A prior selection of measurement modality for eccentricity detection in synchronous machines using a Cramér-Rao lower bound technique

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A review of 367 triplet pregnancies

CITATION: Deale, C. J. C. & Cronje, H. S. 1984. A review of 367 triplet pregnancies. South African Medical Journal, 66:92-94.The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaQuestionnaires were sent to 452 hospitals in the RSA and SWA/Namibia requesting information on triplet pregnancies over a 10-year period. Information on 367 sets of triplets from 150 hospitals was adequate for analysis. The incidence of triplets was 0,04% of all deliveries. As many as 45% of triplets were diagnosed during the first or second stage of labour. These infants had a significantly lower birth weight than those diagnosed at an antenatal clinic (P <0,01). The mean birth weights of babies that died in utero or neonatally (within 7 days) were significantly lower than those in survivors (P <0,0001). Caesarean section was the delivery method for 14% of 1002 infants and perinatal mortality was improved for the second and third babies in comparison with second and third babies delivered vaginally (P <0,003 and P <0,002 respectively). It is concluded that the diagnosis of triplets should be made at the earliest possible stage of pregnancy, and that following adequate antenatal care all triplets should be delivered by caesarean section, except under ideal uncomplicated conditions where vaginal delivery may be feasible.Publisher’s versio

Prediction of ‘Nules Clementine’ mandarin susceptibility to rind breakdown disorder using Vis/NIR spectroscopy

The use of diffuse reflectance visible and near infrared (Vis/NIR) spectroscopy was explored as a non-destructive technique to predict ‘Nules Clementine’ mandarin fruit susceptibility to rind breakdown (RBD) disorder by detecting rind physico-chemical properties of 80 intact fruit harvested from different canopy positions. Vis/NIR spectra were obtained using a LabSpec® spectrophotometer. Reference physico-chemical data of the fruit were obtained after 8 weeks of storage at 8 °C using conventional methods and included RBD, hue angle, colour index, mass loss, rind dry matter, as well as carbohydrates (sucrose, glucose, fructose, total carbohydrates), and total phenolic acid concentrations. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to analyse spectral data to identify clusters in the PCA score plots and outliers. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was applied to spectral data after PCA to develop prediction models for each quality attribute. The spectra were subjected to a test set validation by dividing the data into calibration (n = 48) and test validation (n = 32) sets. An extra set of 40 fruit harvested from a different part of the orchard was used for external validation. PLS-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models were developed to sort fruit based on canopy position and RBD susceptibility. Fruit position within the canopy had a significant influence on rind biochemical properties. Outside fruit had higher rind carbohydrates, phenolic acids and dry matter content and lower RBD index than inside fruit. The data distribution in the PCA and PLS-DA models displayed four clusters that could easily be identified. These clusters allowed distinction between fruit from different preharvest treatments. NIR calibration and validation results demonstrated that colour index, dry matter, total carbohydrates and mass loss were predicted with significant accuracy, with residual predictive deviation (RPD) for prediction of 3.83, 3.58, 3.15 and 2.61, respectively. The good correlation between spectral information and carbohydrate content demonstrated the potential of Vis/NIR as a non-destructive tool to predict fruit susceptibility to RBD

Моксифлоксацин в сравнении с комбинацией офлоксацин плюс метронидазол при неосложнённых воспалительных заболеваниях органов малого таза: результаты многоцентрового, двойного слепого, рандомизированного клинического исследования

МОКСИФЛОКСАЦИНТА

Management of anterior vaginal prolapse in South Africa : national survey

LetterThe original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaTo the Editor: A national survey was done on the management of anterior vaginal prolapse (AVP) by registered gynaecologists and urologists in South Africa. Of 822 questionnaires posted, 30.2% were returned completed (23.2% from gynaecologists and 7.0% from urologists). The information supplied was anonymous and is probably a true reflection of current practice. Of concern were the 36.3% of respondents who did not use a recognised staging system, a low rate of pre-operative urodynamic investigation by gynaecologists (8.4%) and a high rate of synthetic mesh use by urologists (75.9%), even for primary procedures. This first survey among South African prolapse surgeons provides valuable insight into clinical practice.Publishers’ versio

Статические нагрузки упругих зубьев зубчатых передач

Представим себе изготовленную из упругих материалов, статистически нагружен-ную зубчатую передачу, состоящую из двух зацепляющихся колес и обладающую не-точностями в нормальном шаге зацепления, характеризуемыми погрешностью α01 . В этом случае для соблюдения условий уравнения (1), сохранения постоянства угловых перемещений при вращении и обеспечения непрерывности зубьев, обладающих раз-личными размерами нормального шага зацепления, потребуется соответствующая сум-марная упругая деформация, вызванная передаваемым удельным крутящим моментом Mn1, будет эквивалентна величине углового перемещени

Identifying flies used for maggot debridement therapy

To the Editor: The use of maggots to clean necrotic wounds, known as maggot debridement therapy (MDT), has long been known to the scientific world. Its use has been recorded since the 1500s when soldiers’ wounds were often infested with maggots. Napoleon’s surgeon, Baron Dominic Larrey, reported that wounds that were infested with maggots appeared to heal faster than those without maggots.1 William Baer is considered to be the founder of modern MDT. While treating soldiers in World War I, he noted the good condition of wounds that had been infested with maggots, and was the first doctor on record to experiment with the use of maggots in treating infections.1 MDT even featured in the recent version of the film ‘Spartacus’. Various species of flies have been used for MDT,1 the most commonly used being Lucilia sericata, a greenbottle blowfly (Figs 1 and 2). This fly is closely related to another greenbottle, L. cuprina, but L. cuprina feeds on live as well as necrotic tissue, which is undesirable in MDT. L. cuprina is commonly named the ‘sheep blowfly’ because it is responsible for fly-strike in sheep, a form of massive, usually rectal myiasis that can kill sheep. A recent article2 suggested that L. cuprina was being used successfully for MDT at the Eugene Marais Hospital Wound Care Centre (EMHWCC). As this would be inconsistent with international experience in MDT and at odds with the usual biology of L. cuprina, it was decided to check the identity of these flies