Scaling aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition: Exploring the relationship between growth rate and film properties

Thin films of fluorine doped tin oxide were deposited, by an aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition route, to study the effect of scaling the growth rate. The effect of precursor concentration on the growth rate of the films and the properties of deposited films were compared. The films were characterised by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, UV/vis spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Hall effect measurements. A maximum film growth rate of ca. 100 nm min− 1 was observed, which is significantly faster than previously reported aerosol assisted studies. This method shows the ability of aerosol assisted methods to deliver high growth rates whilst maintaining the ease of doping and control over stoichiometry

An Exercise in Reverse Engineering for Safety-Critical Systems: An Experience for the Classroom

Since the Y2K crisis, reverse engineering has become a major area of work in industrial software application development, but lacks emphasis in US academia. This issue is exemplified by the high demand for software systems in new and expanding software application areas, which has resulted in systems being implemented before the requirements and design phases have been completed. Towards the maintenance of such systems, it is necessary to conducted reverse engineering for the derivation of software documentation for requirements and high-level and low-level design. When this scenario exists in the domain of safety-critical system, particularly in the aviation industry, reverse engineering takes on greater value because such software systems have to undergo development regulations and certification restrictions. This work reports on the pedagogical revelations gained from conducting reverse engineering on a software system that was developed and deployed for use in managing the assignment of commercial aircrafts to airport terminal gates. The software system incorporated genetic algorithms solutions and was implemented on a high-speed multi-processor system. The reverse engineering methodology applied was based on the RTCA DO-178C Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification specification for onboard avionic software systems

Bed bug deterrence

A recent study in BMC Biology has determined that the immature stage of the bed bug (the nymph) signals its reproductive status to adult males using pheromones and thus avoids the trauma associated with copulation in this species. The success of this nymphal strategy of deterrence is instructive. Against the background of increasing problems with bed bugs, this research raises the question whether pheromones might be used to control them

Patient-Reported Outcome questionnaires for hip arthroscopy: a systematic review of the psychometric evidence

Abstract Background Hip arthroscopies are often used in the treatment of intra-articular hip injuries. Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) are an important parameter in evaluating treatment. It is unclear which PRO questionnaires are specifically available for hip arthroscopy patients. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate which PRO questionnaires are valid and reliable in the evaluation of patients undergoing hip arthroscopy. Methods A search was conducted in Pubmed, Medline, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, Pedro, EMBASE and Web of Science from 1931 to October 2010. Studies assessing the quality of PRO questionnaires in the evaluation of patients undergoing hip arthroscopy were included. The quality of the questionnaires was evaluated by the psychometric properties of the outcome measures. The quality of the articles investigating the questionnaires was assessed by the COSMIN list. Results Five articles identified three questionnaires; the Modified Harris Hip Score (MHHS), the Nonarthritic Hip Score (NAHS) and the Hip Outcome Score (HOS). The NAHS scored best on the content validity, whereas the HOS scored best on agreement, internal consistency, reliability and responsiveness. The quality of the articles describing the HOS scored highest. The NAHS is the best quality questionnaire. The articles describing the HOS are the best quality articles. Conclusions This systematic review shows that there is no conclusive evidence for the use of a single patient-reported outcome questionnaire in the evaluation of patients undergoing hip arthroscopy. Based on available psychometric evidence we recommend using a combination of the NAHS and the HOS for patients undergoing hip arthroscopy.</p

Importance of Preoperative Imaging in Acetabular Revision Surgery - A Case Report

Acetabular defects, particularly as a result of protrusion of acetabular components into the hemipelvis, may cause serious complications during revision procedures as a result of iatrogenic injury to surrounding anatomical structures. In these challenging cases, we advocate the utilisation of preoperative three dimensional imaging. MRI and CT- imaging offer superior understanding of the three-dimensional quality of bony defects and the relationship of implants to important anatomical structures. Appropriate preoperative planning may also prevent major complications during the removal of the pre-existing hardware, prior to re-implantation of implants. Potential complications include injury of nerves, blood vessels and other intrapelvic structures

The NeST (Neoadjuvant systemic therapy in breast cancer) study: National Practice Questionnaire of United Kingdom multi-disciplinary decision making.

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) is increasingly used in the treatment of breast cancer, yet it is clear that there is significant geographical variation in its use in the UK. This study aimed to examine stated practice across UK breast units, in terms of indications for use, radiological monitoring, pathological reporting of treatment response, and post-treatment surgical management. METHODS: Multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) from all UK breast units were invited to participate in the NeST study. A detailed questionnaire assessing current stated practice was distributed to all participating units in December 2017 and data collated securely usingREDCap. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each questionnaire item. RESULTS: Thirty-nine MDTs from a diverse range of hospitals responded. All MDTs routinely offered neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) to a median of 10% (range 5-60%) of patients. Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) was offered to a median of 4% (range 0-25%) of patients by 66% of MDTs. The principal indication given for use of neoadjuvant therapy was for surgical downstaging. There was no consensus on methods of radiological monitoring of response, and a wide variety of pathological reporting systems were used to assess tumour response. Twenty-five percent of centres reported resecting the original tumour footprint, irrespective of clinical/radiological response. Radiologically negative axillae at diagnosis routinely had post-NACT or post-NET sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in 73.0 and 84% of centres respectively, whereas 16% performed SLNB pre-NACT. Positive axillae at diagnosis would receive axillary node clearance at 60% of centres, regardless of response to NACT. DISCUSSION: There is wide variation in the stated use of neoadjuvant systemic therapy across the UK, with general low usage of NET. Surgical downstaging remains the most common indication of the use of NAC, although not all centres leverage the benefits of NAC for de-escalating surgery to the breast and/or axilla. There is a need for agreed multidisciplinary guidance for optimising selection and management of patients for NST. These findings will be corroborated in phase II of the NeST study which is a national collaborative prospective audit of NST utilisation and clinical outcomes

Something from (almost) nothing: Buildup of object memory from forgettable single fixations

We can recognize thousands of individual objects in scores of familiar settings, and yet we see most of them only through occasional glances that are quickly forgotten. How do we come to recognize any of these objects? Here, we show that when objects are presented intermittently for durations of single fixations, the originally fleeting memories become gradually stabilized, such that, after just eight separated fixations, recognition memory after half an hour is as good as during an immediate memory test. However, with still shorter presentation durations, memories take more exposures to stabilize. Our results thus suggest that repeated glances suffice to remember the objects of our environment

A Unique Radiation Scheme for the Treatment of High-Grade Non-Metastatic Soft Tissue Sarcoma: The Detroit Medical Center Experience

Purpose:This is the initial report on the utilization of combined photon irradiation followed by a neutron boost irradiation for the initial management of patients with high-grade non-metastatic soft tissue sarcoma (STS). We present data on local control, complications, disease-free survival and overall survival in patients at high risk for local relapse

Evapotranspiration and crop coefficients of rice (Oryza sativa L.) under sprinkler irrigation in a semiarid climate determined by the surface renewal method

The evapotranspiration (ETc) of sprinkler-irrigated rice was determined for the semiarid conditions of NE Spain during 2001, 2002 and 2003. The surface renewal method, after calibration against the eddy covariance method, was used to obtain values of sensible heat flux (H) from high-frequency temperature readings. Latent heat flux values were obtained by solving the energy balance equation. Finally, lysimeter measurements were used to validate the evapotranspiration values obtained with the surface renewal method. Seasonal rice evapotranspiration was about 750–800 mm. Average daily ETc for mid-season (from 90 to 130 days after sowing) was 5.1, 4.5 and 6.1 mm day−1 for 2001, 2002 and 2003, respectively. The experimental weekly crop coefficients fluctuated in the range of 0.83–1.20 for 2001, 0.81–1.03 for 2002 and 0.84–1.15 for 2003. The total growing season was about 150–160 days. In average, the crop coefficients for the initial (Kcini), mid-season (Kcmid) and late-season stages (Kcend) were 0.92, 1.06 and 1.03, respectively, the length of these stages being about 55, 45 and 25 days, respectively