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Bismuth sulfide (Bi2S3) nanorods have been prepared using a simple and low-cost reflux method. This method is easy to handle and opens up a way to manufacture photocatalytic pigment at a low cost. The Bi2S3 catalyst was subjected to X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–Visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), scanning electron microscope, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TG/DTA), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The structures of the Bi2S3 nanorod have been investigated and were seen to be orthorhombic. The electron microscopic observations showed that surfactants greatly affect the morphologies of the as-prepared Bi2S3 samples. The XRD and TEM results confirmed that the Bi2S3 nanorods have a high surface area and are good crystallinity. TEM measurements revealed that the average breadth and length is 75 nm and 385 nm for Bi2S3 nanorods prepared using NaOH. The uniform one-dimensional Bi2S3 nanorods are due to the presence of NaOH which controls the nucleation and growth process of Bi2S3 nanorods. The photocatalytic activity of the Bi2S3 nanocrystallites has been estimated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under the irradiation of halogen light. It was noted that the absorption peak corresponding to MB reduced indicating the photocatalytic nature of the sample. In these conditions, the maximum degradation of the dye was achieved within 140 min for KOH added Bi2S3 samples and the photodegradation efficiency is 87.98%. A possible photocatalytic reaction mechanism of the Bi2S3 samples has also been proposed.

Bibliometrics is one of the statistical methods to analyze the research output of books, articles, and other scientific publications. This paper attempts to study the three types of Bibliometric indicators such as quantity, quality, and structural indicators. This study pertains to the information on the research growth of Bibliometric study, especially in the subject category of Library and Information Science published in Web of Science Database. This paper presents the findings of a Bibliometric study, targeting five year period (2014–2018), with the aim of identifying emerging research directions, the top-20 institutions, coupling, and collaboration by applying VOS viewer and Biblioshiny for bibliometric tools.

Well structured nano-sized Copper oxide has been prepared by simple reflex method for different pH concentrations. The Prepared samples are subjected to various characterization studies such as XRD, SEM, UV–Vis spectroscopy and FTIR spectroscopy inorder to investigate their crystallite structure, morphology, optical properties and functional vibrations. The structural analysis of prepared CuO samples revealed a monoclinic crystalline structure. The morphology of CuO samples reveals spindle shaped with size distribution ranging from 70 nm to 90 nm. The sample prepared at pH 5 seemed to possess the expected qualities to apply for antibacterial activity. The prepared samples consisting of various amounts of CuO nanoparticles are developed to study the antibacterial activity for different strains of bacteria. The results showed that at the optimized pH concentration, CuO samples calcinated at 400 °C exhibited improved antibacterial activity for E. coli bacteria.

This paper reports the sol–gel preparation and subsequent characterization of Fe doped TiO2 thin films with different doping concentrations (1%, 3% and 5%). X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray analysis (EDX), UV–Visible analysis and Photoluminescence spectra analysis (PL) were used to characterize the prepared samples. The crystallite size of anatase phase increases from 4.76 nm to 7.61 nm when doping concentration increases from 1% to 3% and the anatase phase is transformed to brookite at the doping of 5% as the crystallite size of more than 14.82 nm. The surface morphological pictures are observing to be almost smooth and particle size dispensation of Fe doped titanium dioxide particles is non-spherical agglomeration crystallite formation. An optical band gap of 3.63 eV, 3.41 eV and 3.11 eV were obtained for the TiO2 thin films doped with 1%, 3% and 5% Fe respectively. PL analysis results the emission peaks at 347 nm for 1% Fe doped sample seems to shift slightly towards higher wavelength for 3% and 5% Fe doped samples. This may be due to reduction in bandgap because of the shallow trap state created near the absorption band edge as a result of doping.

Good quality of pure and 1 mol% KCl doped sulphamic acid (SA) single crystal was grown by the solvent evaporation technique. The grown crystals belong to an orthorhombic structure. The peak present in the frequency region between 2870 and 3137 cm−1 is owing to NH3+ stretching vibration. The addition of dopant enhances the transmittance and mechanical strength of the SA crystal. The intense emission bands are obtained at 335 and 424 nm for pure and 337 and 468 nm for 1 mol% KCl doped SA crystal, respectively. The first decomposition point observed at 229 °C and 232 °C for pure and doped SA crystals, respectively. Laser damage threshold resistant of the crystals is 57, 89 and 132 mJ for KDP, pure and 1 mol% KCl doped SA crystals, respectively. The negative photoconductivity nature of title crystals was confirmed by photoconductivity studies. The third-order nonlinear optical (TONLO) susceptibility (χ3) of the pure and doped crystal is 5.004 × 10−10 esu and 7.848 × 10−10 esu, respectively. All the results show that the grown crystals have good transmittance, high LDT, mechanical, thermal and large susceptibility values. So, the title crystals are potential material for NLO applications.

Introduction Communication between the hospital and primary care regarding the death of a patient is incredibly important. Previous literature surrounding this area has shown that it is often done poorly, resulting in substandard documentation. Furthermore, lack of information for General Practitioners (GPs) means it is difficult for them to enter discussions with families, which can negatively impact on the bereavement process. The previous expectation was that an electronic discharge summary was completed, but that this was not optimally designed to inform GPs about the circumstances surrounding the death. Reasons given that summaries were not completed included: the busy workload of junior doctors and the lack of awareness of their importance. Methods The aim of our quality improvement project was to ensure 80% of GPs received notification and information about a patient’s death by August 2018. Following an initial cycle to assess the baseline notification rates, we developed a standardized death notification letter following feedback from local GPs. This included information such as date of death, if the coroner had been informed and a brief summary of events. Following introduction of the letter, we recorded the uptake and then gained further feedback regarding the ways in which it could be improved. A final cycle was then implemented. Results Baseline data showed an electronic discharge letter was only being completed in 13.3% of cases (n=3/21). Following introduction of the new letter, 83.6% were completed (n=56/67). Conclusions In conclusion, the introduction of a simple and standardized letter template has vastly increased the notification of GPs about a patient’s death from our hospital. Limitations of our project included the varying numbers of deaths in audited periods and some hospital teams having a separate process in place.

Introduction The Royal College of Physicians have emphasised the need to provide good end of life care for patients in the acute care setting, with the publication of the Acute Care Resource (1) in February 2021. This follows on from their key recommendations in 2018, which proposed that ‘all healthcare professionals reviewing patients with chronic conditions,…more than one serious medical problem, or terminal illness, should initiate shared decision making including advance care planning in line with patient preferences’ (2). Coordinate My Care (CMC) is an electronic urgent care plan accessible to all relevant health and social care professionals caring for patients residing in London Boroughs, enabling communication of wishes and preferences, including those of resuscitation status and advance care plans. Method Multiple PDSA Cycles, including requesting logins for CMC for emergency medicine, acute and general medical senior and junior doctors, and hosting CMC training sessions. Teaching sessions given to the above cohorts with regard to advance care planning and the use of CMC. Creation of live link to CMC via Trust’s electronic patient record. Results An increase in average monthly CMC record views from 45 to 108 by clinicians at North Middlesex Hospital. An increase from an average of 18 CMC records created per month, compared to 27 records created per month after the QI project, with an estimated additional cost saving of almost £19,000 per month (3). Conclusion Successful QI project, with demonstrated increase in staff access to CMC and number of patient CMC records created in a busy acute hospital. Ongoing success will be reflected in sustainability of the current numbers of acute hospital staff accessing CMC and creation of records.

Material Science is a discipline which elevates the properties of matter and its applications to various areas of science and engineering. This science investigates the relationship between the structure of material and its properties. The researcher has made an attempt to highlight quantitatively and qualitatively the growth and development of scholarly publications by Indian Scientists and researchers on Materials Science during 2009-2018 as reflected in Scopus. This study describes and focuses the various factors such as chronology wise distribution; country wise distribution; ranking of highly cited authors; ranking of highly cited institutions; highly cited journals on Material Science; and predominant funding agencies. The results revealed that the highest number of (16.7%) papers published in 2018 and Journal of Materials Science Materials in Electronics is the predominantly used source for the scholarly publication in Material Science research in India. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore has the highest number of publications in the Material Science research.

L-lysine hydrochloride-doped sulphamic acid (SA) crystals have been grown by slow evaporation technique. X-ray diffraction experiments confirmed the orthorhombic structure of SA crystal. The doped crystals have high transmission than the pure SA crystal. TG and DTA studies exhibit the title crystals are thermal stability up to 212 °C (pure), 210 °C (1 mol%) and 207 °C (2 mol%). The enhancement of the hardness value in the doped crystal was confirmed by the hardness test. The etch pit density was measured using chemical etching study. The photosensitivity of the grown crystals is 0.10 (pure), 0.36 (1 mol%) and 0.72 (2 mol%). The laser damage threshold (LDT) analyses show that the L-lysine hydrochloride-doped SA crystals have more LDT value than the pure SA crystal. Third-order NLO susceptibility was found to be 5.004, 5.864 and 6.050 × 10–10 esu for pure and L-lysine hydrochloride-doped (1 and 2 mol %) SA crystals, respectively.

Aim Three different methods are widely available in neonatal units for the measurement of neonatal Haematocrit (HCT); centrifugation (spun micro-haematocrit; SHCT), automated calculation (laboratory full blood count; LHCT) and conductivity (blood gas analyzer haematocrit; BGHCT). All three methods are often used interchangeably or simultaneously. However, limited studies suggest that SHCT values are higher than others due to plasma trapping. This study compares neonatal HCT measurements by the three different techniques using statistical methods. Methods Retrospective review of data extracted from a point of care testing logbook kept in our neonatal unit (for SHCT and BGHCT) and electronic laboratory records. Venous samples that concurrent testing with more than one methodology was done were included. Capillary and arterial samples were excluded. Results from each method were compared using a paired sample t-test and agreement was examined by Bland-Altman analysis. Results A total of 137 samples from 127 unique neonatal patients were identified. The mean and median HCT values for each method are shown in table 1. A strong correlation (R2= 0.875) between LHCT and SHCT values, as well as between LHCT and BGHCT values (R2=0.903) was seen. However, SHCT values were higher than LHCT values with a mean difference of 5.19% (4.53, 5.86). A paired t-test found this difference to be statistically significant; t (126) =15.5, p 65% which are consistent with polycythemia. The Bland-Altman difference plot for LHCT and SHCT methods demonstrated a good agreement between the two, but also defined a bias of 5.2%, with an agreement range of -2.18 to 12.57. Conclusion Although there is good correlation between all the test values, our study confirms that SHCT values are consistently higher than the others. Further studies are needed to investigate the clinical impact of this observed difference between methodologies, in neonatal pratice and particularly in the management of neonatal polycythemia.

Different morphologies of the Bi2S3 nanostructures (nanorods and nanoparticles) were successfully synthesized with a facile reflux method with small reaction time (10 min, 20 min and 30 min) at 120°C. The morphology was transformed from nanorods to nanoparticles when the reaction time is increased. The effect of reaction time on the morphology, particle size, band gap and photocatalytic performance of the Bi2S3 products have been investigated. The Bi2S3 nanostructures have been formed with bismuth nitrate and thiourea as starting reactants, ethylene glycol as the reaction medium and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as the structure-directing reagent. The obtained products are characterized by Powder X-Ray Diffraction, SEM, EDAX, UV-Vis Spectroscopy and FT-IR. XRD patterns show that the Bi2S3 nanoparticles obtained are of orthorhombic structure. The Scanning electron microscopic images confirm the formation of nanoparticles. The results of the energy dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDAX), UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), FT-IR studies are compared and discussed. The photocatalytic activity studies reveal that the synthesized Bi2S3 nanorods exhibit excellent photocatalytic performance in degrading methylene blue dye solution under UV irradiation.

In this study, nonlinear analysis of ionic polymer–metal composite (IPMC) strips using the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory with the von Karman nonlinear strain is presented. The governing equations are derived using a variational formulation based on a thermodynamic framework. The nonlinear extensions to the linear theory are made in such a way that the resulting form of the coupling between deformation and solvent concentration remains simple. A hybrid finite element–finite volume numerical solution and a operator-split time stepping scheme are formulated for obtaining numerical solutions of the transient electromechanical response. The model is phenomenological, but it is capable of simulating the transient response of IPMC strips under general loading conditions, and it would be useful in the design of mechanisms with IPMC strips as components. The results of the nonlinear analysis are compared with the corresponding linear results for a cantilever beam like IPMC strip. Significant differences in simulation results of tip deflection, solvent concentration, and beam configurations are observed between the linear and the nonlinear beam theory. The differences are due to coupling between the bending and the axial stiffness as properly formulated in the proposed nonlinear theory.

Construction and characterization of P-N junction photodiodes have attracted the attention of researchers for past few decades as they play an important role in energy applications. The thin film samples Ag doped Bi2S3 nanowires deposited on ITO substrates with different dopant percentage using dip coating method are characterized with XRD and SEM to investigate their structure, degree of crystallinity and morphology. Ag doped Bi2S3/ITO photodiodes are fabricated, and their performance is studied and reported. The I-V characteristic graphs show an increase in photocurrent with increasing illumination time. The ideality factor of the diode is calculated to be 6.21 by J-V method under illumination of light for 30 min.

One dimensional Bi 2 S 3 nanorods have been successfully synthesized by a very simple reflux method with different precursor concentration for 2 hours at 180 °C. The as-synthesized Bi 2 S 3 powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution scanning electron microscope (HRSEM), high resolution transmission microscope (HRTEM), UV-Vis spectrometer, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that the resulting nanocrystals have an orthorhombic structure. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate a polycrystalline nature and the crystallite sizes seem increase with increase in the concentration. The HRSEM and HRTEM images reveal that the diameter of the nanorods increase with increasing concentration of the precursor. Morphological analysis reveals that the as-prepared Bi 2 S 3 nanorods can be tuned to morphology by varying precursor concentration from 0.01 M to 0.001 M. The bismuth nitrate, which is known to be a linear polymer, plays a critical role as a precursor and a template for the growth of uniform Bi 2 S 3 nanorods. Bi 2 S 3 nanorods are good absorbents of solar radiation and hence can be used in solar cells.

This work discloses the characteristics of a Bi2S3 nanowire / ITO photodiode and a manufacture method thereof; wherein, the high-crystalline Bi2S3 nanostructures were prepared by an environmental friendly dip-coating method onto Indium-doped Tin Oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates using bismuth nitrate and thiourea as raw material with DMF as solvent. The XRD spectra showed that the Bi2S3 nanowire exhibits orthorhombic structure, while the SEM images revealed the formation of uniform sized nanowires with diameter around 15.8 nm. The optical bandgap of the films had been estimated via Tauc plot and found to be in the range of 1.85–1.9 eV. In order to understand the I-V characterizations of the prepared diode showed prominent photo-response with a high photo-responsivity of 1.7 μA/cm2 with a fast response time were reported in detail.

Well-segregated bismuth sulfide nanorods and nanoparticles with a high order of crystallinity have been successfully prepared by simple reflux method for 2 h using different solvents. Bismuth nitrate, thiourea and citric acid are used as starting materials. Different solvents like dimethylformamide, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol have been used. The effect of solvent on the properties of the bismuth sulfide has been investigated and reported. The powder X-ray diffraction patterns indicated that the product had orthorhombic phase. The Scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope studies reveal that the product Bi2S3 can be tuned to different morphologies by altering the solvent. The optical properties of these Bi2S3 nanorods and nanoparticles were characterized by UV–Vis spectrometer (UV) and the bond vibrations present in the product were identified using FT-IR spectra. The room temperature photoluminescence spectra of Bi2S3 nanoparticles revealed an emission band centered at 585 nm corresponding to yellow region. The photocatalytic activities of the Bi2S3 nanorods have been evaluated by decomposing methylene blue (MB) under light irradiation and complete degradation of MB was witnessed after 120 min.

Semiconductor metal oxides are under investigation in recent years towards biological applications due to their high stability. Especially CuO nanoparticles have gained attention due to their low cost and easy synthesis. Herein, the effect of calcinations temperature on the CuO nanospindles prepared by reflux method were investigated. The XRD results reveal a monoclinic structured CuO formation. The morphology analyzed with SEM projected a decrease in particle size at higher calcinations temperature of 800 °C. The optical bandgap calculated from Tauc plot also showed an increase in bandgap value at higher calcinations temperature. The antibacterial property of the sample with more surface to volume ratio has been studied towards a gram-positive and a gram-negative bacterial strain. The prepared CuO nanoparticles showed better reactivity towards the gram-negative E.coli when compared to that of gram-positive staphylococcus aureus. Moreover, the antibacterial results reveal that the sensitivity towards bacterial strains is proportional to the concentration of the CuO sample were reported in detail.

Nanostructures of transition metal oxides, such as copper oxide (CuO), are attractive for their stability and cost-effectiveness. This work reveals that the precursor materials play a crucial role in tailoring the morphologies, properties of CuO nanostructures. Herein, three different copper precursors, such as copper acetate, copper chloride, and copper nitrate, have been used to prepare CuO nanostructures. We find that nanosphere morphology is formed when copper acetate and copper chloride are used, whereas nanoflower morphology is formed when copper nitrate is used as precursors. The synthesis of flower-like CuO nanostructures is attained by altering the precursor material alone, and the petals of these flowers have a thickness of around 50 nm. The photocatalytic properties of the CuO nanoparticles prepared with the different precursors are investigated for the degradation of methylene blue dye. At a certain dye concentration level, the small size of particles results in a higher surface-to-volume ratio, which causes an increase in the number of active surface sites. Owing to the lowest particle size, CuOsphere-A (copper acetate) performs the best photodegradation efficiency. Additionally, the nanoflower-like structure could provide better accessibility of the reactants on the surface of photocatalytic material, resulting in more favorable for the photodegradation.

Nickel vanadium oxide (NiV2O6) nanoparticles have been successfully prepared via hydrothermal and solvothermal methods using ammonium metavandate and nickel nitrate as precursors. The variations in the solvents used and the concentrations of the precursors produce immense change in the properties of the material. The characterization results revealed that the changes in structure, morphology, energy gap and functional group of NiV2O6 nanoparticles are highly related to their preparation conditions. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals the formation of nanorod like structures in hydrothermal treatment. The energy bandgaps are obtained by exploiting the Tauc relation and plotting the graph. A detailed description of solvent effect and its characteristic changes in concentration of the precursor are discussed.

The present paper studies the effect of MgSO4 on the properties of sulphamic acid (SA) single crystal. Powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction studies confirm that pure, 1 mol% and 2 mol% MgSO4 doped sulphamic acid crystals belong to the orthorhombic crystal system. The optical quality of the grown crystals has been analyzed by Ultra Violet (UV) visible studies and it confirms that grown crystals have lower cut off wavelength at 210, 206, 202 nm, respectively. The thermal stability of the crystals has been confirmed by thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) analysis. The mechanical strength of the crystals has been investigated by the Vickers microhardness test. Laser damage threshold (LDT) values are calculated by Nd: YAG laser. Photoconductivity results exhibit that the negative photoconductive nature of the crystals. The third order NLO parameters were calculated by the Z-scan study.

Single crystals of pure and NaCl doped sulphamic acid (SA) were grown by slow evaporation method at room temperature. The lattice parameters and structure were determined by using single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction analyses. The presence of dopant in the SA lattice was affirmed by EDAX analysis. UV-Vis spectra show maximum transmittance in the visible region. The band gap energies were found to be 6.06 eV and 5.70 eV for pure and NaCl doped SA crystals respectively. From the PL specta the emission were observed at 335 and 424 nm for pure and 340 and 428 nm for doped SA crystal. The thermal stability of the grown crystals were analyzed by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TGA/DTA) and revealed that the grown crystals were thermally stable up to 331 C and 334 C for pure and NaCl doped SA. Vickers microhardness study reveals that the hardness of the crystals is increase with increasing load. The photoconductivity study shows that the grown crystals are negative photoconductive nature. The Laser Damage Threshold (LDT) indicates the grown crystals have good resistance to laser radiation than a standard Potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystal. The Z-scan technique was employed to determine the nonlinear refractive index, nonlinear optical absorption and third order nonlinear optical (TONLO) susceptibility of the grown crystals using He–Ne laser.

One-dimensional nanostructures have gained more attraction in recent years because of their high aspect ratio. Uniform Bi2S3 nanorods have been grown using N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and ethylene glycol (EG) as solvents by solvothermal method, inorder to study the effect of solvent on the properties of the prepared Bi2S3. Also, the reaction temperature has been changed to examine its role in tuning the property of the Bi2S3 nanorods. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that the Bi2S3 nanorods are of orthorhombic phase. The high resolution scanning electron microscope (HRSEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) studies reveal the appearance of rod-like structures with the typical length in the range of 1 µm and average diameter is around 150 nm. The solvent effects and reaction temperatures are discussed in detailed. The band gap of the prepared samples have been estimated using Tauc plot and this suggests that the prepared Bi2S3 nanostructures may find potential applications in the fabrication of solar cells. Accepted version

International audience; A solvothermal process has been employed to synthesis Bi2S3 nanostructures which has a wide spread applications in photodiode, hydrogen storage, high energy batteries, as well as luminescence and catalytic fields. Bismuth nitrate, thiourea and PolyVinyPyrrolidene (PVP), used as the starting materials are dissolved in ethylene glycol for different reaction times. It was found that the temperature plays a key role in determining the shape of the products. The crystalline phase and structure of the Bi2S3 nanostructures were investigated by power X-ray diffraction (XRD). The surface morphology has been analyzed by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the optical properties of the Bi2S3 nanoparticles were analyzed using UV-Vis spectroscopy. The functional groups present in the Bi2S3 nanoparticles were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy. The novel Bi2S3 nanoparticles will be exploited for its application as photocatalyst.

The influence of MgSO 4 doping on the properties of zinc tris–thiourea sulphate single crystals grown at room temperature by slow evaporation solution growth technique was studied. Powder XRD analysis confirmed the orthorhombic crystal structure with noncentrosymmetric space group Pca2 1 . The mechanical properties of the grown crystals were analysed by Vicker’s microhardness method. Functional groups present in the materials were identified by FTIR spectral analysis in the range between 4000 and 400 cm −1 . The UV–Vis spectrum indicates that the UV cut-off wavelength of the crystals has less than 297 nm. The thermal stability of the grown crystals was determined with the aid of thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Second order nonlinear optical behaviour of the grown crystals have been confirmed by Kurtz powder second harmonic generation (SHG) test.

The transient electromechanical response of an ionic polymer–metal composite (IPMC) is modeled within a thermodynamic framework using the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory coupled with electrostatically driven diffusion to account for the flow of the ionic fluid phase. A finite volume-finite element model to handle general electromechanical load conditions has been developed based on the new beam theory. The model has been shown to simulate various electromechanical responses of IPMC strips including initial overshoot followed by a back-relaxation, and anode and cathode side equilibrium configurations. Water–polymer interaction has been shown to be sufficient to capture these responses. The model can be used in both actuator and sensor applications of IPMC beams.

Single crystals of zinc tris thiourea sulphate (ZTS) and sodium chloride (NaCl) doped zinc tris thiourea sulphate, a semiorganic nonlinear optical material were successfully grown from aqueous solution by the slow evaporation technique at room temperature. The structural, optical and thermal properties of grown crystals were studied. Structural analysis was carried out by X-ray diffractometer and observed that the grown crystals belong to orthorhombic system. Fourier transform infrared spectrum was obtained to confirm the functional groups. Thermal behaviour of the grown crystals was investigated by TGA and DSC. Second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency measurements of Pure and NaCl doped ZTS single crystals were carried out by Kurtz powder technique. The UV–visible spectrum showed that the material possessed wide transparency in the entire visible region. The Vicker’s microhardness number was found to increase with the increased sodium chloride substitution.

Current methods for distinguishing acute coronary syndromes such as heart attack from stable coronary artery disease, based on the kinetics of thrombin formation, have been limited to evaluating sensitivity of well-established chemical species (e.g., thrombin) using simple quantifiers of their concentration profiles (e.g., maximum level of thrombin concentration, area under the thrombin concentration versus time curve). In order to get an improved classifier, we use a 34-protein factor clotting cascade model and convert the simulation data into a high-dimensional representation (about 19000 features) using a piecewise cubic polynomial fit. Then, we systematically find plausible assays to effectively gauge changes in acute coronary syndrome/coronary artery disease populations by introducing a statistical learning technique called Random Forests. We find that differences associated with acute coronary syndromes emerge in combinations of a handful of features. For instance, concentrations of 3 chemical species, namely, active alpha-thrombin, tissue factor-factor VIIa-factor Xa ternary complex, and intrinsic tenase complex with factor X, at specific time windows, could be used to classify acute coronary syndromes to an accuracy of about 87.2%. Such a combination could be used to efficiently assay the coagulation system.

The T4 bacteriophage helicase loader (gp59) is one of the main eight proteins that play an active role in the replisome. gp59 is a small protein (26 kDa) that exists as a monomer in solution and in the crystal. It binds preferentially to forked DNA and interacts directly with the T4 helicase (gp41), single-stranded DNA-binding protein (gp32), and polymerase (gp43). However, the stoichiometry and structure of the functional form are not very well understood. There is experimental evidence for a hexameric structure for the helicase (gp41) and the primase (gp61), inferring that the gp59 structure might also be hexameric. Various experimental approaches, including gel shift, fluorescence anisotropy, light scattering, and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, have not provided a clearer understanding of the stoichiometry. In this study, we employed single-molecule photobleaching (smPB) experiments to elucidate the stoichiometry of gp59 on a forked DNA and to investigate its interaction with other proteins forming the primosome complex. smPB studies were performed with Alexa 555-labeled gp59 proteins and a forked DNA substrate. Co-localization experiments were performed using Cy5-labeled forked DNA and Alexa 555-labeled gp59 in the presence and absence of gp32 and gp41 proteins. A systematic study of smPB experiments and subsequent data analysis using a simple model indicated that gp59 on the forked DNA forms a hexamer. In addition, the presence of gp32 and gp41 proteins increases the stability of the gp59 complex, emphasizing their functional role in T4 DNA replication machinery.

The non-linear optical γ-glycine single crystals were grown by low temperature solution growth methods from aqueous solutions with incorporation of known amount of sodium chloride as additive. Crystals were grown from pure aqueous solutions of glycine with a range of sodium chloride concentration. The change in morphology of the α-form of glycine with sodium chloride concentration and the occurrence of γ form at a critical concentration of sodium chloride were studied. The form of crystallization was confirmed by X-ray power diffraction method and the optical transparency of the γ-glycine in the UV–Vis–near IR region was studied by recording the optical transmittance spectrum.

PurposeCancelled operations are a major drain on health resources: 8 per cent of scheduled elective operations are cancelled nationally, within 24 hours of surgery. The aim of this study is to define the extent of this problem in one Trust, and suggest strategies to reduce the cancellation rate.Design/methodology/approachA prospective survey was conducted over a 12‐month period to identify cancelled day case and in‐patient elective operations. A dedicated nurse practitioner was employed for this purpose, ensuring that the reasons for cancellation and the timing in relation to surgery were identified. The reasons for cancellation were grouped into patient‐related reasons, hospital clinical reasons and hospital non‐clinical reasons.FindingsIn total, 13,455 operations were undertaken during the research period and 1,916 (14 per cent) cancellations were recorded, of which 615 were day cases and 1,301 in‐patients: 45 per cent (n=867) of cancellations were within 24 hours of surgery; 51 per cent of cancellations were due to patient‐related reasons; 34 per cent were cancelled for non‐clinical reasons; and 15 per cent for clinical reasons. The common reasons for cancellation were inconvenient appointment (18.5 per cent), list over‐running (16 per cent), the patients thought that they were unfit for surgery (12.2 per cent) and emergencies and trauma (9.4 per cent).Practical implicationsThis study demonstrates that 14 per cent of elective operations are cancelled, nearly half of which are within 24 hours of surgery. The cancellation rates could be significantly improved by directing resources to address patient‐related causes and hospital non‐clinical causes.Originality/valueThis paper is of value in that it is demonstrated that most cancellations of elective operations are due to patient‐related causes and several changes are suggested to try and limit the impact of these cancellations on elective operating lists.

Adult umbilical and paraumbilical hernia repair is associated with a high recurrence rate of 10-30%. Mesh repair has been reported to be associated with low recurrence rates. This study aims to compare sutured repair with prosthetic mesh repair to evaluate recurrence and infection rates. A retrospective study was conducted over an 8-year period including all the umbilical and paraumbilical hernia repairs performed by one consultant surgeon. The hernias were repaired using interrupted suture, Mayo overlap, flat mesh and mesh plug techniques. The study was based on case-note review, telephone and postal questionnaire survey. A total of 100 patients were studied, of which 70 had paraumbilical hernias, 28 had umbilical hernias and 2 had both types of hernia. Median age was 56 years (range 19-90 years). A total of 61 patients had suture repair (50 interrupted suture repair, 11 Mayo) and 39 had prosthetic mesh repair (33 mesh plug, 6 flat mesh). The median body mass index (BMI) was 31.2 (range 23.4-44.5) in the suture repair group and 33.3 (range 24.1-59.1) in the mesh group, with no significant statistical difference in BMI between the two groups (P>0.05). Median follow-up was 4.5 years (range 1-8 years). Recurrence rates for the suture and mesh repair groups were 11.5 and 0%, respectively (P=0.007). Infection rates for the suture and mesh repair groups were 11.5 and 0%, respectively (P=0.007). Our data suggest that prosthetic mesh repair is ideal for managing primary and recurrent umbilical hernias in both obese and non-obese patients.

Abdominal hysterectomy has been shown to affect anorectal function. These studies are either population-based or have been performed retrospectively. It is not clear from the literature whether those subjects awaiting hysterectomy already have an element of pelvic floor failure and which may be related to obstetric risk factors. A complete anorectal assessment was performed in a group of women awaiting hysterectomy who did not volunteer any bowel symptoms. The patients studied were part of an ongoing study of the functional effects of abdominal hysterectomy. All had their anorectal function assessed before their respective surgery by a questionnaire (functional bowel score), Cleveland continence score, endoanal ultrasound (U/S), anal manometry, defaecatory proctogram and colonic transit. A detailed obstetric history, which included risk factors such as parity, type of delivery, duration of labour and elevated birth weight, were also recorded. Patients with previous bowel disease, bowel surgery and anal sphincter repair were excluded. There were 39 subjects with a median age of 43 years (range 31-65), respectively. Thirty-three rectocoeles and 22 intussusceptions were demonstrated. Two had poor puborectalis function, while five had cough incontinence. Two women had abnormal colonic transit. Thirteen had abnormal anal manometry. Endoanal ultrasound was normal in all patients. None of the obstetric risk factors were associated with rectocoele, intussusception or abnormal anal manometry. Low squeeze pressure was associated significantly with more bowel symptoms (P=0.03). However, rectocoele, intussusception, abnormal colonic transit, abnormal resting anal pressure and maximal tolerated volume were not statistically significantly associated with bowel symptoms. The majority of female subjects who were awaiting hysterectomy had physiological and proctographic abnormalities consistent with pelvic floor failure. Obstetric risk factors were not associated with rectocoele, intussusception, abnormal colonic transit and anal manometry in this cohort of patients. Similarly, the majority of proctographic abnormalities were not associated with bowel symptoms. However, a trend was noted associating bowel symptoms with manometric abnormalities.

Introduction There have been many surgical techniques described for the treatment of pilonidal sinuses. Recurrent disease causes significant morbidity particularly with time from work. Aim To assess the rhomboid flap's role in promoting one-stage primary healing in pilonidal disease and to evaluate the morbidity and recurrence. Methods Fifty-three patients were prospectively recruited of which 27 had previous multiple abscess formation requiring surgical drainage from their pilonidal disease, although none had acute disease at the time of surgery. By using the transposition flap, we were able to obliterate the natal cleft and therefore the rolling action of the buttocks between the cleft in these patients and thereby remove one of the factors involved in pilonidal disease. Hospital stay, healing time, wound infection, wound breakdown and recurrence were noted. Results There were 47 males and 6 females with a median age of 28 years (range 16–64 years). Median follow-up was 24 months (range 3–36 months). Post-operative morbidity involved superficial wound infection in 7 (13%) which settled with out-patient dressings. There were four recurrences (7%), two occurred between the flap and the anal canal, and the other two in the flap margin needing intervention. All the patients healed their wounds and the median healing time was 14 days. Conclusion As this condition affects a predominantly young population causing significant time off from work, we feel that the Rhomboid Flap is useful for difficult cases in that it allows early return to full activity and does not necessitate prolonged postoperative care.

Aim To prospectively audit stomas and to determine the nature and rate of complications and their relationship with various risk factors and their management. Materials and methods The study was performed prospectively on 97 consecutive patients who had stomas formed between January 2000 to August 2000. Patients were followed up for one year. Risk factors including age, body mass index (BMI), preoperative siting, contour of the abdominal wall, smoking, grade of operating surgeon, emergency or elective procedure, diabetes, type of stoma and suture material used were noted. The type of surgery, and indications for surgery were also recorded. The complications were documented by two qualified stoma nurses and a photographic record taken. Statistical analysis comprising both univariate and multivariate methods, was performed by SPSS 10. Results The mean age was 65 years (standard deviation 16.01, range 16–99) and mean body mass index was 24.5 (standard deviation 4.66, range 15–37). Forty-nine of 97 (50.5%) stomas developed one or more complications. Twenty-three patients experienced retraction, 18 had stomas sited in a skin crease, 16 had early and 12 had late skin excoriation, 12 had detachments and a further 12 had parastomal hernia. Eleven further stoma complications were noted including prolapse, necrosis, ischaemia and sloughing. None of the risk factors achieved statistical significance when analysed against the overall complication rate. However, when the risk factors were analysed against individual complications using univariate logistic regression, a high body mass index was associated with more retractions (P = 0.003), early skin excoriation (P = 0.036) and poor siting (stoma in crease) occurred more commonly in emergencies (P = 0.022). Diabetes was associated with late skin excoriation (P = 0.02). Multivariate logistic regressions confirmed an independent association of body mass index, diabetes and emergency surgery with complications. Forty-five of 49 patients who had complications needed some conservative management such as a convexity appliance. Four patients needed refashioning. Conclusion Body mass index, diabetes and emergency surgery were the significant risk factors identified in our study. Overall complications compare favourably with other series. We found that preoperative siting by stoma nurses and the grade of operating surgeon did not affect the outcome.

Objectives To assess the impact of a 7-week public bowel cancer awareness campaign pilot by reviewing the number of 2-week referrals from general practitioners (GPs) to hospital, endoscopic procedures and new cancers diagnosed throughout the five acute hospitals in The Peninsular Cancer Network, UK. Design A retrospective before and after study. Setting The Peninsula Cancer Network in the South West of England, UK. Main outcome measures For the period July 2010–July 2011, data were collected on the number of 2-week referrals, number of endoscopic procedures performed and number of new cancers diagnosed. The average for the 6 months before the campaign was compared with the immediate 3 months and then the fourth to sixth months following the campaign. Student's t test was used to compare the means of the three groups. Results There was a statistically significant increase in the number of 2-week referrals from GPs to hospital in the 3 months following the campaign but this effect disappeared after that. There was no statistical increase in the number of endoscopic procedures or new cancers diagnosed following the awareness campaign. Conclusions The pilot ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ awareness campaign had a significant effect on the number of patients being referred from GPs to hospital; however, the effect was short lived and had returned to baseline by 3 months. The campaign had no effect on the number of new cancers diagnosed, which was the stated underlying aim of the pilot.