881 research outputs found
Paediatric nasal foreign body in Calabar: A review of 5 -years experience
Background: Nasal foreign bodies are common domestic accidents in children. They can constitute a great challenge and management may require great skill. However, seldom does the Otolaryngologist keep track of the number and kinds of the foreign bodies he encounters.
Objective: To evaluate cases of nasal foreign bodies among children managed in Otorhinolaryngology Department of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.
Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of 215 Cases of paediatric nasal foreign bodies seen and managed in the Otorhinolaryngology Department of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital from January 2015 to December 2018. Maximum age was 14years.The case notes of all children diagnosed with nasal foreign bodies within the period under review, from ENT Clinic, Ward and Children emergency Room were reviewed as related to age, gender, and type of foreign bodies, category of doctors, methods of removal and complications. Data were analysed and presented in descriptive, tabular and chart forms.
Results: Of the 215 children, 43.7% were males and 56.3% females. The age range was 0 â 14 years, with a male: female ratio of 1:1.35.The peak age range at which nasal foreign bodies were found was 0 â 4 years (87%) and the least frequent age bracket was 10 â 14years (1.4%). Most of the children were asymptomatic (60%), and others had unilateral foul-smelling nasal discharge (40%). The most common foreign body were beads (34.9%), followed by seeds (23.2%). Most presentations were within one day (90%), followed by one week (7%). Most foreign bodies (59.5%) were inserted into the right nostril, and 40.5% into the left. No bilateral insertion was observed. Most of the foreign bodies (80%) were mechanically extracted with JobsonâHorne's probes without general anaesthesia. Mainly Registrars did most removals 65% while 25% were by Senior Registrars. Mild epistaxis was a complication in 5% of cases.
Conclusion: Nasal foreign bodies are common in Calabar. The most frequently observed foreign bodies were beads and seeds. Therefore, public health education is needed for parents and caregivers.
Keywords: Paediatrics, Nose, foreign bodies
Automated Assessment of Image Quality in 2D Echocardiography Using Deep Learning
Echocardiography is the most used modality for assessing cardiac functions. The reliability of the echocardiographic measurements, however, depends on the quality of the images. Currently, the method of image quality assessment is a subjective process, where an echocardiography specialist visually inspects the images. An automated image quality assessment system is thus required. Here, we have reported on the feasibility of using deep learning for developing such automated quality scoring systems. A scoring system was proposed to include specific quality attributes for on-axis, contrast/gain and left ventricular (LV) foreshortening of the apical view. We prepared and used 1,039 echocardiographic patient datasets for model development and testing. Average accuracy of at least 86% was obtained with computation speed at 0.013ms per frame which indicated the feasibility for real-time deployment
Knudsen gas in a finite random tube: transport diffusion and first passage properties
We consider transport diffusion in a stochastic billiard in a random tube
which is elongated in the direction of the first coordinate (the tube axis).
Inside the random tube, which is stationary and ergodic, non-interacting
particles move straight with constant speed. Upon hitting the tube walls, they
are reflected randomly, according to the cosine law: the density of the
outgoing direction is proportional to the cosine of the angle between this
direction and the normal vector. Steady state transport is studied by
introducing an open tube segment as follows: We cut out a large finite segment
of the tube with segment boundaries perpendicular to the tube axis. Particles
which leave this piece through the segment boundaries disappear from the
system. Through stationary injection of particles at one boundary of the
segment a steady state with non-vanishing stationary particle current is
maintained. We prove (i) that in the thermodynamic limit of an infinite open
piece the coarse-grained density profile inside the segment is linear, and (ii)
that the transport diffusion coefficient obtained from the ratio of stationary
current and effective boundary density gradient equals the diffusion
coefficient of a tagged particle in an infinite tube. Thus we prove Fick's law
and equality of transport diffusion and self-diffusion coefficients for quite
generic rough (random) tubes. We also study some properties of the crossing
time and compute the Milne extrapolation length in dependence on the shape of
the random tube.Comment: 51 pages, 3 figure
Constraints on early dark energy from CMB lensing and weak lensing tomography
Dark energy can be studied by its influence on the expansion of the Universe
as well as on the growth history of the large-scale structure. In this paper,
we follow the growth of the cosmic density field in early dark energy
cosmologies by combining observations of the primary CMB temperature and
polarisation power spectra at high redshift, of the CMB lensing deflection
field at intermediate redshift and of weak cosmic shear at low redshifts for
constraining the allowed amount of early dark energy. We present these
forecasts using the Fisher-matrix formalism and consider the combination of
Planck-data with the weak lensing survey of Euclid. We find that combining
these data sets gives powerful constraints on early dark energy and is able to
break degeneracies in the parameter set inherent to the various observational
channels. The derived statistical 1-sigma-bound on the early dark energy
density parameter is sigma(Omega_d^e)=0.0022 which suggests that early dark
energy models can be well examined in our approach. In addition, we derive the
dark energy figure of merit for the considered dark energy parameterisation and
comment on the applicability of the growth index to early dark energy
cosmologies.Comment: 25 pages, 14 figures, 3 tables; v2: very minor additions, updated to
match version to be published in JCA
The Importance of Time Congruity in the Organisation.
In 1991 Kaufman, Lane, and Lindquist proposed that time congruity in terms of an individual's time preferences and the time use methods of an organisation would lead to satisfactory performance and enhancement of quality of work and general life. The research reported here presents a study which uses commensurate person and job measures of time personality in an organisational setting to assess the effects of time congruity on one aspect of work life, job-related affective well-being. Results show that time personality and time congruity were found to have direct effects on well-being and the influence of time congruity was found to be mediated through time personality, thus contributing to the personâjob (PâJ) fit literature which suggests that direct effects are often more important than indirect effects. The study also provides some practical examples of ways to address some of the previously cited methodological issues in PâJ fit research
Effects of a nanoscopic filler on the structure and dynamics of a simulated polymer melt and the relationship to ultra-thin films
We perform molecular dynamics simulations of an idealized polymer melt
surrounding a nanoscopic filler particle to probe the effects of a filler on
the local melt structure and dynamics. We show that the glass transition
temperature of the melt can be shifted to either higher or lower
temperatures by appropriately tuning the interactions between polymer and
filler. A gradual change of the polymer dynamics approaching the filler surface
causes the change in the glass transition. We also find that while the bulk
structure of the polymers changes little, the polymers close to the surface
tend to be elongated and flattened, independent of the type of interaction we
study. Consequently, the dynamics appear strongly influenced by the
interactions, while the melt structure is only altered by the geometric
constraints imposed by the presence of the filler. Our findings show a strong
similarity to those obtained for ultra-thin polymer films (thickness nm) suggesting that both ultra-thin films and filled-polymer systems might
be understood in the same context
Failing boys and moral panics: perspectives on the underachievement debate
The paper re-examines the underachievement debate from the perspective of the âdiscourse of derisionâ that surrounds much writing in this area. It considers the contradictions and inconsistencies which underpin much of the discourse â from a reinterpretation of examination scores, to the conflation of the concepts of âunderâ and âlowâ achievement and finally to the lack of consensus on a means of defining and measuring the term underachievement. In doing so, this paper suggests a more innovative approach for understanding, re-evaluating and perhaps rejecting the notion of underachievement
Properties of Ly-alpha and Gamma Ray Burst selected starbursts at high redshifts
Selection of starbursts through either deep narrow band imaging of redshifted
Ly-alpha emitters, or localisation of host galaxies of gamma-ray bursts both
give access to starburst galaxies that are significantly fainter than what is
currently available from selection techniques based on the continuum (such as
Lyman-break selection). We here present results from a survey for Ly-alpha
emitters at z=3, conducted at the European Southern Observatory's Very Large
Telescope. Furthermore, we briefly describe the properties of host galaxies of
gamma-ray bursts at z>2. The majority of both Ly-alpha and gamma-ray burst
selected starbursts are fainter than the flux limit of the Lyman-break galaxy
sample, suggesting that a significant fraction of the integrated star formation
at z~3 is located in galaxies at the faint end of the luminosity function.Comment: invited talk, 6 pages, 3 figures, to appear in ``Starbursts from 30
Doradus to Lyman Break Galaxies'', eds. R. de Grijs, R. M. Gonzalez Delgado,
Astrophysics & Space Science Library Series, Kluwer (in press
Sociodemographic Drivers of Donor and Recipient Gender Disparities in Living Kidney Donation in Australia
Published online 26 May 2023Background: Females account for 60% of all living kidney donors worldwide. We defined the proportion of female to male donors for living donor kidney transplantation stratified by recipient gender, and explored the factors associated with female kidney donation. Methods: Data from the ANZDATA (Australian and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplantation) and ANZOD (Australian and New Zealand Organ Donor) registries (2002â2019) were used to identify the sociodemographic characteristics and their interactions associated with living donation from female donors. We derived the predicted probabilities from adjusted logistic models using marginal means. Results: Of 3523 living donor pairs, 2203 (63%) recipients were male, and 2012 (57%) donors were female. Male recipients were more likely to receive kidneys from female donors than male donors. Donor and recipient sex association was modified by donor-recipient relationship (P < 0.01), with sensitivity analysis suggesting that spousal donor-recipient pairs drive this interaction. Older recipients residing in regional or remote areas were more likely to receive kidneys from female donors compared with those from major cities (aged $60 years: 0.67 [0.63â0.71] vs. aged <60 years: 0.57 [0.53â0.60]). Conclusions: Factors associated with female donation include recipient sex, with spousal donors contributing to the interaction between recipient gender and donor-recipient relationship. Recipient age and location of residence have interactive effects on the likelihood of living donor transplantation from female donors.Siah Kim, Anita van Zwieten, Melanie Wyld, Maleeka Ladhani, Chandana Guha, Amanda Dominello, Kylie-Ann Mallitt, Anna Francis, Roslyn B. Mannon and Germaine Won
Post-stimulus fMRI and EEG responses: evidence for a neuronal origin hypothesised to be inhibitory
Post-stimulus undershoots, negative responses following cessation of stimulation, are widely observed in functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) data. However, the debate surrounding whether the origin of this response phase is neuronal or vascular, and whether it provides functionally relevant information, that is additional to what is contained in primary response, means that undershoots are widely overlooked. We simultaneously recorded electroencephalography (EEG), BOLD and cerebral blood-flow (CBF) [obtained from arterial spin labelled (ASL) fMRI] fMRI responses to hemifield checkerboard stimulation to test the potential neural origin of the fMRI post-stimulus undershoot. The post-stimulus BOLD and CBF signal amplitudes in both contralateral and ipsilateral visual cortex depended on the post-stimulus power of the 8-13 Hz (alpha) EEG neuronal activity, such that trials with highest EEG power showed largest fMRI undershoots in contralateral visual cortex. This correlation in post-stimulus EEG-fMRI responses was not predicted by the primary response amplitude. In the contralateral visual cortex we observed a decrease in both cerebral rate of oxygen metabolism (CMRO2) and CBF during the post-stimulus phase. In addition, the coupling ratio (n) between CMRO2 and CBF was significantly lower during the positive contralateral primary response phase compared with the post-stimulus phase and we propose that this reflects an altered balance of excitatory and inhibitory neuronal activity. Together our data provide strong evidence that the post-stimulus phase of the BOLD response has a neural origin which reflects, at least partially, an uncoupling of the neuronal responses driving the primary and post-stimulus responses, explaining the uncoupling of the signals measured in the two response phases. We suggest our results are consistent with inhibitory processes driving the post-stimulus EEG and fMRI responses. We therefore propose that new methods are required to model the post-stimulus and primary responses independently, enabling separate investigation of response phases in cognitive function and neurological disease
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