25 research outputs found
Change in auditory evoked potential index and bispectral index during induction of anesthesia with anesthetic drugs
Experimental investigation of long time irradiation in polydiene solutions: reversibility and instabilities
Values, preferences and goals identified during shared decision making between critically ill patients and their doctors
Objective: Examine values, preferences and goals elicited by doctors following goals-of-care (GOC) discussions with critically ill patients who had life-limiting illnesses. Design: Descriptive qualitative study using four-stage latent content analysis. Setting: Tertiary intensive care unit (ICU) in South Western Victoria. Participants: Adults who had life-limiting illnesses and were admitted to the ICU with documented GOC, between October 2016 and July 2018. Intervention: The iValidate program, a shared decision-making clinical communication education and clinical support program, for all ICU registrars in August 2015. Main outcome measures: Matrix of themes and subthemes categorised into values, preferences and goals. Results: A total of 354 GOC forms were analysed from 218 patients who had life-limiting illnesses and were admitted to the ICU. In the categories of values, preferences and goals, four themes were identified: connectedness and relational autonomy, autonomy of decision maker, balancing quality and quantity of life, and physical comfort. The subthemes — relationships, sense of place, enjoyment of activities, independence, dignity, cognitive function, quality of life, longevity and physical comfort — provided a matrix of issues identified as important to patients. Relationship, place, independence and physical comfort statements were most frequently identified; longevity was least frequently identified. Conclusion: Our analysis of GOC discussions between medical staff and patients who had life-limiting illnesses and were admitted to the ICU, using a shared decision-making training and support program, revealed a framework of values, preferences and goals that could provide a structure to assist clinicians to engage in shared decision making.</jats:p
Kinetics of Light-Induced Concentration Patterns in Transparent Polymer Solutions
When
exposed to weak visible laser light, solutions of common polymers
like polyÂ(isoprene) and polyÂ(butadiene) respond by local concentration
variations, which in turn lead to refractive index changes. Various
micropatterns have been recently reported, depending mostly on the
solvent environment and the irradiation conditions. Here, we focused
on the simpler case of single polymer-rich filaments and we employed
phase contrast microscopy to systematically investigate the influence
of laser illumination and material parameters on the kinetics of the
optically induced local concentration increase in the polydiene solutions.
The refractive index contrast of the formed filaments increased exponentially
with the laser illumination time. The growth rate exhibited linear
dependence on the laser power and increased with polymer chain length
in semidilute solutions in good solvents. On the contrary, the kinetics
of the formed filaments appeared to be rather insensitive to the polymer
concentration. Albeit the origin of the peculiar light field-polymer
concentration coupling remains yet elusive, the new phenomenology
is considered necessary for the elucidation of its mechanism
Wormlike core-shell nanoparticles formed by co-assembly of double hydrophilic block polyelectrolyte with oppositely charged fluorosurfactant
Formation of polyelectrolyte–surfactant complexes (PE–S) between an anionic polyelectrolyte, poly(sodium 2-sulfamate-3-carboxylate isoprene)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PSCI-PEO) and a cationic fluorosurfactant, N-(3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,9,9,10,10,10-heptadecafluorodecyl) pyridinium chloride (HFDPCl) was studied in alkaline aqueous solutions by static, dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering. The structure of the formed PE–S nanoparticles was investigated by SAXS, cryogenic transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The results show that the tendency of the fluorosurfactant to form elongated threadlike micelles drives the PE–S co-assembly to a flexible core–shell cylindrical morphology with the core of the PE–S and the shell of the PEO blocks. Unlike other PE–S systems involving double hydrophilic polyelectrolytes, well-defined core–shell particles exist only in the narrow range of HFDPCl-to-PSCI unit stoichiometric ratios corresponding to zero ζ-potential of the aggregates
Clinical study on effect of electro-acupuncture combined with different anesthetics on auditory-evoked potential index
Influence of Electroacupuncture on Auditory Evoked Potential Index During Propofol Sedation
Epoxidized rosin acids as co-precursors for epoxy resins
A series of novel epoxy resins were prepared from chemically modified rosin, mainly constituted of abietic acid, diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) in different percentages as co-reactants, and isophorone diamine as cross-linking agent. Reactive epoxide groups were introduced in the structure of this common pine tree derivative. The chemical structures of various epoxidized rosin acids precursors were confirmed by NMR spectroscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis were used to determine the glass transition temperature and the elastic modulus of the cured epoxy resins. Relatively rigid materials with thermo-mechanical properties depending on the structure of rosin acid derivatives and their ratios with DGEBA were obtained. Epoxy precursors based on renewable rosin can be efficiently used as co-additives of DGEBA for epoxy products