816 research outputs found
Determining the Role of Point-of-Care Hemoglobin Testing in the Resuscitation of Acutely Hemorrhaging Patients
Point-of-care hemoglobin (Hb) testing has not been evaluated in the resuscitation of acutely hemorrhaging patients to guide transfusion therapy. This study assessed the correlation of Hb values determined by point-of-care (EPOC) and traditional laboratory (CBC) methods in patients undergoing massive transfusion. All patients transfused per the massive transfusion protocol (MTP) between February 2013 and October 2017 were identified. The EPOC result was most often within 1 g/dL of the CBC result when EPOC resulted in a Hb between 7-10 g/dL and when drawn within 15 minutes of the CBC specimen. In patients on MTP with an EPOC Hb between 7-10 g/dL, intensivists should feel comfortable making decisions related to transfusion therapy without waiting for the CBC result
On the backreaction of frame dragging
The backreaction on black holes due to dragging heavy, rather than test,
objects is discussed. As a case study, a regular black Saturn system where the
central black hole has vanishing intrinsic angular momentum, J^{BH}=0, is
considered. It is shown that there is a correlation between the sign of two
response functions. One is interpreted as a moment of inertia of the black ring
in the black Saturn system. The other measures the variation of the black ring
horizon angular velocity with the central black hole mass, for fixed ring mass
and angular momentum. The two different phases defined by these response
functions collapse, for small central black hole mass, to the thin and fat ring
phases. In the fat phase, the zero area limit of the black Saturn ring has
reduced spin j^2>1, which is related to the behaviour of the ring angular
velocity. Using the `gravitomagnetic clock effect', for which a universality
property is exhibited, it is shown that frame dragging measured by an
asymptotic observer decreases, in both phases, when the central black hole mass
increases, for fixed ring mass and angular momentum. A close parallelism
between the results for the fat phase and those obtained recently for the
double Kerr solution is drawn, considering also a regular black Saturn system
with J^{BH}\neq 0.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figure
Nonlinear Differential Equation Reconstruction and Taken’s Embedding Theorem
The considerable usefulness of differential equations in modeling physical system dynamics is limited by the ability to generate equations which accurately reproduce observed behavior. Especially in the case of nonlinear systems, finding such a set of differential equations can be a nontrivial problem. However, there are numerical methods for generating differential equations to model empirical data. This paper briefly outlines the trajectory method of Perona et al. for fitting a system of differential equations to time series data. The basis of the system of equations needed to optimize the model are given. Creation of an algorithm to implement the method is discussed. The ability of the algorithm to reconstruct nonlinear systems with chaotic behavior is demonstrated. This method has great flexibility, allowing for direct application to the analysis of many systems without requiring prior knowledge of the underlying mechanisms
Effects of Integrating Mathematical Concepts into a Nutrition Unit in the Animal Science Curriculum
Achievement test scores in mathematics have been a concern among educators for many years. Teaching contextualized mathematics has been found to be effective and includes providing a direct application to real-life scenarios rather than teaching linear equations and algebraic principles in isolation. This study measured the effects of integrating mathematical skills in one instructional unit in an animal science curriculum. Students from eight schools participated in the research study. Students completed a pretest measuring their existing mathematical skills and self-efficacy in math. All students were taught a unit of instruction about animal nutrition and feeding. The control group received a typical nutrition unit and the treatment group received the same unit of instruction with the addition of mathematical skill integration. Following the unit of instruction, students completed a posttest survey, which included a mathematics attitudinal scale, posttreatment self-efficacy scale, and posttreatment mathematics skills questions. No statistically significant difference was found in mathematics self-efficacy or mathematics skills between the control group and treatment. However, results indicated a strong positive relationship between students’ mathematics self-efficacy and their mathematics skills. Further, highest level of mathematics courses completed and overall grade point average were statistically significant factors in predicting mathematics self-efficacy
A Note on the Instability of Lorentzian Taub-NUT-Space
I show that there are no SU(2)-invariant (time-dependent) tensorial
perturbations of Lorentzian Taub-NUT space. It follows that the spacetime is
unstable at the linear level against generic perturbations. I speculate that
this fact is responsible for so far unsuccessful attempts to define a sensible
thermodynamics for NUT-charged spacetimes.Comment: 13 pages, no figure
Semi-classical stability of AdS NUT instantons
The semi-classical stability of several AdS NUT instantons is studied.
Throughout, the notion of stability is that of stability at the one-loop level
of Euclidean Quantum Gravity. Instabilities manifest themselves as negative
eigenmodes of a modified Lichnerowicz Laplacian acting on the transverse
traceless perturbations. An instability is found for one branch of the
AdS-Taub-Bolt family of metrics and it is argued that the other branch is
stable. It is also argued that the AdS-Taub-NUT family of metrics are stable. A
component of the continuous spectrum of the modified Lichnerowicz operator on
all three families of metrics is found.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures; references adde
Non-existence of Skyrmion-Skyrmion and Skyrmion-anti-Skyrmion static equilibria
We consider classical static Skyrmion-anti-Skyrmion and Skyrmion-Skyrmion
configurations, symmetric with respect to a reflection plane, or symmetric up
to a -parity transformation respectively. We show that the stress tensor
component completely normal to the reflection plane, and hence its integral
over the plane, is negative definite or positive definite respectively.
Classical Skyrmions always repel classical Skyrmions and classical Skyrmions
always attract classical anti-Skyrmions and thus no static equilibrium, whether
stable or unstable, is possible in either case. No other symmetry assumption is
made and so our results also apply to multi-Skyrmion configurations. Our
results are consistent with existing analyses of Skyrmion forces at large
separation, and with numerical results on Skymion-anti-Skyrmion configurations
in the literature which admit a different reflection symmetry. They also hold
for the massive Skyrme model. We also point out that reflection symmetric
self-gravitating Skyrmions or black holes with Skyrmion hair cannot rest in
symmetric equilibrium with self-gravitating anti-Skyrmions.Comment: v2 Typos corrected, refs added. v3 Journal versio
Point-of-care versus central testing of hemoglobin during large volume blood transfusion.
BACKGROUND: Point-of-care (POC) hemoglobin testing has the potential to revolutionize massive transfusion strategies. No prior studies have compared POC and central laboratory testing of hemoglobin in patients undergoing massive transfusions.
METHODS: We retrospectively compared the results of our point-of-care hemoglobin test (EPOC®) to our core laboratory complete blood count (CBC) hemoglobin test (Sysmex XE-5000™) in patients undergoing massive transfusion protocols (MTP) for hemorrhage. One hundred seventy paired samples from 90 patients for whom MTP was activated were collected at a single, tertiary care hospital between 10/2011 and 10/2017. Patients had both an EPOC® and CBC hemoglobin performed within 30 min of each other during the MTP. We assessed the accuracy of EPOC® hemoglobin testing using two variables: interchangeability and clinically significant differences from the CBC. The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) proficiency testing criteria defined interchangeability for measurements. Clinically significant differences between the tests were defined by an expert panel. We examined whether these relationships changed as a function of the hemoglobin measured by the EPOC® and specific patient characteristics.
RESULTS: Fifty one percent (86 of 170) of paired samples\u27 hemoglobin results had an absolute difference of ≤7 and 73% (124 of 170) fell within ±1 g/dL of each other. The mean difference between EPOC® and CBC hemoglobin had a bias of - 0.268 g/dL (p = 0.002). When the EPOC® hemoglobin was \u3c 7 g/dL, 30% of the hemoglobin values were within ±7, and 57% were within ±1 g/dL. When the measured EPOC® hemoglobin was ≥7 g/dL, 55% of the EPOC® and CBC hemoglobin values were within ±7, and 76% were within ±1 g/dL. EPOC® and CBC hemoglobin values that were within ±1 g/dL varied by patient population: 77% for cardiac surgery, 58% for general surgery, and 72% for non-surgical patients.
CONCLUSIONS: The EPOC® device had minor negative bias, was not interchangeable with the CBC hemoglobin, and was less reliable when the EPOC® value was \u3c 7 g/dL. Clinicians must consider speed versus accuracy, and should check a CBC within 30 min as confirmation when the EPOC® hemoglobin is \u3c 7 g/dL until further prospective trials are performed in this population
The risk and control of Salmonella outbreaks in calf-raising operations: a mathematical modeling approach
Salmonellosis in calves has economic and welfare implications, and serves as a potential source of human infections. Our objectives were to assess the risk of Salmonella spread following its introduction into a herd of pre-weaned calves and to evaluate the efficacy of control strategies to prevent and control outbreaks. To meet these objectives, we developed a model of Salmonella transmission within a pre-weaned group of calves based on a well documented outbreak of salmonellosis in a calf-raising operation and other literature. Intervention scenarios were evaluated in both deterministic and stochastic versions of the model. While the basic reproduction number (R0) was estimated to be 2.4, simulation analysis showed that more than 60% of the invasions failed after the introduction of a single index case. With repeated introduction of index cases, the probability of Salmonella spread was close to 1, and the tested control strategies were insufficient to prevent transmission within the group. The most effective strategies to control ongoing outbreaks were to completely close the rearing operation to incoming calves, to increase the proportion of admitted calves that were immunized (\u3e75%), and to assign personnel and equipment to groups of calves
The Sensitivity of Harassment to Orbit: Mass Loss from Early-Type Dwarfs in Galaxy Clusters
We conduct a comprehensive numerical study of the orbital dependence of
harassment on early-type dwarfs consisting of 168 different orbits within a
realistic, Virgo-like cluster, varying in eccentricity and pericentre distance.
We find harassment is only effective at stripping stars or truncating their
stellar disks for orbits that enter deep into the cluster core. Comparing to
the orbital distribution in cosmological simulations, we find that the majority
of the orbits (more than three quarters) result in no stellar mass loss. We
also study the effects on the radial profiles of the globular cluster systems
of early-type dwarfs. We find these are significantly altered only if
harassment is very strong. This suggests that perhaps most early-type dwarfs in
clusters such as Virgo have not suffered any tidal stripping of stars or
globular clusters due to harassment, as these components are safely embedded
deep within their dark matter halo. We demonstrate that this result is actually
consistent with an earlier study of harassment of dwarf galaxies, despite the
apparent contradiction. Those few dwarf models that do suffer stellar stripping
are found out to the virial radius of the cluster at redshift=0, which mixes
them in with less strongly harassed galaxies. However when placed on
phase-space diagrams, strongly harassed galaxies are found offset to lower
velocities compared to weakly harassed galaxies. This remains true in a
cosmological simulation, even when halos have a wide range of masses and
concentrations. Thus phase-space diagrams may be a useful tool for determining
the relative likelihood that galaxies have been strongly or weakly harassed.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures, Accepted to MNRAS 8th September 201
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