Preoperative paracetamol infusion reduces sevoflurane consumption during thyroidectomy under general anesthesia with spectral entropy monitoring

AbstractBackgroundIntravenous (IV) paracetamol has a significant opioid-sparing effect. We investigated the effect of paracetamol infusion on sevoflurane consumption during entropy monitored general anesthesia.MethodsSixty-two ASA I and II patients undergoing thyroidectomy under general anesthesia were included in a prospective, randomized, double-blind and placebo controlled study. The patients were randomized to receive a slow infusion of either 1g paracetamol (paracetamol group, n=31) or saline (control group, n=31) just before induction of anesthesia. Sevoflurane concentration was titrated to keep the state entropy value between 40 and 50. End-tidal sevoflurane concentration, sevoflurane consumption, recovery characteristics, time to first analgesic request and meperidine consumption during the first 6 postoperative hours were recorded.ResultsThe mean±SD estimated sevoflurane consumption was significantly lower in the paracetamol treated patients (36.2±15 vs 44.9±13.9ml, in the control group; p=0.021). Patients receiving paracetamol had a faster post-anesthetic recovery profile (extubation time, time to eye opening to command and time to state name and mention his/her home address) than the other group (p<0.05). Mean±SD time to first analgesic request was significantly prolonged in paracetamol group compared to control group (48.4±14.0 vs 40.7±11.5min, respectively; p=0.021). Meperidine consumption was higher in control group than in paracetamol group (28.7±10.2 vs 23.1±9.0mg, respectively; p=0.025).ConclusionPreoperative IV paracetamol infusion improved consumption and emergence from entropy monitored sevoflurane anesthesia with enhancement of the early postoperative analgesia

Colorizing gray level images by using wavelet filters

© 2019 IEEE. This paper discusses a new algorithm to produce colored version of gray scale natural still images. This algorithm employs artificial neural network (ANN) to predict RGB channels using the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT). A group of natural color images are used to train three ANNs. The trained networks estimate low resolution RGB layers of the gray scale image which are the best match to the trained images. The colored version of the image is produced form the predicted RGB layers and information form grayscale image. The performances of the new algorithm are analyzed subjectively and objectively using the peak signal to noise and Structural Similarity, as well as it is compared to similar algorithm based on discrete cosine transform. Acceptable colorized images were obtained from different still images

The translation of intertextual expressions in political articles

The study discusses the translation of intertextual expressions in political articles, aiming at understanding the role of intertextuality within the cultural, ideological and individual circles. Critical discourse analysis shows clearly how indispensible intertextuality is to political discourse in particular as a major ideological tool, especially in the information age when the media employ numerous forms of intertextuality to reinforce their message in terms of legitimisation or delegitimisation. Political newspaper comments tend to belong to the argumentative or vocative (appellative) type of texts, which are intended to achieve a maximum impact on the receiver. In an attempt to relay intertextual expressions across languages, a culture-specific problem is mainly found since different aspects of intertextuality are likely to arise in social, historical, religious and literary terrns which form the unique background of each culture. It is suggested that a three-stage process underpins the successful translation of intertextual expressions. First, an intertextual expression needs to be identified; second, its 'host of associations' have to be fully comprehended; thirdly, the appropriate type of equivalence is to be chosen to 'reflect the same ideological force' of the original expression. This is often achieved by means of functional equivalencc, which provides corresponding target language culture expressions that are expected to 'Invoke the same effect' of those of the source language culture.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The Effect of Psychological Empowerment on Self-Efficacy, Burnout, Emotional Intelligence, Job Satisfaction, and Individual Performance (An Empirical Study on Tour Guides in West Nusa Tenggara)

The purpose of this study was to examine and explain the direct relationship effect of psychological empowerment on individual performance, he direct relationship effect of psychological empowerment on self-efficacy, burnout, emotional intelligence, and job satisfaction. In addition, it also aimed at explaining the effect of psychological empowerment on individual performance through self-efficacy, burnout, emotional intelligence, and job satisfaction. The population of this study consisted of 563 tour guides. Sample was chosen based on stratified proportionate random sampling technique, as members of the population in this study are stratified based on the license they have namely junior, intermediate, and senior. This study was a survey because the data was collected by a questionnaire distributed to 150 guides as respondents. Data was analyzed using descriptive analyses employing SPSS version 20.0, and inferential analyses employing Generalized Structured Component Analysis (GSCA). The results of this study confirms that out of 15 hypotheses proposed in this study, 12 hypotheses are  accepted or result in significant effects, and 3 hypotheses are rejected result in non-significant effects, namely (a) self-efficacy on burnout, (b) burnout on emotional intelligence, and (c) burnout on job satisfaction. The results provide a comprehensive contribution associated with the activity of tour guides and tourism service in West Nusa Tenggara. Keywords: psychological empowerment, self-efficacy, burnout, emotional intelligence, job satisfaction, and individual performanc

A Review of Enzymatic Transesterification of Microalgal Oil-Based Biodiesel Using Supercritical Technology

Biodiesel is considered a promising replacement to petroleum-derived diesel. Using oils extracted from agricultural crops competes with their use as food and cannot realistically satisfy the global demand of diesel-fuel requirements. On the other hand, microalgae, which have a much higher oil yield per hectare, compared to oil crops, appear to be a source that has the potential to completely replace fossil diesel. Microalgae oil extraction is a major step in the overall biodiesel production process. Recently, supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) has been proposed to replace conventional solvent extraction techniques because it is nontoxic, nonhazardous, chemically stable, and inexpensive. It uses environmentally acceptable solvent, which can easily be separated from the products. In addition, the use of SC-CO2 as a reaction media has also been proposed to eliminate the inhibition limitations that encounter biodiesel production reaction using immobilized enzyme as a catalyst. Furthermore, using SC-CO2 allows easy separation of the product. In this paper, conventional biodiesel production with first generation feedstock, using chemical catalysts and solvent-extraction, is compared to new technologies with an emphasis on using microalgae, immobilized lipase, and SC-CO2 as an extraction solvent and reaction media

Characterisation of Nicotine and Cancer-Enhancing Anions in the Common Smokeless Tobacco Afzal in Oman

Objectives: Afzal is a common smokeless tobacco product (STP) available illegally in Oman. This study aimed to assess pH and moisture levels and determine cancer-enhancing factors in a randomly selected sample of Afzal. Methods: This study was carried out at the Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat, Oman, between April and December 2013. A package of Afzal was purchased from a single provider and divided into samples. The pH and moisture content of the samples were measured according to the protocols of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to analyse nicotine levels and ionexchange chromatography (IC) was used to determine concentrations of nitrate, nitrite, chloride, fluoride, bromide, sulphate and phosphate anions. Results: The samples had an alkaline pH of 10.46 with high levels of total (48,770.00 μg per g of STP [μg/g]) and unionised (48,590.00 μg/g) nicotine. The concentration of nitrate (8,792.20 μg/g) was alarmingly high. The chloride concentration (33,170.80 μg/g) showed a surge on IC chromatography. The moisture content percentage was 52.00%. Conclusion: The moisture content percentage and chloride concentration of Afzal was consistent with those of other STPs. In contrast, nitrite, sulphate and phosphate concentrations were below reported levels of other STPs. All anion concentrations were below the maximum daily limit set by international health organisations. However, the high concentrations of nitrite, nitrate and nicotine and the elevated alkaline pH observed in the analysed Afzal samples suggest that STP users will face health risks as a result of their use

Electrical properties of organic light emitting diodes with post fabrication heat and electric field treatments

The current work presents post-fabrication heat treatment and a combined external electric field-heat post-fabrication treatments for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). The devices were fabricated in the same run with a standard device without annealing for comparison, with an identical structure of ITO/PVK/Rhodamine B/Pb. After depositing the Rhodamine B layer on the PVK film, the samples were thermally annealed at different temperatures before depositing Pb. Some of the samples were thermally annealed without any external electric field while others were treated by an external electric field during heating. It is found that the annealing temperature of PVK/Rhodamine B layers increases the turn-on voltage of the device. On the other hand, in the electric field-heat treatment, the turn-on voltage is observed to decrease and the maximum current density of the device is dramatically enhanced

Natural Dyes as Photosensitizers for Dye-sensitized Solar Cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were assembled using Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles as a photoelectrode and natural dyes extracted from eight natural plants as photosensitizers. The structural properties of the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were studied using XRD, SEM and TEM characterizations. Photovoltaic parameters such as short circuit current density Jsc, open circuit voltage Voc, fill factor FF, and overall conversion efficiency η for the fabricated cells were determined under 100 mW/cm2 illumination. It was found that the DSSC fabricated with the extracted safflower dye as a sensitizer showed the best performance. Also, its performance increased with increasing the sintering temperature of the semiconductor electrode with highest performance at 400 °C. Moreover, it was found that a semiconductor electrode of 7.5 μm thickness yielded the highest response

Fabrication of Zn/ZnO Core/Shell Nanoparticles by Laser Ablation in Liquid Technique

In this research, Zn/ZnO Nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared via the Pulse Laser Ablation (PLA) method using three liquids (Ethanol, Acetone, and Distilled Water). Zn/ZnO NPs were synthesized via an Nd-YAG laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm, applied energy of 800 mJ, a frequency of 6 Hz, and 100 laser pulses at room temperature. The Zn metal plate was dipped in Ethanol, Acetone, and Distilled Water, respectively. The UV-Vis results shows sharp and single peaks at 320, 341, and 333 nm for Zn/ZnO NPs in Ethanol, Acetone, and Distilled Water respectively. FTIR testing shows peaks at about 500 cm−1 for Zn/ZnO NPs in Ethanol, Acetone, and Distilled Water, which indicates Zn-O stretching vibrations. XRD investigation shows low-angle peaks at 23.31˚, 23.81˚, and 19.20˚ for Zn/ZnO NPs in Ethanol, Acetone, and Distilled Water, respectively. In addition, a sharp peak of high intensity was observed at 13.54˚ for Zn/ZnO Core/Shell NPs in Acetone. These peaks indicate that the structure is stable and undistorted. These patterns emphasize compact pore arrangements. The lower intensity of the gradient peaks indicates that ZnO formed at a preferred site. Nor did high-angle XRD patterns appear, indicating that the formed ZnO NPs are so small to be distinct from background noise or undetectable by widish angle XRD. The broad XRD peak at 2θ angles from 20° to 30° can also confirm that ZnO is low-crystalline. The TEM images show the presence of Zn/ZnO NPs in Ethanol, Acetone, and Distilled Water with a size of less than 50 nm, and TEM analysis confirms that the primary structure of Zn/ZnO NPs is a Core/Shell.