Supporting research and development in ambulance services: research for better healthcare in prehospital settings

Background This paper discusses recent developments in research support for ambulance trusts in England and Wales and how this could be designed to lead to better implementation, collaboration in and initiation of high-quality research to support a truly evidence-based service. Method The National Ambulance Research Steering Group was set up in 2007 to establish the strategic direction for involvement of regional ambulance services in developing relevant and well-designed research for improving the quality of services to patients. Results Ambulance services have been working together and with academic partners to implement research and to participate, collaborate and lead the design of research that is relevant for patients and ambulance services. Conclusion New structures to support the strategic development of ambulance and prehospital research will help address gaps in the evidence for health interventions and service delivery in prehospital and ambulance care and ensure that ambulance services can increase their capacity and capability for high-quality research

The degradation of alzak by short wavelength ultraviolet radiation

The changes in reflectance of thermal aluminum coating samples exposed to different irradiating utraviolet wavelengths are discussed. It is shown that the coating is damaged faster and further by 180 to 210 in radiation than by Lyman alpha radiation. On an equivalent incident energy basis, Lyman alpha does less damage than 180 to 210 nm radiation. Above 300 nm no degradation is observed for long exposures and below 300 nm increasing degradation with decreasing wavelength is found. It is concluded that Lyman alpha radiation need not be included in laboratory testing of this thermal coating for spacecraft structures

Controls on the width of tropical precipitation and its contraction under global warming

AD and ARA were funded by the National Science Foundation Paleo Perspective on Climate Change (P2C2) Grant number AGS-1702827.Climate models robustly and unanimously simulate narrowing of the intense tropical precipitation under greenhouse gas forcing. We argue that the meridional width of tropical precipitation is controlled by the seasonal meridional range of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). The contraction of tropical precipitation under greenhouse forcing results from a reduced seasonal range of ITCZ migration. An energetic theory -- similar to the energetic theory for ITCZ shifts based on the hemispheric contrast of energy input to the atmosphere-- is developed. The meridional width of tropical precipitation is proportional to the seasonal range of the inter-hemispheric contrast in atmospheric heating divided by the efficiency of atmospheric cross-equatorial heat transport. Climate models are biased toward overly expansive tropical precipitation resulting from an exaggerated seasonal atmospheric heating. The robust contraction of tropical precipitation under global warming results from increased efficiency of inter-hemispheric energy transport consistent with enhanced gross moist stability of the tropical atmosphere.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

The measurement of lubricant-film thickness using ultrasound

Ultrasound is reflected from a liquid layer between two solid bodies. This reflection depends on the ultrasonic frequency, the acoustic properties of the liquid and solid, and the layer thickness. If the wavelength is much greater than the liquid-layer thickness, then the response is governed by the stiffness of the layer. If the wavelength and layer thickness are similar, then the interaction of ultrasound with the layer is controlled by its resonant behaviour. This stiffness governed response and resonant response can be used to determine the thickness of the liquid layer, if the other parameters are known. In this paper, ultrasound has been developed as a method to determine the thickness of lubricating films in bearing systems. An ultrasonic transducer is positioned on the outside of a bearing shell such that the wave is focused on the lubricant-film layer. The transducer is used to both emit and receive wide-band ultrasonic pulses. For a particular lubricant film, the reflected pulse is processed to give a reflection-coefficient spectrum. The lubricant-film thickness is then obtained from either the layer stiffness or the resonant frequency. The method has been validated using fluid wedges at ambient pressure between flat and curved surfaces. Experiments on the elastohydrodynamic film formed between a sliding ball and a flat surface were performed. Film-thickness values in the range 50-500 nm were recorded, which agreed well with theoretical film-formation predictions. Similar measurements have been made on the oil film between the balls and outer raceway of a deep-groove ball bearing

A Comparison of the Fish Populations and Habitat in Open and Closed Salt Marsh Impoundments in East-Central Florida

Historical and recent biological surveys including aerial and ground level photographs reveal gross changes in vegetation and fish habitat associated with impoundment and flooding of salt marshes bordering the Indian River lagoon in east-central Florida. These studies show a depauperate ichthyofauna and floral association in impoundments excluded from estuarine tidal influence. Monthly collections of fishes made during 1979 and 1980 are used to compare two marsh impoundments: one closed to tidal influence from the Indian River lagoon and the other reopened to tidal influence through a single 80 em diameter culvert. The closed impoundment was found to contain a depauperate ichthyofauna consisting of 12 species collected under stressed environmental conditions. Water temperatures ranged from 14 to 34° C, salinities fluctuated widely from 2.0 to 200 ppt and dissolved oxygen was measured as low as 1.2 and as high as 14.2 ppm. The open impoundment contained a far richer ichthyofauna with 41 fish species captured at temperatures of 13.5 to 30° C, salinities of 25 to 38 ppt and dissolved oxygen levels of 2.2 to 7.5 ppm. The open impoundment also demonstrated extensive regrowth of marsh vegetation

Pressure Tuning of the Charge Density Wave in the Halogen-Bridged Transition-Metal (MX) Solid Pt2Br6(NH3)4Pt_2Br_6(NH_3)_4

We report the pressure dependence up to 95 kbar of Raman active stretching modes in the quasi-one-dimensional MX chain solid $Pt_2Br_6(NH_3)_4$. The data indicate that a predicted pressure-induced insulator-to-metal transition does not occur, but are consistent with the solid undergoing either a three-dimensional structural distortion, or a transition from a charge-density wave to another broken-symmetry ground state. We show that such a transition cacan be well-modeled within a Peierls-Hubbard Hamiltonian. 1993 PACS: 71.30.+h, 71.45.Lr, 75.30.Fv, 78.30.-j, 81.40.VwComment: 4 pages, ReVTeX 3.0, figures available from the authors on request (Gary Kanner, [email protected]), to be published in Phys Rev B Rapid Commun, REVISION: minor typos corrected, LA-UR-94-246

Supplementation with DHA and the psychological functioning of young adults

The grey matter of the brain contains high levels of the essential nutrient DHA. Although the role of DHA in the developing brain and in dementia has attracted attention, its influence on the brain of the healthy adult has been little considered. A total of 285 young adult females took 400mg of DHA, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, for 50d. After 50d, recently acquired information was more likely to be forgotten by those who had consumed DHA. No significant differences in mood, reaction times, vigilance or visual acuity were foun

In Vitro Maturation of a Humanized Shark VNAR Domain to Improve Its Biophysical Properties to Facilitate Clinical Development

Acknowledgments: The authors would like to acknowledge the funding support for this work from Scottish Enterprise [VNAR_001(2012)] and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/K010905/1).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Multimode simulations of a wide field of view double-Fourier far-infrared spatio-spectral interferometer

In the absence of 50-m class space-based observatories, subarcsecond astronomy spanning the full far-infrared wavelength range will require space-based long-baseline interferometry. The long baselines of up to tens of meters are necessary to achieve subarcsecond resolution demanded by science goals. Also, practical observing times command a field of view toward an arcminute (1′) or so, not achievable with a single on-axis coherent detector. This paper is concerned with an application of an end-to-end instrument simulator PyFIInS, developed as part of the FISICA project under funding from the European Commission’s seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7). Predicted results of wide field of view spatio–spectral interferometry through simulations of a long-baseline, double-Fourier, far-infrared interferometer concept are presented and analyzed. It is shown how such an interferometer, illuminated by a multimode detector can recover a large field of view at subarcsecond angular resolution, resulting in similar image quality as that achieved by illuminating the system with an array of coherent detectors. Through careful analysis, the importance of accounting for the correct number of higher-order optical modes is demonstrated, as well as accounting for both orthogonal polarizations. Given that it is very difficult to manufacture waveguide and feed structures at sub-mm wavelengths, the larger multimode design is recommended over the array of smaller single mode detectors. A brief note is provided in the conclusion of this paper addressing a more elegant solution to modeling far-infrared interferometers, which holds promise for improving the computational efficiency of the simulations presented here

Metaboloepigenetics: Interrelationships between energy metabolism and epigenetic control of gene expression

Diet and energy metabolism affect gene expression, which influences human health and disease. Here, we discuss the role of epigenetics as a mechanistic link between energy metabolism and control of gene expression. A number of key energy metabolites including SAM, acetyl-CoA, NAD+, and ATP serve as essential co-factors for many, perhaps most, epigenetic enzymes that regulate DNA methylation, posttranslational histone modifications, and nucleosome position. The relative abundance of these energy metabolites allows a cell to sense its energetic state. And as co-factors, energy metabolites act as rheostats to modulate the activity of epigenetic enzymes and upregulate/downregulate transcription as appropriate to maintain homeostasis