Sea Bed Sand Waves Studied To Help Pipeline Planners

The article cites a study that offers information on the variability of sand wave characteristics in the North Sea. The sand waves variability includes a statement that pipelines may start vibrating due to turbulence generated under the free span and navigational channels often need to be dredged for ships to pass safely. The study used multi-beam measurement of three fields in the North Sea in which sand waves occur. Moreover, the study concludes that understanding the variability of sand waves can help determine the optimal depth of a pipeline trench

哺乳類卵母細胞の体外発育に関する研究

博士（農学）神戸大

Resolved Debris Discs Around A Stars in the Herschel DEBRIS Survey

The majority of debris discs discovered so far have only been detected through infrared excess emission above stellar photospheres. While disc properties can be inferred from unresolved photometry alone under various assumptions for the physical properties of dust grains, there is a degeneracy between disc radius and dust temperature that depends on the grain size distribution and optical properties. By resolving the disc we can measure the actual location of the dust. The launch of Herschel, with an angular resolution superior to previous far-infrared telescopes, allows us to spatially resolve more discs and locate the dust directly. Here we present the nine resolved discs around A stars between 20 and 40 pc observed by the DEBRIS survey. We use these data to investigate the disc radii by fitting narrow ring models to images at 70, 100 and 160 {\mu}m and by fitting blackbodies to full spectral energy distributions. We do this with the aim of finding an improved way of estimating disc radii for unresolved systems. The ratio between the resolved and blackbody radii varies between 1 and 2.5. This ratio is inversely correlated with luminosity and any remaining discrepancies are most likely explained by differences to the minimum size of grain in the size distribution or differences in composition. We find that three of the systems are well fit by a narrow ring, two systems are borderline cases and the other four likely require wider or multiple rings to fully explain the observations, reflecting the diversity of planetary systems.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Review: Ontogeny of oral drug absorption processes in children

A large proportion of prescribed drugs to children are administered orally. Age-related change in factors affecting oral absorption can have consequences for drug dosing. Areas covered: For each process affecting oral drug absorption, a systematic search has been performed using Medline to identify relevant articles (from inception till February 2012) in humans. This review presents the findings on age-related changes of the following processes affecting oral drug absorption: gastric pH, gastrointestinal motility, bile salts, pancreatic function, intestinal pH, intestinal drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporter proteins. Expert opinion: Clinicians should bear in mind the ontogeny of oral drug absorption processes when prescribing oral drugs to children. The authors’ review shows large information gaps on almost all drug absorption processes. It is important that more knowledge is acquired on intestinal transit time, intestinal pH and the ontogeny of intestinal drug-metabolizing enzymes and drug transporter proteins. Furthermore, the ultimate goal in this field should be to predict more precisely the oral disposition of drugs in children across the entire pediatric age range

The debris disk around gamma Doradus resolved with Herschel

We present observations of the debris disk around gamma Doradus, an F1V star, from the Herschel Key Programme DEBRIS (Disc Emission via Bias-free Reconnaissance in the Infrared/Submillimetre). The disk is well-resolved at 70, 100 and 160 micron, resolved along its major axis at 250 micron, detected but not resolved at 350 micron, and confused with a background source at 500 micron. It is one of our best resolved targets and we find it to have a radially broad dust distribution. The modelling of the resolved images cannot distinguish between two configurations: an arrangement of a warm inner ring at several AU (best-fit 4 AU) and a cool outer belt extending from ~55 to 400 AU or an arrangement of two cool, narrow rings at ~70 AU and ~190 AU. This suggests that any configuration between these two is also possible. Both models have a total fractional luminosity of ~10^{-5} and are consistent with the disk being aligned with the stellar equator. The inner edge of either possible configuration suggests that the most likely region to find planets in this system would be within ~55 AU of the star. A transient event is not needed to explain the warm dust's fractional luminosity.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Determinants of Outcome in Non-Septic Critically Ill Patients with Acute Kidney Injury on Continuous Venovenous Hemofiltration

Background/Aims: In view of ongoing controversy, we wished to study whether patient characteristics and/or continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) characteristics contribute to the outcome of non-septic critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). Methods: We retrospectively studied 102 consecutive patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) with non-septic AKI needing CVVH. Patient and CVVH characteristics were evaluated. Primary outcome was mortality up to day 28 after CVVH initiation. Results: Forty-four patients (43%) died during the 28-day period after the start of CVVH. In univariate analyses, non-survivors had more often a cardiovascular reason for ICU admission, greater disease acuity/severity and organ failure, lower initial creatinine levels, less use of heparin and more use of bicarbonate-based substitution fluid. The latter two can be attributed to high lactate levels and bleeding tendency in non-survivors necessitating withholding lactate-buffered fluid and heparin, respectively, according to our clinical protocol. In multivariate analyses, mortality was predicted by disease severity, use of bicarbonate-based fluids and lack of heparin, while initial creatinine and CVVH dose did not contribute. Conclusion: The outcome of non-septic AKI in need of CVVH is more likely to be determined by underlying or concurrent, acute and severe disease rather than by CVVH characteristics, including timing and dose

The usefulness of offering 24/7 online support within a wider mix of professional services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities living independently : a qualitative, multiple case study

Service organizations for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) increasingly use telecare applications to improve their services. This study explored the usefulness of offering the 24/7 online support service DigiContact within a broader mix of professional services for people with IDD living independently. We employed a qualitative multiple case study, in which the cases of nine online support users were reconstructed through semistructured interviews with both support users and their case workers. Thematic analysis showed that online support was used as an addition to regular onsite support to enable a more tailor-made delivery of professional supports. Online support can be valuable for its users by increasing the accessibility of professional support and creating opportunities for more self-direction in support

Intrathecal Morphine for Laparoscopic Segmental Colonic Resection as Part of an Enhanced Recovery Protocol: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background and Objectives: Management of postoperative pain after laparoscopic segmental colonic resections remains controversial. We compared 2 methods of analgesia within an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program. The goal of the study was to investigate whether admin