Being alone after late-life divorce: freedom and loneliness from an intergenerational familial/dyadic perspective.

Objectives: To examine in-depth experiences of loneliness and freedom after late-life divorce from an intergenerational familial/dyadic perspective in a family-oriented society that also values self-determination. Considering the expansion of late-life divorce, it is important to understand its consequences for the family wellbeing.

Method: According to phenomenology tradition, data was collected through 51 semi-structured qualitative interviews, comprised from 7 family units ( = 33) including all/most family members and 9 parent-child dyads ( = 18), using thematic-analysis and dyadic interview-analysis principles.

Improving Autonomous Vehicle Perception through Evaluating LiDAR Capabilities and Handheld Retroreflectivity Assessments.

Road safety is a serious concern worldwide, and traffic signs play a critical role in confirming road safety, particularly in the context of AVs. Therefore, there is a need for ongoing advancements in traffic sign evaluation methodologies. This paper comprehensively analyzes the relationship between traffic sign retroreflectivity and LiDAR intensity to enhance visibility and communication on road networks.

Communication between Autonomous Vehicles and Pedestrians: An Experimental Study Using Virtual Reality.

One of the major challenges of autonomous vehicles (AV) is their interaction with pedestrians. Unofficial interactions such as gestures, eye contact, waving, and flashing lights are very common behavioral patterns for drivers to express their intent to give priority. In our research we composed a virtual reality experiment for a pedestrian crossing in an urban environment in order to test pedestrians' reactions on an LED light display mounted on a virtual AV.

A One Health real-time surveillance system for nowcasting gastrointestinal illness outbreaks, Norway, week 30 2010 to week 11 2022.

Background is a leading cause of food and waterborne illness. Monitoring and modelling at chicken broiler farms, combined with weather pattern surveillance, can aid nowcasting of human gastrointestinal (GI) illness outbreaks. Near real-time sharing of data and model results with health authorities can help increase potential outbreak responsiveness.

Eye lens dose levels in interventional rooms using simple phantom simulation, dose management software and Monte Carlo method of uncertainty assessment.

This paper presents a fast method to estimate the annual eye lens dose levels for interventional practitioners applying the Monte Carlo method of uncertainty assessment. The estimation was performed by placing an anthropomorphic phantom in the typical working position, and applying the habitually employed protocol. No radiation protection devices were considered in the simulation.

Eye lens dose correlations with personal dose equivalent and patient exposure in paediatric interventional cardiology performed with a fluoroscopic biplane system.

Purpose: To analyse the correlations between the eye lens dose estimates performed with dosimeters placed next to the eyes of paediatric interventional cardiologists working with a biplane system, the personal dose equivalent measured on the thorax and the patient dose.

Methods: The eye lens dose was estimated in terms of H(0.07) on a monthly basis, placing optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLDs) on goggles.

The partner in late-life repartnering: caregiving expectations from an intergenerational perspective.

Background: Late-life repartnering among functionally independent adults, resulting in complex stepfamilies, has emerged with increased life expectancy, and is likely to develop further. It is perceived as a chance for renewal and autonomy, enabling a release from dependency on offspring, whereas caregiving is associated with dependency and becoming a burden on family members. Thus, the experiences of late-life repartnering and caregiving are opposites.

Men's vulnerability--women's resilience: from widowhood to late-life repartnering.

Background: The ongoing increase in life expectancy resulting in people living longer after the death of a lifelong spouse along with the stresses of widowhood is likely to increase the phenomenon of repartnering in old age. The aim of this article is to learn about the attributed meanings of late-life repartnering among older repartnered widows and widowers dealing with widowhood.

Methods: The experiences of 27 couples (54 participants), in which both partners were widowed, were chosen from two larger studies on late-life repartnering: one took a dyadic perspective (interviewing both partners), and the other took an intergenerational approach (interviewing both partners and offspring).

Estimation of eye lens doses received by pediatric interventional cardiologists.

Maximum Hp(0.07) dose to the eye lens received in a year by the pediatric interventional cardiologists has been estimated. Optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters were placed on the eyes of an anthropomorphic phantom, whose position in the room simulates the most common irradiation conditions.

"Not a replacement": emotional experiences and practical consequences of Israeli second couplehood stepfamilies constructed in old age.

The increase in life expectancy enhances phenomena such as second couplehood in old age following widowhood or divorce as an alternative way of coping with changes that occur with aging. Research on the phenomenon has focused mainly on individual and dyadic perspectives of the repartnered. The aim of this article was to explore repartnering from the stepfamily's perspective, which has scarcely been studied.

Novel continuous passive motion device for self-treatment of chronic lower back pain: a randomised controlled study.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a novel, angular, continuous passive motion device for self-treatment at home in patients with mild-to-moderate, non-specific, chronic low back pain (LBP).

Design: Prospective, randomised, waiting-list-controlled (WLC) trial.

Setting: Recruitment and assessment were conducted at the Koren Centre for Physical Therapy.

Together and apart: a typology of re-partnering in old age.

Background: The human need for love, friendship, and physical contact, and the fear of loneliness do not diminish with age. Widowhood and late-life divorce and increased life expectancy are likely to lead to alternative relationships, such as re-partnering. The purpose of this paper is to explore interplays between emotional and physical components of re-partnering in old age.

Liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin citrate (Myocet) for treatment of recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer: a retrospective analysis.

The aim of this study was to assess the clinical activity and toxicity of liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin citrate (Myocet) in a retrospective multicenter cohort of epithelial ovarian, primary peritoneal, and tubal cancer patients. Records of patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian, primary peritoneal, and tubal cancer treated with liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin citrate (60 mg/m on day 1 of a 21-day cycle) after failure of more than one previous regimen were reviewed. Fifty-three patients were evaluated for efficacy and toxicity.

The social construction of social problems: the case of elder abuse and neglect.

The interaction and inter-penetrability overlap of abuse and neglect has been previously described. Therefore, the question is not whether a distinction can be made between the two, but how specific events are constructed into abuse and/or neglect based on how each of the protagonists involved (researchers, professional workers, family members, and the older persons themselves) make sense of abuse and neglect. The purpose of this paper is to explore the social and psychological construction of elder abuse and neglect and illustrate the theoretical constructs using case material and its application to the field.

Continuity and discontinuity: the case of second couplehood in old age.

Purpose: Continuity and discontinuity are controversial concepts in social theories on aging. The aim of this article is to explore these concepts using the experiences of older persons living in second couplehood in old age as a case in point.

Design And Method: Based on a larger qualitative study on second couplehood in old age, following the existential-phenomenological tradition, a theoretical sample of 20 couples was chosen.

Initial clinical test of a breast-PET scanner.

Introduction: The goal of this initial clinical study was to test a new positron emission/tomography imager and biopsy system (PEM/PET) in a small group of selected subjects to assess its clinical imaging capabilities. Specifically, the main task of this study is to determine whether the new system can successfully be used to produce images of known breast cancer and compare them to those acquired by standard techniques.

Methods: The PEM/PET system consists of two pairs of rotating radiation detectors located beneath a patient table.

Approaches to and outcomes of dyadic interview analysis.

Qualitative studies on dyads have increased over the last two decades. However, emphasis has been on their thematic content, and very few methodological advances have occurred for conducting this type of research. For instance, literature exists about ways to collect dyadic data, but not how to analyze it.

Should simple hysterectomy be added after chemo-radiation for stage IB2 and bulky IIA cervical carcinoma?

Background And Aims: Management of bulky cervical tumours is controversial. We describe the addition of high dose rate brachytherapy with concomitant chemotherapy to an attenuated protocol of radiation followed by simple hysterectomy in the management of bulky cervical tumours.

Methods: Between January, 2003 and December, 2006, 23 patients diagnosed with bulky cervical tumours underwent a fixed chemo-radiation protocol followed by simple hysterectomy.

Daily low-dose/continuous capecitabine combined with neo-adjuvant irradiation reduces VEGF and PDGF-BB levels in rectal carcinoma patients.

Unlabelled: Metronomic low-dose chemotherapy regimen was found to have an antiangiogenic effect in tumors. However, its effect on levels of circulating pro-angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors is not fully explored.

Materials And Methods: The levels of both VEGF and PDGF-BB were measured in three time points, in the serum of 32 rectal carcinoma patients receiving daily reduced-dose/continuous capecitabine in combination with preoperative pelvic irradiation.

Bottlenecked but long-lived: high genetic diversity retained in white-tailed eagles upon recovery from population decline.

Most of the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) populations in Europe experienced dramatic declines during the twentieth century. However, owing to intense conservation actions and the ban of DDT and other persistent pollutants, populations are currently recovering. We show that despite passing through demographic bottlenecks, white-tailed eagle populations have retained significant levels of genetic diversity.

Parvicapsula pseudobranchicola (Myxosporea) in farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar. Tissue distribution, diagnosis and phylogeny.

Parvicapsula pseudobranchicola infections in farmed Atlantic salmon in Norway are associated with low-grade to significant mortalities. The parasite is found as mature spores in pseudobranchs, but has also been detected in the gills, liver and kidney. Diagnosis has relied on the detection of Parvicapsula spores, with the pseudobranch being the preferred organ.

Ichthyobodo necator (Kinetoplastida)--a complex of sibling species.

Ichthyobodo necator is a parasitic flagellate that attacks fishes, causing disease problems in freshwater worldwide. Findings of similar flagellates in strictly marine fishes have indicated that ichthyobodiosis may be caused by more than 1 flagellate species. We obtained partial small subunit rDNA (ssu rDNA) sequences of 14 Ichthyobodo isolates originating from fishes in Norway, Japan, Singapore, South Africa and Brazil, and identified 8 strains or species, including 2 species infecting cultured salmon in Norway.

Failure of sentinel node identification following neo-adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva.

A case of a 70-year-old patient with advanced local vulvar cancer is presented. Treatment with neo-adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy for two courses was administered and two weeks after completion of treatment the patient underwent wide local excision with bilateral inguino-femoral lymph node dissection through three separate incisions. Two methods for the evaluation of sentinel nodes--lymphoscintigraphy and intraoperative gamma hand-held probe and blue dye injection, did not detect any sentinel node on either side.