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Weijie V Lin,1,* Megan N Scott,2,3,* Chosang Tendhar,4 Shazia F Ali,2,3 Zaina Al-Mohtaseb,2,3 Rizwan Shaikh,2,3 Christina Y Weng2,3 1School of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; 3Ben Taub General Hospital, Harris Health System, Houston, TX, USA; 4Office of Research, Assessment and Planning, Adelphi University, New York, NY, USA*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Christina Y WengDepartment of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, MBA Alkek Eye Center 1977 Butler Blvd., 3rd Floor, Houston, Texas 77030, USATel +1 713 798-6100Email christina.weng@bcm.eduObjective: To analyze outcomes and complications related to cataract surgery complicated by retained lens fragment (RLF) requiring pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) in a county hospital where procedures are performed by trainees.Methods: Retrospective study of consecutive patients who met inclusion criteria and underwent PPV for RLF in the vitreous cavity at an urban teaching hospital between January 2010 and January 2016 (N=20).Main Outcomes/Measures: Visual acuity was recorded pre- and post-operatively over a follow-up period of 3 to 12 months. Complications and patient factors contributing to outcomes were assessed using paired and unpaired t-tests and multiple linear regression.Results: The average rate of cataract surgery with RLF requiring PPV was 0.75%. Twenty patients met inclusion criteria. Mean pre-operative visual acuity (VA) was logMAR 1.7 (Snellen 20/1000). Nearly half (8/20) had nuclear cataracts grade 3+ or higher. The majority (14/20) had factors predisposing them to cataract surgery complications. Most patients underwent PPV within 1 week (median 6.5 days). At 12-month follow-up, significant (p=0.001) visual acuity (VA) improvement from initial VA was observed, with final mean logMAR 0.6 (± 0.75; Snellen 20/80) and median logMAR 0.35 (Snellen 20/45). Nearly half of the patients had a final Snellen VA ≥ 20/40. Factors associated with less VA improvement were older age and greater proportion of lens dropped (p< 0.01). Complications following PPV included hypotony (5 patients), corneal edema (4), elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) (3), and cystoid macular edema (3).Conclusions/Relevance: Despite patients with advanced pathology and trainee surgeons, rates of cataract surgery-associated RLF requiring PPV at a large tertiary care teaching hospital are similar to reported rates in the literature.Keywords: trainee, complicated cataract surgery, retained lens fragments, resident, fellow, pars plana lensectomy, pars plana vitrectomy, teaching, surgical education

In this paper we have defined the Schwartz type spaces SΔ,α,A, SΔ,β,B, SΔ,α,AΔ,β,B. We have studied the mapping properties of LCT between these spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spectral analysis of the correlated current and potential noise data record (1024 points) obtained from the stressed 316 stainless steel (SS) electrode undergoing stable pitting corrosion by using Maximum Entropy Method (MEM) are discussed in this paper. The power spectral density (PSD) data for current as well as potential were obtained using a Hanning window at different values of the coefficients (M) of the MEM to understand the influence of M on the shape of the PSD plots, roll-off slopes and spectral noise resistance at zero frequency (R°SN). The data was also analysed using the fast Fourier transform (FFT) and plotted along with the MEM data for comparison. The PSD plots obtained by the MEM retained their smooth character up to MEM = 40 became extremely noisy after M = 100. Spectral analysis using the MEM above M = 100 (about 10% of the data points in the record) was not much useful in extracting other parameters. The roll-off slopes were not true indicators of the corrosion mechanism. The optimum values of R°SN obtained by averaging the first 10 points at the lowest frequencies were found to be consistent till M = 200. The R°SN values obtained by similar methods using FFT were found to be comparable to the ones obtained by the MEM.

The slow evaporation technique was adopted for the growth of L-tyrosine doped Thiourea (Bis) Cadmium Acetate (CTA) single crystal. The doped crystals were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, FT-IR analysis, SHG Studies, UV-vis and Vickers microhardness studies. The UV-visible absorption spectrum is found to have improved optical parameters than pure CTA. The optical study revealed that the doped CTA crystal has high transmission with low cut off wavelength of 290 nm. The optical band gap was found to be 4.14 eV. The Second harmonic generation efficiency measured using Nd-YAG laser is 3.64 times higher than pure CTA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Conventional biomarkers in thyroid cancer are not disease specific and fluctuate in advanced disease, making interpretation difficult. Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) has been shown to be a useful biomarker in other solid tumours. This is a multimutational study of ctDNA over multiple timepoints, designed to test the hypothesis that ctDNA is a potential biomarker in patients with advanced thyroid cancer. Methods Mutational analysis of archival tumour tissue was performed using NGS with a targeted gene panel. Custom TaqMan assays were designed for plasma ctDNA testing using digital droplet polymerase chain reaction. Concentrations of detected ctDNA were correlated with the conventional biomarker concentration and axial imaging status defined by the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours criteria. Results Tumour tissue from 51 patients was obtained, with the following histologies: 32 differentiated (differentiated thyroid cancer [DTC]), 15 medullary (medullary thyroid cancer [MTC]), three poorly differentiated and one anaplastic. NGS analysis detected variants in 42 (82%) of cases. Plasma was assayed for these patients in 190 samples, and ctDNA was detected in 67% of patients. Earlier detection of disease progression was noted in three patients with MTC. In two cases (PTC and ATC), where conventional biomarkers were not detectable, ctDNA was detected before disease progression. Changes in ctDNA concentration occurred earlier than conventional markers in response to disease progression in multiple patients with DTC receiving targeted therapies. Conclusion The majority of patients with advanced thyroid cancer had detectable ctDNA. ctDNA measurement may offer superiority over conventional markers in several scenarios: earlier detection of progression in MTC; as an alternative biomarker when conventional markers are not available; more rapid assessment of the disease status in response to targeted therapies, thereby potentially allowing prompter discontinuation of futile therapies. These early results support the hypothesis that ctDNA may be a clinically useful biomarker in thyroid cancer. Highlights • Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) is found in majority (67%) of patients with thyroid cancer. • Detection of ctDNA appears to be reflective of disease burden. • ctDNA measurement may predict disease progression earlier than conventional biomarkers in medullary cancer. • ctDNA measurement may allow more rapid assessment of response to targeted therapies in differentiated thyroid cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proteins are specific for the specific task associated with the cell. The metal extracting bacteria, Thiobacillus ferrooxidans and Pseudomonas fluorescens have two different mechanisms for the metal extraction. One extracts the metals by donating electrons and by doing self-oxidation and another is accumulating the metals onto its cell surface which is negatively charged. Therefore to differentiate the task of metal extraction protein profiling was done and compared. The water soluble proteins were analyzed through SDS-PAGE. There was no significant difference in the profiles of both. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to investigate the influence potassium tetra thiourea chloride (PTTC) on optical, dielectric and thermal properties of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystals. It was found that by addition of PTTC SHG efficiency has been enhanced. In addition, third order nonlinear properties have been studied by open and close aperture Z-scan technique. The enhanced LDT of grown crystal is found to be 2.08 GW/cm2. The dielectric response of grown crystal results lowers magnitudes. Thermal stability of grown crystal has been studied by TGA, DTA and DSC. The mechanical strength of doped crystals has been investigated by the Vickers microhardness studies and results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background A standardised nutrition risk screening ( NRS) programme with ongoing education is recommended for the successful implementation of NRS. This project aimed to develop and implement a standardised NRS and education process across the adult bed-based services of a large metropolitan health service and to achieve a 75% NRS compliance at 12 months post-implementation. Methods A working party of Monash Health ( MH) dietitians and a nutrition technician revised an existing NRS medical record form consisting of the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool and nutrition management guidelines. Nursing staff across six MH hospital sites were educated in the use of this revised form and there was a formalised implementation process. Support from Executive Management, nurse educators and the Nutrition Risk Committee ensured the incorporation of NRS into nursing practice. Compliance audits were conducted pre- and post-implementation. Results At 12 months post-implementation, organisation-wide NRS compliance reached 34.3%. For those wards that had pre-implementation NRS performed by nursing staff, compliance increased from 7.1% to 37.9% at 12 months ( P < 0.001). The improved NRS form is now incorporated into standard nursing practice and NRS is embedded in the organisation's 'Point of Care Audit', which is reported 6-monthly to the Nutrition Risk Committee and site Quality and Safety Committees. Conclusions NRS compliance improved at MH with strong governance support and formalised implementation; however, the overall compliance achieved appears to have been affected by the complexity and diversity of multiple healthcare sites. Ongoing education, regular auditing and establishment of NRS routines and ward practices is recommended to further improve compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optically transparent glycine doped ammonium dihydrogen phosphate crystals have been grown from aqueous solution by slow solution evaporation method. Crystallographic data of the grown crystal has been determined using the single crystal X-ray diffraction technique. The photoexcited colour centred fluorescence emission spectrum of the grown crystal has been analysed at an emission wavelength of 254 nm in the range of 300 to 700 nm. Z-scan studies have been performed at 632·8 nm to confirm the negative third order non-linear refraction behaviour of the grown crystal. The non-linear refractive index (n2), non-linear absorption coefficient (β) and third order non-linearity susceptibility (χ3) of the grown crystal were calculated using the Z-scan data to explore the material suitability for photonic applications. Vicker's microhardness test was carried out to analyse the mechanical stability and determine the hardness parameters of the grown crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In order to evaluate physiological traits related to biochemical basis of drought tolerance under moisture stress, a field experiment with ten sorghum genotypes was carried out in split plot design with three replications. Seeds were grown separately under three moisture regimes viz; moisture stress condition with irrigation applied at the time of sowing, terminal stress condition with irrigation applied at the time of sowing and panicle initiation stage and non stress condition with irrigation applied at various critical growth stages. The accumulation of proline and glycine betaine was higher under moisture stress than terminal stress and non-stress condition. Accumulation of proline and glycine betaine content was recorded at the time of 50% flowering and at dough stage to estimate the efficiency of drought tolerance. Among the genotypes under study, RSV 1237 accumulated more leaf proline, whereas, RSV 1572 accumulated more glycine betaine at 50% flowering stage and dough stage under moisture stress. Genotypes differed significantly with respect to leaf, stem, panicle and total dry matter per plant. RSV 1237 and RSV 1572 had better partitioning of dry matter into reproductive parts under moisture and terminal stress conditions. It was concluded that these genotypes could be useful in sorghum breeding for drought tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of Ti based shape memory alloys with composition of Ti50Ni48Fe2, Ti50Ni47Fe3 and Ti50Ni45Fe5 were developed by vacuum arc melting under a purified argon atmosphere. The study was designed to evaluate in vivo cytotoxicity of the Ti-Ni-Fe shape memory alloy system. The materials were implanted in rabbits, and blood examination and histology of various vital organs (liver, heart and kidney) were performed to determine cytotoxicity of these alloy systems, if any, after 4, 8 and 12 weeks. The results showed that Ti-Ni-Fe alloy neither was cytotoxic nor has any systemic reaction on living system in any of the test performed. Implantation shows good compatibility and a potential of being used directly in in vivo system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the comparison for the techniwues used for detection of blood parasite Theileria annulata in cattle in Pakistan. The authors carry out the study to investigate the prevalence of Theileria annulata in cattle from the Peshawar and Kohat districts in the province of Khyber Pukhtoon Khwa. They compare the parasite detection techniques PCR amplification and Giesma stainining, and found out the PCR amplification is a much more sensitive tool. They state that no significant risk factors observed associated with the spread of the disease.

The article explores the prevalence and detection of Babesia sp. in Pakistan's Southern Punjab. The authors collected 107 blood samples from 40 sheep and 67 goats in the seven districts of the area with data about the animal's characteristics obtained through distribution of questionnaires. They found that 185 rRNA gene of Babesia sp. was present in 34% of the blood samples or 20 sheep and 16 goats. They also revealed that among the risk factors for the spread of babesiosis are herds that have more than 15 animals, associated with dogs and dogs infested with ticks.

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and its derivatives are known to perform various important physiological and metabolic functions in humans. In addition to dietary supplements, a number of topical formulations containing ascorbic acid and derivatives are now available that induce collagen synthesis, strengthening of skin tissues, reduction in pigmentation loss, and improved growth and health activities. It has also been used in a variety of cosmetic preparations as an antioxidant, pH adjuster, anti-aging and photoprotecting agent. Ascorbic acid is highly sensitive to air and light; and to achieve its stabilization in cosmetic preparations, it has been suggested to use ascorbic acid in microencapsulation form, in combination with other chemical moieties such as vitamin-E, by the control of pH and electrolyte concentration and use of stabilizing agents like citric, tartaric, or ferulic acids. A large number of cosmetic creams and lotions are available in the market containing the derivatives of ascorbic acid (e.g., sodium ascorbate, ascorbyl palmitate). Although these preparations are chemically stable, they lack the pharmacological activity of ascorbic acid. In the present review, it has been emphasized to consider the importance of various factors involved in the formulation of such preparations to achieve the stabilization of ascorbic acid as such, to maintain its pharmacological activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional trust management schemes developed for wired and wireless ad hoc networks are not well suited for sensor networks due to their higher consumption of resources such as memory and power. In this work, we propose a new lightweight Group-based Trust Management Scheme (GTMS) for wireless sensor networks, which employs clustering. Our approach reduces the cost of trust evaluation. Also, theoretical as well as simulation results show that our scheme demands less memory, energy, and communication overheads as compared to the current state-of-the-art trust management schemes and it is more suitable for large-scale sensor networks. Furthermore, GTMS also enables us to detect and prevent malicious, selfish, and faulty nodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]