HEAT TRANSFER WITH LAMINAR FLOW IN CONCENTRIC ANNULI WITH CONSTANT AND VARIABLE WALL TEMPERATURE AND HEAT FLUX

Heat transfer with laminar flow in concentric annuli with constant and variable wall temperature and heat flu

Experimental Photoallergic Contact Dermatitis: A Mouse Model

We have induced photoallergic contact dermatitis in mice to 3,3',4',5 tetrachlorosalicylanilide (TCSA), chlorpromazine and 6-methylcoumarin. These compounds are known to produce photoallergic contact dermatitis in humans. The photoallergic contact dermatitis reaction in the mouse is immunologically specific viz. mice photosensitized to TCSA react, by photochallenge, to that compound and not to chlorpromazine, and conversely. The reaction requires UVA at both sensitization and challenge. It appears to be T-cell medicated in that it can be passively transferred to syngeneic mice by lymph node cells from actively sensitized mice, histology of the reactions resembles that of classic allergic contact dermatitis in mice, challenge reactions are seen at 24 but not at 4hr, and photoallergic contact dermatitis can be induced in B-cell deficient mice. The availability of a mouse model for the study of photo-ACD will facilitate the identification of pertinent control mechanisms and may aid in the management of the disease. It is likely that a bioassay for photoallergens of humans can be based on this mouse model

Experimental data and model for the turbulent boundary layer on a convex, curved surface

Experiments were performed to determine how boundary layer turbulence is affected by strong convex curvature. The data gathered on the behavior of the Reynolds stress suggested the formulation of a simple turbulence model. Data were taken on two separate facilities. Both rigs had flow from a flat surface, over a convex surface with 90 deg of turning and then onto a flat recovery surface. The geometry was adjusted so that, for both rigs, the pressure gradient along the test surface was zero. Two experiments were performed at delta/R approximately 0.10, and one at weaker curvature with delta/R approximately 0.05. Results show that after a sudden introduction of curvature the shear stress in the outer part of the boundary layer is sharply diminished and is even slightly negative near the edge. The wall shear also drops off quickly downstream. When the surface suddenly becomes flat again, the wall shear and shear stress profiles recover very slowly towards flat wall conditions. A simple turbulence model, which was based on the theory that the Prandtl mixing length in the outer layer should scale on the velocity gradient layer, was shown to account for the slow recovery

Does Survey Format Influence Self-Disclosure on Sensitive Question Items?

Although there are advantages for use of internet based survey research over other formats, there remains in question whether survey mode influences the data measurement equivalency. While most research exploring survey format finds little or no difference in measurement equivalency, the interaction of sensitive topics and survey modality is not fully understood. Additionally, research suggests gender differences in item response on sensitive topics. The present study examined archival data from a college health survey using both online and paper–pencil survey formats. The interaction was evaluated between gender, survey format, and item sensitivity level. Results indicate that question topic sensitivity has a large effect on missing data, and survey format has a moderate effect. These findings have necessary implications for survey design and outcome interpretations

Implementing Extended-Infusion Cefepime as Standard of Care in a Children’s Hospital: A Prospective Descriptive Study

Background: Extended-infusion cefepime (EIC) has been associated with decreased mortality in adults, but to our knowledge, there are no studies in children. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of implementing EIC as the standard dosing strategy in a pediatric population. Methods: This was a descriptive study of children aged 1 month to 17 years, including patients in the intensive care unit, who received cefepime after admission to a freestanding, tertiary care children’s hospital. Patients were excluded if they were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit or received cefepime in the outpatient, operating, or emergency department areas. Demographic and clinical data for patients who received cefepime from April through August 2013, the period following EIC implementation, were extracted from the medical records. Results: A total of 150 patients were included in the study, with a median age (interquartile range [IQR]) of 6 years (2-12.3 years) and median weight (IQR) of 20.7 kg (13.2-42.8 kg); 143 patients received cefepime via extended infusions, and 10 (7.0%) of those were changed to a 30-minute infusion during treatment. The most common reasons for infusion time change were intravenous (IV) incompatibility and IV access concerns, responsible for 50% of changes. Dosing errors and reported incidents during therapy were sparse (n = 12, 8.0%) and were most commonly related to renal dosing errors and/or initial dose error by prescriber. Conclusions: Because 93.0% of the patients who initially received EIC remained on EIC, implementation of EIC as the standard dosing strategy was feasible in this pediatric hospital

Biological Earth observation with animal sensors

Space-based tracking technology using low-cost miniature tags is now delivering data on fine-scale animal movement at near-global scale. Linked with remotely sensed environmental data, this offers a biological lens on habitat integrity and connectivity for conservation and human health; a global network of animal sentinels of environmental change.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Correlation of Adherence to the 2012 Infectious Diseases Society of America Practice Guidelines with Patient Outcomes in the Treatment of Diabetic Foot Infections in an Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Programme

Aim To evaluate adherence to the 2012 Infectious Diseases Society of America practice guidelines for the management of patients with diabetic foot infections and to determine an association between adherence and clinical outcome. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed to evaluate the management and clinical outcomes of patients with diabetic foot infections treated with outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy between 1 January 2011 and 30 June 2012 at Wishard Health Services/Eskenazi Health. Adherence to individual Infectious Diseases Society of America diabetic foot infection treatment guideline recommendations was measured, and then assessed in relation to clinical outcome. Results A total of 57 patients (61% male, mean age 54 years) with moderate to severe diabetic foot infection met the inclusion criteria. None of the treatment courses of these patients adhered to all the Infectious Diseases Society of America guideline recommendations. The recommendations most frequently adhered to were consultation of appropriate multidisciplinary teams (n=54, 94.7%) and performance of diagnostic imaging (n=52, 89.5%). The recommendations least frequently adhered to were diabetic foot wound classification scoring on admission (n=0, 0%), appropriate culture acquisition (n=12, 21.2%), surgical intervention when indicated (n=32, 46.2%) and appropriate empiric antibiotic selection (n=34, 59.7%). Of 56 patients, 52 (92.9%) experienced clinical cure at the end of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy compared with 34 of 53 patients (64%) at 6 months after the completion of therapy. Adherence to individual guidelines was not associated with clinical outcome. Patients who experienced treatment failure were more likely to have severe diabetic foot infection or peripheral neuropathy. Conclusions Adherence to the Infectious Diseases Society of America diabetic foot infection guideline recommendations was found to be suboptimal in the present study. The effect of adhering to individual Infectious Diseases Society of America diabetic foot infection recommendations on clinical outcome needs to be investigated

An insight into some innovative cycles for aircraft propulsion

Emissions are important drivers in the design and use of aero-engines. This paper presents a part of the work carried out in the VITAL (EnVIronmenTALly aero-engine) project; it consists of a parameter study on the application of three innovative thermodynamic cycles to aircraft propulsion, looking for benefits on fuel consumption, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and noise. These cycles are intercooler-regenerative, the wave rotor topping, and the constant volume combustor cycles. The work, starting from a next-generation ultra-high bypass ratio turbofan, the baseline, and considering two possible design conditions, presents the influence of the application of these new cycles or design changes to the baseline on emissions and on the required technological level, represented by the turbine entry temperature (TET). VITAL is a project supported by the Sixth Framework Programme of the European Communities. The results showthat some significant benefits on emissions can be achieved although they are linked to significant technology improvements and in-depth studies of the new components involved in cycle implementation

Monitoring wild animal communities with arrays of motion sensitive camera traps

Studying animal movement and distribution is of critical importance to addressing environmental challenges including invasive species, infectious diseases, climate and land-use change. Motion sensitive camera traps offer a visual sensor to record the presence of a broad range of species providing location -specific information on movement and behavior. Modern digital camera traps that record video present new analytical opportunities, but also new data management challenges. This paper describes our experience with a terrestrial animal monitoring system at Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Our camera network captured the spatio-temporal dynamics of terrestrial bird and mammal activity at the site - data relevant to immediate science questions, and long-term conservation issues. We believe that the experience gained and lessons learned during our year long deployment and testing of the camera traps as well as the developed solutions are applicable to broader sensor network applications and are valuable for the advancement of the sensor network research. We suggest that the continued development of these hardware, software, and analytical tools, in concert, offer an exciting sensor-network solution to monitoring of animal populations which could realistically scale over larger areas and time spans