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Magnonic crystals are structures with periodically varied magnetic properties that are used to control collective spin-wave excitations. With micromagnetic simulations, we study spin-wave spectra in a 2D antidot lattice based on a multilayered thin film with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). We show that the modification of the PMA near the antidot edges introduces interesting changes to the spin-wave spectra, even in a fully saturated state. In particular, the spectra split into two types of excitations: bulk modes with amplitude concentrated in a homogeneous part of the antidot lattice and edge modes with an amplitude localized in the rims of reduced PMA at the antidot edges. Their dependence on the geometrical or material parameters is distinct, but at resonance conditions fulfilled, we found strong hybridization between bulk and radial edge modes. Interestingly, the hybridization between the fundamental modes in bulk and rim is of magnetostatic origin, but the exchange interactions determine the coupling between higher-order radial rim modes and the fundamental bulk mode of the antidot lattice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Loneliness is a concern for patients with schizophrenia. However, the correlates of loneliness in patients with schizophrenia are unclear; thus, the aim of the study is to investigate neuro- and social cognitive mechanisms associated with loneliness in individuals with schizophrenia. Method: Data from clinical, neurocognitive, and social cognitive assessments were pooled from two cross-national samples (Poland/USA) to examine potential predictors of loneliness in 147 patients with schizophrenia and 103 healthy controls overall. Furthermore, the relationship between social cognition and loneliness was explored in clusters of patients with schizophrenia differing in social cognitive capacity. Results: Patients reported higher levels of loneliness than healthy controls. Loneliness was linked to increased negative and affective symptoms in patients. A negative association between loneliness and mentalizing and emotion recognition abilities was found in the patients with social-cognitive impairments, but not in those who performed at normative levels. Conclusions: We have elucidated a novel mechanism which may explain previous inconsistent findings regarding the correlates of loneliness in individuals with schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have carried out an experimental investigation of the spin-wave dynamics in the Au/CoFeB/Au multilayer consisting of a ferromagnetic film with thicknesses of 0.8, 0.9 and 1.0 nm. We employed the Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy to measure the frequency of the spin waves in dependence on the wave vector. Additionally, we characterized the samples by ferromagnetic resonance measurements. We found that the considered samples exhibit perpendicular magnetic anisotropy with low damping, indicating small pumping effects. Furthermore, we found a nonreciprocal dispersion relation pointing at a non-negligible Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction. These results make the Au/CoFeB/Au multilayer a compelling subject for further analysis and as a potential material for future applications within magnonics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system has limited accuracy in predicting survival of gastric cancer patients with inadequate counts of evaluated lymph nodes (LNs). We therefore aimed to develop a prognostic nomogram suitable for clinical applications in such cases. Methods: A total of 1511 noncardia gastric cancer patients treated between 1990 and 2010 in the academic surgical center were reviewed to compare the 7th and 8th editions of the AJCC staging system. A nomogram was developed for the prediction of 5-year survival in patients with less than 16 LNs evaluated (n = 546). External validation was performed using datasets derived from the Polish Gastric Cancer Study Group (n = 668) and the SEER database (n = 11,225). Results: The 8th edition of AJCC staging showed better overall discriminatory power compared to the previous version, but no improvement was found for patients with < 16 evaluated LNs. The developed nomogram had better concordance index (0.695) than the former (0.682) or latest (0.680) staging editions, including patients subject to neoadjuvant treatment, and calibration curves showed excellent agreement between the nomogram-predicted and actual survival. High discriminatory power was also demonstrated for both validation cohorts. Subsequently, the nomogram showed the best accuracy for the prediction of 5-year survival through the time-dependent ROC curve analysis in the training and validation cohorts. Conclusions: A clinically relevant nomogram was built for the prediction of 5-year survival in patients with inadequate numbers of LNs evaluated in surgical specimens. The predictive accuracy of the nomogram was validated in two Western populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of new nanofabrication technologies and measurement techniques, the interest of researchers is moving toward 3D structures and 3D magnetization textures. Special attention is paid to the topological magnetization textures, particularly hopfions. In this paper, we investigate the magnetization dynamics of the hopfion through the numerical solution of the eigenvalue problem. We show that the spectrum of spin-wave modes of the hopfion is much richer than those attainable in ferromagnetic resonance experiments or time-domain simulations reported so far. We identified four groups of modes that differ in the character of oscillations (clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation sense), the position of an average amplitude localization along the radial direction, and different oscillations in the vertical cross section. The knowledge of the full spin-wave spectrum shall help in hopfion identification, understanding of the interaction between spin waves and hopfion dynamics as well as the development of the potential of hopfion in spintronic and magnonic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic approach to the modeling and simulation of aircraft in prescribed trajectory flight is presented. The aircraft is subject to follow a prescribed trajectory in space (two constraints on its mass centre position), and two other demands are imposed on aircraft motion on the trajectory and the airframe attitude with respect to the trajectory. The aircraft is controlled by aileron, elevator and rudder deflections, and the thrust value. By combining the four servoconstraint requirements with the aircraft dynamic equations and some kinematical relationships, the governing equations of the prescribed motion are developed in the form of index-three differential-algebraic equations. An effective numerical code for solving the governing DAEs is described. The solution consists of time variations of the state variables and the required control that ensures realization of the prescribed motion. This gives a unique opportunity to study the simulated control strategies and evaluate feasibility of the modeled aircraft maneuvers. The inverse simulation of a landing maneuver of a light training aircraft serves as illustration of the proposed technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated multifunctional periodic structures in which electromagnetic waves and spin waves can be confined in the same areas. Such simultaneous localization of both sorts of excitations can potentially enhance the interaction between electromagnetic waves and spin waves. The system we considered has a form of one dimensional photonic-magnonic crystal with two types of magnetic layers (thicker and thinner ones) separated by sections of the dielectric photonic crystals. We focused on the electromagnetic defect modes localized in the magnetic layers (areas where spin waves can be excited) and decaying in the sections of conventional (nonmagnetic) photonic crystals. We showed how the change of relative thickness of two types of the magnetic layers can influence on the spectrum of spin waves and electromagnetic defect modes, both localized in magnetic parts of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, endoscopic societies initially recommended reduction of endoscopic procedures. In particular non-urgent endoscopies should be postponed. However, this might lead to unnecessary delay in diagnosing gastrointestinal conditions. Methods: Retrospectively we analysed the gastrointestinal endoscopies performed at the Central Endoscopy Unit of Saarland University Medical Center during seven weeks from 23 March to 10 May 2020 and present our real-world single-centre experience with an individualized rtPCR-based pre-endoscopy SARS-CoV-2 testing strategy. We also present our experience with this strategy in 2021. Results: Altogether 359 gastrointestinal endoscopies were performed in the initial period. The testing strategy enabled us to conservatively handle endoscopy programme reduction (44% reduction as compared 2019) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of COVID-19 rtPCR from nasopharyngeal swabs were available in 89% of patients prior to endoscopies. Apart from six patients with known COVID-19, all other tested patients were negative. The frequencies of endoscopic therapies and clinically significant findings did not differ between patients with or without SARS-CoV-2 tests. In 2021 we were able to unrestrictedly perform all requested endoscopic procedures (> 5000 procedures) by applying the rtPCR-based pre-endoscopy SARS-CoV-2 testing strategy, regardless of next waves of COVID-19. Only two out-patients (1893 out-patient procedures) were tested positive in the year 2021. Conclusion: A structured pre-endoscopy SARS-CoV-2 testing strategy is feasible in the clinical routine of an endoscopy unit. rtPCR-based pre-endoscopy SARS-CoV-2 testing safely allowed unrestricted continuation of endoscopic procedures even in the presence of high incidence rates of COVID-19. Given the low frequency of positive tests, the absolute effect of pre-endoscopy testing on viral transmission may be low when FFP-2 masks are regularly used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the properties of a photonic-magnonic crystal, a complex multifunctional one-dimensional structure with magnonic and photonic band gaps in the GHz and PHz frequency ranges for spin waves and light, respectively. The system consists of periodically distributed dielectric magnetic slabs of yttrium iron garnet and nonmagnetic spacers with an internal structure of alternating TiO2 and SiO2 layers which form finite-size dielectric photonic crystals. We show that the spin-wave coupling between the magnetic layers, and thus the formation of the magnonic band structure, necessitates a nonzero in-plane component of the spin-wave wave vector. A more complex structure perceived by light is evidenced by the photonic miniband structure and the transmission spectra in which we have observed transmission peaks related to the repetition of the magnetic slabs in the frequency ranges corresponding to the photonic band gaps of the TiO2/SiO2 stack. Moreover, we show that these modes split to very high sharp (a few THz wide) subpeaks in the transmittance spectra. The proposed novel multifunctional artificial crystals can have interesting applications and be used for creating common resonant cavities for spin waves and light to enhance the mutual influence between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the effect of one-side metallization of a uniform ferromagnetic thin film on its spin-wave dispersion relation in the Damon-Eshbach geometry. Due to the finite conductivity of the metallic cover layer on the ferromagnetic film, the spin-wave dispersion relation may be nonreciprocal only in a limited wave-vector range. We provide an approximate analytical solution for the spin-wave frequency, discuss its validity, and compare it with numerical results. The dispersion is analyzed systematically by varying the parameters of the ferromagnetic film, the metal cover layer and the value of the external magnetic field. The conclusions drawn from this analysis allow us to define a structure based on a 30 nm thick CoFeB film with an experimentally accessible nonreciprocal dispersion relation in a relatively wide wave-vector range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the observation of a complete bandgap and collective spin wave excitation in two-dimensional magnonic crystals comprised of arrays of nanoscale antidots and nanodots, respectively. Considering that the frequencies dealt with here fall in the microwave band, these findings can be used for the development of suitable magnonic metamaterials and spin wave based signal processing. We also present the application of a numerical procedure, to compute the dispersion relations of spin waves for any high symmetry direction in the first Brillouin zone. The results obtained from this procedure have been reproduced and verified by the well established plane wave method for an antidot lattice, when magnetization dynamics at antidot boundaries are pinned. The micromagnetic simulation based method can also be used to obtain iso-frequency contours of spin waves. Iso-frequency contours are analogous of the Fermi surfaces and hence, they have the potential to radicalize our understanding of spin wave dynamics. The physical origin of bands, partial and full magnonic bandgaps have been explained by plotting the spatial distribution of spin wave energy spectral density. Although, unfettered by rigid assumptions and approximations, which afflict most analytical methods used in the study of spin wave dynamics, micromagnetic simulations tend to be computationally demanding. Thus, the observation of collective spin wave excitation in the case of nanodot arrays, which can obviate the need to perform simulations, may also prove to be valuable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To characterize genomes of Klebsiella pneumoniae ST11 NDM-1 responsible for a countrywide outbreak in Poland and compare them phylogenetically with other Polish and international ST11 strains.Methods: Seventy-one carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae ST11 isolates from Poland, including 66 representatives of the NDM-1 epidemic from 2012-18, were sequenced using Illumina MiSeq. Additionally, three outbreak isolates were also sequenced using MinION. The clonality and phylogenetic analysis was done by core-genome MLST and SNP approaches. Resistomes, virulomes, K/O antigens and plasmid replicons were screened for. The detailed plasmid analysis was based on full assemblies using Oxford Nanopore Technologies data.Results: Chromosomes of the outbreak isolates formed an essentially homogeneous cluster (though accumulating SNPs gradually with time), differing remarkably from other Polish NDM-1/-5-, KPC-2- or OXA-48-producing K. pneumoniae ST11 strains. The cluster belonged to a clade with 72 additional isolates identified worldwide, including closely related NDM-1 producers from several countries, including organisms from Bulgaria and Greece. All these had KL24 and O2v1 antigens and the chromosomal yersiniabactin locus YbST230 residing in the ICEKp11 element. The specific blaNDM-1-carrying Tn125 transposon derivative, named Tn125A, was located in IncFII/pKPX-1- and/or IncR-like plasmids; however, the IncRs rearranged extensively during the outbreak, contributing to highly dynamic plasmid profiles and resistomes.Conclusions: The K. pneumoniae ST11 NDM-1 genotype that has been expanding in Poland since 2012 is largely monoclonal and represents a novel international high-risk lineage that is also spreading in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver fibrosis is the common consequence of chronic liver diseases (CLD). Recently liver stiffness measurements (LSM) = 9.1 kPa, as determined by transient elastography (TE), were demonstrated to predict significant fibrosis (stages = F2) in a population-based setting. The PNPLA3 (adiponutrin) p.I148M polymorphism enhances the risk of liver injury. The aim of our study was to investigate the association between the procholestatic ABCB4 polymorphism c.711A>T and LSM = 9.1 kPa in humans as well as the interaction between ABCB4 and PNPLA3 in a mouse model of chronic cholestasis. Prospectively, we recruited 712 patients with CLD (278 women, age 50 ± 13 years) with available TE results; liver biopsy results were available in 165 individuals. The ABCB4 c.711 genotype was determined by PCR-based assays. Pnpla3 expression and liver injury were studied in Abcb4-/- mice and wild-type controls. Overall, median LSM in our cohort was 6.7 kPa, and 226 individuals had LSM = 9.1 kPa. Carriers of the ABCB4 variant c.711A presented more frequently with LSM = 9.1 kPa (OR = 1.33, P = 0.020) and FIB-4 score = 2.67 (OR = 1.38, P = 0.040). The presence of the risk allele was associated (P = 0.002) with FIB-4. In a multivariate model, the ABCB4 variant (OR = 1.43, P = 0.047) as well as BMI (P = 0.043, OR = 1.04) and age (OR = 1.02, P < 0.010) were independent risk factors for fibrosis stage = F2. Abcb4 deficiency in mice led to enhanced liver injury, coupled with a decrease (P = 0.020) of hepatic Pnpla3 expression. To conclude, the procholestatic variant ABCB4 c.711A>T might represent a new genetic risk factor for clinically significant liver fibrosis. Lower expression of Pnpla3 in fibrotic Abcb4-/- livers points to the interaction between phospholipid metabolism and PNPLA3 in progressive liver injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate spin waves in two-dimensional superlattices in the form of an infinite ferromagnetic slab of finite thickness with periodically embedded ferromagnetic inclusions. One of the reasons of the interest in magnonic superlattices is the possibility of tailoring their spectrum to produce magnonic gaps, crucial for the prospective applications. The objective of this study is to find the optimal values of structural parameters for which low-frequency magnonic gaps will occur and have a maximum width. We provide some guidelines for designing superlattices with a desired spectrum. We focus on the role of the symmetry of the lattice versus other geometrical factors, including the filling fraction and the superlattice constant. We compare the spectra of superlattices with inclusions of circular, hexagonal, and square cross sections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the results of our theoretical investigation of the effect of a periodic interface modulation on the longitudinal vibrational modes in one-dimensional phononic crystals. Based on the plane wave method and the finite difference time domain method, our calculations show that the bottom and top of the first phononic gap can be controlled independently by adjusting the modulation introduced. The effective acoustic impedance of the modulated layers is demonstrated to be of key importance for the opening of phononic energy gaps. Band gaps for longitudinal modes can be expected to occur in a large range of interface inhomogeneity. The shape of the modulation proves not to have any significant effect on the investigated properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study spin-wave excitations in multilayered magnetic nanograins composed of a stack of planes with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The inhomogeneity is modeled through the multiple repetition of a unit cell composed of layers of two different magnetic materials. The magnetic inhomogeneity along the central axis is found to split the frequency spectrum of magnetostatic excitations into two bands, while into the number of bands in the spectrum of exchange spin waves. We show that this difference in behavior is a result of the underlying long- and short-range interactions, respectively. We describe a way of increasing the role of the dipolar interactions in the formation of magnonic bands in patterned magnetic multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy, which can allow one to obtain ferromagnetic resonance spectra with two strong absorption peaks in low and high frequencies up to the sub-THz range. Our findings open a new area for modeling the spin-wave spectra of patterned magnetic multilayers with potential applications, and for studying the role of the microscopic magnetic structure in forming spin-wave spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the results of plane wave method-based calculations adopted to magnonic band structures for exchange spin waves propagating in three-dimensional magnonic crystals (MCs) composed of two ferromagnetic metals. The crystals under consideration consist of a system of ferromagnetic spheres arranged in sites of a hexagonal lattice and embedded in a ferromagnetic material. Having analyzed all the possible combinations of magnonic crystal component materials from: Co, Ni, Fe, and Py (for spheres and matrix), we find material configurations for which either absolute or partial magnonic gaps occur in the spin-wave spectrum of the MC. We also demonstrate that the opening of a magnonic gap necessitates a sufficiently large contrast of magnetic parameters, and find the exchange length contrast to be the best measure of the capacity of the MC to produce a magnonic gap. Wider magnonic gaps are obtained in MCs in which the exchange length in the sphere material is larger than in the matrix. Among the MCs considered in this study, an absolute magnonic gap is obtained in a crystal with Ni spheres embedded in Fe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have computed the electronic and hole spectra of a three-dimensional superlattice consisting of layers of GaAs rods of finite height arranged in a hexagonal lattice and embedded in an AldGa1-dAs matrix, alternating with spacer layers of homogeneous AlAs. The spectra are calculated in the envelope function approximation, with both light-hole and heavy-hole subbands and hole spin degeneracy taken into account. The application of thick spacers allows to investigate the band structure of isolated layers of cylindrical rods. We estimate the ultimate efficiency of solar energy conversion in a solar cell based on an array of cylindrical quantum dots versus the dot height, and determine the optimal value of this parameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the effect of cross-sectional geometry and size on the spectrum of magnetostatic modes in dipole-coupled magnetic nanorods of circular or square cross section. The scope of this study is confined only to excitations propagating along the central axis of the nanorod; at the same time, the direction of the central axis is assumed to correspond to that of the magnetization of the sample. We find that a modification of the cross-sectional geometry results in nonuniform changes in the local field profile and the effect proves especially strong in the range of nanometer lateral dimensions. Moreover, the effect of cross-sectional geometry on the magnetostatic spectrum of a nanorod is found to be the most significant in peripheral regions of elongated rods. This is due to the occurrence of dipolar local field wells in these very regions. The shape of these peripheral wells affects first of all the bulk-dead and surface modes, which are “stuck” in them; frequencies of these modes prove to increase when the cross-sectional shape changes from square to circle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Properties of purely dipolar and dipolar-exchange modes in finite circular rods are investigated numerically, with the sample static magnetization assumed to be uniform and parallel to the rod axis; we study magnetic excitations propagating along this direction. In particular, we demonstrate size-exchange effects induced by modifying the rod aspect ratio (the diameter to length ratio) and the strength of the exchange coupling. Untypical groups of purely dipolar modes are shown to occur in smooth rods: bulk-dead modes, characterized by a dead-amplitude region inside the rod, and comb modes, in which a nearly “dead” region is found at the sample borders, while numerous (“comb-like”) oscillations take place in the bulk. These two mode groups fade to disappear when the sample geometry evolves toward the thin-film one, or when the exchange becomes dominant. The existence of these untypical modes is related to local demagnetizing field profile nonhomogeneity, particularly to two edge wells found in the field profile. The bulk-dead modes are low-frequency modes confined to the well regions only (and therefore double-degenerated), while modes with higher frequency values (subjected to an interference within the barrier) become fast-oscillating comb modes. When the contribution of the exchange grows to prevail, the “dipolar” nonhomogeneity becomes negligible with respect to the total (exchange and dipolar) energy, and only the typically exchange-related bulk and surface modes are found to subsist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theory of three-dimensional (3D) magnonic crystal (conceived as the magnetic counterpart of the photonic crystal) is developed and applied to explain the existence of the spin-wave frequency gap, recently revealed by neutron scattering experiments, in low-doped La1-xCaxMnO3 manganites. A confrontation of the theory with experimental results proves that certain manganites can be regarded as 3D magnonic crystals existing in the nanoscale in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Der Radiologe is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We present an immunocompetent patient with transverse myelitis (TM) during acute cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, as evidenced by a reactive serum CMV IgM and CMV viremia. The patient had an excellent outcome after receiving only high-dose methylprednisolone. Given concerns that practitioners may have around the use of immunosuppressive therapy for this potentially infectious myelopathy, we systematically reviewed the literature to assess outcomes after administration of high-dose corticosteroids to this population. Despite severe disease at clinical nadir with inability to ambulate, immunocompetent patients with acute CMV-associated TM who received high-dose corticosteroids had good clinical outcomes 1 month to 1 year after presentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of acquaintances is relevant for modeling social networks. Here we consider the data on the declared number of friends, as collected in 2000, 2007 and 2015 from Polish respondents above the age of 50. We demonstrate that the answers on the number of friends show sharp maxima at 10, 15, 20 and sometimes 30, which accompany a broader peak between 0 and 8. These results do not change qualitatively with sex and age of the respondents. The effect, known as data heaping, can be detected as a deviation from the Benford law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Der Gastroenterologe is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We report the results of simulations of magnetic skyrmion stability in ultrathin magnetic multilayer nanodots with interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya exchange interaction (DMI). We found that in presence of the lateral confinement the magnetostatic energy significantly influences the skyrmion stability and leads to stabilization of large-radius skyrmion even at low values of the DMI strength, in addition to small-radius skyrmion stabilized by DMI. In particular, stabilization of the skyrmion state with two different radii (bi-stability) is found in dipolarly-coupled (Pt/Co/Ir)n circular nanodots with the number of repeats of the unit cell n = 3 and 5. The bi-stability range is located at the DMI strength of 0.9-1.1 mJ m−2 or at the total Co-layer thickness of 2.2-2.6 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this report is to summarize the current situation and discuss possible search strategies for charged scalars, in non-supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model at the LHC. Such scalars appear in Multi-Higgs-Doublet models, in particular in the popular Two-Higgs-Doublet model, allowing for charged and additional neutral Higgs bosons. These models have the attractive property that electroweak precision observables are automatically in agreement with the Standard Model at the tree level. For the most popular version of this framework, Model II, a discovery of a charged Higgs boson remains challenging, since the parameter space is becoming very constrained, and the QCD background is very high. We also briefly comment on models with dark matter which constrain the corresponding charged scalars that occur in these models. The stakes of a possible discovery of an extended scalar sector are very high, and these searches should be pursued in all conceivable channels, at the LHC and at future colliders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gonadoblastomas are benign tumors composed of germ cells and sex cords derivatives resembling immature granulosa and Sertoli cells. They occur almost entirely in patients with gonadal dysgenesis and in those carrying the Y chromosome. The authors present a case of a 17-year-old patient admitted because of primary amenorrhea and delayed puberty diagnosed, and operated because of bilateral gonadoblastoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The method for evaluation of the results of thermal analysis (TG-DSC) measurements under non-isothermal conditions using neural networks has been described. A requirement of obtaining high-quality neural model was adopted as the criterion. Decomposition of ammonium metavanadate (NHVO) in dry air was studied. Empirically determined sets of the results of TG, DTG and DSC measurements and a subset ( TG) determined for the third stage of the process were examined. The independent (input) variables were the sample heating rate and the temperature, and the dependent (output) variable was one of the above functions. For the considered data sets, generalized neural networks have been selected. These networks were evaluated based on the criterions taken in the theory of neural networks. High statistical evaluation of the network was received, i.e.,: average error for the set of TG was 0.0397 %, the correlation 0.999957; average error for a subset of ( TG) 0.118 %, the correlation 0.99995; average error for a set of DTG 0.183 %, the correlation 0.97709; and average error for a set of DSC 0.005 %, the correlation 0.99746. This means, that the sample heating rate and temperature are sufficient to describe the tested functions, the independent and dependent variables were determined with good accuracy, and the sets were numerous sufficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Echinococcosis is a zoonosis caused by infestation with any of 4 (of the 16) members of the Echinococcus genus, namely Echinococcus granulosus, Echinococcus multilocularis, Echinococcus oligarthus, and Echinococcus vogelii. The aim of this retrospective analysis was to present the outcomes of patients undergoing liver resection and liver transplantation ( LT) for E. multilocularis infection. Methods A total of 44 patients who underwent surgical treatment of E. multilocularis infection in the period between 1989 and 2014 were included in the study cohort and retrospectively analyzed. Results LT was performed in 22 patients (50.0%), including 4 of 26 patients undergoing initial non-transplant management. Non-transplant procedures comprised liver resection in 23 patients (88.5%), diagnostic laparoscopy in 2 (7.7%), and left adrenalectomy in 1 patient (3.8%). Post-transplantation survival rates were 90%, 85%, and 75% at 1, 5, and 10 years, respectively. Conclusion In conclusion, LT for E. multilocularis infection is a safe and effective treatment method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific memes have been defined as short units of text in a publication that are replicated in citing [T. Kuhn et al., Phys. Rev. X 4, 041036 (2014)]. Here, we investigate how often the meme appears in the title of the paper when driven by a coauthorship with somebody who has already published a paper with the same meme in the paper title. Five memes are investigated: traffic flow (TF), stochastic resonance (SR), key distribution (KD), small world (SW) and prisoner's dilemma (PD). For each meme, a network of papers (GP) and network of authors (GA) are constructed. A meme index is proposed which is a measure how often scientific teams undertake the research on a given area, marked by the meme, without a cooperation with coauthors with previous achievements in the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the popularity of given names in the United States, for the period 1885-2009. Based on the data obtained from the website of U.S. Social Security Administration, it was demonstrated that the fashion of naming babies after the incumbent American president passed away in the '60s. At the same time, however, examples were given, mainly concerning celebrities, after whom babies are still named. The above theses were strengthened with the aid of quantitative data analysis by constructing an index dedicated to the specifics of the task under investigation. The obtained results were discussed in the terms of the rally effect and of the Simmel theory of fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Pruritus is a common symptom associated with cholestatic liver diseases. To date only small single centre case series have suggested efficacy of nasobiliary drainage in relieving cholestatic pruritus. Aim To perform a multicentre study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of nasobiliary drainage in cholestatic pruritus. Methods This was a retrospective study of all patients treated with nasobiliary drainage for refractory cholestatic pruritus between 2006 and 2015 at five European centres. Pruritus was quantified using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and liver enzymes, serum bilirubin and total serum bile salts (TBS) were measured before (pre-NBD) and after nasobiliary drainage (post-NBD). We analysed the duration of treatment response and associated complications. Results In total, 27 patients (59% females) underwent 29 nasobiliary drainage procedures. The median duration of NBD was 7 days. NBD decreased pruritus in 89.6% of cases (VAS from 10.0 to 0.3, P < 0.0001). The median percentage decline in pruritus VAS was 94% and 33% of patients were free of pruritus within 24 h of starting drainage. The duration of treatment response was independent of duration of drainage (P = 0.12) and bile output. Significant improvements were seen in the median levels of serum alkaline phosphatase (P = 0.001) and serum bilirubin (P = 0.03) but not in serum TBS (P = 0.07). Mild post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis (31%) was the most frequent complication. Conclusions Nasobiliary drainage is effective in relieving cholestatic pruritus in most patients and has favourable effect on biomarkers of cholestasis. Nasobiliary drainage may be associated with high risk of adverse events, especially pancreatitis. Prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous variations of the hepatic arteries are common in surgical patients. We present a 35-year-old woman who was admitted to our department in order to assess possibility of becoming living donor. Preoperative computed tomography scan revealed anomalous branching pattern of the hepatic arteries. In this case right posterior sectoral artery has been given off by the greater pancreatic artery, left hepatic artery has been replaced by the artery arising from the left gastric artery and double segment 4 branches have been observed. To the best of our knowledge, this pattern has not been described in the literature, yet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated theoretically band structure of spin waves in magnonic crystals with periodicity in one- (1D), two- (2D) and three-dimensions (3D). We have solved Landau-Lifshitz equation with the use of plane wave method, finite element method in frequency domain and micromagnetic simulations in time domain to find the dynamics of spin waves and spectrum of their eigenmodes. The spin wave spectra were calculated in linear approximation. In this paper we show usefulness of these methods in calculations of various types of spin waves. We demonstrate the surface character of the Damon-Eshbach spin wave in 1D magnonic crystals and change of its surface localization with the band number and wavenumber in the first Brillouin zone. The surface property of the spin wave excitation is further exploited by covering plate of the magnonic crystal with conductor. The band structure in 2D magnonic crystals is complex due to additional spatial inhomogeneity introduced by the demagnetizing field. This modifies spin wave dispersion, makes the band structure of magnonic crystals strongly dependent on shape of the inclusions and type of the lattice. The inhomogeneity of the internal magnetic field becomes unimportant for magnonic crystals with small lattice constant, where exchange interactions dominate. For 3D magnonic crystals, characterized by small lattice constant, wide magnonic band gap is found. We show that the spatial distribution of different materials in magnonic crystals can be explored for tailored effective damping of spin waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Hepatic encephalopathy ( HE) is a serious complication of liver cirrhosis. Recently, a microsatellite in the promoter region of the phosphate-activated glutaminase ( GLS ) gene was associated with the risk of HE. The aim of the present study was to investigate, using the critical flicker frequency ( CFF) test, whether the described GLS variant increases the risk of developing HE in patients with cirrhosis. Methods We recruited 158 patients (66% men; mean age 59 years, range 23-86) with liver cirrhosis. Mean model for end-stage liver disease score was 13.8 (range 5-35); 48% of patients presented with Child-Pugh score B or C. The presence and severity of HE were determined by the CFF test, with frequencies ≤39 Hz denoting cases. GLS variants were genotyped by sequencing the microsatellite in the promoter region and were classified as short, long or short-long forms (depending on the length of the macrosatellite alleles). Results In total, 53% of patients had abnormal CFF results (i.e. ≤39 Hz; range for entire cohort 26-57). The GLS microsatellite distribution amongst patients was short form (20%), long form (32%) and short-long form (48%) and was consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. CFF values differed significantly between groups ( P = 0.043). Carriers of the GLS long microsatellite had a significantly higher risk of HE according to multivariate analyses (odds ratio 3.23, 95% confidence interval 1.46-7.13, P = 0.004). Conclusion CFF results were significantly lower amongst carriers of the GLS long microsatellite. Our findings support the role of the GLS long microsatellite in the development of HE; this could be important for identifying susceptible patients and for the prevention of this condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The gut microbial ecosystem plays an important role in the pathogenesis of liver diseases. However, the association of microbial community structure with the severity of liver dysfunction is not completely understood. Methods Fecal microflora was assessed in 40 patients with liver cirrhosis listed for primary liver transplantation ( LT). Independent associations between fecal microbial counts and serum bilirubin, serum creatinine, international normalized ratio ( INR), and the Model for End-stage Liver Disease ( MELD) score were established in multiple linear regression models. Results Bifidobacterium (standardized regression coefficient [sβ] = −0.549; P < 0.001), Enterococcus (sβ = 0.369; P = 0.004), and yeast (sβ = 0.315; P = 0.018) numbers were independently associated with serum bilirubin, while Escherichia coli counts (sβ = 0.318; P = 0.046) correlated with INR, and Bifidobacterium counts (sβ = 0.410; P = 0.009) with serum creatinine. Only Bifidobacterium (sβ = −0.468; P = 0.003) and Enterococcus (sβ = 0.331; P = 0.029) counts were independent predictors of the MELD score. Bifidobacterium/Enterococcus ratio, proposed as a measure of pre- LT gut dysbiosis, was significantly related to the MELD score following the adjustment for the absolute Bifidobacterium (sβ = −0.333; P = 0.029) and Enterococcus (sβ = −0.966; P = 0.003) numbers. This pre-transplant dysbiosis ratio ( PTDR) was significantly correlated with Enterococcus ( R = −0.897; P < 0.001) but not with Bifidobacterium ( R = 0.098; P = 0.546) counts. Among the other components of gut microflora, only hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-producing Lactobacillus strains significantly influenced Enterococcus counts (sβ = 0.349; P = 0.028) and PTDR (sβ = −0.318; P = 0.046). Conclusion While the abundance of both Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus is related to liver dysfunction, the size of the Enterococcus population seems to be the most important determinant of pre- LT gut dysbiosis in cirrhotic patients. The H2O2-producing Lactobacillus strains potentially ameliorate this dysbiotic state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of homogeneous dynamic microwave magnetic field applied to the permalloy (Py) thin film with a single circular antidot on the magnetization dynamics was theoretically investigated. It was considered that the Py film is saturated by the external constant magnetic field along the direction perpendicular to the film plane. The linearized Landau-Lifshitz equation was applied in order to create an analytical model of small deviations from the equilibrium values of the magnetization and magnetic field. Conditions of the local ferromagnetic resonances were defined and the dependency of resonance frequency on the magnetic field magnitude was visualized. The model has shown that the amplitude of the resonant magnetization oscillations is localized near the antidot edge and their position is dependent on the frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]