Search

Objective: Current intrapartum fetal monitoring technology is unable to provide physicians with an objective metric of fetal well-being, leading to degraded patient outcomes and increased litigation costs. Fetal oxygen saturation (SpO2) is a more suitable measure of fetal distress, but the inaccessibility of the fetus prior to birth makes this impossible to capture through current means. In this paper, we present a fully non-invasive, transabdominal fetal oximetry (TFO) system that provides in utero measures of fetal SpO2. Methods: TFO is performed by placing a reflectance-mode optode on the maternal abdomen and sending photons into the body to investigate the underlying fetal tissue. The proposed TFO system design consists of a multi-detector optode, an embedded optode control system, and custom user-interface software. To evaluate the developed TFO system, we utilized an in utero hypoxic fetal lamb model and performed controlled desaturation experiments while capturing gold standard arterial blood gases (SaO2). Results: Various degrees of fetal hypoxia were induced with true SaO2 values ranging between 10.5% and 66%. The non-invasive TFO system was able to accurately measure these fetal SpO2 values, supported by a root mean-squared error of 6.37% and strong measures of agreement with the gold standard. Conclusion: The results support the efficacy of the presented TFO system to non-invasively measure a wide-range of fetal SpO2 values and identify critical levels of fetal hypoxia. Significance: TFO has the potential to improve fetal outcomes by providing obstetricians with a non-invasive measure of fetal oxygen saturation prior to delivery.

IntroductionWellbeing is synonymous with positive mental health and impacts the efficacy of student learning. The wellbeing of optometry students is an understudied topic. The wellbeing of optometry students studying in a blended undergraduate course during the COVID-19 pandemic was also unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the status of optometry students’ wellbeing during COVID-19, by identifying their experiences of symptoms of anxiety and depression. Moreover, to determine to what extent students experience these symptoms and what specific factors influenced their wellbeing.MethodologyParticipants from four year groups completed online questionnaires. The response rate was 78.38% (n=87). Zung self-rating depression and anxiety scale questionnaires were used to determine whether students identified with a given list of symptoms commonly linked to anxiety or depression. Through open ended questions students’ wellbeing was further investigated.ResultsParticipants experienced normal levels of anxiety symptoms and most participants experienced mild to moderate depression symptoms. Of concern is the severe depression symptoms identified in the third and fourth year student cohorts. Mental health, Academics, Lifestyle, Relationships and Sleep were main themes identified that had an influence on the students’ general wellbeing. Uncertainty and Physical Health themes were additional influences of wellbeing specifically related to COVID-19.ContributionThis preliminary study into wellbeing of optometry students was undertaken in a unique timeframe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The results provide a platform to determine baseline wellbeing in the future student cohorts and the exploratory identification of factors causing stress and anxiety. The impact of COVID-19 on the wellbeing of students is evident.ConclusionOptometry students do experience symptoms of depression. COVID-19 has had considerable impact on their academic experience and their wellbeing.

Actinium-225-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen ([We retrospectively reviewed the medical record of patients treated with [A total of 106 patients were included. Skeletal metastasis was in the superscan pattern in 34 patients (32.1%) and multifocal in 72 patients (67.9%). The median treatment cycle was 4 (range = 1-9). Ninety-eight patients (92.5%) had abnormal baseline hematologic parameters. One patient had grade 4 thrombocytopenia. Grade 3 anemia, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia were seen in 1 (0.9%), 3 (2.8%), and 2 (1.9%) patients, respectively. Age, the number of treatment cycles, and the presence of renal dysfunction were significant predictors of hematologic toxicity. Eighty-five patients (80.2%) achieved PSA response. The median PFS and OS of the study population were 14:00 (95%CI: 8.15-19.86) months and 15.0 (95%CI: 12.8-17.2) months, respectively.[

Energy conservation in microorganisms is classically categorized into respiration and fermentation; however, recent work shows some species can use mixed or alternative bioenergetic strategies. We explored the use of extracellular electron transfer for energy conservation in diverse lactic acid bacteria (LAB), microorganisms that mainly rely on fermentative metabolism and are important in food fermentations. The LABBacteria produce the energy they need to live through two processes, respiration and fermentation. While respiration is often more energetically efficient, many bacteria rely on fermentation as their sole means of energy production. Respiration normally depends on the presence of small soluble molecules, such as oxygen, that can diffuse inside the cell, but some bacteria can use metals or other insoluble compounds found outside the cell to perform ‘extracellular electron transfer’. Lactic acid bacteria are a large group of bacteria that have several industrial uses and live in many natural environments. These bacteria survive using fermentation, but they also carry a group of genes needed for extracellular electron transfer. It is unclear whether they use these genes for respiration or if they have a different purpose. Tejedor-Sanz, Stevens et al. used a lactic acid bacterium called

Combined with real-time monitoring of density and temperature, the control of the redox potential provides a new approach to influencing cell metabolism during growth, cell viability and non-growing yeast activity in wine fermentations. Prior research indicates that the problem of sluggish and incomplete fermentation can be alleviated by maintaining a constant redox potential during the ethanol fermentation. A secondary trait of hydrogen sulfide formation from elemental sulfur also seems to be associated with the development of low redox potentials during fermentation and this might be prevented by the deliberate control of redox potentials in a certain range. While the control of the redox potential during wine fermentations has been demonstrated previously at the research scale (100 L), the ability to control it in larger volumes typically seen in commercial conditions remained unanswered. Wine fermentations from the same load of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from the 2021 harvest were conducted at three volumes: 100 L and 1500 L in a research winery and 10,000 L in a commercial winery. Using only pulses of air delivery, the redox potential was successfully controlled to −40 mV referenced to a silver/silver chloride electrode throughout the fermentations, at all scales. This appears to be the first published result of a controlled fermentation trial that includes the commercial scale and demonstrates the scalability of control of redox potential in wine fermentations.

Prostate cancer is the commonest non-cutaneous cancer in males and frequently metastasizes to nodal and skeletal tissues. Metastases to soft tissue viscera such as lung and liver are associated with decreased overall survival compared to nodal and skeletal metastases despite androgen deprivation and chemotherapy with palliative intent. We present a case with complete resolution of lung metastases after 225Ac-PSMA targeted alpha endoradiotherapy in a treatment naive patient with metastatic prostate cancer. Our case gives preliminary clinical support for the efficacy of 225Ac-PSMA therapy in lung metastases.

Improvements in technology over the past two decades have increased the ability of employees to work remotely however there has been a hesitation on the part of organizations and managers to allow this practice. In response to the Covid-19 lockdown, companies were forced to adopt teleworking arrangements for their entire workforce. Research has demonstrated that managers are the gatekeepers of adoption and diffusion decisions in organizations. This study investigates whether managers that experienced telework in their teams over the mandated lockdown period changed their perceptions of telework and willingness to allow their staff to work remotely and describes their perceptions. A survey was sent to managers twice within a four-month period in a single case organization in South Africa that was forced to allow the entire workforce to telework. The results of the study found that when managers had experienced telework for four months, they were more in favour of supporting this working arrangement in the organization. Yet teleworking is not without its challenges which this study highlights.

For people seeking to form a team for a specific purpose, like a side project or study group, challenges quickly arise once they have exhausted their social circle in the search for teammates. In the wake of the current pandemic, meeting new people that are right for a specific team is even more difficult than before due to the lack of in-person events. On social media platforms, users often have large networks of friends but have very few close personal relationships in them. So, posting on those to look for people that are compatible, share the same goal and are interested in the niche group, is being hopeful at best. We present a scalable framework for establishing small online groups that balances two objectives, making the best group recommendations to users and guiding group hosts to the best users for their group. We illustrate this framework using three use cases and evaluate a server-less implementation using a large social media dataset to simulate a production environment.

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 saw governments across the world mandating telework for entire populations thereby bringing the topic of telework into sharp focus. Telework is a well-researched topic which dates as far back as five decades ago. While telework provides many indisputable benefits to organisations, society and individuals, it has not achieved the anticipated widespread adoption. While telework studies have examined multiple aspects, few studies have examined organisational factors which affect telework adoption. This study is an empirical investigation of telework adoption, using a set of factors identified in the literature in organisations in a South African context. These factors in prior studies were found to enable or prevent an organisation from adopting telework. The question thus asked in this study was “Which factors enable or prevent the adoption of telework within South African organisations?” A survey with 104 valid responses was analysed using Statistica. The theoretical contribution of the study is a validated model of factors influencing the adoption of telework.

Non-invasive transabdominal fetal pulse oximetry (TFO) can provide physicians with a better metric of fetal well-being than currently-used fetal monitoring methods. There are two major challenges in this light-based measurement modality. One is in detecting the weak fetal signal at the surface of the maternal abdomen, and the other is in recovering the fetal signal from the diffuse reflectance measured, which contains a mixture of information about both maternal and fetal tissue. In this paper, we describe the TFO system we developed and evaluate its ability to recover the fetal signal in a preclinical setting. In particular, we assess its capability to measure the fetal signal over several thicknesses of maternal tissue and gauge the effectiveness of different approaches in removing the maternal influence from the mixed signal. Our results show that our TFO system, built using commodity low-cost components, can measure the highly-attenuated fetal signal through maternal tissue as thick as 5 cm. Furthermore, we determine that adaptive noise cancellation techniques are the most effective for separating the fetal signal from the maternally-influenced noise. These findings strongly support our TFO system's ability to perform well on a variety of different pregnant body types.

Background A remarkable therapeutic efficacy has been demonstrated with 225Ac-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-617 in heavily pre-treated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients. We report our experience with 225Ac-PSMA-617 therapy in chemotherapy-naïve patients with advanced metastatic prostate carcinoma. Methods Seventeen patients with advanced prostate cancer were selected for treatment with 225Ac-PSMA-617 in 2-month intervals, with initial activity of 8 MBq, then de-escalation to 7 MBq, 6 MBq or 4 MBq in cases of good response. In one patient, activity was escalated to 13 MBq in the third cycle. Fourteen patients had three treatment cycles administered, while in three patients treatment was discontinued after two cycles due to good response. Six out of 17 patients received additional treatments after the third cycle. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was measured every 4 weeks for PSA response assessment. 68Ga-PSMA-PET/CT was used for functional response assessment before each subsequent treatment cycle. Serial full blood count, renal function test, and liver function were obtained to determine treatment-related side effects. Results Good antitumor activity assessed by serum PSA level and 68Ga-PSMA-PET/CT was seen in 16/17 patients. In 14/17 patients, PSA decline ≥90% was seen after treatment, including seven patients with undetectable serum PSA following two (2/7) or three cycles (5/7) cycles of 225Ac-PSMA-617. Fifteen of 17 patients had a > 50% decline in lesions avidity for tracer on 68Ga-PSMA-PET/CT including 11 patients with complete resolution (PET-negative and either stable sclerosis on CT for bone or resolution of lymph node metastases) of all metastatic lesions. Grade 1/2 xerostomia was seen in all patients, and none was severe enough to lead to discontinuation of treatment. One patient had with extensive bone marrow metastases and a background anemia developed a grade 3 anemia while another patient with solitary kidney and pre-treatment grade 3 renal failure developed grade 4 renal toxicity following treatment. The group presented with significant palliation of bone pain and reduced toxicity to salivary glands due to de-escalation. Conclusions 225Ac-PSMA-617 RLT of chemotherapy-naïve patients with advanced metastatic prostate carcinoma led to a ≥ 90% decline in serum PSA in 82% of patients including 41% of patients with undetectable serum PSA who remained in remission 12 months after therapy. The remarkable therapeutic efficacy reported in this study could be achieved with reduced toxicity to salivary glands due to de-escalation of administered activities in subsequent treatment cycles. This necessitates further exploration for informing clinical practice and clinical trial design.

The reduction-oxidation potential, or redox potential, in a fermenting juice may influence the reactions in the juice and within the yeast cells during wine fermentations. The ability to monitor and control the redox potential at a chosen value by adding air during a red wine fermentation was demonstrated in triplicate at the 100-L scale. The Brix curves and redox potential patterns in the controlled fermentations were compared to those in the un-aerated fermentations. The redox control system consisted of a commercial pH meter with a reduction-oxidation electrode and a custom-designed electronic controller. The study showed the redox potential could be controlled at 215 mV, well above its natural level throughout the fermentation. Control of the redox potential resulted in faster peak fermentation rates and earlier completion of the wine fermentations. Analysis of these fermentation curves using a mathematical model indicated that yeast cell viability and the specific maintenance rate of the viable cells were significantly increased by controlling the redox potential during the fermentation.

Real-time process metrics are standard for the majority of fermentation-based industries but have not been widely adopted by the wine industry. In this study, replicate fermentations were conducted with temperature as the main process parameter and assessed via in-line Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP) probes and at-line profiling of phenolics compounds by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The California and Oregon vineyards used in this study displayed consistent vinification outcomes over five vintages and are representative of sites producing faster- and slower-fermenting musts. The selected sites have been previously characterized by fermentation kinetics, elemental profile, phenolics, and sensory analysis. ORP probes were integrated into individual fermentors to record how ORP changed throughout the fermentation process. The ORP profiles generally followed expected trends with deviations revealing previously undetectable process differences between sites and replicates. Site-specific differences were also observed in phenolic and anthocyanin extraction. Elemental composition was also analyzed for each vineyard, revealing distinctive profiles that correlated with the fermentation kinetics and may influence the redox status of these wines. The rapid ORP responses observed related to winemaking decisions and yeast activity suggest ORP is a useful process parameter that should be tracked in addition to Brix, temperature, and phenolics extraction for monitoring fermentations.

The factors impacting mobile enterprise application (MEA) adoption are important as they contribute to usage and subsequently improved business performance. By means of a literature review, conceptual design of a model, survey and qualitative analysis, this mixed method study examined factors influencing user adoption of MEAs in the insurance industry. The conceptualised model combined elements of the extended technology acceptance model with constructs from Vuolle and Käpylä's mobile work model. The data collected supported the overall validity of the model and all, but one of the hypotheses were supported. Interesting findings include the importance of willingness to fund devices on the adoption by users and the importance of job relevance and the location dependency of the MEAs on their usefulness. These findings are relevant to organizations deploying MEAs and researchers studying adoption.CATEGORIES: · Information systems ~ Mobile information processing systems

Metastatic prostate carcinoma overexpresses prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), making this antigen a suitable target for radioligand therapy of the disease. Here we report on our experience with a series of 73 castration-resistant prostate carcinoma patients treated with

The author of this article wanted to change the ethical approval statement of the originally published version of this article. Correct statement is indicated below.

The factors impacting the adoption of mobile enterprise applications (MEAs) are important to understand if the value of using these applications is to materialize as improved business performance. By means of a review of the literature and a survey, this study examined the factors which influence the adoption of three MEAs in the insurance industry. Experience with MEAs was found to have a moderating effect on the relationship between symbolic adoption and subjective norm. For symbolic adoption the independent variables perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and willingness to fund, accounted for 67% of the variation while for perceived usefulness the independent variables perceived ease of use, job relevance and location dependence accounted for 65% of the variation. These findings are of relevance to researchers and organizations intending on deploying MEAs. Practitioners should pay attention to the factors which can influence user acceptance of MEAs.

In this study thin films of p-doped silicon were deposited on glass substrate using the hot wire chemical vapour deposition. The deposition chamber of the hot wire chemical vapour deposition was modified such that co-evaporation of the doping metal could be possible. This resulted in the p-doped silicon film, which also has a polycrystalline microstructure. Aluminium metal was used as a dopant instead of the conventional boron. To grow a silicon crystalline p-layer using this method, physical evaporation of aluminium in the hot-wire chemical vapor deposition chamber takes place, while at the same time catalytically fragmenting silane gas on the resistively heated tantulum hot wire. The microstructure (which is polycrystalline) and the electrical characterization of the p-type doping film will be presented in this work. This layer was then used to manufacture n–i–p prototype solar cell. The open circuit voltage (V oc ) and the closed circuit current (J sc ) of the solar cell will also be presented in this study.

The melting temperature of probe-target nucleic acid hybrids plays an important role in sensor performance. This study employed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) techniques to investigate the hybridization of both DNA and RNA targets to their complementary surface-bound DNA oligonucleotide and the corresponding melting temperatures. The target molecule was a 26 nucleotide strand of RNA selected because of its utility in detecting the tobacco mosaic virus, a common plant pathogen with an RNA genome. The melting temperatures of duplexes with immobilized probes were determined by hybridization of the DNA and RNA targets with the bound DNA probe at different temperatures using a custom-built thermostated dual-channel SPR cell. Hybridization conditions and binding efficiencies were compared for both DNA and RNA binding to the gold-coated surface-bound DNA probe. The melting temperature for the DNA–DNA duplex was approximately 15 °C higher than the DNA–RNA in the solid state. The melting temperature in solution was also measured for comparison to the surface values. For both RNA and DNA, the melting transitions were substantially lower (∼20 °C) for solid state binding relative to solution. Particularly for surface immobilized DNA–RNA hybrids, the melting temperature was reduced to room temperature or below. Since most biosensor platforms operate at room temperature, they may consequently exhibit poor sensor performance due to weakened probe-target interactions. This result emphasizes that for optimal sensor performance, the hybrid melting temperature should be considered. The ability to study and optimize the binding of complementary strands of genomic materials to bound DNA probes could facilitate the rapid detection and identification of plant viruses having genomic RNA using various biosensor rapid analytical techniques.

Nonverbal communication is often neglected during the analysis of focus group discussions. The aim of this research was to review the literature regarding the recording of nonverbal communication during focus group discussions. Specific objectives were to identify the methods used to record the nonverbal communication during focus group discussions and how to integrate this component with the verbal communication data obtained. Although it is acknowledged in the literature that nonverbal communication impacts on the themes obtained from focus groups, no methodological guidance is provided for its recording during focus group discussions. There is a lack of literature on the methods used to record, decode and interpret nonverbal communication during focus group discussions. A tool was developed for observers to record the nonverbal communication of students. The tool was tested during focus group discussions in which students’ perceptions regarding substance abuse were explored. To test the tool, one focus group, consisting of eight to 10 randomly selected students, was conducted at each of the four Port Elizabeth campuses of the Nelson Mandela University, South Africa. The recording tool was not successful as important nonverbal observations identified and recorded during the discussions could not be linked to the specific verbal portion of the participants’ messages. Focus groups are vital in exploring the perceptions of people in health research. Themes identified from focus groups can be more meaningful if nonverbal communication, in addition to verbal communication, is also considered during data analysis.Keywords: Focus group discussions, nonverbal communication, nonverbal communication recording tool, health research.

Mobile enterprise applications (MEAs) are found in increasing numbers in organisations as smart-devices become an everyday necessity amongst employees and customers. Large amounts are invested in these applications, so it is important to see the value in improved business processes and the consequential improvement in business performance. Realising the benefits from their use is important to obtain the value from these investments. Yet, benefits management (BM) is poorly implemented in companies and a first step to improve this situation is to improve the visibility of the benefits that can be achieved by using MEAs. Hence the primary question asked in this study is “How can MEA benefits be successfully realised?” The strategy used to answer the question was action research in a single organisation using three MEAs in two different action research cycles. The study was conducted in a short-term insurance company in the Western Cape of South Africa with an established IT and project capability. Globally, the short-term insurance industry is under a significant threat from disruption by market entrants who don’t have to navigate legacy systems and who are more agile with their product offerings. Traditional insurers are looking for innovative solutions to transform the way in which insurance is sold and serviced. A BM process, which was modified from the literature, was refined through action cycles in three MEA projects to improve benefits realisation. The result showed that for MEA projects, which are not very large investments relative to other IT projects, a lighter, less cumbersome process was more practical and acceptable in the organisation. The creation of a benefits and risks template, during the action cycles, helped the organisation to build stronger business cases for MEA projects and also allowed for more comprehensive benefit identification, measurement and tracking, ultimately realising business performance improvements. The study also used a survey amongst 88 brokers and assessors to determine the factors which influence their adoption of these MEAs. The most significant factors influencing user adoption were the company’s willingness to fund the smart-devices, the ease of use of the MEA, job relevance and location dependence. A limitation of this study is that the organisation has a particular approach to project funding whereby the importance of BM is weighed against the cost of the project, hence BM is more important for very expensive projects. While the model prescribed in this study was sufficient in this context, it may not be suitable for organisations that are more conscientious about BM. This model would need to be tested in other contexts for transferability. A further limitation was the duration of time available for conducting this study because this was a PhD research project. Further action cycles might have refined the process further. The findings from this study are relevant to researchers and to organisations wanting to deploy MEAs. The BM process defined in this study can be used in MEA projects as a process to manage the identified benefits and ensure that they are realised. The benefits template can be used as a first step in the BM process to build the business case and the risks template can be used to identify potential problems that could hinder benefits realisation and can used to put mitigating actions in place to prevent problems to benefits realisation. The identification of factors influencing adoption of MEA can help organisations focus on these factors to ensure that their MEAs are used and they thereby derive benefits. The theoretical contributions of this study are a process model for the BM body of knowledge and a model explaining the factors influencing symbolic adoption of MEA. The identification and description of benefits and risks extends the body of knowledge for mobile applications research. These specific issues in the context of MEAs in the short-term insurance industry are understudied.

Demand for education rises with the level of economic development and over time. Censuses and surveys provide an approximation of realized demand for education for different birth cohorts over a long time span across countries and grades. Of the five SACU countries, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland, all except Namibia have already achieved school participation rates above 90% up to age 14. However, grade achievement is not equally impressive, due to high repetition. The projections of grade completion reported here incorporate UN Population Division demographic projections and assume that completion rates will asymptotically approach an upper limit. Assuming that repetition will stabilize allows estimation of enrolment. Future enrolment growth will slow due to slower growth of the school-aged population and because enrolment is already high. Demand for new teachers, however, should slow less, as the age structure of the current teaching personnel implies high levels of retirement. Tertiary enrolment will be constrained by the supply of tertiary places. To meet young people’s rising labor market expectations requires strong economic growth and labor absorption, improved education quality, and a focus on teaching appropriate skills. International tests show that education quality is weak in the SACU countries. Providing specialized tertiary and technical training for the four small SACU economies will require collaborative efforts.

Electron backscatter diffraction revealed that during the hot-wire deposition of silicon nitride, a tantalum filament partially transformed to some of its nitrides and silicides. The deposition of an encapsulating silicon nitride layer occurred at the cooler filament ends. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy disclosed the presence of hydrogen, nitrogen and silicon containing ions within the aged filament bulk. Hardness measurements revealed that the recrystallized tantalum core experienced significant hardening, whereas the silicides and nitrides were harder but more brittle. Crack growth, porosity and the different thermal expansion amongst the various phases are all enhanced at the hotter centre regions, which resulted in failure at these areas.

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths. Many early stage lung cancer patients have resectable tumors; however, their cardiopulmonary function needs to be properly evaluated before they are deemed operative candidates. Consequently, a subset of such patients is asked to undergo standard pulmonary function tests, such as cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPET) or stair climbs, to have their pulmonary function evaluated. The standard tests are expensive, labor intensive, and sometimes ineffective due to co-morbidities, such as limited mobility. Recovering patients would benefit greatly from a device that can be worn at home, is simple to use, and is relatively inexpensive. Using advances in information technology, the goal is to design a continuous, inexpensive, mobile and patient-centric mechanism for evaluation of a patient's pulmonary function. A light mobile mask is designed, fitted with CO2, O2, flow volume, and accelerometer sensors and tested on 18 subjects performing 15 minute exercises. The data collected from the device is stored in a cloud service and machine learning algorithms are used to train and predict a user's activity .Several classification techniques are compared - K Nearest Neighbor, Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, Artificial Neural Network, and Naive Bayes. One useful area of interest involves comparing a patient's predicted activity levels, especially using only breath data, to that of a normal person's, using the classification models.

Current technology used for monitoring fetal well-being has been ineffective at reducing rates of harm to the fetus during the intrapartum period, yet its adoption has significantly increased the number of emergency C-sections performed. Transabdominal fetal pulse oximetry (TFO) aims to reduce the number of surgical interventions through non-invasive measurements of fetal oxygen saturation. When developing an optode for TFO, it is important to select design parameters that will maximize the measurement of the fetal signal. In this paper, we optimize the source-detector distance and wavelengths through Monte Carlo simulations using a multi-layered tissue model for various fetal depths. The results were validated by developing an optical probe with two wavelengths of light to observe pulsating arterial tissue through an optical phantom that mimics the maternal abdomen as a step towards oximetry. Our results show that 735nm and 850nm seem to be the optimal selection of peak wavelengths of light sources to obtain a stronger fetal signal for the fetal depths between 2–5 cm. Improving the signal sensitivity is approached by increasing the spacing between the source and detector, and is limited by the noise-equivalent power of the detector.

The theoretical framework utilised in the current study included Keyes's mental health continuum, as well as the dimensions of emotional, psychological and social well-being.The aim of this study was to explore students experiences of flourishing and languishing during their first year at university.A nominal group technique was utilised in order to obtain data regarding the experiences of 22 first-year students and was thereafter analysed by means of thematic analysis.Various dimensions of emotional, psychological and social well-being were highlighted as essential in experiencing either flourishing or languishing during students first year at university. Although students experienced both flourishing and languishing, it is evident that students are more vulnerable to languishing during the beginning of their university career. Facing the big unknown, being confronted with practical difficulties, finding academics overwhelming, experiencing social isolation and being a victim of crime were prominent. Students however, learn to flourish when they achieve academic mastery, experience personal growth and independence and secure a social support system.The first year is seen as fundamental to student success at university, therefore the promotion of mental health during this year can be valuable in ensuring flourishing experiences during students' academic journey.

Introduction: Antibiotics deserve their place a powerful pillar in modern medical care, but the development of antibiotic resistance is emerging faster than the availability of new antibiotics. This poses a major threat to public health. The primary aim was to determine the perceptions towards the prescribing of antibiotics by pharmacists and the use of antibiotics in primary care in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa. Methodology: A questionnaire survey was conducted under community pharmacists during 2014. Purposive sampling was used. Results: Eighty percent of pharmacists were of the opinion that antibiotics are overprescribed. Amoxicillin, or the combination of amoxicillin with clavulanic acid, was indicated by 87.5% of respondents as the most often dispensed in their pharmacies, with ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin and azithromycin also commonly dispensed. One specific trade name product was mentioned by 43.8% of respondents as the antibiotic product they most often dispense. The most common diagnoses for which antibiotics were dispensed were upper respiratory tract infections and sinusitis. On average, more females (60.0%) were dispensed antibiotics. Most antibiotics were dispensed to adults (44.4%) and children (23.1%). On the question whether respondents were of the opinion that pharmacists should prescribe antibiotics, 50.0% indicated that they do not agree and 31.3% agreed. The main reason was because pharmacists are not qualified to diagnose. However, with further training they should be able to diagnose minor ailments and counsel patients. Conclusions: Pharmacists had mixed opinions on whether they should be able to prescribe antibiotics. Most pharmacists were of the opinion that antibiotics are overprescribed.

Collagen is a biological macromolecule capable of second harmonic generation, allowing label-free detection in tissues; in addition, molecular orientation can be determined from the polarization dependence of the second harmonic signal. Previously we reported that in-plane orientation of collagen fibrils could be determined by modulating the polarization angle of the laser during scanning. We have now extended this method so that out-of-plane orientation angles can be determined at the same time, allowing visualization of the 3-dimensional structure of collagenous tissues. This approach offers advantages compared with other methods for determining out-of-plane orientation. First, the orientation angles are directly calculated from the polarimetry data obtained in a single scan, while other reported methods require data from multiple scans, use of iterative optimization methods, application of fitting algorithms, or extensive post-optical processing. Second, our method does not require highly specialized instrumentation, and thus can be adapted for use in almost any nonlinear optical microscopy setup. It is suitable for both basic and clinical applications. We present three-dimensional images of structurally complex collagenous tissues that illustrate the power of such 3-dimensional analyses to reveal the architecture of biological structures.

Dedicated lactation rooms are a modern development as mothers return to work while still providing breastmilk to their absent infants. This study describes the built environment microbiome of lactation rooms and daycares, and explores the influence of temperature and humidity on the microbiome of lactation rooms. Sterile swabs were used to collect samples from five different sites in lactation rooms at University of California, Davis and from five different sites in daycares located in Davis, California. DNA from the swabs was extracted and the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was sequenced using Illumina MiSeq. Temperature and relative humidity data were collected on a subset of the lactation rooms. Sampled lactation rooms could be either dedicated lactation rooms or could also serve other functions (e.g., combined lactation room and restroom lounge). The majority of sequence reads were identified as belonging to family Moraxellaceae, with 73% of all reads included in analysis identified as an unknown species ofAcinetobacter. Alpha diversity was analyzed using the Shannon index, while beta diversity was analyzed using unweighted and weighted UniFrac distance. The Jaccard distance was used to measure amount of change at sampling locations between time points for analysis of the impact of temperature and humidity on the microbiome. There were significant differences in the beta diversity of the microbiome of lactation rooms by room type. There were also significant differences in the beta diversity of the microbiome by sample collection location. There were no significant differences in either alpha or beta diversity associated with room temperature or humidity. Additional studies are needed to understand if the differences in lactation room type may result in differences in the breastmilk microbiome of milk collected in those rooms, and to what extent any such differences may influence the infant microbiome.

We examined the chemical, structural, mechanical and optical properties of amorphous hydrogenated silicon nitride thin films deposited by hot-wire chemical vapour deposition using SiH4, NH3 and H2 gases at total flow rates below 33 sccm. Time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy reveal that the film surfaces consist of predominantly Si with hydrogenated SixNyOz species. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy corroborate on the N/Si ratio. Electron energy loss spectroscopy discloses that the thickness of the nitrogen rich oxidized interface between the SiNx films and the c-Si substrate decrease with an enhancing NH3 flow rate. By varying the NH3 flow rate, dense SiNx films can be realized with hydrogen content between 16 and 9 at.%, a refractive index between 3.5 and 1.9 and optical band gap ranging from 2 to 4.5 eV. The SiNx film stress is compressive for N/Si 0.55. Mechanisms relating the HWCVD conditions and the film structure and properties are proposed.

Cross-linked micelles are used to generate large uniform mesopores in silsesquioxane-based thin films. To our knowledge, this is first time cross-linked micelles have been used for this type of application. The cross-linked micelles are fabricated from amphiphilic block copolymers to compatibilize large immiscible domains in the organosilicate. Measured pore sizes range from 20 to 30 nm depending on the porogen loading level. The spherical morphology is maintained over a wide range of porogen loading (5 to 50% wt.) as analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and ellipsometric porosimetry. The low-k porous films are stable in water as a result of the hydrophobic nature of the material, and the films can be stacked to form independent dielectric layers for numerous applications.

Communication plays an important role in health care professions, such as pharmacy, which is an information-driven profession in which community pharmacists are embedded. They are responsible for ensuring patient-centred pharmaceutical care on a daily basis; thus, it is vital for them to interact effectively and humanely with clients. The aim of this study was to identify clients’ perceptions regarding their interaction with community pharmacists in the Nelson Mandela Metropole, Eastern Cape, South Africa. When analysed, clients’ perspectives on interaction with community pharmacists disclosed deficits in these pharmacists’ communication skills, which inhibit effective interactions. The more specific objectives were to determine if community pharmacist-client interaction does occur; the quality thereof; and to identify the communication skills clients perceive as important. A qualitative approach was followed to achieve the aim of the study. Three focus groups (FGs), consisting of 17 participants were selected by means of purposive sampling. The same FG protocol, consisting of three group activities, was followed for each FG. Thematic and descriptive analysis was applied and reliability and validity were ensured. The results indicated that pharmacist-client interaction plays a vital role in community pharmacies. The participants indicated that community pharmacists require not only accurate pharmacological knowledge, but also interpersonal skills, ranging from making eye contact and listening, to communicating in everyday language. It was also suggested that community pharmacists must be courteous, compassionate, honest and trustworthy when interacting with clients. The clients’ perceptions of visiting community pharmacies should not be ignored, because they are able to identify shortcomings in existing pharmacist interaction

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths. Many early stage lung cancer patients have a resectable tumor, however, their cardiopulmonary function needs to be properly evaluated before they are deemed operative candidates. Pulmonary function is assessed via spirometry and diffusion capacity. If these are below a certain threshold, cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is recommended. CPET is expensive, labor intensive, and sometimes ineffective since the patient is unable to fully participate due to comorbidities, such as limited mobility. In addition, CPET is done using a set of physical activities that may or may not be relevant to the patient’s typical activities. This paper presents steps towards developing a solution to address this gap. Specifically, we present OOCOO, a mobile mask system designed to measure oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in respiration, as well as activity levels. Unlike state of practice, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and activity data can be continuously measured over a long period of time in the patient’s environment of choice. The mask is capable of wireless data transfer to commodity smartphones. We have carried out initial work on development of an Android application to capture, analyze, and share the data with authorized entities.

Mobile applications have not only become commonplace for consumers for use in countless daily functions, they are also becoming essential in a business context. The deployment of these mobile enterprise applications in organizations have been shown to provide benefits however, history also shows that benefits from IT innovations are often over-promised and under-delivered. Managing these benefits becomes essential in order to realize the return on the investment required to build and implement mobile applications. This paper uses literature to inform the design of a benefit management process in an insurance company and also to identify the potential benefits and barriers from the use of mobile enterprise applications in a short-term insurance context. This design forms the start of an Action design research study.

The molecular basis of nonlinear optical (NLO) chiral effects in the amide I region of type I collagen was investigated using sum-frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy; chiral and achiral tensor elements were separated using different input/output beam polarization conditions. Spectra were obtained from native rat tail tendon (RTT) collagen and from cholesteric liquid crystal-like (LC) type I collagen films. Although RTT and LC collagen both possess long-range order, LC collagen lacks the complex hierarchical organization of RTT collagen. Their spectra were compared to assess the role of such organization in NLO chirality. No significant differences were observed between RTT and LC with respect to chiral or achiral spectra. These findings suggest that amide I NLO chiral effects in type I collagen assemblies arise predominantly from the chiral organization of amide chromophores within individual collagen molecules, rather than from supramolecular structures. The study suggests that sum-frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy may be uniquely valuable in exploring fundamental aspects of chiral nonlinearity in complex macromolecular structures.

Introduction In Australia the incidence of obesity is increasing rapidly and has become a significant public health concern. In addition to the many physical consequences of obesity many studies have reported significant mental health consequences, including major depression, mood and anxiety disorders. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between severity of obesity and perceived mental health in an Australian community sample. Methods A cross-sectional survey design was used. A total of 118 participants, aged between 19 and 75 years with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2 returned a completed questionnaire. The SF-36 Health Survey, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were used. Results After adjusting for age, gender, perceived social support and physical health quality of life, obesity was not significantly associated with mental health quality of life (SF-36). The strongest factor influencing mental health was perceived physical health. Mediation analyses suggest that physical health mediates the relationship between obesity and mental health quality of life. Discussion Our findings support the view that physical health mediates the relationship between obesity and mental health. Public health interventions should focus on reducing the impact of obesity on physical health by encouraging participation in healthy lifestyles, which in turn, may improve mental wellbeing.