Penetration of oral and topical ciprofloxacin into human aqueous humor

PURPOSE: This study was planned to investigate the penetration of ciprofloxacin into aqueous humor following oral and topical application as a prophylactic antimicrobial agent. METHODS: Forty-six patients undergoing cataract surgery were randomly divided into two groups. In the first group, the patients received 500 mg oral ciprofloxacin eight hours before surgery and in the second, 5 drops of 0.3% ciprofloxacin were applied to the patients every twenty minutes, starting 100 minutes before the surgery. By paracentesis, aqueous samples were taken just before the operation so the interval between the first topical application and paracentesis was 100 minutes. RESULTS: The mean concentration of ciprofloxacin in aqueous humor was 0.63+/-0.29 microg/ml in the first group. The concentration was 0.69+/-0.30 microg/ml in the second group. Both of these mean concentrations were higher than the levels of MIC90 of S.aureus , S. epidermidis, P. aeruginosa and Gram (-) bacteriae. CONCLUSION: As a result, both topically and orally applied ciprofloxacin achieved a significant aqueous concentration. Each route studied might be suitable for surgical prophylaxis or treatment of infections.     

Linear time-varying systems analysis in wavelet domain

A new analysis method based on wavelet domain for linear time-varying systems is developed and introduced and it is called system analysis in wavelet domain (SAIWD). Linear time-varying systems described by a higher order differential equation or state-space representation are analyzed in wavelet domain. To solve system equations, they are transferred to wavelet domain by forming algebraic matrix–vector relations using the wavelet transform coefficients. These relations are achieved by defining operator matrices concerned with the commonly used time domain operators. Orthogonal and compact support wavelets provide a simple way to define these operator matrices. It is seen from the solved examples that the percentage error between the analytical and wavelet domain solutions is around 1% in total sampling points.     

Observations and Analysis of the Thermal Disclosure of Hidden Magnetic Moments in High T c Bi:2223/Ag Tape During Warming from Low Temperatures (20, 30, and 50 K) to T c:H ⊥ c Axis

We report on measurements of the evolution of the magnetization 〈M〉 upon warming from T ₀ (20, 30, 50 K) to T _c, for Bi:2223/Ag tape prepared by the continuous filling and forming (CTFF) with the magnetization 〈M〉 initially situated along bridges between the envelopes of the major hysteresis curves. We focused on the cases where 〈M〉=0, the constituent moments cancel each other exactly. We have measured the release of magnetic moments as a function of temperature. 〈M〉 versus T traces S shaped curves where after tracing a valley the paramagnetic magnetization is followed by the appearance of a diamagnetic peak, which is then extinguished as T attains T _c. Our observations, evidence for hidden magnetization, have been explained on the basis of the critical state model assuming certain dependence of the critical current density and Meissner surface current on temperature.     

Enhancing electrochromic and kinetic properties of poly(2,3-bis(4-tert-butylphenyl)-5,8-di(1H-pyrrol-2-yl) quinoxaline) by copolymerization

Electrochemical copolymerization was utilized to combine several properties into a single material in order to obtain a highly stable polymer with a low band gap to meet the requirements for color variation. In that sense, two new donor acceptor type electrochromic copolymers of 2,3-bis(4-tert-butylphenyl)-5,8-di(1H-pyrrol-2-yl) quinoxaline (TBPPQ) with bis(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (BiEDOT) and with 4,7-bis(2,3-dihydrothieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxin-5-yl)-2-dodecyl-2H-benzo [1,2,3] triazole (BEBT) were synthesized by electrochemical polymerization. Polymers revealed multicolor electrochromic properties with distinct accessible states and low operation potentials. Electrochromic and kinetic properties of polymers were investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and in situ UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy.     

Evaluation of the precision of dimensional measurements of the mandible on panoramic radiographs

The task of objective perimetry is to scan the visual field and find an answer about the function of the visual system. Flicker-burst stimulation--a physiological sensible combination of transient and steady-state stimulation--is used to generate deterministic sinusoidal responses or visually evoked potentials (VEP's) at the visual cortex, which are derived from the electroencephalogram by a suitable electrode array. In this paper we develop a new method for the detection of VEP's. Based on the periodogram of a time-series, we test the data for the presence of hidden periodic components, which correspond to steady-state VEP's. The method is applied successfully to real data.     

Properties of composite laminated material produced with layers of beech and paperboard made from waste paper

One of the basic principles for sustainable development is to prevent wasting resources, preserve natural resources, and recycle the products obtained from resources. For this study, paperboard obtained from waste paper was laminated with natural wooden layers in accordance with the order of beech‐paperboard‐beech‐paperboard‐beech and an alternate material was produced. In this context, experiments were made for determining the specific gravity, compression, shearing, bending strength, elasticity module, and the resistance to direct withdrawal of screws and nails on a radial section surface with the objective of determining the usability of this material as a building material. When the findings obtained at the end of the experiments are studied carefully in a comparative manner, it was observed that paperboard laminated materials could be used with different objectives in interiors to protect against humidity. It was determined that it could be used in place of solid poplar materials for places of use where resistance to compression, elasticity module, and resistance to direct withdrawal of screws and nails on a radial section surface are important and in places where resistance to bending and shearing is required after taking the necessary measures. In the end, a contribution to the literature was provided by researching possibilities for different use of a material regained from waste and to provide sustainability. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1943–1952, 2006     

Influence of zinc oxide on thermoplastic elastomer‐based composites: Synthesis,processing, structural,and thermal characterization

It was aimed to investigate how thermal conductivity and stability properties of synthesized thermoplastic elastomers were influenced by zinc oxide (ZnO) additives which differed in size and surface treatment. ZnO particles were prepared by the homogeneous precipitation method by mixing aqueous solutions of hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) and zinc nitrate. The obtained particles were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) was used as a modifier to reduce aggregation among the ZnO particles. The composites, prepared by melt compounding method, were characterized in terms of their morphology and thermal properties. Uniformly distributed surface treated particles caused an enhancement in thermal conductivity properties. At 10 wt% ZnO concentration the thermal conductivity of composite reached 1.7 W/mK compared with 0.3 W/mK for the neat polymer. At the same filler loading, ZnO nanoparticles exhibited a greater effect on thermal conductivity compared with submicron sized particles. It was found that the coefficient of thermal expansion of composites decreased at low temperature (55°C) with increasing ZnO content. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the neat polymer and the composites were resistant up to 340°C without significant mass loss. POLYM. COMPOS., 37:2369–2376, 2016. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Distance measures for reduced ordering-based vector filters

Reduced ordering-based vector filters have proved successful in removing long-tailed noise from colour images while preserving edges and fine image details. These filters commonly utilise variants of the Minkowski distance to order the colour vectors with the aim of distinguishing between noisy and noise-free vectors. In this study, the authors review various alternative distance measures and evaluate their performance on a large and diverse set of images using several effectiveness and efficiency criteria. The results demonstrate that there are in fact strong alternatives to the popular Minkowski metrics.