Identification of Different Classes of VOCs Based on Optical Emission Spectra Using a Dielectric Barrier Helium Plasma Coupled with a Mini Spectrometer

In this study, a micro helium dielectric barrier discharge (μHDBD) plasma device fabricated using 3D printing and molding techniques was coupled with a mini spectrometer to detect and identify different classes of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using optical emission spectrometry (OES). We tested 11 VOCs belonging to three different classes (straight-chain alkanes, aromatics, and polar organic compounds). Our results clearly demonstrate that the optical emission spectra of different classes of VOCs show clear differences, and therefore, can be used for identification. Additionally, the emission spectra of VOCs with a similar structure (such as n-pentane, n-hexane, n-heptane, n-octane, and n-nonane) have similar optical emission spectrum shape. Acetone and ethanol also have similar emission wavelengths, but they show different line intensities for the same concentrations. We also found that the side-chain group of aromatics will also affect the emission spectra even though they have a similar structure (all have a benzene ring). Moreover, our μHDBD-OES system can also identify multiple compounds in VOC mixtures. Our work also demonstrates the possibility of identifying different classes of VOCs by the OES shape.

A Pilot Study to Examine the Effect of Passive Straight Leg Raise Performed During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation on Cerebral Perfusion Measured by Noninvasive Cerebral Oximetry

Passive leg raise (PLR) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is simple and noninvasive maneuver, which can potentially improve patient-related outcomes. Initial CPR guidelines have previously advocated "elevation of the lower extremities to augment artificial circulation during CPR." There is lack of supporting evidence for this recommendation.

DESIGN

This was a double cross-over physiologic efficacy randomized study.

SETTING AND PATIENTS

Study in 10 subjects with in-hospital cardiac arrest for whom CPR was undertaken.

INTERVENTION

Subjects were randomized to receive two cycles of CPR with PLR followed by two cycles of CPR without PLR (Group I) or vice-versa (Group II). Subjects had their foreheads (right and left) fitted with near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) electrodes (O3 System-Masimo, Masimo corporation Forty Parker, Irvine CA) while undergoing CPR during the study. NIRS readings, a measure of mixed venous, arterial, and capillary blood oxygen saturation, act as a surrogate measure of cerebral blood perfusion during CPR.

MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS

PLR was randomly used "first" in five of them, whereas it was used "second" in the remaining five subjects. In subjects in whom PLR was performed during first two cycles (Group I), NIRS values were initially significantly greater. The performance of PLR during CPR in Group II attenuated the decline in NIRS readings during CPR.

CONCLUSIONS

PLR during CPR is feasible and leads to augmentation of cerebral blood flow. Furthermore, the expected decline in cerebral blood flow over time during CPR may be attenuated by this maneuver. The clinical significance of these findings will require further investigations.

Pellets Inoculated with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens H57 Modulates Diet Preference and Rumen Factors Associated with Appetite Regulation in Steers

Simple Summary

The probiotic Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain H57 (H57) may reinforce preferential feeding behaviour by changing ruminal fermentation parameters. Four rumen-fistulated steers were offered feedlot pellets, with (H57) or without (Control, C) the H57 probiotic. Half of the pellets were added to the rumen, at time zero, and half were offered for oral consumption over the next six hours, to make four feeding treatments. Each steer was offered each treatment over time. Each offering was over six days, with rumen fluid sampled over the last three days for a six-hour period per day. A five-minute preference test was performed at the end of each rumen sampling period by simultaneously offering the steers 4 kg of H57 and C pellets. The steers preferred the H57 over the C pellets but the route of offering (rumen versus oral) had no effect on preference. Ruminal pH and molar proportions of iso-butyrate and iso-valerate were higher and ammonia concentrations tended to be greater for H57 compared to C. However, since the route of offering had no effect on preference, the hypothesis, that ruminal fermentation changes take precedence over oral (taste) sensations in driving preference, was not supported.

Abstract

This study examined whether the probiotic Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain H57 (H57) affects ruminal fermentation parameters that exercise post-ingestive feedback appetite control mechanisms. A 4 × 4 Latin square design was used to separate pre- and post-ingestive effects of H57 in four rumen-fistulated steers. The steers were offered a set amount of feedlot pellets, inoculated with H57 or without H57 (control, C). Half of the total amount of pellets fed were introduced intra-ruminally (r), and then the remaining pellets were orally consumed (o) to make four feeding treatments: H57r/H57o, H57r/Co, Cr/H57o and Cr/Co. Rumen fluid was sampled at 2, 4 and 6 h after feeding. Preference behaviour was tested immediately after the 6 h rumen fluid sampling by simultaneously offering the steers 4 kg of each of H57 and C pellets in adjacent troughs for 5 min. Steers preferred the pellets with added H57 over the C pellets (56:44; p < 0.001) and their preferences were not affected by the treatment protocol imposed to separate post- from pre-ingestive effects (p > 0.05). Steers fed H57 pellets had higher ruminal pH, molar proportions of iso-butyrate and iso-valerate (p < 0.05) and tended to have greater ruminal ammonia concentrations compared to those fed C pellets (p < 0.1). However, post-ingestive signals did not affect diet preference more than pre-ingestive signals.

Treatment and outcomes of metastatic colorectal cancer patients in public and private hospitals: results from the South Australian Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Registry

BACKGROUND

Studies have reported significant differences in baseline characteristics and outcomes of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients when managed in private versus public hospitals.

AIMS

To compare disease, treatment and survival outcomes of patients with mCRC in public versus private hospitals in South Australia (SA).

METHODS

Analysis of prospectively collected data from the SA mCRC Registry. Patterns of care and outcome data according to location of care and socioeconomic status based on Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage were analysed.

RESULTS

A total of 3470 patients' data was analysed during February 2006-January 2015. The majority (70%) of patients received treatment in public hospitals. Patients in the upper 50% for Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage score were more likely to receive treatment at a private hospital (41.2% vs 21.56%) compared to <50%. Public patients had higher burden of disease (10.49% vs 7.41%, P = 0.005). Public patients received less treatment compared to the private patients (odds ratio = 0.48 (0.38-0.61), P = 0.01) and rates of surgical resections were lower in public patients. After adjusting for the covariates, public patients survive 1.33 months (P = 0.025) shorter than private patients with follow-up time of 5 years. Patients receiving metastasectomy and more than three lines of treatment were shown to have the greatest survival benefit.

CONCLUSION

Public patients have a higher burden of disease and in comparison are less likely to receive systemic therapy and have lower survival than patients treated in private hospitals.

Feed Preference Response of Weaner Bull Calves to Bacillus amyloliquefaciens H57 Probiotic and Associated Volatile Organic Compounds in High Concentrate Feed Pellets

Simple Summary

The aim of this work was to confirm that a new probiotic (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, H57) in stock-feed pellets make cattle want to eat them faster and that H57 increased preference by reducing the rate of microbial spoilage in stored pellets thereby changing the odour of the pellets. Odour was manipulated by manufacturing standard pellets with or without added H57 and then storing half of each for 4 months either in a chiller or at room temperature to make 4 different batches. These were offered, per day for 4 weeks, across 8 automated feed bunks, 1 pellet batch per 2 bunks, in amounts enough to satisfy the daily needs of a single group of 16 young bulls. A given bull could have chosen any of 4 feed batches to eat. The feed batches in the bunks that were emptied the fastest were considered to contain the most preferred batch. The H57 was found to improve preference for pellets but only when they were stored at room temperature and not if they were stored in a chiller. The most preferred pellets had the least concentration of microbial volatile organic compounds. This was consistent with our expectation that H57 inhibits microbial spoilage in feed pellets to improve shelf life.

Abstract

This study tested the hypothesis that Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain H57 (H57) improves preference by reducing the development of microbial volatile organic compounds (mVOCs) in feed pellets. Sixteen bull calves were, for 4 weeks, provided equal access to a panel of 8 automated feed bunks in a single paddock with some hay. Each bunk contained pellets with (H57) or without (Control) the H57, each aged for 4 months at either ambient or chiller temperature. Each treatment was changed to a new bunk pair position weekly. Relative preference was determined according to weight of pellets remaining per hour per treatment bunk pair per 24 h. Pellets were analysed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and the concentrations tested for correlation with relative preference. Calves showed the lowest preference (p < 0.0001) for the Control/Ambient treatment whereas preference for all other treatments (H57/Ambient; H57/Chiller; Control/Chiller) was similar. The Control/Ambient treatment odour profile grouped differently to the other 3 treatments which grouped similarly to each other. Up to 16 mVOCs were determined to have potential as pre-ingestive signals for the extent of microbial spoilage. Further studies are required to find which combination of these mVOCs, when added to pellets, results in feed aversion.

The Effect of Specialty Salts on Cooking Loss, Texture Properties, and Instrumental Color of Beef Emulsion Modeling Systems

ObjectivesSalt plays an integral role in meat processing, and reduction or exclusion will have negative impacts on water holding capacity and binding function of protein and fat. Specific to meat emulsions, NaCl is used in the formulation due to its effect on the solubilization (extraction) of myofibrillar meat proteins, which allow the formation and stabilization of the interfacial matrix during manufacture and preparation. While previous research has addressed preservation (shelf-life and oxidation attributes) and flavor (sensory attributes) when using specialty salts in meat products, the application of specialty salts in meat emulsions has never been addressed in a scientific manner. Therefore, the purpose here was to evaluate the incorporation of different levels and types of specialty salts on the physicochemical and textural characteristics of beef emulsions.Materials and MethodsThree specialty NaCl salts (premium sea salt, pink sea salt, and gray sea salt) were added to beef emulsion modeling systems at three different inclusion levels (0.70, 1.00, and 1.30%) and then compared with commercially sourced white salt. Salt (NaCl) purity levels for commercially sourced white salt, premium sea salt, pink sea salt, and gray sea salt were 99.8, 99.8, 95.2, and 94.9%, respectively. Cooking loss, emulsion stability, proximate composition, pH, texture profile analysis, and instrumental color of the emulsions were evaluated with three independent replications from one batch of ground beef. One batch of ground beef was used to properly control for confounding factors such as beef source and day of manufacture. Treatment was applied to one of twelve 500-g base emulsions (without artificial food dyes, preservatives, spices, and seasonings) containing beef (according to the level of salt added), water (28.14%), oil (8.00%), starch (2.00%), and phosphate (0.35%) for each replication (36 total experimental units). Data were analyzed with PROC GLIMMIX of SAS with fixed effects of salt type, salt inclusion level, and their interaction, and the random effect of replication. Least square means were separated using the PDIFF option with a Tukey-Kramer adjustment, and was further separated using an orthogonal set of estimate statements to analyze linear and quadratic effects for salt inclusion level. Differences were considered different at P ≤ 0.05.ResultsEmulsion stability and cooking loss were primarily affected (P < 0.01) by salt inclusion level rather than salt type (P ≥ 0.13). Stability increased and cooking loss decreased as salt inclusion level increased (linear P < 0.01). Proximate composition of cooked meat emulsions trended differently as salt increased from 0.70% to 1.30% salt inclusion level for the different salt types. Moisture increased and lipid decreased for commercial white salt, while moisture decreased, and lipid increased for all three of the specialty salts. Hardness, springiness, gumminess, and chewiness of emulsions increased as the level of salt increased for all the treatments and were greatest (P < 0.0001) in all treatments at the 1.30% salt inclusion level, however, no differences were observed between the salt types.ConclusionOverall, salt inclusion level, rather than salt type, had significant effects on the solubilization of protein and dispersion interactions of the emulsions, which affected physicochemical and functional properties.

Global Governance for Health: how to motivate political change?

In this article, we address a central theme that was discussed at the Durham Health Summit: how can politics be brought back into global health governance and figure much more prominently in discussions around policy? We begin by briefly summarizing the report of the Lancet - University of Oslo Commission on Global Governance for Health: 'The Political Origins of Health Inequity' Ottersen et al. In order to provide compelling evidence of the central argument, the Commission selected seven case studies relating to, inter alia, economic and fiscal policy, food security, and foreign trade and investment agreements. Based on an analysis of these studies, the report concludes that the problems identified are often due to political choices: an unwillingness to change the global system of governance. This raises the question: what is the most effective way that a report of this kind can be used to motivate policy-makers, and the public at large, to demand change? What kind of moral or rational argument is most likely to lead to action? In this paper we assess the merits of various alternative perspectives: health as an investment; health as a global public good; health and human security; health and human development; health as a human right; health and global justice. We conclude that what is required in order to motivate change is a more explicitly political and moral perspective - favouring the later rather than the earlier alternatives just listed.

Narrative development as symbol formation: Gestures, imagery and the emergence of cohesion

We extend Werner and Kaplan’s (1963) account of early language development as symbol formation to the development of cohesion in young children’s narratives. We propose that the development of cohesion relies on imagistic gestures, specifically on gestural catchments – series of gestures (not necessarily continuous) with recurring features that embody discourse themes. Our argument is supported by the narratives of a child recorded and transcribed by Forrester (2002, 2008), and available on Child Language Data Exchange System (CHILDES). From ages 1;5 to 2;9 we find three periods of changing relationships between speech and gesture – in the first, gestures helping to create simple referring-and-predicating constructions, and in the last marking what is newsworthy relative to what has come before. The period between is a time of transition from gestures in an extralinguistic to an intralinguistic function. We examine this change in the context of Werner and Kaplan’s (1963) shift from parataxis to hypotaxis, and with respect to the semiotics of symbol formation – a shift from a single to a dual semiotic.

Quality of resuscitation orders in general medical patients

BACKGROUND

Documentation of resuscitation status in hospitalized patients has relevance in the management of cardiopulmonary arrest. Its association with mortality, Length Of hospital Stay (LOS) and the patients' primary diagnosis has not been established in general medical inpatients in hospitals in Australia and New Zealand.

AIM

To investigate the association of resuscitation orders with in-hospital mortality and LOS in a range of diagnoses, adjusting for severity of illness and other covariates.

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

METHODS

The admission notes of 1681 medical admissions to four tertiary care teaching hospitals across Australia and New Zealand were reviewed retrospectively for frequency and nature of resuscitation documentation and its association with mortality, LOS and primary diagnosis.

RESULTS

Resuscitation orders were documented in 741 patients (44.7%). For the 232 patients with a Not For Resuscitation (NFR) order, the in-hospital mortality rate was higher than in control patients (14% vs. 1.2%, P<0.005). The mortality rate remained significantly higher in the NFR group after propensity matching of the controls for age and co-morbidity (14% vs. 5%, P<0.005). The death-adjusted LOS for the NFR group was also significantly higher compared to the control patients (9.7 days vs. 4.7 days, P<0.005) and this difference remained after propensity matching (9.7 days vs. 7.7 days, P<0.05). Those patients with a primary diagnosis of respiratory tract infection or cardiac failure were more likely to be documented NFR compared to those with cellulitis or urinary tract infection.

CONCLUSIONS

The documentation of NFR in a patient's admission notes is associated with increased in-hospital mortality and LOS. This is only partly explicable in terms of these patients' greater age and co-morbidity.

Pooled Estimates of Parent-Child Correlations in Stature from Birth to Maturity

Correlations between the heights of children throughout their development and their parents's mature heights differ widely in different growth studies. The range of values, however, is shown to be within the limits of sampling error, making it possible to estimate correlations for each age from birth to maturity. Mother-child correlations are generally higher than father-child correlations, and for both comparisons the correlation increases when the child reaches early adolescence. There is no relation between the heights of the parents and the timing of the child's growth spurt, but there probably is a relation between the heights of the parents and the amount the child grows during early adolescence.

Variability of United States isolates of Macrophomina phaseolina based on simple sequence repeats and cross genus transferability to related genera within botryosphaeriaceae

Twelve simple sequence repeat (SSRs) loci were used to evaluate genetic diversity of 109 isolates of Macrophomina phaseolina collected from different geographical regions and host species throughout the United States (US). Genetic diversity was assessed using Nei's minimum genetic distance, and the usefulness of each locus was determined by calculating the polymorphism information content (PIC). A total of 98 alleles were detected and of these 31 were unique to individual genotypes. Eight of twelve loci were highly informative with PIC values greater than 0.50. The majority of pairwise comparisons of genetic distance were greater than 0.60 indicating moderate to high genetic diversity. Dendrograms based on the genetic dissimilarities were created for the 109 isolates of which 79 were from soybean. Some clustering by host and geography was noted, but, the dendrograms generally grouped isolates independent of host or geography. Additionally, sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) for 10 isolates revealed that all of these isolates were 99% similar. Three SSR loci from M. phaseolina were cross amplified in other genera in the Botryosphaeriaceae. This was the first study of genotyping and assessing genetic diversity of M. phaseolina isolates collected from a widespread host and geographic range across the US with SSRs. With an additional 34 loci publically available for M. phaseolina, the results indicate that previously developed SSRs from one species can be used in future population, ecological, and genetic studies of M. phaseolina and other genera within the Botryosphaeriaceae.

Embodiment awareness, mathematics discourse, and the blind

Blindness might be described as a biological condition, and thus remedies could be in the realm of biotechnology. However, the convergence of information technology and cognitive science offers great opportunities for understanding and helping blind children as they learn mathematics, the crosscutting discipline most important for all branches of science and engineering. This article outlines our logic and approach for providing blind students with awareness of the embodiment of their teachers to maintain situated communication. First, we shall show that math discourse is inherently spatiotemporal, and that this information is carried by gesticulation in conjunction with speech. Second, we shall explore the capacity of those who are blind for the imagism necessary for mathematics reasoning. Third, we shall advance a set of augmentative devices suggested by our analysis. Finally, we shall outline our ongoing experiments to validate our rationale.

New therapies for type 1 diabetes mellitus

Five to ten percent of patients with diabetes mellitus in the United States suffer from type 1 diabetes: approximately 1.5 million people. Type 1 diabetes occurs when there is no insulin production from the beta cells of the pancreas and has often been associated with younger patients and thin body habitus. Type 2 diabetes, often linked with obesity, is associated with impaired insulin secretion and insulin resistance. Although the therapeutic goal is to maintain strict glycemic control in both types, management of type 1 diabetes is of a dissimilar nature due to differences in pathophysiologic mechanisms and patient characteristics. Newer therapies are aimed at achieving better glycemic control with minimal compromise to lifestyle. Some of these treatment measures, such as insulin pump therapy, have been available for years but were not used frequently until the mid-1990s. The increased use of intensive insulin therapy became more readily acceptable after the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial showed a decrease in microvascular complications with better glycemic control (hemoglobin A1C value of 7% or less). Insulin pumps, along with meal timings and, to a certain extent, regulation of the amount of food consumed, have allowed diabetes patients a more flexible lifestyle. Newer insulins are structured to mimick the pharmacokinetics of the endogenous basal (peakless sustained activity) and bolus (short fast-acting) insulins. Development of continuous, noninvasive, glucose sensing devices may reduce the need for capillary blood glucose testing (needle pricks) and make diabetes management more patient friendly and effective.

Photochemical oxygen consumption, oxygen evolution and spectral changes during UVA irradiation of EMT6 spheroids

Remarkable rates of oxygen consumption are observed via microelectrode measurements immediately upon the onset of 325 nm irradiation of multicell tumor spheroids. Consumption is irradiance dependent over the range 20-200 mW cm-2, and its magnitude is comparable to that observed previously in the same system using exogenous photosensitizers. Oscillations in the oxygen concentrations suggest that oxygen is also being evolved during irradiation. Oxygen evolution is likely the result of enzymatic dissociation of hydrogen peroxide, which is formed through UV-induced photochemistry. Irradiation of spheroids at 442 and at 514 nm produces a much more modest but detectable oxygen consumption. The dynamics of oxygen concentration changes are quite different at these wavelengths, suggesting a different photochemical mechanism. In these cases, initial oxygen depletion is followed immediately by a more gradual, monotonic increase in the oxygen concentration, consistent with irreversible photobleaching. No oscillations in the oxygen concentration are detectable. At 662 nm, no oxygen consumption was observed over the range of irradiances studied. Fluorescence spectra of cells prior to irradiation include contributions from anthranilic acid and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). During 325 nm irradiation, anthranilic acid is rapidly and irreversibly bleached, while NADH emission undergoes only modest reduction.

Silence is liberating: removing the handcuffs on grammatical expression in the manual modality

Grammatical properties are found in conventional sign languages of the deaf and in unconventional gesture systems created by deaf children lacking language models. However, they do not arise in spontaneous gestures produced along with speech. The authors propose a model explaining when the manual modality will assume grammatical properties and when it will not. The model argues that two grammatical features, segmentation and hierarchical combination, appear in all settings in which one human communicates symbolically with another. These properties are preferentially assumed by speech whenever words are spoken, constraining the manual modality to a global form. However, when the manual modality must carry the full burden of communication, it is freed from the global form it assumes when integrated with speech--only to be constrained by the task of symbolic communication to take on the grammatical properties of segmentation and hierarchical combination.

A straight path-to where? Reply to Butterworth and Hadar

Butterworth and Hadar (1989) discussed my earlier article (McNeill, 1985) but assumed their own linear theory and overlooked my proposal for an internal dialectic of imagery and language. This has led them into a whole series of misinterpretations.

Six-month treatment outcomes in socially stable alcoholics: abstinence rates

A randomly selected sample of 181 socially stable patients were followed for a period of six months after leaving alcoholism treatment. Collateral verification of drinking status was used to validate patient self-reports. A follow-up rate of 94% was achieved. For all patients, a continuous abstention rate (no drinking at all for the entire six-month period) of 61% was achieved, while 72% of the located patients were currently abstinent at the time of followup. For alcoholics with no other drug problems, a 66% continuous abstention rate was achieved, and 77% were currently abstinent at followup. These results suggest that alcoholism treatment can be effective for samples of socially stable alcoholics treated with multimodal treatments in a specialized, freestanding, alcoholism treatment facility.

Cost effectiveness of alcoholism treatment in partial vs inpatient settings. Six-month outcomes

Six-month outcomes for alcohol misusers assigned to extended inpatient hospitalization and to partial hospitalization were comparable for alcohol consumption and social and vocational roles. However, the subjective well-being of partial hospital patients was greater and their treatment costs were lower.