A comparative analysis of the Humphry 30-2 visual field with Statpac II and the Octopus G1 visual field with Octosmart

New computerized analytical visual fields programs have been developed to assist doctors in making acurete diagnoses. In the study two such programed instruments were compared to 3 experienced doctors\u27 analyses. The Humphrey 30-2 with Statpac II Hemifield Analyis and the 0 c to smart Pro g rem for the 0 c tops G- 1 vi sue 1 f i e 1 d . A total of 31 eyes were tested. They were divided into 3 groups: glaucomatous, ocular hypertensive end control. Statistical analysis was performed to determine inter rater reliability and doctor/program variability. Degree of doctor familiarity with each instrument appeared to influence the results. This is probably due to greeter exposure to the Humphrey\u27s Visual Field Analyzer. When Humphrey\u27s Hemifield analysis was compared to the average doctors\u27 rating, the Hemfield rated the field as less pathological 75% of the time. In contrast, when the Ocopus Octosmart was compared to the average doctor\u27s rating, the Octosmart rated the field es more pathological 81.8% of the time. When the Octosmart was compared to the Hemifield, the Otosmart rated the fields more pathological 76.9% of the time. The inclusion of patient profile data did indeed affects the final outcome of the doctors\u27 analyses

The d(10) route to dye-sensitized solar cells: step-wise assembly of zinc(II) photosensitizers on TiO2 surfaces

Dye-sensitized solar cells have been assembled using a sequential approach: a TiO2 surface was functionalized with an anchoring ligand, followed by metallation with Zn(OAc)(2) or ZnCl2, and subsequent capping with a chromophore functionalized 2,2`:6`,2 ``-terpyridine; the DSCs exhibit surprisingly good efficiencies confirming the effectiveness of the new strategy for zinc-based DSC fabrication

Ecosystem impacts of diazotrophy in the Southwestern South China Sea

Nitrogen fixation (diazotrophy) is an important input pathway of nitrogen to surface oceans. Diazotrophy can occur in physicochemically complex waters, requiring new tools for assessing diazotroph biogeography and influence. I present a simple method for delineating habitats and pair it with a multi-scale ecosystem assessment of diazotroph impacts in the South China Sea (SCS). This strategy identified clear habitat-specific trends in diazotroph influence across the plankton food web, indicating that diazotrophy is more prevalent in the SCS than previously thought.Stickstofffixierung (Diazotrophie) ist ein wichtiger Eintragspfad von Stickstoff in Oberflächenmeeren, und doch bleibt die Bewertung des Einflusses der Diazotrophie in heterogenen Gewässern eine Herausforderung. Ich stelle eine Methode zur Abgrenzung von Lebensräumen vor und verbinde diese mit einer mehrstufigen Ökosystem-Bewertung der Auswirkungen der Diazotrophie im Südchinesischen Meer (SCS). Diese Strategie identifiziert klare Trends des Einflusses der Diaztrophie im gesamten Nahrungsnetz des Planktons, die darauf hindeuten, dass Diazotrophie im SCS häufiger vorkommt als bisher angenommen

Prophylactic anti-coagulation in cancer palliative care: a prospective randomised study

Goals: The objective of this study was to determine utility of prophylactic anti-coagulation in cancer patients hospitalised for palliative care in a specialised centre. Materials and methods: Prospective 1:1 open randomised study was designed. Twenty patients aged 55 to 88years with advanced cancer and an estimated life expectancy of less than 6months were assigned to either receive treatment with 2,850/3,800U (70kg) of daily subcutaneous nadroparin or no treatment. Suspicion of venous thrombo-embolism (deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism) was confirmed by echo-Doppler examination of the lower limbs and/or by spiral computed tomography scan of the lungs. Bleeding episodes were recorded. Platelet count was measured on days 7 and 14. Survival time from study entry was determined. Main results: One venous thrombo-embolism and one major bleeding occurred in the group receiving nadroparin, whereas two minor bleedings occurred in the control group. At 3months, nine of ten participants had died in the control group vs five of ten in the group receiving nadroparin (P = 0.141). Five participants could be discharged home (P = 0.141). Conclusions: Decision to administer prophylactic nadroparin in hospitalised cancer patients under palliative care remains a challenge. Better mobility score at admission and the likelihood to be discharged home may be useful for practical purposes. The observation of a potential influence of prophylactic nadroparin on survival deserves further studie

Violence Prevention in Middle School: A Preliminary Study

Violence in schools continues reflecting violence within society. There is a growing need for violence prevention programs within the schools that provide students with the skills needed to cope with interpersonal and relationship is-sues effectively. This study was conducted at a middle school and there were 345 middle school students (6th to 8th grade) who participated in the study. The students participated in a violence prevention program. In this study, the researchers used a pre-test/post-test design and the results indicated that there were some changes in attitudes towards violence that occurred after the intervention

Light harvesting with Earth abundant d-block metals: development of sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs)

Chemistry is facing the challenge of delivering new materials for energy harvesting and management. The development of a materials chemistry in which scarce elements are replaced by more abundant and sustainable materials is crucial to the commercial and societal acceptance of these new technologies. This review surveys the use of complexes of Earth abundant metals from the first row of the d-block as photosensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs), an emerging technology for solar light harvesting in which state-of-the-art devices currently use ruthenium or other platinum group metal complexes as photosensitizer

Can propensity score matching be applied to cross-sectional data to evaluate Community-Based Rehabilitation? Results of a survey implementing the WHO's Community-Based Rehabilitation indicators in Vietnam

OBJECTIVES Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) is a multi-sectoral approach working to equalise opportunities and include people with disabilities in all aspects of life. The complexity of CBR and often limited resources lead to challenges when attempting to quantify its effectiveness, with randomisation and longitudinal data rarely possible. Statistical methods, such as propensity score matching (PSM), offer an alternative approach to evaluate a treatment when randomisation is not feasible. The aim of this study is to examine whether PSM can be an effective method to facilitate evaluations of results in CBR when data are cross-sectional. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Data were collected using the WHO's CBR Indicators in Vietnam, with treatment assignment (participating in CBR or not) determined by province of residence. 298 participants were selected through government records. RESULTS PSM was conducted using one-to-one nearest neighbour method on 10 covariates. In the unmatched sample, significant differences between groups were found for six of the 10 covariates. PSM successfully adjusted for bias in all covariates in the matched sample (74 matched pairs). A paired t-test compared the outcome of 'community inclusion' (a score based on selected indicators) between CBR and non-CBR participants for both the matched and unmatched samples, with CBR participants found to have significantly worse community inclusion scores (mean=17.86, SD=6.30, 95% CI 16.45 to 19.32) than non-CBR participants (mean=20.93, SD=6.16, 95% CI 19.50 to 22.35); t(73)=3.068, p=0.001. This result did not differ between the matched and unmatched samples. CONCLUSION PSM successfully reduced bias between groups, though its application did not affect the tested outcome. PSM should be considered when analysing cross-sectional CBR data, especially for international comparisons where differences between populations may be greater

Primary pulmonary malignant meningioma with lymph node and liver metastasis in a centenary woman, an autopsy case

Primary meningiomas arising outside the central nervous system are very rare. They have been reported in the head and neck region, in the thorax, the retroperitoneum, and the pelvis. Usually, they behave as slow-growing tumors with a good prognosis. Herein, we report an autopsy case of a 108-year-old woman, known for a right-sided slowly growing lung nodule for 39years. Death was attributed to cachexia. At post-mortem, a 15-cm mass was present in the right inferior lobe of the lung, associated with an ipsilateral hilar lymphadenopathy, and another 10-cm mass in the liver. Histology revealed a WHO grade III meningioma. No tumor was observed in the cranial cavity. This case illustrates a rare location of meningioma and highlights its biological behavior, with a very slow progression from a most probably benign tumor to a malignant lesion with metastasis over four decade