An audit of documented preoperative evaluation of surgery patients at Universitas Academic Hospital, Bloemfontein

Background: The anaesthetic preoperative evaluation of a patient is the clinical foundation of  perioperative patient management, and can potentially reduce operative morbidity and enhance patient outcomes. Generally, anaesthetists complete a standardised preoperative anaesthetic record (PAR) form to improve the quality of the information obtained during their pre-anaesthetic visit. Previous studies reported an unacceptable standard of preoperative assessment recordkeeping. The aim of the study was to audit the documented preoperative anaesthetic evaluations of surgery patients at Universitas  Academic Hospital, Bloemfontein.Methods: For this retrospective study a sample of 81 patients, who underwent surgery during May 2013, was randomly selected. The information obtained from the standardised PAR form in each patient’s file was audited using a self-generated checklist, based on the measures and criteria incorporated in the Global Quality Index.Results: Although 100% of files retrieved contained the PAR form, none of these forms were fully completed according to the study checklist used. Criteria where less than 50% were completed correctly included: ‘per os’ status (1.2%), current medication (37.0%), preoperative diagnosis (38.3%),  preoperative vital signs (43.2%), American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Classification (44.4%), airway assessment (45.7%), anaesthetic history and complications (48.2%) and special investigation  results (49.4%).Conclusions: The documented preoperative evaluations were incomplete with regard to a number of criteria, as also found in studies conducted at two other national institutions. Training and evaluation regarding completion of preoperative assessment of patients by anaesthetists is needed at Universitas Academic Hospital.Keywords: academic hospital, audit, preoperative anaesthetic record, surger

Towards Semantic Integration of Heterogeneous Sensor Data with Indigenous Knowledge for Drought Forecasting

In the Internet of Things (IoT) domain, various heterogeneous ubiquitous devices would be able to connect and communicate with each other seamlessly, irrespective of the domain. Semantic representation of data through detailed standardized annotation has shown to improve the integration of the interconnected heterogeneous devices. However, the semantic representation of these heterogeneous data sources for environmental monitoring systems is not yet well supported. To achieve the maximum benefits of IoT for drought forecasting, a dedicated semantic middleware solution is required. This research proposes a middleware that semantically represents and integrates heterogeneous data sources with indigenous knowledge based on a unified ontology for an accurate IoT-based drought early warning system (DEWS).Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, In Proceedings of the Doctoral Symposium of the 16th International Middleware Conference (Middleware Doct Symposium 2015), Ivan Beschastnikh and Wouter Joosen (Eds.). ACM, New York, NY, US

The effect of flooding on the exchange of the volatile C₂-compounds ethanol, acetaldehyde and acetic acid between leaves of Amazonian floodplain tree species and the atmosphere

The effect of root inundation on the leaf emissions of ethanol, acetaldehyde and acetic acid in relation to assimilation and transpiration was investigated with 2–3 years old tree seedlings of four Amazonian floodplain species by applying dynamic cuvette systems under greenhouse conditions. Emissions were monitored over a period of several days of inundation using a combination of Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) and conventional techniques (HPLC, ion chromatography). Under non-flooded conditions, none of the species exhibited measurable emissions of any of the compounds, but rather low deposition of acetaldehyde and acetic acid was observed instead. Tree species specific variations in deposition velocities were largely due to variations in stomatal conductance. Flooding of the roots resulted in leaf emissions of ethanol and acetaldehyde by all species, while emissions of acetic acid were only observed from the species exhibiting the highest ethanol and acetaldehyde emission rates. All three compounds showed a similar diurnal emission profile, each displaying an emission burst in the morning, followed by a decline in the evening. This concurrent behavior supports the conclusion, that all three compounds emitted by the leaves are derived from ethanol produced in the roots by alcoholic fermentation, transported to the leaves with the transpiration stream and finally partly converted to acetaldehyde and acetic acid by enzymatic processes. Co-emissions and peaking in the early morning suggest that root ethanol, after transportation with the transpiration stream to the leaves and enzymatic oxidation to acetaldehyde and acetate, is the metabolic precursor for all compounds emitted, though we can not totally exclude other production pathways. Emission rates substantially varied among tree species, with maxima differing by up to two orders of magnitude (25–1700 nmol m−2 min−1 for ethanol and 5–500 nmol m−2 min−1 for acetaldehyde). Acetic acid emissions reached 12 nmol m−2 min−1. The observed differences in emission rates between the tree species are discussed with respect to their root adaptive strategies to tolerate long term flooding, providing an indirect line of evidence that the root ethanol production is a major factor determining the foliar emissions. Species which develop morphological root structures allowing for enhanced root aeration produced less ethanol and showed much lower emissions compared to species which lack gas transporting systems, and respond to flooding with substantially enhanced fermentation rates and a non-trivial loss of carbon to the atmosphere. The pronounced differences in the relative emissions of ethanol to acetaldehyde and acetic acid between the tree species indicate that not only the ethanol production in the roots but also the metabolic conversion in the leaf is an important factor determining the release of these compounds to the atmosphere

Universality class of quantum criticality for strongly repulsive spin-1 bosons with antiferromagnetic spin-exchange interaction

Using the thermodynamic Bethe ansatz equations we study the quantum phase diagram, thermodynamics and criticality of one-dimensional spin-1 bosons with strongly repulsive density-density and antiferromagnetic spin-exchange interactions. We analytically derive a high precision equation of state from which the Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid physics and quantum critical behavior of the system are computed. We obtain explicit forms for the scaling functions near the critical points yielding the dynamical exponent $z=2$ and correlation length exponent $\nu=1/2$ for the quantum phase transitions driven by either the chemical potential or the magnetic field. Consequently, we further demonstrate that quantum criticality of the system can be mapped out from the finite temperature density and magnetization profiles of the 1D trapped gas. Our results provide the physical origin of quantum criticality in a 1D many-body system beyond the Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid description.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figure

Generalized decision rule approximations for stochastic programming via liftings

Stochastic programming provides a versatile framework for decision-making under uncertainty, but the resulting optimization problems can be computationally demanding. It has recently been shown that, primal and dual linear decision rule approximations can yield tractable upper and lower bounds on the optimal value of a stochastic program. Unfortunately, linear decision rules often provide crude approximations that result in loose bounds. To address this problem, we propose a lifting technique that maps a given stochastic program to an equivalent problem on a higher-dimensional probability space. We prove that solving the lifted problem in primal and dual linear decision rules provides tighter bounds than those obtained from applying linear decision rules to the original problem. We also show that there is a one-to-one correspondence between linear decision rules in the lifted problem and families of non-linear decision rules in the original problem. Finally, we identify structured liftings that give rise to highly flexible piecewise linear decision rules and assess their performance in the context of a stylized investment planning problem

Disgust implicated in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Psychiatric classificatory systems consider obsessions and compulsions as forms of anxiety disorder. However, the neurology of diseases associated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms suggests the involvement of fronto-striatal regions likely to be involved in the mediation of the emotion of disgust, suggesting that dysfunctions of disgust should be considered alongside anxiety in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive behaviours. We therefore tested recognition of facial expressions of basic emotions (including disgust) by groups of participants with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and with Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome (GTS) with and without co-present obsessive-compulsive behaviours (GTS with OCB; GTS without OCB). A group of people suffering from panic disorder and generalized anxiety were also included in the study. Both groups with obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCD; GTS with OCB) showed impaired recognition of facial expressions of disgust. Such problems were not evident in participants with panic disorder and generalized anxiety, or for participants with GTS without obsessions or compulsions, indicating that the deficit is closely related to the presence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Participants with OCD were able to assign words to emotion categories without difficulty, showing that their problem with disgust is linked to a failure to recognize this emotion in others and not a comprehension or response criterion effect. Impaired recognition of disgust is consistent with the neurology of OCD and with the idea that abnormal experience of disgust may be involved in the genesis of obsessions and compulsions

Counter-Intuitive Vacuum-Stimulated Raman Scattering

Vacuum-stimulated Raman scattering in strongly coupled atom-cavity systems allows one to generate free-running single photon pulses on demand. Most properties of the emitted photons are well defined, provided spontaneous emission processes do not contribute. Therefore, electronic excitation of the atom must not occur, which is assured for a system adiabatically following a dark state during the photon-generation process. We experimentally investigate the conditions that must be met for adiabatic following in a time-of-flight driven system, with atoms passing through a cavity and a pump beam oriented transverse to the cavity axis. From our results, we infer the optimal intensity and relative pump-beam position with respect to the cavity axis.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Opportunities for Growing Short-Rotation Woody Crops in Agroforestry Practices

Technologies are readily available for growing hybrid poplars and willows in block plantings as short-rotation woody crops (SRWC) for fuel and fiber. SRWC species and technologies can also be incorporated into agricultural systems as agroforestry practices. Examples are windbreaks, living snowfences, “timberbelts”, riparian buffer strips, and wastewater treatment plantings. Fast growth, convenient propagation (see AF Note - 11), and compatibility with conventional farming methods make SRWC suitable for use in agroforestry practices to provide multiple benefits such as solid wood and wood fiber products, water quality improvement, crop and soil protection, wildlife habitat, and buffers for agricultural/community interfaces

Elastic-plastic Behaviour of Perforated Aluminium under Tension and Compression

The elastic-plastic behaviour of perforated aluminium sheets is examined in relation to the relative density.A compression device, which permits a changeable support of the specimens, was designed for that purpose. The gained results are discussed in the context of a modified Voigt-Reuss mixing rule and are compared with results from tensile tests. The experiments are simulated by means offinite element calculations, expanded on smaller relative densities and the influence of the boundary conditions at the ends of the specimens on the results is examined. Finally, the initial yielding on the microscale is examined and compared to macroscopically determined values