Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES)

Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are a common presentation to the emergency rooms and neurology departments, and they are difficult to discriminate from epileptic seizures (ES). PNES present as paroxysmal time-limited, alterations in motor, sensory, autonomic, and/or cognitive signs and symptoms, but unlike epilepsy, PNES are not caused by ictal epileptiform activity. There is no exact known etiology or mechanism for PNES so far. The most recognized factors discussed in the literature include trauma and child adversity, dissociation, somatization, emotional processing, psychiatric comorbidities, coping styles, and family dysfunction. The use of a comprehensive assessment model may ease the transition of patient care from the diagnosing team to the outpatient treatment provider. Recognition of the characteristic clinical features of PNES and utilization of video-EEG to confirm the diagnosis are critical. Communicating the diagnosis, discontinuation of treatment for epilepsy (unless comorbid PNES and epilepsy are present), and implementing proper liaison with a multidisciplinary team with clinical psychologists, neurologists, and psychiatrists improve patient and healthcare outcome

Birth outcomes by type of attendance at antenatal education: An observational study

Background: Antenatal education aims to prepare expectant parents for pregnancy, birth, and parenthood. Studies have reported antenatal education teaching breathing and relaxation methods for pain relief, termed psychoprophylaxis, is associated with reduction in caesarean section rates compared with general birth and parenting classes. Given the rising rates of caesarean section, we aimed to determine whether there was a difference in mode of birth in women based on the type of antenatal education attended. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional antenatal survey of nulliparous women ≥28 weeks gestation with a singleton pregnancy was conducted in two maternity hospitals in Sydney, Australia in 2018. Women were asked what type of antenatal education they attended and sent a follow-up survey post-birth. Hospital birth data were also obtained. Education was classified into four groups: psychoprophylaxis, birth and parenting, other, or none. Results: Five hundred and five women with birth data were included. A higher proportion of women who attended psychoprophylaxis education had a vaginal birth (instrumental/spontaneous) (79%) compared with women who attended birth and parenting, other or no education (69%, 67%, 60%, respectively P = 0.045). After adjusting for maternal characteristics, birth and hospital factors, the association was attenuated (odds ratio 2.03; 95% CI 0.93–4.43). Conclusions: Women who attended psychoprophylaxis couple-based education had a trend toward higher rates of vaginal birth. Randomised trials comparing different types of antenatal education are required to determine whether psychoprophylaxis education can reduce caesarean section rates and improve other birth outcomes

Experimental investigation of forced convection heat transfer for turbulent air flow inside horizontal heated pipe

Paper presented at the 5th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, South Africa, 1-4 July, 2007.An experimental study presented in this paper about the forced convection in the ranges of turbulent flow. The experiments were made on dry air and moist air of different moisture content. Different turbulent air flow and heat flux considered and analyzed. The distribution of temperature and local Nusselt number along the heated copper pipe, the average Reynolds number is 7.4*104 – 9.1*104 against average Nusselt number, in addition to the velocity and temperature distribution across a horizontal pipe were presented in the results and discussed. Finally, it can be concluded that the effect of moisture content in the air on Nusselt number was little.cs201

An Empirical Analysis of the Seasonal Patterns in Aggregate Directors’ Trades

This paper examins the seasonal patterns in aggregate insider trading transactions, specifically, do insiders prefer to trade on any particular day of the week or month of the year? It also, given that such seasonal patterns exist, attempts to relate these patterns to explanations drawn from the literature on calendar anomalies in returns (and volumes). The results outlined from this paper includes: There is a day of the week anomaly in aggregate insider activities (as measured by number and value of insider transactions). Particularly, relative to other days, insiders tend to trade more on Fridays and less on Tuesdays. Also, the distribution of the average value of directors‟ trades (buys and sells) across the week days forms a U shape i.e. high trading value on the beginning of the week (Monday) and the end of the week (Friday). Also, there is a month of the year anomaly in aggregate insider activities (as measured by the number of insider transactions). Insiders tend to trade most frequently in March and least in August. The results of OLS Regression Model indicate that there is no monthly anomaly in aggregate insider selling activities as measured by the aggregate value of insider transactions. The results of TOBIT Regression Model show that the average value of directors‟ selling activities in March is higher and significantly different relative to other months of the year. The results of OLS regression are also confirmed by the results of K-W statistic test which supported the non existence of monthly anomaly in aggregate director trading (measured by the value of director transactions)

Impact of the assimilation of ozone from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer on surface ozone across North America

We examine the impact of assimilating ozone observations from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) on North American surface ozone abundances in the GEOS-Chem model in August 2006. The assimilation reduces the negative bias in the modeled free tropospheric ozone, which enhances the ozone flux into the boundary layer. Surface ozone abundances increased by as much as 9 ppb in western North America and by less than 2 ppb in the southeast, resulting in a total background source of ozone of 20-40 ppb. The enhanced ozone in the model reduced the model bias with respect to surface ozone observations in the western USA, but exacerbated it in the east. This increase in the bias in the boundary layer in the east, despite the agreement between the assimilation and ozonesonde measurements in the free troposphere, suggests errors in the ozone sources or sinks or in boundary layer mixing in the model. © 2009