Morphometry of human lung with physiological correlations

Resected lobes from patients having pre-operative pulmonary function tests were fixed by inflation with formal saline and cut into 1cm parasagittal slices. Randomly selected tissue, from the lateral two slices, was plastic embedded and sections prepared for microscopic analysis.A semi-automatic image analysis system was used to quantitate bronchiolar calibre and shape and peribronchiolar attachment number, inter-alveolar attachment distance and the amount of macroscopic emphysema. An automatic image analyser (IBAS2) was used to measure alveolar surface area per-unit volume (AWUV).Measured bronchiolar calibre (minimum diameter and measured lumen area) was not related to patient height, lung volume, pulmonary function or other morphometric variables.AWUV, mean inter-alveolar attachment distance, theoretical lumen area and bronchiolar shape were independent of patient size and lung volume, but were inter-related. A combination of low AWUV and loss of attachments profoundly affected bronchiolar shape. However, AWUV and alveolar attachment loss were not always in proportion and demonstrated different functional effects: AWUV affects carbon monoxide transfer factor whereas attachments affect the slope of phase III and forced expiratory volume with bronchiolar shape affecting closing volume.Macroscopic emphysema did not accurately reflect the extent of alveolar wall loss as identified by AWUV and showed poor correlations with pulmonary function tests.Computerised axial tomography (CT scan) exhibited a strong correlation with AWUV and can be used to assess lung density in life

Directional infrared emission resulting from cascade population inversion and four-wave mixing in Rb vapours

Directional infrared emission at 1367 and 5230 nm is generated in Rb vapours that are step-wise excited by low-power resonant light. The mid-infrared radiation originating from amplified spontaneous emission on the 5D-6P transition consists of forward- and backward-directed components with distinctive spectral and spatial properties. Diffraction limited near-infrared light at 1367 nm generated in the co-propagating direction only is a product of parametric wave mixing around the 5P-5D-6P-6S-5P transition loop. This highly non-degenerate mixing process involves one externally applied and two internally generated optical fields. Similarities between wave mixing generated blue and near-IR light are demonstrated.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Thermodynamics of molten iron alloys containing oxygen, aluminium, silicon and chromium

A study has been made of the aluminium-oxygen equilibrium in liquid iron by studying the reaction. Electrolytic iron in pure alumina crucibles was maintained at a constant temperature under a controlled water-vapour/hydrogen gas mixture until equilibrium was established between solid, liquid and gas phases. The melts were then quenched in a stream of hydrogen and subsequently analysed for aluminium and oxygen. The value of this type of work is largely dependent upon accurate analytical techniques and in the present case analytical uncertainties have been reduced by carrying out experiments at 172

Treatment of periscapular tendinopathy with radiofrequency coblation: a case report

Overuse injuries of the tendon – ‘tendinopathy’ – account for 30%–50% of all sporting injuries and a high proportion of orthopaedic referrals from primary care physicians. Tendinopathies often have a multifactorial aetiology and injury can be due to a combination of both acute and chronic trauma which contributes to loss of tissue integrity and eventual rupture. Our incomplete understanding of the mechanisms surrounding tendon pathophysiology continues to cause difficulties in treatments beyond loading regimes which can be unsuccessful in up to 30% of cases. We describe an uncommon case of tendinopathy affecting the periscapular muscle/tendon unit in a 35-year-old female with persistent pain around the inferior posterior pole of her right scapula. Magnetic resonance imaging findings confirmed oedema of the muscles around the inferior scapular margin in keeping with enthesopathy/tendinopathy and she was treated with radiofrequency coblation to the area. This case highlights radiofrequency ablation as a surgical option should non-operative treatments fail in the rare diagnosis of periscapular tendinopathy

The liberal case for transformative manipulation

The liberal philosophical tradition is defined in part by a commitment to political conditions that reflect a view of persons as independent agents who are capable of determining for themselves what matters in life. Intuitively, this requirement places strong restrictions, or even a prohibition, on public policies that aim to affect a change to the target’s normative commitments as a means of achieving specific policy goals (transformative policy). This thesis examines a particularly objectionable kind of transformative policy, namely, one that utilizes manipulation to affect the desired change (transformative manipulation). I argue, first, that the strongest case for an absolute prohibition on the use of transformative manipulation is one based on a principle of respect according to which the unconditional value of persons qua persons is realized in part by their being reasonably able to exercise a basic kind of autonomy; second, that this principle of respect in fact justifies the use of transformative manipulation when it is necessary to address threats to the stability of liberal political conditions; and third, that we can identify plausible cases where individuals pose a threat to stability that satisfies this condition. I conclude that the liberal tradition can accommodate the use of transformative manipulation

An examination of the philosophy of substance and its relation to the philosophy of mind, with special reference to Aristotle and Descartes, and their conceptions of science

The confused character of theory of mind (Ch.I) parallels confusion as to the status of "substance" (Ch.II). The philosophical problem is that of relating incompatible theses, and especially of discovering what is involved in modes of argument employed by metaphysicians in toms of "mind" and "substance", since these produce a fantastic set of "conclusions". Types of argument to "necessary substances" can be shown to be vacuous. But it remains to show that these are actually employed by philosophers. Descartes does employ such arguments (Ch.Ill), and his "necessary substances" cannot be related to "actual substances". The "unity of man" and the truth of observation statements are his real problems. As a conceptual system his dualism is of kinds of thing, and presents no problems; but he treats it confusedly as "definitional" and related to empirical science. It is then a metaphysical dualism. His arguments to an unextended thinking substance are complex and invalid. The Cogito does not reduce the sensing agent to a soul; and Descartes' theory of science treats Thought, not the thinking agent, as substantial. (Ch.V). His theory of soul and thought is Socratic and untenable as a theory of thought or of science (Ch.VI - developed in Ch.VIl). The identification of Subject, Substance and Thing, when considered in relation to fact statements and natural science (Ch.VIIl) enables us to develop a theory of logic in an Aristotelian manner. Descartes' "two substance" thesis depends, upon this logic for its "necessity", and is logically incoherent. Descartes rejection is really of common nouns; he substitutes for them "soul" and "body", not "substance". Once (Ch.VII) the contrast is made clear between patterns of simple notions and human thinking and science, the issue becomes one of finding reasons for rejecting fact-values for the variables of propositions in logic. Descartes wants fact-predicates,e.g. "thinking", and the vital claim is that there are manifold "qualities* of mind. But none of these can be discovered (Ch.IX) even if we go beyond Descartes' own writings in search for them.The second great use of "substance" is correlative with"form". Contrasting "mental" and "material" substance we find that what holds these theses in meaningful opposition is History and history, as previously it was fact statements in a natural language and occurrences. We are now able (Ch.X) to relate (a) statements in logic, (b) statements in History, and (c) metaphysical or category statements. These last are equivalent to statements about classes of statements necessary to History and its accounts of historical individuals.This is related (Ch,Xl) to uses of "thing" and "substance" in ordinary discourse, and Aristotle's logical, categorial and metaphysical concepts are derivable from this. In Ch.XII the central doctrine of the De Anima is shown to relate logic, metaphysics and classificatory natural science, definitions and observation statements - from such a system are drawn the terms which Descartes and other metaphysicians treat as meaningful independently of statements in natural science. It is contended that without natural science, logical and metaphysical truths are ontologically vacuous. We conclude with the endorsement of "substance" as a valid category or metaphysical term, and the rejection of "a metaphysical substance" and "a metaphysical subject" as meaningless expressions; with the endorsement of statements about men doing science, empirical and rational, and the rejection of metaphysical arguments to minds or souls as doing science, empirical or rational.<p

Studies in thermal transport and loss in the bovine

Abstract Not Provided