Neem oil as a sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) repellent

The repellent action of neem oil was evaluated against sand flies under laboratory and field conditions. Concentrations of 2% neem oil mixed in coconut or mustard oil provided 100% protection against Phlebotomus argentipes throughout the night under field conditions; against Phlebotomus papatasi it repelled sand flies for about 7 h in the laboratory. Neem oil is an indigenous product and a low-cost alternative for personal protection against sand fly bites.     

Evaluation of Serum Volume Losses During Long-Term Storage

Aliquots of serum collected in a large case-control study of cervical cancer were stored at −70°C for up to 4 years during implementation of the study. When 500 μL serum aliquots were thawed in preparation for carotenoid and vitamin A assays, volumes were noticeably variable and fell below 500 μL in the majority of the samples. We were concerned about evaporation/sublimation during storage of the samples because loss of water would concentrate the analytes of interest. We evaluated the use of density and sodium ion concentration measurements to confirm its occurrence. We found that serum density was an unreliable indicator of extent of volume loss since the anticipated increases in density due to evaporation were of the same magnitude as inter-individual variation in serum density. In contrast, Na⁺ concentration is tightly regulated and would rise if water had been lost from the samples. In a representative sample of serum aliquots from the case-control study, 24 of 25 vials contained less than 500 μL of serum. The mean sodium ion concentration (138.1 ± 3.6 mmol/L) was within the normal range for human serum of 136–145 mmol/L, and no correlation was observed between serum volume and Na⁺ concentration. These results strongly suggest that the observed low volumes were not due to evaporative losses. Instead, the variably low volumes of serum aliquots were probably due to pipetting errors in the initial aliquotting resulting from the use of air-displacement pipettes.     

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CONTROLLED SIZES: POLYSTYRENE LATEXES

Several parameters and their limitations to prepare monodisperse polystyrene particles were discussed. Polystyrene latexes B, C and D of diameter 129.8, 142.8 and 264.5 nm, respectively, were synthesized by emulsion polymerization method. The latex D is almost monodisperse with very low polydispersity of 0.005 while B and C are having polydispersity of 0.1837 and 0.1601. The particle size and particle size distribution of the latexes were determined by a TEM and Brookhaven particle size analyzer. It was observed that the particle size of the latexes decreased with increasing initiator (ammonium persulfate) or surfactant (SDS) concentrations. The surface area of the latexes were calculated by using BET equation on the basis of the amount of nitrogen gas adsorbed at the surface of the particles to form a monolayer. It was observed that the surface area of latex D is less than B and C because of the bigger size of the particles. The average molecular weights, zeta potentials and densities of the latexes were also presented.     

Reproductive preferences and fertility trends in post-transition Thailand

Two large national surveys in 1988 and 1933 provide new evidence on trends in family-size preferences in Thailand at a time when the Thai fertility transition is reaching its conclusion. Although the average preferred number of children has continued to decline, a resistant lower bound of two children is found for the vast majority of respondents, stemming, apparently, from a pervasive, although not inflexible, desire to have one child of each sex. Moreover, new evidence from birth-registration data indicates that the decline in the total fertility rate appears to have leveled off at about replacement level. These findings challenge the view that fertility in Thailand will continue to fall well below replacement level, and contradict recently expressed alarmist predictions of population decline in the foreseeable future.     

Operation of a nonlinear optical loop mirror with orthogonally polarized waves in nonpolarization-preserving, single-mode fiber

We demonstrate stable operation of a NOLM using orthogonally polarized control and signal beams in nonpolarization-preserving, single-mode fiber. The NOLM can transcribe data from an optically incoherent input at one wavelength to a coherent output over a range of wavelengths. Operation of the NOLM without tuning for the input bit rate is possible over a range of bit rates from less than 1 Gb/s to more than 50 Gb/s.     

Biophysical aspects of gas bubbles in blood

The widespread use of bubble oxygenators during cardiopulmonary bypass has raised questions concerning the production and introduction of gaseous microemboli (GME) into patients. An understanding of the complications associated with GME requires awareness of the biophysical and biochemical responses that occur between bubbles and blood. The production of GME as well as their interactions with each other and with blood products are examined. These interactions can influence the data collected from Doppler ultrasound devices and the development of organ dysfunction.     

A prospective study of the efficacy of the physician order form for life-sustaining treatment

OBJECTIVES: The Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST), a comprehensive, one-page order form, was developed to convey preferences for life-sustaining treatments during transfer from one care site to another. This study examined the extent to which the POLST form ensured that nursing home residents' wishes were honored for Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) and requests for transfer only if comfort measures fail. DESIGN: The study used chart record data to follow prospectively a sample of nursing home residents with the POLST. SETTING: Eight geographically diverse, long-term, adult-care facilities in Oregon in which the POLST was in use. PARTICIPANTS: Nursing home residents (n = 180), who had a POLST recording DNR designation and who indicated a desire for transfer only if comfort measures failed, were followed for 1 year. MEASUREMENTS: For all subjects: treatment and disposition after significant health status changes; orders for narcotics and for provision or limitation of aggressive interventions. For hospitalized subjects: diagnosis, medical interventions, and DNR orders. For those who died: cause and location of death, life-sustaining treatments attempted, and comfort measures provided. RESULTS: No study subject received CPR, ICU care, or ventilator support, and only 2% were hospitalized to extend life. Of the 38 subjects who died during the study year, 63% had an order for narcotics, and only two (5%) died in an acute care hospital. A total of 24 subjects (13%) were hospitalized during the year. Hospitalized subjects' mean length of stay was 4.9 days, and the mean rate of hospitalizations for all subjects was 174 per 1000 resident years. In 85% of all hospitalizations, patients were transferred because the nursing home could not control suffering. In 15% of hospitalizations (n = 4), the transfer was to extend life, overriding POLST orders. CONCLUSIONS: POLST orders regarding CPR in nursing home residents in this study were universally respected. Study subjects received remarkably high levels of comfort care and low rates of transfer for aggressive life-extending treatments.