Survey of VLF electric fields in the magnetosphere with the polar orbiting spacecraft, 1964-45a

Very low frequency electric fields in magnetosphere sampled by polar orbiting satellit

The globesity trend: exploring the ethical concerns of registered nurses caring for bariatric surgery patients

Obesity is a major global health problem. The comorbidities associated with obesity (for example: diabetes mellitus type 2 and cardiovascular disease) are multisystem and require continual medical management which places a great strain on the healthcare system. Australia is ranked the 5th most obese population in the world and deaths associated with obesity and obesity related illnesses are estimated at 7,200 per year (Medibank, 2010). This lifestyle disease is now the leading cause of premature death in Australia. The obesity epidemic is blamed on changes in the social, economic and physical environment (obesogenic environments) which have influenced people to over-consume high-energy, processed food at the expense of fresh nutritious food. The World Health Organisation (2011) describes poverty and obesity as inextricably linked. As the prevalence of obesity increases globally, so does the demand for bariatric surgery. In Australia, hospital admissions for bariatric surgery increased from 500 in1998 to 17,000 in 2007-2008, at a cost to the public and private sectors of more than $108 million (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2010). Many physicians and bariatric surgeons promote bariatric surgery as a safe procedure which can result in significant weight loss, thereby reducing the co-morbidities associated with obesity and possible premature death. However, there is an array of surgical and anaesthetic complications associated with bariatric surgery which are directly attributable to the fact the patient is obese. The attempt to balance the possible risks and benefits of a relatively new treatment such as bariatric surgery becomes a concern for many nurses. According to an American study by Camden (2009/2010) this benefit versus burden debate may give rise to ethical concerns for nurses involved in the care of bariatric surgery patients. The purpose of this present study is to determine if Australian nurses reflect the same or similar concerns as their US counterparts. This aim of this exploratory qualitative study was to determine if registered nurses expressed any ethical concerns in relation to caring for bariatric surgery patients in the perioperative anaesthetic and recovery room environment. The purposive sample group consisted of nine experienced anaesthetic and recovery room RNs who consented to an interview which was based upon a vignette of a potential bariatric surgery patient. Analysis of data was undertaken with reference to the ethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, justice, veracity, fidelity and confidentiality. Themes and concepts were identified in relation to these ethical concepts to determine if the participants had any ethical concerns in relation to the bariatric surgical procedures orcaring for the bariatric patients. Results from the data revealed the participants expressed concern in relation to; a perceived lack of informed consent process, the inequity of access to bariatric surgery for the low socio-economic group without private health insurance, the perception of bariatric surgery being used as a “quick fix”, the view there is a lack of psychological preparation and treatment for bariatric surgery patients, perceived education deficits of nurses related to bariatric surgery and associated health care ethics, the cost of this intervention including the financial impact of equipment, the manual handling risks and the stress of providing high acuity care, the balance of benefits to risks of this surgery, obesity stigma and the lack of longitudinal studies into bariatric surgery patient outcomes. Findings of this study have implications for nurse education, nurse retention and patient outcomes. Given the current trends in obesity and the trajectory of bariatric surgery, educators need to include into the nursing curriculum and staff development programs, teaching about bariatric surgery including the serious surgical and anaesthetics risks. Also ethical issues need to be highlighted specifically for this surgical intervention such as informed consent, equity of access and resource allocation given the financial cost to the health care system

A Millikelvin Scanned Probe for Measurement of Nanostructures

We demonstrate a scanning force microscope, based upon a quartz tuning fork, that operates below 100 mK and in magnetic fields up to 6 T. The microscope has a conducting tip for electrical probing of nanostructures of interest, and it incorporates a low noise cryogenic amplifier to measure both the vibrations of the tuning fork and the electrical signals from the nanostructures. At millikelvin temperatures the imaging resolution is below 1 um in a 22 um x 22 um range, and a coarse motion provides translations of a few mm. This scanned probe is useful for high bandwidth measurement of many high impedance nanostructures on a single sample. We show data locating an SET within an array and measure its coulomb blockade with a sensitivity of 2.6 x 10^-5 e/Hz^1/2.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, submitted to RS

Dynamically-Coupled Oscillators -- Cooperative Behavior via Dynamical Interaction --

We propose a theoretical framework to study the cooperative behavior of dynamically coupled oscillators (DCOs) that possess dynamical interactions. Then, to understand synchronization phenomena in networks of interneurons which possess inhibitory interactions, we propose a DCO model with dynamics of interactions that tend to cause 180-degree phase lags. Employing an approach developed here, we demonstrate that although our model displays synchronization at high frequencies, it does not exhibit synchronization at low frequencies because this dynamical interaction does not cause a phase lag sufficiently large to cancel the effect of the inhibition. We interpret the disappearance of synchronization in our model with decreasing frequency as describing the breakdown of synchronization in the interneuron network of the CA1 area below the critical frequency of 20 Hz.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Airplane Stress Analysis

Report presents stress analysis of individual components of an airplane. Normal and abnormal loads, sudden loads, simple stresses, indirect simple stresses, resultant unit stress, repetitive and equivalent stress, maximum steady load and stress are considered

Groups of Galaxies in the Two Micron All-Sky Redshift Survey

We present the results of applying a percolation algorithm to the initial release of the Two Micron All-Sky Survey Extended Source Catalog, using subsequently measured redshifts for almost all of the galaxies with K < 11.25 mag. This group catalog is based on the first near-IR all-sky flux-limited survey that is complete to |b| = 5 deg. We explore the dependence of the clustering on the length and velocity scales involved. The paper describes a group catalog, complete to a limiting redshift of 10,000 km/s, created by maximizing the number of groups containing 3 or more members. A second catalog is also presented, created by requiring a minimum density contrast of 80 to identify groups. We identify known nearby clusters in the catalogs and contrast the groups identified in the two catalogs. We examine and compare the properties of the determined groups and verify that the results are consistent with the UZC-SSRS2 and northern CfA redshift survey group catalogs. The all-sky nature of the catalog will allow the development of a flow-field model based on the density field inferred from the estimated cluster masses.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ (29 pages including 13 figures). A version with high-resolution figures is available at http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~acrook/preprints

Thrombosis of a Superior Mesenteric Vein Aneurysm: Transarterial Thrombolysis and Transhepatic Aspiration Thrombectomy

We report the case of a 31-year-old woman presenting with abdominal pain due to acute thrombosis of a superior and inferior mesenteric vein aneurysm, which was treated by a combination of arterial thrombolysis and transhepatic thrombus aspiration. At the last follow-up CT, 21 months following this procedure, there was no evidence of rethrombosis, and the patient continues to do well under oral anticoagulation. The literature regarding these uncommon mesenteric vein aneurysms without portal vein involvement, as well as their treatment options, is reviewe