A novel technique for determining glass–rubber transition in dairy powders

A novel rheological technique is described, for determining the glass–rubber transition temperature (T_gr) of spray dried dairy powders. The approach involves constant rate heating of powder under compression and measurement of changes in either gap distance (Method 1) or normal force (Method 2). Significant increases in the rate of change of these parameters was shown to correspond with T_gr. The techniques were applied to skim milk, micellar casein and whey permeate powders and a range of fat-enriched micellar casein powders. T_gr temperatures, so obtained, were compared with glass transition temperatures (T_g) determined by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Methods 1 and 2 gave predictions for non-fat dairy powders of T_g endset (T_ge) with SEP of 8.8 and 4.4 °C, respectively. These novel techniques provide an accurate means of determining glass transitions in dairy powders, including high protein and fat-containing powders, whose relaxation properties can be difficult to measure by DSC.     

Fast approximate calculation of multiply scattered lidar returns

An efficient method is described for the approximate calculation of the intensity of multiply scattered lidar returns. It divides the outgoing photons into three populations, representing those that have experienced zero, one, and more than one forward-scattering event. Each population is parameterized at each range gate by its total energy, its spatial variance, the variance of photon direction, and the covariance of photon direction and position. The result is that for an N-point profile the calculation is O(N2) efficient and implicitly includes up to N-order scattering, making it ideal for use in iterative retrieval algorithms for which speed is crucial. In contrast, models that explicitly consider each scattering order separately are at best O(Nm/m!) efficient for m-order scattering and often cannot be performed to more than the third or fourth order in retrieval algorithms. For typical cloud profiles and a wide range of lidar fields of view, the new algorithm is as accurate as an explicit calculation truncated at the fifth or sixth order but faster by several orders of magnitude.     

Revisiting the O complex: urinary incontinence, delirium and polypharmacy in elderly patients

Urinary incontinence, delirium and polypharmacy are common, challenging problems encountered in elderly patients. Review of the literature shows that these conditions are interrelated. For example, polypharmacy can lead to delirium, which, in turn, can lead to urinary incontinence. The drugs prescribed for urinary incontinence can precipitate delirium or contribute to polypharmacy. The underlying causes for these problems in elderly patients are frequently complex, and management in turn must often be multifactorial. The occurrence of these problems should lead to careful evaluation followed by thoughtful, responsive treatment. Brief updates are given with recommendations for management directed at primary care physicians.     

The use micro-polarization in spinal cord lesions

Transdermal micropolarization of the spinal cord was made in patients with consequences of the spinal cord injury or tuberculous spondylitis. Changes in clinical and electrophysiologic status were evaluated. It was found that local direct current through dermal electrodes promotes an improvement of both motor and autonomic functions in such patients. This corresponded to a positive dynamics both of the spinal cord state and cardiac activity. Possible mechanisms of influence of the direct current on the spinal cord as well as perspectives of application of micropolarization in spinal cord's damage are outlined.     

Assessment of a novel implantable artificial anal sphincter

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to test a new implantable artificial anal sphincter in the porcine model. METHOD: The artificial sphincter, which includes an inflatable expander that compresses and flattens the bowel against a pillow, was implanted in 16 animals and studied for periods of up to 20 weeks. The anal sphincters were destroyed, and the efficacy of the device in rendering the animals continent was studied. RESULTS: Of the 11 animals in which the artificial sphincter was regularly closed, 8 completed the study and were continent during 85 percent of activation times. There was no evidence of ischemic injury. Major complications were related only to failure of the control pumps of the device. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that this neosphincter produces fecal continence without intestinal ischemia. At present reliability is limited only by the performance of the pump.     

For love or money? Character dynamics in consultation.

This article defines character and provides an extended discussion of how character is related to personality. It describes how character develops and reviews some implications of character disorders for organizational behavior. Finally, the article reviews some consequences of various character issues for consultants and practitioners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A computer-based method for cause of death classification in stillbirths and neonatal deaths

BACKGROUND: In large-scale epidemiological studies of stillbirths and neonatal deaths a method is needed to replace detailed medical record audits in order to determine the cause of death. METHODS: A computer-based method is presented for determination of the cause of death in stillbirths and in neonatal deaths. It utilizes information in the Swedish medical registries. The study comprises 6044 dead infants born in Sweden from 1983-1990. For each infant the program determines 31 basic characteristics which are important in deciding the cause of death. Based on these characteristics a modified Wigglesworth's classification is used to find the cause of death. The validity of the method was checked by comparing the computer generated information with information obtained by scrutinizing medical records for a 10% representative sample (603 infants). RESULTS: Specificity and sensitivity for each basic characteristic varied, but for the modified Wigglesworth cause of death classification the concordance was 88%. The weakest data refer to intrauterine deaths, where pertinent information was often missing in the medical registries. CONCLUSION: The method can be used for large-scale epidemiological studies.