Variable viscosity and thermophoresis effects on Darcy mixed convective heat and mass transfer past a porous wedge in the presence of chemical reaction

An analysis is presented to investigate the effect of thermophoresis particle deposition and variable viscosity on Darcy mixed convective heat and mass transfer of a viscous, incompressible fluid past a porous wedge in the presence of chemical reaction. The wall of the wedge is embedded in a uniform Darcian porous medium in order to allow for possible fluid wall suction or injection. The viscosity of the fluid is assumed to be a inverse linear function of temperature. The results are analyzed for the effect of different physical parameters, such as variable viscosity, magnetic, chemical reaction and thermophoresis parameters, on the flow, the heat and mass transfer characteristics

Schwannoma of T12 Vertebra: Case Report and Review of Literature

We report a case of schwannoma of the twelfth thoracic vertebra that presented with paraparesis. The tumour was excised, and posterior and anterior stabilisation was performed. Eighteenmonths following this procedure, the patient has solid bony union, satisfactory neurological improvement and no recurrence

Crossings as a side effect of dependency lengths

The syntactic structure of sentences exhibits a striking regularity: dependencies tend to not cross when drawn above the sentence. We investigate two competing explanations. The traditional hypothesis is that this trend arises from an independent principle of syntax that reduces crossings practically to zero. An alternative to this view is the hypothesis that crossings are a side effect of dependency lengths, i.e. sentences with shorter dependency lengths should tend to have fewer crossings. We are able to reject the traditional view in the majority of languages considered. The alternative hypothesis can lead to a more parsimonious theory of language.Comment: the discussion section has been expanded significantly; in press in Complexity (Wiley

Evaluating Inhaler Use Technique among Asthma and COPD Patients at a Primary Health Care Unit: A Pilot Study in Selangor Malaysia

Inhaler is the most preferable device to deliver medication in order to treat asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Incorrect usage of inhaler influences the clinical effectiveness of the delivered drug. A pilot study was conducted to determine the appropriateness of inhaler handling technique among asthma and COPD patients. As many as 92 subjects whom diagnosed with asthma and COPD, aged between 18 to 64 years old were observed in this cross-sectional study. Consenting subjects on inhaler, who attended medical out patients clinic at a primary health care unit in Selangor, Malaysia were asked to demonstrate on how they use the inhaler while an inhaler administration checklist were used to assess each patients inhaler technique. Data was analysed using descriptive statistical methods. Of total 92 patients, a total of 155 devices were used. Only 4 out of 92 patients correctly handles the device (4.3%). In average, a patient made approximately >4 mistakes during pMDI inhalation and >2 mistakes during DPI inhalation. The most common mistake found among pMDI, Turbuhaler and Accuhaler users were unable to hold the breath for approximately 5 seconds in which comprise of ≥80% patients. In conclusion, majority of asthma and COPD patients use their inhaler inaccurately. Patients prescribed by inhalation medications should have routine assessment of their inhaler technique at every visit and corrected if found to be poor

Multiple Fidelity Modeling of Interactional Aerodynamics

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143037/1/6.2017-3918.pd

Amorphous carbon film deposition on inner surface of tubes using atmospheric pressure pulsed filamentary plasma source

Uniform amorphous carbon film is deposited on the inner surface of quartz tube having the inner diameter of 6 mm and the outer diameter of 8 mm. A pulsed filamentary plasma source is used for the deposition. Long plasma filaments (~ 140 mm) as a positive discharge are generated inside the tube in argon with methane admixture. FTIR-ATR, XRD, SEM, LSM and XPS analyses give the conclusion that deposited film is amorphous composed of non-hydrogenated sp2 carbon and hydrogenated sp3 carbon. Plasma is characterized using optical emission spectroscopy, voltage-current measurement, microphotography and numerical simulation. On the basis of observed plasma parameters, the kinetics of the film deposition process is discussed

The Use of HCG‐Based Combination Therapy for Recovery of Spermatogenesis after Testosterone Use

Introduction and AimAbout 3 million men take testosterone in the United States with many reproductive‐age men unaware of the negative impact of testosterone supplementation on fertility. Addressing this population, we provide an early report on the use of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)‐based combination therapy in the treatment of a series of men with likely testosterone‐related azoospermia or severe oligospermia. MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed charts from two tertiary care infertility clinics to identify men presenting with azoospermia or severe oligospermia (<1 million sperm/mL) while taking exogenous testosterone. All were noted to have been placed on combination therapy, which included 3,000 units HCG subcutaneously every other day supplemented with clomiphene citrate, tamoxifen, anastrozole, or recombinant follicle‐stimulating hormone (or combination) according to physician preference.Main Outcome MeasureClinical outcomes, including hormone values, semen analyses, and clinical pregnancies, were tracked. ResultsForty‐nine men were included in this case series. Return of spermatogenesis for azoospermic men or improved counts for men with severe oligospermia was documented in 47 men (95.9%), with one additional man (2.1%) having a documented pregnancy without follow‐up semen analysis. The average time to return of spermatogenesis was 4.6 months with a mean first density of 22.6 million/mL. There was no significant difference in recovery by type of testosterone administered or supplemental therapy. No men stopped HCG or supplemental medications because of adverse events. ConclusionsWe here provide an early report of the feasibility of using combination therapy with HCG and supplemental medications in treating men with testosterone‐related infertility. Future discussion and studies are needed to further characterize this therapeutic approach and document the presumed improved tolerability and speed of recovery compared with unaided withdrawal of exogenous testosterone. Wenker EP, Dupree JM, Langille GM, Kovac J, Ramasamy R, Lamb D, Mills JN, and Lipshultz LI. The use of HCG‐based combination therapy for recovery of spermatogenesis after testosterone use. J Sex Med 2015;12:1334–1337.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111925/1/jsm12890.pd

Living in a risky world: the onset and ontogeny of an integrated antipredator phenotype in a coral reef fish

Prey individuals with complex life-histories often cannot predict the type of risk environment to which they will be exposed at each of their life stages. Because the level of investment in defences should match local risk conditions, we predict that these individuals should have the ability to modulate the expression of an integrated defensive phenotype, but this switch in expression should occur at key life-history transitions. We manipulated background level of risk in juvenile damselfish for four days following settlement (a key life-history transition) or 10 days post-settlement, and measured a suite of physiological and behavioural variables over 2 weeks. We found that settlement-stage fish exposed to high-risk conditions displayed behavioural and physiological alterations consistent with high-risk phenotypes, which gave them a survival advantage when exposed to predators. These changes were maintained for at least 2 weeks. The same exposure in post-settlement fish failed to elicit a change in some traits, while the expression of other traits disappeared within a week. Our results are consistent with those expected from phenotypic resonance. Expression of antipredator traits may be masked if individuals are not exposed to certain conditions at key ontogenetic stages

Mittag-Leffler state estimator design and synchronization analysis for fractional order BAM neural networks with time delays

This paper deals with the extended design of Mittag-Leffler state estimator and adaptive synchronization for fractional order BAM neural networks (FBNNs) with time delays. By the aid of Lyapunov direct approach and Razumikhin-type method a suitable fractional order Lyapunov functional is constructed and a new set of novel sufficient condition are derived to estimate the neuron states via available output measurements such that the ensuring estimator error system is globally Mittag-Leffler stable. Then, the adaptive feedback control rule is designed, under which the considered FBNNs can achieve Mittag-Leffler adaptive synchronization by means of some fractional order inequality techniques. Moreover, the adaptive feedback control may be utilized even when there is no ideal information from the system parameters. Finally, two numerical simulations are given to reveal the effectiveness of the theoretical consequences.N/