Are Albumin levels a good predictor of mortality in elderly patients with neck of femur fractures?

Neck of femur fractures are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The National Hip Fracture database in England suggest an 8.2% 30 day mortality. Suggested mortality predictors include: The Nottingham Hip Score, POSSUM score, Lactate, End Tidal CO2, Total Lymphocyte Count and Albumin. Predictors of short-term mortality may be a useful healthcare tool in these patients. Hypoalbuminaemia is determined as a level less than 35g/dl. No classification for degree of hypoalbuminaemia exists. It’s clinical significance are associated with liver/renal failure, chronic illness and poor nutritional states. We wanted to assess whether there is an association between hypoalbuminaemia and patient survival, if the severity affected outcomes and whether highlighting those patients with hypoalbuminaemia would be a useful prognostic tool

Pesticides and metabolites in groundwater: examples from two major UK aquifers

Reducing the impact of anthropogenic pollution on groundwater bodies and ameliorating any deterioration of water quality is central to key legislative drivers such as the EU Water Framework Directive and the proposed daughter Directive relating to the protection of groundwater. Pesticide pollution has a direct impact on groundwater quality and an indirect impact on the associated aquatic ecosystems supported by groundwater. There is currently no legislative requirement to monitor pesticide metabolite concentrations in groundwater. Pesticide and metabolite results from two nationally important aquifers are presented, the Trassic Sandstone and the Chalk of Southern England. Aerobic microbial degradation of diuron in the soil can lead to the formation of three compounds; dichlorophenylmethyl urea (DCPMU), dichlorophenyl urea (DCPU) and dichloroanaline (DCA).Median diuron concentrations were significantly higher than each of the metabolites with outliers exceeding the PVC on at least one occasion. At nine sites in Kent, Southern England, (60%) metabolites were more prevalent than diuron. Both aquifers are an important source of water, locally supplying up to 80% of public drinking water. The sandstone site has a predominantly arable landuse with a potential diffuse source of pesticides although soakaways are possible point sources.The chalk site has a mixture of arable and industrial/urban landuse. A significant source has been from excessive applications of diuron (“over-spray”) on a number of public amenities. Data from both aquifers show that pesticide concentrations have a high degree of temporal variability. Elevated pesticide concentrations are associated with recharge events in both aquifer systems regardless of pesticide source terms. Pesticides from amenity use and diffuse agricultural sources both pose a threat to groundwater quality. Pesticide metabolites are present in significant concentrations in groundwaters. Systematic, long-term monitoring (5-10 years) is required to understand trends in groundwater quality

Shape memory alloy actuators for active disassembly using ‘smart’ materials of consumer electronic products

This paper reports the preliminary to current development of Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuators within their application in ‘Active Disassembly using Smart Materials’ (ADSM). This non-destructive self-dismantling process is to aid recycling of consumer electronic products. Actuators were placed in single and multi-stage hierarchical temperature regimes after being embedded into macro and sub-assemblies of electronic product assemblies. Findings include active disassembly and a hierarchical dismantling regime for product dismantling using developed SMA actuators embedded into candidate products

Printed analogue filter structures

The authors report progress in conductive lithographic film (CLF) technology, which uses the offset lithographic printing process to form electrically conductive patterns on flexible substrates. Networks of planar passive components and interconnects fabricated simultaneously via the CLF process form notch filter networks at 85 kHz

What causes aberrant salience in schizophrenia? A role for impaired short-term habituation and the GRIA1 (GluA1) AMPA receptor subunit.

The GRIA1 locus, encoding the GluA1 (also known as GluRA or GluR1) AMPA glutamate receptor subunit, shows genome-wide association to schizophrenia. As well as extending the evidence that glutamatergic abnormalities have a key role in the disorder, this finding draws attention to the behavioural phenotype of Gria1 knockout mice. These mice show deficits in short-term habituation. Importantly, under some conditions the attention being paid to a recently presented neutral stimulus can actually increase rather than decrease (sensitization). We propose that this mouse phenotype represents a cause of aberrant salience and, in turn, that aberrant salience (and the resulting positive symptoms) in schizophrenia may arise, at least in part, from a glutamatergic genetic predisposition and a deficit in short-term habituation. This proposal links an established risk gene with a psychological process central to psychosis and is supported by findings of comparable deficits in short-term habituation in mice lacking the NMDAR receptor subunit Grin2a (which also shows association to schizophrenia). As aberrant salience is primarily a dopaminergic phenomenon, the model supports the view that the dopaminergic abnormalities can be downstream of a glutamatergic aetiology. Finally, we suggest that, as illustrated here, the real value of genetically modified mice is not as ‘models of schizophrenia’ but as experimental tools that can link genomic discoveries with psychological processes and help elucidate the underlying neural mechanisms

RF circulator structures via offset lithography

Further developments are reported of the conductive lithographic film (CLF) process in which components of radio-frequency circulators are fabricated economically via offset lithography. The performance of centre conductor elements printed from silver-loaded inks on polymer substrates is compared with that of conventional solid copper structures

Gene transfer to adult human lung tissue ex vivo

The potential of gene therapy for treatment of lung disease remains unrealised. Early model systems often resulted in promising efficiency of gene transfer, only to prove irreproducible in the clinic. While problems such as induction of host immune responses and duration of expression also need to be addressed, it is now widely believed that alternative, relevant models which more accurately reflect gene transfer efficiencies in human lungs are urgently required. We report here on a human lung slice culture system to assess gene transfer to adult lung epithelium. A lacZ-expressing adenovirus (AdCA35lacZ) was used as a reporter vector. A solution of AdCA35lacZ was instilled via bronchioles into resected lung tissue, a route analogous to clinical administration. Following a 1 h incubation, the tissue was inflated with a 0.4% agarose solution, instilled via the same bronchioles. Once solidified, 500 mm slices of the tissue were prepared and cultured for 4 days. b-Galactosidase staining revealed lacZ transgene expression in bronchiolar and alveolar cells of the lung slices throughout the 4 days in culture. This system, which can also be used to study other viral and liposome vectors, could prove to be a useful alternative model for assessing gene delivery to adult human lung epithelium

A consideration of modelling techniques that can be used to evaluate manufacturing strategies

Practising engineers frequently seek to understand what the effects of various manufacturing strategies will be on the performance of their production facilities. In this situation a computer model can help to provide insight and form predictions about future manufacturing system performance. Various types of modelling methods exist and each provide models that have distinct characteristics. This paper presents a review of popular modelling techniques and, based on the results of a structured experimental study, summarises their capabilities to support the evaluation of manufacturing strategies

Mineral resource information in support of national, regional and local planning : Gloucestershire (comprising Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire)

This report is one of a series prepared by the British Geological Survey for various administrative areas in England for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s research project Mineral Resource Information in Support of National, Regional and Local Planning. The accompanying map relates to the county of Gloucestershire, comprising Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire, and delineates the mineral resources of current, or potential, economic interest in the area and the sites where minerals are or have been worked. It also relates these to national planning designations, which may represent constraints on the extraction of minerals. Three major elements of information are presented: • the geological distribution and importance of mineral resources; • the extent of mineral planning permissions and the location of current mineral workings; and • the extent of selected, nationally-designated planning constraints. This wide range of information, much of which is scattered and not always available in a consistent and convenient form, is presented on a digitally-generated summary map on the scale of 1:100 000. This scale is convenient for the overall display of the data and allows for a legible topographic base on which to depict the information. However, all the data are held digitally at larger scales using a Geographical Information System (GIS), which allows easy revision, updating and customisation of the information together with its possible integration with other datasets. The information will form part of a Summary of the Mineral Resources of the South West Region. The purpose of the work is to assist all interested parties involved in the preparation and review of development plans, both in relation to the extraction of minerals and the protection of mineral resources from sterilisation. It provides a knowledge base, in a consistent format, on the nature and extent of mineral resources and the environmental constraints, which may affect their extraction. An important objective is to provide baseline data for the long term. The results may also provide a starting point for discussions on specific planning proposals for mineral extraction or on proposals, which may sterilise resources. It is anticipated that the maps and report will also provide valuable background data for a much wider audience, including the different sectors of the minerals industry, other agencies and authorities (e.g. The Planning Inspectorate Agency, the Environment Agency, the Countryside Agency and English Nature), environmental interests and the general public. Basic mineral resource information is essential to support mineral exploration and development activities, for resource management and land-use planning, and to establish baseline data for environmental impact studies and environmental guidelines. It also enables a more sustainable pattern and standard of development to be achieved by valuing mineral resources as national assets. The mineral resources covered are sand and gravel, bedrock sand, crushed rock aggregate, building stone, hydrocarbons, and coal