103 research outputs found
Penerapan Metode Median Clustering Untuk Clusterisasi Peternakan di Provinsi Maluku
Livestock in Maluku Province is one of the sectors that is the main priority in the context of increasing people's welfare. The potential for livestock in Maluku Province is increasing every year. However, there needs to be integrated processing and identification of potential commodities in each region. One method that is a reliable statistical method is to use the median clustering method. Median clustering is a method of grouping based on the median value. The median clustering algorithm selects K cluster centers with the aim of minimizing the sum of the measurement distances between each point cluster and the closest cluster center. The data used in this study came from the Maluku Province Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) in 2022. The results of this research were that there were 3 clusters formed in livestock clusterization in regencies and cities in Maluku Province. Clus ter 1 consists of Southwest Maluku Regency. Cluster 2 consists of the Regencies of Central Maluku, Buru and West Seram. Furthermore, Cluster 3 consists of the Tanimbar Islands, Southeast Maluku, Aru Islands, Eastern Seram, South Buru, Ambon and Tual City
Design and fabrication of a cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta) peeling machine
The processing of cocoyam tubers for industrial or human use involves different operations of which peeling is the major problem. This study was aimed at designing, fabricating and carrying out performance evaluation of a cocoyam peeling machine, taking into consideration some physical and mechanical properties of the cocoyam tubers. The machine was evaluated based on the following parameters which includes; throughput capacity and peeling efficiency at the speeds of 400 rpm, 700 rpm and 933 rpm. Results revealed that, for all the speeds tested in the experiment, the corresponding peeling efficiencies of the machine were 50%, 64% and 68% respectively while that of the throughput capacities were 63.20 kg/hr, 84.90 kg/hr and 112.92 kg/hr respectively. It was observed that 933 rpm speed was the most suitable speed for the operation of this machine, as it had higher peeling efficiency of 68% with a throughput capacity of 112.92 kg/hr. These results showed appreciable improvement over manual method which is 20 – 35 kg/hr
A Delphi study and ranking exercise to support commissioning services:Future delivery of Thrombectomy services in England
Background:
Intra-arterial thrombectomy is the gold standard treatment for large artery occlusive stroke. However, the evidence of its benefits is almost entirely based on trials delivered by experienced neurointerventionists working in established teams in neuroscience centres. Those responsible for the design and prospective reconfiguration of services need access to a comprehensive and complementary array of information on which to base their decisions. This will help to ensure the demonstrated effects from trials may be realised in practice and account for regional/local variations in resources and skill-sets. One approach to elucidate the implementation preferences and considerations of key experts is a Delphi survey. In order to support commissioning decisions, we aimed to using an electronic Delphi survey to establish consensus on the options for future organisation of thrombectomy services among physicians with clinical experience in managing large artery occlusive stroke.
Methods:
A Delphi survey was developed with 12 options for future organisation of thrombectomy services in England. A purposive sampling strategy established an expert panel of stroke physicians from the British Association of Stroke Physicians (BASP) Clinical Standards and/or Executive Membership that deliver 24/7 intravenous thrombolysis. Options with aggregate scores falling within the lowest quartile were removed from the subsequent Delphi round. Options reaching consensus following the two Delphi rounds were then ranked in a final exercise by both the wider BASP membership and the British Society of Neuroradiologists (BSNR).
Results:
Eleven stroke physicians from BASP completed the initial two Delphi rounds. Three options achieved consensus, with subsequently wider BASP (97%, n=43) and BSNR members (86%, n=21) assigning the highest approval rankings in the final exercise for transferring large artery occlusive stroke patients to nearest neuroscience centre for thrombectomy based on local CT/CT Angiography.
Conclusions:
The initial Delphi rounds ensured optimal reduction of options by an expert panel of stroke physicians, while subsequent ranking exercises allowed remaining options to be ranked by a wider group of experts within stroke to reach consensus. The preferred implementation option for thrombectomy is conveying suspected stroke patients for CT/CT Angiography and secondary transfer of large artery occlusive stroke patients to the nearest neuroscience centre
Estimating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of establishing additional endovascular Thrombectomy stroke Centres in England::a discrete event simulation
Background
We have previously modelled that the optimal number of comprehensive stroke centres (CSC) providing endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) in England would be 30 (net 6 new centres). We now estimate the relative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of increasing the number of centres from 24 to 30.
Methods
We constructed a discrete event simulation (DES) to estimate the effectiveness and lifetime cost-effectiveness (from a payer perspective) using 1 year’s incidence of stroke in England. 2000 iterations of the simulation were performed comparing baseline 24 centres to 30.
Results
Of 80,800 patients admitted to hospital with acute stroke/year, 21,740 would be affected by the service reconfiguration. The median time to treatment for eligible early presenters (< 270 min since onset) would reduce from 195 (IQR 155–249) to 165 (IQR 105–224) minutes. Our model predicts reconfiguration would mean an additional 33 independent patients (modified Rankin scale [mRS] 0–1) and 30 fewer dependent/dead patients (mRS 3–6) per year. The net addition of 6 centres generates 190 QALYs (95%CI − 6 to 399) and results in net savings to the healthcare system of £1,864,000/year (95% CI -1,204,000 to £5,017,000). The estimated budget impact was a saving of £980,000 in year 1 and £7.07 million in years 2 to 5.
Conclusion
Changes in acute stroke service configuration will produce clinical and cost benefits when the time taken for patients to receive treatment is reduced. Benefits are highly likely to be cost saving over 5 years before any capital investment above £8 million is required
The 10th Biennial Hatter Cardiovascular Institute workshop: cellular protection—evaluating new directions in the setting of myocardial infarction, ischaemic stroke, and cardio-oncology
Due to its poor capacity for regeneration, the heart is particularly sensitive to the loss of contractile cardiomyocytes. The onslaught of damage caused by ischaemia and reperfusion, occurring during an acute myocardial infarction and the subsequent reperfusion therapy, can wipe out upwards of a billion cardiomyocytes. A similar program of cell death can cause the irreversible loss of neurons in ischaemic stroke. Similar pathways of lethal cell injury can contribute to other pathologies such as left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure caused by cancer therapy. Consequently, strategies designed to protect the heart from lethal cell injury have the potential to be applicable across all three pathologies. The investigators meeting at the 10th Hatter Cardiovascular Institute workshop examined the parallels between ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), ischaemic stroke, and other pathologies that cause the loss of cardiomyocytes including cancer therapeutic cardiotoxicity. They examined the prospects for protection by remote ischaemic conditioning (RIC) in each scenario, and evaluated impasses and novel opportunities for cellular protection, with the future landscape for RIC in the clinical setting to be determined by the outcome of the large ERIC-PPCI/CONDI2 study. It was agreed that the way forward must include measures to improve experimental methodologies, such that they better reflect the clinical scenario and to judiciously select combinations of therapies targeting specific pathways of cellular death and injury
Superior Neuroprotective Efficacy of LAU-0901, a Novel Platelet-Activating Factor Antagonist, in Experimental Stroke
Platelet-activating factor (PAF) accumulates during cerebral ischemia, and inhibition of this process plays a critical role in neuronal survival. Recently, we demonstrated that LAU-0901, a novel PAF receptor antagonist, is neuroprotective in experimental stroke. We used magnetic resonance imaging in conjunction with behavior and immunohistopathology to expand our understanding of this novel therapeutic approach. Sprague–Dawley rats received 2 h middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) and were treated with LAU-0901 (60 mg/kg) or vehicle 2 h from MCAo onset. Behavioral function, T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), and apparent diffusion coefficients were performed on days 1, 3, and 7 after MCAo. Infarct volume and number of GFAP, ED-1, and NeuN-positive cells were conducted on day 7. Behavioral deficit was significantly improved by LAU-0901 treatment compared to vehicle on days 1, 3, and 7. Total lesion volumes computed from T2WI were significantly reduced by LAU-0901 on days 1, 3, and 7 (by 83%, 90%, and 96%, respectively), which was consistent with decreased edema formation. Histopathology revealed that LAU-0901 treatment resulted in significant reduction of cortical and subcortical infarct volumes, attenuated microglial infiltration, and promoted astrocytic and neuronal survival. These findings suggest LAU-0901 is a promising neuroprotectant and provide the basis for future therapeutics in patients suffering ischemic stroke
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