The Effect Of Sandy Surfaces on Touch DNA

Touch DNA profiling is an important tool to solve the mystery of many cases, especially when other biological evidences cannot be found in crime scene. However, there are many variables that influence Touch DNA profiling such as recovery techniques and extraction. In addition, effect of environmental factors on items found outdoor such as sand can impact on the process. Therefore the aim of this experiment was to test how sandy surfaces can affect the recovery of Touch DNA Profiling by validation two recovery methods and two extraction kits that are widely used in the DNA forensic field

Solitary wave dynamics in time-dependent potentials

We rigorously study the long time dynamics of solitary wave solutions of the nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation in {\it time-dependent} external potentials. To set the stage, we first establish the well-posedness of the Cauchy problem for a generalized nonautonomous nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation. We then show that in the {\it space-adiabatic} regime where the external potential varies slowly in space compared to the size of the soliton, the dynamics of the center of the soliton is described by Hamilton's equations, plus terms due to radiation damping. We finally remark on two physical applications of our analysis. The first is adiabatic transportation of solitons, and the second is Mathieu instability of trapped solitons due to time-periodic perturbations.Comment: 38 pages, some typos corrected, one reference added, one remark adde

Proton Heating in Solar Wind Compressible Turbulence with Collisions between Counter-propagating Waves

Magnetohydronamic turbulence is believed to play a crucial role in heating the laboratorial, space, and astrophysical plasmas. However, the precise connection between the turbulent fluctuations and the particle kinetics has not yet been established. Here we present clear evidence of plasma turbulence heating based on diagnosed wave features and proton velocity distributions from solar wind measurements by the Wind spacecraft. For the first time, we can report the simultaneous observation of counter-propagating magnetohydrodynamic waves in the solar wind turbulence. Different from the traditional paradigm with counter-propagating Alfv\'en waves, anti-sunward Alfv\'en waves (AWs) are encountered by sunward slow magnetosonic waves (SMWs) in this new type of solar wind compressible turbulence. The counter-propagating AWs and SWs correspond respectively to the dominant and sub-dominant populations of the imbalanced Els\"asser variables. Nonlinear interactions between the AWs and SMWs are inferred from the non-orthogonality between the possible oscillation direction of one wave and the possible propagation direction of the other. The associated protons are revealed to exhibit bi-directional asymmetric beams in their velocity distributions: sunward beams appearing in short and narrow patterns and anti-sunward broad extended tails. It is suggested that multiple types of wave-particle interactions, i.e., cyclotron and Landau resonances with AWs and SMWs at kinetic scales, are taking place to jointly heat the protons perpendicularly and parallel

Variation in gas chromatography (GC) analysis in setting up laboratory protocols for waste to energy novel fixed bed reactor setups

Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) has been applied in various analytical chemistry works. However, to fine tune a system that can serve the purposes of pyrolysis oil identification has proven to be a laborious effort, especially when considering the fact that no standard protocol exists for such analysis. In addition, obtained products were yielded from a newly commissioned unit with a unique and novel design. In this study, a US patent office claimed reactor [SULTAN-1, Pyrolysis Reactor System for the Conversion and Analysis of Organic Solid Waste, Patent application number: 15,487,351] that degrades polyolefinc virgin and waste materials to obtain petroleum refinery and petrochemical feedstock, has been commissioned. The reactor produces three distinct physical states of matter products accumulated as testing specimens, i.e. solids, gaseous and oil. The samples analysed in this work were of the gas and oil produced by pyrolysis of end of life tyre (ELTs) shavings that required to have a special recipe to work with in the laboratory. Various MS cords were utilised and experimental setups to fine tune the process, and special emphasis was given on the gas samples variation in this communication. To reach the desired analysis results with high repeatability, a plethora of experiences of lab personnel and laboratory-based experimental work was accumulated. Laboratory protocols were also setup for this work. These will be detailed along the process execution which yielded a standard laboratory best practice analytical method as part of the State of Kuwait newly initiated Government Initiative project

A multicentre integration of a computer-led follow-up of prostate cancer is valid and safe

Background Prostate cancer (CaP) has a rising number of patients requiring routine follow up. In this study, we aimed to test a computer led follow up service for prostate cancer in two UK hospitals. The testing aimed to validate the computer Expert system in making clinical decisions according to the individual patient’s clinical need. The valid model should accurately identify patients with disease recurrence or treatment failure based on their blood test and clinical picture. Methods A clinical decision support system (CDSS) was developed from European (EAU) and national (NICE) guidelines along with knowledge acquired from Urologists. This model was then applied in two UK hospitals to review patients post CaP treatment. These patients’ data (n= 200) were then reviewed by two independent Urology consultants (blinded from the CDSS and other consultant’s rating) and the agreement was calculated by kappa statistics for validation. The second objective aimed to verify the system by estimating the system reliability. Results The two individual urology consultants identified 12 % & 15% of the patients to have potential disease progression and recommended their referral to the Urology care. The kappa coefficient for the agreement between the CDSS and the 2 consultants was 0.81 (p < 0.001) and 0.84 (p < 0.001). The agreement among both specialist was also high with k = 0.83 (p < 0.001). The system reliability was estimated on all cases and this demonstrated 100% repeatability of the decisions. Conclusion The computer led follow up is a valid model for providing safe follow up for prostate cancer

Beyond weight loss: establishing a postbariatric surgery patient support group - what do patients want?

Purpose: There are limited resources for long-term specialist follow-up after bariatric surgery. In selected centres, patients can access a postoperative support group, but there is no clear evidence to guide their delivery. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of bariatric surgery patients (n = 152) who had been discharged from specialist follow-up (mean time since surgery 5.5 years), covering weight history, physical and psychosocial comorbidities, and the need for a postoperative bariatric support group. Results: Fifty-eight percent wanted a postbariatric surgery patient support group. This was not associated with operation type or the amount of weight lost or regained. However, those who wanted a support group were significantly more likely to be struggling to keep the weight off, to be unhappy with the way they look, or to be experiencing difficulties returning to work. Conclusions: These data point to an unmet patient requirement for a postoperative support group that is independent of weight loss success. More research is required to ascertain how such a group should be delivered, but our data would suggest that supporting patients with weight loss maintenance, body image, and return to work is an important part of postoperative care, and these needs extend well beyond the immediate period of specialist follow-up