A study of the thermoregulatory characteristics of a liquid-cooled garment with automatic temperature control based on sweat rate: Experimental investigation and biothermal man-model development

Experimental results for three subjects walking on a treadmill at exercise rates of up to 590 watts showed that thermal comfort could be maintained in a liquid cooled garment by using an automatic temperature controller based on sweat rate. The addition of head- and neck-cooling to an Apollo type liquid cooled garment increased its effectiveness and resulted in greater subjective comfort. The biothermal model of man developed in the second portion of the study utilized heat rates and exchange coefficients based on the experimental data, and included the cooling provisions of a liquid-cooled garment with automatic temperature control based on sweat rate. Simulation results were good approximations of the experimental results

DichroMatch: a website for similarity searching of circular dichroism spectra

Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy is a widely used method for examining the structure, folding and conformational changes of proteins. A new online CD analysis server (DichroMatch) has been developed for identifying proteins with similar spectral characteristics by detecting possible structurally and functionally related proteins and homologues. DichroMatch includes six different methods for determining the spectral nearest neighbours to a query protein spectrum and provides metrics of how similar these spectra are and, if corresponding crystal structures are available for the closest matched proteins, information on their secondary structures and fold classifications. By default, DichroMatch uses all the entries in the Protein Circular Dichroism Data Bank (PCDDB) for its comparison set, providing the broadest range of publicly available protein spectra to match with the unknown protein. Alternatively, users can download or create their own specialized data sets, thereby enabling comparisons between the structures of related proteins such as wild-type versus mutants or homologues or a series of spectra of the same protein under different conditions. The DichroMatch server is freely available at http://dichromatch.cryst.bbk.ac.uk

Evaluation of non-intrusive flow measurement techniques for a re-entry flight experiment

This study evaluates various non-intrusive techniques for the measurement of the flow field on the windward side of the Space Shuttle orbiter or a similar reentry vehicle. Included are linear (Rayleigh, Raman, Mie, Laser Doppler Velocimetry, Resonant Doppler Velocimetry) and nonlinear (Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman, Laser-Induced Fluorescence) light scattering, electron-beam fluorescence, thermal emission, and mass spectroscopy. Flow-field properties were taken from a nonequilibrium flow model by Shinn, Moss, and Simmonds at the NASA Langley Research Center. Conclusions are, when possible, based on quantitative scaling of known laboratory results to the conditions projected. Detailed discussion with researchers in the field contributed further to these conclusions and provided valuable insights regarding the experimental feasibility of each of the techniques

Exploring the relationship between effective and reflective practice in applied sport psychology

This study offers an investigation into the concept of effective practice in applied sport psychology (ASP) with emphasis being placed upon the role that reflective practice may have in helping practitioners to develop the effectiveness of their service delivery. Focus groups (n = 2), consisting of accredited and trainee sport psychologists, were conducted to generate a working definition of effective practice, and discuss the concept of effectiveness development through engagement in reflective practices. The resulting definition encapsulated a multidimensional process involving reflection-on-practice. Initial support for the definition was gained through consensus validation involving accredited sport psychologists (n = 34) who agreed with the notion that although effectiveness is context specific it is related to activities designed to meet client needs. Reflective practice emerged as a vital component in the development of effectiveness, with participants highlighting that reflection is intrinsically linked to service delivery, and a key tool for experiential learning.</jats:p

Non-intrusive flow measurements on a reentry vehicle

This study evaluates the utility of various non-intrusive techniques for the measurement of the flow field on the windward side of the Space Shuttle or a similar re-entry vehicle. Included are linear (Rayleigh, Raman, Mie, Laser Doppler Velocimetry, Resonant Doppler Velocimetry) and nonlinear (Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman, Laser Induced Fluorescence) light scattering, electron beam fluorescence, thermal emission and mass spectroscopy. Flow field properties are taken from a nonequilibrium flow model by Shinn, Moss and Simmonds at NASA Langley. Conclusions are, when possible, based on quantitative scaling of known laboratory results to the conditions projected. Detailed discussion with researchers in the field contributed further to these conclusions and provided valuable insights regarding the experimental feasibility of each of the techniques

Unsolicited written narratives as a methodological genre in terminal illness: challenges and limitations

Stories about illness have proven invaluable in helping health professionals understand illness experiences. Such narratives have traditionally been solicited by researchers through interviews and the collection of personal writings, including diaries. These approaches are, however, researcher driven; the impetus for the creation of the story comes from the researcher and not the narrator. In recent years there has been exponential growth in illness narratives created by individuals, of their own volition, and made available for others to read in print or as Internet accounts. We sought to determine whether it was possible to identify such material for use as research data to explore the subject of living with the terminal illness amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease—the contention being that these accounts are narrator driven and therefore focus on issues of greatest importance to the affected person. We encountered and sought to overcome a number of methodological and ethical challenges, which is our focus here

Localized pulsed nanosecond discharges in a counterflow nonpremixed flame environment

A flame is a very unusual environment for the development of a gas discharge, since it presents strong gradients in temperature, composition, and pre-ionization. In this paper we examine how such an environment impacts the development of the plasma when using repetitive pulsed nanosecond discharges, one of the main strategies used in the field of plasma assisted combustion. Experiments were performed in a counterflow nonpremixed burner with parallel electrodes at the nozzle exits and nanosecond-resolved photography of the plasma emission is presented. It was shown that the discharge development in stratified media may take place in the form of a dielectric barrier discharge with a localized energy deposition. In the experiments presented the discharge energy was coupled to the flame front because of the high rate of chemi-ionization and the gas density decrease in the flame

Stakeholder perspectives on new ways of delivering unscheduled health care: the role of ownership and organisational identity

&lt;b&gt;Rationale, aims and objectives&lt;/b&gt;: To explore stakeholder perspectives of the implementation of a new, national integrated nurse-led telephone advice and consultation service (NHS 24), comparing the views of stakeholders from different health care organisations. &lt;b&gt;Methods&lt;/b&gt;: Semi-structured interviews with 26 stakeholders including partner organisations located in primary and secondary unscheduled care settings (general practitioner (GP) out-of-hours co-operative; accident and emergency department; national ambulance service), members of NHS 24 and national policymakers. Attendance at key meetings, documentary review and email implementation diaries provided a contextual history of events with which interview data could be compared. &lt;b&gt;Results&lt;/b&gt;: The contextual history of events highlighted a fast-paced implementation process, with little time for reflection. Key areas of partner concern were increasing workload, the clinical safety of nurse triage and the lack of communication across the organisations. Concerns were most apparent within the GP out-of-hours co-operative, leading to calls for the dissolution of the partnership. Accident and emergency and ambulance service responses were more conciliatory, suggesting that such problems were to be expected within the developmental phase of a new organisation. Further exploration of these responses highlighted the sense of ownership within the GP co-operative, with GPs having both financial and philosophical ownership of the co-operative. This was not apparent within the other two partner organisations, in particular the ambulance service, which operated on a regional model very similar to that of NHS 24. &lt;b&gt;Conclusions&lt;/b&gt;: As the delivery of unscheduled primary health care crosses professional boundaries and locations, different organisations and professional groups must develop new ways of partnership working, developing trust and confidence in each other. The results of this study highlight, for the first time, the key importance of understanding the professional ownership and identity of individual organisations, in order to facilitate the most effective mechanisms to enable that partnership working

Angiopoietin-2 predicts morbidity in adults with Fontan physiology.

Morbidity in patients with single-ventricle Fontan circulation is common and includes arrhythmias, edema, and pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVM) among others. We sought to identify biomarkers that may predict such complications. Twenty-five patients with Fontan physiology and 12 control patients with atrial septal defects (ASD) that underwent cardiac catheterization were included. Plasma was collected from the hepatic vein and superior vena cava and underwent protein profiling for a panel of 20 analytes involved in angiogenesis and endothelial dysfunction. Ten (40%) of Fontan patients had evidence of PAVM, eighteen (72%) had a history of arrhythmia, and five (20%) were actively in arrhythmia or had a recent arrhythmia. Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) was higher in Fontan patients (8,875.4 ± 3,336.9 pg/mL) versus the ASD group (1,663.6 ± 587.3 pg/mL, p &lt; 0.0001). Ang-2 was higher in Fontan patients with active or recent arrhythmia (11,396.0 ± 3,457.7 vs 8,118.2 ± 2,795.1 pg/mL, p &lt; 0.05). A threshold of 8,500 pg/mL gives Ang-2 a negative predictive value of 100% and positive predictive value of 42% in diagnosing recent arrhythmia. Ang-2 is elevated among adults with Fontan physiology. Ang-2 level is associated with active or recent arrhythmia, but was not found to be associated with PAVM