Verification of beam on elastic foundation solution for edge loaded cylindrical shells

The purpose of this thesis is to determine the range of radius to thickness ratios R / t for which a beam on an elastic foundation solution is feasible for end loadings on cylindrical shells

Microinjection Manipulation Resulted in the Increased Apoptosis of Spermatocytes in Testes from Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) Derived Mice

The invention of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has possibly been the most important development in reproductive medicine, one that has given hope to thousands of infertile couples worldwide. However, concerns remain regarding the safety of this method since it is a more invasive procedure than in vitro fertilization (IVF), since a spermatozoon is injected into the oocyte cytoplasm. Using mice derived from IVF technology as a control, we assessed the influence of invasive microinjection in the process of transferring sperm into oocyte cytoplasm in ICSI procedure on the development and physiologic function of resultant offspring. Our results demonstrated that mice produced from ICSI and IVF had no significant difference in phenotypic indices including body weight, forelimb physiology, and learning and memory ability. However, increased spermatocyte apoptosis was observed in the testis of adult ICSI mice, when compared with IVF mice. And, decreased testis weight and marked damage of spermatogenic epithelia were found in aged ICSI mice. Furthermore, proteomic analysis verified that most of the differentiated proteins in testes between adult ICSI and IVF mice were those involved in regulation of apoptosis pathways. Our results demonstrated that the microinjection manipulation used in the ICSI procedure might pose potential risks to the fertility of male offspring. The changed expression of a series of proteins relating to apoptosis or proliferation might contribute to it. Further studies are necessary to better understand all the risks of ICSI

Comparison of the effects of short- and long-pulse durations when using a 585-nm pulsed dye laser in the treatment of new surgical scars

More than 70 million surgical procedures are performed annually in the USA with the majority involving a skin lesion and almost all individuals in their lifetime will have one or more surgical procedures resulting in scars. Patients and physicians alike are thereby motivated to improve the cosmetic outcome of scars. Prior studies have shown that the pulsed dye laser (PDL) is effective in improving the quality and appearance of the scar when using the 585-nm PDL immediately after the removal of sutures. Most published studies used a pulse duration of 450 micros, which along with the other study parameters, has led to an overall improvement of the scars. However, a pulse duration of 1.5 ms is also available when using the pulsed dye laser and it should theoretically cause fewer side-effects. To our knowledge, there are no other studies comparing the effectiveness of different pulse durations in the treatment of surgical scars starting on the day of suture removal. The purpose of this study is to compare the effect of different pulse durations (450 micros vs. 1.5 ms) in the treatments of postsurgical linear scars immediately after suture removal when using the 585-nm pulsed dye laser (PDL). Twenty non-hospitalized male and female patients (older than 18 years of age) with skin types I-IV and with postoperative linear scars measuring at least 2.1 cm were enrolled in this prospective study. Scars were randomly divided into three equal sections. The different fields were randomly chosen to receive treatment (two out of three fields) or remain as control (one field). The two fields chosen to be treated received treatment with the 585-nm PDL using a 7-mm spot size at 4.0 J. One of the treated sections was randomly selected to receive a pulse duration of 450 micros, and the other section to receive a 1.5-ms pulse. The remaining scar section was designated as control (no treatment). The three sections were mapped and recorded. The patient received treatment immediately after the sutures were removed from the wound and then monthly for 3 months. Evaluations were performed before each treatment and 1 month after the last treatment. The short-pulse and long-pulse 585-nm PDL-treated sections demonstrated a statistically significant overall average improvement of the VSS of 92 and 89%, respectively, compared to 67% for the control site (Fig. 1). Further, for individual parameters of the Vancouver scar scale (VSS), there were significant (p < 0.05) differences between control and treatment groups for all parameters, but there were no differences between the short- and long-pulse treatment groups for any parameter. Both short-pulse and long-pulse PDL are safe and effective in improving the quality and cosmetic appearance of surgical scars in skin type's I-IV starting on the day of suture removal with no significant difference between the two pulse durations

Apparent biliary pseudolithiasis during ceftriaxone therapy.

Biliary pseudolithiasis has been reported in patients who received ceftriaxone therapy. To examine this phenomenon further, serial gallbladder sonograms were evaluated in 44 adult patients who received intravenous ceftriaxone at 2 g or a placebo daily for 14 days in a double-blind controlled study. Ultrasound examinations of gallbladders were performed on days 1 and 14 of therapy and 2 weeks posttherapy if abnormalities were observed on day 14. Eight patients were unevaluable because of abnormal base-line gallbladder sonograms. Thirty-six patients (ceftriaxone, n = 28; placebo, n = 8) demonstrated normal baseline gallbladder sonograms and were evaluated for the development of change. A total of 6 of 28 (21.4%) ceftriaxone-treated patients and 1 of 8 (12.5%) patients who received the placebo demonstrated abnormal gallbladder sonograms on day 14 (P = 0.491). Four of the six ceftriaxone-treated patients demonstrating abnormal sonograms were clinically asymptomatic, while two patients reported vomiting. The abnormal sonograms of gallbladders of patients treated with ceftriaxone returned to normal between 9 and 26 days posttherapy. These data suggest an association between ceftriaxone treatment and the development of gallbladder abnormalities on ultrasound examination which resolve spontaneously on discontinuation of ceftriaxone therapy

Card Sorting Assessing User Attitude in E-Learning

Various undergraduate and post graduate educational bodies, now a day, employ blended learning systems to complement the face to face commu- nication between educator and learner. While E-learning tools in general have been found to improve access to resources, these tools need to be reliable and usable; the ease of use of E-learning would have a meaningful impact on the learning experience.This paper investigates learners' perception of quality and willingness to use of E-learning environments. It also explores the attitude of users from two dif- ferent cultural groups towards a number of E-learning sites. The paper aims to reveal some of the perception of quality for these groups of users in interacting with learning virtual communities. In September/ October 2013, series of card sorting sessions were conducted with number of learners enrolled in a joint venture European-Arab Master Pro- gram. In the individual sessions, each participant was asked to look at card of selected E-Learning sites, and to choose a single criterion by which the E- learning main pages could be differentiated from one another. Cards were then sorted based on different categories under each criterion. Participants repeated sorting the cards according to criteria and categories they generated. A second round of sorting sessions were conducted by the same participants, where they sorted the same cards according to the Willingness to Use criterion, and pro- vided a reason for the sorting decisions made. The analysis of the card sorting sessions reveals some interesting findings concerning interface elements which seem to be salient for users in E-learning environment, such as: Interface Comprehensibility and Obviousness, Content Usefulness, and Site Affiliation and Reputation. Some differences in quality perception were also found between the two cultural groups This paper makes a contribution to universal access in HCI by describing the quality perception, preferences, and general attitude for different group of users in the context of E-learning environment

Knowledge at play. Studies of games as members’ matters

On a general level, this thesis seeks some answers to the broad question of what one can learn from digital games. With an analytical approach informed by ethnomethodology, the main thrust of the work is an exploration of members’ matters in the area of games and gaming. In response to prevailing discussions about how, where and what gamers learn, the aim is to examine emerging forms of knowledge embedded in practices in and around digital games. The first part of the thesis addresses three themes: the question of whether leisure gaming could be understood to have transfer effects; how games are positioned in a state of restlessness and multistableness; and how the domain encompassing gaming and game development is advancing in terms of professionalization and institutionalization. The second part is comprised of three empirical studies based on two sets of video recordings: collaborative gaming in The Lord of the Rings Online, and assessment practices in game development education. The studies begin to unravel the elusive phenomena of gaming by making some gameplay practices and conventions visible. For instance, the findings suggest that there are specialized coordination practices, developed through long-term engagement with the online game. Furthermore, from the perspective of the institutional framing, it is argued that understandings from other media are not applicable in a straightforward manner, but must be carefully calibrated to matters such as game genre conventions and control over gameplay conduct. By describing the reasoning and knowledge displayed by gamers and game developers, the thesis contributes to interrelated discussions about knowledge development, currently carried out in educational science, interaction studies and game studies. In conclusion, it is suggested that digital games are establishing autonomy from other forms of entertainment media and software industries as a result of the ways games and gaming as multistable objects of knowledge have become deeply embedded in society