Quantifying ultrasound for sono-crystallization

The application of ultrasound to crystallization processes is a well-established technique employed to control the initiation of nucleation and therefore to achieve control over the crystal size and size distribution. In the context of Apfel’s golden rules of cavitation: "Know thy liquid," "Know thy sound field" and "Know when something happens," the third rule has been satisfied. However, in order to link the applied ultrasonic energy to the enhanced process parameters, it is important to characterize the sound field and cavitation activity in the crystallization solvent. In order to better understand and design sono-crystallization experiments in the context of pharmaceutical manufacturing, measurements of acoustic emissions, broadband integrated voltage and focused beam reflectance measurements (FBRM) have been carried out in five typical crystallization solvents and water at a fundamental frequency of 40 kHz. The approaches taken have been to detect and measure cavitation activity as a function of ultrasonic power, allowing a comparison across the solvents

Rest and Sleep Patterns and Activities of Residents in Long-term Care Facilities: A Descriptive Study

Background:To facilitate healthy occupational participation and highlight the significance of rest and sleep for older adults, this study aimed to provide a description of rest and sleep patterns and activities of residents in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). Method: Secondary analysis of rest and sleep data collected from a funded R21 study was conducted. Twenty-nine residents were interviewed using the Yesterday Interview (YI) to describe their time and daily activities, including rest and sleep patterns and activities. Results: Average time spent sleeping was 10.22 (±1.77) hr and resting was 4.77 (±3.3) hr. Data were also collected on the personal and instrumental daily living activities in which residents participated during rest time and sleep preparation. Conclusion: Occupational therapists working with residents in LTCFs are well suited to incorporate rest and sleep interventions that will enhance the occupational performance of daily living activities. Future research efforts should be directed at strategies to increase the sleep health of residents in LTCFs in collaboration with other in-house professions

Uma revisão do desempenho de jardins de chuva e tipos de solo

Mudanças climáticas globais, excesso de impermeabilização, crescimento urbano acelerado, canalização de rios e córregos, são algumas das motivações que contribuem para alteração do ciclo hidrológico. Estas transformações impactam no regime chuvas, e podem gerar problemas como inundações e enchentes, porém, podem ser tratadas por técnicas de desenvolvimento de baixo impacto, e um exemplo disso são os jardins de chuva, que tem como principal objetivo captar e atenuar o escoamento superficial de precipitações e contribuir para a recarga de aquíferos. Muitos estudos e simulações acerca do tema foram realizados, porém, é necessário compreender como características locais, climáticas e de desenho poderiam influenciar no desempenho destas estruturas, para que o desenvolvimento de projetos seja conduzido de maneira assertiva. Para tal, foi realizada revisão bibliográfica sistemática, através de protocolos de busca na plataforma Web of Science, de onde foram extraídos 50 trabalhos que subsidiaram o desenvolvimento da pesquisa. Os achados descreveram os principais fatores de influência no desempenho de jardins de chuva, como: classificação do solo, condutividade hidráulica, características climáticas, altura do lençol freático e a geometria do projeto. Ficou evidente com base na pesquisa que, apesar da possibilidade de fatores como tipos dos solos e índices pluviométricos exercerem influências negativas no desempenho dos jardins de chuva, estas podem ser contornadas com o desenvolvimento de estratégias adequadas de projeto. Por fim o estudo proporcionou a sistematização de informações considerando as tipologias de solo, pontos fortes e fracos, além de sugestões para de tratamento das limitações apontadas, com vistas a auxiliar na análise e desenvolvimento de projetos.El cambio climático global, la impermeabilización excesiva, el crecimiento urbano acelerado, la canalización de ríos y arroyos son algunas de las motivaciones que contribuyen a alterar el ciclo hidrológico. Estas transformaciones impactan el régimen de lluvias, y pueden generar problemas como inundaciones e inundaciones, sin embargo, pueden ser abordados mediante técnicas de desarrollo de bajo impacto, y un ejemplo de ello son los jardines de lluvia, cuyo principal objetivo es captar y atenuar la superficie. las precipitaciones de escorrentía y contribuyen a la recarga de los acuíferos. Se realizaron muchos estudios y simulaciones sobre el tema, sin embargo, es necesario comprender cómo las características locales, climáticas y de diseño podrían influir en el desempeño de estas estructuras, para que el desarrollo de los proyectos se lleve a cabo de manera asertiva. Para ello, se realizó una revisión bibliográfica sistemática, utilizando protocolos de búsqueda en la plataforma Web of Science, de la cual se extrajeron 50 artículos que apoyaron el desarrollo de la investigación. Los hallazgos describieron los principales factores que influyen en el rendimiento de los jardines de lluvia, tales como: clasificación del suelo, conductividad hidráulica, características climáticas, altura del nivel freático y geometría del diseño. De la investigación resultó evidente que, a pesar de la posibilidad de que factores como los tipos de suelo y los índices de lluvia influyan negativamente en el rendimiento de los jardines de lluvia, estos pueden evitarse con el desarrollo de estrategias de diseño adecuadas. Finalmente, el estudio proporcionó la sistematización de información considerando tipologías de suelos, fortalezas y debilidades, así como sugerencias para abordar las limitaciones identificadas, con miras a ayudar en el análisis y desarrollo de proyectos

PERUBAHAN PERILAKU KOMUNIKASI KARYAWAN SUB. BAG HUMAS DAN PENAGIHAN PDAM KOTA SALATIGA SEBELUM BULAN RAMADHAN HINGGA BULAN RAMADHAN TAHUN 2014

Behavior   is   someone   response orreaction towards   the external stimulus (stimuli from the outside). In a company or agency, individual behavior is strongly influenced by the work environment, thus forming a pattern of organizational behavior. Religious rituals are still practiced todays, unconsciously limit people behavior. Indications of changes in employee behavior also occur on Sub.Bag.Humas dan Penagihan PDAM Salatiga. This research was conducted to determine how behavior and communication changes caused by particular moment (Ramadhan).  The method used in this research is qualitative ethnographic that intens to understand social phenomenon of the changing pattern of behavior and communication that occurs at specific moment (Ramadhan). The results of this research, stated that the behavior and communication undergo changes because of special moment which it has implications on employee’s performance and even the rules in the company.Keywords: Behavior modifications, Communication, Public Relations (Humas)

Exploring Spirituality of Elders Relocating into Long-Term Care Facilities

Background: Spirituality is recognized as an important contributor to quality of life, particularly for older adults. Yet, limited research has been conducted to examine spirituality of older adults relocating to long-term care facilities (LTCFs). The intent of this mixed methods study was to cull data from a parent study to explore different aspects of spirituality among residents newly admitted to LTCFs. Method: Qualitative and quantitative data of six participants from a parent study including interviews and scores from the religious and existential well-being sections of the Spiritual Well Being Scale (SWBS) were analyzed and triangulated. Results: Descriptive analysis of the demographic data including age, gender, ethnicity, and spirituality scores was conducted. Emerging themes from the qualitative interviews included: hope/hopelessness for the future; sense of belonging in the LTCF; contentment/discontentment with life; and personal religious beliefs. These themes, in turn, were triangulated with and supported by the SWBS scores Conclusion: The findings have the potential of developing recommendations for spiritually-based interventions to facilitate successful relocation to LTCFs. Clinical implications for occupational therapy and future research are discussed

A histological method for quantifying Plasmodium falciparum in the brain in fatal paediatric cerebral malaria

Background: The sequestration of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes in brain microvasculature through cytoadherence to endothelium, is the hallmark of the definitive diagnosis of cerebral malaria and plays a critical role in malaria pathogenesis. The complex pathophysiology, which leads each patient to the final outcome of cerebral malaria, is multifaceted and thus, metrics to delineate specific patterns within cerebral malaria are needed to further parse patients. Methods: A method was developed for quantification utilizing counts of capillary contents (early-stage parasites, late-stage parasites and fibrin) from histological preparations of brain tissue after death, and compared it to the standard approach, in which the percentage of parasitized vessels in cross-section is determined. Results: Within the initial cohort of 50 patients, two different observers agreed closely on the percentage of vessels parasitized, pigmented parasites and pigment globules (ICC = 0.795-0.970). Correlations between observers for correct diagnostic classification were high (Kendall’s tau-b = 0.8779, Kappa = 0.8413). When these methods were applied prospectively to a second set of 50 autopsy samples, they revealed a heterogeneous distribution of sequestered parasites in the brain with pigmented parasites and pigment globules present in the cerebellum > cortex > brainstem. There was no difference in the distribution of early stages of parasites or in the percentage of vessels parasitized across the same sites. The second cohort of cases was also used to test a previously published classification and regression tree (CART) analysis; the quantitative data alone were able to accurately classify and distinguish cerebral malaria from non-cerebral malaria. Classification errors occurred within a subclassification of cerebral malaria (CM1 vs CM2). A repeat CART analysis for the second cohort generated slightly different classification rules with more accurate subclassification, although misclassification still occurred. Conclusions: The traditional measure of parasite sequestration in falciparum malaria, the percentage of vessels parasitized, is the most reliable and consistent for the general diagnosis of cerebral malaria. Methods that involve quantitative measures of different life cycle stages are useful for distinguishing patterns within the cerebral malaria population; these subclassifications may be important for studies of disease pathogenesis and ancillary treatment

Analysis of independent cohorts of outbred CFW mice reveals novel loci for behavioral and physiological traits and identifies factors determining reproducibility

Funding This work was partially supported by National Institutes of Health grants [R01MH115979 (J.F.), R01GM097737 and P50DA037844 (A.A.P)]. J.Z. is supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under Grant DGE1650604. Publication charges for this article have been funded by 1R01MH115979. J.F., A.A.P., and R.M. conceived the study. J.Z., J.F., and S.G. performed the bioinformatics analysis. C.P. and J.N. prepared the phenotypes. R.W.D. generated the genotypes. J.Z., C.P., S.G, N.C, A.L. A.A.P., and J.F. wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Elucidating the mechanism of paracetamol sonocrystallization for product purity enhancement

We have previously demonstrated product purity enhancement during the crystallization of paracetamol in a low intensity ultrasound field. In order to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of sonocrystallization, the applied ultrasonic interventions were characterized by measurements of cavitation bubble number, size and size distribution with a Mettler FBRM probe. Ultrasonic intensity measurements were conducted using a needle hydrophone. The solvents selected for study; water, ethanol and isoamyl alcohol show significant differences in behavior. This data provides an insight into the relationship between solvent properties and cavitation bubble activity under the same applied ultrasonic energy. Substantially more cavitation bubbles form in the organic solvents compared with water, this is consistent with the lower surface tension and higher vapor pressure of the organic solvents. The difference in bubble size distributions between ethanol and isoamyl alcohol is significant. In ethanol most bubbles remain below 30μm whereas in isoamyl alcohol they tend towards 1mm in size. Detection, quantification and measurement of cavitation bubbles in crystallization solvents contributes further evidence that acoustic cavitation is a key component in sonocrystallization. The industrial driver is to incorporate this understanding into both pharmaceutical process and equipment design to improve the product quality, reduce waste and improve access to medicines

How should the completeness and quality of curated nanomaterial data be evaluated

Nanotechnology is of increasing significance. Curation of nanomaterial data into electronic databases offers opportunities to better understand and predict nanomaterials’ behaviour. This supports innovation in, and regulation of, nanotechnology. It is commonly understood that curated data need to be sufficiently complete and of sufficient quality to serve their intended purpose. However, assessing data completeness and quality is non-trivial in general and is arguably especially difficult in the nanoscience area, given its highly multidisciplinary nature. The current article, part of the Nanomaterial Data Curation Initiative series, addresses how to assess the completeness and quality of (curated) nanomaterial data. In order to address this key challenge, a variety of related issues are discussed: the meaning and importance of data completeness and quality, existing approaches to their assessment and the key challenges associated with evaluating the completeness and quality of curated nanomaterial data. Considerations which are specific to the nanoscience area and lessons which can be learned from other relevant scientific disciplines are considered. Hence, the scope of this discussion ranges from physicochemical characterisation requirements for nanomaterials and interference of nanomaterials with nanotoxicology assays to broader issues such as minimum information checklists, toxicology data quality schemes and computational approaches that facilitate evaluation of the completeness and quality of (curated) data. This discussion is informed by a literature review and a survey of key nanomaterial data curation stakeholders. Finally, drawing upon this discussion, recommendations are presented concerning the central question: how should the completeness and quality of curated nanomaterial data be evaluated

Efficacy and safety of belimumab in paediatric and adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: An across-study comparison

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of belimumab in paediatric versus adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: We performed across-study comparisons of patients with active SLE who received belimumab or placebo, plus standard therapy, in PLUTO (paediatric phase II) and BLISS-52, BLISS-76, BLISS-NEA and EMBRACE (adult phase III). Analysed efficacy data included Week 52 SLE Responder Index (SRI)-4 response rate (EMBRACE: SRI with modified Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) proteinuria scoring (SRI-S2K)); SRI-4 response rate (EMBRACE: SRI-S2K) according to baseline disease activity indicators (Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment-Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SELENA-SLEDAI) score; anti-dsDNA/C3/C4 levels); Week 52 SRI-6 response rate; and time to first severe flare (SELENA-SLEDAI Flare Index) over 52 weeks. Safety data were compared for all aforementioned studies along with adult LBSL02 (phase II) and BLISS-SC (phase III). RESULTS: SRI-4 response rates were similar across the paediatric and adult studies; more belimumab-treated patients achieved SRI-4 responses versus placebo (PLUTO: 52.8% vs 43.6%; BLISS-52: 57.6% vs 43.6%; BLISS-76: 43.2% vs 33.8%; BLISS-NEA: 53.8% vs 40.1%; EMBRACE: 48.7% vs 41.6%). Across all studies, SRI-4 response rates were generally greater in patients with baseline SELENA-SLEDAI scores ≥10 than in patients with baseline SELENA-SLEDAI scores ≤9. A similar proportion of belimumab-treated patients achieved SRI-6 across all studies (PLUTO: 41.2%; BLISS-52: 46.2%; BLISS-76: 33.1%; BLISS-NEA: 43.9%; EMBRACE: 37.5%). Belimumab reduced the risk of severe flare versus placebo in all studies. The incidence of adverse events was similar across all studies. CONCLUSIONS: These analyses demonstrate consistent efficacy and safety of belimumab plus standard therapy across paediatric and adult patients with SLE. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS: PLUTO (NCT01649765); BLISS-52 (NCT00424476); BLISS-76 (NCT00410384); BLISS-NEA (NCT01345253); EMBRACE (NCT01632241); BLISS-SC (NCT01484496); and LBSL02 (NCT00071487)