Cycles and weight effects on emissions and development of predictive emissions models for heavy duty trucks

NOX and PM emissions data from the 5--mode CARB HHDDT Schedule, UDDS, and AC5080 were reviewed, with reference to each other. Next, two-dimensional correlations were used to predict the emissions rate on one cycle from the rates of two other cycles. The two-dimensional analysis yielded better correlations.;The emission of NOX, CO, CO2, HC and PM were analyzed with respect to weight. Vehicles did not follow linear NOX emissions trends over large weight ranges. Fleet-wide emissions for HHDDT could be predicted.;Lastly, a method was proposed to predict emissions based on the vehicle\u27s emissions history from other cycles and on the properties of those cycles. Using a linear equation, derived from the road load equation, emissions predictions were made for the HHDDT. CO2 and NOX were better predicted than PM, with PM having an average error of 60.80% and CO2 and NOX at 31.78% and 32.78% respectively

Comparison of diagnostic methods of malaria by peripheral smear, centrifuged buffy coat smear and rapid antigen detection test

Background: Malaria is common, life threatening infection in endemic area and presents diagnostic challenge to laboratories in most endemic areas. A rapid and accurate diagnosis is a pre requisite for effective treatment, especially for potentially fatal cases of falciparum infection.Methods: Total 200 patients presented with fever and chills, were taken for study and performances of peripheral blood and centrifuged buffy coat smear were compared against the result of rapid antigen detection test (standard method).Results: out of 200 cases, 55 were positive by rapid detection test.30 of P. vivax, 24 of P. falci and 1 was mixed infection. Peripheral smear had 85.5% sensitive and 100% specific compared to RDT which was 100 % sensitive and specific whereas centrifuged buffy coat was 92.7% sensitive and 99.3% specific.Conclusions: Easy, rapid, most sensitive and specific diagnostic method will help in early diagnosis and lead to decrease in morbidity and mortality

Integration of microfluidic channels and optical waveguides using low-cost polymer microfabrication techniques

Recent progress on the realization of a silicon integrated biophotonic chip using plasma etching and laser ablation is presented. The chip utilizes films of SU-8 and UV-15 polymer material. An intersecting optical waveguide and microfluidic channel exhibiting good optical transmission across the channel is demonstrated

Communication interventions to promote the public's awareness of antibiotics: a systematic review.

BackgroundInappropriate antibiotic use is implicated in antibiotic resistance and resultant morbidity and mortality. Overuse is particularly prevalent for outpatient respiratory infections, and perceived patient expectations likely contribute. Thus, various educational programs have been implemented to educate the public.MethodsWe systematically identified public-directed interventions to promote antibiotic awareness in the United States. PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus were queried for articles published from January 1996 through January 2016. Two investigators independently assessed titles and abstracts of retrieved articles for subsequent full-text review. References of selected articles and three review articles were likewise screened for inclusion. Identified educational interventions were coded for target audience, content, distribution site, communication method, and major outcomes.ResultsOur search yielded 1,106 articles; 34 met inclusion criteria. Due to overlap in interventions studied, 29 distinct educational interventions were identified. Messages were primarily delivered in outpatient clinics (N = 24, 83%) and community sites (N = 12, 41%). The majority included clinician education. Antibiotic prescription rates were assessed for 22 interventions (76%). Patient knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs (KAB) were assessed for 10 interventions (34%). Similar rates of success between antibiotic prescription rates and patient KAB were reported (73 and 70%, respectively). Patient interventions that did not include clinician education were successful to increase KAB but were not shown to decrease antibiotic prescribing. Three interventions targeted reductions in Streptococcus pneumoniae resistance; none were successful.ConclusionsMessaging programs varied in their designs, and many were multifaceted in their approach. These interventions can change patient perspectives regarding antibiotic use, though it is unclear if clinician education is also necessary to reduce antibiotic prescribing. Further investigations are needed to determine the relative influence of interventions focusing on patients and physicians and to determine whether these changes can influence rates of antibiotic resistance long-term

JarPi: a low-cost raspberry pi based personal assistant for small-scale fishermen

Small-scale fishermen face various occupational safety hazards due to unavailability of real-time weather information during fishing activities at sea. Whilst provision of such information could greatly reduce these risks, limited personal assistants exist that could support small scale fishermen in their activities at sea with real-time details on wind speed and direction, rainfall, humidity, geographical location and distance from shore, among others. Furthermore, large scale solutions are too expensive for this category of fishermen to afford. Even though the recent emergence of the Raspberry Pi showed to significantly decrease costs of computational systems, the application of this technology to build solutions for small-scale fishermen is yet to be investigated. As such, this paper investigates the implementation and deployment of a low-cost Raspberry Pi based personal assistant for small-scale fishermen, through a proposed device named JarPi

Renoprotection with SGLT2 inhibitors in type 2 diabetes over a spectrum of cardiovascular and renal risk

Approximately half of all patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) develop a certain degree of renal impairment. In many of them, chronic kidney disease (CKD) progresses over time, eventually leading to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) requiring dialysis and conveying a substantially increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Even with widespread use of renin–angiotensin system blockers and tight glycemic control, a substantial residual risk of nephropathy progression remains. Recent cardiovascular outcomes trials investigating sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have suggested that these therapies have renoprotective effects distinct from their glucose-lowering action, including the potential to reduce the rates of ESKD and acute kidney injury. Although patients in most cardiovascular outcomes trials had higher prevalence of existing cardiovascular disease compared with those normally seen in clinical practice, the proportion of patients with renal impairment was similar to that observed in a real-world context. Patient cardiovascular risk profiles did not relevantly impact the renoprotective benefits observed in these studies. Benefits were observed in patients across a spectrum of renal risk, but were evident also in those without renal damage, suggesting a role for SGLT2 inhibition in the prevention of CKD in people with T2D. In addition, recent studies such as CREDENCE and DAPA-CKD offer a greater insight into the renoprotective effects of SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with moderate-to-severe CKD. This review outlines the evidence that SGLT2 inhibitors may prevent the development of CKD and prevent and delay the worsening of CKD in people with T2D at different levels of renal risk

Cardiovascular protection with sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors in type 2 diabetes: Does it apply to all patients?

Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Cardiovascular risk in these patients should be considered as a continuum, and comprehensive treatment strategies should aim to target multiple disease risk factors. Large-scale clinical trials of sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have shown an impact on cardiovascular outcomes, including heart failure hospitalization and cardiovascular death, which appears to be independent of their glucose-lowering efficacy. Reductions in major cardiovascular events appear to be greatest in patients with established CVD, particularly those with prior myocardial infarction, but are independent of heart failure or renal risk. Most large-scale trials of SGLT2 inhibitors predominantly include patients with T2D with pre-existing CVD and high cardiovascular risk at baseline, limiting their applicability to patients typically observed in clinical practice. Real-world evidence from observational studies suggests that there might also be beneficial effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on heart failure hospitalization and all-cause mortality in various cohorts of lower risk patients. The most common adverse events reported in clinical and observational studies are genital infections; however, the overall risk of these events appears to be low and easily managed. Similar safety profiles have been reported for elderly and younger patients. There is still some debate regarding the safety of canagliflozin in patients at high risk of fracture and amputation. Outstanding questions include specific patterns of cardiovascular protection according to baseline risk

Primary ovarian ectopic pregnancy: early diagnosis is the key

Ectopic pregnancy means implantation of the embryo outside the uterine cavity. It may occur in the fallopian tubes, ovaries or the cervix. Primary ovarian ectopic is a very rare condition. In such cases preservation of ovary is extremely important, particularly in patients with infertility. We report a case of primary ovarian ectopic which was managed conservatively in a patient of primary infertility. Preservation of ovary is extremely important, particularly in patients with infertility