objective: the aim of this study was to investigate prenatal and obstetrical outcome in mothers aged 40 years or older. materials and methods: a prospective comparative study was conducted for the women aged 40 years and over who delivered at 20 week's gestation or beyond from january 2004 to december 2005 at four hospitals of tehran university of medical sciences. for comparison, a control gro...

We present an overview on the development of various mixed conducting perovskite-type related structure metal oxides and other crystal structures, composite cathodes for advanced solid oxide fuel cells.

Renin-angiotensin-system (RAS) blockade is thought to slow renal progression in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, it remains uncertain if the habitual use of RAS inhibitors affects renal progression and outcomes in pre-dialysis patients with advanced CKD. In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, we identified 2,076 pre-dialysis patients with advanced CKD (stage 4 or 5)...

Speech communication includes many important issues on natural language processing and they are related with desirable advanced speech translation systems. Advanced systems need to be able to handle the interaction for speech communication, pragmatics in speech, and arbitrariness of speech usage. General characteristics of speech communication are discussed. Also the various viewpoints regardin...

Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) reduce urinary albumin excretion and proteinuria in diabetic nephropathy. The effect of TZDs on hard renal outcome in diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is unknown. We investigate the association of TZDs and risk of long-term dialysis or death in diabetic patients with advanced CKD. The nationwide population-based cohort study was conducted using Taiwa...

This report presents the results obtained by the five U.S. participating laboratories in the Versailles Advanced Materials and Standards (VAMAS) round-robin for fracture toughness of advanced ceramics. Three test methods were used: indentation fracture, indentation strength, and single-edge pre-cracked beam. Two materials were tested: a gas-pressure sintered silicon nitride and a zirconia tough...

Independence, intelligence and interactiveness are making software agents strongly approach the development of advanced service applications for both, pocket and fixed computing devices. In this paper we present an interactions protocol that is used by intelligent agents operating in a dynamic environment. In particular, we focus our research on the situation where a multi-agent system is servi...

OBJECT Accurate localization of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is important for proper placement of the electrodes in deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery for patients with advanced Parkinson disease. The authors evaluated the accuracy of our modified composite targeting method and the value of using high-field MR imaging for targeting the STN. METHODS Thirteen patients with advanced Parkinson...

If the pundits are to be believed, something approaching 10% of the world's population watches each Formula 1 race. Having said that, beneath its glamorous surface, few understand what exactly is involved and why it has evolved into "technological warfare". The strategy of Formula 1 will be discussed with a view to explain why the cars are so dependent on the use of advanced materials, in parti...

Glycemic control alone does not reduce cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), and routine screening of all T2D patients for asymptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD) is not effective for preventing acute cardiac events. We examined the effectiveness of an aggressive screening protocol for asymptomatic CAD in T2D patients with advanced vascular complications.We designed a...