Ambulatory tuberculosis treatment in post-Semashko health care systems needs supportive financing mechanisms

The tuberculosis (TB) control strategy in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan, is being changed to decentralised out-patient care for most TB patients by the Government of Uzbekistan, in collaboration with the international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières. Ambulatory treatment of both drug-susceptible and drug-resistant TB from the first day of treatment has been recommended since 2011. Out-patient treatment of TB from the beginning of treatment was previously prohibited. However, the current Uzbek health financing system, which evolved from the Soviet Semashko model, offers incentives that work against the adoption of ambulatory TB treatment. Based on the 'Comprehensive TB Care for All' programme implemented in Karakalpakstan, we describe how existing policies for the allocation of health funds complicate the scale-up of ambulatory-based management of TB

Aromaticity in a Surface Deposited Cluster: Pd4_4 on TiO2_2 (110)

We report the presence of \sigma-aromaticity in a surface deposited cluster, Pd$_4$ on TiO$_2$ (110). In the gas phase, Pd$_4$ adopts a tetrahedral structure. However, surface binding promotes a flat, \sigma-aromatic cluster. This is the first time aromaticity is found in surface deposited clusters. Systems of this type emerge as a promising class of catalyst, and so realization of aromaticity in them may help to rationalize their reactivity and catalytic properties, as a function of cluster size and composition.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Stereochemistry of seven-membered heterocycles. Communication 17. PMR spectra and conformation of 2-methyl-2-phenyl-1, 3-dioxa-5,6-benzocycloheptene and its isomeric 4-methyl derivatives

1. 2-Methyl-2-phenyl-1,3-dioxa-5,6-benzocycloheptene and its isomeric 4-methyl-substituted derivatives exist in the twist conformation. 2. In the PMR of these compounds the benzyl protons and 4-methyl groups are coupled and the screening influence of the 2-phenyl substituent on the gauche-oriented methylene protons was revealed. © 1986 Plenum Publishing Corporation

Identification of particles with Lorentz factor up to 10410^{4} with Transition Radiation Detectors based on micro-strip silicon detectors

This work is dedicated to the study of a technique for hadron identification in the TeV momentum range, based on the simultaneous measurement of the energies and of the emission angles of the Transition Radiation (TR) X-rays with respect to the radiating particles. A detector setup has been built and tested with particles in a wide range of Lorentz factors (from about $10^3$ to about $4 \times 10^4$ crossing different types of radiators. The measured double-differential (in energy and angle) spectra of the TR photons are in a reasonably good agreement with TR simulation predictions.Comment: 31 pages, 12 figures, paper published on Nuclear Instruments & Methods

Hypocrates is a genetically encoded fluorescent biosensor for (pseudo)hypohalous acids and their derivatives

The lack of tools to monitor the dynamics of (pseudo)hypohalous acids in live cells and tissues hinders a better understanding of inflammatory processes. Here we present a fluorescent genetically encoded biosensor, Hypocrates, for the visualization of (pseudo)hypohalous acids and their derivatives. Hypocrates consists of a circularly permuted yellow fluorescent protein integrated into the structure of the transcription repressor NemR from Escherichia coli. We show that Hypocrates is ratiometric, reversible, and responds to its analytes in the 106 M-1s-1 range. Solving the Hypocrates X-ray structure provided insights into its sensing mechanism, allowing determination of the spatial organization in this circularly permuted fluorescent protein-based redox probe. We exemplify its applicability by imaging hypohalous stress in bacteria phagocytosed by primary neutrophils. Finally, we demonstrate that Hypocrates can be utilized in combination with HyPerRed for the simultaneous visualization of (pseudo)hypohalous acids and hydrogen peroxide dynamics in a zebrafish tail fin injury model

The current state of the issue of using cone beam computed tomography in the diagnosis of musculoskeletal diseases

The high incidence rate and wide range of musculoskeletal pathologies determine the improvement of the diagnostic process. Late diagnosis leads to complications, which in turn increase the percentage of disability. Therefore, the search for the most informative method with the least radiation load on the patient remains an urgent problem for radiologists. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a modern and  promising technique that has already found wide application in dentistry and otorhinolaryngology. Among the advantages of CBCT are: three-dimensional image; high spatial resolution; low radiation dose. Thanks to technical improvements in equipment and the introduction of new image processing protocols, it has become possible to expand the indications for conducting the researches, including the researches based on imaging of the upper and lower extremities. Based on the results of a CBCT study, we can evaluate: the shape and contour of the bone; solution of continuity of the bone and malposition of bone fragments; the structure of bone tissue and  the  pathological processes occurring in it (destruction, osteoporosis, osteosclerosis); joint congruence and changes in  articular surfaces surrounding soft tissues. Therefore, CBCT can be introduced into the diagnostic process of bones and joints diseases. The use of this technique will find wide application in traumatology and orthopedics (fractures, dislocations, post-traumatic deformities, aseptic necrosis, osteoarthritis), rheumatology (rheumatoid arthritis, polyarthropathy, juvenile arthritis, gout), surgery (osteomyelitis), oncology (benign and malignant bone tumors) both in the adult population and in pediatric practice. This paper presents a review of the literature, which examines the degree of development of the issue of using CBCT and describes study protocols and protocols for processing the obtained images in the diagnosis of musculoskeletal diseases

The Pleiades Plate Database: a new update

New results for the Pleiades Plate Database (PPDB) are presented. The database aims to collect information for the digitized Pleiades plates mainly in the field of 25 square degrees around Alcyone. Using the Wide-Field Plate Database (WFPDB, [http://www.skyarchive.org]) for the Pleiades plate search we found more than 3100 plates existing in the Asiago, Sonneberg, Harvard, Kyiv, and Moscow plate collections. The Pleiades cluster as one of the most observed stellar cluster, which is quite well visible in the Northern sky, is a basic one for many astronomical projects, carried out since the beginning of systematical photographic sky monitoring in 1872 (the Gould survey). More plates from the Asiago, Sonneberg, Harvard, Kyiv, and Moscow wide-field plate archives were scanned and added to the database

Steps Toward Determination of the Size and Structure of the Broad-Line Region in Active Galactic Nuclei. XV. Long-Term Optical Monitoring of NGC 5548

We present the results of three years of ground-based observations of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548, which combined with previously reported data, yield optical continuum and broad-line H-beta light curves for a total of eight years. The light curves consist of over 800 points, with a typical spacing of a few days between observations. During this eight-year period, the nuclear continuum has varied by more than a factor of seven, and the H-beta emission line has varied by a factor of nearly six. The H-beta emission line responds to continuum variations with a time delay or lag of 10-20 days, the precise value varying somewhat from year to year. We find some indications that the lag varies with continuum flux in the sense that the lag is larger when the source is brighter.Comment: 29 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ (1999 Jan 10

Steps Toward Determination of the Size and Structure of the Broad-Line Region in Active Galactic Nuclei. XVI. A Thirteen-Year Study of Spectral Variability in NGC 5548

We present the final installment of an intensive 13-year study of variations of the optical continuum and broad H-beta emission line in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548. The data base consists of 1530 optical continuum measurements and 1248 H-beta measurements. The H-beta variations follow the continuum variations closely, with a typical time delay of about 20 days. However, a year-by-year analysis shows that the magnitude of emission-line time delay is correlated with the mean continuum flux. We argue that the data are consistent with the simple model prediction that the size of the broad-line region is proportional to the square root of the ionizing luminosity. Moreover, the apparently linear nature of the correlation between the H-beta response time and the nonstellar optical continuum arises as a consequence of the changing shape of the continuum as it varies, specifically with the optical (5100 A) continuum luminosity proportional to the ultraviolet (1350 A) continuum luminosity to the 0.56 power.Comment: 20 pages plus 4 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa