98 research outputs found
Blood lead levels in pregnant women and the neonate
Population studies carried out during the 1980s had shown that the Maltese population was characterized by high blood lead (PbB) levels. These high levels appeared to be a feature at all age groups including neonates. A number of environmental control measures had been initiated to attempt to decrease these PbB levels. The present study reviews PbB levels in pregnant women and newborns. It is shown that mean cord PbB levels decreased significantly in the last decade from a mean of 165.1 + 87.9 ug/I in 1985 to 89.79 + 31.23 ug/I in 1996. This decrease did not correlate with the increasing use of multimineral supplements which include the zinc cation said to be useful to counter the effects of chronic lead intoxication. Placental transfer of lead is also shown to follow closely maternal levels with a correlation coefficient of 0.81. In spite of the apparent decrease in PbB levels, about half of newborns still I have levels which require preventive community measures.peer-reviewe
On some alien terrestrial and freshwater gastropods (Mollusca) from Malta
Nine species of gastropod molluscs: Otala lactea (0. F. MUller, 1774); Cemuella virgata (da Costa, 1778); Cochlicella barbara (Linnaeus, 1758); Oxychilus helveticus (Blum, 1881); Succinea putris (Linnaeus, 1758); Oxyloma elegans (Risso, 1826); Helisoma duryi Wetherby, 1879; Planorbarius comeus (Linnaeus, 1758); and the limacid slug Lehmannia valentiana (A. Ferussac, 1822) are recorded for the first time as alien species from local plant nurseries. For each species a short description and notes on distribution and ecology are given.peer-reviewe
On the introduction of Paranthrene tabaniformis (Rottemburg, 1775) in Malta (Insecta : Lepidoptera : Sesiidae)
The introduction of Paranthrene tabaniformis (Rottemburg) in· the Maltese Islands, an insect that is mainly associated with poplar trees (Populus sp.), is documented. Brief information is provided on the moth family Sesiidae with particular reference to the biology of P. tabaniformis. A brief overview of Maltese Sesiidae is included; previous records of Bembecia scopigera (Scopoli) were found to be incorrect as this material is B. albanensis tunetana (Le Cerf).peer-reviewe
A review of studies investigating the dielectric properties of biological tissues for application in hyperthermia and microwave thermal ablation
Heating of biological tissues beyond 40 C has become an established method of treating a number of diseases, most notably tumours, where hyperthermia and thermal ablation are important modalities. In some interventions, tissue temperatures reached can even go beyond 100 C, and demand precise knowledge of tissue dielectric properties and how these vary with frequency and temperature in order to facilitate accurate computational simulations for preclinical planning. This paper reviews the available literature concerning dielectric properties of biological tissues and their temperature dependence, focusing on the frequencies of 915 MHz and 2.45 GHz, at which most of the studies reviewed investigate predominantly liver tissue. In this review a comparative analysis of the results obtained by different research groups are presented in the different studies is also made, indicating possible limiting factors in the different studies. These studies propose a number of different models which could be used to describe temperature dependence. Due to the prevalence of liver investigations, it would be ideal to conduct further studies on different biological tissues.peer-reviewe
Report on the radiometric analysis of the Ghar Dalam fossil specimens prepared for the Ghar Dalam Museum
Uranium is a radioactive element
emitting mainly alpha rays, but its daughter
elements Th and Ra are gamma ray
emitters. A high resolution gamma ray
spectrometry system can be used to determine
gamma-emitting radionuclides with energies
ranging from 1 keV to 10 MeV depending on
the type of detector in a large variety of sample
matrices. The simultaneous detection of
several gamma radionuclide emitters in the
sample material was carried out with a coaxial
germanium detector of high resolution
connected to a multichannel analyser.
Automatic processing of the collected spectral
data was controlled by a computer system with
selected software. Sources of error in the
technique may be caused by improper spectral
identities, changes in background, errors in
calibration and/or geometry, and lack of
homogeneity in samples. Since the samples
tested were not in a standardised geometry,
some variation in the readings could be
expected due to the difference in sample
homogeneity. The results obtained for the
various samples were standardised as a ratio
of 40K, on the assumption that the high
solubility of potassium salts would result in a
steady equilibrium in all samples.
Several fossil specimens kept in the Ghar
Dalam Museum were borrowed by courtesy of
Dr. G. Zammit Maempel. The specimens had
unfortunately no information as to the level
they were excavated from, and their
providence could not be reliably confirmed.peer-reviewe
In situ assessment of the setting of tricalcium silicate–based sealers using a Dentin pressure model
Introduction
EndoSequence BC Sealer (Brasseler, Savannah, GA) is a premixed tricalcium silicate–based root canal sealer that requires moisture from the root dentin to hydrate. The aim of this study was to investigate the setting of EndoSequence BC Sealer and other sealers in contact with human dentin in a simulated clinical environment.
Methods
EndoSequence BC Sealer, MTA Fillapex (Angelus, Londrina, Brazil), Septodont Sealer (Septodont, Saint Maur-des-Fosses, France), and Apexit Plus (Ivoclar, Schaan, Lichtenstein) were assessed. Caries-free lower premolars extracted for orthodontic purposes in patients aged 13–16 years were standardized to a 10-mm root length and were filled with test sealers and set up in a dentin pressure model for 14 days. In addition, set sealers immersed in physiologic solution for 14 days were also assessed. The set materials in solution and materials retrieved from the dentin pressure setup were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The setting time and radiopacity were assessed using ISO 6876:2002 specifications. Furthermore, mineral ion leaching was evaluated by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.
Results
All the sealers tested exhibited formation of a calcium phosphate phase when in contact with physiologic solution. Septodont Sealer and Apexit Plus did not exhibit the formation of a calcium phosphate phase in the dentin pressure setup. The fluid in the system was enough to allow the setting of EndoSequence BC Sealer, which did not set in a dry environment. All materials leached calcium with the Septodont Sealer, exhibiting double the calcium ion leaching compared with EndoSequence BC Sealer.
Conclusions
Using the dentinal fluid pressure system resulted in an adequate flow of dentinal fluid that allowed EndoSequence BC Sealer to set inside the root canal. Although the sealers tested were tricalcium silicate based, the hydration reaction and bioactivity in the presence of dentinal fluid were different to hydration in vitro. Thus, clinically, material bioactivity cannot be assumed.peer-reviewe
Design and simulation of a 600 GHz RTD oscillator using commercial harmonic balance software
We report on the design and optimisation of a 600 GHz double barrier resonant tunneling diode (RTD) oscillator. Using the simple Esaki equivalent circuit diode model and published DC experimental I-V data, a custom device model was developed and integrated within a commercial harmonic balance (HB) simulator. This technique utilizes a spline interpolation algorithm as part of the device model to determine instantaneous values of device voltage and current when called from within the main HB software. The maximum oscillation frequency for a 5 ohms load was 1.6 THz, whilst optimisation at 600 GHz was achieved with a 15 ohms load, with an output power of 420 micron W. The present technique should facilitate and simplify simulation of both existent and novel non-linear devices in other configurations, such as multipliers, mixers, self- oscillating mixers, etc.peer-reviewe
Back trauma resulting in commotio cordis
Commotio cordis (Latin: "agitation of the heart") is a dysrhythmia provoked by praecordial trauma during the early part of cardiac repolarisation. Recorded rhythms include ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation, bradyarrhythmias, idioventricular rhythm, complete heart block and asystole. The quoted fatality rate is 65% even with prompt CPR and defibrillation, and exceeds 80% in the absence of such interventions. Above a certain threshold of trauma/impact, structural cardiac damage may also occur (contusio cordis).peer-reviewe
Application of artificial neural networks for accurate determination of the complex permittivity of biological tissue
Medical devices making use of radio frequency (RF) and microwave (MW) fields have
been studied as alternatives to existing diagnostic and therapeutic modalities since they offer several
advantages. However, the lack of accurate knowledge of the complex permittivity of different
biological tissues continues to hinder progress in of these technologies. The most convenient and
popular measurement method used to determine the complex permittivity of biological tissues is
the open-ended coaxial line, in combination with a vector network analyser (VNA) to measure the
reflection coefficient (S11) which is then converted to the corresponding tissue permittivity using
either full-wave analysis or through the use of equivalent circuit models. This paper proposes an
innovative method of using artificial neural networks (ANN) to convert measured S11 to tissue
permittivity, circumventing the requirement of extending the VNA measurement plane to the coaxial
line open end. The conventional three-step calibration technique used with coaxial open-ended
probes lacks repeatability, unless applied with extreme care by experienced persons, and is not
adaptable to alternative sensor antenna configurations necessitated by many potential diagnostic and
monitoring applications. The method being proposed does not require calibration at the tip of the
probe, thus simplifying the measurement procedure while allowing arbitrary sensor design, and was
experimentally validated using S11 measurements and the corresponding complex permittivity of 60
standard liquid and 42 porcine tissue samples. Following ANN training, validation and testing, we
obtained a prediction accuracy of 5% for the complex permittivity.peer-reviewe
A numerical investigation of the dispersion law of materials by means of multi-length TDR data
In this paper, we propose a method for retrieving the dispersion law of a material under
test from multi-length TDR measurements in reflection mode, repeated at several frequencies. By
replacing the multi-frequency measurements with measurements using multi-length TDR probe, it
is possible to retrieve the complex equivalent permittivity of the material in a frequency band of
interest. The proposed procedure does not require a priori knowledge of the type of dispersion law
of the material, which instead can possibly be inferred from the measured data. The algorithm is
validated using numerically simulated data obtained with the commercial code CST Microstudio®.peer-reviewe
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