Separate Reference Research Articles

Autonomy and User Experience Enhancement Control of an Electrically Assisted Bicycle With Dual-Wheel Drive

This paper presents a control strategy study of a dual-wheel drive electric bicycle by taking the human–bicycle coupling into consideration. Containing two electric motors (one on the hub of each wheel), the bicycle is controlled by a fuzzy controller, which ensures a sharing of the total power between the front and rear motors. The goal of this paper is to develop a control method for an electric bicycle with regenerative braking and dual-wheel drive. The proposed method can achieve a better user experience (response time and speed control) than the one currently proposed to the market. The two motors are controlled by two separate torque references and the control algorithm is carefully designed in order to consider the coupling between human reaction time and motor driving response time. In addition, both wheels are equipped with kinetic energy recovering breaks allowing an increased autonomy. The developed controller also has the ability to adapt different road conditions, in the objective of user experience improvement and power saving.

A NEED FOR DYNAMIC HEMATOLOGY AND SERUM BIOCHEMISTRY REFERENCE TOOLS: NOVEL USE OF SINE WAVE FUNCTIONS TO PRODUCE SEASONALLY VARYING REFERENCE CURVES IN PLATYPUSES (ORNITHORHYNCHUS ANATINUS).

Seasonal changes in hematology and serum biochemistry results, described by separate reference intervals for different seasons, have been reported in many animals. We developed a novel method to investigate seasonal variation in values and a reference tool (the reference curve) based on sine wave functions that, for suitable variables, represents data more appropriately than a fixed reference interval. We applied these techniques to values observed in blood samples from 126 adult wild platypuses ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus ; 58 females and 68 males). Samples were collected under isoflurane anesthesia from animals captured in the Inglis Catchment in northwest Tasmania. In general, packed cell volume (PCV), red cell count (RCC), and hemoglobin (Hb) values appeared to be lower than those in two studies that previously reported platypus hematology reference intervals. This likely resulted from reduced stress-related splenic contraction or isoflurane-associated splenic sequestration of red blood cells in our study. Reference curves were described for five variables (PCV, RCC, Hb, albumin, and magnesium). We found evidence that this seasonal variation may result from metabolic changes associated with seasonal variations in environmental temperature. These observations suggest that it is important for researchers reporting platypus hematology and serum biochemistry to look for seasonal changes in their data to ensure it is appropriately interpreted.

Ecological effects from groundwater contaminated by volatile organic compounds on an urban stream’s benthic ecosystem

While the discharge of groundwater contaminated with volatile organic compounds to surface waters is widely reported, assessments of its ecological threat are rare in the scientific literature, largely being restricted to comparisons of riparian groundwater concentrations to water quality guidelines for protecting aquatic life. Here we investigated potential negative impacts on the benthic community from overlapping petroleum hydrocarbon – chlorinated solvent plumes discharging to an urban stream using in-field ecological assessment methods (targeting both meio- and macrobenthos) over multiple scales. Several lines of evidence were suggestive of detrimental impacts from the plumes, including reduced total abundance and richness of benthic taxa, reduced or enhanced abundances of individual benthic taxa, and an altered benthic community structure. However, the findings were not conclusive, as the evaluation was complicated by substantial small-scale (<20m) spatial variation in concentrations of many other groundwater contaminants, making it difficult to determine reference areas (i.e., those with similar substrate and chemistry, but lacking exposure to plume compounds) and isolate impacts from a single factor. Furthermore, detections of the wastewater indicator acesulfame also demonstrated the issue of uncertain influences from unmeasured contaminants (e.g., pharmaceuticals). Some of the assessment methods showed greater promise than others (e.g., sampling along a gradient rather than having separate impacted and reference sites), which may provide guidance on future field applications. Overall, the study findings suggest a need for further inquiry into the most appropriate application of ecological and ecotoxicological assessment methods to groundwater-based contamination hazards.

Gestational age-specific reference intervals for serum thyroid hormone levels in a multi-ethnic population.

Thyroid disorders are common during pregnancy. To date, a limited number of studies have reported differences in serum thyroid hormone concentrations between different ethnic groups. We sought to establish gestational age-specific reference intervals for serum levels of thyroid hormones in a multi-ethnic population and investigate whether separate reference intervals should be used for different ethnic groups. A total of 926 pregnant women from multiple ethnic groups attended four separate study visits spanning the three trimesters. Venous blood samples were taken at 9 to 14 weeks, 18 to 22 weeks, 28 to 32 weeks, and 34 to 39 weeks of gestation. Serum concentrations of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (T4), free triiodothyronine (T3), total T4, total T3, thyroid peroxidase antibody and thyroglobulin antibody were measured using Abbott Architect immunoassays. A total of 562 women with singleton pregnancies were found to be negative for both thyroid autoantibodies at all four study visits and thus included in the reference sample group for the establishment of reference intervals (2.5th to 97.5th percentiles). Reference intervals for serum thyroid hormones at 9-14 weeks of gestation derived from the combined group of pregnant women are as follows: TSH, 0.01-2.39 mIU/L; free T4, 11.4-19.5 pmol/L; free T3, 4.23-6.69 pmol/L; total T4, 77.8-182.4 nmol/L; total T3, 1.39-2.97 nmol/L. No differences in the five thyroid parameters' reference intervals are detectable among the ethnic groups except that at study visit 3 (28-32 weeks of gestation), the upper reference limit of total T3 in Malays (3.20 nmol/L; 90% CI, 2.99-3.76 nmol/L) is slightly higher than that in Chinese (2.86 nmol/L; 90% CI, 2.70-2.98 nmol/L). The findings from this study on a multi-ethnic cohort highlight the importance of establishing locally derived and gestational age-specific reference intervals for the five thyroid hormone parameters.

Perceptual attraction in tool use: evidence for a reliability-based weighting mechanism.

Humans are well able to operate tools whereby their hand movement is linked, via a kinematic transformation, to a spatially distant object moving in a separate plane of motion. An everyday example is controlling a cursor on a computer monitor. Despite these separate reference frames, the perceived positions of the hand and the object were found to be biased toward each other. We propose that this perceptual attraction is based on the principles by which the brain integrates redundant sensory information of single objects or events, known as optimal multisensory integration. That is, 1) sensory information about the hand and the tool are weighted according to their relative reliability (i.e., inverse variances), and 2) the unisensory reliabilities sum up in the integrated estimate. We assessed whether perceptual attraction is consistent with optimal multisensory integration model predictions. We used a cursor-control tool-use task in which we manipulated the relative reliability of the unisensory hand and cursor position estimates. The perceptual biases shifted according to these relative reliabilities, with an additional bias due to contextual factors that were present in experiment 1 but not in experiment 2 The biased position judgments' variances were, however, systematically larger than the predicted optimal variances. Our findings suggest that the perceptual attraction in tool use results from a reliability-based weighting mechanism similar to optimal multisensory integration, but that certain boundary conditions for optimality might not be satisfied.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Kinematic tool use is associated with a perceptual attraction between the spatially separated hand and the effective part of the tool. We provide a formal account for this phenomenon, thereby showing that the process behind it is similar to optimal integration of sensory information relating to single objects.

Dane zastane – ocena użyteczności do badania konfliktów społecznych wokół obszarów chronionych w trzech skalach przestrzennych

Secondary data comprise resources collected in various sectors of social life, independently from the researcher undertaking their analyses. Collecting such data is usually less time consuming and less costly compared to reactive studies, thus, each time when planning a research study, inclusion of secondary data should be considered. This specifically requires: 1) usage of systematic, multi-criteria evaluation methods; 2) separate evaluation of certain categories of secondary data; 3) separate reference to each of the research specific aims. The following paper presents an example of such an evaluation that meets all the criteria mentioned above. Using a point grading technique we assessed usefulness of three categories of secondary data (scientific literature, data used in content analysis and content of the public statistics) to meet all three specific aims of an interdisciplinary research project conducted by the same authors. Each of the aims differs in a) spatial scale of analyses (regional, local and topological) and b) dominant form of enquiry (quantitative, qualitative and qualitative accompanied with the use of GIS techniques). The results suggest usefulness of the technique in the context of multifaceted research projects: final evaluation scores for particular secondary data categories differed substantially depending on the specific aim. However, we suggest all the analysts to perform a deep insight into the evaluation process itself before deciding to replace reactive research with secondary data analyses. Among others, this is because weights assigned to certain criteria of the evaluation process are often dependent on organisational capacity of a particular research project. At the same time, exemption of the proposed stage of research planning may result in various negative consequences, e.g. 1) reduction in funding perspectives due to weak justification of the planned costs, or 2) lowering research scientific value of the study due to a lack of critical insight into the data, which are out of actual analyses.

False Alarm Reduction in Wavelength-Resolution SAR Change Detection Using Adaptive Noise Canceler

This paper introduces a method to reduce false alarms in wavelength-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) change detection and aims at very high frequency-band systems like the Coherent All Radio Band System (CARABAS). The false alarms are usually caused by the elongated structures, such as power lines and fences, which stand out from the background. The responses of elongated structures are sensitive to flight path. The introduced method aims at minimizing the false alarms caused by the elongated structures and is based on the well-known adaptive processing mechanism, i.e., the so-called adaptive noise canceler (ANC) where a separate reference signal is required. The changes between measurements are considered by the input signal of ANC while the separate reference signal comes from the measurements without change. Hence, the method requires three SAR images associated with three measurements, with no changes between two of them. The reference data for the study are provided by CARABAS. The experimental results indicate that the method can reduce false alarms significantly and provide high probability of detection (≥98%). The experimental results also show that the method still works well even in the case where the flight tracks of the SAR system in the change detection measurements are slightly different.

Establishment of Reference Intervals of Serum Hepatic Enzymes in Tertiary Care Hospital: A Pilot Study

ABSTRACT Introduction Reference intervals are the most common decision-making tools for the interpretation of various biochemical reports. Age, sex, ethnicity, diet, physical, and socioeconomic conditions affect the physiology of population. Hence, it is necessary to set up the reference values that are applicable to a specific population rather than using the reference values established for other population-based studies or from the literature provided by the reagent kit manufacturers. Aims and objectives To establish the reference intervals of serum hepatic enzymes in tertiary care hospital. Materials and methods Hospital-based cross-sectional study was done involving 200 subjects. The subjects were randomly selected from the population, which included medical students, health professionals, and those attending different outpatient departments and health camps organized by the hospital for general checkups under health plan scheme. Serum alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) were estimated by the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry-recommended kinetic method and GGT by enzymatic colorimetric method. To obtain reference interval, 97.5th percentile and 2.5th percentile were used. Results The results for serum AST and GGT were found to be statistically significant. Hence separate reference intervals for both male and female were set up. Generalized reference intervals were established for serum ALT and ALP levels. Conclusion The present study revealed a significant difference in the reference intervals between males and females. How to cite this article Rai PS, Shetty S, Patil P, Bhandary R. Establishment of Reference Intervals of Serum Hepatic Enzymes in Tertiary Care Hospital: A Pilot Study. Indian J Med Biochem 2017;21(1):22-24.

EVALUATION OF HEPATIC ENZYMES IN LIBYAN CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE PATIENTS: NEED FOR LOWER STANDARD "NORMAL" RANGE.

Chronic Kidney disease (CKD) patients on hemodialysis treatment are at higher risk of hepatitis C infection and they showed lower serum levels of aminotransferases than general population. These hepatic enzymes aid in the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of hepatic diseases. The present study aimed to estimate the changes in serum ALT, AST and ALP levels in both predialysis (PreHD-CKD) and hemodialysis (HD-CKD) patients in comparison to normal controls and to find out the association between hepatic enzyme changes and estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR). The present study included 53 HD-CKD patients, 61 PreHD-CKD patients, and 50 healthy controls. A questionnaire that included variables was answered by all the participants, and Blood samples were collected and estimated for blood urea, creatinine, AST, ALT, and ALP using standard methods afterward, the data was statistically analyzed using SPSS software. Our results revealed lower AST and ALT levels in HD-CKD patients than both PreHD-CKD patients and healthy controls. On the contrary, ALP was significantly higher in both groups of CKD patients when compared to healthy controls. In addition, no significant correlation has been found between eGFR and hepatic enzymes. Serum ALT and AST levels tend to be reduced in CKD patients on hemodialysis treatment, a finding that enforces the urgent need for the establishment of separate reference ranges of hepatic enzymes for CKD patients in order to facilitate the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of liver diseases, especially hepatitis C infection, an establishment that may play a role in decreasing the mortality in CKD patients.

Single-shot digital holographic microscopy for quantifying a spatially-resolved Jones matrix of biological specimens.

Field-based polarization measurements are essential for the completeness of information when exploiting the complex nature of optical responses of target objects. Here, we demonstrate digital holographic microscopy for quantifying a polarization-sensitive map of an object with a single-shot measurement. Using the image-splitting device generating four different copies of an object image and a separate reference beam of an off-axis configuration enables single-shot and multi-imaging capability. With the use of two polarization filters, four complex field images containing an object's polarization response are obtained simultaneously. With this method, we can construct a complete set of 2-by-2 Jones matrix at every single point of the object's images, and thus clearly visualize the anisotropic structures of biological tissues with low level of birefringence. This method will facilitate the high-precision measurements for fast dynamics of the polarization properties of biological specimens.

Multimodal computational microscopy based on transport of intensity equation.

Transport of intensity equation (TIE) is a powerful tool for phase retrieval and quantitative phase imaging, which requires intensity measurements only at axially closely spaced planes without a separate reference beam. It does not require coherent illumination and works well on conventional bright-field microscopes. The quantitative phase reconstructed by TIE gives valuable information that has been encoded in the complex wave field by passage through a sample of interest. Such information may provide tremendous flexibility to emulate various microscopy modalities computationally without requiring specialized hardware components. We develop a requisite theory to describe such a hybrid computational multimodal imaging system, which yields quantitative phase, Zernike phase contrast, differential interference contrast, and light field moment imaging, simultaneously. It makes the various observations for biomedical samples easy. Then we give the experimental demonstration of these ideas by time-lapse imaging of live HeLa cell mitosis. Experimental results verify that a tunable lens-based TIE system, combined with the appropriate postprocessing algorithm, can achieve a variety of promising imaging modalities in parallel with the quantitative phase images for the dynamic study of cellular processes.

Axicons in Action

AbstractAxicon lenses convert incident plane waves into approximations of Bessel beams. The circular profile of an axicon beam brings capabilities that suit the lenses for use in corneal surgery and optical trapping. The unique features of axicon lenses also enable an interesting type of wavefront sensor. Axicons focus light along the optical axis, and the position shifts if aberrations are introduced to the beam. That creates variation in the intensity distribution measured by an image sensor. In addition, the center of an axicon lens, the apex, also scatters some of the incident light. The focused light and the scattered light can interfere with each other, creating a self‐referenced interferogram. A wavefront sensor based on an axicon lens can measure low order aberrations with no need for a separate reference wavefront optical train. Wavefront sensors based on axicons offer an inexpensive, rapid, and compact method of detecting small aberrations in the beam.

Influence of gender and age on the Nasality Severity Index 2.0 in Dutch-speaking Flemish children and adults

This study aimed to explore the influence of gender and age on the Nasality Severity Index 2.0 (NSI 2.0), an instrumental multiparametric index to determine hypernasality. Additionally, reference values will be established for this new index. Influence of gender and age on the NSI 2.0 was explored in 80 Flemish-speaking children (4–12 years; 40 boys, 40 girls) and 60 Flemish-speaking adults (18–60 years, 30 men, 30 women) without resonance disorders by determining its incorporated acoustic parameters: nasalance of the vowel/u/and an oral text, determined by a Nasometer, and voice low tone to high tone ratio (VLHR) of the vowel/i/. The equation yields NSI 2.0 = 13.20 − (0.0824 × nasalance/u/(%)) − (0.26 × nasalance oral text (%)) − (0.242 × VLHR/i/4.47*F0 Hz (dB)). No effect of gender or age was found on the NSI 2.0 in children. However, significant differences were found for the NSI 2.0, nasalance of/u/and an oral text between adult men and women. Additionally, an interaction effect between gender and age was found for these parameters. Consequently, separate reference values for the NSI 2.0 in children, adult men and adult women were established. Based on these reference scores, deviation of the NSI 2.0 score in patients with resonance disorders can be defined, which can determine the need for (additional) intervention. Further research can explore the possible influence of language on the index.

The Clinical Behavior of Asymptomatic Incidental Vestibular Schwannomas Is Similar to That of Symptomatic Tumors

The clinical behavior of asymptomatic incidentally diagnosed vestibular schwannoma (VS) remains undefined. Specifically, it is unknown whether these tumors represent a more indolent biological variant. Such information would be beneficial toward patient counseling regarding treatment strategy and surveillance intervals during observation. Case series with matched cohort. Single tertiary academic referral center. All patients with asymptomatic incidentally diagnosed VS who were evaluated between January 2000 and December 2015 were analyzed. Only cases where imaging was obtained for unrelated indications in patients with symmetrical or normal hearing and lack of any attributable symptoms were included. A separate VS reference cohort composed of patients with typical symptomatology, matched according to tumor size, age and sex, was used for comparison. Growth, symptom progression, treatment. A total of 38 incidental VS were evaluated, representing approximately 1.6% of all VS evaluated during this time. There was a statistically significant increase in the rate of incidental tumor diagnosis over time. Estimated survival free of tumor growth or treatment (95% CI; number still at risk) at 1, 3, and 5 years after diagnosis was 89% (77-100; 22), 74% (57-95; 13), and 54% (35-84; 4), respectively. The median growth rate for the 11 patients with tumor growth was 1.3 mm/year. Time to growth or treatment (p = 0.18), growth rate (p = 0.60), and rate of audiometric decline was not statistically significantly different between incidentally discovered and symptomatic reference groups. The frequency of asymptomatic, incidentally diagnosed VS is rising. These data demonstrate that the clinical behavior of asymptomatic incidental VS is not different than that of age-, sex-, and size-matched symptomatic VS. Thus, if initial observation is undertaken, patients with asymptomatic incidental tumors still require long-term magnetic resonance imaging surveillance performed at regular time intervals.

Population based haematology reference ranges for old people in rural South-West Uganda.

BackgroundHaematology reference values are needed to interpret haematology results and make clinical decisions, but these have not been established for old people in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study was to establish haematology reference values for people aged 50 years and above in Uganda, to compare the haematology reference values for those aged 65 years and over with those less than 65 years and to compare these haematology reference values with established haematology reference values for old people from high income countries.MethodsA total of 1449 people aged 50 years and above were recruited from the Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute general population cohort between January 2012 and January 2013 (response rate 72.3 %). From the blood samples collected, we did haematology, HIV testing and malaria tests. We also obtained stool samples and tested them for hookworm infection. Questionnaire data were obtained through interviews. In the analysis, we excluded those with HIV infection, malaria infection, hookworm infection and those not feeling well at the time of recruitment. Medians and reference ranges for 12 haematology parameters were determined, based on the Clinical Laboratory and Standards institute’s guidelines.ResultsIn total, 903 people aged 50 years and above were included in the analysis with the majority 545 (60.3 %) being female. Men had significant difference in median haemoglobin, haematocrit, erythrocytes counts and white blood cells counts, which were higher than those of women. Women had significant difference in mean platelet counts and neutrophil percentages which were higher than those of men. Comparing those aged 65+ and those aged less than 65 years, the following parameters were significantly lower in those aged above 65 years: haemoglobin, haematocrit, erythrocytes counts, platelets and mean corpuscular volume. Compared to the reference intervals from old people in high income countries, all the haematology parameters from our study population were low.ConclusionThe differences between haematology reference ranges in old people compared to adults and the very old (65+) compared to those between 50 and 65 call for more population based studies using nationwide surveys to be carried out among old people in other study settings in Uganda and the rest of Africa to explore the differences in haematology reference ranges between these different age groups with a view of establishing whether there is need to have separate reference range for these different categories of old people.

(Sensor Division Outstanding Achievement Award) Mixed Potential Sensors for Hydrogen Safety and Automotive Applications

Mixed potential sensors are a class of non-equilibrium electrochemical sensors capable of detecting the presence of reducing or oxidizing gases. These devices usually consist of two electrodes supported on an electrolyte, and exposed to a sensing gas without the need for a separate reference electrode. The potential at each of the electrode/electrolyte interfaces is determined by the rates of electrochemical oxidation and reduction reactions. Since electrode composition, morphology and sample temperature control the rates of these reactions, it is theoretically possible to select a combination of electrodes and an operating temperature to provide sensitivity and selectivity to a desired gas species. Over the past 15 years Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has developed yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte based mixed potential sensors for various applications. Novel 4-electrode experiments were used to unravel the working principle of these sensors and it was determined that the sensor sensitivity was primarily controlled by the rate of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and amount of heterogeneous catalysis of the reducing/oxidizing gas. Electrodes with poor ORR kinetics and low heterogeneous catalysis rates yielded the highest mixed potentials. This observation led to the development of dense electrode and porous electrolyte morphologies for optimal sensitivity. Furthermore, the use of dense electrodes also improved the morphological stability of these devices leading to exceptional long-term durability. The LANL sensor design is unique and does not use the dense electrolyte and porous electrodes configuration that most sensors use. In this talk the development of new techniques including thin film deposition, tape casting and high temperature ceramic co-fired (HTCC) processes for the manufacturing of these novel sensors will be discussed. While tape casting and thin film deposition yield sensors with high sensitivity and long-term durability, they are not easily scalable for low cost manufacturing. LANL, in collaboration with ESL ElectroScience, has developed a HTCC process to manufacture low cost sensors that retain the unique advantages of the LANL design. This talk will focus on the development of nitrogen oxide (NOx), ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen sensors. The sensing electrodes for the nitrogen oxide, ammonia and hydrogen sensors are La1-xSrxCrO3- d, Au and Sn1-xInxO2- d respectively. All sensors use a Pt counter electrode and the LANL patented design, where dense electrodes are partially covered with a thin YSZ electrolyte layer. While the hydrogen and ammonia sensors are operated in the open circuit mode, the nitrogen oxide sensor is operated under a current bias to minimize selectivity to hydrocarbons and improve selectivity to both NO and NO2. This talk will also discuss the evaluation of these sensors in end-user applications. Data from dynamometer testing of NOx and NH3 sensors at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s National Transportation Resource Center will be presented. Hydrogen safety sensor data from field trials at a hydrogen fueling station in California will also be presented. Finally the barriers and hurdles for the successful commercialization of these sensors will be discussed.

Robust output regulation by observer-based feedforward control

ABSTRACTIn this paper, a new method for the design of disturbance and reference feedforward controllers with disturbance observers is presented for systems, where the disturbance input location is unknown. The resulting controller achieves asymptotic tracking in the presence of the disturbances despite plant parameter variations and changing disturbance input locations, and is therefore robust. It is shown that the new controller design method is dual to Davison's approach for the application of the internal model principle. However, different from the latter one, the new design procedure allows a simple and complete prevention of controller windup by driving the disturbance observer with the saturated input. Furthermore, a straightforward separate reference channel design is possible in order to improve the tracking behaviour if the types of the reference and the disturbance signals differ. A simple example demonstrates the advantages of the new design method.

Kingship and Thrones for All Christians: Paul’s Inaugurated Eschatology in 1 Corinthians 4–6

The central argument presented here is that 1 Corinthians 4–6 reflects a single eschatological vision of the identity of the Corinthians. This single vision works itself out in two separate references as Paul addresses them as both ‘kings’ and ‘judges’. This conclusion is based on a fresh reading of Paul’s identification of the Corinthians as ‘kings’ in 1 Cor. 4 and ‘judges’ in 1 Cor. 6. This study proposes that these labels actually reflect a single reality based on Paul’s inaugurated eschatology.

Trends of Oxygen Saturation of Newborns after Birth from Northern India

Aim: 1) To present the percentiles of oxygen saturation for newborns from Northern Indian set-up and to compare it with the reference range provided. 2) To analyze and compare the progression of oxygen saturation in term and preterm newborns. Background: Even after knowing that preterm newborns may have different physiological requirements, they are being treated as similar entity as term newborns. No separate reference oxygen saturation ranges are available for them. Also little data is available about the percentiles of oxygen saturations for newborns in Indian set-up. Material Methods: This was a Prospective Observational study done over a period of one year at a tertiary care hospital. 500 newborns with gestational age of 28-42 weeks, requiring routine care were enrolled. Oxygen saturation readings were recorded separately for term and preterm newborns till 10 minutes of life. Results: SpO2 values of preterm newborns rises slowly as compared to term newborns. It took a mean time of 7.77±1.45 min (IQR of 6.3-9 minutes) for term newborns and 8.78 ± 0.97 min (IQR of 8.3-9.3 minutes) for preterm newborns to reach ≥ 85% SpO2. The 3rd, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th and 97th percentiles of oxygen saturation have been calculated for both term and preterm newborns from birth till 10 minutes of life. Conclusion: Preterm newborns should be treated as separate entity from term newborns to keep them safe from hazards of oxygen toxicity. This study provides the reference percentiles of oxygen saturation for term and preterm newborns from Northern India separately.

Establishment of reference intervals for osteoarthritis-related soluble biomarkers: the FNIH/OARSI OA Biomarkers Consortium

ObjectiveTo establish reference intervals for osteoarthritis (OA)-related biomarkers used in the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) OA Biomarkers Consortium Project.MethodsA total of 129 ‘multijoint controls’ were selected...