What is the effect of interrupting prolonged sitting with frequent bouts of physical activity or standing on first or recurrent stroke risk factors? A scoping review

The objective of this review was to ascertain the scope of the available literature on the effects of interrupting prolonged sitting time with frequent bouts of physical activity or standing on stroke and recurrent stroke risk factors. Databases Medline, Embase, AMED, CINAHL and Cochrane library were comprehensively searched from inception until 21st February 2018. Experimental trials which interrupted sitting time with frequent bouts of physical activity or standing in adults (≥ 18 years) were included. Comparison to a bout of prolonged sitting and a measure of at least one first or recurrent stroke risk factor was required to be included. Overall, 30 trials (35 articles) were identified to meet the inclusion criteria. Fifteen trials were completed in participants at an increased risk of having a first stroke and one trial in participants at risk of a recurrent stroke. Outcomes of hypertension and dysglycemia were found to be more favourable following predominately light- to moderate-intensity bouts of physical activity or standing compared to sitting in the majority of trials in participants at risk of having a first stroke. In the one trial of stroke survivors, only outcomes of hypertension were significantly improved. These findings are of significant importance taking into consideration hypertension is the leading risk factor for first and recurrent stroke. However, trials primarily focused on measuring outcomes of dysglycemia and without assessing a dose-response effect. Additional research is required on the dose-response effect of interrupting sitting with frequent bouts of physical activity or standing on first and recurrent stroke risk factors, in those high risk population groups

Reduction of seafood processing wastewater using technologies enhanced by swim–bed technology

The increasing growth of the seafood processing industries considerably requires more industrial process activities and water consumption. It is estimated that approximately 10–40 m3 of wastewater is generated from those industries for processing one-tonne of raw materials. Due to limitations and regulations in natural resources utilization, a suitable and systematic wastewater treatment plant is very important to meet rigorous discharge standards. As a result of food waste biodegradability, the biological treatment and some extent of swim-bed technology, including a novel acryl-fibre (biofilm) material might be used effectively to meet the effluent discharge criteria. This chapter aims to develop understanding on current problems and production of the seafood wastewater regarding treatment efficiency and methods of treatment

What do stroke survivors' value about participating in research and what are the most important research problems related to stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA)? A survey

Background: Recruitment to stroke clinical trials is challenging, but consumer registers can facilitate participation. Researchers need to understand the key factors that facilitate trial involvement and improve consumer partnerships to identify what research topics important to stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) survivors and their carers. We aimed to examine i) the experience of being involved in a stroke research register, and ii) the priorities for stroke research from the perspective of stroke survivors. Methods: Online and paper-based surveys were sent directly to members of a stroke register and disseminated online. Multiple choice questions were reported as counts and percentages and open-ended questions were thematically analysed using Braun and Clarke’s 6-stage process. Results: Of 445 survey respondents, 154 (38%) were a member of the Stroke Research Register. The most frequently reported reason for research participation was to help others in the future. Respondents reported they were less likely to take part in research if the research question was not relevant to them, if transport was an issue, or because they lacked time. The most important research problems reported were targeting specific impairments including recovery of movement, fatigue, and aphasia, improvement of mental health services, and increased support for carers. Conclusions: Recruitment to trials may be improved by research registers if an inclusive research culture is fostered, in which consumers feel valued as members of a community, have direct and timely access to research findings and the opportunity to be meaningfully involved in research around the problems that consumers find most important.Ishanka Weerasekara, Jasmine Baye, Meredith Burke, Gary Crowfoot, Gillian Mason, Rachael Peak, Dawn Simpson, Frederick Rohan Walker, Michael Nilsson, Michael Pollack, and Coralie Englis

Human stomach microbiota: Effects on health and disease

The gut microbiota is a complex ecological community, consisting of trillions of microbes which include bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa. The stomach was previously considered as a sterile site uninhabited by microbes due to its hostile environmental conditions. Breaking this concept, Helicobacter pylori was the first pathogen reported to inhabit the stomach. Recent studies have suggested that the stomach harbours transient as well as certain commensal bacterial and fungal species. The five major microbial phyla in the stomach have been identified as Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Fusobacteria and Proteobacteria. The composition of gastric microbiota is dynamic and is affected by several factors.  These include age group, dietary habits, medication use, inflammation of gastric mucosa and H. pylori colonization.  Further, the role of host genetics has recently been studied in maintaining the stomach microbiota. Mutations in host genes may affect the host’s immune response towards commensal bacteria and reduce their number and diversity. The essential multiple roles of gut microorganisms include maintaining homeostasis in the gut, contributing to immune function and extraction of nutrients and energy from our diets.  Loss of the normal balance between the gut microbiota and host has been associated with several abnormal conditions and disorders such as obesity, malnutrition, inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), neurological disorders, and cancer. In the stomach, the interaction between H. pylori and the gastric microbiota can also influence gastric dis­ease progression. Further studies should focus on addressing the role of gastric dysbiosis in health and disease. Identifying gastric microbiota is essential to understand how the gut microbiota and H. pylori affect health and disease.</p

Analysis of laser radiation using the Nonlinear Fourier transform

Modern high-power lasers exhibit a rich diversity of nonlinear dynamics, often featuring nontrivial co-existence of linear dispersive waves and coherent structures. While the classical Fourier method adequately describes extended dispersive waves, the analysis of time-localised and/or non-stationary signals call for more nuanced approaches. Yet, mathematical methods that can be used for simultaneous characterisation of localized and extended fields are not yet well developed. Here, we demonstrate how the Nonlinear Fourier transform (NFT) based on the Zakharov-Shabat spectral problem can be applied as a signal processing tool for representation and analysis of coherent structures embedded into dispersive radiation. We use full-field, real-time experimental measurements of mode-locked pulses to compute the nonlinear pulse spectra. For the classification of lasing regimes, we present the concept of eigenvalue probability distributions. We present two field normalisation approaches, and show the NFT can yield an effective model of the laser radiation under appropriate signal normalisation conditions

Voltage sag mitigation using dynamic voltage restorer with multi-feedback control

Voltage sag is one of the most serious power problems that the industrial customers are facing nowadays. Voltage sag is a momentary reduction of rms voltage. These momentary reductions are, sometimes, sufficient to cause tripping of sensitive equipment of an industrial installation. One such tripping can cause production loss worth of several hundred thousands to few millions of rupees depending on the nature of the industry (e.g. Glass industry). Voltage sags can be remedied at 'system-level' as well as 'device-level'. The system level solutions are costly because controlling the voltage sag events of a power system involves large amount of money and effort. On the other-hand, every customer. fed by a power system is not affected by voltage sags. Only few customers have sensitive equipment such as process controllers- which need protection from sags. Therefore a device-level solution provided at the customers' doorstep is more attractive in economic terms. Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) is one of such 'device-level' mitigating devices that could be used to protect a customer from voltage sags. The basic theory behind the DVR is the series voltage compensation. In case of a sag of the incoming supply voltage to a customer installation, the DVR injects the balance of voltage in series with the incoming voltage so that the load does not see any abnormal condition. Since a sag continues within a few fractions of a second, the DVR has to respond fast enough to compensate the sag. Therefore, the control method adopted in the DVR has a vital role in its satisfactory performance. In this research project, three different control options, namely open-loop control system, close-loop control system and multi-feed back control system were designed, analysed and digitally simulated. This thesis contains the details of those design, analysis and simulation. Out of the three control options, the multi-feed back controlled DVR has shown superior performance compared with the other two options and therefore, this option is recommended for practical use in protecting an important load. From the analysis and also the digital simulations, it has been proved that the multi-feed back controlled DVR is capable of protecting any load up to 5 MVA (power factor from 0.6 to unity) against system voltage sags

The Effect of Street Canyon Geometry on Outdoor Thermal Comfort in Colombo

Although life in the equatorial tropics is largely an outdoor phenomenon, modern urban development has by and large failed to facilitate such living in a climatically pleasant manner. The approach then, should be an attempt to make the equatorial urban outdoors thermally comfortable. (Emmanuel, 1993) The primary approach to the research is to quantify and compare the thermal comfort implications of critical canyon geometry in warm humid Colombo. It explores street canyons that are currently existing as well as projected under the Sri Lanka, Urban Development Authority Development (UDA) Plan for 2020. Thus, the task is twofold; to report on the thermal comfort effects of the most widespread urban canyons in the city, and secondly to project the change that will occur with the growth of Colombo's built fabric, therefore canyon geometry. The urban fabric simplified using the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) system and surveyed shows the most predominant street canyons essentially encompass the compact low-rise and mid-rise areas of the city. The research reveals that thermal comfort cannot be achieved within the existing and projected urban canyons, for the peak time of the day

Nutrition Transition and Traditional Food Cultural Changes in Sri Lanka during Colonization and Post-Colonization

Gefördert durch den Publikationsfonds der Universität Kasse