Benefits of using intrathecal buprenorphine

Background: General anesthesia draws attention to the most commonly used modalities for post cesarean delivery pain relief in systemic administration of opioids, while the administration of small dose of intrathecal opioid during spinal anesthesia can be a possible alternative. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of buprenorphine on cesarean section prescribed intrathecally. Methods: This double blind randomized clinical trial study was conducted in patients for cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. The patients were randomly divided into case and control groups. Case group (208 patients) received 65-70 mg of 5% lidocaine plus 0.2 ml of buprenorphine while the same amount of 5% lidocaine diluted with 0.2 ml of normal saline was given to 234 cases in the control group. Hemodynamic changes and neonatal APGAR scores (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, Respiration) were recorded. Pain score was recorded according to the visual analog scale. This study was registered in the Iranian Registry of clinical Trials; IRCT2013022112552N1. Results: The mean age of case and control groups was 24.4±5.38 and 26.84±5.42 years, respectively. Systolic blood pressure was not significantly different until the 45th minute but diastolic blood pressure showed a significant difference at the 15th and the 60th minutes (P<0.001). Heart rate changes were significantly different between cases and controls at the initial 5th, 15th and after 60th minutes (P<0.001). Pain-free period was significantly different between two groups (1.25 h versus 18.73 h) (P<0.001). Conclusion: The results show that prescription of intratechal buprenorphine prolongs the duration of analgesia without any significant considerable side effects

Incorporating Betweenness Centrality in Compressive Sensing for Congestion Detection

This paper presents a new Compressive Sensing (CS) scheme for detecting network congested links. We focus on decreasing the required number of measurements to detect all congested links in the context of network tomography. We have expanded the LASSO objective function by adding a new term corresponding to the prior knowledge based on the relationship between the congested links and the corresponding link Betweenness Centrality (BC). The accuracy of the proposed model is verified by simulations on two real datasets. The results demonstrate that our model outperformed the state-of-the-art CS based method with significant improvements in terms of F-Score

The occurrence of riddled basins and blowout bifurcations in a parametric nonlinear system

In this paper, a two parameters family $F_{\beta_1,\beta_2}$ of maps of the plane living two different subspaces invariant is studied. We observe that, our model exhibits two chaotic attractors $A_i$, $i=0,1$, lying in these invariant subspaces and identify the parameters at which $A_i$ has a locally riddled basin of attraction or becomes a chaotic saddle. Then, the occurrence of riddled basin in the global sense is investigated in an open region of $\beta_1\beta_2$-plane. We semi-conjugate our system to a random walk model and define a fractal boundary which separates the basins of attraction of the two chaotic attractors, then we describe riddled basin in detail. We show that the model undergos a sequence of bifurcations: "a blowout bifurcation", "a bifurcation to normal repulsion" and "a bifurcation by creating a new chaotic attractor with an intermingled basin". Numerical simulations are presented graphically to confirm the validity of our results.Comment: 26 pages, 15 figure

Interleukin 6, interleukin 1&#946, estradiol and testosterone concentrations in serum and follicular fluid of females with stimulated and non-stimulated ovaries

The ovarian physiology is regulated by some complex factors such as hormones and growth factors. The hormones and growth factors are synthesized by follicular and ovarian cells during follicular maturation stage and cytokines are synthesized by the immune system. Interaction between immune and endocrine systems modulates ovarian function through the secretion of regulatory soluble factors, especially cytokines. There is a close contact between corona-cumulus-oocyte complex with follicular fluid which affects the quality and degree of oocyte maturation. The objectives of this study were to determine the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin 1β, estradiol and testosterone concentration in serum and follicular fluid of women with stimulated and non-stimulated ovaries. A total of 41 women, 27 in stimulated and 14 non-stimulated cycles, undergoing intra cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment were included in this study. Follicular fluid and serum samples from all cases were collected at the time of oocyte retrieval and concentration of testosterone, estradiol, interleukin 6 and interleukin 1β were measured. The results show that serum concentration of testosterone was significantly higher in non stimulated cases. Also, the serum and follicular fluid concentrations of interleukin 6 and interleukin 1β in stimulated cases were significantly higher than non stimulated group. There was an important negative correlation between the level of testosterone in patient's serum and IL-6 and IL-1β levels of follicular fluid. In conclusion, according to these results, it seems that the levels of testosterone and IL-6 and IL-1β in patient's serum and follicular fluid are a good factor for prediction of maturity of oocytes.Key words: Oocyte maturation, follicular fluid, interleukin 6, interleukin 1β, testosterone, estradiol

Food and Migration: Dietary Acculturation among Migrants to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a large migrant workforce particularly from North Africa, other Gulf states and South Asia. Migration influences food behavior; however, the change is not often health conducive. This study aimed to investigate the dietary acculturation among 880 migrants and their families in a large University in the Kingdoms’ capital city, Riyadh. Methods: A cross sectional study design was used based on 2 questionnaires; Rosenmoller et al’s and the WHO STEPS surveillance tool for chronic disease surveillance. Data on length of residency, dietary patterns, anthropometric and biochemical measurements were collected by trained interviewers. Descriptive statistics were reported as a percentage or mean, as appropriate. Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test or independent t test, Univariate and Multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to compare the significance between variables. Results: Both male and female participants showed a similar mean age (39.7 and 38.5 years). Approximately 61% of them had <5 year’s duration of residency. Significant gender differences were observed in blood pressure and biochemical measurements, with men showing higher mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure and dyslipidemia than women (P < .001). Women had significantly higher BMI (P < .001), showed higher mean food practice (P < .001) and awareness scores than men. Conclusions: Migration into Saudi Arabia from this subgroup showed marked changes in the food practice; acquisition of unhealthy dietary practices also co-existed despite improved awareness and the presence of comorbidities. Findings from this study have relevance to other migrant communities and public health policy

Multi-port coordination: Unlocking flexibility and hydrogen opportunities in green energy networks

\ua9 2024Seaports are responsible for consuming a large amount of energy and producing a sizeable amount of environmental emissions. However, optimal coordination and cooperation present an opportunity to transform this challenge into an opportunity by enabling flexibility in their generation and load units. This paper introduces a coordination framework for exploiting flexibility across multiple ports. The proposed method fosters cooperation between ports in achieving lower environmental emissions while leveraging flexibility to increase their revenue. This platform allows ports to participate in providing flexibility for the energy grid through the introduction of a green port-to-grid concept while optimising their cooperation. Furthermore, the proximity to offshore wind farms is considered an opportunity for the ports to investigate their role in harnessing green hydrogen. The proposed method explores the hydrogen storage capability of ports as an opportunity for increasing the techno-economic benefits, particularly through coupling them with offshore wind farms. Compared to existing literature, the proposed method enjoys a comprehensive logistics-electric model for the ports, a novel coordination framework for multi-port flexibility, and the potentials of hydrogen storage for the ports. These unique features position this paper a valuable reference for research and industry by demonstrating realistic cooperation among ports in the energy network. The simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed port flexibility coordination from both environmental and economic perspectives

The Pragmatic Instruction Effects on Persian EFL Learners’ Noticing and Learning Outcomes in Request Forms

This study investigates the request strategies used by Persian learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), aimed at exploring the pragmatic instruction effects on their noticing constrained by different types of treatment tasks. The subsequent effect of the learners’ noticing on their learning outcomes is taken into account as well. Thirty learners were divided into two instructional (treatment) conditions: a form-comparison condition and a form-search condition. Discourse completion tests were used to generate data related to the request strategies used by each group in pre- and posttests. The treatment data were examined regarding the extent to which the learners had noticed the appropriate manner of request realization in English and were further compared with the posttest. The findings revealed that during the treatment, the amount of learners’ noticing the target request forms in the form-comparison condition was greater than the form-search condition. Furthermore, learners’ higher awareness of the target request forms in the form-comparison condition could lead them to have a better performance in their posttest

Kissing Cuisines: Exploring Worldwide Culinary Habits on the Web

In the Web Science Track of 26th International World Wide Web Conference (WWW 2017)In the Web Science Track of 26th International World Wide Web Conference (WWW 2017)In the Web Science Track of 26th International World Wide Web Conference (WWW 2017)Food and nutrition occupy an increasingly prevalent space on the web, and dishes and recipes shared online provide an invaluable mirror into culinary cultures and attitudes around the world. More specifically, ingredients, flavors, and nutrition information become strong signals of the taste preferences of individuals and civilizations. However, there is little understanding of these palate varieties. In this paper, we present a large-scale study of recipes published on the web and their content, aiming to understand cuisines and culinary habits around the world. Using a database of more than 157K recipes from over 200 different cuisines, we analyze ingredients, flavors, and nutritional values which distinguish dishes from different regions, and use this knowledge to assess the predictability of recipes from different cuisines. We then use country health statistics to understand the relation between these factors and health indicators of different nations, such as obesity, diabetes, migration, and health expenditure. Our results confirm the strong effects of geographical and cultural similarities on recipes, health indicators, and culinary preferences across the globe

Reducing Graphene-Metal Contact Resistance via Laser Nano-welding

The large graphene-metal contact resistance is a major limitation for development of graphene electronics. graphene behaves as an insulator for out-of-plane carrier transport to metallic contacts. Laser nano-welding was developed and led to RC reductions of up to 84%. Localized laser irradiation at the edges of graphene led to the formation of chemically active point defects. Precise structural modifications and formation of G-M bonding led to improved carrier efficiency in graphene devices