269 research outputs found
Tilted: Exploring the Mainstreaming and Diversity of Modern Drag
The act of presenting oneself to the world around them is a performance. Gender takes a massive part in this āperformanceā as the āgender rolesā that we as humans embody due to preconceived societal constructs shape the worldās perception of us (Butler 92-95). The worldās normality of performing the gender that closely matches oneās sex assignment is not the only option. The long practiced Queer art form of Drag, blurs and changes the lines of gender through performance. This in turn plays with the fluidity in the manmade construct of gender. Drag is a necessary art form within the Queer community as it creates a visible spectacle of queerness. It beckons visibility of identities that are chastised, āotheredā, and oppressed by heteronormativity. This essay will examine how the art of Drag is for anyone looking to explore their gender identity and how the art formās growth in popularity within the last decade has transformed it from being subversive into mainstream
Expression of Genes Responsible for the Repair of Mispaired Bases of the DNA (MLH1) in Invasive Ductal Breast Carcinoma
Breast cancer is a heterogeneous group of diseases determined and distinguished by cellular type, gene expression and clinical signs and symptoms. Identification of histological and biological markers is of great value in predicting the progression of tumor growth and anticipating the expected response to various treatment options. Due to a high degree of cell proliferation in breast tumors and high genetic instability of these tumors, as a consequence of defective DNA repair mechanisms, chemotherapy as a treatment option often renders very successful results. During our scientific research we wanted to determine the involvement of the genetic polymorphisms of DNA mismatch repair system (MLH1 gene) and the subsequent development of breast carcinoma. This study included 108 patients who were surgically treated for inva- sive breast cancer at the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, University Hospital Ā»DubravaĀ«. The expression of the MLH1 gene was determined by immunohistochemical methods. The results showed that 82.9% of tumor cells expressed the MLH1 gene. Analysis of survival rate for patients with invasive ductal breast cancer showed a statistically significant (p=0.043) correlation with the expression of MLH1 genes. The overall five year survival rate of our patients was 78.7%. These results indicate that there is a possible involvement of MLH1 gene in the progression and development of breast cancer
Book Review - KirurÅ”ka onkologija (Surgical Oncology) by Mladen Stanec, Danko Velimir Vrdoljak and Marko TuriÄ. Medicinska naklda, Zagreb, 2011
Prikaz sluÄaja bolesnice s pojavom lokalnog recidiva na prsnom koÅ”u pet uzastopnih godina nakon radikalne mastektomije
Breast cancer is most common cancer in women. After surgical treatment and adjuvant therapy, locoregional recurrences do occur in certain number of patients. Herein we report a breast cancer patient who developed isolated chest wall local recurrence 3 years after mastectomy which was reappearing in next fi ve consecutive years. Multimodal treatment which includes surgical excision and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy can achieve a signifi cant degree of palliation when locoregional recurrences are diagnosed. In our case, inclusion of adjuvant treatment did not provide satisfactory local control
of disease therefore repetitive surgical excision was the only modality which off ered our patient 7 years of overall survival after fi rst excision of local recurrence.Rak dojke je najÄeÅ”Äi rak u žena. UnatoÄ kirurÅ”kom lijeÄenju i adjuvantnoj terapiji, lokalni recidivi se javljaju u odreÄenom
broju pacijenata. Prikazan je sluÄaj bolesnice s pojavama lokalnog recidiva na prsnom koÅ”u u razdoblju od pet uzastopnih godina nakon radikalne mastektomije. KoristeÄi se multimodalnim tretmanom koji ukljuÄuje kirurÅ”ki zahvat i kemoradioterapiju, naÄelno se postižu dobri rezultati u lijeÄenju lokoregionalnog recidiva. UnatoÄ danoj terapiji, uzastopne kirurÅ”ke ekscizije su se pokazale kao jedini modalitet lijeÄenja koji je bolesnici omoguÄio sedmogodiÅ”nje preživljenje nakon pojave prvog lokalnog recidiva
BIO-CORROSIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF TITANIUM-MAGNESIUM COMPOSITE MATERIAL
U dugogodiÅ”njoj kliniÄkoj primjeni titanija sve se viÅ”e uoÄavaju Å”tetni uÄinci kao Å”to je otpuÅ”tanje iona Ti4+ uslijed neprihvatljivog biokorozijskog ponaÅ”anja. Magnezij se u posljednje vrijeme Äesto primjenjuje u biointeraktivnim konceptima oseointegracijskih povrÅ”ina kao znaÄajan Äimbenik oseointegracije u biodegradacijskom procesu otpuÅ”tanja iona Mg2+. Kako se titanij i magnezij ne mogu legirati, metalurgija praha smatra se tehnikom izbora za proizvodnju titanij-magnezijeva kompozitnoga materijala. Svrha ovog rada je istraživanje biokorozijskih svojstava titanij-magnezijeva materijala kroz prouÄavanje otpuÅ”tanja iona Ti4+ i Mg2+ te promatranje promjena nastalih na povrÅ”ini. Pripravljene su tri vrste materijala, s 1, 2 i 5 % magnezija u titanijskoj osnovi. Kao kontrolna skupina upotrijebljen je komercijalno Äisti titanij stupnja 4. Za otpuÅ”tanje iona Ti4+ i Mg2+ koriÅ”ten je test uranjanja u Äetiri vrste otopina: umjetnoj slini, umjetnoj slini s pH 4 i s dodanim fluorom te Hankovoj otopini koje su zatim analizirane metodom masene spektrometrije induktivno spregnutom plazmom. PovrÅ”ine uzoraka karakterizirane su skenirajuÄom elektronskom
mikroskopijom, energijskom disperzivnom spektroskopijom, rendgenskom difrakcijskom analizom te profilometrijskim odreÄivanjem hrapavosti povrÅ”ine. Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su znaÄajno manje otpuÅ”tanje iona Ti4+ u usporedbi s kontrolnom skupinom. Dok su na otpuÅ”tanje iona Ti4+ statistiÄki znaÄajan utjecaj imale vrste otopina, otpuÅ”tanje iona Mg2+ bilo je pod utjecajem vrste ispitivanog materijala. Na povrÅ”inama je uoÄena intenzivnija fizikalno kemijska aktivnost ispitivanog materijala koja sugerira na zakljuÄak o potencijalnoj biointeraktivnosti istog. Istovremeno, magnezijeva korozija se je u nekim uvjetima pokazala neprihvatljivom za primjenu in vivo. Stoga su potrebna daljnja istraživanja strukture i sastava
inovativnog titanij-magnezijeva kompozitnoga materijala proizvedenog tehnikom metalurgije praha.Introduction: Titanium and its alloys have been widely used as an implantable alloplastic biomaterial in the field of dental medicine for the last half century. Good mechanical properties, favourable corrosion behaviour and excellent biocompatibility are mentioned as the main reasons for such a large clinical application. The important bio-corrosive characteristic of titanium is the formation of dioxide layer of TiO2 which protects the metal of dissolving. However, such a surface layer plays poor protective role in some environmental conditions such are low pH value of the medium and the presence of fluorides. Magnesium enhances osteoinduction, osteoconduction and osseointegration of implantable biomaterial by promoting some osteogenic processes in the alveolar bone during a peri-implant bone formation. However, magnesium, as a pure metal, demonstrates poor bio-corrosive behaviour resulting in the gaseous H2 evolution and the alkalization of surrounding area. The powder metallurgy technique has been shown as the method of choice to unify the positive properties of two metals. In that way produced titanium-magnesium composite material could demonstrate better corrosive behaviour and develop an innovative and biomimetic surface characteristics in order to improve the process of osseointegration of such an implantable material. Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the bio-corrosive characteristics of titanium-magnesium composite by determining the amount of released titanium and magnesium ions and by observing the surface changes during the corrosion test in simulated body fluids. Materials and methods: Three groups of innovative titanium-magnesium
composite were produced by means of powder metallurgy technique: 1 mass%, 2 mass% and 5 mass% of magnesium in titanium matrix. Commercially pure titanium was used as a control group. The standardized static immersion test was used to carry out the bio-corrosion testing. Artificial saliva, artificial saliva with pH 4, artificial saliva with fluorides added and Hankās balanced salt solution were prepared. The amount of released titanium and magnesium ions in the solution were determined by means of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The surface topography was observed by means of scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. To compare the surface roughness before and after the immersion, profilometry method was emloyed. Statistical evaluation was done by Statistica 7.0 software package. Significance level in all tests was set to p<0.05. Results and discussion: The amount of released titanium ions from all of three tested groups was significantly lower in comparison to the control group except in the case when the 5 mass% magnesium in titanium tested group was immersed in Hankās balanced salt solution. According to the literature data, the amount of released titanium ions from tested material obtained in this study canāt provoke any biologically harmful side effect. Statistical analysis showed the significant influence of the type of solution on titanium ions release. At the same time, the magnesium ions release was more intense and faster than the titanium corrosion and under the influence of type of tested material. According to the literature data, the results of this investigation revealed that only the composite with 1 and 2 mass% of magnesium in titanium matrix performed biologically favourable corrosive behaviour. In the case of 5 mass% magnesium in titanium matrix group, the magnesium corrosion could provoke harmful biological side effects. Surface topography examination showed that localized forms of
corrosion, dominantly pitting, prevailed on the surfaces of tested materials whereas the generalized corrosion was distinctive for the material of the control group. Chemical microanalysis of the surface after immersion revealed the presence of the atoms contained in the solutions and crystallographic examination confirmed the presence of hydroxyapatite and magnesium-oxide crystals formations. This could refer to the potentially biomimetic surface characteristic of the innovative titanium-magnesium composite. Profilometric study of the tested surfaces revealed that the vertical dimension of the roughness increased more than any other. Conclusion: Based on the bio-corrosion tests performed, one can conclude that the innovative titanium-magnesium composite showed better corrosive behaviour in terms of titanium ions release. The surface changes observed suggest the high bio-interactive potential of the tested material. The magnesium to titanium matrix ratio is found as the most significant factor in the development of a biodegradable titanium-magnesium composite concept with an acceptable magnesium corrosion rate. Since the results of the magnesium release revealed, in
certain conditions, poor corrosive behaviour, further research on the development of titaniummagnesium composite are recommended
Referentni uzorci za ispitivanje penetrantima
Rad se bavi problematikom izrade, koriÅ”tenja i rukovanja referentnim uzorcima pomoÄu kojih se provode redovite provjere penetrantskih sustava s ciljem osiguravanja Å”to veÄe razine pouzdanosti rezultata ispitivanja penetrantima. U prvom dijelu rada su objaÅ”njene najbitnije znaÄajke penetrantske metode te je dan pregled referentnih uzoraka koji se koriste u praksi, uz njihove znaÄajke i naÄine izrade. U nastavku je opisan problem obnovljivosti provjere penetrantskih sustava na referentnim uzorcima, uz prijedlog softverskog rjeÅ”enja za objektivniju usporedbu dobivenih rezultata periodiÄnih provjera. Analizirani su faktori koji utjeÄu na pouzdanost rezultata provjere na temelju nekoliko provedenih eksperimenata. ZavrÅ”ni dio Äini uputa za koriÅ”tenje konkretnog referentnog uzorka koja ima zadaÄu osigurati sljedivost u periodiÄnim provjerama penetrantskog sustava
Comparison of dietary habits of house (Hemidactylus turcicus L.) and wall (Tarentola mauritanica L.) gecko on the island of Hvar during spring
Simpatrijske populacije dviju vrsta macaklina u Hrvatskoj, kuÄnog (Hemidactylus turcicus) i zidnog (Tarentola mauritanica), nalazimo na otoku Hvaru, te je cilj ovoga istraživanja vidjeti Äime se hrane i postoje li razlike. Uzorci su prikupljeni ispumpavanjem želudaca te su utvrÄene glavne skupine plijena. Obzirom na veliÄinske kategorije plijena, jedinke veÄe vrste (T. mauritanica) jedu veÄi plijen, pritom ne zanemarujuÄi manji, dok je manja vrsta (H. turcicus) ograniÄena na manje katergorije plijena. Obje vrste služe se tehnikama lova iz zasjede i aktivnog lova. GledajuÄi otrovnost plijena, jedu najviÅ”e neotrovan plijen, zatim plijen sa otrovnim ubodom, a najmanje otrovan plijen. UsporeÄujuÄi tvrdoÄu plijena, obje vrste najviÅ”e preferiraju polutvrdi plijen, zatim meki, a najmanje tvrdi. Za obje vrste u proljeÄe volumno i koliÄinski najbitnija je skupina Aranea (pauci) i to veliki primjerci. Postoje znaÄajne razlike pri usporedbi dviju vrsta kod skupina Coleoptera, Dermaptera i Diptera Å”to ukazuje na razliÄitu raspodjelu prostornih niÅ”a i izbjegavanje interspecijske kompeticije.The sympatric populations of two species of geckos in Croatia, house (Hemidactylus turcicus L.) and wall gecko (Tarentola mauritanica L.) can be found on the island of Hvar and the goal of this research is to explore what are their dietary habits and if there are any differences between two species. Samples were gathered by extracting the stomach contents and main groups of prey were determined. Considering the size of prey, larger T. mauritanica eats larger prey, but does not exclude smaller prey, and smaller H. turcicus is somewhat limited by its size to smaller prey. Both species use technics ambush hunting and active foraging. Both eat mostly nonpoisonous prey, then prey with venomous sting and the least the poisonous prey. Both species prefer semihard prey, then soft prey and the least hard prey. By volume and by quantity, the most important group during spring is Aranea (spiders), the large specimens. When comparing two species of geckos, significant differences are apparent within groups of Coleoptera, Dermaptera and Diptera, which points out to a different distribution of spatial niches and avoidance of competition
Hiding Data in a Carrier Object Using LSB Algorithm
Steganografija je znanstvena disciplina koja prouÄava metode skrivanja informacija u naizgled bezazlene objekte (npr. slika, audio ili video zapis). Steganografskim postupcima osigurava se tajnost podataka u informacijskom sustavu jer osoba kojoj poruka nije namijenjena nije ni svjesna postojanja iste. Zbog toga je najviÅ”e zanimljiva za primjenu u vojne svrhe, odnosno u radu tajnih i obavjeÅ”tajnih službi, gdje je potreban visoki stupanj tajnosti. Rad daje uvid u steganografsku tehniku zamjene bitova najmanje važnosti te ispituje njenu uÄinkovitost.Steganography is the scientific discipline that studies the methods of hiding informations in seemingly innocuous objects (eg, images, audio or video files). Steganographic procedures ensures the confidentiality of data in the information system because the person to whom the message is not intended is not even aware of its existence. Therefore, it is most interesting for use in military purposes, or in the work of secret and intelligence services, where a high level of secrecy is required. The paper provides insight into steganography technique of replacing bits of least importance, and examines its effectiveness
Predictors of clinical outcome among patients supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
Pojam izvantjelesne potpore (ECMO) podrazumijeva primjenu produljena izvantjelesnoga krvotoka uglavnom putem izvanprsne kanilacije u bolesnika sa akutnim, reverzibilnim uruÅ”ajem srÄane ili respiracijske funkcije koja ne odgovara na konzervativno lijeÄenje. Sa druge strane, produljeno izvantjelesno lijeÄenje se takoÄer provodi kao opcija za oporavak srÄanog miÅ”iÄa i slabosti desnog srca nakon kardiokirurÅ”kog zahvata na otvorenom srcu. Tada je kanilacija najÄeÅ”Äe centralnog tipa. U proceduri ekstrakorporalnog održavanja života koriste se ureÄaji zvani oksigenatori.Cilj: utvrditi funkcionalnost oksigenatora.Hipoteza: Stupanj antikoagulacije korelira sa efikasnoÅ”Äu transfera plinova.Materijali i metode: Retrospektivnom studijom obuhvaÄeno je 30 bolesnika koji su nakon operacije na otvorenom srcu imali indikaciju za ECMO potporom. Dokazano je da su praÄeni laboratorijski parametri kljuÄni za uÄinkovitost transfera O2 i CO2.The term extracorporeal membrane oxygeneation (ECMO) implies appliance of long-term extracorporeal support usually via extrathoracic cannulation, in patients with acute, reversible cardiac or respiratory failure who are unresponsive to conservative treatment. On the other hand, prolonged extracorporeal treatment is also performed as an option for myocardial recovery and weakness of the right side of the heart after open heart surgery. In that case type of cannulation is usually central. In extracorporeal life support procedure there is a use of appliances called oxygenators.Goal: determine oxygenator functionality.Hypothesis: degree of anticoagulation correlates with gass transfer efficiency.Materials and methods: 30 patients that had an indication for ECMO support after open heart surgery were included in retrospective study. It is shown that the monitored laboratory parameters are crucial for O2 and CO2 transfer
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