SpringerPlus[JOURNAL]
Sun
200 papers
A concise drug alerting rule set for Chinese hospitals and its application in computerized physician order entry (CPOE).
Zhang Y, Long X, Chen W … +3 more , Li H, Duan H, Shang Q
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995044 · Full text
BACKGROUND: A minimized and concise drug alerting rule set can be effective in reducing alert fatigue. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to develop and evaluate a concise drug alerting rule set for Chinese hospitals. The rule...
BACKGROUND: A minimized and concise drug alerting rule set can be effective in reducing alert fatigue. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to develop and evaluate a concise drug alerting rule set for Chinese hospitals. The rule set covers not only western medicine, but also Chinese patent medicine that is widely used in Chinese hospitals. SETTING: A 2600-bed general hospital in China. METHODS: In order to implement the drug rule set in clinical information settings, an information model for drug rules was designed and a rule authoring tool was developed accordingly. With this authoring tool, clinical pharmacists built a computerized rule set that contains 150 most widely used and error-prone drugs. Based on this rule set, a medication-related clinical decision support application was built in CPOE. Drug alert data between 2013/12/25 and 2015/07/01 were used to evaluate the effect of the rule set. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Number of alerts, number of corrected/overridden alerts, accept/override rate. RESULTS: Totally 18,666 alerts were fired and 2803 alerts were overridden. Overall override rate is 15.0% (2803/18666) and accept rate is 85.0%. CONCLUSIONS: The rule set has been well received by physicians and can be used as a preliminary medical order screening tool to reduce pharmacists' workload. For Chinese hospitals, this rule set can serve as a starter kit for building their own pharmaceutical systems or as a reference to tier commercial rule set.
Influence of WeChat on sleep quality among undergraduates in Chongqing, China: a cross-sectional study.
Xu X, Lin Q, Zhang Y … +3 more , Zhu R, Sharma M, Zhao Y
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995043 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed that social media is associated with sleep quality. WeChat (a native social media in China) is very popular in China, especially among the youth. In the second quarter of 2016, Tencent...
BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed that social media is associated with sleep quality. WeChat (a native social media in China) is very popular in China, especially among the youth. In the second quarter of 2016, Tencent's WeChat had 806 million monthly active users. The study sought to identify the influence of WeChat on the sleep quality among undergraduate students. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey adopted a multi-stage stratified sampling survey to investigate undergraduates in Chongqing, China. Data were collected on 1979 eligible adults, aged 20.27 (SD: 1.26) years old, using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to measure sleep quality. RESULTS: Respondents aged 20.27 ± 1.26 years included 535 (27.0%) males, and 1311 (66.3%) reported as having poor sleep quality. Of the 1979 participants, 1320 (66.70%) were WeChat users. In multivariable analyses, gender, grade, nationality, living costs, the student leader, the only child, type of university, WeChat usage was associated with domains of PSQI among undergraduates ( < 0.05 for all). Compared with non-users, WeChat users had a lower score of subjective quality of sleep, sleep latency, use of sleeping medication, daytime dysfunction, and global PSQI score ( < 0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: WeChat users may have better sleep quality than non-WeChat users among undergraduates. To determine causal relationships, further longitudinal studies will be required to test for the association between WeChat users and sleep quality. This study may also provide some implications for health promotion on sleep quality of undergraduate students.
Improvement of the detection efficiency calibration and homogeneity measurement of Si-SPAD detectors.
Dhoska K, Hofer H, Rodiek B … +3 more , López M, Kübarsepp T, Kück S
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995042 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Silicon single-photon avalanche diodes (Si-SPADs) are the most used devices for measuring ultra-weak optical radiant fluxes in many quantum technology fields, such as quantum optics, quantum communication, qu...
BACKGROUND: Silicon single-photon avalanche diodes (Si-SPADs) are the most used devices for measuring ultra-weak optical radiant fluxes in many quantum technology fields, such as quantum optics, quantum communication, quantum computing, etc. In all these fields, the detection efficiency is the main parameter, which has to be accurately known for achieving reliable measurements. In this paper we present the improvements performed on the setup described in López et al. (J Mod Opt 62:S21-S27, 2015) for determining the detection efficiency of Si-SPAD detectors with a low measurement uncertainty. The improvement arises from the precise alignment of the Si-SPAD detector and the low deviation reached between the total calculated filter transmission and the individual filter transmission measurements (≤0.05%) performed with an integrating sphere with attached Si-photodiode as standard detector. RESULTS: The relative standard uncertainty of the Si-SPAD detection efficiency measurement achieved is now as low as ~0.16%. Furthermore, the investigation of the detection efficiency homogeneity of two commercial Si-SPAD detectors from different manufacturers and with different sensor diameters is also presented. The obtained homogeneity is ≤2.2% within a region of diameter of 40 μm. CONCLUSIONS: The detailed analysis presented in this paper shows the potential for achieving low measurement uncertainties for Si-SPAD detector calibration even in the low photon flux range. The low uncertainties are only to be realized for reproducible measurement conditions, i.e. in specific for equal beam sizes and beam shapes and well as for an irradiation of equal active areas of the detector. This, however, will be difficult to obtain when measurements are performed at different national metrology institutes.
Radiation dose reduction based on CNR index with low-tube voltage scan for pediatric CT scan: experimental study using anthropomorphic phantoms.
Masuda T, Funama Y, Kiguchi M … +4 more , Imada N, Oku T, Sato T, Awai K
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995041 · Full text
BACKGROUND: To figure out the relationship between image noise and contrast noise ratio (CNR) at different tube voltages, using anthropomorphic new-born and 1-year-old phantoms, and to discuss the feasibility of radiatio...
BACKGROUND: To figure out the relationship between image noise and contrast noise ratio (CNR) at different tube voltages, using anthropomorphic new-born and 1-year-old phantoms, and to discuss the feasibility of radiation dose reduction, based on the obtained CNR index from image noise. We performed helical scans of the anthropomorphic new-born and 1-year-old phantoms. The CT numbers of the simulated aorta and image noise of the simulated mediastinum were measured; then CNR was calculated on 80, 100, and 120-kVp images reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP) and iterative reconstruction (IR). We also measured the center and surface dose in the case of CNR of 14 using radio-photoluminescence glass dosimeters. RESULTS: The CT number of the simulated aorta was increased with decreasing tube voltage from 120 to 80 kVp (362.5-535.1 HU for the new-born, 358.9-532.6 HU for the 1-year-old). At CNR of 14, the center dose was 0.4, 0.6 and 0.9 mGy at FBP and 0.5, 0.6 and 0.9 mGy at IR and with the new-born phantom acquired at 80, 100 and 120 kVp, respectively. The center dose for FBP image was reduced by 56% at 80 kVp, 34% at 100 kVp for the new-born and 36% at 80 kVp, 22% at 100 kVp for the 1-year-old compared with that at 120 kVp. We obtained a relationship between image noise and CNR at different tube voltages using the anthropomorphic new-born and 1-year-old phantoms. CONCLUSION: The use of index of CNR with low-tube voltage may achieve further radiation dose reduction in pediatric CT examination.
Memetic computing through bio-inspired heuristics integration with sequential quadratic programming for nonlinear systems arising in different physical models.
Raja MA, Kiani AK, Shehzad A … +1 more , Zameer A
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995040 · Full text
BACKGROUND: In this study, bio-inspired computing is exploited for solving system of nonlinear equations using variants of genetic algorithms (GAs) as a tool for global search method hybrid with sequential quadratic prog...
BACKGROUND: In this study, bio-inspired computing is exploited for solving system of nonlinear equations using variants of genetic algorithms (GAs) as a tool for global search method hybrid with sequential quadratic programming (SQP) for efficient local search. The fitness function is constructed by defining the error function for systems of nonlinear equations in mean square sense. The design parameters of mathematical models are trained by exploiting the competency of GAs and refinement are carried out by viable SQP algorithm. RESULTS: Twelve versions of the memetic approach GA-SQP are designed by taking a different set of reproduction routines in the optimization process. Performance of proposed variants is evaluated on six numerical problems comprising of system of nonlinear equations arising in the interval arithmetic benchmark model, kinematics, neurophysiology, combustion and chemical equilibrium. Comparative studies of the proposed results in terms of accuracy, convergence and complexity are performed with the help of statistical performance indices to establish the worth of the schemes. CONCLUSIONS: Accuracy and convergence of the memetic computing GA-SQP is found better in each case of the simulation study and effectiveness of the scheme is further established through results of statistics based on different performance indices for accuracy and complexity.
Sociodemographic characteristics associated with frequency and duration of eating family meals: a cross-sectional analysis.
Skeer MR, Yantsides KE, Eliasziw M … +3 more , Tracy MR, Carlton-Smith AR, Spirito A
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995039 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: Children who frequently eat family meals are less likely to develop risk- and behavior-related outcomes, such as substance misuse, sexual risk, and obesity. Few studies have examined sociodemographic charac...
INTRODUCTION: Children who frequently eat family meals are less likely to develop risk- and behavior-related outcomes, such as substance misuse, sexual risk, and obesity. Few studies have examined sociodemographic characteristics associated with both meal frequency (i.e., number of meals) and duration (i.e., number of minutes spent at mealtimes). METHODS: We examine the association between sociodemographics and family meal frequency and duration among a sample of 85 parents in a large New England city that was recruited through the public-school system. Additionally, we examined differences in family meals by race/ethnicity and parental nativity. Unadjusted ANOVA and adjusted ANCOVA models were used to assess the associations between sociodemographic characteristics and frequency and duration of meals. RESULTS: Sociodemographic characteristics were not significantly associated with the frequency of family meals; however, in the adjusted models, differences were associated with duration of meals. Parents who were born outside the U.S. spent an average of 135.0 min eating meals per day with their children compared to 76.2 for parents who were born in the U.S. ( < 0.01). Additionally, parents who reported being single, divorced, or separated on average, spent significantly more time per day eating family meals (126.7 min) compared to parents who reported being married or partnered (84.4; = 0.02). Differences existed in meal duration by parental nativity and race/ethnicity, ranging from 63.7 min among multi-racial/other parents born in the U.S. to 182.8 min among black parents born outside the U.S. DISCUSSION: This study builds a foundation for focused research into the mechanisms of family meals. Future longitudinal epidemiologic research on family meals may help to delineate targets for prevention of maladaptive behaviors, which could affect family-based practices, interventions, and policies.
Studies on the quality of duck meat sausages during refrigeration.
Naveen Z, Naik BR, Subramanyam BV … +1 more , Reddy PM
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995038 · Full text
Duck farming is on the raise in the current scenario, but processed products from duck meat are still uncommon to find. Investigating the duck meat qualities during storage will provide information to enhance duck meat u...
Duck farming is on the raise in the current scenario, but processed products from duck meat are still uncommon to find. Investigating the duck meat qualities during storage will provide information to enhance duck meat utilization. Development of ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook duck meat products is expected to increase and improve non-chicken meat-based protein. The Study was aimed to evaluate the changes in quality characteristics of duck meat sausages preserved by refrigeration (7 ± 1 °C). Duck meat sausages were prepared by utilizing raw and partially cooked duck meat with addition of soy flour at 10% level as a binder. Different quality characteristics like physical and chemical characteristics, proximate composition, and organoleptic characteristics were evaluated. Cooking loss of partially cooked meat sausages was lower than raw duck meat sausages, whereas emulsion stability and 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values of raw duck meat sausages were lesser than partially cooked meat sausages. Cooking loss and emulsion stability decreased in both types of meat sausages, while, 2-TBA values increased as refrigerated storage progressed for 14 days. Percent moisture content of raw duck meat sausages was higher than partially cooked meat sausages, which decreased in both types of meat sausages as refrigerated storage progressed for 14 days. Percent crude protein (CP) and percent ether extract (EE) content of partially cooked duck meat sausages were higher than raw duck meat sausages. Regardless of type of meat used, refrigerated storage of sausages increased CP and EE up to 10th day but decreased upon further storage up to 14th day. Organoleptic scores for raw duck meat sausages were higher than partially cooked duck meat sausages and all the scores decreased with an increase in the storage period. However the scores were within the acceptable limits. The findings prove that, duck meat can be effectively acclaimed as an alternative avenue to meet the escalating protein demand in the form of ready-to-eat product. The quality of sausages is also retained during refrigerated storage.
A study of implementation of national language policies in a local higher institution: a case study from China.
Chen X
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995037 · Full text
BACKGROUND: College English syllabi have been a guide for English teaching in China for decades. In order to explore how the 2007 version of the College English Curriculum Requirement can succeed in local implementation,...
BACKGROUND: College English syllabi have been a guide for English teaching in China for decades. In order to explore how the 2007 version of the College English Curriculum Requirement can succeed in local implementation, this case study chose Binzhou Medical University as a participant institution to find out the influential factors of the implementation of national language policies. CASE PRESENTATION: Binzhou Medical University implemented the College English Curriculum Requirements of 2004 and 2007 versions gradually in terms of course setting. Differentiating Instruction was conducted in 2005 and improved in 2012. It was warmly welcomed by students. The diversity of English courses was advocated in 2007, and the management of the courses was enhanced in 2012. The practices tended to satisfy students' continuous change of academic interests. English for Specific Purpose instruction was introduced in 2012, but further improvements were required. Internet-based teaching system was introduced in 2014 and micro-lessons were strongly advocated in 2015. The effects remained to be seen in the future. CONCLUSIONS: Several factors influenced the College English reform. First, the ideology of national and local administrations was a key factor for the College English reform. Second, professional identity of the teachers affected the development of the course setting. Third, globalization attracted attention to students' communication competence and provided new ways for training teachers. The findings of this article can be valuable references for drawing up an updated syllabus.
The effects for PM2.5 exposure on non-small-cell lung cancer induced motility and proliferation.
Yang B, Chen D, Zhao H … +1 more , Xiao C
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995036 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Increasing urbanization and associated air pollution, including elevated levels of particulate matter (PM), are strongly correlated with the development of various respiratory diseases. In particular, PM2.5 h...
BACKGROUND: Increasing urbanization and associated air pollution, including elevated levels of particulate matter (PM), are strongly correlated with the development of various respiratory diseases. In particular, PM2.5 has been implicated in promoting lung cancer initiation, growth and progression. Cell migration and proliferation are crucial for the progression of cancer. However, the molecular signatures and biological networks representing the distinct and shared features of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after PM2.5 exposure are unknown. RESULTS: Functional assays demonstrated higher proliferation, migration and invasion of cancer cells stimulated with PM2.5. To investigate the complicated mechanisms, we performed global transcriptome profiling of the A549 cell line. Particularly, transcriptome sequencing revealed invasive characteristics reminiscent of cancer cells. By comparing the transcriptomes, we identified distinct molecular signatures and cellular processes defining the invasive and proliferative properties of PM2.5-exposed cells, respectively. Interestingly, under the PM2.5-stimulated condition, the A549 and H1299 cells strengthened obviously properties in motility and proliferation. Based on the network model reconstructing the shared protein-protein interactions, we selected the two most up-regulated genes, interleukin-1β (IL1β) and matrix metalloprotease 1 (MMP1), as key regulators responsible for the effects of PM2.5 exposure. Notably, IL1β and MMP1 expression was elevated in independent assays, which was further enhanced by PM2.5. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our systems approach to investigating PM2.5 exposure provides a basis to identify key regulators responsible for the pathological features of NSCLC.
Clinical and imaging analysis of subclinical hemophilia combined with coxarthrosis: case report and literature review.
Liu C, Guo J, Cui Q … +2 more , Li D, Zeng Y
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995035 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: The incidence of subclinical hemophilic arthritis is low, with this case reports and literature review, we hope clinicians could pay more attention to the diagnosis of subclinical hemophilic arthritis and p...
INTRODUCTION: The incidence of subclinical hemophilic arthritis is low, with this case reports and literature review, we hope clinicians could pay more attention to the diagnosis of subclinical hemophilic arthritis and prevent the misdiagnosis and mistreatment. CASE PRESENTATION: We analyzed the imaging feature, and therapy of a subclinical hemophilia case with hip lesion by reporting its clinical manifestations, imaging features and therapy procedure, and reviewing literatures. RESULTS: Hemophilia is a sex-linked recessive hereditary hemorrhagic disease, and the pathogenesis of subclinic hemophilia is concealed, which often involves joint lesion. The imaging of joint lesion of hemophilia cases is typical, which facilitates the differential diagnosis with other joint diseases. The current treatment is mainly supplementary or replacement therapy. CONCLUSION: Hemophilic arthritis cases, especially the mild or subclinical cases without family history and with an older age of onset, are not common. The disease should be further understood, and early diagnosis and treatment is crucial to prevent the progressive development of joint diseases.
Adipose-derived human stem/stromal cells: comparative organ specific mitochondrial bioenergy profiles.
Ferng AS, Marsh KM, Fleming JM … +10 more , Conway RF, Schipper D, Bajaj N, Connell AM, Pilikian T, Johnson K, Runyan R, Black SM, Szivek JA, Khalpey Z
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995034 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (ASCs) isolated from the stromal vascular fraction are a source of mesenchymal stem cells that have been shown to be beneficial in many regenerative medicine applications. A...
BACKGROUND: Adipose-derived stem/stromal cells (ASCs) isolated from the stromal vascular fraction are a source of mesenchymal stem cells that have been shown to be beneficial in many regenerative medicine applications. ASCs are an attractive source of stem cells in particular, due to their lack of immunogenicity. This study examines differences between mitochondrial bioenergetic profiles of ASCs isolated from adipose tissue of five peri-organ regions: pericardial, thymic, knee, shoulder, and abdomen. RESULTS: Flow cytometry showed that the majority of each ASC population isolated from the adipose tissue of 12 donors, with an n = 3 for each tissue type, were positive for MSC markers CD90, CD73, and CD105, and negative for hematopoietic markers CD34, CD11B, CD19, and CD45. Bioenergetic profiles were obtained for ASCs with an n = 4 for each tissue type and graphed together for comparison. Mitochondrial stress tests provided the following measurements: basal respiration rate (measured as oxygen consumption rate [pmol O/min], ATP production, proton leak, maximal respiration, respiratory control ratio, coupling efficiency, and non-mitochondrial respiration. Glycolytic stress tests provided the following measurements: basal glycolysis rate (measured as extracellular acidification rate [mpH/min]), glycolytic capacity, glycolytic reserve, and non-glycolytic acidification. CONCLUSIONS: The main goal of this manuscript was to provide baseline reference values for future experiments and to compare bioenergetic potentials of ASCs isolated from adipose tissue harvested from different anatomical locations. Through an investigation of mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis, it was demonstrated that bioenergetic profiles do not significantly differ by region due to depot-dependent and donor-dependent variability. Thus, although the physiological function, microenvironment and anatomical harvest site may directly affect the characteristics of ASCs isolated from different organ regions, the ultimate utility of ASCs remains independent of the anatomical harvest site.
Extremely high expression of serum alpha-fetoprotein level of gastric adenocarcinoma: a rare case with an unexpected well-prognosis.
Gong W, Shou D, Gong P
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995033 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-producing gastric cancer is a relatively rare form of stomach malignancy. Patients with higher serum AFP level (>300 ng/mL) will have a poorer prognosis. CASE DESCRIPTION: In this st...
INTRODUCTION: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-producing gastric cancer is a relatively rare form of stomach malignancy. Patients with higher serum AFP level (>300 ng/mL) will have a poorer prognosis. CASE DESCRIPTION: In this study, we present a case of 77-year-old woman with an extremely high expression of serum AFP level (>10,000 ng/mL) of gastric cancer. Histological examination revealed gastric adenocarcinoma (Bormann III gastric tumor) invading into the serosal layer and vessel. After receiving a successful total gastrectomy with D2 dissection, this patient underwent chemotherapy with SOX [oxaliplatin (130 mg/m/day) iv. at day 1 + S-1 (80 mg/m/day) from day 1-day 14]. The patient remains alive without disease for 29 months after surgery. Serum AFP level decreased to normal range. DISCUSSION AND EVALUATION: We have evaluated the level of AFP, and discussed the reason for the good prognosis for this patient. CONCLUSIONS: The good prognosis may be related with her early stage (N0 and without liver metastasis) and radical surgery.
Successful pregnancy and delivery in a patient with chronic myeloid leukemia: a case report and review of the literature.
Sheng W, Sun N
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995032 · Full text
INTRODUCTION: Complications associated with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) during pregnancy are rare, and management is challenging because very limited data are available on this patient group. CASE DESCRIPTION: We here...
INTRODUCTION: Complications associated with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) during pregnancy are rare, and management is challenging because very limited data are available on this patient group. CASE DESCRIPTION: We herein report a successful pregnancy and delivery in a patient diagnosed with CML. The patient was treated with imatinib (400 mg/day) as a first-line therapy. However, she became pregnant while she was in complete hematological remission and had a complete cytogenetic response. Because she elected to continue the pregnancy to term, imatinib treatment was stopped after 5 months of gestation and the patient was then treated with interferon-alpha for the remainder of her pregnancy. However, the CML did not relapse. She successfully gave birth to a male infant at 39 weeks by cesarean section with no adverse sequelae or malformations. DISCUSSION AND EVALUATION: The treatment of pregnant women with CML is difficult because of few available therapeutic options and limited data regarding the potential harm to the fetus. Conception should be planned and TKI therapy discontinued in female patients during pregnancy, and individual risks need to be considered when an unplanned pregnancy occurs. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience will be useful for counseling patients inadvertently exposed to tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as imatinib during pregnancy.
Simultaneous detection of influenza A subtypes of H3N2 virus, pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus and reassortant avian H7N9 virus in humans by multiplex one-step real-time RT-PCR assay.
Cui D, Zhao D, Xie G … +5 more , Yang X, Huo Z, Zheng S, Yu F, Chen Y
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995031 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Influenza A virus is a leading causative pathogen of human acute respiratory infection. Recently, the co-circulation of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and seasonal H3N2 viruses was reported, and sporadic cases with rea...
BACKGROUND: Influenza A virus is a leading causative pathogen of human acute respiratory infection. Recently, the co-circulation of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and seasonal H3N2 viruses was reported, and sporadic cases with reassortant avian H7N9 virus are continually reported in China. We aimed to establish a multiplex one-step real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assay to simultaneously detect and discriminate FluA subtypes, including human seasonal H3N2 virus, pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus and reassortant avian H7N9 virus, in one reaction tube. METHODS: Clinical samples, including throat swabs and sputum, were collected from the patients with influenza-like illness (ILIs). Total viral RNA from each sample or viral culture was extracted, and the specific detection of FluA virus and its subtypes was performed using a multiplex rRT-PCR assay. RESULTS: The limitation of detection (LOD) of the multiplex assay was 5.4 × 10 50% tissue culture infective dose (TCID) per reaction or 4.8 × 10 copies per reaction for each virus of the three viruses. For simultaneously detecting the three viruses, the LOD was 1.8 × 10 TCID per reaction or 1.6 × 10 copies per reaction for testing the total FluA virus RNA and 5.6 × 10 TCID per reaction or 5.1 × 10 copies per reaction for the H3, H1, and H7 genes in one reaction tube. The multiplex assay specifically detected these viruses, and no cross-reaction with other pathogens was found. Moreover, the assay had reliable clinical sensitivity (100%) and valuable clinical specificity (>95%). The detection of FluA with the matrix (M) gene contributed to the further determination of these subtypes, and the Rnase P gene (RP) was considered an internal control to favourably evaluate the quality of the clinical samples. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that the multiplex assay can simultaneously detect and discriminate FluA subtypes with reliable sensitivity and specificity, which is required for the early clinical diagnosis and viral surveillance of patients with FluA infection.
Novel device for creating continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis.
Soylak M
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995030 · Full text
PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to develop a novel capsulorhexis system. SETTING: Mechatronics Laboratory, University of Erciyes and Kayseri Maya Eye Hospital. DESIGN: A 3D model was created and simulations were co...
PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to develop a novel capsulorhexis system. SETTING: Mechatronics Laboratory, University of Erciyes and Kayseri Maya Eye Hospital. DESIGN: A 3D model was created and simulations were conducted to develop a new device which was designed, fabricated and tested for continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC). The name of this system is the electro-mechanical capsulorhexis system (EMCS). METHODS: The 3D model was created by using a commercial design software and a 3D printer was used to fabricate the EMCS Finite element analysis and geometrical relation tests of the EMCS for different sized lenses were performed. RESULTS: The results show that the EMCS is a perfect solution for capsulorhexis surgeries, without mechanical or geometrical problems. CONCLUSIONS: The EMCS can open the anterior lens capsule more easily and effectively than manual CCC applications and needs less experience.
Thermal-hydraulic analysis of the coil test facility for CFETR.
Ren Y, Liu X, Li J … +5 more , Wang Z, Qiu L, Du S, Li G, Gao X
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995029 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Performance test of the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) central solenoid (CS) and toroidal field (TF) insert coils is of great importance to evaluate the CFETR magnet performance in relevant ope...
BACKGROUND: Performance test of the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) central solenoid (CS) and toroidal field (TF) insert coils is of great importance to evaluate the CFETR magnet performance in relevant operation conditions. The superconducting magnet of the coil test facility for CFETR is being designed with the aim of providing a background magnetic field to test the CFETR CS insert and TF insert coils. RESULTS: The superconducting magnet consists of the inner module with NbSn coil and the outer module with NbTi coil. The superconducting magnet is designed to have a maximum magnetic field of 12.59 T and a stored energy of 436.6 MJ. An active quench protection circuit and the positive temperature coefficient dump resistor were adopted to transfer the stored magnetic energy. CONCLUSIONS: The temperature margin behavior of the test facility for CFETR satisfies the design criteria. The quench analysis of the test facility shows that the cable temperature and the helium pressure inside the jacket are within the design criteria.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of ultrasound-guided Seldinger peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC).
Tan J, Liu L, Xie J … +3 more , Hu L, Yang Q, Wang H
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995028 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Ultrasound-guided cannulation of deep mid-arm veins by a modified Seldinger (US-Seldinger) technique has been demonstrated to yield better puncture success rates and lower postoperative complication rates tha...
BACKGROUND: Ultrasound-guided cannulation of deep mid-arm veins by a modified Seldinger (US-Seldinger) technique has been demonstrated to yield better puncture success rates and lower postoperative complication rates than direct cannulation of superficial veins near the elbow with a short peripheral cannula and peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) insertion through the cannula (non-US conventional method). Economic factors have been evaluated across different operators (i.e. nurses, radiologists, and general practitioners) and different venous catheter types (i.e. PICCs vs. central venous catheters). However, to our knowledge, data describing the economic evaluation on the aforementioned modified Seldinger technique are lacking. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of US-Seldinger technique (experimental group) compared with that of the non-US conventional method based on direct vein visualization (control group). RESULTS: A cohort of 360 subjects were assigned randomly to the experimental and control groups. Cost-effectiveness ratio (CER) analyses indicated that the effectiveness index (EI) for the experimental group was 89.29% (final CER = 3732.75), whereas that for the control group was 59.18% (final CER = 2492.98). CONCLUSION: The US-Seldinger technique was found to be more cost-effective than the non-US conventional method. These findings support the use of the former in place of the traditional latter technique as a routine puncture technique and suggest that the update would improve intravenous therapy treatment for patients needing PICCs. This study should serve as a reference for national healthcare policy. ChiCTR-TRC-14004993.
Plasma image edge detection based on the visible camera in the EAST device.
Shu S, Xu C, Chen M … +1 more , Yang Z
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995027 · Full text
The controlling of plasma shape and position are essential to the success of Tokamak discharge. A real-time image acquisition system was designed to obtain plasma radiation image during the discharge processes in the Exp...
The controlling of plasma shape and position are essential to the success of Tokamak discharge. A real-time image acquisition system was designed to obtain plasma radiation image during the discharge processes in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) device. The hardware structure and software design of this visible camera system are introduced in detail. According to the general structure of EAST and the layout of the observation window, spatial location of the discharging plasma in the image was measured. An improved Sobel edge detection algorithm using iterative threshold was proposed to detect plasma boundary. EAST discharge results show that the proposed method acquired plasma position and boundary with high accuracy, which is of great significance for better plasma control.
A simple and efficient total genomic DNA extraction method for individual zooplankton.
Fazhan H, Waiho K, Shahreza MS
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995026 · Full text
Molecular approaches are widely applied in species identification and taxonomic studies of minute zooplankton. One of the most focused zooplankton nowadays is from Subclass Copepoda. Accurate species identification of al...
Molecular approaches are widely applied in species identification and taxonomic studies of minute zooplankton. One of the most focused zooplankton nowadays is from Subclass Copepoda. Accurate species identification of all life stages of the generally small sized copepods through molecular analysis is important, especially in taxonomic and systematic assessment of harpacticoid copepod populations and to understand their dynamics within the marine community. However, total genomic DNA (TGDNA) extraction from individual harpacticoid copepods can be problematic due to their small size and epibenthic behavior. In this research, six TGDNA extraction methods done on individual harpacticoid copepods were compared. The first new simple, feasible, efficient and consistent TGDNA extraction method was designed and compared with the commercial kit and modified available TGDNA extraction methods. The newly described TGDNA extraction method, "Incubation in PCR buffer" method, yielded good and consistent results based on the high success rate of PCR amplification (82%) compared to other methods. Coupled with its relatively consistent and economical method the "Incubation in PCR buffer" method is highly recommended in the TGDNA extraction of other minute zooplankton species.
Application of 1-D discrete wavelet transform based compressed sensing matrices for speech compression.
Parkale YV, Nalbalwar SL
Springerplus · 2016 · PMID 27995025 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Compressed sensing is a novel signal compression technique in which signal is compressed while sensing. The compressed signal is recovered with the only few numbers of observations compared to conventional Sh...
BACKGROUND: Compressed sensing is a novel signal compression technique in which signal is compressed while sensing. The compressed signal is recovered with the only few numbers of observations compared to conventional Shannon-Nyquist sampling, and thus reduces the storage requirements. In this study, we have proposed the 1-D discrete wavelet transform (DWT) based sensing matrices for speech signal compression. The present study investigates the performance analysis of the different DWT based sensing matrices such as: Daubechies, Coiflets, Symlets, Battle, Beylkin and Vaidyanathan wavelet families. RESULTS: First, we have proposed the Daubechies wavelet family based sensing matrices. The experimental result indicates that the db10 wavelet based sensing matrix exhibits the better performance compared to other Daubechies wavelet based sensing matrices. Second, we have proposed the Coiflets wavelet family based sensing matrices. The result shows that the coif5 wavelet based sensing matrix exhibits the best performance. Third, we have proposed the sensing matrices based on Symlets wavelet family. The result indicates that the sym9 wavelet based sensing matrix demonstrates the less reconstruction time and the less relative error, and thus exhibits the good performance compared to other Symlets wavelet based sensing matrices. Next, we have proposed the DWT based sensing matrices using the Battle, Beylkin and the Vaidyanathan wavelet families. The Beylkin wavelet based sensing matrix demonstrates the less reconstruction time and relative error, and thus exhibits the good performance compared to the Battle and the Vaidyanathan wavelet based sensing matrices. Further, an attempt was made to find out the best-proposed DWT based sensing matrix, and the result reveals that sym9 wavelet based sensing matrix shows the better performance among all other proposed matrices. Subsequently, the study demonstrates the performance analysis of the sym9 wavelet based sensing matrix and state-of-the-art random and deterministic sensing matrices. CONCLUSIONS: The result reveals that the proposed sym9 wavelet matrix exhibits the better performance compared to state-of-the-art sensing matrices. Finally, speech quality is evaluated using the MOS, PESQ and the information based measures. The test result confirms that the proposed sym9 wavelet based sensing matrix shows the better MOS and PESQ score indicating the good quality of speech.
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