Comparison of electrohysterogram signal measured by surface electrodes with different designs: A computational study with dipole band and abdomen models

Non-invasive measurement of uterine activity using electrohysterogram (EHG) surface electrodes has been attempted to monitor uterine contraction. This study aimed to computationally compare the performance of acquiring EHG signals using monopolar electrode and three types of Laplacian concentric ring electrodes (bipolar, quasi-bipolar and tri-polar). With the implementation of dipole band model and abdomen model, the performances of four electrodes in terms of the local sensitivity were quantifed by potential attenuation. Furthermore, the efects of fat and muscle thickness on potential attenuation were evaluated using the bipolar and tri-polar electrodes with diferent radius. The results showed that all the four types of electrodes detected the simulated EHG signals with consistency. That the bipolar and tri-polar electrodes had greater attenuations than the others, and the shorter distance between the origin and location of dipole band at 20dB attenuation, indicating that they had relatively better local sensitivity. In addition, ANOVA analysis showed that, for all the electrodes with diferent outer ring radius, the efects of fat and muscle on potential attenuation were signifcant (all p<0.01). It is therefore concluded that the bipolar and tri-polar electrodes had higher local sensitivity than the others, indicating that they can be applied to detect EHG efectively

Conducting Health Research in Korean American Churches: Perspectives from Church Leaders

Korean Americans experience many challenges to obtaining adequate health care coverage and access to needed services. Because a large proportion of Korean Americans attend churches on a regular basis, churches may be a promising venue where health programs can be delivered. In order to gain an in-depth understanding of Korean American churches with respect to conducting future health intervention research, we conducted exploratory interviews and focus groups with 58 leaders from 23 Korean American churches and three community organizations. From these interviews and focus groups, we found that Korean churches and church leaders seek to meet a variety of social and health needs of their congregation and their surrounding community. Several leaders have stated that assisting with social and medical needs of their members is an important component of their current ministry. They described profound health needs of their congregations and have suggested various ways in which the university can partner with the local churches to help address these needs through research. Additionally, they described various resources churches can provide to researchers such as: their personal assistance, church volunteer base, church facility, and church network and contacts. Our findings suggest that Korean churches have a high potential to serve an important role in the health of Korean Americans. On the basis of the promising results of the present study, we are planning to conduct a cross sectional survey of Korean church leaders and members in Los Angeles County to substantiate our findings in a larger representative sample

Analysis of long-term thermal pollution on helminth fauna of bream [Abramis brama] from the Goslawskie Lake

A total of 490 bream (Abramis brama) (250 individuals from the Gosławskie lake and 240 from the Gopło lake) were examined for helminths. The study was carried out within 2000−2002. Twenty−two helminth species were recovered: Dactylogyrus auriculatus (von Nordmann, 1832), Dactylogyrus falcatus (Wedl, 1857), Dactylogyrus sphyrna Linstow, 1878, Dactylogyrus wunderi Bychowsky, 1931, Dactylogyrus zandti Bychowsky, 1933, Gyrodactylus elegans von Nordmann, 1832, Diplozoon paradoxum von Nordmann, 1832, Tylodelphys clavata (von Nordmann, 1832), Ichthyocotylurus platycephalus (Creplin, 1825), Bucephalus polymorphus Baer, 1827, Posthodiplostomum cuticola (von Nordmann, 1832), Phyllodistomum elongatum Nybelin, 1926, Sphaerostomum bramae (Müller, 1776), Asymphylodora imitans (Mühling, 1898), Ligula intestinalis (Linnaeus, 1758), Caryophyllaeus laticeps (Pallas, 1781), Neogryporhynchus cheilancristrotus (Wedl, 1855), Raphidascaris acus (Bloch, 1779), Philometra ovata (Zeder, 1803), Acanthocephalus anguillae (Müller, 1780), Acanthocephalus lucii (Müller, 1776) and Acanthocephalus sp., and one taxon of the generic level (Diplostomum). Twenty−one taxa occurred in Gosławskie Lake, while nineteen were noted in the Gopło Lake. In this study the dominant were the digenean matacercariae (Diplostomum spp.) while in relation to the data from 1972−74 and 1982−84 that was Bucephalus polymorphus and Dactylogyrus wunderi. Plerocercoids Ligula intestinalis was recorded for the first time in muscle of bream

Wystepowanie swidrowcow z rodzaju Trypanosoma u leszcza Abramis brama w jeziorach Goslawskim i Goplo

20 individuals of Abramis brama from Gosławskie Lake and 10 individuals from Gopło Lake, central Poland, were investigated on the presence of trypanosomes. The infections of Trypanosoma abramidis LAVERAN and MESNIL, 1904 were detected in three breams from Gosławskie Lake and two in Gopło Lake. The question of the distinctivity of T. abramidis from T. carassii MITROPHANOW, 1883 found in other Cyprinidae in Poland is discussed