Single walled carbon nanotube channel flow electrode : hydrodynamic voltammetry at the nanomolar level

The use of single walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) band electrodes in a channel flow cell, for low concentration detection, with hydrodynamic voltammetry is reported. A two dimensional SWNT network electrode is combined with a one piece channel flow cell unit, fabricated by microstereolithography. This configuration provides well defined hydrodynamics over a wide range of volume flow rates (0.05–25 mL min− 1). Limiting current measurements, from linear sweep voltammograms, are in good agreement with the channel electrode Levich equation, for the one electron oxidation of ferrocenylmethyl trimethylammonium (FcTMA+), over a wide concentration range, 1 × 10− 8 M to 2.1 × 10− 5 M, with a detection limit of 5 nM. At the highest flow rates, some influence of the slightly recessed electrode geometry arising from the SWNT electrode fabrication is noted. However, this can be accounted for by a full simulation of the hydrodynamics and solution of the resulting convection–diffusion equation. Application of this hydrodynamic configuration to the voltammetric detection of dopamine is also demonstrated

Self-reported benefits of participating in the Lee Style Taijiquan.

A brief exploration is undertaken of the origins of the Daoist walk in the Lee Family Style Taijiquan. This walk is situated within the Chinese perspective of a subtle body, and a survey of the internal landscape of the body, its deities, and its relationship with the cosmos is identified. The phenomenon of qi is investigated in relation to the subtle body and Taijiquan. The value of Taijiquan and meditation is then examined, for these techniques have been practised to facilitate health promotion and self-defence for many years. A brief account of the Taijiquan of the Lee family system in the west is also provided. Evaluation of the growth of Taijiquan in the west and its alleged health benefits is reviewed, identifying the contrast between holistic eastern notions of health and western approaches of mind and body dualism. Analysis of a Healing Manual produced by the Lee Family System Taijiquan was undertaken to identify the focus of health intervention. This was then compared with data gathered from diaries kept by Taijiquan participants and afocus group of Taijiquan participants, in order to ascertain their reasons for attending Taijiquan classes and the benefits they felt they gained from attending, in order to identify any correlations. It was identified that the Taijiquan participants had different motivations for attending the class, some having a strong belief in energies and healing, whilst others attended purely as a leisure activity. However, whatever the reason for attending the classes it would seem that the practice of Taijiquan, the Daoist walk, and breathing exercises have an important role to play in enhancing the coping mechanisms of its participants. Giving participants enhanced mood, peacefulness, calmness, and de-stressing them. The value of Taijiquan for these participant is to provide a haven for peace and relaxation which is beneficial for spiritual and general well-being

Concurrent analysis of choice and control in childbirth?

Background: this paper reports original research on choice and control in childbirth. Eight women were interviewed as part of a wider investigation into locus of control in women with pre-labour rupture of membranes at term (PROM) [1].Methods: the following study uses concurrent analysis to sample and analyse narrative aspects of relevant literature along with these interviews in order to synthesise a generalisable analysis of the pertinent issues. The original PROM study had found that women experienced a higher degree of control in hospital, a finding that appeared at odds with contemporary notions of choice. However, this paper contextualises this finding by presenting narratives that lucidly subscribe to the dominant discourse of hospital as the safest place to give birth, under the premise of assuring a live healthy baby irrespective of their management type.Results: this complex narrative is composed of the following themes: 'perceiving risk', 'being prepared', 'reflecting on experience', maintaining control' and relinquishing control'. These themes are constructed within and around the medical, foetocentric, risk averse cultural context. Primary data are presented throughout to show the origins and interconnected nature of these themes.Conclusions: within this context it is clear that there is a highly valued role for competent health professionals that respect, understand and are capable of facilitating genuine choice for women

Is it feasible to conduct a randomised controlled trial of pretransplant exercise (prehabilitation) for patients with multiple myeloma awaiting autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation? Protocol for the PREeMPT study

Introduction While myeloma is an incurable malignancy, developments in disease management have led to increased life expectancy in recent years. Treatment typically involves stem-cell transplantation. Increased survival rates equate to more patients living with the burden of both the disease and its treatment for increasing number of years, rendering myeloma a long-term condition. Evidence exists to demonstrate the benefits of exercise for patients recovering from stem-cell transplantation, and prehabilitation—exercise before treatment—has been shown to be effective in other disease areas. To date there has been no research into prehabilitation in patients with myeloma awaiting transplantation treatment. Our objective is to determine whether it is feasible to conduct a randomised controlled trial into pretransplant exercise for patients with multiple myeloma who are awaiting autologous stem-cell transplantation. Methods and analysis This mixed methods study identifies patients with diagnosis of multiple myeloma who have been assigned to the autologous transplantation list and invites them to participate in six weekly sessions of individualised, supervised exercise while awaiting transplantation. Quantitative data to determine feasibility targets include rates of recruitment, adherence and adverse events, and outcome measures including 6 min walking distance test and quality of life. Qualitative interviews are undertaken with a purposive sample of patients to capture their experiences of the study and the intervention. Ethics and dissemination Ethics committee approval has been obtained. Dissemination will be through open-access publications and presentations and will seek to reach multiprofessional bases as well as patients and carer groups, addressing the widespread interest in this area of research. Trial registration number NCT03135925; Pre-results

Neuropathological background of phenotypical variability in frontotemporal dementia

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is the umbrella term encompassing a heterogeneous group of pathological disorders. With recent discoveries, the FTLDs have been show to classify nicely into three main groups based on the major protein deposited in the brain: FTLD-tau, FTLD-TDP and FTLD-FUS. These pathological groups, and their specific pathologies, underlie a number of well-defined clinical syndromes, including three frontotemporal dementia (FTD) variants [behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), progressive non-fluent aphasia, and semantic dementia (SD)], progressive supranuclear palsy syndrome (PSPS) and corticobasal syndrome (CBS). Understanding the neuropathological background of the phenotypic variability in FTD, PSPS and CBS requires large clinicopathological studies. We review current knowledge on the relationship between the FTLD pathologies and clinical syndromes, and pool data from a number of large clinicopathological studies that collectively provide data on 544 cases. Strong relationships were identified as follows: FTD with motor neuron disease and FTLD-TDP; SD and FTLD-TDP; PSPS and FTLD-tau; and CBS and FTLD-tau. However, the relationship between some of these clinical diagnoses and specific pathologies is not so clear cut. In addition, the clinical diagnosis of bvFTD does not have a strong relationship to any FTLD subtype or specific pathology and therefore remains a diagnostic challenge. Some evidence suggests improved clinicopathological association of bvFTD by further refining clinical characteristics. Unlike FTLD-tau and FTLD-TDP, FTLD-FUS has been less well characterized, with only 69 cases reported. However, there appears to be some associations between clinical phenotypes and FTLD-FUS pathologies. Clinical diagnosis is therefore promising in predicting molecular pathology

Structural correlations in heterogeneous electron transfer at monolayer and multilayer graphene electrodes

As a new form of carbon, graphene is attracting intense interest as an electrode material with widespread applications. In the present study, the heterogeneous electron transfer (ET) activity of graphene is investigated using scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM), which allows electrochemical currents to be mapped at high spatial resolution across a surface for correlation with the corresponding structure and properties of the graphene surface. We establish that the rate of heterogeneous ET at graphene increases systematically with the number of graphene layers, and show that the stacking in multilayers also has a subtle influence on ET kinetics. © 2012 American Chemical Society

Distinct performance profiles on the Brixton test in frontotemporal dementia

From Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-05-30, rev-recd 2020-09-18, pub-electronic 2020-10-15, pub-print 2021-06Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedThe Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test is a well‐established test of executive function that evaluates the capacity to abstract, follow, and switch rules. There has been remarkably little systematic analysis of Brixton test performance in the prototypical neurodegenerative disorder of the frontal lobes: behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) or evaluation of the test’s ability to distinguish frontal from temporal lobe degenerative disease. We carried out a quantitative and qualitative analysis of Brixton performance in 76 patients with bvFTD and 34 with semantic dementia (SD) associated with temporal lobe degeneration. The groups were matched for demographic variables and illness duration. The bvFTD group performed significantly more poorly (U = 348, p < .0001, r = .58), 53% of patients scoring in the poor–impaired range compared with 6% of SD patients. Whereas bvFTD patients showed problems in rule acquisition and switching, SD patients did not, despite their impaired conceptual knowledge. Error analysis revealed more frequent perseverative errors in bvFTD, particularly responses unconnected to the stimulus, as well as random responses. Stimulus‐bound errors were rare. Within the bvFTD group, there was variation in performance profile, which could not be explained by demographic, neurological, or genetic factors. The findings demonstrate sensitivity and specificity of the Brixton test in identifying frontal lobe degenerative disease and highlight the clinical value of qualitative analysis of test performance. From a theoretical perspective, the findings provide evidence that semantic knowledge and the capacity to acquire rules are dissociable. Moreover, they exemplify the separable functional contributions to executive performance

The Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioral ALS Screen (ECAS) in frontotemporal dementia

To examine the usefulness of the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioral Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Screen (ECAS) as a cognitive screening tool for the detection of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). A secondary aim was to determine whether people with FTD combined with ALS (ALS-FTD) exhibit a similar ECAS profile to that of people with bvFTD alone. Methods: Patients with ALS-FTD and bvFTD and healthy controls were recruited. Participants were administered the ECAS, which comprises tests of language, verbal fluency, executive functions, memory, and visual-spatial functions. They also carried out analogous, full-length cognitive tests that examine naming, spelling, sentence completion, and social cognition skills. Results: The study cohort comprised 20 ALS-FTD patients, 23 with bvFTD, and 30 controls. Highly significant group differences were elicited for all cognitive domains, reflecting poorer performance in patients compared to controls. No significant differences in overall test scores were found between ALS-FTD and bvFTD patients, although ALS-FTD patients showed a higher frequency of impairment on verbal fluency. Correlative analyses revealed inter-relationships in patients (but not controls) between scores in different domains, most marked in bvFTD. There were strong correlations between performance on ECAS subtests and analogous cognitive tasks. Conclusion: The ECAS is a sensitive and valuable tool for the assessment of FTD. Executive, language and behavioral breakdown may, however, compromise performance in other cognitive domains, reducing the specificity of the ‘frontotemporal’ cognitive profile. Subtle differences observed between ALS-FTD and bvFTD raise questions regarding the precise relationship between bvFTD with and without ALS