Quality and performance of sliced shook from small ponderosa pine logs

Information reviewed and reaffirmed 1963 and 1965. Original report issued April 1957

Chronic fatigue syndrome

Objective. To acknowledge the dinical syndrome chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and outline the diagnostic criteria and reasonable management.Outcomes. Attempt at containment of treatment cost and improvement of the quality of care of patients with CFS.Evidence. Delphi-type commentary from 20 expert clinicians and appropriate organisations. Limited literature survey.Values. To clarify the reasonable management of CFS amid conflicting clinical opinion on a condition qf concern to patients, funders and doctors, An adaptation:of an existing guideline was sent to organisations and individuals for comment. Comments received were included in this guideline where possible.Benefits, harms and costs. To acknowledge a clinical syndrome with a reasonable approach to management considering the cost implications. No cost analysis was done.Recommendations. To recommend the following: (I) diagnostic criteria for CFS; (il) potential differential diagnoses and possible investigations; and (iil) management protocol.Validation. The draft guidelines were subjected to external review by individual doctors who are acknowledged CFS treaters, doctor groups and the patient support group. There were major disputes about the content, with the responses falling into two groups: thosewho do not believe CFS is a distinguishable illness, and those who do.Developer and funding. The Committee for Science and Education, Medical Association of South Africa, Endorsements. Medical Association of South Africa and national health care organisations (see list at the end of the document)

Predicting avian distributions to evaluate spatiotemporal overlap with locust control operations in eastern Australia

Locusts and grasshoppers cause considerable economic damage to agriculture worldwide. The Australian Plague Locust Commission uses multiple pesticides to control locusts in eastern Australia. Avian exposure to agricultural pesticides is of conservation concern, especially in the case of rare and threatened species. The aim of this study was to evaluate the probability of pesticide exposure of native avian species during operational locust control based on knowledge of species occurrence in areas and times of application. Using presence-absence data provided by the Birds Australia Atlas for 1998 to 2002, we developed a series of generalized linear models to predict avian occurrences on a monthly basis in 0.5 degrees grid cells for 280 species over 2 million km 2 in eastern Australia. We constructed species-specific models relating occupancy patterns to survey date and location, rainfall, and derived habitat preference. Model complexity depended on the number of observations available. Model output was the probability of occurrence for each species at times and locations of past locust control operations within the 5-year study period. Given the high spatiotemporal variability of locust control events, the variability in predicted bird species presence was high, with 108 of the total 280 species being included at least once in the top 20 predicted species for individual space-time events. The models were evaluated using field surveys collected between 2000 and 2005, at sites with and without locust outbreaks. Model strength varied among species. Some species were under- or over-predicted as times and locations of interest typically did not correspond to those in the prediction data set and certain species were likely attracted to locusts as a food source. Field surveys demonstrated the utility of the spatially explicit species lists derived from the models but also identified the presence of a number of previously unanticipated species. These results also emphasize the need for special consideration of rare and threatened species that are poorly predicted by presence-absence models. This modeling exercise was a useful a priori approach in species risk assessments to identify species present at times and locations of locust control applications, and to discover gaps in our knowledge and need for further focused data collection Copyright 2009 by the Ecological Society ot America

Comparing outcomes between enhanced recovery after surgery and traditional protocols in total knee arthroplasty : a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND : Knee replacement surgery was traditionally associated with prolonged recovery and rehabilitation programmes in hospital. Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols have been shown to be cost effective while not compromising patient safety or functional outcome. Despite this proven efficacy, ERAS has not been widely adopted in South African orthopaedic practices. The aim of this study is to determine if it is possible to practise these guidelines in South Africa so as to decrease the length of stay (LOS) without an increase in complication rate or compromise in functional outcome. METHODS : Included in the study were 119 patients undergoing elective total knee arthroplasty between 2013 and 2017. They were divided into two cohorts. The first group was treated with a traditional protocol and included 59 patients. The second group was treated with ERAS and included 60 patients, following implementation of the ERAS protocol in 2015. The functional outcome was assessed using the Oxford Knee Score (OKS). The 30-day readmission rate was used to assess safety of early discharge. LOS and patient demographics were also collected to compare the cohorts. RESULTS : There was no clinically significant difference between the cohorts with regards to OKS or readmission rate. Two sample t-tests were used to compare these parameters. The mean OKS for the traditional group was 59.1 (SD 2.4), and for the ERAS group, 58.7 (SD 5.0) (p = 0.73). The readmission rate was 8.5% in the traditional group and 10% in the ERAS group (p = 1.00). The LOS was significantly decreased in the ERAS group, with a mean of 2.3 days (SD 1.8) compared to 5.0 (SD 2.2) in the traditional group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION : ERAS protocols used in the South African context in elective total knee arthroplasty significantly decrease the LOS without compromising patient safety or functional outcome.http://journal.saoa.org.zadm2022Orthopaedic Surger

Controlled release of sodium lauryl sulphate from monolithic elastomeric matrices and through elastomeric membranes

Thesis(M.Sc.) -- University of Stellenbosch, 1987.Full text to be digitised and attached to bibliographic record

Thermal analysis of controlled-release elastomeric formulations. Part 1. Determination of the solubility limits of sodium lauryl sulphate in elastomers by differential scanning calorimetry

Controlled-release formulations for attaining long-term inhibition of bacterial oxidation of pyrite and the concomitant acid mine drainage were prepared from natural and synthetic rubbers used as binding matrices and sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) as the active ingredient. The kinetics of release of an active agent from a polymeric matrix depend on several solute-dependent and solute-independent variables. This study focuses on one of the solute-dependent variables, namely, the solubility limit. Since no data on the solubility limits of SLS in natural and synthetic rubbers could be traced, techniques for determining these solubility values were investigated. In this study natural rubber (SMR 20) and synthetic cis-1,4-polyisoprene (IR-80) formulations containing from 0 to 35% SLS were analysed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The thermograms obtained show the appearance of a characteristic melting endotherm when the solubility limit of SLS is exceeded, and this allows the amounts of dissolved and dispersed SLS in the controlled-release formulations to be estimated. The results of the study demonstrate the usefulness of DSC as a convenient and reliable method for determining the solubility limits of solids in elastomers. © 1992.Articl

Thermal analysis of controlled-release elastomeric formulations. Part 1. Determination of the solubility limits of sodium lauryl sulphate in elastomers by differential scanning calorimetry

Controlled-release formulations for attaining long-term inhibition of bacterial oxidation of pyrite and the concomitant acid mine drainage were prepared from natural and synthetic rubbers used as binding matrices and sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) as the active ingredient. The kinetics of release of an active agent from a polymeric matrix depend on several solute-dependent and solute-independent variables. This study focuses on one of the solute-dependent variables, namely, the solubility limit. Since no data on the solubility limits of SLS in natural and synthetic rubbers could be traced, techniques for determining these solubility values were investigated. In this study natural rubber (SMR 20) and synthetic cis-1,4-polyisoprene (IR-80) formulations containing from 0 to 35% SLS were analysed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The thermograms obtained show the appearance of a characteristic melting endotherm when the solubility limit of SLS is exceeded, and this allows the amounts of dissolved and dispersed SLS in the controlled-release formulations to be estimated. The results of the study demonstrate the usefulness of DSC as a convenient and reliable method for determining the solubility limits of solids in elastomers. © 1992.Articl

Thermal analysis of controlled-release elastomeric formulations. Part 2. A DSC study of the effect of sodium lauryl sulphate loading on vulcanization

Controlled release of sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) from monolithic elastomeric pellets represents one way of achieving long-term inhibition of bacterial oxidation of pyrite. The degree of cure of elastomeric formulations influences the rate of release of SLS. Vulcanization decreases the permeability of the elastomeric matrix and results in slower release of SLS. The effect of SLS loading on the vulcanization of natural rubber and synthetic cis-1,4-polyisoprene has been studied by DSC. Dynamic temperature scans show that the heat of reaction (ΔH), which is a measure of the area of the exothermic peak, decreases with increasing SLS content. The decrease in ΔH is not very significant at SLS levels up to 15%, but is clearly noticeable at levels of 25%. In the case of formulations which contain 35% SLS, no curing exotherms are observed. It is therefore concluded that rubber formulations which contain 35% or more SLS are unvulcanized. Analysis of curing exotherms by means of the Borchardt and Daniels DSC kinetics data analysis program gives inconclusive results. It is suggested that the complex chemistry of the accelerated sulphur vulcanization of olefinic rubbers makes it difficult to obtain reliable quantitative reaction kinetics information for this particular type of reaction. © 1992.Articl