Solar plasma experiment

Solar plasma experiment by Mariner IV space prob

International Law and Military Activities in Outer Space

The object of this review is to establish definitively the legal constraints which currently apply to military activities in space. Research has disclosed no single reference less than eight years old which examines all the issues to be discussed here. A great flurry of scholarly legal writing attended the launching of the Russian Sputnik in 1957, but comparatively little has been written since the late 1960\u27s. Thus, much of the source material cited here is ten to fifteen years old

The association of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and lymphocyte-monocyte ratio with 3-month clinical outcome after mechanical thrombectomy following stroke

Background and aim Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR) are associated with clinical outcomes in malignancy, cardiovascular disease and stroke. Here we investigate their association with outcome after acute ischaemic stroke treated by mechanical thrombectomy (MT). Methods Patients were selected using audit data for MT for acute anterior circulation ischaemic stroke at a UK centre from May 2016–July 2017. Clinical and laboratory data including neutrophil, lymphocyte and monocyte count tested before and 24 h after MT were collected. Poor functional outcome was defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of 3–6 at 3 months. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to explore the relationship of NLR and LMR with functional outcome. Results One hundred twenty-one patients (mean age 66.4 ± 16.7, 52% female) were included. Higher NLR (adjusted OR 0.022, 95% CI, 0.009–0.34, p = 0.001) and lower LMR (adjusted OR − 0.093, 95% CI (− 0.175)−(− 0.012), p = 0.025) at 24-h post-MT were significantly associated with poorer functional outcome when controlling for age, baseline NIHSS score, infarct size, presence of good collateral supply, recanalisation and symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage on multivariate logistic regression. Admission NLR or LMR were not significant predictors of mRS at 3 months. The optimal cut-off values of NLR and LMR at 24-h post-MT that best discriminated poor outcome were 5.5 (80% sensitivity and 60% specificity) and 2.0 (80% sensitivity and 50% specificity), respectively on receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Conclusion NLR and LMR tested at 24 h after ictus or intervention may predict 3-month functional outcome

Exact solutions and equi-dosing regimen regions for multi-dose pharmacokinetics models with transit compartments

Compartmental models which yield linear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) provide common tools for pharmacokinetics (PK) analysis, with exact solutions for drug levels or concentrations readily obtainable for low-dimensional compartment models. Exact solutions enable valuable insights and further analysis of these systems. Transit compartment models are a popular semi-mechanistic approach for generalising simple PK models to allow for delayed kinetics, but computing exact solutions for multi-dosing inputs to transit compartment systems leading to different final compartments is nontrivial. Here, we find exact solutions for drug levels as functions of time throughout a linear transit compartment cascade followed by an absorption compartment and a central blood compartment, for the general case of n transit compartments and M equi-bolus doses to the first compartment. We further show the utility of exact solutions to PK ODE models in finding constraints on equi-dosing regimen parameters imposed by a prescribed therapeutic range. This leads to the construction of equi-dosing regimen regions (EDRRs), providing new, novel visualisations which summarise the safe and effective dosing parameter space. EDRRs are computed for classical and transit compartment models with two- and three-dimensional parameter spaces, and are proposed as useful graphical tools for informing drug dosing regimen design

Home Modification for Aboriginal Housing

Current housing provision for Aboriginal people is inappropriate due to its lack of cultural relevance, incompatibility with the geographic landscape, poor design and state of disrepair, and its inability to cater to the functional impairment of Aboriginal older people and people with disabilities. Inadequate housing supply, inappropriate home environments and a high incidence of disability and long-term health issues has led to compounded disadvantage, which means that many Aboriginal people with disabilities may face heightened difficulties. The complex relationship between inadequate housing supply, poor housing conditions, overcrowding, and health and disability needs to be explored further in order to design the most effective home environments in remote Aboriginal communities. - See more at: http://homemods.info/publications-by-hminfo/occasional/home-modifications-in-aboriginal-housing#main-conten

Clinical audit of rectal cancer patient referrals for Papillon contact brachytherapy

AbstractBackground and purpose:Papillon treatment is a form of contact X-ray brachytherapy (CXB) which is used as an alternative to surgery for rectal cancer. This study aimed to audit patients who were referred for and treated with CXB over a 6-year period against guidelines derived from a critical review of the evidence base.Materials and methods:Patient demographics, tumour characteristics and outcome data were gathered for 31 patients referred for CXB. A critical review of the evidence identified consensus referral criteria and outcome data against which to audit patients.Results:Referral criteria were derived from six published studies. These applied to patients unfit for surgery or stoma-averse. All referred patients had a visible tumour or scar with a tumour size under 3 cm and sited less than 12 cm from the anal verge. Nodal status varied from N0 to N2, but there was no metastatic disease present. The audited cohort demonstrated demographic equivalence, while the initial clinical complete response and recurrence rates were also comparable.Conclusion:This audit confirmed the validity of referral and treatment protocols and should guide future referrals until evidence from ongoing studies becomes available. These findings should contribute to the development of robust national guidelines.</jats:sec

A Longitudinal Follow-up Of Discrete Mass At Zero With Gap

The first part of this paper discusses a five-year systematic review of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology following the landmark power study conducted by Sawilowsky and Hillman (1992). The second part discusses a five-year longitudinal follow-up of a radically nonnormal population distribution: discrete mass at zero with gap. This distribution was based upon a real dataset

Peas Please: Making a pledge for more veg

Research suggests that eating vegetables benefits both human health and the environment. However, in the UK, very few people are eating enough vegetables. This is contributing to the global burden of diet‐related disease and associated costs, as well as undermining the possibility of a sustainable UK food system. The Peas Please initiative was launched in 2017 to encourage organisations and businesses across the food system to pledge their commitment to helping the British public increase their vegetable consumption. Since the implementation of the Peas Please initiative 95 organisations have pledged to support Peas Please and, at the time of writing, an additional 89.9 million portions of vegetables have been grown, served and sold by pledgers. This article describes the Peas Please initiative and its rationale, highlights some of the key outcomes of the programme, and outlines next steps for increasing commitment to the programme

Mycobacterium fortuitum causing infection of a biventricular pacemaker/implantable cardioverter defibrillator

AbstractIncreased utilization of cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIED) has seen a corresponding rise in related infections. Non-tuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) are rarely the cause. Treatment involves susceptibilities, antimicrobials, and device removal. This study presents a patient who underwent a biventricular implantable cardioverter defibrillator upgrade with a multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium fortuitum located at the pocket site and a lead infection

Interaction of the solar wind with Venus

Two topics related to the interaction of the solar wind with Venus are considered. First, a short review of the experimental evidence with particular attention to plasma measurements carried out on Mariner-5 and Mariner-10 is given. Secondly, the results of some recent theoretical work on the interaction of the solar wind with the ionosphere of Venus are summarized