Chalk-steel Interface testing for marine energy foundations

The Energy Technology Partnership (ETP) and Lloyd’s Register EMEA are gratefully acknowledged for the funding of this project. The authors would also like to acknowledge the support of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) SMART Centre at the University of Dundee that allowed purchase of the equipment used during this study. The views expressed are those of the authors alone, and do not necessarily represent the views of their respective companies or employing organizations.Peer reviewedPostprin

Towards the prevention of acute lung injury: a population based cohort study protocol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Acute lung injury (ALI) is an example of a critical care syndrome with limited treatment options once the condition is fully established. Despite improved understanding of pathophysiology of ALI, the clinical impact has been limited to improvements in supportive treatment. On the other hand, little has been done on the prevention of ALI. Olmsted County, MN, geographically isolated from other urban areas offers the opportunity to study clinical pathogenesis of ALI in a search for potential prevention targets.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>In this population-based observational cohort study, the investigators identify patients at high risk of ALI using the prediction model applied within the first six hours of hospital admission. Using a validated system-wide electronic surveillance, Olmsted County patients at risk are followed until ALI, death or hospital discharge. Detailed in-hospital (second hit) exposures and meaningful short and long term outcomes (quality-adjusted survival) are compared between ALI cases and high risk controls matched by age, gender and probability of developing ALI. Time sensitive biospecimens are collected for collaborative research studies. Nested case control comparison of 500 patients who developed ALI with 500 matched controls will provide an adequate power to determine significant differences in common hospital exposures and outcomes between the two groups.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This population-based observational cohort study will identify patients at high risk early in the course of disease, the burden of ALI in the community, and the potential targets for future prevention trials.</p

Risk factors for the development of acute lung injury in patients with septic shock: An observational cohort study

Objective: Almost half of the patients with septic shock develop acute lung injury (ALI). The understanding why some patients do and others do not develop ALI is limited. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that delayed treatment of septic shock is associated with the development of ALI. Design: Observational cohort study. Setting. Medical intensive care unit in a tertiary medical center. Patients: Prospectively identified patients with septic shock who did not have ALI at the outset, excluding those who denied research authorization. Measurements and Main Results. High frequency cardio-respiratory monitoring, arterial gas analysis, and portable chest radiographs were reviewed to identify the timing of ALI development. Risk factors present before ALI development were identified by review of electronic medical records and analyzed in univariate and multivariate analyses. Seventy-one of 160 patients (44%) developed ALI at a median of 5 (range 2-94) hours after the onset of septic shock. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the following predictors of ALI development: delayed goal-directed resuscitation (odds ratio [OR] 3.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.52-8.63, p =.004), delayed antibiotics (OR 2.39, 95% Cl 1.06 -5.59, p =.039), transfusion (OR 2.75, 95% CI 1.22-6.37, p =.016), alcohol abuse (OR 2.09, 95% Cl.88-5.10, p = 0.098), recent chemotherapy (OR 6.47, 95% Cl 1.99-24.9, p = 0.003), diabetes mellitus (OR.44, 95% CI.17-1.07, p =.076), and baseline respiratory rate (OR 2.03 per SO, 95% CI 1.38-3.08, P <.001). Conclusion: When adjusted for known modifiers of ALI expression, delayed treatment of shock and infection were associated with development of ALI.United States Department of Health & Human Services (1 K23 HL087843)National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA (R01HL087843

Conceptions of Proof – In Research and Teaching

This chapter first analyses and compares mathematicians’ and mathematics educators’ different conceptualisations of proof and shows how these are formed by different professional backgrounds and research interests. This diversity of views makes it difficult to precisely explain what a proof is, especially to a novice at proving. In the second section, we examine teachers’, student teachers’ and pupils’ proof conceptions and beliefs as revealed by empirical research. We find that the teachers’ beliefs clearly revolve around the questions of what counts as proof in the classroom and whether the teaching of proof should focus on the product or on the process. The third section discusses which type of metaknowledge about proof educators should provide to teachers and thus to students, how they can do this and what the intrinsic difficulties of developing adequate metaknowledge are

Early Identification of Patients at Risk of Acute Lung Injury: Evaluation of Lung Injury Prediction Score in a Multicenter Cohort Study

Rationale: Accurate, early identification of patients at risk for developing acute lung injury (ALI) provides the opportunity to test and implement secondary prevention strategies