Minimal Movement Research Articles

INCREASE IN THE CASES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DURING COVID-19: A PSYCHOLOGICAL DEFENCE MECHANISM AGAINST STRESS.

With the widespread of the pandemic COVID-19, commonly known as Corona virus the normal lifestyle of people across the globe has been disturbed and jumbled up. Humans who are social beings are asked to maintain social distance from one another as no cure has been found yet and this is the only preventive step. Many countries have been put on lockdown, where people are asked to stay at home with minimal movement in the city only in cases of necessity and emergency. For certain section of people it is possible to work from home and manage normal routine but the major distress has been seen in the life of daily wage workers and labourers. In this distressing situation of social and economic crisis there has also been increase in the number of cases reported for domestic violence and abuse. The study aims to understand the nature of distress leading to domestic violence, is it a way of coping: a displacement of stress. Secondary data was collected by analysing the reports by 'National Commission for Women' (NCW); 'Ministry of Women and Child Development'; 'United Nations' and 'World Health Organisation', a survey was also collected (N=105) to know the general perspective of people. The study also aims to explore the ways in which this situation can be controlled.

Coupling of activity, metabolism and behaviour across the Drosophila brain.

Coordinated activity across networks of neurons is a hallmark of both resting and active behavioural states in many species1-5. These global patterns alter energy metabolism over seconds to hours, which underpins the widespread use of oxygen consumption and glucose uptake as proxies of neural activity6,7. However, whether changes in neural activity are causally related to metabolic flux in intact circuits on the timescales associated with behaviour is unclear. Here we combine two-photon microscopy of the fly brain with sensors that enable the simultaneous measurement of neural activity and metabolic flux, across both resting and active behavioural states. We demonstrate that neural activity drives changes in metabolic flux, creating a tight coupling between these signals that can be measured across brain networks. Using local optogenetic perturbation, we demonstrate that even transient increases in neural activity result in rapid and persistent increases in cytosolic ATP, which suggests that neuronal metabolism predictively allocates resources to anticipate the energy demands of future activity. Finally, our studies reveal that the initiation of even minimal behavioural movements causes large-scale changes in the pattern of neural activity and energy metabolism, which reveals a widespread engagement of the brain. As the relationship between neural activity and energy metabolism is probably evolutionarily ancient and highly conserved, our studies provide a critical foundation for using metabolic proxies to capture changes in neural activity.

Distribution of fluopyram and tebuconazole in pomegranate tissues and their risk assessment

Residue distribution of fluopyram and tebuconazole was assessed in pomegranate whole fruit, aril, outer peel (pericarp), inner peel (mesocarp) and leaves. The method LOQ of fluopyram and tebuconazole were 0.01 and 0.02 mg kg−1, respectively. Both fungicides remained in fruit peel and residues in edible aril were < LOQ. In fruit peel major portion of the fungicides remained on pericarp with minimal movement to mesocarp. In mesocarp fluopyram was 5.7–14.2%; tebuconazole, 7.5–14.4% of the residues in pericarp. Terminal residues of fluopyram and tebuconazole in pomegranate whole fruit were 0.037–0.094 and 0.036–0.096 mg kg−1. Half-life of fluopyram in pomegranate fruit and leaves were 7.3–9.1 and 15 days; tebuconazole, 8–10.3 and 11.2–12.6 days, respectively. Pre-harvest intervals for treatment of combination formulation of fluopyram and tebuconazole, were 47–59 days in fruits, 158–173 in leaves. Dietary risk assessment demonstrated that consumption of peel and leaves may pose risk to human health, whereas fruit consumption was considered safe.

A Case of an Orbitocranial Injury with an Unusual Foreign Object

Introduction Large impaled object in the orbital region causes severe visual impact and requires specialized care within the shortest time possible. Objectives In this case report, we discussed the approach and management of a patient that presented with a penetrating orbitocranial injury, from management at the emergency unit, diagnostic imaging, referral to other subspecialty, surgical and medical intervention, and post-operative care. Discussion A 36-year old male had an impaled toilet brush on the supero-nasal aspect of the right orbit, with visual acuity of 6/60 and lacerated upper eyelid. The globe had minimal movement on all gazes, but pupil was reactive to light with no afferent defect. On plain cranial and orbital CT-scan, the foreign body entered the anterior and medial aspects of the right orbit penetrating the right superior orbital wall, right medial lamina papyracea, and the lateral and inferior border of the right frontal sinus with its distal tip at the intracranial region at the right frontal lobe compressing the medial rectus along its tract. Two hours after injury, patient underwent wound exploration, removal of foreign body, repair of eyelid laceration, right craniotomy, frontal contussectomy, duraplasty, and JP-drain insertion under general anesthesia. Intraoperatively, there was note of transected canaliculus and avulsed conjunctiva. The medial rectus was intact and attached. The frontal lobe was contused with embedded fragments of right posterior orbital bone with 3cm opening on the dura. Post-operatively, Fluconazole was added to the medications after culture results of the toilet brush tip tested positive for fungal elements. Patient was discharged after 21 days with visual acuity of 6/6 on both eyes and improved ocular movement. Conclusion These types of injury warrants thorough and systematic history taking and physical examination, acquiring pertinent imaging modalities to better visualize the extent of injury, and execute surgical and medical intervention that is multidisciplinary

Assessment of Water Quality Along the Southeast Coast of India During COVID-19 Lockdown

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entire world and has had a devastating impact on both lives and livelihoods in India. The only way to defeat the rapid spread of COVID-19, is to shut down socio-economic activities and to maintain minimal human interaction with the implementation of a lockdown. Such lockdowns have manifested in a pollution curtailment in almost all spheres of the planet, including in marine pollution. Quantifying this decrease in pollution levels enables the scientific community to assess the contribution of anthropogenic (especially non-essential) activities to global/regional pollution levels. This paper aims to study the impact of the stringent lockdown period (phase 1 and 2) on coastal water quality along the Chennai coast of India, by analyzing suspended matter concentration (SPM), a key element of water quality and diffuse attenuation coefficient, Kd(490), using LANDSAT-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) data. LANDSAT-8/OLI, L1TP scenes were subjected to radiometric calibration and atmospheric correction to derive surface reflectance values from raw digital numbers using ACOLITE software and a brief insight has been given for the Dark Spectrum Fitting algorithm used in ACOLITE. SPM concentration decreased by 15.48 and 37.50% in the Chennai and Ennore ports, respectively, due to minimal vessel movement and cargo handling. The stringent lockdown led to the operation of fewer thermal plant units, thus less fly ash was emanated, resulting in a 28.05% reduction in SPM levels over Ennore creek. As industrial and commercial activities subsided, the city’s water bodies became clearer than they were just a fortnight prior to the lockdown, with a reduction of 22.26% of SPM in Adyar and 33.97% in Cooum riverine estuaries. Decrease in Kd(490) showed a positive relationship with SPM and thus improved coastal water quality because of the reduction of SPM during this period. The variations in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were studied using National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) data and reduced levels in particulate matter concentration (PM2.5 and PM10) for the Adyar residential area (24.38 and 28.43%) and for the Nungampakkam commercial area (36.09 and 67.18%) were observed. A significant reduction in PM2.5 concentration (45.63%) was observed in the Ennore-Manali Industrial region.

Refusal to Use an Upper Extremity in a 17-month-old with Facial Nerve Palsy.

1. Michelle March, MD* 2. Michael Stratton, MD*,† 3. Patricia Chambers, MD*,† 4. Adam A. Vukovic, MD, MEd*,† 1. *Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 2. †Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH A 17-month-old girl presents to the pediatric emergency department for evaluation of right-sided facial palsy and decreased movement of her right arm. One week before presentation she was evaluated for acute onset of left eye redness, left-sided facial swelling, and a low-grade fever for 1 day. Her left tympanic membrane was described as dusky and slightly erythematous. Early acute otitis media was diagnosed, and amoxicillin therapy was started. Two days later her primary care physician evaluated her for persistent facial swelling despite antibiotic therapy. Her tympanic membranes appeared normal then and her neurologic examination was significant for facial nerve palsy with inability to close the right eye, incomplete raising of the right eyebrow, and drooping of the right side of the mouth. She was diagnosed as having Bell’s palsy. Amoxicillin was discontinued, and acyclovir (20 mg/kg 3 times daily) and prednisolone (1 mg/kg once daily) were started. The parents now report that the patient is crying inconsolably and no longer using her right arm. On presentation she is febrile (rectal temperature, 102.4°F [39.1°C]), and her neurologic examination is notable for complete right-sided facial nerve paralysis with asynchronous blink, minimal forehead muscle movement, flattened nasolabial fold, and right-sided partial paralysis of the mouth. Muscle bulk and tone are normal throughout, but she demonstrates decreased spontaneous movement of the right arm at the shoulder joint. With distractibility, there is no point tenderness to palpation of the right arm. She can withdraw with distal painful stimulation. She moves briefly against gravity at the elbow joint. She has normal finger movement and grip strength. No obvious signs of trauma to her right …

Previously Healthy 3-week-old Infant with Limited Right Arm Mobility.

1. Oyindamola Ajewole, MD* 2. Lena Baker, MD* 3. Gretchen Hackett, DO* 4. Justen Aprile, MD* 1. *Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, Hershey, PA A previously healthy, 3-week-old, term girl presents with a 6-day history of decreased right arm movement. She had previously been using both arms equally; however, a week before presentation, after waking her up from a nap her parents noticed that the infant’s right arm was hanging limp. There was no reported history of trauma, and the infant was otherwise well appearing. The patient initially presented to an outside emergency department. There she was diagnosed as having a right elbow subluxation, and a reduction was subsequently attempted. When symptoms persisted 2 days later, her primary pediatrician directed the family to a referred medical center for further evaluation. On presentation the infant is afebrile, with normal vital signs. Examination reveals minimal movement of her right fingers, and her arm is held in an adducted, extended, and internally rotated position. Notably, palpation and manipulation of the right arm appear to induce pain, without any focal areas of tenderness. There is no swelling, warmth, or erythema of the soft tissues or joints. An asymmetrical Moro reflex is elicited and appears painful. The remainder of her physical examination findings are normal. Given the patient’s apparent pain with manipulation of her right arm, a plain radiograph of the extremity is obtained to rule out a fracture. Imaging reveals her diagnosis and prompts further laboratory studies and evaluation. ### Differential Diagnosis At the time of initial presentation, suspected etiologies for the patient’s symptoms included a fracture, a brachial plexus injury, a bone tumor, and osteomyelitis. Based on the history of paralysis of the infant’s limb, a brachial plexus injury was initially considered. However, the patient was able to …

Insight into Shared Properties and Differential Dynamics and Specificity of Secretory Phospholipase A2 Family Members

Understanding generic mechanisms of functions shared by the secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) family involved in the lipid metabolism and cell signaling and the molecular basis of function specificity for family members is an intriguing but challenging problem for biologists. Here, we explore the issue through extensive analyses using a combination of structure-based methods and bioinformatics tools on130 sPLA2 family members. The principal component analysis of the structure ensemble reveals that the enzyme has an open-close motion which helps widen the substrate binding channel, facilitating its binding to phospholipid. Performing elastic network model and sequence analyses found that the residues critical for family functions, such as cysteine and catalytic residues, are highly conserved and undergo minimal movements, which is evolutionarily essential as their perturbation would impact the function, while the four residue regions involved in the association with the calcium ion/membrane are lowly conserved and of high mobility and large variations in low-to-intermediate frequency modes, which reflects the specificity of members. The analyses from perturbation response scanning also reveal that the above four regions with high sensitivity to an external perturbation are member-specific, suggesting their different roles in allosteric modulation, while the minimal sensitive residues are the shared characteristics across family members, which play an important role in maintaining structural stability as the folding core. This study is helpful for understanding how sequences, structures, and dynamics of sPLA2 family members evolve to ensure their common and specific functions and can provide a guide for accurate design of proteins with finely tuned activities.

Estimation of the dental movements caused by Narval® Oral Appliance in the treatment of adult obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome

Objective: oral appliances are one of the treatments of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome. They all have dental anchoring points, causing potential changing in the dental occlusion with time. The aim of the study was to evaluate dental displacement induced by Narval® oral appliance in the treatment of the adult mild to severe obstructive sleep apnea hyponea syndrome. Material and methods: The study was based on 15 adults with mild to severe obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome treated with a Narval® oral appliance for more than one year. Before oral appliance delivery and more than one year after oral appliance delivery, dental impressions were performed and digitized by a 3D scanner. The dental positions were calculated by the software 3D Reshaper® and compared. Results: The mean wearing time of the Narval® oral appliance was 13.5 months (±2.1). The mean mandibular advancement was 6mm (±2). For the maxillary arch, there was a significant distalization of molar and premolar-canine blocks from 0.12 to 0.20mm (all p&lt;0.05) and a significant proclination of incisal blocks of 0.18mm (p&lt;0.05). For the mandibular arch, there was a significant mesialization of the molar and premolar-canine blocks of 0.14 to 0.25 mm (p&lt;0.05) and a non-significant retoclination of the incisors of 0.09 mm. Conclusions: The Narval® oral appliance produced minimal but significant teeth movements on the maxillary and mandibular at the short and medium term.

Assessment of the extrapyramidal side effects among psychosis patients consuming antipsychotic medication with a view to develop an information leaflet on early recognition and management of extrapyramidal side effects in SS selected hospital at Raipur

Introduction: Patients suffering from physical illnesses are given specific treatment because the causes are specific and the signs and symptoms are specific. The doctor generally knows how the treatment works, and the patient co-operates with the doctors, and nurses, in order to get better. In psychiatric hospital the treatment may not be so specific and most patients are given more than one treatment. The nurse has an extremely important role to play in the treatment of the mentally ill. Her actions, attitudes and skills to help him to deal with his problems are themselves an essential part of his treatment. Objectives: The main objective was to assess the extrapyramidal side effects among psychosis patients consuming antipsychotic medication. Secondary objective was to find out the association of extrapyramidal side effects with selected socio-demographic and clinical variables. Methodology: 60 psychosis patients attending outpatient and inpatient department of psychiatry in Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, Raipur, Chhattisgarh who receive antipsychotic medications were assessed for extrapyramidal side effect of antipsychotic drugs. The conceptual framework adopted for study was based on Health Belief Model. Modified Simpson Angus Scale (MSAS) was used to assess/measure extrapyramidal side effects. Patients scoring less than 3 were considered ‘normal’. Patients scoring 3 to 5 were considered having ‘minimal movement disorder’. Those scoring 6 to 11 have ‘clinically significant degree of movement disorder’. And those scoring 12 to 17 were present with ‘severe degree of movement disorder’. Result: It was observed that highest number of subjects i.e. 37 (66.66%) were ‘normal’. 11 subjects (18.33%) were with ‘minimal movement disorder’. 7 subjects (11.66%) were with ‘clinically significant extrapyramidal side effects. Only 5 subjects (8.33%) had severe degree of movement disorder. There was significant association of extrapyramidal side effects with duration of illness, duration of antipsychotic use and immediate side effect of antipsychotics at 0.05 level of significance. Conclusion: It was concluded in this study that extrapyramidal side effects may occur among patients consuming antipsychotic medication. Also significant relationship was found between extrapyramidal side effects with duration of illness, duration of antipsychotic use and immediate effect of antipsychotic medication (1-2 days observation).

Printability, Durability, Contractility and Vascular Network Formation in 3D Bioprinted Cardiac Endothelial Cells Using Alginate-Gelatin Hydrogels.

Background3D bioprinting cardiac patches for epicardial transplantation are a promising approach for myocardial regeneration. Challenges remain such as quantifying printability, determining the ideal moment to transplant, and promoting vascularisation within bioprinted patches. We aimed to evaluate 3D bioprinted cardiac patches for printability, durability in culture, cell viability, and endothelial cell structural self-organisation into networks.MethodsWe evaluated 3D-bioprinted double-layer patches using alginate/gelatine (AlgGel) hydrogels and three extrusion bioprinters (REGEMAT3D, INVIVO, BIO X). Bioink contained either neonatal mouse cardiac cell spheroids or free (not-in-spheroid) human coronary artery endothelial cells with fibroblasts, mixed with AlgGel. To test the effects on durability, some patches were bioprinted as a single layer only, cultured under minimal movement conditions or had added fibroblast-derived extracellular matrix hydrogel (AlloECM). Controls included acellular AlgGel and gelatin methacryloyl (GELMA) patches.ResultsPrintability was similar across bioprinters. For AlgGel compared to GELMA: resolutions were similar (200–700 μm line diameters), printing accuracy was 45 and 25%, respectively (AlgGel was 1.7x more accurate; p < 0.05), and shape fidelity was 92% (AlgGel) and 96% (GELMA); p = 0.36. For durability, AlgGel patch median survival in culture was 14 days (IQR:10–27) overall which was not significantly affected by bioprinting system or cellular content in patches. We identified three factors which reduced durability in culture: (1) bioprinting one layer depth patches (instead of two layers); (2) movement disturbance to patches in media; and (3) the addition of AlloECM to AlgGel. Cells were viable after bioprinting followed by 28 days in culture, and all BIO X-bioprinted mouse cardiac cell spheroid patches presented contractile activity starting between day 7 and 13 after bioprinting. At day 28, endothelial cells in hydrogel displayed organisation into endothelial network-like structures.ConclusionAlgGel-based 3D bioprinted heart patches permit cardiomyocyte contractility and endothelial cell structural self-organisation. After bioprinting, a period of 2 weeks maturation in culture prior to transplantation may be optimal, allowing for a degree of tissue maturation but before many patches start to lose integrity. We quantify AlgGel printability and present novel factors which reduce AlgGel patch durability (layer number, movement, and the addition of AlloECM) and factors which had minimal effect on durability (bioprinting system and cellular patch content).

Efficient and Flexible Hierarchical Data Layouts for a Unified Encoding of Scalar Field Precision and Resolution.

To address the problem of ever-growing scientific data sizes making data movement a major hindrance to analysis, we introduce a novel encoding for scalar fields: a unified tree of resolution and precision, specifically constructed so that valid cuts correspond to sensible approximations of the original field in the precision-resolution space. Furthermore, we introduce a highly flexible encoding of such trees that forms a parameterized family of data hierarchies. We discuss how different parameter choices lead to different trade-offs in practice, and show how specific choices result in known data representation schemes such as zfp [52], idx [58], and jpeg2000 [76]. Finally, we provide system-level details and empirical evidence on how such hierarchies facilitate common approximate queries with minimal data movement and time, using real-world data sets ranging from a few gigabytes to nearly a terabyte in size. Experiments suggest that our new strategy of combining reductions in resolution and precision is competitive with state-of-the-art compression techniques with respect to data quality, while being significantly more flexible and orders of magnitude faster, and requiring significantly reduced resources.

Motor-enriched learning for improving pre-reading and word recognition skills in preschool children aged 5\u20136\u2009years \u2013 study protocol for the PLAYMORE randomized controlled trial

BackgroundResults from previous studies suggest that bodily movements, spanning from gestures to whole-body movements, integrated into academic lessons may benefit academic learning. However, only few studies have investigated the effects of movement integrated into reading practice. The PLAYMORE study aims to investigate the effects of two interventions focusing on a close and meaningful coupling between bodily movement and academic content on early pre-reading and word recognition skills in children. Further, the study aims to compare two interventions involving either hand movements (i.e. using arms and hands) or whole-body movements (i.e. using the whole body). Potential mediating factors underlying the link between bodily movement on early pre-reading and word recognition skills will be explored.Methods/designThe PLAYMORE study will be conducted as a three-armed randomized controlled trial including children aged five to six years recruited from four schools in the Copenhagen area, Denmark. Stratified by class, children will be randomly allocated to one of three 8-week intervention/control periods: 1) teaching involving whole-body movements, 2) teaching involving hand movements (i.e. arms and hands) or 3) teaching involving minimal motor movements (i.e. seated on a chair using paper and pencil). Outcome measurements, including pre-reading and word recognition skills, will be collected before and after the intervention period to assess the intervention effects. This study protocol follows the SPIRIT guidelines.DiscussionThe PLAYMORE study will add to the current knowledge concerning the link between bodily movement and academic performance with important details about pre-reading and word recognition skills in preschool children. If effective, evaluation of the implementation of the PLAYMORE program should be conducted in order to investigate whether the effects can be transferred into standard school settings. The PLAYMORE study will lay the foundation for future research that have the potential to inform the political and scientific debate and importantly, to provide teachers with detailed information of how to implement movements effectively during teaching in order to support and motivate children in the process of learning to read.Trial registrationThe study was retrospectively registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04618822) the 5th of November 2020.

Cervical Spinal Cord Surgical Stabilization in a Sheep

Background: Trauma is the main cause of spinal fractures and dislocations in humans and large animals. Clinical signs present with acute onset and vary according to the location and severity of the spinal cord injury. The treatment of fractures in large animals depends on economic value, cost of procedures, prognosis, location and type of fracture. However, although spinal fractures in large animals are not uncommon, the literature about their clinical aspects and treatment is scanty. Therefore, the purpose of this report is to describe a surgical stabilization of atlantoaxial subluxation, fracture of the third cervical vertebra and C2-C3 subluxation.Case: An approximately 2-year-old Île-de-France sheep, weighing 101 kg, with a history of cervical trauma and non-ambulatory tetraparesis was treated at the Veterinary Hospital of the Institution (UNIPAMPA). During physical examination, the animal presented good general physical condition and heart rate, respiratory rate and temperature was according to physiological parameters for the species. The animal remained in lateral decubitus, with minimal head and limb movements, and exhibited deep pain sensitivity. Clinical treatment with dexamethasone, limb physiotherapy and change in lateral decubitus position were employed, but failed to improve the animal’s condition. After five days of unresponsive to clinical treatment, the patient was referred to the neurology department, where it underwent neurological examination and radiographic examination of the cervical region was performed under general anesthesia. The radiographic examination revealed atlantoaxial subluxation, by displacement of the odontoid process into the vertebral canal, fracture of the third cervical vertebra and C2-C3 vertebral subluxation. The surgical planning aimed cervical vertebral instability repair using atlantoaxial arthrodesis associated the stabilization of C1-C2 and C2-C3 vertebrae with Schanz pins and bone cement, due facility and versatility this association. The postoperative radiographic examination showed incomplete insertion of the Schanz pin into the left Atlas wing and a cervical collar was recommended. The clinical evaluation was performed daily, and after 23 days of surgery the animal could crawl in lateral decubitus besides assisted walking ability. However, the animal died 36 days after surgery due to severe dyspnea. A necropsy revealed pulmonary edema and hepatic lipidosis, besides hepatic septic thrombus. Moreover, the vertebral canal of C1-C2 and C2-C3 segments stayed realigned and stabilized, without spinal cord injury and trachea compression.Discussion: Non-ambulatory tetraparesis, and minimal head and limb movements confirm severe spinal cord injury. The failure of clinical treatment, craniocervical instability in C1-C2 and C2-C3 and the high economic and genetic value of patients was definite for the surgical indication, besides reserved prognosis. The surgical treatment aim is recovery motor function from spinal cord decompression, vertebral canal realignment and the stabilization of vertebral instability. The cervical collar was placed on the patient after the surgery was intended to prevent rotation of the atlantoaxial joint, aiding vertebral stability. It is believed that the recovery of large animals with spinal cord injuries like in this case report is slower due to their heavy weight and the difficulty in managing such patients. This case report confirms that the techniques employed here achieved the proposed objectives of spinal canal alignment and spinal stabilization, showing improvement of clinical signs and recovery of the animal’s limb and neck movements.

CELLULAR MANUFACTURING LAYOUT DESIGN USING HEURISTIC CLUSTERING ALGORITHM AND LPP MODEL

This mathematical model forms machine cells, optimises the costs of unassigned machines and components, and designs the shop floor cell layout to have minimal movement of materials. The complete similarity measure algorithm forms machine cells and part families in a refined form. Later, exceptional elements are eliminated in the optimisation model by using machine duplication and sub-contracting of parts. Then the shop floor layout is designed to have optimised material movements between and within cells. An evaluation of the cell formation algorithm’ performance is done on the benchmark problems of various batch sizes to reveal the process’s capability compared with other similar methods. The data of machining times are acquired and tabulated in a part incidence matrix, which is used as input for the algorithm. The results from the linear programming optimisation model are that costs are saved, machines are duplicated, parts are sub-contracted, and there are inter- and intra- cellular movements. Finally, the output of the inbound facility design is the floor layout, which has machine cell clusters within the optimised floor area.

Wildfires in Botswana and Their Frequency of Occurrence

Fires play an essential part in the maintenance of the environment, but amplified fire activity often leads to adverse effects in the environment such as destruction of property and loss of life. Botswana has experienced wildfires that are caused by humans intentionally and unintentionally. Some of these wildfires grow into mega fires such as the 2008 wildfires. Data of wildfires reported in Botswana from the Department of Forestry and Range Resources and the frequency of occurrence was studied and analyzed. It shows the period of 2006-2017, Ghanzi and Ngamiland districts were mostly affected by wildfires. These districts have protected land such as the wildlife parks which may lead to the outbreak of natural wildfires that burns unnoticed due to minimal movements of people. The wildfires reported in each district show an increase over the years and this may affect the smooth running of operations.

Effectiveness of an institutional COVID-19 central sampling team during pandemic at a tertiary care centre.

Background:An efficient sampling is one of the key methods to identify all those affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Objectives:To analyze how efficient setting up of a central sampling team would be to prevent any outbreak within the institution by minimizing the movement of suspected COVID-19 patients admitted in the inpatient wards. The secondary objective was to train maximum resident doctors to collect samples of admitted patients.Methodology:A central sampling team comprising of resident doctors from various departments was made who did sampling of the suspected COVID-19 inpatients admitted under various specialties.Results:There were a total of 341 patients [209 males (61.29%), 132 females (38.7%)] and 335 patients underwent sampling. There was a positive correlation between: (1) number of calls from a department vs percentage of positive samples in that department [Pearson correlation coefficient (R) = 0.47; P = 0.026], (2) number of samples taken by resident of a particular department from central sampling team vs number of positive samples taken by resident of that department [R = 0.8739, P = 0.01] and (3) number of visits to a department vs number of residents trained in that department [R = 0.93; P = 0.00001].Conclusion:Formulation of a central sampling team led to changes like a separate donning and doffing area in each ward and training of many resident doctors posted in different wards. This made each ward self-sufficient in collection of samples. This venture also ensured minimal movement of suspected COVID-19 patients in the hospital and thus least exposure to the hospital staff.

ЗАСТОСУВАННЯ ТЕХНІЧНИХ ЗАСОБІВ СЛУЖБИ ПАЛЬНОГО ПІД ЧАС ЗАПРАВКИ ВІЙСЬКОВОЇ ТЕХНІКИ

In the conditions of modern combat and change of a tactical situation before officials of service of the fuel constantly there is a task on uninterrupted providing of military units with fueland lubricants. Refueling of military equipment can be carried out both at stationary gas stations through stationary means of refueling, and with the use of mobile individual or group means ofrefueling ground equipment. The use of certain technical means during the refueling of military equipment depends on the conditions of the situation as well as on the chosen method of refueling military equipment chosen by officials of the fuel service. Refueling of aircraft may be carried out through centralized refueling facilities at stationary aerodromes or at field aerodromes using automotive refueling equipment. According to the same principle, refueling of ships is organized, which are refueled both from stationary refueling facilities and bunker ships, as well as in the use of berthless refueling facilities on the unequipped coast. The use of certain technical means depends on the method of refueling equipment, which in turn depends on the conditions of the situation. Refueling of cars is organized based on the conditions. The use of certain technical means also depends on the conditions of the situation and the terms set aside for the organization of refueling. Machinery in refueling areas should be installed in such a way that the performance of refueling facilities is used to the fullest extent with minimal movement from place to place. In addition, it is necessary to have a site that allows simultaneous refueling of several cars and provides secrecy and reliable fire safety. In addition, any method of refueling military equipment must follow the procedure for refueling equipment in order to prevent fire safety measures, as well as damage to the quality of fuel during refueling. Keywords: methods of refueling military equipment, technical means of refueling equipment, field refueling equipment, berthless refueling equipment, group refueling equipment.

Feasibility of non-contact cardiorespiratory monitoring using impulse-radio ultra-wideband radar in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Current cardiorespiratory monitoring equipment can cause injuries and infections in neonates with fragile skin. Impulse-radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) radar was recently demonstrated to be an effective contactless vital sign monitor in adults. The purpose of this study was to assess heart rates (HRs) and respiratory rates (RRs) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) using IR-UWB radar and to evaluate its accuracy and reliability compared to conventional electrocardiography (ECG)/impedance pneumography (IPG). The HR and RR were recorded in 34 neonates between 3 and 72 days of age during minimal movement (51 measurements in total) using IR-UWB radar (HRRd, RRRd) and ECG/IPG (HRECG, RRIPG) simultaneously. The radar signals were processed in real time using algorithms for neonates. Radar and ECG/IPG measurements were compared using concordance correlation coefficients (CCCs) and Bland-Altman plots. From the 34 neonates, 12,530 HR samples and 3,504 RR samples were measured. Both the HR and RR measured using the two methods were highly concordant when the neonates had minimal movements (CCC = 0.95 between the RRRd and RRIPG, CCC = 0.97 between the HRRd and HRECG). In the Bland-Altman plot, the mean biases were 0.17 breaths/min (95% limit of agreement [LOA] -7.0-7.3) between the RRRd and RRIPG and -0.23 bpm (95% LOA -5.3-4.8) between the HRRd and HRECG. Moreover, the agreement for the HR and RR measurements between the two modalities was consistently high regardless of neonate weight. A cardiorespiratory monitor using IR-UWB radar may provide accurate non-contact HR and RR estimates without wires and electrodes for neonates in the NICU.

Comparison of orotracheal versus nasotracheal fibreoptic intubation in simulated cervical spine patients, under conscious sedation

Introduction and Aims: Airway management in a patient with cervical spine injury is considered a challenge. Minimizing neck movement and maintaining head in neutral position is essential to prevent secondary neurological injury. Flexible fibreoptic intubation causes minimal cervical spine movement. In this study, we evaluated and compared orotracheal and nasotracheal flexible fibreoptic intubation in a patient with simulated cervical spine injury (using a cervical collar), under conscious sedation. Materials and Methods: Sixty patients were randomly allocated into oral and nasal groups. After premedication and preperation with Xylometazoline nasal drops and lignocaine nebulization, bolus fentanyl and propofol infusion was started to achieve concious sedation. Flexible fibreoptic intubation was performed orally or nasally, after placement of a cervical collar. Operator ease and hemodynamics were monitered. Result: In the oral group, 86.7% and in the nasal group, 93.3% first attempts were successful. The ease of fibreoptic intubation was graded to be excellent in a significantly greater number of patients in the nasal group as compared to the oral group. Hemodynamic variability though present was not clinically relevent, this might have been secondary to use of adequate sedation. Conclusion: The ease of fibreoptic intubation in simulated cervical spine injury, under conscious sedation was found to be significantly better in the nasotracheal group. Hemodynamic stability was demonstrated in both the groups in our study. Keywords: Cervical spine, Simulated cervical spine, Fibreoptic intubation, Oral fibreoptic intubation, Nasal fibreoptic intubation, Conscious sedation.