BACKGROUND: H-plasty reconstructive surgery is commonly used to close defects after tumor excision in the periorbital region. Revascularization of the bipedicle skin flaps is essential for healing. However, it has not previously been possible to study this revascularization in humans due to the lack of noninvasive perfusion monitoring techniques. The aim was to monitor perfusion in H-plasty flaps

The White House Budget proposal for 2018, if approved, could lead to a drastic cut in US funding of UN activities in the coming years. Since the US is the largest contributor to the regular budget, peacekeeping operations, agencies and programmes, its decision could have major implications on the organisation’s workings. Besides well-founded queries about what the US actually stands to gain by suc

The upcoming election of a new Secretary-General can be a potential turning point for the UN in its efforts to achieve a more transparent, inclusive and gender-balanced administration of its affairs. For this, however, the Security Council should recommend to the General Assembly at least two of the officially nominated candidates, including women, following meetings with each of them and well in

There is an urgent need to address in a comprehensive manner the problem of systematic and flagrant violations of international humanitarian and human-rights law in ongoing conflicts, including its sources and implications. More specifically, possible lines of action to counter the growing importance of non-state armed actors and the use of explosives in populated areas must be discussed. A Global

In a UN Security Council meeting (UNSC) on the role of regional organisations and sub-regional arrangements held on 9 March 2015, the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) held that the UN is unable to tackle current security threats on its own. The complexity of these threats requires that it work more closely with regional organisations, including the EU, through improved cooperation and partnerships in s

A method for the electrochemical synthesis of palladium nanowires, using porous alumina templates with diameters of 25 nm and 40 nm, is presented. Through an electrochemical barrier layer thinning step, pulsed electrodeposition can take place directly into the anodized aluminum; without need for extra removal, pore opening, and metal contact coating steps. A digital oscilloscope is used to record

Cardiac output, regional tissue and arterial tumor blood flow were studied in rats, with 99Tcm labelled microspheres using a reference sample simultaneously drawn as the spheres were injected. Both cardiac output and regional blood flow can be estimated in absolute values (ml x min-1 x g-1). Cardiac output and normal tissue blood flow were not affected by tumor growth in the liver or subcutaneousl

THE search for 242mAm (t1/2=152 yr) in environmental samples has involved detection of its daughter 242Cm (t 1/2=163 d) (refs 1-3). These samples were contaminated by transuranium nuclides either from a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant or from a thermonuclear test fallout. A logical consequence was then to analyse global fallout-contaminated samples for 242Cm and 244Cm to establish the present dist

Background: The Movement Disorder Society diagnostic criteria for progressive supranuclear palsy introduced the diagnostic certainty level “suggestive of progressive supranuclear palsy” for clinical conditions with subtle signs, suggestive of the disease. This category aims at the early identification of patients, in whom the diagnosis may be confirmed as the disease evolves. Objective: To assess

This article contributes to current debates on the role and agency of actors on the receiving end in norm diffusion processes, and explores the role of the Government of Rwanda in appropriating gender equality norms through policy production. It considers policy production as a central meaning-making activity in norm diffusion and applies a definition of appropriation as a discursive mechanism thr

BACKGROUND: The ubiquitously expressed dipeptidyl peptidase 3 (DPP3) is involved in protein metabolism, blood pressure regulation, and pain modulation. These diverse functions of DPP3 are attributed to the degradation of bioactive peptides like angiotensin II. However, because of limitations in currently available assays for determination of active DPP3 in plasma, the exact physiological function

This article presents the kaonic atom studies performed at the INFN National Laboratory of Frascati (Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati dell’INFN, LNF-INFN) since the opening of this field of research at the DAΦNE collider in early 2000. Significant achievements have been obtained by the DAΦNE Exotic Atom Research (DEAR) and Silicon Drift Detector for Hadronic Atom Research by Timing Applications (S