The Financial Burden of the Urology Match: Room for improvement

Abstract Introduction/ Background – The Urology match remains highly competitive, but there is limited published data on the costs of the application process for contemporary applicants. This study aims to determine the financial burden of the Urological match and the effect it has on applicants. Methods/ Materials – All applicants to the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) Urology Residency in the 2019 Urology match were invited to complete an anonymous, IRB approved online survey containing 16 questions on interview travel and costs, financial aid, and debt burden. Results – Thirty-nine out of 183 (21%) applicants responded to the survey. The median number of programs applied to was 87 (range 26 - 100). The median number of interviews offered was 17 (range 0 - 51) and the median number of interviews attended was 14 (range 0 - 27). The median interview expense was $6,0000 (range 0 – 10,000). Applicants reported the money came from a combination of medical student loans (43$57,500. Conclusions – At UNMC, applicants for the 2019 Urology interview cycle incurred a median monetary cost of $6,000. With 18Abstract Introduction/ Background – The Urology match remains highly competitive, but there is limited published data on the costs of the application process for contemporary applicants. This study aims to determine the financial burden of the U[A1] rological match and the effect it has on applicants. Methods/ Materials – All applicants to the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) Urology Residency in the 2019 Urology match were invited to complete an anonymous, IRB approved online survey containing 16 questions on interview travel and costs, financial aid, and debt burden. Results – Thirty-nine out of 183 (21$6,0000 (range 0 – 10,000). Applicants reported the money came from a combination of medical student loans (43%), family and friends (43%), or from personal savings (41%). To save money, 64% of applicants reported staying with family and friends on at least 1 interview and about 43% [A2] of applicants reported sharing a room with another applicant. Notably, 18%[A3] of applicants surveyed stated that they declined interviews due to cost. The median medical school debt of those surveyed was $57,500[A4] . Conclusions – At UNMC, applicants for the 2019 Urology interview cycle incurred a median monetary cost of$6,000 . With 18% of applicants stating that they declined interviews due to financial cost, there should be reform to the interview process to help lower costs to applicants and promote a successful match. Limiting total applications or coordinating same city interviews are two[A5] options to reduce cost. [A1]Check throughout – sometimes you capitalize Urology or Urological and other times you do not. Be consistent throughout entire paper. Either way is fine. [A2]Don’t start a sentence with a numeral – either spell it out or add to the previous sentence. [A3]Change – you can also start a sentence with a transition like “Notably, 18%...” [A4]This seems low. Double check [A5]Typically spell out numbers one-nine and then use numerals for 10 and up (except for measurements, dollar amounts, and others)

Study of fuel cells using storable rocket propellants Final report, 18 Aug. 1965 - 23 Jun. 1969

Operating fuel cells on gaseous nitrogen tetroxide and aerozine 5

Phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors lower both portal and pulmonary pressure in portopulmonary hypertension: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Portopulmonary hypertension (PPHTN) is a severe complication in liver cirrhosis. PDE5 inhibitors lower pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) in PPHTN. However, their effect on portal hypertension has not yet been investigated.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 55 year old male patient presented with PPHTN and alcoholic liver cirrhosis. 10 mg of Tadalafil, a PDE5 inhibitor with a long half-life, was administered orally under continuous monitoring of pulmonary and portal hemodynamics. For maintenance therapy the patient received Sildenafil 20 mg bid.</p> <p>Tadalafil lowered mean PAP from 45 to 39 mmHg within 60 minutes. Cardiac output (CO) increased from 6.8 to 7.9 l/min. Central venous pressure (CVP) remained stable at 3 mmHg. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure was lowered from 167/89 to 159/86 mmHg. Pulse rate increased from 75 to 87 per min. Wedged hepatic vein pressure (WHVP) decreased from 21 to 18 mm Hg, hepatovenous pressure gradient (HVPG) decreased from 10 to 7 mmHg. Hemodynamic monitoring after 6 months of Sildenafil therapy revealed a sustained lowering of mean PAP. HVPG remained constant at 10 mmHg. Cardiac and pulmonary performance had further improved.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This case report shows for the first time, that phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors lower both portal and pulmonary pressure in portopulmonary hypertension.</p

Lanthanum tungstate membranes for H-2 extraction and CO2 utilization: Fabrication strategies based on sequential tape casting and plasma-spray physical vapor deposition

[EN] In the context of energy conversion efficiency and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions from power generation and energy-intensive industries, membrane technologies for H-2 extraction and CO2 capture and utilization become pronouncedly important. Mixed protonic-electronic conducting ceramic membranes are hence attractive for the pre-combustion integrated gasification combined cycle, specifically in the water gas shift and H-2 separation process, and also for designing catalytic membrane reactors. This work presents the fabrication, microstructure and functional properties of Lanthanum tungstates (La28-xW4+xO54+delta, LaWO) asymmetric membranes supported on porous ceramic and porous metallic substrates fabricated by means of the sequential tape casting route and plasma spray-physical vapor deposition (PS-PVD). Pure LaWO and W site substituted LaWO were employed as membrane materials due to the promising combination of properties: appreciable mixed protonic-electronic conductivity at intermediate temperatures and reducing atmospheres, good sinterability and noticeable chemical stability under harsh operating conditions. As substrate materials porous LaWO (non-substituted), MgO and Crofer22APU stainless steel were used to support various LaWO membrane layers. The effect of fabrication parameters and material combinations on the assemblies' microstructure, LaWO phase formation and gas tightness of the functional layers was explored along with the related fabrication challenges for shaping LaWO layers with sufficient quality for further practical application. The two different fabrication strategies used in the present work allow for preparing all-ceramic and ceramic-metallic assemblies with LaWO membrane layers with thicknesses between 25 and 60 mu m and H-2 flux of ca. 0.4 ml/min cm(2) measured at 825 degrees C in 50 vol% H-2 in He dry feed and humid Ar sweep configuration. Such a performance is an exceptional achievement for the LaWO based H-2 separation membranes and it is well comparable with the H-2 flux reported for other newly developed dual phase cer-cer and cer-met membranes.ProtOMem Project under the BMBF grant 03SF0537 is gratefully acknowledged. Furthermore, the authors thank Ralf Laufs for his assistance in operating the PS-PVD facility. Dr. A. Schwedt from the Central Facility for Electron Microscopy (Gemeinschaftslabor fur Elektronenmikroskopie GFE), RWTH Aachen University is acknowledged for performing the EBSD analysis on the PS-PVD samples.Ivanova, ME.; Deibert, W.; Marcano, D.; Escolástico Rozalén, S.; Mauer, G.; Meulenberg, WA.; Bram, M.... (2019). Lanthanum tungstate membranes for H-2 extraction and CO2 utilization: Fabrication strategies based on sequential tape casting and plasma-spray physical vapor deposition. Separation and Purification Technology. 219:100-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2019.03.015S100112219A.A. Evers, The hydrogen society, More than just a vision? ISBN 978-3-937863-31-3, Hydrogeit Verlag, 16727 Oberkraemer, Germany, 2010.Deibert, W., Ivanova, M. E., Baumann, S., Guillon, O., & Meulenberg, W. A. (2017). Ion-conducting ceramic membrane reactors for high-temperature applications. Journal of Membrane Science, 543, 79-97. doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2017.08.016Arun C. 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Restricting digital sites of dissent: commercial social media and free expression

The widespread use of commercial social media platforms by protesters and activists has enhanced protest mobilisation and reporting but it has placed social media providers in the intermediary role as facilitators of dissent and has thereby created new challenges. Companies like Google and Facebook are increasingly restricting content that is published on or distributed through their platforms; they have been subject to obstruction by governments; and their services have been at the core of large-scale data collection and surveillance. This article analyses and categorises forms of infrastructure-based restrictions on free expression and dissent. It shows how private intermediaries have been incorporated into state-led content policies; how they set their own standards for legitimate online communication and intervene accordingly; and how state-based actions and commercial self-regulation intersect in the specific area of online surveillance. Based on a broad review of cases, it situates the role of social media in the wider trend of the privatisation of communications policy and the complex interplay between state-based regulation and commercial rule-making

The environmental security debate and its significance for climate change

Policymakers, military strategists and academics all increasingly hail climate change as a security issue. This article revisits the (comparatively) long-standing “environmental security debate” and asks what lessons that earlier debate holds for the push towards making climate change a security issue. Two important claims are made. First, the emerging climate security debate is in many ways a re-run of the earlier dispute. It features many of the same proponents and many of the same disagreements. These disagreements concern, amongst other things, the nature of the threat, the referent object of security and the appropriate policy responses. Second, given its many different interpretations, from an environmentalist perspective, securitisation of the climate is not necessarily a positive development

Effect of a weight loss intervention on anthropometric measures and metabolic risk factors in pre- versus postmenopausal women

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The present study examines changes in body weight, fat mass, metabolic and hormonal parameters in overweight and obese pre- and postmenopausal women who participated in a weight loss intervention.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Seventy-two subjects were included in the analysis of this single arm study (premenopausal: 22 women, age 43.7 ± 6.4 years, BMI 31.0 ± 2.4 kg/m²; postmenopausal: 50 women, age 58.2 ± 5.1 years, BMI 32.9 ± 3.7 kg/m²). Weight reduction was achieved by the use of a meal replacement and fat-reduced diet. In addition, from week 6 to 24 participants attended a guided exercise program. Body composition was analyzed with the Bod Pod^®. Blood pressures were taken at every visit and blood was collected at baseline and closeout of the study to evaluate lipids, insulin, cortisol and leptin levels.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>BMI, fat mass, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, glucose, leptin and cortisol were higher in the postmenopausal women at baseline.</p> <p>Both groups achieved a substantial and comparable weight loss (pre- vs. postmenopausal: 6.7 ± 4.9 vs 6.7 ± 4.4 kg; n.s.). However, in contrast to premenopausal women, weight loss in postmenopausal women was exclusively due to a reduction of fat mass (-5.3 ± 5.1 vs -6.6 ± 4.1 kg; p < 0.01). In premenopausal women 21% of weight loss was attributed to a reduction in lean body mass.</p> <p>Blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, and glucose improved significantly only in postmenopausal women whereas total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were lowered significantly in both groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Both groups showed comparable weight loss and in postmenopausal women weight loss was associated with a pronounced improvement in metabolic risk factors thereby reducing the prevalence of metabolic syndrome.</p

The Digitalization of Russian Politics and Political Participation

Peer reviewe

Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors have distinct effects on the hemodynamics of the liver

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The NO - cGMP system plays a key role in the regulation of sinusoidal tonus and liver blood flow with phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) terminating the dilatory action of cGMP. We, therefore, investigated the effects of PDE-5 inhibitors on hepatic and systemic hemodynamics in rats.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Hemodynamic parameters were monitored for 60 min. after intravenous injection of sildenafil and vardenafil [1, 10 and 100 μg/kg (sil1, sil10, sil100, var1, var10, var100)] in anesthetized rats.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Cardiac output and heart rate remained constant. After a short dip, mean arterial blood pressure again increased. Systemic vascular resistance transiently decreased slightly. Changes in hepatic hemodynamic parameters started after few minutes and continued for at least 60 min. Portal (var10 -31%, sil10 -34%) and hepatic arterial resistance (var10 -30%, sil10 -32%) decreased significantly (p < 0.05). At the same time portal venous (var10 +29%, sil10 +24%), hepatic arterial (var10 +34%, sil10 +48%), and hepatic parenchymal blood flow (var10 +15%, sil10 +15%) increased significantly (p < 0.05). The fractional liver blood flow (total liver flow/cardiac output) increased significantly (var10 26%, sil10 23%). Portal pressure remained constant or tended to decrease. 10 μg/kg was the most effective dose for both PDE-5 inhibitors.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Low doses of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors have distinct effects on hepatic hemodynamic parameters. Their therapeutic use in portal hypertension should therefore be evaluated.</p