An LVDC distribution system concept

An LVDC distribution system is a new innovation in a field of electricity distribution. This paper presents the basic principles to use power electronics devices in electricity distribution systems. Recent technological and economical developments in power electronic components enable to apply power electronics in LV network. This development makes an LVDC distribution system concept establishment possible. In this respect the occurring progression connects power electronics and distribution system development strongly together. The LVDC distribution system basic concept concentrates at DC/AC interface focusing on implementation of customer-end inverter. The previously made analyses have shown that presented LVDC distribution system has existing techno-economical potential in electricity distribution networks.reviewe

Effects of fadolmidine, an α 2 -adrenoceptor agonist, as an adjuvant to spinal bupivacaine on antinociception and motor function in rats and dogs

α2 -Adrenoceptor agonists such as clonidine and dexmedetomidine are used as adjuvants to local anesthetics in regional anesthesia. Fadolmidine is an α2 -adrenoceptor agonist developed especially as a spinal analgesic. The current studies investigate the effects of intrathecally administered fadolmidine with a local anesthetic, bupivacaine, on antinociception and motor block in conscious rats and dogs. The antinociceptive effects of intrathecal fadolmidine and bupivacaine alone or in combination were tested in the rat tail-flick and the dog's skin twitch models. The durations of motor block in rats and in dogs were also assessed. In addition, the effects on sedation, mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and body temperature were evaluated in telemetrized dogs. Concentrations of fadolmidine in plasma and spinal cord were determined after intrathecal and intravenous administration in rats. Co-administration of intrathecal fadolmidine with bupivacaine increased the magnitude and duration of the antinociceptive effects and prolonged motor block without hypotension. The interaction of the antinociceptive effect was synergistic in its nature in rats. Concentration of fadolmidine in plasma was very low after intrathecal dosing. Taken together, these studies show that fadolmidine as an adjuvant to intrathecal bupivacaine provides enhanced sensory-motor block and enables a reduction of the doses of both drugs. The results indicate that co-administration of fadolmidine with intrathecal bupivacaine was able to achieve an enhanced antinociceptive effect without hypotension and could thus represent a suitable combination for spinal anesthesia.</p

Fonación de la voz cantada en estudiantes del IV y V ciclo de primaria de la Institución Educativa Particular “Santa Teresita”, Surco

La forma de aprender de los niños es por imitación; vocabulario, gestos y rutinas son aprendidas desde la infancia, el canto también es aprendido e imitado, primero por los padres, posteriormente la posta la tomarán los maestros y tutores, por eso la importancia de tener buenas referencias vocales. El presente trabajo de investigación determinó el nivel actual de fonación de la voz cantada, midiendo la respiración, emisión, articulación y si es adecuada para el canto. A partir de los resultados de la muestra de estudio se podrá sugerir propuestas para la mejora de la fonación de la voz cantada. Su enfoque es cuantitativo, con diseño no experimental de corte transversal, es decir, recolectan datos de nuestra variable de estudio en un momento determinado, de modo que proporcione una visión real de la situación en que evidentemente se encuentra la fonación de la voz cantada en los estudiantes. La población estuvo constituida por 360 estudiantes del IV y V ciclo de primaria de la institución educativa “Santa Teresita” de Surco, la muestra estuvo constituida por 56 estudiantes asistentes al taller de coro de la institución. Se utilizó una rúbrica como instrumento de evaluación validada a través de juicio de expertos más su respectiva confiabilidad a través del alfa de cronbach. Los resultados de la evaluación reportaron que el 37.50% de estudiantes se encuentra en un nivel deficiente en cuanto a la fonación de la voz cantada, el 30,36% en nivel de proceso y el 32,14% en un nivel de logro. El presente resultado de esta investigación será el punto de partida para proponer un plan educativo musical, para la mejora de la fonación de la voz cantada, dejando la posibilidad de futuras investigaciones.The way children learn is by imitation; Vocabulary, gestures and routines are learned from childhood, the song is also learned and imitated, first by the parents, then the post will be taken by the teachers and tutors, that is why is important of having good vocal references. The present research work determinated the current phonation level of the sung voice, measuring the respiration, emission, articulation and if it is suitable for singing. From the results of the study sample it will be possible to suggest proposals for the improvement of the phonation of the sung voice. Its approach is quantitative, with a non-experimental cross-sectional design, that is, it collects data from our study variable at a given moment, so that it provides a real vision of the situation of the sung voice is evidently found in the students. The population was constituted by 360 students of the IV and V primary cycle of the educational institution "Santa Teresita" of Surco, the sample was constituted by 56 students attending the choir workshop of the institution. A rubric was used as an evaluation instrument validated through expert judgment plus its respective reliability through cronbach's alpha. The results of the evaluation reported that 37.50% of students are at a deficient level in terms of the phonation of the sung voice, 30.36% at the process level and 32.14% at an achievement level. The present result of this investigation will be the starting point to propose a musical educational plan, for the improvement of the phonation of the sung voice, giving the possibility of future investigations.Tesi

Clinical characteristics and evaluation of the incidence of cryptococcosis in Finland 2004-2018

Background Cryptococcosis is one of the major causes of mortality among HIV patients worldwide. Though most often associated with late stage HIV infection/AIDS, a significant number of cases occur in other immunocompromised patients such as solid organ transplant recipients and patients with hematological malignancies. Immunocompromised patients are a heterogeneous group and their number increases constantly. Since little is known about the incidence and the clinical features of cryptococcosis in Northern Europe, our aim was to investigate the clinical characteristics of cryptococcosis patients in Finland. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the laboratory confirmed cryptococcosis cases in Finland during 2004-2018. Only those who were treated for cryptococcosis were included in the study. Initial laboratory findings and medical records were also collected. Results A total of 22 patients with cryptococcosis were included in our study. The annual incidence of cryptococcosis was 0.03 cases per 100,000 population. Ten patients were HIV-positive and 12 out of 22 were HIV-negative. Hematological malignancy was the most common underlying condition among HIV-negative patients. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study of the clinical presentation and incidence of cryptococcosis in Finland. We demonstrate that invasive cryptococcal infection occurs not only in HIV/AIDS patients or otherwise immunocompromised patients but also in immunocompetent individuals. Even though cryptococcosis is extremely rare in Finland, its recognition is important since the prognosis depends on rapid diagnostics and early antifungal therapy.Peer reviewe

Osaamisen huoltovarmuus Suomen puolustuksen teknologisen ja teollisen perustan turvaamisessa

Sipilän hallituksen strategisen ohjelman linjaus, jonka mukaan Suomi ylläpitää laaja-alaisesti keskeisiin soti-laallisiin suorituskykyihin liittyvää kansallista teknologista osaamista sekä riittävää huoltovarmuutta ja puolus-tusteollisuutta kertoo siitä, että teollisuuden ja tiedeyhteisön osaamisesta on pidettävä jatkuvasti ja kaikissa oloissa tarkkaan huolta, jotta puolustusvoimat kykenee täyttämään omat velvoitteensa. Linjaus on erityisen keskeinen tulevien, pitkävaikutteisten meri- ja ilmavoimien materiaalihankintojen johdosta, joiden osalta huo-mio kohdistuu tulevaisuudessa tarvittavan sotilaallisen huoltovarmuuden edellyttämään teknologiseen ja teol-liseen perustaan. Tässä selvityksessä tarkasteltiin osaamispohjaisen huoltovarmuuden keskeisiä kehitysnäkymiä ja toimenpi-teitä, joilla huoltovarmuutta voidaan tukea pitkällä aikajänteellä. Hankkeessa kartoitettiin osaamisen huolto-varmuuden kriittisten osa-alueiden nykytilaa, minkä jälkeen suoritettiin tarkempi analyysi kolmen valitun tek-nologia-alueen kohdalla. Edellisen lisäksi suoritettiin pitkän aikavälin ennakointitoimintaa tähän tarkoitukseen kehitetyn osaamistutkan avulla, joka toimii työkaluna osaamisen tilannekuvan luomiseen. Tutkimuksen tulok-sena syntyi osaamisen tilannekuvan konsepti, joka tarjoaa keinon Suomen puolustuksen teknisten ja muiden osaamistarpeiden seurantaan sekä mahdollisuuden vaikuttaa maan kannalta välttämättömän teknologia-osaamisen kehittymiseen ja sen ylläpitoo

Clinical characteristics and evaluation of the incidence of cryptococcosis in Finland 2004-2018

Background: Cryptococcosis is one of the major causes of mortality among HIV patients worldwide. Though most often associated with late stage HIV infection/AIDS, a significant number of cases occur in other immunocompromised patients such as solid organ transplant recipients and patients with hematological malignancies. Immunocompromised patients are a heterogeneous group and their number increases constantly. Since little is known about the incidence and the clinical features of cryptococcosis in Northern Europe, our aim was to investigate the clinical characteristics of cryptococcosis patients in Finland.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the laboratory confirmed cryptococcosis cases in Finland during 2004-2018. Only those who were treated for cryptococcosis were included in the study. Initial laboratory findings and medical records were also collected.Results: A total of 22 patients with cryptococcosis were included in our study. The annual incidence of cryptococcosis was 0.03 cases per 100,000 population. Ten patients were HIV-positive and 12 out of 22 were HIV-negative. Hematological malignancy was the most common underlying condition among HIV-negative patients.Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study of the clinical presentation and incidence of cryptococcosis in Finland. We demonstrate that invasive cryptococcal infection occurs not only in HIV/AIDS patients or otherwise immunocompromised patients but also in immunocompetent individuals. Even though cryptococcosis is extremely rare in Finland, its recognition is important since the prognosis depends on rapid diagnostics and early antifungal therapy.</p

Faecal Metaproteomic Analysis Reveals a Personalized and Stable Functional Microbiome and Limited Effects of a Probiotic Intervention in Adults

Recent metagenomic studies have demonstrated that the overall functional potential of the intestinal microbiome is rather conserved between healthy individuals. Here we assessed the biological processes undertaken in-vivo by microbes and the host in the intestinal tract by conducting a metaproteome analysis from a total of 48 faecal samples of 16 healthy adults participating in a placebo-controlled probiotic intervention trial. Half of the subjects received placebo and the other half consumed Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG for three weeks (10(10) cfu per day). Faecal samples were collected just before and at the end of the consumption phase as well as after a three-week follow-up period, and were processed for microbial composition and metaproteome analysis. A common core of shared microbial protein functions could be identified in all subjects. Furthermore, we observed marked differences in expressed proteins between subjects that resulted in the definition of a stable and personalized microbiome both at the mass-spectrometry-based proteome level and the functional level based on the KEGG pathway analysis. No significant changes in the metaproteome were attributable to the probiotic intervention. A detailed taxonomic assignment of peptides and comparison to phylogenetic microarray data made it possible to evaluate the activity of the main phyla as well as key species, including Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. Several correlations were identified between human and bacterial proteins. Proteins of the human host accounted for approximately 14% of the identified metaproteome and displayed variations both between and within individuals. The individually different human intestinal proteomes point to personalized host-microbiota interactions. Our findings indicate that analysis of the intestinal metaproteome can complement gene-based analysis and contributes to a thorough understanding of the activities of the microbiome and the relevant pathways in health and disease.Peer reviewe

Genome-wide association study identifies common variants associated with circulating vitamin E levels

In genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of common genetic variants associated with circulating alpha- and gamma-tocopherol concentrations in two adult cohorts comprising 5006 men of European descent, we observed three loci associated with alpha-tocopherol levels, two novel single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs2108622 on 19pter-p13.11 (P= 1.7 × 10−8) and rs11057830 on 12q24.31 (P= 2.0 × 10−8) and confirmed a previously reported locus marked by rs964184 on 11q23.3 (P= 2.7 × 10−10). The three SNPs have been reported to be associated with lipid metabolism and/or regulation. We replicated these findings in a combined meta-analysis with two independent samples, P= 7.8 × 10−12 (rs964184 on 11q23.3 near BUD13, ZNF259 and APOA1/C3/A4/A5), P= 1.4 × 10−10 (rs2108622 on 19pter-p13.11 near CYP4F2) and P= 8.2 × 10−9 (rs11057830 on 12q24.31 near SCARB1). Combined, these SNPs explain 1.7% of the residual variance in log alpha-tocopherol levels. In one of the two male GWAS cohorts (n= 992), no SNPs were significantly associated with gamma-tocopherol concentrations after including data from the replication sample for 71 independent SNPs with P< 1 × 10−4 identified