Techniques and issues in breath and clinical sample headspace analysis for disease diagnosis

Analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from breath or clinical samples for disease diagnosis is an attractive proposition because it is noninvasive and rapid. There are numerous studies showing its potential, yet there are barriers to its development. Sampling and sample handling is difficult, and when coupled with a variety of analytical instrumentation, the same samples can give different results. Background air and the environment a person has been exposed to can greatly affect the VOCs emitted by the body; however, this is not an easy problem to solve. This review investigates the use of VOCs in disease diagnosis, the analytical techniques employed and the problems associated with sample handling and standardization. It then suggests the barriers to future development

An Exploration of the Importance of Design in Branding

The purpose of this thesis is to explore how good design is used to enhance and communicate a brand’s image. At its core, a brand is a personality. Thoughtful marketing and good design are tools that can effectively communicate that personality. The products, promotions, and experiences that your company presents should resonate with your target audience and illicit an emotional response that matches your brand. My thesis consists of two major sections. The first section is an accumulation of research and personal observations on how brands function in our society today. In this section I will define what a brand is, discuss the importance of design within a brand’s structure, and compare two existing brands to illustrate how design communicates different experiences for consumers. The second portion is an exercise where I have created the entire identity for my own fictitious brand. Using the ideas, concepts, and philosophies I researched in the first section, I created my brand, Beep, Beep! Sweets. Beep, Beep! Sweets is a innovative, fresh company that strives to bring naturally sweet cupcakes to its consumers with its new line of Cupcake Trucks. The design package includes a logo, office pieces, truck materials, promotions, and media platform designs. For each elements I have explained my design decisions

Relationship Between Incentive Program Costs, Incentive Payments, and Profitability

The lack of profitability among primary care businesses can have harmful impacts on business operations. Primary care businesses owners must remain profitable to remain in business and provide quality health care to patients. Grounded in Freeman’s stakeholder theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between incentive program costs, incentive payments, and profitability. Data were collected from 73 primary care physician business owners in the Inland Empire region of southern California. The multiple linear regression analysis results indicated the model was able to significantly predict profitability, F(2,70) = 1343.6, p \u3c.001, R2 = .975. Incentive payments (t = 51.837, p \u3c .001, = .928) was the only statistically significant predictor. Key recommendations include educating primary care physicians on the potential financial benefits of full participation in the commercial line of business pay-for-performance incentive programs and creating a campaign to bring in patients for wellness visits. The implications for positive social change include the potential for an additional revenue stream for primary care physician business owners, which could support more clinics, increasing patient access. Patients having better access to healthcare could positively affect the health and wellness of individuals in local communities

28 years of vegetation change (1978 – 2006) in a calcareous coastal dune system

Changes in vegetation structure and composition over a 28 year period (1978–2006) following removal of human-induced disturbances, were examined in a calcareous coastal dune system in Point Nepean National Park (380 19’S, 1440 41’E) in south-eastern Victoria, Australia. In the early 1980s human habitation of Point Nepean was abandoned and disturbance regimes such as burning, slashing and land clearing were altered or removed, providing an opportunity to study the recovery of disturbed coastal vegetation. Broad-scale and community-level vegetation changes were assessed by comparing quadrat and GIS mapping data from 1978 with data collected in 2006. Results indicate a change in broad vegetation patterns; shrubland vegetation has replaced hind dune grasslands and disturbed areas and there has been a decrease in exposed coastal areas (such as blowouts, dunes and cliffs), and an increase in woody native species and highly invasive woody weeds. The changes highlight the importance of incorporating vegetation states in planning management actions in dynamic coastal vegetation

Planting the Spaces in Between: New York Restoration Project’s Tree Giveaway Program

Through the tree giveaway program, NYRP provides organizations between 100 and 300 trees and staff to support the distribution of trees to NYC residents for planting on private property. The giveaway events take place throughout NYC’s five boroughs every weekend during the spring and fall planting seasons. Tree giveaways set the stage for discussions about urban soil conditions, precautions to take when planting, and ecological issues confronting the city. From Allegheny Serviceberry to Little Leaf Linden and everything in between, these trees provide a beneficial contrast to the gray infrastructure of the city. These benefits include providing shade, wildlife habitat, ecological biodiversity, storm water retention, food production, and natural beauty

A Comparison of Physical Activity and Dietary Behaviours of British Pakistani and White British Girls Aged 9 to 11 Years Living on Teesside

Introduction South Asian minority groups in the UK are at greater risk of heart disease and diabetes than the general White population. Physical activity and diet may play an important role in the onset of these diseases. Previous studies suggest levels of physical activity may be particularly low in British Pakistani girls. This mixed-method study aimed to test hypotheses that British Pakistani girls would be less active and more sedentary and would consume a greater proportion of energy from fat than White British girls. It also explored activity and dietary behaviours in the two groups. Methods Eighty-two British Pakistani and 82 White British girls, aged 9 to 11 years, were recruited from seven primary schools on Teesside, North-east England. Accelerometry was used to collect objective measurements of physical activity and sedentary time for four days. Three previous day physical activity recalls were used to determine participation in sport and exercise, outdoor play, screen-time and active modes of school transport. Food records and three previous day multiple-pass diet recalls were used to determine intake of energy and macro-nutrients and to characterise dietary habits. Parental interviews explored familial influences on children’s physical activity and dietary behaviour. Results British Pakistani girls accumulated: 148 (95% CI: 95, 201) fewer counts per minute per day; 19 (95% CI: 11, 26) fewer minutes in moderate-to vigorous physical activity and 5% (95% CI: 3, 7) more sedentary time, compared with White British girls. According to activity recalls British Pakistani girls accumulated: 14 (95% CI: 0.4, 28) fewer minutes per day in sport and exercise; 24 (95% CI: 13, 37) fewer minutes in outdoor play and 4 (95% CI: 0.1, 8.3) fewer minutes in active modes of school transport. There was no significant difference in screen time. British Pakistani girls gained an additional 1.7 (95% CI: 0.4, 3.3) per cent of their overall energy intake from fat, compared with White British girls. According to dietary recalls a greater proportion of British Pakistani girls consumed fast-food as an evening meal (p=0.034) and were more likely to consume food that had been deep fried (p=0.04) or shallow fried (p<0.001) during cooking. Conclusion The lower levels of physical activity and higher amounts of sedentary time, coupled with the higher intake of total fat found in British Pakistani compared with White British girls, may be associated with the increased cardiometabolic risk found in these populations, both in childhood and later in life

The use of SIFT-MS in profiling the faecal volatile metabolome in horses with colic: a pilot study

SIFT-MS is used for the first time in profiling the volatile organic profile in faecal headspace in two groups of horses admitted to an equine hospital, one group with acute intestinal disease (colic) affecting the large colon, plus a control group of similarly managed horses admitted for non-gastrointestinal/metabolic reasons (e.g. acute orthopaedic injury). Compounds in faecal headspace which show statistically significant concentration differences between the groups are acetone and methanol. In addition, some ions at various m/z values show significantly different ion counts between the groups. Further information may be gleaned by using multivariate statistics in evaluating the differences between the two horse groups. Principal components analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were evaluated for reducing the dimensionality of the SIFT-MS data, and OPLS-DA was found to be best at discriminating between the groups, particularly with SIFT-MS data acquired using the H3O+ precursor ion. Analysis of these data also show the significance of ammonia as a discriminating ion. These results show that SIFT-MS may potentially be used on the headspace of horse faecal samples for detecting altered microbial fermentation associated with acute intestinal disease of the colon

An interpretation of rock art imagery from the Brandberg/Daures, Namibia

M.A. University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, 2012Whilst there has been extensive cataloguing of the rock art of the Brandberg/Dâures Massif in Namibia there has been comparatively little interpretative work done on the masses of rock art imagery located there. Many of the images remain unexplained or misunderstood. Some imagery has been interpreted but without the necessary ethnographic and theoretical frameworks that should accompany such interpretations. This dissertation seeks to resolve some of the interpretative problems that exist regarding the art in the area. It focuses on a particular set of imagery — giraffes and giraffe-snake conflations— and interprets the significance of these images. In doing so it uses a theoretical framework rooted in the study of the body and tackles issues relating to the current use of ethnography in rock art research and the Later Stone Age in general. The conclusions reached demonstrate that by using this approach different and far more applicable interpretations can be reached, particularly with regard to the set imagery central to this dissertation

Nurses experiences and views in caring for prisoner-patients in a secondary care environment

Background It is recognised that prisoners suffer varying health problems on initial imprisonment and are at risk from a range of health problems over their sentence duration. These health problems are contributing to the increased prevalence of prisoners in secondary care, last recorded as annually 47,857. Research currently fails to address the topic of nurses’ experiences and views of caring for prisoners in secondary care. The aim of this study was to gain knowledge of nurses’ experiences and views in caring for prisoners in general hospitals, and disseminate this acquired information to Eastside Trust. Initially it was required, in line with the objectives, to identify stigma and social exclusion in care of prisoner-patients and any consequential impacts on healthcare. The review of the literature also incorporated examination of professional issues and current guidance available, which revealed levels of support to be insufficient especially considering the growing number of prisoner-patients requiring secondary care. Methodology A quantitative methodology was selected with qualitative elements. Development of a questionnaire amended from Browne et al’s (2006) study lead to exploration of 244 nurses’ views and experiences about guidance, practices, confidentiality and equality of care. Responses were inputted to generate descriptive and inferential statistics. Open-ended questions received thematic analysis. Findings Exploration revealed that 75% of nurses had cared for prisoner-patients in the previous five years, whilst only 21.3% were aware of guidelines. The findings from this service evaluation display diversity in nursing practices in caring for prisoner-patients in general hospitals. Of nurses who had cared for prisoners: 45.4% had felt uncomfortable during care; 60.7% never asked prison officers to leave; 47.5% never asked if the prisoner-patient was a risk to their safety; and 44.8% had always cared for prisoner-patients whilst restrained. When examining perceptions of confidentiality in care, 43.4% perceived there to be breaches in confidentiality, which of these 59.4% perceived breaches to be justified. Lastly, a third of respondents expressed that they perceived there to be inequality between prisoner-patients and non-prisoner patients. Numerous views were voiced as reasoning for feeling uncomfortable providing prisoner-patient care. Variables, such as lower levels of interaction, prejudices exhibited by staff and patients, presence of handcuffs and prison officers and staff uncertainty were identified as barriers to equality. Discussion It is considered that although there is the indication that prisoner-patients could be receiving care evaluated as not complying with guidelines due to prisoner status, that this could be reversed, therefore they receive preferential treatment to achieve hasten discharge. Recommendations for practice improvement have been made which will involve dissemination of findings to the Trust. Undertaking care of prisoners is complex requiring professional, moral, and ethical understanding. However, it remains that acting in prisoner-patients’ best interests and providing exceptional care, confidentiality and dignity, equivalent to that of non-prisoner patients must prevail