scholarly journals Study into Dynamics of Structural Changes Occurring in Blood Plasma under Laser Radiation

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 010302
Author(s):  
Anna Neupokoeva ◽  
Dmitry Gavrilov ◽  
Andrey Yakutin
Keyword(s):  
Laser Radiation ◽  
Blood Plasma ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Characteristic Size ◽  
Human Blood Plasma ◽  
Plasma Exposure ◽  
Speckle Patterns ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact ◽  
532 Nm

This paper focuses on studying the impact of laser irradiation ( = 532 nm, power 15 mW) on human blood plasma. The structural changes in plasma were controlled by the crystallographic method with the mean crystallogram segment size as a numerical evaluation. In addition, the structural changes were explored by processing the speckle patterns obtained during laser radiation passes through plasma. Exposure to laser radiation of  = 532 nm for 20 min resulted in the 30% reduced the crystallogram characteristic size with the dynamics of the structural changes coinciding with the dynamics discovered by speckle patterns processing. The crystallographic method revealed that laser induced structural changes in plasma remain for 24–36 h after exposure.

Financial sustainability of NHS Foundation Trusts in England five years after the enactment of the Health and Social Care Act of 2012

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Rachael S Coates ◽  
Reza Mofidi
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Clinical Activity ◽  
Financial Indicators ◽  
Financial Position ◽  
Total Capital ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Foundation Trusts ◽  
The Impact

Background/Aims The enactment of the Health and Social Care Act (2012) led to significant structural changes in how hospital services are commissioned and has introduced direct competition with the private sector. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the act on the financial position of the Shelford Group of NHS Trusts, 5 years after the act's enactment. Methods The levels of clinical activity, annual accounts and statements of financial position produced by the 10 Trusts for the financial years 2010/2011 to 2017/2018 were examined. Findings The key financial indicators for each organisation were collected. Key financial indicators for the period just before the Act were compared with the corresponding values for the period of 5 years after the enactment of the Act. The Shelford group of NHS Trusts provided 15 047 304 patient care episodes in 2017/2018, which represented a rise of 6.34% over 5 years. This was a significant slowdown in clinical, which had grown by 18.57% in the 4 years immediately before the act. There were no significant differences in the mean operating surplus returned by the Shelford Group in the 5 years after the Act, compared to before its implementation. The median cost of finance for each organisation increased by 35.4% from £18 245 000 to £24 703 000. The total capital employed remained static over the 5 years following enactment of the Act. There were no significant differences in levels of liquidity and leverage of the Shelford Group in the 5 years after the Act compared to before. Conclusions The financial position of the Shelford Group of Trusts has not been adversely affected by the Health and Social Care Act (2012) , although there was some evidence that the operational finances of these NHS Trusts were less robust in the 5 years following the Act.

scholarly journals Droplets generation conducting during laser-plasma treating of metals in electric field

2021 ◽  
Vol 2064 (1) ◽  
pp. 012097
Author(s):  
A Yu Ivanov ◽  
A L Sitkevich ◽  
S V Vasil’ev
Keyword(s):  
Laser Radiation ◽  
Field Strength ◽  
Electric Field ◽  
External Electric Field ◽  
Short Circuit ◽  
Characteristic Size ◽  
Electric Breakdown ◽  
Laser Plume ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Evolution of plasma plume generation on the surface of metal irradiated by laser beam with the mean radiation flux density ~ 106 W/cm2 in the external electric field with different polarity and field strength from 0 to 106 V/m was experimentally investigated. It is shown that the mean size of metal droplets carried out from the irradiated zone of target becomes materially (in several times) smaller when of the external electric field strength amplitude grow, independently to its polarity. It is essential that the mentioned differences (at the considered parameters of laser radiation) are observed only at the initial stage of the laser plume development, because after the steam-plasma cloud reaches the electrode an electric breakdown (short-circuit) occurs, and the external field in the interelectrode gap disappears. Electric breakdown leads to the spasmodic increase of electron density and temperature of plasma and to effective absorption of laser radiation by plasma torch (shielding of the target). In consequence of shielding droplets generation happens only during electric field existence. This explains decrease by several times of the characteristic size of the target substance droplets in spite of short duration of electric field existence.

scholarly journals Various Simulated Body Fluids Lead to Significant Differences in Collagen Tissue Engineering Scaffolds

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 4388
Author(s):  
Tomáš Suchý ◽  
Martin Bartoš ◽  
Radek Sedláček ◽  
Monika Šupová ◽  
Margit Žaloudková ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Plasma ◽  
Mass Loss ◽  
Human Blood ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Mechanical Tests ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Human Blood Plasma ◽  
Tissue Engineering Scaffolds ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Media

This study aims to point out the main drawback with respect to the design of simulated body environments. Three media commonly used for the simulation of the identical body environment were selected, i.e., Kokubo’s simulated body fluid that simulates the inorganic component of human blood plasma, human blood plasma, and phosphate buffer saline. A comparison was performed of the effects of the media on collagen scaffolds. The mechanical and structural effects of the media were determined via the application of compression mechanical tests, the determination of mass loss, and image and micro-CT analyses. The adsorption of various components from the media was characterized employing energy-dispersive spectrometry. The phase composition of the materials before and after exposure was determined using X-ray diffraction. Infrared spectroscopy was employed for the interpretation of changes in the collagen secondary structure. Major differences in terms of the mechanical properties and mass loss were observed between the three media. Conversely, only minor structural changes were detected. Since no general recommendation exists for selecting the simulated body environment, it is necessary to avoid the simplification of the results and, ideally, to utilize alternative methods to describe the various aspects of degradation processes that occur in the media.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 on Levels of Adherence to the Completion of Nursing Records for Inpatients in Isolation

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11262
Author(s):  
Mercedes Fernández-Castro ◽  
José-María Jiménez ◽  
Belén Martín-Gil ◽  
María-Fé Muñoz-Moreno ◽  
María-José Castro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
Hospitalised Patients ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Clinical Records ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased workload for nurses and organisational and structural changes, which have been necessary to meet the needs of inpatients in isolation. Aim: To describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on levels of adherence to the completion of nursing records that document the risk of developing pressure ulcers, falling, and social vulnerability among hospitalised patients in isolation. Methods: Observational pre-post comparison study. Comparison between nursing records (the Braden, Downton, and Gijón scales) belonging to 1205 inpatients took place in two phases. Phase 1: 568 patients admitted in February 2020, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, vs. phase 2: 637 patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in March–April 2020, during the peak of the first wave of the pandemic. This research adheres to the STROBE guidelines for the reporting of observational studies. Results: The degree of completion of the Braden, Downton, and Gijón scales decreased significantly in phase 2 vs. phase 1 (p < 0.001). The mean Downton and Gijón scale scores for patients admitted in phase 1 were higher compared to those of patients admitted in phase 2 (p < 0.001). The mean Braden scale score in phase 2 was higher than in phase 1 (p < 0.05). Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a decrease in the completion of nursing records in the clinical records of patients in isolation. The levels of risk of developing PUs, falling, and social vulnerability of patients admitted to hospital were lower during the first wave of the pandemic.

scholarly journals Behaviour of Titanium Dioxide Particles in Artificial Body Fluids and Human Blood Plasma

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (19) ◽  
pp. 10614
Author(s):  
Eva Korábková ◽  
Věra Kašpárková ◽  
Daniela Jasenská ◽  
Dita Moricová ◽  
Eliška Daďová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Plasma ◽  
Human Blood ◽  
Body Fluids ◽  
Human Blood Plasma ◽  
Tio2 Particles ◽  
Commercial Mixture ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Impact

The growing application of materials containing TiO2 particles has led to an increased risk of human exposure, while a gap in knowledge about the possible adverse effects of TiO2 still exists. In this work, TiO2 particles of rutile, anatase, and their commercial mixture were exposed to various environments, including simulated gastric fluids and human blood plasma (both representing in vivo conditions), and media used in in vitro experiments. Simulated body fluids of different compositions, ionic strengths, and pH were used, and the impact of the absence or presence of chosen enzymes was investigated. The physicochemical properties and agglomeration of TiO2 in these media were determined. The time dependent agglomeration of TiO2 related to the type of TiO2, and mainly to the type and composition of the environment that was observed. The presence of enzymes either prevented or promoted TiO2 agglomeration. TiO2 was also observed to exhibit concentration-dependent cytotoxicity. This knowledge about TiO2 behavior in all the abovementioned environments is critical when TiO2 safety is considered, especially with respect to the significant impact of the presence of proteins and size-related cytotoxicity.

Influence of laser radiation on the coagulability of human blood plasma

1975 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. 1177-1177
Author(s):  
N G Basov ◽  
V V Gromov ◽  
E P Markin ◽  
A N Oraevskii ◽  
P G Pleshanov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laser Radiation ◽  
Blood Plasma ◽  
Human Blood ◽  
Human Blood Plasma

Choroidal structural changes and choroidal vascularity index in patients with systemic hypertension

2021 ◽  
pp. 112067212110356
Author(s):  
Nazife Aşıkgarip ◽  
Emine Temel ◽  
Ahmet Kıvrak ◽  
Kemal Örnek
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Systolic Blood Pressure ◽  
Patient Group ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Structural Parameters ◽  
Systemic Hypertension ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Treatment Naïve ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: To assess the impact of systemic hypertension on the choroidal structure and choroidal vascularity index (CVI). Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study comprised 50 eyes of 50 treatment-naive hypertensive patients and 50 eyes of 50 healthy subjects. Choroidal thickness (CT) was measured in the subfoveal region, 1500 µm nasal to the fovea, and 1500 µm temporal to the fovea. Binarization of the enhanced depth-optical coherence tomography images was performed with Image-J software. The CT, choroidal area (CA), luminal area (LA), and CVI were compared statistically. Results: The mean subfoveal, nasal, and temporal CT were decreased in the patient group (p 0.003, 0.026, and 0.001, respectively). The mean CA, LA, and CVI were decreased in the patient group in comparison to controls ( p = 0.047, 0.009, and 0.016 respectively). The correlation between the subfoveal CT and systolic blood pressure was significant ( r = −0.450, p < 0.001). There was a significant correlation between the systolic blood pressure and CVI ( r = −0.401, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The significant decrease in the structural parameters and CVI show that choroid is affected in patients with treatment-naive hypertension.

Asteroid and Comet Impact Speeds upon Mars: Significance for Panspermia and the Supply of Organics

1997 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 197-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duncan Steel
Keyword(s):  
Probability Distributions ◽  
Regions Of Interest ◽  
Significant Fraction ◽  
Organic Chemicals ◽  
Impact Speed ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

AbstractWhilst lithopanspermia depends upon massive impacts occurring at a speed above some limit, the intact delivery of organic chemicals or other volatiles to a planet requires the impact speed to be below some other limit such that a significant fraction of that material escapes destruction. Thus the two opposite ends of the impact speed distributions are the regions of interest in the bioastronomical context, whereas much modelling work on impacts delivers, or makes use of, only the mean speed. Here the probability distributions of impact speeds upon Mars are calculated for (i) the orbital distribution of known asteroids; and (ii) the expected distribution of near-parabolic cometary orbits. It is found that cometary impacts are far more likely to eject rocks from Mars (over 99 percent of the cometary impacts are at speeds above 20 km/sec, but at most 5 percent of the asteroidal impacts); paradoxically, the objects impacting at speeds low enough to make organic/volatile survival possible (the asteroids) are those which are depleted in such species.

Sound Production Treatment for Acquired Apraxia of Speech: An Examination of Dosage in Relation to Probe Performance

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Julie L. Wambaugh ◽  
Lydia Kallhoff ◽  
Christina Nessler
Keyword(s):  
Retrospective Analysis ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Apraxia Of Speech ◽  
Practice Schedule ◽  
Practice Schedules ◽  
Baseline Performance ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Number Of Treatment ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study was designed to examine the association of dosage and effects of Sound Production Treatment (SPT) for acquired apraxia of speech. Method Treatment logs and probe data from 20 speakers with apraxia of speech and aphasia were submitted to a retrospective analysis. The number of treatment sessions and teaching episodes was examined relative to (a) change in articulation accuracy above baseline performance, (b) mastery of production, and (c) maintenance. The impact of practice schedule (SPT-Blocked vs. SPT-Random) was also examined. Results The average number of treatment sessions conducted prior to change was 5.4 for SPT-Blocked and 3.9 for SPT-Random. The mean number of teaching episodes preceding change was 334 for SPT-Blocked and 179 for SPT-Random. Mastery occurred within an average of 13.7 sessions (1,252 teaching episodes) and 12.4 sessions (1,082 teaching episodes) for SPT-Blocked and SPT-Random, respectively. Comparisons of dosage metric values across practice schedules did not reveal substantial differences. Significant negative correlations were found between follow-up probe performance and the dosage metrics. Conclusions Only a few treatment sessions were needed to achieve initial positive changes in articulation, with mastery occurring within 12–14 sessions for the majority of participants. Earlier occurrence of change or mastery was associated with better follow-up performance. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12592190

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