Cytokines in human breast milk

Out of the total number at 200 suspected cases of otomycoses consisting of 40 malnourished and 160 apparently healthy children examined in this study between the months of July and August in Edo State, 64 Cases (32%) were identified to be of fungal aetiology on the basis of positive culture and careful microscopic examination. The state at protein energy malnourishment was deterwined using physicians' comments in their case files. The fungal agents isolated were Aspergillus niger 28 (43.8%); A. fumigatus 4 (25%); Fusarium solari 4 (6.3%); Candida albicans 8 (12.5%); and Hendersonula teruloidea types torn B 5 (6.3%). Of these isolates, A. niger having an solation rate of (43.8%) was found to be the most predominant fungal species associated with otomycosis.     

Optimal 3D arm strategies for maximizing twist rotation during somersault of a rigid-body model

Multibody System Dynamics - Looking for new arm strategies for better twisting performances during a backward somersault is of interest for the acrobatic sports community while being a complex...     

Comparison of teleconsultations and face-to-face consultations: preliminary results of a United Kingdom multicentre teledermatology study

OBJECTIVE: Patients with Laron syndrome (LS) can now be treated with recombinant IGF-I. We describe the development of androgenization during IGF-I treatment of female LS patients. PATIENTS: Six female patients with LS--two clinically prepubertal (11.6 and 13.8 years of age) and four young adults (30 to 39 years old)--underwent long-term replacement treatment with recombinant IGF-I. The daily doses were 150 micrograms/kg/day by subcutaneous (s.c.) injection in the girls and 120 micrograms/kg/day in the adult women. METHODS: Testosterone, delta 4-androstenedione, LH, FSH, insulin and IGF-I were determined by radioimmunoassay. Blood samples were obtained after an overnight fast before the IGF-I injection. Serum IGF-I was also determined 4 hours after the s.c. injections. RESULTS: During IGF-I treatment, four out of the six patients (two girls and two adults) developed progressive clinical symptoms and signs of hyperandrogenism (oligo/amenorrhoea and acne). Laboratory determinations showed a significant elevation in serum testosterone, delta 4-androstenedione and LH/FSH ratio. The hyperandrogenism occurred concomitantly with an increase in IGF-I serum and a decrease in serum insulin concentrations. Reduction in IGF-I dose or interruption in IGF-I treatment restored androgen levels to normal values. At the same time, the acne and oligomenorrhoea resolved. CONCLUSIONS: Overdosage of IGF-I can lead to androgenization, a previously undescribed undesirable effect of IGF-I. Long-term IGF-I treatment necessitates progressive adjustment of the IGF-I dose to avoid overtreatment.     

Gain optimization of a near-field focusing array for hyperthermiaapplications

A variation of the array gain optimization problem has arisen in the study of microwave arrays used for hyperthermia, the heating of biological tissue. For a given array configuration and arbitrary medium it is desired to maximize the power deposition at a prescribed focus in the near field of the array. The authors show how the optimum excitation can be found by solving an eigenvalue problem. Their optimum solution is compared with two other solutions, namely a closed-form solution which optimizes the power in one linear polarization of the radiated field, and a solution based on the popular conjugate-field scheme     

Strategic Decision-Making of a Born Global: A Comparative Study From Three Small Open Economies

This paper extends current understanding on international growth process of born global firms from the perspective of strategic decision-making. The data were collected from three software companies in Finland, Ireland and Israel both in real-time and retrospectively, and data triangulation was employed to increase the validity of the findings. With a longitudinal approach, we captured the dynamics of the post-entry international growth process and the critical events that act as decision-making triggers. The decision-making of born global firms seems to be characterised by alternating periods of causation- and effectuation-based logics. Triggers for amending the logic include, for example, change of key persons and the search for external funding. Co-existence of the two decision-making logics is possible, due to different degrees of uncertainty in market and technology or multiple decision-makers involved. The contribution of the study is threefold: first, it addresses gaps in international entrepreneurship research by describing how born global firms make strategic decisions and who are involved in the decision-making. Second, it identifies critical incidents which trigger a change in the decision-making process of a born global firm. Third, it provides alternative insights to why decision-making logic may change or why two decision-making logics may co-exist.     

Investigation of softwood fracture criteria at the mesoscopic scale

In order to improve the knowledge of softwood mechanical behaviour and particularly fracture mechanisms, investigation at small scales is needed. For that purpose, new numerical tools based on the real wood morphology in the transverse plane are specifically used. A mode I fracture criterion applicable to cracks oriented in the transverse plane in softwood is then studied at the mesoscopic scale, i.e. the annual ring scale. Numerical investigation combined with digital image correlation help to obtain wood fracture parameters in the annual ring. These parameters give additional knowledge and understanding of wood fracture according to local specificities such as crack tip position in an annual ring and notch orientation in relation to natural wood orientation and loading orientation. Mesoscopic fracture criteria can help our understanding of secondary crack appearance and crack arrest phenomena. Mixed mode study and coupling between mode I and mode II of fracture will be investigated further. Mixed mode fracture criteria can then help to better understand crack bifurcation phenomenon.