenous lands. Still, the effects are not clear as understanding of the ecosystems is incomplete and responses to human actions are highly uncertain. Bayesian Belief Networks (BBN) are models that probabilistically represent correlative and causal relationships among variables. BBNs have been successfully applied to natural resource management to address environmental management problems and to assess the impact of alternative management measures. By training the probabilistic relationships using field data, Remote Sensing data and GIS data the BBN can provide information on the ecosystems: the ecosystem integrity and their likely response to climate change or alternative management actions. An increasing number of studies train and apply BBNs with evidence originating from GIS data; a cumbersome and error prone soft-linking method requiring manual conversion of data files between the BBN and GIS software systems. This paper presents the full integration of a BBN software system within an existing GIS based Discussion Support System (DSS) illustrated by the case of the ecosystem integrity of the Brazilian amazon. The full integration speeds up the processing and thereby allows doing multiple runs within a short period of time such as a stakeholder workshop. Each consecutive run is based upon insights from a previous one. Furthermore, the DSS provides the management of different options, visualize spatial summaries and trade-offs between different impact indicators and see regional differences