View factor computer program (VIEW)

Existing view factor program, RAVFAC, was modified to accept NASTRAN and/or RAVFAC surface descriptions. Output formatting was altered to produce view factor matrices which could be directly input to NASTRAN

Interpolating for the location of remote sensor data

An interpolation algorithm is presented as a practical alternative to common interpolation and approximation methods when applied to the problem of determining the location of remote sensor data. This algorithm is based upon knowledge of the geometry of the problem and is shown to be inherently more accurate than common interpolation schemes which may be applied to all types of data. A practical location problem is used to demonstrate its accuracy and computational cost

TOMS Near Realtime System design document

The System Design Document for the TOMS (Total Mapping Spectrometer) Near Realtime System provides detailed definition of the system functions and records the system history from a data processing and development point-of-view. The system was designed to produce map products displaying ozone concentrations over the United States as measured by the TOMS flown on the NIMBUS 7 satellite. The maps were produced and delivered to the user within six hours of round receipt of the satellite data for the period March 1, 1981 through May 15, 1981 on a daily basis. Sample system products are shown and data archival locations are listed

View factor computer program (program view) user's manual

The purpose of program VIEW is to compute view factors between specified surfaces and to be compatible with level 15.5 of the NASTRAN structural analysis program. Program VIEW is a modification of a (finite element) view factor computation program called RAVFAC. VIEW is designed to run on an IBM System/360 operating under OS (operating system), with a minimum region size of 110 K bytes. The actual computation of view factors is still performed exactly as it was in the original version of RAVFAC. In developing VIEW, RAVFAC was modified to satisfy the following compatibility requirements: (1) accept finite element input which can also be used as input to NASTRAN, (2) produce output (view factors) in a format which can be used as input to NASTRAN, and (3) follow NASTRAN program design so that in the future VIEW can be incorporated into NASTRAN as a subroutine. The VIEW program permits computation of the view factors between surfaces, taking into account the presence of any intermediate surfaces. VIEW also computes these view factors either by contour integration or by finite difference (double summation) methods

Biofortification of Lettuce and Basil Seedlings to Produce Selenium Enriched Leafy Vegetables

Selenium (Se) biofortification of plants has been recognized as a good strategy to improve the nutritive value of vegetables and increase Se daily intake in humans. Identifying the most appropriate method to enrich plants is a key issue in the biofortification process. We tested a biofortification technique that produces Se enriched seedlings for transplant, yet barely modifies conventional cultivation techniques. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) were exposed to selenium by adding 0, 1 and 3 mg L−1 (lettuce) and 0, 2 and 3 mg L−1 (basil) of Se, as sodium selenate, to the growing substrate immediately after sowing. When seedlings reached an appropriate size, they were transplanted into the open field, and plants were grown until maturity. Lettuce and basil seedlings accumulated selenium without any reduction in leaf biomass at maturity. The highest dose of Se induced a higher antioxidant capacity and flavonoid content in both species at both sampling times. At maturity, biofortified plants still showed a higher leaf Se content compared to the control, and would be able to provide from 10% to 17% (lettuce) and from 9% to 12% (basil) of the adequate intake (AI) of Se

The positive impact of cisternostomy with cisternal drainage on delayed hydrocephalus after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Hydrocephalus is one of the major complications of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH). In the acute setting, an external ventricular drain (EVD) is used for early management. A cisternal drain (CD) coupled with the micro-surgical opening of basal cisterns can be an alternative when the aneurysm is clipped. Chronic hydrocephalus after aSAH is managed with ventriculo-peritoneal (VP) shunt, a procedure associated with a wide range of complications. The aim of this study is to analyse the impact of micro-surgical opening of basal cisterns coupled with CD on the incidence of VP shunt, compared to patients treated with EVD. The authors conducted a retrospective review of 89 consecutive cases of patients with aSAH treated surgically and endovascularly with either EVD or CD between January 2009 and September 2021. Patients were stratified into two groups: Group 1 included patients with EVD, Group 2 included patients with CD. Subgroup analysis with only patients treated surgically was also performed. We compared their baseline characteristics, clinical outcomes and shunting rates. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of epidemiological characteristics, WFNS score, Fisher scale, presence of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), acute hydrocephalus, postoperative meningitis or of clinical outcomes at last follow-up. Cisternostomy with CD (Group 2) was associated with a statistically significant reduction in VP-shunt compared with the use of an EVD (Group 1) (9.09% vs 53.78%; p < 0.001). This finding was confirmed in our subgroup analysis, as among patients with a surgical clipping, the rate of VP shunt was 43.7% for the EVD group and 9.5% for the CD group (p = 0.02). Cisternostomy with CD may reduce the rate of shunt-dependent hydrocephalus. Cisternostomy allows the removal of subarachnoid blood, thereby reducing arachnoid inflammation and fibrosis. CD may enhance this effect, thus resulting in lower rates of chronic hydrocephalus

Ultrasonographic diagnosis of urachal anomalies in cats and dogs: Retrospective study of 98 cases (2009-2019)

This retrospective study investigated the prevalence of different urachal anomalies (UA) in cats (n = 60) and dogs (n = 38) and their association with clinical symptoms and urinalysis alterations. Among UA, the vesicourachal diverticulum was the most prevalent UA diagnosed in both cats (96.7%) and dogs (89.5%): the intramural vesicourachal diverticulum was diagnosed in 76.7% of cats and 71.1% of dogs, followed by extramural vesicourachal diverticulum (20.0% and 18.4% respectively). In both cats and dogs, bladder wall diffuse or regional thickening was the most prevalent alteration. The most common alterations of the urinary bladder content were urolithiasis sediment in cats (33.3%) and in dogs (31.6%). Dogs with UA were more often asymptomatic (p = 0.01). No difference was found in cats. Stranguria, hematuria, and urethral obstruction were the most frequently reported clinical signs, while hematuria and leukocyturia were the most prevalent abnormalities at urinalysis. In conclusion, our study confirmed UA as uncommon, and often incidental findings, with a high prevalence of animals without clinical signs

First-line intra-arterial versus intravenous chemotherapy in unilateral sporadic group D retinoblastoma: evidence of better visual outcomes, ocular survival and shorter time to success with intra-arterial delivery from retrospective review of 20 years of treatment.

The introduction of intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC) as salvage treatment has improved the prognosis for eye conservation in group D retinoblastoma. The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of consecutive patients with advanced unilateral disease treated with either first-line intravenous chemotherapy (IVC) or first-line IAC. This is a retrospective mono-centric comparative review of consecutive patients. Sporadic unilateral retinoblastoma group D cases treated conservatively at Jules-Gonin Eye Hospital and CHUV between 1997 and 2014. From January 1997 to August 2008, IVC, combined with focal treatments, was the primary treatment approach. From September 2008 to October 2014, IAC replaced IVC as first-line therapy. 48 patients met the inclusion criteria, receiving only either IAC or IVC as primary treatment modality. Outcomes of 23 patients treated by IVC were compared with those of 25 treated by IAC; mean follow-up was 105.3 months (range 29.2-218.6) and 41.7 months (range 19.6-89.5), respectively. Treatment duration was significantly shorter in the IAC group (p<0.001). Ten eyes in the IVC group underwent enucleation. Recordable visual acuity of the salvaged eyes was significantly better in the IAC group (0.9 vs 1.4 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution, p<0.01). No extraocular disease, metastases or long-term systemic complications were observed in either group. The difference in the time frame between treatment groups had an impact on the availability of intravitreal chemotherapy treatment. Despite this, the results reported here imply that eyes treated with first-line IAC will have shorter treatment period, better ocular survival and visual acuity than first-line IVC

Adherence issues related to sublingual immunotherapy as perceived by allergists

Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is a viable alternative to subcutaneous immunotherapy to treat allergic rhinitis and asthma, and is widely used in clinical practice in many European countries. The clinical efficacy of SLIT has been established in a number of clinical trials and meta-analyses. However, because SLIT is self-administered by patients without medical supervision, the degree of patient adherence with treatment is still a concern. The objective of this study was to evaluate the perception by allergists of issues related to SLIT adherence.We performed a questionnaire-based survey of 296 Italian allergists, based on the adherence issues known from previous studies. The perception of importance of each item was assessed by a VAS scale ranging from 0 to 10.Patient perception of clinical efficacy was considered the most important factor (ranked 1 by 54\% of allergists), followed by the possibility of reimbursement (ranked 1 by 34\%), and by the absence of side effects (ranked 1 by 21\%). Patient education, regular follow-up, and ease of use of SLIT were ranked first by less than 20\% of allergists.These findings indicate that clinical efficacy, cost, and side effects are perceived as the major issues influencing patient adherence to SLIT, and that further improvement of adherence is likely to be achieved by improving the patient information provided by prescribers