Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis for infantile chronic renal failure (A case report)

Pungky AK, Damanik MP, lijima K - Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis for infantile chronic renal failure (A case report). A two month old male infant with lethargy, vomiting, and loss of body weight was referred to Kobe University Hospital, Kobe, Japan. He had increased levels of BUN and serum creatinine, and severe metabolic acidosis. Ultrasonography exhibited hypoplasia kidney. Treatment with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), recombinant human erythropoietin, and recombinant human growth hormone was started immediately on the admission day. All of his symptoms were disappeared and he grew up well. He was discharged 3 months after admission and he had been treated with the above therapy in Out Patient Clinic. CAPD on CRF patient is the most essential management. CAPD system should be introduced to save infants and children with chronic renal failure in Indonesia. Key words : chronic renal failure - peritoneal dialysis â infant - hypoplasia kidney - recombinant growth hormon

Processing GPS Occultation Data To Characterize Atmosphere

GOAS [Global Positioning System (GPS) Occultation Analysis System] is a computer program that accepts signal-occultation data from GPS receivers aboard low-Earth-orbiting satellites and processes the data to characterize the terrestrial atmosphere and, in somewhat less comprehensive fashion, the ionosphere. GOAS is very robust and can be run in an unattended semi-operational processing mode. It features sophisticated retrieval algorithms that utilize the amplitudes and phases of the GPS signals. It incorporates a module that, using an assumed atmospheric refractivity profile, simulates the effects of the retrieval processing system, including the GPS receiver. GOAS utilizes the GIPSY software for precise determination of orbits as needed for calibration. The GOAS output for the Earth s troposphere and mid-to-lower stratosphere consists of high-resolution (<1 km) profiles of density, temperature, pressure, atmospheric refractivity, bending angles of signals, and water-vapor content versus altitude from the Earth s surface to an altitude of 30 km. The GOAS output for the ionosphere consists of electron-density profiles from an altitude of about 50 km to the altitude of a satellite, plus parameters related to the rapidly varying structure of the electron density, particularly in the E layer of the ionosphere

Ionospheric Simulation System for Satellite Observations and Global Assimilative Modeling Experiments (ISOGAME)

ISOGAME is designed and developed to assess quantitatively the impact of new observation systems on the capability of imaging and modeling the ionosphere. With ISOGAME, one can perform observation system simulation experiments (OSSEs). A typical OSSE using ISOGAME would involve: (1) simulating various ionospheric conditions on global scales; (2) simulating ionospheric measurements made from a constellation of low-Earth-orbiters (LEOs), particularly Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio occultation data, and from ground-based global GNSS networks; (3) conducting ionospheric data assimilation experiments with the Global Assimilative Ionospheric Model (GAIM); and (4) analyzing modeling results with visualization tools. ISOGAME can provide quantitative assessment of the accuracy of assimilative modeling with the interested observation system. Other observation systems besides those based on GNSS are also possible to analyze. The system is composed of a suite of software that combines the GAIM, including a 4D first-principles ionospheric model and data assimilation modules, an Internal Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model that has been developed by international ionospheric research communities, observation simulator, visualization software, and orbit design, simulation, and optimization software. The core GAIM model used in ISOGAME is based on the GAIM++ code (written in C++) that includes a new high-fidelity geomagnetic field representation (multi-dipole). New visualization tools and analysis algorithms for the OSSEs are now part of ISOGAME

Shear-strain step response in linear regime of dilute suspensions of naturally bent carbon nanotubes

Impressive enhancements of the storage modulus have been documented when low volume fractions of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are added to a Newtonian solvent for obtaining dilute suspensions. The intrinsic bending dynamics of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been proposed to explain such elasticity. CNTs contain topological defects inducing naturally bent structures in absence of external forces and, hence, a semiflexible filament with a bent configuration at minimal internal-bending-energy is used for mimicking the structure of SWNTs in suspension. Previous continuous model is discretized as a non-freely jointed bead-rod chain with a naturally bent configuration for simulating the rheological behaviour after a shear-strain step in linear regime of SWNT dilute suspension by using a Brownian dynamics (BD) approach. In general, bead-rod chains exhibit an instantaneous relaxation after a high shear-strain step. Bending rigidity and number of constitutive rods are found to be determinant parameters in the internal-energy relaxation behaviour of non-freely jointed bead-rod chains in dilute solution. Proper comparisons between the BD simulation results and the experimental data for treated SWNT dilute suspensions confirm the consistency of the physical model mimicking the structure of a SWNT

Understanding the wear behaviour of non-doped and Si,O-doped diamond-like carbon films

Two diamond-like carbon coatings have been examined, both prior to, and post tribotesting. Physical–chemical characterisation allows the elucidation of both the physical and tribochemical mechanisms underpinning the respective wear behaviours. The wear of the undoped a-C:H DLC coating is far lower than that of the Si,O-doped DLC. Both coatings show formation of protective tribofilms with tribochemically-relevant elements derived from the lubricant additives; however the tribofilms on the two coatings exhibit key differences, with one containing pyrophosphate. The undoped a-C:H DLC coating shows an increase in non-planar sp2 carbon content during wear testing which appears to be at the expense of sp3-hybridised carbon. In comparison, the Si,O-doped DLC undergoes comparatively little change in carbon hybridisation state

Graphene quantum dots from chemistry to applications

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have been widely studied in recent years due to its unique structure-related properties, such as optical, electrical and optoelectrical properties. GQDs are considered new kind of quantum dots (QDs), as they are chemically and physically stable because of its intrinsic inert carbon property. Furthermore, GQDs are environmentally friendly due to its non-toxic and biologically inert properties, which have attracted worldwide interests from academic and industry. In this review, a number of GQDs preparation methods, such as hydrothermal method, microwave-assisted hydrothermal method, soft-template method, liquid exfoliation method, metal-catalyzed method and electron beam lithography method etc., are summarized. Their structural, morphological, chemical composition, optical, electrical and optoelectrical properties have been characterized and studied. A variety of elemental dopant, such as nitrogen, sulphur, chlorine, fluorine and potassium etc., have been doped into GQDs to diversify the functions of the material. The control of its size and shape has been realized by means of preparation parameters, such as synthesis temperature, growth time, source concentration and catalyst etc. As far as energy level engineering is concerned, the elemental doping has shown an introduction of energy level in GQDs which may tune the optical, electrical and optoelectrical properties of the GQDs. The applications of GQDs in biological imaging, optoelectrical detectors, solar cells, light emitting diodes, fluorescent agent, photocatalysis, and lithium ion battery are described. GQD composites, having optimized contents and properties, are also discussed to extend the applications of GQDs. Basic physical and chemical parameters of GQDs are summarized by tables in this review, which will provide readers useful information