A dip-slide test for bacteriuria in protein-calorie malnutrition

A simple dip-slide test was used to determine the incidence of bacteriuria in children suffering from protein-calorie malnutrition. Bacteriuria was found to be equally common in patients suffering from kwashiorkor and atrophic malnutrition and in a control group with normal nutritional status. The test is inexpensive and has a definite place in clinical practice

Three-dimensional Ultrasound Measurements of Carotid Atherosclerosis in Vulnerable Patient Populations

Atherosclerosis is a progressive disease that leads to plaque development and is associated with cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Several biomarkers have been established as surrogates of plaque development yet none can provide direct, noninvasive, rapid measurements of atherosclerotic disease. Three-dimensional Ultrasound (3DUS) image acquisition is safe, inexpensive and fast, however 3DUS image measurements are limited due to time consuming manual image analyses. In addition, the true clinical meaning of 3DUS carotid imaging measurements has not yet been established. A semi-automated approach for the estimation of 3DUS Total Plaque Volume (TPV) was developed with similar variability and high agreement with manual measurements. 3DUS measurements such as Vessel Wall Volume (VWV) and TPV were shown to have similar associations of plaque and Intima-media Thickness (IMT) with age in males however this relationship did not exist in females. 3DUS measurements of carotid atherosclerosis can provide a more sensitive estimation of disease burden in vulnerable patient populations than traditional measures

Mathematical Analysis and Simulations of the Neural Circuit for Locomotion in Lamprey

We analyze the dynamics of the neural circuit of the lamprey central pattern generator (CPG). This analysis provides insights into how neural interactions form oscillators and enable spontaneous oscillations in a network of damped oscillators, which were not apparent in previous simulations or abstract phase oscillator models. We also show how the different behaviour regimes (characterized by phase and amplitude relationships between oscillators) of forward/backward swimming, and turning, can be controlled using the neural connection strengths and external inputs.Comment: 4 pages, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter

Simulation of Three Dimensional Electrostatic Field Configuration in Wire Chambers : A Novel Approach

Three dimensional field configuration has been simulated for a simple wire chamber consisting of one anode wire stretched along the axis of a grounded square cathode tube by solving numerically the boundary integral equation of the first kind. A closed form expression of potential due to charge distributed over flat rectangular surface has been invoked in the solver using Green's function formalism leading to a nearly exact computation of electrostatic field. The solver has been employed to study the effect of several geometrical attributes such as the aspect ratio ($\lambda = \frac{l}{d}$, defined as the ratio of the length $l$ of the tube to its width $d$) and the wire modeling on the field configuration. Detailed calculation has revealed that the field values deviate from the analytic estimates significantly when the $\lambda$ is reduced to 2 or below. The solver has demonstrated the effect of wire modeling on the accuracy of the estimated near-field values in the amplification region. The thin wire results can be reproduced by the polygon model incorporating a modest number of surfaces ($\geq 32$) in the calculation with an accuracy of more than 99%. The smoothness in the three dimensional field calculation in comparison to fluctuations produced by other methods has been observed.Comment: Revised version submitted to Elsevier Science including some more near-field calculation

Education for human rights: Opportunities and challenges arising from Australian curriculum reform

© Australian Curriculum Studies Association Incorporated 2016. This paper examines the place of human rights education in Australian schools in the light of the National Curriculum’s implementation and unprecedented educational and social/geopolitical change. It also draws on, as part of its literature base, the first nationwide initiative to assess the Australian community’s views on human rights issues by the National Human Rights Consultation Committee (NHRCC, 2009), undertaken by the authors. With global events and technologies challenging previously accepted norms of behaviour, it is vital to consider how school educators can play a more effective role in enabling students to learn about human rights. To support a discussion about the opportunities and challenges facing teachers and students, the paper provides background on the development of a human rights education agenda in Australia. It draws on recent studies that analyse legislation, education policy, curriculum documents, and a set of roundtable consultations. In response to difficult political and community contexts, it is our aim to raise the profile of human rights education and prompt discussion on how to progress it in schools

Equilibrium dialysis

A technique of equilibrium dialysis with the use of a recently available dialyser is described.S. Afr. Med. J., 48, 1867 (1974)

Acid-base balance of cerebrospinal fluid in acute uncompensated metabolic acidosis of infancy

The acid-base of cerebrospinal fluid was studied in infants  with an uncompensated metabolic acidosis due to gastroenteritis. No clinical prognostic value could be obtained from these analyses. Cerebrospinal fluid bicarbonate behavell differently in infants who were alert as opposed to those in stupor. Cerebrospillal fluid bicarbonate rose relative to arterial bicarbonate in the alert patients, but with the advent of stupor, returned to the levels seen in the control patients. The possible significance of this finding is discussed.S. Afr. Med. J. 48, 1471 (1974)

Serotonin Modulates Oscillations of the Membrane Potential in Isolated Spinal Neurons from Lampreys

Studies were performed on spinal neurons from lampreys isolated by an enzymatic/mechanical method using pronase. The effects of 100 µM serotonin (5-HT) on membrane potential oscillations induced by a variety of excitatory amino acids were studied. 5-HT was found to depolarize branched cells (presumptive motoneurons and interneurons) by 2–6 mV without inducing membrane potential oscillations. However, when oscillations were already present because of an excitatory amino acid, 5-HT changed the parameters of these oscillations, increasing the amplitudes of all types of oscillations, increasing the frequency of irregular oscillations, and increasing the duration of the depolarization plateaus accompanied by action potentials. Serotonin modulation of the effects of excitatory amino acids and the electrical activity of cells in the neural locomotor network facilitates motor activity and leads to increases in the contraction of truncal muscles and more intense movements by the animal. The possible mechanisms of receptor coactivation are discussed, along with increases in action potential frequency and changes in the parameters of the locomotor rhythm