Food production and service in UK hospitals

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to apply value stream mapping holistically to hospital food production/service systems focused on high-quality food. Design/methodology/approach – Multiple embedded case study of three (two private-sector and one public-sector) hospitals in the UK. Findings – The results indicated various issues affecting hospital food production including: the menu and nutritional considerations; food procurement; food production; foodservice; patient perceptions/expectations. Research limitations/implications – Value stream mapping is a new approach for food production systems in UK hospitals whether private or public hospitals. Practical implications – The paper identifies opportunities for enhancing hospital food production systems. Originality/value – The paper provides a theoretical basis for process enhancement of hospital food production and the provision of high-quality hospital foo

Effect of antipronation foot orthosis geometry on compression of heel and arch soft tissues

This study aimed to understand how systematic changes in arch height and two designs of heel wedging affect soft issues under the foot. Soft tissue thickness under the heel and navicular was measured using ultrasound. Heel pad thickness was measured while subjects were standing on a flat surface and also while they were standing on an orthosis with 4 and 8 degree extrinsic wedges and 4 and 8 mm intrinsic wedges (n = 27). Arch soft tissue thickness was measured when subjects were standing and when standing on an orthosis with -6 mm, standard, and +6 mm increments in arch height (n = 25). Extrinsic and intrinsic heel wedges significantly increased soft tissue thickness under the heel compared with no orthosis. The 4 and 8 degree extrinsic wedges increased tissue thickness by 28.3% and 27.6%, respectively, while the 4 and 8 mm intrinsic wedges increased thickness by 23.0% and 14.6%, respectively. Orthotic arch height significantly affected arch soft tissue thickness. Compared with the no orthosis condition, the 6 mm, standard, and +6 mm arch heights decreased arch tissue thickness by 9.1%, 10.2%, and 11.8%, respectively. This study demonstrates that change in orthotic geometry creates different plantar soft tissue responses that we expect to affect transmission of force to underlying foot bones

Digital Agriculture and Intelligent Farming Business Using Information and Communication Technology: A Survey

Adopting new information and communication technology (ICT) as a solution to achieve food security becomes more urgent than before, particularly with the demographical explosion. In this survey, we analyze the literature in the last decade to examine the existing fog/edge computing architectures adapted for the smart farming domain and identify the most relevant challenges resulting from the integration of IoT and fog/edge computing platforms. On the other hand, we describe the status of Blockchain usage in intelligent farming as well as the most challenges this promising topic is facing. The relevant recommendations and researches needed in Blockchain topic to enhance intelligent farming sustainability are also highlighted. It is found through the examination that the adoption of ICT in the various farming processes helps to increase productivity with low efforts and costs. Several challenges are faced when implementing such solutions, they are mainly related to the technological development, energy consumption, and the complexity of the environments where the solutions are implemented. Despite these constraints, it is certain that shortly several farming businesses will heavily invest to introduce more intelligence into their management methods. Furthermore, the use of sophisticated deep learning and Blockchain algorithms may contribute to the resolution of many recent farming issues

Ethnic differences in calcium, phosphate and bone metabolism

The prevalence of osteoporosis and the incidence of age-related fragility fracture vary by ethnicity. There is greater than 10-fold variation in fracture probabilities between countries across the world. Mineral and bone metabolism are intimately interlinked, and both are known to exhibit patterns of daily variation, known as the diurnal rhythm (DR). Ethnic differences are described for Ca and P metabolism. The importance of these differences is described in detail between select ethnic groups, within the USA between African-Americans and White-Americans, between the Gambia and the UK and between China and the UK. Dietary Ca intake is higher in White-Americans compared with African-Americans, and is higher in White-British compared with Gambian and Chinese adults. Differences are observed also for plasma 25-hydroxy vitamin D, related to lifestyle differences, skin pigmentation and skin exposure to UVB-containing sunshine. Higher plasma 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D and parathyroid hormone are observed in African-American compared with White-American adults. Plasma parathyroid hormone is also higher in Gambian adults and, in winter, in Chinese compared with White-British adults. There may be ethnic differences in the bone resorptive effects of parathyroid hormone, with a relative skeletal resistance to parathyroid hormone observed in some, but not all ethnic groups. Renal mineral excretion is also influenced by ethnicity; urinary Ca (uCa) and urinary P (uP) excretions are lower in African-Americans compared with White-Americans, and in Gambians compared with their White-British counterparts. Little is known about ethnic differences in the DR of Ca and P metabolism, but differences may be expected due to known differences in lifestyle factors, such as dietary intake and sleep/wake pattern. The ethnic-specific DR of Ca and P metabolism may influence the net balance of Ca and P conservation and bone remodelling. These ethnic differences in Ca, P and the bone metabolism may be important factors in the variation in skeletal health

Diurnal rhythms of bone turnover markers in three ethnic groups

Context: Ethnic groups differ in fragility fracture risk and bone metabolism. Differences in diurnal rhythms (DRs) of bone turnover and PTH may play a role.  Objective: We investigated the DRs of plasma bone turnover markers (BTMs), PTH, and 1,25(OH)2D in three groups with pronounced differences in bone metabolism and plasma PTH.  Participants: Healthy Gambian, Chinese, and white British adults (ages 60–75 years; 30 per country).  Interventions: Observational study with sample collection every 4 hours for 24 hours.  Main Outcomes: Levels of plasma C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen, procollagen type-1 N-propeptide, N-mid osteocalcin, bone alkaline phosphatase, PTH, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D were measured. DRs were analyzed with random-effects Fourier regression and cross-correlation and regression analyses to assess associations between DRs and fasting and 24-hour means of BTMs and PTH.  Results: Concentrations of BTMs, PTH, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D were higher in Gambians compared to other groups (P < .05). The DRs were significant for all variables and groups (P < .03) and were unimodal, with a nocturnal peak and a daytime nadir for BTMs, whereas PTH had two peaks. The DRs of BTMs and PTH were significantly cross-correlated for all groups (P < .05). There was a significant positive association between C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen and PTH in the British and Gambian groups (P = .03), but not the Chinese group.  Conclusions: Despite ethnic differences in plasma BTMs and PTH, DRs were similar. This indicates that alteration of rhythmicity and loss of coupling of bone resorption and formation associated with an elevated PTH in other studies may not uniformly occur across different populations and needs to be considered in the interpretation of PTH as a risk factor of increased bone loss

Synthesis and patterning of gold nanostructures on InP and GaAs via galvanic displacement

Author Keywords: galvanic displacement; gold; nanolithography; nanoparticles; semiconductors KeyWords Plus: OPEN-CIRCUIT DEPOSITION; HIGH-YIELD SYNTHESIS; ELECTROLESS DEPOSITION; FLUORIDE SOLUTIONS; CHEMICAL-SYNTHESIS; AQUEOUS-SOLUTION; SILICON; NANOPARTICLES; SURFACES; NANOCRYSTAL

Lentiviral gene transfer of RPE65 rescues survival and function of cones in a mouse model of Leber congenital amaurosis.

BACKGROUND: RPE65 is specifically expressed in the retinal pigment epithelium and is essential for the recycling of 11-cis-retinal, the chromophore of rod and cone opsins. In humans, mutations in RPE65 lead to Leber congenital amaurosis or early-onset retinal dystrophy, a severe form of retinitis pigmentosa. The proof of feasibility of gene therapy for RPE65 deficiency has already been established in a dog model of Leber congenital amaurosis, but rescue of the cone function, although crucial for human high-acuity vision, has never been strictly proven. In Rpe65 knockout mice, photoreceptors show a drastically reduced light sensitivity and are subject to degeneration, the cone photoreceptors being lost at early stages of the disease. In the present study, we address the question of whether application of a lentiviral vector expressing the Rpe65 mouse cDNA prevents cone degeneration and restores cone function in Rpe65 knockout mice. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Subretinal injection of the vector in Rpe65-deficient mice led to sustained expression of Rpe65 in the retinal pigment epithelium. Electroretinogram recordings showed that Rpe65 gene transfer restored retinal function to a near-normal pattern. We performed histological analyses using cone-specific markers and demonstrated that Rpe65 gene transfer completely prevented cone degeneration until at least four months, an age at which almost all cones have degenerated in the untreated Rpe65-deficient mouse. We established an algorithm that allows prediction of the cone-rescue area as a function of transgene expression, which should be a useful tool for future clinical trials. Finally, in mice deficient for both RPE65 and rod transducin, Rpe65 gene transfer restored cone function when applied at an early stage of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: By demonstrating that lentivirus-mediated Rpe65 gene transfer protects and restores the function of cones in the Rpe65(-/-) mouse, this study reinforces the therapeutic value of gene therapy for RPE65 deficiencies, suggests a cone-preserving treatment for the retina, and evaluates a potentially effective viral vector for this purpose

The paediatric flat foot and general anthropometry in 140 Australian school children aged 7 - 10 years

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many studies have found a positive relationship between increased body weight and flat foot posture in children.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>From a study population of 140 children aged seven to 10 years, a sample of 31 children with flat feet was identified by screening with the FPI-6. Basic anthropometric measures were compared between subjects with and without flat feet as designated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results of this study, in contrast to many others, question the association of flat feet and heavy children. A significant relationship between foot posture and weight (FPI (L) r = -0.186 (p < 0.05), FPI(R) r = -0.194 (p < 0.05), waist girth (FPI (L) r = -0.213 (p < 0.05), FPI(R) r = -0.228 (p < 0.01) and BMI (FPI (L) r = -0.243 (p < 0.01), FPI(R) r = -0.263 (p < 0.01) was identified, but was both weak and inverse.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study presents results which conflict with those of many previous investigations addressing the relationship between children's weight and foot posture. In contrast to previous studies, the implication of these results is that heavy children have less flat feet. Further investigation is warranted using a standardized approach to assessment and a larger sample of children to test this apparent contradiction.</p

On the running coupling constant in QCD

We try to review the main current ideas and points of view on the running coupling constant in QCD. We begin by recalling briefly the classic analysis based on the Renormalization Group with some emphasis on the exact solutions of the RG equation for a given number of loops, in comparison with the usual approximate expressions. We give particular attention to the problem of eliminating the unphysical Landau singularities, and of defining a coupling that remains significant at the infrared scales. We consider various proposals of couplings directly related to the quark-antiquark potential or to other physical quantities (effective charges) and discuss optimization in the choice of the scale parameter and of the RS. Our main focus is, however, on dispersive methods, their application, their relation with non-perturbative effects. We try also to summarize the main results obtained by Lattice simulations in various MOM schemes. We conclude briefly recalling the traditional comparison with the experimental data.Comment: 75 pages, 8 figures. Corrected typos, added references, replaced 1 figure. Accepted for publication in Progress in Particle and Nuclear Physic

Rose Bengal sensitized bilayered photoanode of nano-crystalline TiO–CeO for dye-sensitized solar cell application

There are two traditional ways to read Kant’s claim that every event necessarily has a cause: the weaker every-event some-cause (WCP) and the stronger same-cause same-effect (SCP) causal principles. The debate on whether and where he subscribes to the SCP has focused on the Analogies in the Critique of Pure Reason (Guyer, Allison, and Watkins) and on the Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science (Friedman). By analysing the arguments and conclusions of both the Analogies and the Postulates, as well as the two Latin principles non datur casus and non datur fatum that summarise their results, I will argue that the SCP is actually demonstrated in the Postulates section of the First Critique