Cycle

To examine the relationship between endometrial thickness and outcome of medicated frozen-thawed embryo replacement (FER) cycles.A retrospective observational study.Assisted conception unit at a university hospital.All patients who underwent an FER cycle between 1997 and April 2006 and met the inclusion criteria.For endometrial preparation, a daily dose of 6 mg of oral E2 valerate was started on menstrual day 1, and P pessaries (800 mg daily) were administrated when the endometrial thickness had reached 7 mm or more, with ET taking place 2–3 days later. The FER cycles were categorized according to endometrial thickness measurement on the day of P supplementation.Implantation, clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, and live birth rates.In all, 768 consecutive medicated FER cycles were analyzed. The lowest pregnancy rates were associated with endometrial thickness <7 mm (n = 13) and >14 mm (n = 12; 7% in both groups). Significantly higher implantation (19% vs. 12%), clinical pregnancy (30% vs. 18%), ongoing pregnancy (27% vs. 16%), and live birth (25% vs. 14%) rates were achieved in cycles where endometrial thickness was 9–14 mm (n = 386), compared with those in which endometrial thickness was 7–8 mm (n = 357). These differences remained significant after adjusting for confounding variables (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.83 [confidence interval {CI} = 1.3–2.6] for clinical pregnancy, 1.8 [CI = 1.2–2.6] for ongoing pregnancy and 1.9 [CI = 1.3–2.8] for live birth).In medicated FER cycles, an endometrial thickness of 9–14 mm measured on the day of P supplementation is associated with higher implantation and pregnancy rates compared with an endometrial thickness of 7–8 mm.

Female and male mate choice preferences in humans both vary according to the menstrual cycle. Women prefer more masculine, symmetrical and genetically unrelated men during ovulation compared with other phases of their cycle, and recent evidence suggests that men prefer ovulating women to others. Such monthly shifts in mate preference have been suggested to bring evolutionary benefits in terms of reproductive success.
New evidence is now emerging that taking the oral contraceptive pill might significantly alter both female and male mate choice by removing the mid-cycle change in preferences. Here, we review support for such conclusions and speculate on the consequences of pillinduced choice of otherwise less-preferred partners for relationship satisfaction, durability and, ultimately,reproductive outcomes.

Background: Previous studies have shown that only 80% of narrow QRS supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) types can be differentiated by standard 12-lead electrocardiographic (ECG) criteria. This study was designed to determine the value of some new ECG criteria in differentiating narrow QRS SVT.Methods and Results : 120 ECGs demonstrating paroxysmal narrow QRS complex tachycardia (QRS s 0.11 ms and rate > 120 beats/min) were analyzed. Forty atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia (AVRT), 70 atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT), and 10 atrial tachycardia defined with electrophysiologic study (EPS) consisted the study group. Eight surface ECG criteria were found to be significantly different between tachycardia types by univariate analysis. P waves separate from the QRS complex were observed more frequently in AVRT (70%) and atrial tachycardia (80%). Pseudo r’deflection in lead V1, pseudo S wave in inferior leads, and cycle length alternans were more common in AVNRT (55, 20, and 6%, respectively). QRS alternans was also present during AVRT (28%). ST-segment depression (≧ 2 mm) or T-wave inversion, or both, were present more often in AVRT (60%) than in AVNRT (27%). During sinus rhythm, manifest preexcitation was observed more often in patients with AVRT (42%). When a P wave was present, RP/PR interval ratio > 1 was more common in atrial tachycardia (90%). By multivariate analysis, presence of a P wave separate from the QRS complex, pseudo r’deflection in lead V1, QRS alternans, preexcitation during sinus rhythm, ST-segment depression > 2 mm or T-wave inversion, or both, were independent predictors of tachycardia type.Conclusions: Several new ECG criteria may be useful in differentiation of SVT types. Prediction of mechanism prior to EPS may provide additional benefits concerning the fluoroscopic exposure time and cardiac catheterization procedure. A.N.E. 2002;7(2):120–126

The Japanese automotive and electronics industries are significant to the issue of environmental sustainability considering its impact on global production, trade and product use. Following literature on the links between corporate social performance and financial performance, we attempt to validate if the relationship between environmental innovations and financial performance is not just unidirectional but likewise bi-directional. This comparative case study of Japanese automotive and electronics companies aims to: (1) determine if environmental innovations positively impact financial performance in prior years; (2) alternatively explore if financial performance in prior years positively impact environmental innovations; (S) establish if virtuous cycles exist in the relationships of variables; and (4) probe further if the directions, impacts or relationships hold consistently over a longitudinal period. Panel data regression analysis was performed for ten automotive and ten electronic companies listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, to determine the impact of the variables on each other for both directions from 2001 to 2009. Granger causality tests were performed to establish virtuous cycles. Finally, the same statistical techniques were employed on disaggregated data sets for the periods, 2001 to 2006 and 2004 to 2009, to capture any longitudinal differences. Our findings which point to the stark contrasts between the automotive and electronics companies, allow us to support earlier theorization and propose rival theories for results contrary to expectations. The automotive companies exemplify the resource-based view perspective as positive impacts of environmental innovations that are observed on revenues, profits, assets, long-term debt and equity, and vice-versa. However, these impacts seem to weaken over time. The electronics companies show only revenues and long-term debt as significantly controlled by environmental innovations and vice-versa. There are, likewise, longitudinal differences as a result of the recent global economic crisis in the industry. Virtuous cycles for all variables of financial performance have only been established for a number of automotive companies, and for one electronics company.

A 3D Computer Graphical tool was developed for creating “Kolam” patterns of the southern India or Celtic knot patterns in Europe on digitalization of them. The 3D CG pattern consists of six primitive stroke patterns on the six sides of a block (called as PsyKolo3D). A user is able to change the patterns with rotating each block in an array to create a single stroke pattern as a cycle on a “smooth” tracing rule excluding acute angle curves. This software checks automatically if the pattern is a cycle (unicursal). This interactive content was designed for anyone including a child and the aged to operate naturally for enjoying it and activating his/her brain.