A Hybrid Multi-Distance Phase and Broadband Spatially Resolved Spectrometer and Algorithm for Resolving Absolute Concentrations of Chromophores in the Near-Infrared Light Spectrum

For resolving absolute concentration of tissue chromophores in the human adult brain with near-infrared spectroscopy it is necessary to calculate the light scattering and absorption, at multiple wavelengths with some depth resolution. To achieve this we propose an instrumentation configuration that combines multi-distance frequency and broadband spectrometers to quantify chromophores in turbid media by using a hybrid spatially resolved algorithm. Preliminary results in solid phantoms as well as liquid dynamic homogeneous and inhomogeneous phantoms and in-vivo muscle measurements showed encouraging results

Visualising London's Suburbs

2 - 4 April 200

Do the suburbs exist? Discovering complexity and specificity in suburban built form

In human geography cities are routinely acknowledged as complex and dynamic built environments. This description is rarely extended to the suburbs, which are generally regarded as epiphenomena of the urbs and therefore of little intrinsic theoretical interest in themselves. This article presents a detailed critique of this widely held assumption by showing how the idea of 'the suburban' as an essentially non-problematic domain has been perpetuated from a range of contrasting disciplinary perspectives, including those that directly address suburban subject matter. The result has been that attempts to articulate the complex social possibilities of suburban space are easily caught between theories of urbanisation that are insensitive to suburban specificity and competing representations of the suburb that rarely move beyond the culturally specific to consider their generic significance. This article proposes that the development of a distinctively suburban theory would help to undermine one-dimensional approaches to the built environment by focusing on the relationship between social organisation and the dynamics of emergent built form

A multi-disciplinary perspective on the built environment: Space Syntax and cartography – the communication challenge

8-11 June 2009

Suggesting Cooking Recipes Through Simulation and Bayesian Optimization

Cooking typically involves a plethora of decisions about ingredients and tools that need to be chosen in order to write a good cooking recipe. Cooking can be modelled in an optimization framework, as it involves a search space of ingredients, kitchen tools, cooking times or temperatures. If we model as an objective function the quality of the recipe, several problems arise. No analytical expression can model all the recipes, so no gradients are available. The objective function is subjective, in other words, it contains noise. Moreover, evaluations are expensive both in time and human resources. Bayesian Optimization (BO) emerges as an ideal methodology to tackle problems with these characteristics. In this paper, we propose a methodology to suggest recipe recommendations based on a Machine Learning (ML) model that fits real and simulated data and BO. We provide empirical evidence with two experiments that support the adequacy of the methodology

Local cooling for relieving pain from perineal trauma sustained during childbirth

Background: Perineal trauma is common during childbirth and may be painful. Contemporary maternity practice includes offering women numerous forms of pain relief, including the local application of cooling treatments. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and side effects of localised cooling treatments compared with no treatment, other forms of cooling treatments and non-cooling treatments. Search strategy: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (January 2007), CINAHL (1982 to January 2007) and contacted experts in the field. Selection criteria: Published and unpublished randomised and quasi-randomised trials (RCTs) that compared localised cooling treatment applied to the perineum with no treatment or other treatments applied to relieve pain related to perineal trauma sustained during childbirth. Data collection and analysis: At least two independent authors performed data extraction for each study. Analyses were performed on an intention-to-treat basis where data allowed. We sought additional information from the authors of three trials. Main results: Seven published RCTs were included, comparing local cooling treatments (ice packs, cold gel pads or cold/iced baths) with no treatment, hamamelis water (witch hazel), pulsed electromagnetic energy (PET), hydrocortisone/pramoxine foam [Epifoam] or warm baths. The RCTs reported on a total of 859 women. Ice packs provided improved pain relief 24 to 72 hours after birth compared with no treatment (risk ratio (RR) 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.41 to 0.91). Women preferred the utility of the gel pads compared with ice packs or no treatment, although no differences in pain relief were detected between the treatments. None of our comparisons of treatments resulted in differences detected in perineal oedema or bruising. Women reported more pain (RR 5.60, 95% CI 2.35 to 13.33) and used more additional analgesia (RR 4.00, 95% CI 1.44 to 11.13) following the application of ice packs compared with PET. Authors' conclusions: There is only limited evidence to support the effectiveness of local cooling treatments (ice packs, cold gel pads, cold/iced baths) applied to the perineum following childbirth to relieve pain

Shannon entropies of atomic structure factors, off-diagonal order and electron correlation

Shannon entropies of one- and two-electron atomic structure factors in the position and momentum representations are used to examine the behavior of the off-diagonal elements of density matrices with respect to the uncertainty principle and to analyze the effects of electron correlation on off-diagonal order. We show that electron correlation induces off-diagonal order in position space which is characterized by larger entropic values. Electron correlation in momentum space is characterized by smaller entropic values as information is forced into regions closer to the diagonal. Related off-diagonal correlation functions are also discussed

The development of GABAergic neurons in the rat hippocampal formation. An immunocytochemical study.

Recent studies have indicated that hippocampal GABAergic neurons in both the dentate gyrus and Ammon's horn are generated prenatally. Although the adult distribution of GABAergic neurons has been previously described by numerous investigators, the early postnatal appearance of these neurons has not been described. In the present study, immunocytochemical methods were used to localize GABAergic neurons with antisera to both GABA and its synthesizing enzyme, glutamate decarboxylase (GAD). The GABA-positive neurons appeared at the earliest postnatal day (PND) examined, 4 PND. In contrast, GAD-positive cells were not observed until 6 PND, and the number of these neurons remained less than that of the GABA-positive neurons until 14 PND. These findings indicated that immunocytochemically detectable amounts of GAD were not present in many young GABAergic neurons. Both GABA- and GAD-positive hippocampal neurons showed two large increases in number during the 4-8 PND and 12-16 PND time periods, and they reached about 90% of adult levels before 18 PND. The regional distribution of GABA- and GAD-positive neurons throughout the hippocampal formation was homogeneous for all ages examined except 4 PND. At this age, the GABA-positive cells appeared in clusters in the proximal CA3 and the distal CA1 relative to the dentate gyrus. In addition, the number of hippocampal neurons immunostained in adult preparations for both antisera to GABA and GAD showed a similar number and distribution. The data on the developmental appearance of GABA and GAD immunoreactivities are consistent with biochemical data for the development of GABA concentration and GAD activity in the hippocampal formation. Together, these data provide important information about the functional maturation of the hippocampal GABAergic system in the first 3 weeks of rat brain development

The effect of a multi-component intervention on disrespect and abuse during childbirth in Kenya

Background Disrespect and abuse (D & A) during labor and delivery are important issues correlated with human rights, equity, and public health that also affect women’s decisions to deliver in facilities, which provide appropriate management of maternal and neonatal complications. Little is known about interventions aimed at lowering the frequency of disrespectful and abusive behaviors. Methods Between 2011 and 2014, a pre-and-post study measured D & A levels in a three-tiered intervention at 13 facilities in Kenya under the Heshima project. The intervention involved working with policymakers to encourage greater focus on D & A, training providers on respectful maternity care, and strengthening linkages between the facility and community for accountability and governance. At participating facilities, postpartum women were approached at discharge and asked to participate in the study; those who consented were administered a questionnaire on D & A in general as well as six typologies, including physical and verbal abuse, violations of confidentiality and privacy, detainment for non-payment, and abandonment. Observation of provider-patient interaction during labor was also conducted in the same facilities. In both exit interview and observational studies, multivariate analyses of risk factors for D & A controlled for differences in socio-demographic and facility characteristics between baseline and endline surveys. Results Overall D & A decreased from 20–13 % (p < 0.004) and among four of the six typologies D & A decreased from 40–50 %. Night shift deliveries were associated with greater verbal and physical abuse. Patient and infant detainment declined dramatically from 8.0–0.8 %, though this was partially attributable to the 2013 national free delivery care policy. Conclusion Although a number of contextual factors may have influenced these findings, the magnitude and consistency of the observed decreases suggest that the multi-component intervention may have the potential to reduce the frequency of D & A. Greater efforts are needed to develop stronger evaluation methods for assessing D & A in other settings