1,291 research outputs found
Marked variation in venous thromboprophylaxis management for abdominal aortic aneurysm repair; results of survey amongst vascular surgeons in the United Kingdom
Objectives: We aimed to survey the current management of venous thromboprophylaxis in patients undergoing elective surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) by vascular surgeons in the United Kingdom.
Design: A questionnaire was designed to investigate anticoagulation strategies in the perioperative period of elective AAA repair, both open and endovascular. This included both chemical and mechanical prophylaxis. A total of 395 questionnaires was posted to the members of the Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Results: One hundred and seventy-two (44%) valid responses were received. Half of the respondents administered pre-operative chemical prophylaxis at a mean of 13 h prior to AAA surgery. There was a high level of concordance in administration of heparin during surgery and in thromboprophylaxis post-operatively, with 97% giving some form of thromboprophylaxis. However there was a variation in the dose and timing, if administered, of chemical and mechanical prophylaxis.
Conclusion: The survey revealed diversity in perioperative thromboprophylaxis strategies among vascular surgeons. This suggests that standardisation of pre-operative and post-operative mechanical and chemical thromboprophylaxis may be required which could potentially improve the outcomes in elective management of AAA in the UK
Optimization of the extraordinary magnetoresistance in semiconductor-metal hybrid structures for magnetic-field sensor applications
Semiconductor-metal hybrid structures can exhibit a very large geometrical
magnetoresistance effect, the so-called extraordinary magnetoresistance (EMR)
effect. In this paper, we analyze this effect by means of a model based on the
finite element method and compare our results with experimental data. In
particular, we investigate the important effect of the contact resistance
between the semiconductor and the metal on the EMR effect. Introducing
a realistic in our model we find
that at room temperature this reduces the EMR by 30% if compared to an analysis
where is not considered.Comment: 4 pages; manuscript for MSS11 conference 2003, Nara, Japa
Experimental approximation of the Jones polynomial with DQC1
We present experimental results approximating the Jones polynomial using 4
qubits in a liquid state nuclear magnetic resonance quantum information
processor. This is the first experimental implementation of a complete problem
for the deterministic quantum computation with one quantum bit model of quantum
computation, which uses a single qubit accompanied by a register of completely
random states. The Jones polynomial is a knot invariant that is important not
only to knot theory, but also to statistical mechanics and quantum field
theory. The implemented algorithm is a modification of the algorithm developed
by Shor and Jordan suitable for implementation in NMR. These experimental
results show that for the restricted case of knots whose braid representations
have four strands and exactly three crossings, identifying distinct knots is
possible 91% of the time.Comment: 5 figures. Version 2 changes: published version, minor errors
corrected, slight changes to improve readabilit
Nonadiabatic coherent evolution of two-level systems under spontaneous decay
In this paper we extend current perspectives in engineering reservoirs by
producing a time-dependent master equation leading to a nonstationary
superposition equilibrium state that can be nonadiabatically controlled by the
system-reservoir parameters. Working with an ion trapped inside a nonindeal
cavity we first engineer effective Hamiltonians that couple the electronic
states of the ion with the cavity mode. Subsequently, two classes of
decoherence-free evolution of the superposition of the ground and decaying
excited levels are achieved: those with time-dependent azimuthal or polar
angle. As an application, we generalise the purpose of an earlier study [Phys.
Rev. Lett. 96, 150403 (2006)], showing how to observe the geometric phases
acquired by the protected nonstationary states even under a nonadiabatic
evolution.Comment: 5 pages, no figure
Assessing knowledge, attitude, and practice of emergency contraception: a cross-sectional study among Ethiopian undergraduate female students
Background: Emergency contraception (EC) is a type of modern contraception which is indicated after unprotected sexual intercourse when regular contraception is not in use. The importance of EC is evident in preventing unintended pregnancies and its ill consequences like unintended child delivery or unsafe abortion, which are the most common causes of maternal mortality. Therefore, EC need to be available and used appropriately as a backup in case regular contraception is not used, misused or failed. Knowing that Ethiopia is one of the countries with highest maternal mortality rate, this study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of EC, and to further elucidate the relationship between these factors and some socioeconomic and demographic characteristics among female undergraduate students of Addis Ababa University (AAU). This information will contribute substantially to interventions intended to combat maternal mortality. Methods: A Cross-sectional quantitative study among 368 AAU undergraduate students was conducted using self-administered questionnaire. Study participants were selected by stratified random sampling. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS Version 17. Results were presented using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation and logistic regression. Results: Among the total participants (n = 368), only 23.4% were sexually active. Majority (84.2%) had heard of EC; 32.3% had a positive attitude towards it. The main source of information reported by the respondents was Media (69.3%). Among those who were sexually active, about 42% had unprotected sexual intercourse. Among those who had unprotected sexual intercourse, 75% had ever used EC. Sexually active participants had significantly better attitude towards EC than sexually inactive participants (crude OR 0.33(0.15-0.71)); even after adjusting for possible confounders such as age, region, religion, ethnicity, marital status, department and family education and income (adj. OR 0.36(0.15-0.86)). Conclusions: The study showed high EC awareness and usage in contrast to other studies in the city, which could be due to the fact that university students are relatively in a better educational level. Therefore, it is highly recommended that interventions intended to combat maternal mortality through contraceptive usage need to be aware of such information specific to the target groups
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