2,230 research outputs found
A phase III, multi-centre, double-masked randomised controlled trial of adjunctive intraocular and peri-ocular steroid (triamcinolone acetonide) versus standard treatment in eyes undergoing vitreoretinal surgery for open globe trauma (ASCOT): statistical analysis plan.
BACKGROUND: Open globe ocular trauma complicated by intraocular scarring (proliferative vitreoretinopathy) is a relatively rare, blinding, but potentially treatable condition for which, at present, surgery is often unsatisfactory and visual results frequently poor. To date, no pharmacological adjuncts to surgery have been proven to be effective. The aim of the Adjunctive Steroid Combination in Ocular Trauma (ASCOT) randomised controlled trial is to determine whether adjunctive steroid (triamcinolone acetonide), given at the time of surgery, can improve the outcome of vitreoretinal surgery in patients with open globe ocular trauma. This article presents the statistical analysis plan for the main publication as approved and signed off by the Trial Steering Committee prior to the first data extraction for the Data Monitoring Committee meeting report. METHODS/DESIGN: ASCOT is a pragmatic, multi-centre, parallel-group, double-masked randomised controlled trial. The aim of the study is to recruit from 20-25 centres in the United Kingdom and randomise 300 eyes (from 300 patients) into two treatment arms. Both groups will receive standard surgical treatment and care; the intervention arm will additionally receive a pre-operative steroid combination (triamcinolone acetonide) into the vitreous cavity consisting of 4 mg/0.1 ml and 40 mg/1 ml sub-Tenon's. Participants will be followed for 6 months post-surgery. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients achieving a clinically meaning improvement in visual acuity in the study eye at 6 months after initial surgery, defined as a 10 letter score improvement in the ETDRS (the standard scale to test visual acuity). TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN30012492 . Registered on 5 September 2014. EudraCT2014-002193-37 . Registered on 5 September 2014
Tailoring the frictional properties of granular media
A method of modifying the roughness of soda-lime glass spheres is presented,
with the purpose of tuning inter-particle friction. The effect of chemical
etching on the surface topography and the bulk frictional properties of grains
is systematically investigated. The surface roughness of the grains is measured
using white light interferometry and characterised by the lateral and vertical
roughness length scales. The underwater angle of repose is measured to
characterise the bulk frictional behaviour. We observe that the co-efficient of
friction depends on the vertical roughness length scale. We also demonstrate a
bulk surface roughness measurement using a carbonated soft drink.Comment: 10 pages, 17 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Soy dairy performance metrics
Soybean (Glycine max (L. Merr.) has been a crop of interest to address both poverty and malnutrition in the developing world because of its high levels of both protein and oil, and its adaptability to grow in tropical environments. Development practitioners and policymakers have long sought value added opportunities for local crops to move communities out of poverty by introducing processing or manufacturing technologies. Soy dairy production technologies sit within this development conceptual model. To the researchers’ knowledge, no research to date measures soy dairy performance, though donors and NGOs have launched hundreds of enterprises over the last 18 years. The lack of firm-level data on operations limits the ability of donors and practitioners to fund and site sustainable dairy businesses. Therefore, the research team developed and implemented a recordkeeping system and training program first, as a 14-month beta test with a network of five dairies in Ghana and Mozambique in 2016-2017. Learning from the initial research then supported a formal research rollout over 18 months with a network of six different dairies in Malawi and key collaboration from USAID’s Agricultural Diversification activity. None of the beta or rollout dairies kept records prior to the intervention. The formal rollout resulted in a unique primary dataset to address the soy dairy performance knowledge gap. The results of analysis show that the dairies, on average, achieve positive operating margins of 61%, yet cannot cover the fixed costs associated with depreciation, amortization of equipment and infrastructure, working capital, marketing and promotion, and regulatory compliance. The enterprises in our sample operate only at 9% of capacity, which limits their ability to cover the normal fixed costs associated with the business. The challenge is not thetechnology itself, as when operated, it produces a high-quality dairy product. The challenges involve a business that requires too much capital for normal operations relative to a nascent and small addressable market
Compressibility of and (M = Rh, Ir and Co) Compounds
The lattice parameters of the tetragonal compounds CeIn and
CeIn(Rh, Ir and Co) have been studied as a function of
pressure up to 15 GPa using a diamond anvil cell under both hydrostatic and
quasihydrostatic conditions at room temperature. The addition of In
layers to the parent CeIn compound is found to stiffen the lattice as the
2-layer systems (average of bulk modulus values is 70.4 GPa) have a
larger than CeIn (67 GPa), while the 1-layer systems with the are
even stiffer (average of is 81.4 GPa). Estimating the hybridization
using parameters from tight binding calculations shows that the dominant
hybridization is in nature between the Ce and In atoms. The values of
at the pressure where the superconducting transition temperature
reaches a maximum is the same for all CeIn compounds. By
plotting the maximum values of the superconducting transition temperature
versus for the studied compounds and Pu-based superconductors, we
find a universal versus behavior when these quantities are
normalized appropriately. These results are consistent with magnetically
mediated superconductivity.Comment: Updated version resubmitted to Phys. Rev.
Composition chimique du netetu, condiment alimentaire produit par fermentation des graines de caroubier africain Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) Benth.
Chemical composition of netetu, a food condiment from fermented Parkia biglobosa seeds. The seed oils and cakes of netetu of different origins available on the Senegalian market have been studied to evaluate the nutritional potentialities of this important food condiment used in many African countries. The total oil content ranged from 141 to 349 g per kg. Careful gas chromatography and GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry) investigations revealed seven major fatty acids among which linoleic (41.9-46.8/ of the total fatty acids), oleic (12.6-14.6/), palmitic (10.2-11.3/), stearic (10.0-13.4/), and behenic (12.6-13.4/) predominate. Significant differences were observed between fermented and non-fermented seeds as well as between netetu of different origins. The tocopherol content was found very low (17.7 to 30.6 mg per 100g fat). The total amino acid patterns showed that beside high level of proteins (331 a 540 g per kg) and interesting levels of essential constituents, there is an important deficiency of tryptophane, cysteine, methionine and threonine
Heat capacity studies of Ce and Rh site substitution in the heavy fermion antiferromagnet CeRhIn_5;: Short-range magnetic interactions and non-Fermi-liquid behavior
In heavy fermion materials superconductivity tends to appear when long range
magnetic order is suppressed by chemical doping or applying pressure. Here we
report heat capacity measurements on diluted alloyes of the heavy fermion
superconductor CeRhIn_5;. Heat capacity measurements have been performed on
CeRh_{1-y}Ir_{y}In_5; (y <= 0.10) and Ce_{1-x}La_{x}Rh_{1-y}Ir_{y}In_5; (x <=
0.50) in applied fields up to 90 kOe to study the affect of doping and magnetic
field on the magnetic ground state. The magnetic phase diagram of
CeRh_{0.9}Ir_{0.1}In_5; is consistent with the magnetic structure of CeRhIn_5;
being unchanged by Ir doping. Doping of Ir in small concentrations is shown to
slightly increase the antiferromagnetic transition temperature T_{N} (T_{N}=3.8
K in the undoped sample). La doping which causes disorder on the Ce sublattice
is shown to lower T_{N} with no long range order observed above 0.34 K for
Ce_{0.50}La_{0.50}RhIn_5;. Measurements on Ce_{0.50}La_{0.50}RhIn_5; show a
coexistence of short range magnetic order and non-Fermi-liquid behavior. This
dual nature of the Ce 4f-electrons is very similar to the observed results on
CeRhIn_5; when long range magnetic order is suppressed at high pressure.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figure
Unusual giant magnetostriction in the ferrimagnet GdCaMnO
We report an unusual giant linear magnetostrictive effect in the ferrimagnet
GdCaMnO (80 K). Remarkably, the
magnetostriction, negative at high temperature (), becomes
positive below 15 K when the magnetization of the Gd sublattice overcomes the
magnetization of the Mn sublattice. A rather simple model where the magnetic
energy competes against the elastic energy gives a good account of the observed
results and confirms that Gd plays a crucial role in this unusual observation.
Unlike previous works in manganites where only striction associated with 3
Mn orbitals is considered, our results show that the lanthanide 4 orbitals
related striction can be very important too and it cannot be disregarded.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Rotational Cooling of Polar Molecules by Stark-tuned Cavity Resonance
A general scheme for rotational cooling of diatomic heteronuclear molecules
is proposed. It uses a superconducting microwave cavity to enhance the
spontaneous decay via Purcell effect. Rotational cooling can be induced by
sequentially tuning each rotational transition to cavity resonance, starting
from the highest transition level to the lowest using an electric field.
Electrostatic multipoles can be used to provide large confinement volume with
essentially homogeneous background electric field.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure
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