Agreement between oscillometric and direct blood pressure measurements in anesthetized captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the level of agreement (LOA) between direct and oscillometric blood pressure (BP) measurements and the ability of oscillometric measurements to accurately detect hypotension in anesthetized chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). ANIMALS 8 captive, adult chimpanzees. PROCEDURES During prescheduled annual examinations, each chimpanzee underwent general anesthesia and patient monitoring for their examination, echocardiography for a concurrent study, and measurement of direct BP with the use of tibial artery catheterization and oscillometry with the use of a cuff placed around a brachium and a cuff placed around the second digit of the contralateral forelimb for the present study. Bland-Altman plots were generated to compare results for direct and oscillometric BP measurements. Mean bias and 95% LOAs were calculated for oscillometric measurements of systolic arterial pressure (SAP), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) for each cuff site. Sensitivity and specificity in detecting hypotension were also determined for each cuff site. RESULTS There were 74 paired direct and brachial oscillometric measurements of each, SAP, MAP, and DAP and 66 paired direct and digit oscillometric measurements of each, SAP, MAP, and DAP. Only brachial oscillometric measurements of MAP had adequate sensitivity (78%) and specificity (95%) to accurately detect hypotension, and this technique also had the least mean bias (0.8 mm Hg; 95% LOA, –29 to 31 mm Hg). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that brachial oscillometric measurement of MAP provided reasonable agreement with tibial arterial direct MAP measurement and performed well in diagnosing hypotension in anesthetized chimpanzees.

Japanese English Learners’ Perceptions of Filipino Teachers’ Online English Lessons: Implications for Global Englishes Research

Situated in the domain of Global Englishes research, this study explores a question of how far the issue of the English model for Japanese learners is complicated by the hierarchical coexistence of regular English courses taught by Anglophone English teachers and extracurricular online English lessons taught by non-Anglophone instructors. A questionnaire survey was administered to 100 Japanese English learners aged 18–34 who have taken such lessons. This study provides both hopeful and challenging suggestions for Global Englishes research and practice, that is, Japanese English learners’ favourable perceptions of Filipino teachers’ affordable and flexible lessons that, they believe, would not interfere with their subsequent or concurrent study of ‘real’ English taught by native Anglophone teachers. This study indicates future directions of research and practice regarding the legitimate positioning of in-class or online English classes taught by Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other non-native English-speaking teachers in East Asian English classrooms that remain bound by native English norms.

Probing the role of thermal vibrational disorder in the SPT of VO$$_2$$ by Raman spectroscopy

Phase competition in transition metal oxides has attracted remarkable interest for fundamental aspects and technological applications. Here, we report a concurrent study of the phase transitions in undoped and Cr-doped VO$$_2$$ 2 thin films. The structural, morphological and electrical properties of our films are examined and the microstructural effect on the metal–insulator transition (MIT) are highlighted. We further present a distinctive approach for analyzing the Raman data of undoped and Cr-doped VO$$_2$$ 2 thin films as a function of temperature, which are quantitatively correlated to the electrical measurements of VO$$_2$$ 2 films to give an insight into the coupling between the structural phase transition (SPT) and the MIT. These data are also combined with reported EXAFS measurements and a connection between the Raman intensities and the mean Debye–Waller factors $$\sigma ^2$$ σ 2 is established. We found that the temperature dependence of the $$\sigma _{R}^{2}(V-V)$$ σ R 2 ( V - V ) as calculated from the Raman intensity retraces the temperature profile of the $$\sigma _{EXAFS}^{2}(V-V)$$ σ EXAFS 2 ( V - V ) as obtained from the EXAFS data analysis. Our findings provide an evidence on the critical role of the thermal vibrational disorder in the VO$$_2$$ 2 phase transitions. Our study demonstrates that correlating Raman data with EXAFS analysis, the lattice and electronic structural dynamics can be probed.

Analyzing Active Volcanoes in Space and Time on Jupiter's Moon, Io

Jupiter's moon, Io, is the most volcanic planetary object in the solar system. Io's active volcanoes have only been previously studied independently in space and time, but not simultaneously. With using geographic information systems (GIS), the ArcGIS Pro software has tools in a toolbox called Space Time Pattern Mining that can analyze these active volcanoes in a concurrent study. In order to achieve a concurrent study, the project was constructed in two parts: analysis and visualizations. The analysis part involved using the tools in the Space Time Pattern Mining toolbox provided space-time aspects that would analyze the client􀂶s database. The client􀂶s database is data from the NASA􀂶s Galileo Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) instrument that was used in the Rathbun, Lopes, and Spencer (2018) publication. As for the visualization part, this part involved using 3-D symbology from the volcano point feature, to illustrate a time frame in days of the brightness (aka volcano eruption strength) on the Local Scene map and the Globe Scene map. Both parts of the project presented compelling results that identified and achieved in seeing significant clustering in space and time concurrently, along with seeing a particular part on Io that exhibited eruptions more frequently than the other part.

Simultaneous Resonance and Anti-Resonance in Dynamical Systems Under Asynchronous Parametric Excitation

Since the discovery of parametric anti-resonance, parametric excitation has also become more prominent for its stabilizing properties. While resonance and anti-resonance are mostly studied individually, there are systems where both effects appear simultaneously at each combination resonance frequency. With a steep transition between them and a high sensitivity of their relative positions, there is a need for a concurrent study of resonance and anti-resonance. The semi-analytical method of normal forms is used to derive approximate analytical expressions describing the magnitude of the stability impact as well as the precise locations of stabilized and destabilized areas. The results reveal that the separate appearance of resonance and anti-resonance is only a special case occurring for synchronous parametric excitation. In particular, in circulatory systems the simultaneous appearance is expected to be much more common.

Studying green consumer behavior through multiple lenses in a developing country

PurposeThe study aims to explore the parameters that affect the purchase behavior of green consumers.Design/methodology/approachA mixed methodology concurrent study was adopted involving questionnaire-based empirical study along with a qualitative study to capture the lived experiences of the respondents. Inferences were drawn to understand green consumer behavior in a holistic way.FindingsWhile conducting in-depth interviews, many recurring themes emerged, such as environmentally friendly, health-conscious, price, government initiatives, youngsters' inclination, general awareness, family influence/traditions, quality, advertisement and social concern. A concurrent quantitative study was conducted, which established altruism, environmental awareness and social factor and influence as significant parameters, which had an impact on green consumer behavior.Practical implicationsWhile designing green products, this study will enable marketers to innovate their products and services based on the intricate insights that have come out of the study.Originality/valueThe study seeks to give deep insights into green consumer behavior that may help academics and marketers to understand the phenomenon better.

A numerical analysis on different-generation prototypes of ventricular assist device

The ventricular assist device (VAD) assists the patients with heart diseases for limited and prolonged periods. This device synchronizes with normal heart activities to help foster its performance. Consequently, its sensitive design requires high accuracy. The pumps are the essential part of every VAD which should operate in wide ranges of flow and pressure. As there are various types of VAD under different designs, it is neither practical nor plausible to experimentally/clinically investigate their performances. Therefore, in the concurrent study, a numerical study was carried out on four different generation prototypes of VAD pumps for reaching an optimum design. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method, the software derived, showed and streamlined the flow field shear stress both inside the VAD and its blades. Furthermore, the vortices and flow rate-pressure curves were observed. The results showed that the curved blade pumps operate better compared to that of the straight blade types, concerning the provision of enough pressure and less damage to the red blood cells. The results have implications not only for comparing different types of VAD designs but also for understanding the resulted shear stresses and pressures as a result of the blade’s structure.

Simultaneous Resonance and Anti-Resonance in Dynamical Systems Under Asynchronous Parametric Excitation

Since the discovery of parametric anti-resonance, parametric excitation has also become more prominent for its stabilizing properties. While resonance and anti-resonance are mostly studied individually, there are systems where both effects appear simultaneously at each combination resonance frequency. With a steep transition between them and a high sensitivity of their relative positions, there is a need for a concurrent study of resonance and anti-resonance. The semi-analytical method of normal forms is used to derive approximate analytical expressions describing the magnitude of the stability impact as well as the precise locations of stabilized and destabilized areas. The results reveal that the separate appearance of resonance and anti-resonance is only a special case with synchronous parametric excitation. In particular, in circulatory systems the simultaneous appearance is expected to be much more common.