Phytochemical exploration of Neolitsea pallens leaves using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS approach

Neolitsea pallens (D. Don) Momiyama & H. Hara (Family: Lauraceae), commonly known as Pale Litsea, is an evergreen small tree, distributed in India at altitudes of 1500-3000 m. Traditionally utilized for various purposes, its leaves and bark are used as spices, and the plant is valued in preparing a hair tonic from freshly pressed juice. Secondary metabolites of the leaves have not comprehensively been analysed so far. The objective of the study was to determine the chemical composition of the leaves by analysing their 25% aqueous methanol extract with the aid of ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight tandem mass spectrometry. Overall, 56 compounds were identified in the study. Phenolics represented by phenolic acids, phenolic glycosides, proanthocyanidins, and flavonoids were the main components of the extract.

High-density diffuse correlation tomography with enhanced depth localization and minimal surface artefacts

A spatially weighted filter applied to both the measurement and the Jacobian is proposed for high-density diffuse correlation tomography (DCT) to remove unwanted extracerebral interferences and artefacts along with better depth localization in the reconstructed blood flow images. High-density DCT is implemented by appropriate modification of recently introduced Multi-speckle Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy (M-DCS) system. Additionally, we have used autocorrelation measurements at multiple delay-times in an iterative manner to improve the reconstruction results. The proposed scheme has been validated by simulations, phantom experiments and in-vivo human experiments.

A simple algorithm for diffuse optical tomography without Jacobian inversion

A computationally simpler algorithm to reconstruct the optical property distribution of turbid media using diffuse optical tomographic principles is presented. The proposed algorithm eliminates the requirement of large Jacobian matrix inversion which otherwise is essential for tomographic imaging. The most significant Jacobians are identified based on proper thresholding of the measurement and the intersection of these Jacobians gives the approximate spatial location of the inhomogeneity. The algorithm is tested and optimized using simulations and further validated using tissue-mimicking phantom-based experiments andin-vivosmall-animal experiments.

Role of MR cisternography in the diagnosis of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea with diagnostic nasal endoscopy and surgical correlation

Objectives : To study the usefulness and accuracy of MR cisternography as noninvasive study in the diagnosis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistula with diagnostic sinonasal endoscopy and surgical correlation. Material and Methods: Twenty four patients with clinically suspected CSF rhinorrhoea were examined for CSF fistula with MR cisternography. The MR imaging technique included 3mm thin T2 weighted coronal and sagittal sections using Fast spin echo. In addition 1.5mm thin T2 weighted coronal sections were also obtained using CISS (Constructive Interference in Steady State) sequence. MR findings were correlated with diagnostic sinonasal endoscopy and surgical findings. Results : MR cisternography demonstrated the presence of fistula in 17 patients, absence of fistula in seven patients. Out of 17 patients with fistula, the diagnosis could be confirmed in 14 patients by diagnostic sinonasal endoscopy/surgery. Out of the seven patients without fistula, there was positive correlation in six patients when they were followed up clinically and by diagnostic nasal endoscopy. However in one patient, fistula was demonstrated on CT cisternography and was confirmed on sinonasal endoscopic surgery. The accuracy, sensitivity of MR cisternography was 96, 94% respectively. Conclusion : MR cisternography is a useful and accurate noninvasive study in localizing the site and extent of CSF fistula.

The concerns of oncology professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from the ESMO Resilience Task Force survey II

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant changes to professional and personal lives of oncology professionals globally. The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Resilience Task Force collaboration aimed to provide contemporaneous reports on the impact of COVID-19 on the lived experiences and well-being in oncology.

Methods

This online anonymous survey (July-August 2020) is the second of a series of global surveys launched during the course of the pandemic. Longitudinal key outcome measures including well-being/distress (expanded Well-being Index—9 items), burnout (1 item from expanded Well-being Index), and job performance since COVID-19 were tracked.

Results

A total of 942 participants from 99 countries were included for final analysis: 58% (n = 544) from Europe, 52% (n = 485) female, 43% (n = 409) ≤40 years old, and 36% (n = 343) of non-white ethnicity. In July/August 2020, 60% (n = 525) continued to report a change in professional duties compared with the pre-COVID-19 era. The proportion of participants at risk of poor well-being (33%, n = 310) and who reported feeling burnout (49%, n = 460) had increased significantly compared with April/May 2020 (25% and 38%, respectively; P < 0.001), despite improved job performance since COVID-19 (34% versus 51%; P < 0.001). Of those who had been tested for COVID-19, 8% (n = 39/484) tested positive; 18% (n = 7/39) felt they had not been given adequate time to recover before return to work. Since the pandemic, 39% (n = 353/908) had expressed concerns that COVID-19 would have a negative impact on their career development or training and 40% (n = 366/917) felt that their job security had been compromised. More than two-thirds (n = 608/879) revealed that COVID-19 has changed their outlook on their work-personal life balance.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the well-being of oncology professionals globally, with significantly more in distress and feeling burnout compared with the first wave. Collective efforts from both national and international communities addressing support and coping strategies will be crucial as we recover from the COVID-19 crisis. In particular, an action plan should also be devised to tackle concerns raised regarding the negative impact of COVID-19 on career development, training, and job security.

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Compared with survey I, more oncology professionals were at risk of poor well-being (33% versus 25%) and burnout (49% versus 38%).

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Job performance since COVID-19 (JP-CV) has improved from 34% to 51%.

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About 1 in 5 who tested positive for COVID-19 felt they had not been given adequate time to recover before return to work.

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Some 39% expressed concerns that COVID-19 would have a negative impact on their career development or training.

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More than two-thirds revealed that COVID-19 had changed their outlook on work-personal life balance.

Error rate performance analysis of power domain NOMA over AWGN and fading channels with generalized space shift keying in wireless 5G

The Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) emerged as a latest solution to demand of high data rated with excellent reliability and robustness. In this paper, the performance analysis of the NOMA under fading channel is presented with emphasis on error rate calculations. In addition, the focus is on exploring the impact of various modulation techniques like binary phase shift keying (BPSK), Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) and Generalized Space Shift Keying (GSSK). The simulation study has been performed on MATLAB tool and results are analyzed efficiently in the metrics of NOMA.

The impact of COVID-19 on oncology professionals: results of the ESMO Resilience Task Force survey collaboration

BACKGROUND

The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on well-being has the potential for serious negative consequences on work, home life, and patient care. The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Resilience Task Force collaboration set out to investigate well-being in oncology over time since COVID-19.

METHODS

Two online anonymous surveys were conducted (survey I: April/May 2020; survey II: July/August 2020). Statistical analyses were performed to examine group differences, associations, and predictors of key outcomes: (i) well-being/distress [expanded Well-being Index (eWBI; 9 items)]; (ii) burnout (1 item from eWBI); (iii) job performance since COVID-19 (JP-CV; 2 items).

RESULTS

Responses from survey I (1520 participants from 101 countries) indicate that COVID-19 is impacting oncology professionals; in particular, 25% of participants indicated being at risk of distress (poor well-being, eWBI ≥ 4), 38% reported feeling burnout, and 66% reported not being able to perform their job compared with the pre-COVID-19 period. Higher JP-CV was associated with better well-being and not feeling burnout (P < 0.01). Differences were seen in well-being and JP-CV between countries (P < 0.001) and were related to country COVID-19 crude mortality rate (P < 0.05). Consistent predictors of well-being, burnout, and JP-CV were psychological resilience and changes to work hours. In survey II, among 272 participants who completed both surveys, while JP-CV improved (38% versus 54%, P < 0.001), eWBI scores ≥4 and burnout rates were significantly higher compared with survey I (22% versus 31%, P = 0.01; and 35% versus 49%, P = 0.001, respectively), suggesting well-being and burnout have worsened over a 3-month period during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CONCLUSION

In the first and largest global survey series, COVID-19 is impacting well-being and job performance of oncology professionals. JP-CV has improved but risk of distress and burnout has increased over time. Urgent measures to address well-being and improve resilience are essential.

Construction of logic gates exploiting resonance phenomena in nonlinear systems

A two-state system driven by two inputs has been found to consistently produce a response mirroring a logic function of the two inputs, in an optimal window of moderate noise. This phenomenon is called logical stochastic resonance (LSR). We extend the conventional LSR paradigm to implement higher-level logic architecture or typical digital electronic structures via carefully crafted coupling schemes. Further, we examine the intriguing possibility of obtaining reliable logic outputs from a noise-free bistable system, subject only to periodic forcing, and show that this system also yields a phenomenon analogous to LSR, termed Logical Vibrational Resonance (LVR), in an appropriate window of frequency and amplitude of the periodic forcing. Lastly, this approach is extended to realize morphable logic gates through the Logical Coherence Resonance (LCR) in excitable systems under the influence of noise. The results are verified with suitable circuit experiments, demonstrating the robustness of the LSR, LVR and LCR phenomena. This article is part of the theme issue 'Vibrational and stochastic resonance in driven nonlinear systems (part 1)'.

Multi-speckle diffuse correlation spectroscopy to measure cerebral blood flow

We present a multi-speckle diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) system for measuring cerebral blood flow in the healthy adult human brain. In contrast to the need for a high frame rate camera to measure the multi-speckle intensity auto-correlation, we employ a low frame rate camera to measure the auto-correlation using the recently introduced multi-step volterra integral method (MVIM). The results are validated by comparison against the blood flow measured using standard DCS system.

On the equivalence of speckle contrast-based and diffuse correlation spectroscopy methods in measuring in vivo blood flow

We establish the equivalence between laser speckle contrast-based and diffuse correlation spectroscopy methods inin vivo imaging of blood flow using the Volterra integral equation theory. We further substantiate the need of regularized fitting while employing the multiexposure speckle contrast imaging to recover autocorrelation function.

Recovery of the diffuse correlation spectroscopy data-type from speckle contrast measurements: towards low-cost, deep-tissue blood flow measurements

A multi-step Volterra integral equation-based algorithm was developed to measure the electric field auto-correlation function from multi-exposure speckle contrast data. This enabled us to derive an estimate of the full diffuse correlation spectroscopy data-type from a low-cost, camera-based system. This method is equally applicable for both single and multiple scattering field auto-correlation models. The feasibility of the system and method was verified using simulation studies, tissue mimicking phantoms and subsequently in in vivo experiments.

A multicentre retrospective cohort study of ovarian germ cell tumours: Evidence for chemotherapy de-escalation and alignment of paediatric and adult practice

BACKGROUND

Adult guidelines recommend BEP (bleomycin, etoposide, cisplatin) for all ovarian germ cell tumours, causing debilitating toxicities in young patients who will survive long term. Paediatricians successfully reduce toxicities by using lower bleomycin doses and substituting carboplatin for cisplatin, while testicular and paediatric immature teratomas (ITs) are safely managed with surgery alone.

AIM

The aim was to determine whether reduced-toxicity treatment could rationally be extended to patients older than 18 years.

METHODS

Multicentre cohort study was carried out in four large UK cancer centres over 12 years.

RESULTS

One hundred thirty-eight patients were enrolled. Overall survival was 93%, and event-free survival (EFS) was 72%. Neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy (82% BEP) caused 27 potentially chronic toxicities, and one patient subsequently died from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. There was no difference in histology, stage or grade in patients ≤/>18 years, and EFS was not different in these age groups (≤18:28% and >18:28%; log-rank P = 0.96). Histological subtype powerfully predicted EFS (log-rank P = 4.9 × 10-7). Neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy reduced future relapse/progression in dysgerminoma (n = 37, chemo:0% vs. no chemo:20%), yolk sac tumour (n = 23, 26.3% vs.75%) and mixed germ cell tumour (n = 32, 40%vs.70%) but not in IT (n = 42, 33% vs.15%). Additionally, we observed no radiological responses to chemotherapy in ITs, pathological IT grade did not predict EFS (univariate hazard ratio 0.82, 95% confidence interval: 0.57-1.19, P = 0.94) and there were no deaths in this subtype.

CONCLUSION

Survival was excellent but chemotherapy toxicities were severe, implying significant overtreatment. Our data support the extension of reduced-toxicity, paediatric regimens to adults. Our practice-changing findings that IT was chemotherapy resistant and pathological grade uninformative strongly endorse exclusive surgical management of ovarian ITs at all ages.

Evidence-Based Guideline on Laparoscopy in Pregnancy: Commissioned by the British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (BSGE) Endorsed by the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG)

Laparoscopy is widely utilised to diagnose and treat acute and chronic, gynaecological and general surgical conditions. It has only been in recent years that laparoscopy has become an acceptable surgical alternative to open surgery in pregnancy. To date there is little clinical guidance pertaining to laparoscopic surgery in pregnancy. This is why the BSGE commissioned this guideline. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane library were searched up to February 2017 and evidence was collated and graded following the NICE-approved process. The conditions included in this guideline are laparoscopic management of acute appendicitis, acute gall bladder disease and symptomatic benign adnexal tumours in pregnancy. The intended audience for this guideline is obstetricians and gynaecologists in secondary and tertiary care, general surgeons and anaesthetists. However, only laparoscopists who have adequate laparoscopic skills and who perform complex laparoscopic surgery regularly should undertake laparoscopy in pregnant women, since much of the evidence stems from specialised centres.

Chaotic attractor hopping yields logic operations

Certain nonlinear systems can switch between dynamical attractors occupying different regions of phase space, under variation of parameters or initial states. In this work we exploit this feature to obtain reliable logic operations. With logic output 0/1 mapped to dynamical attractors bounded in distinct regions of phase space, and logic inputs encoded by a very small bias parameter, we explicitly demonstrate that the system hops consistently in response to an external input stream, operating effectively as a reliable logic gate. This system offers the advantage that very low-amplitude inputs yield highly amplified outputs. Additionally, different dynamical variables in the system yield complementary logic operations in parallel. Further, we show that in certain parameter regions noise aids the reliability of logic operations, and is actually necessary for obtaining consistent outputs. This leads us to a generalization of the concept of Logical Stochastic Resonance to attractors more complex than fixed point states, such as periodic or chaotic attractors. Lastly, the results are verified in electronic circuit experiments, demonstrating the robustness of the phenomena. So we have combined the research directions of Chaos Computing and Logical Stochastic Resonance here, and this approach has potential to be realized in wide-ranging systems.

Harnessing energy-sharing collisions of Manakov solitons to implement universal NOR and OR logic gates

The energy-sharing collision of bright optical solitons in the Manakov system, governing pulse propagation in high birefringent fiber, is employed theoretically to realize optical logic gates. In particular, we successfully construct (theoretically) the universal NOR gate and the OR gate from the energy-sharing collisions of just four bright solitons which can be well described by the exact bright four-soliton solution of the Manakov system. This construction procedure has important merits such as realizing the two input gates with a minimal number of soliton collisions and possibilities of multistate logic. The recent experiments on Manakov solitons suggest the possibility of implementation of this theoretical construction of such gates and ultimately an all-optical computer.

TAVI for aortic regurgitation - India's first case with Corevalve Evolut R

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) is a well-described treatment for symptomatic calcific severe aortic stenosis. However, TAVI technology is being increasingly used around the world to treat selected cases of severe aortic regurgitation (AR). One of the main limitations of using TAVI technology for AR is the lack of calcification, which is common in such cases. This makes anchoring of a TAVI prosthesis to the aortic annulus difficult and risks displacement or embolization. However, with the availability of recapturable and repositionable TAVI technologies, these limitations have been overcome to a large extent. This is the first Corevalve Evolut R device that was used in India and the first TAVI to treat AR in India.

Assessment of Groundwater Quality for Irrigation in Coimbatore South Taluk, Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu

The study was conducted to evaluate the suitability of ground water for irrigation purpose at twenty seven locations in Coimbatore South Taluk, Coimbatore District. The analytical result shows that Na and Cl are the dominant cation and anions respectively in the groundwater. The values of TDS and EC exceed the permissible limits at some locations due to increase in ionic concentrations. Based on SAR, RSC, US Salinity diagram and Wilcox diagram it is observed that the water ranges from excellent to good quality in most of the places and can be used for irrigation without any hazard. Gibbs variation diagram indicates that lithology is main controlling factor for water chemistry. However, the high SAR and RSC values at few locations restrict suitability for irrigation purpose.

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva: A case report

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a genetic disorder with unknown cause. Disease is characterized by heterotopic ossifications of connective tissue and congenital malformations of distal part of extremities. Most cases are sporadic and transmitted as autosomal dominant. As very few cases of FOP are being reported in Indian literature, we, therefore, report one such case here. Our case is a 20 years-old female patient who had bilateral short great toes with hallux valgus associated with heterotopic ossifications of connective tissue with restrictions of range of motion and disability of daily living activities. We have diagnosed it as FOP based on our physical examination and skeletal x-rays findings. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v5i4.9915 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences 2014 Vol.5(4); 113-115

Posttraumatic Intrahepatic Bilioma

Blunt injury abdomen causing biliary injury is rare in children. Collection of bile within or outside the liver after biliary injury is called bilioma. CT scan images of late presenting intra-hepatic bilioma are shown.

CT imaging findings and endovascular management of isolated spontaneous dissecting aneurysm of celiac artery

Isolated spontaneous dissecting aneurysm of celiac artery without concomitant involvement of aorta is a rare entity and only a few cases are reported in the literature. More cases are being detected recently with greater advancements in CT technology. Clinicians and emergency physicians should be aware of this condition and should include it in the differential diagnosis of patients who present with refractory postprandial epigastric pain, particularly in middle-aged men. We present a case of a 45-year-old male with isolated spontaneous dissecting celiac artery aneurysm, with special emphasis on CT findings and the role of endovascular management.

Anticipating, complete and lag synchronizations in RC phase-shift network based coupled Chua's circuits without delay

We construct a new RC phase shift network based Chua's circuit, which exhibits a period-doubling bifurcation route to chaos. Using coupled versions of such a phase-shift network based Chua's oscillators, we describe a new method for achieving complete synchronization (CS), approximate lag synchronization (LS), and approximate anticipating synchronization (AS) without delay or parameter mismatch. Employing the Pecora and Carroll approach, chaos synchronization is achieved in coupled chaotic oscillators, where the drive system variables control the response system. As a result, AS or LS or CS is demonstrated without using a variable delay line both experimentally and numerically.

In vitro evaluation of anthelmintic property of ethno-veterinary plant extracts against the liver fluke Fasciola gigantica

The present study was envisaged to evaluate the efficacy of ethno-medicinal plant aqueous extracts such as Allium sativum, Lawsonia inermis, and Opuntia ficus indica in vitro in comparison with the chemotherapeutic agent, Oxyclozanide on Fasciola gigantica adults. The efficacy was evaluated by gross visual motility and mortality of F. gigantica with score index, light microscopic examination of carmine stained flukes and histopathology of treated flukes. Based on the in vitro trials conducted using above plant extracts at 1 percent, 2.5 percent and 5 percent concentration, the extracts of O. ficus indica showed flukicidal effect at 2.5 and 5% concentration. However A. sativum and L. inermis were effective at 5% concentration only. The study indicated the potential for developing herbal-based anthelmintics to control F. gigantica in livestock.

Noise-free logical stochastic resonance

The phenomena of logical stochastic resonance (LSR) was demonstrated recently [Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 104101 (2009)]: namely, when a bistable system is driven by two inputs it consistently yields a response mirroring a logic function of the two inputs in an optimal window of moderate noise. Here we examine the intriguing possibility of obtaining dynamical behavior equivalent to LSR in a noise-free bistable system, subjected only to periodic forcing, such as sinusoidal driving or rectangular pulse trains. We find that such a system, despite having no stochastic influence, also yields phenomena analogous to LSR, in an appropriate window of frequency and amplitude of the periodic forcing. The results are corroborated by circuit experiments.

Synchronization transitions in coupled time-delay electronic circuits with a threshold nonlinearity

Experimental observations of typical kinds of synchronization transitions are reported in unidirectionally coupled time-delay electronic circuits with a threshold nonlinearity and two time delays, namely feedback delay τ(1) and coupling delay τ(2). We have observed transitions from anticipatory to lag via complete synchronization and their inverse counterparts with excitatory and inhibitory couplings, respectively, as a function of the coupling delay τ(2). The anticipating and lag times depend on the difference between the feedback and the coupling delays. A single stability condition for all the different types of synchronization is found to be valid as the stability condition is independent of both the delays. Further, the existence of different kinds of synchronizations observed experimentally is corroborated by numerical simulations and from the changes in the Lyapunov exponents of the coupled time-delay systems.

Experimental confirmation of chaotic phase synchronization in coupled time-delayed electronic circuits

We report the experimental demonstration of chaotic phase synchronization (CPS) in unidirectionally coupled time-delay systems using electronic circuits. We have also implemented experimentally an efficient methodology for characterizing CPS, namely, the localized sets. Snapshots of the evolution of coupled systems and the sets as observed from the oscilloscope confirming CPS are shown experimentally. Numerical results from different approaches, namely, phase differences, localized sets, changes in the largest Lyapunov exponents, and the correlation of probability of recurrence (C(CPR)) corroborate the experimental observations.

Chaogates: morphing logic gates that exploit dynamical patterns

Chaotic systems can yield a wide variety of patterns. Here we use this feature to generate all possible fundamental logic gate functions. This forms the basis of the design of a dynamical computing device, a chaogate, that can be rapidly morphed to become any desired logic gate. Here we review the basic concepts underlying this and present an extension of the formalism to include asymmetric logic functions.

A noise-assisted reprogrammable nanomechanical logic gate

We present a nanomechanical device, operating as a reprogrammable logic gate, and performing fundamental logic functions such as AND/OR and NAND/NOR. The logic function can be programmed (e.g., from AND to OR) dynamically, by adjusting the resonator's operating parameters. The device can access one of two stable steady states, according to a specific logic function; this operation is mediated by the noise floor which can be directly adjusted, or dynamically "tuned" via an adjustment of the underlying nonlinearity of the resonator, i.e., it is not necessary to have direct control over the noise floor. The demonstration of this reprogrammable nanomechanical logic gate affords a path to the practical realization of a new generation of mechanical computers.

Endoscopic transanal resection of rectal adenomas using the urological resectoscope

OBJECTIVE

Large sessile rectal adenomas are often difficult to excise and several different techniques have been described. This study evaluates the results of adenoma excision by endoscopic transanal resection using the urological resectoscope by a single surgeon in a UK district general hospital.

METHOD

Between January 1989 and November 2004, data on all patients treated by endoscopic transanal resection of benign rectal tumours using a urological resectoscope (ETAR) were prospectively collected and analysed.

RESULTS

Forty patients (50% male, median age 72 years) underwent a total of 81 endoscopic transanal resections. The tumour characteristics were: size > 2 cm (83%), location in lower 2/3 of rectum (83%) and extensive circumferential carpet-like appearances (13%). Fifty percent of the patients required only one procedure to achieve clearance. Mean operative time was 26 min (range 10-65 min). Seventy-eight percent of the patients were discharged home within 24 h. Postoperative morbidity was 8% and in-hospital mortality was zero. Histology revealed severe dysplasia in 48% of the tumours and five patients were incidentally found to have foci of rectal adenocarcinoma. With a median follow-up of 47 months (range 2-162 months), local recurrences occurred in 13% (n = 5) of patients. All, except one, were treated successfully with further endoscopic transanal resections.

CONCLUSION

ETAR is simple and safe for managing rectal adenomas.

Reliable logic circuit elements that exploit nonlinearity in the presence of a noise floor

The response of a noisy nonlinear system to deterministic input signals can be enhanced by cooperative phenomena. We show that when one presents two square waves as input to a two-state system, the response of the system can produce a logical output (NOR/OR) with a probability controlled by the noise intensity. As one increases the noise (for fixed threshold or nonlinearity), the probability of the output reflecting a NOR/OR operation increases to unity and then decreases. Changing the nonlinearity (or the thresholds) of the system changes the output into another logic operation (NAND/AND) whose probability displays analogous behavior. The interplay of nonlinearity and noise can yield logic behavior, and the emergent outcome of such systems is a logic gate. This "logical stochastic resonance" is demonstrated via an experimental realization of a two-state system with two (adjustable) thresholds.

Chaos computing: ideas and implementations

We review the concept of the 'chaos computing' paradigm, which exploits the controlled richness of nonlinear dynamics to obtain flexible reconfigurable hardware. We demonstrate the idea with specific schemes and verify the schemes through proof-of-principle experiments.

Using synchronization to obtain dynamic logic gates

We introduce a scheme to obtain key logic-gate structures, using synchronization of nonlinear systems. We demonstrate the idea explicitly by numerics and experiments on nonlinear circuits. A significant feature of this scheme is that a single nonlinear drive-response circuit can be used to flexibly yield the different logic gates, and switch logic behavior by small changes in the parameter of the response system; so the response system can act as a "logic output controller." Thus this scheme may help to construct dynamic general-purpose computational hardware with reconfigurable abilities.

Synthesis and antidepressant activity of some 1,3,5-triphenyl-2-pyrazolines and 3-(2″-hydroxy naphthalen-1″-yl)-1,5-diphenyl-2-pyrazolines

Five new 1,3,5-triphenyl-2-pyrazolines were synthesised by reacting 1,3-diphenyl-2-propene-1-one with phenyl hydrazine hydrochloride and another five new 3-(2''-hydroxy naphthalen-1''-yl)-1,5-diphenyl-2-pyrazolines were synthesised by reacting 1-(2'-hydroxynaphthyl)-3-phenyl-2-propene-1-one with phenyl hydrazine hydrochloride. The structures of the compounds were proved by means of their IR, (1)H NMR spectroscopic data, and microanalyses. The antidepressant activity of these compounds was evaluated by the 'Porsolt behavioural despair test' on Swiss-Webster mice.1-Phenyl-3-(2''-hydroxyphenyl)-5-(4'-dimethylaminophenyl)-2-pyrazoline, 5-(4'-dimethylaminophenyl)-1,3-diphenyl-2-pyrazoline, 1-phenyl-3-(2''-hydroxynaphthalen-1''-yl)-5-(3',4',5'-trimethoxyphenyl)-2-pyrazoline, 1-phenyl-3-(4''-methylphenyl)-5-(4'-dimethylaminophenyl)-2-pyrazoline and 1-phenyl-3-(4''-bromophenyl)-5-(4'-dimethyl amino phenyl)-2-pyrazoline reduced immobility times 25.63-59.25% at 100mg/kg dose level. In addition, it was found that the compounds possessing electron-releasing groups such as dimethyl amino, methoxy and hydroxyl substituents, on both the aromatic rings at positions 3 and 5 of pyrazolines, considerably enhanced the antidepressant activity when compared to the pyrazolines having no substituents on the phenyl rings.

Endovascular Treatment of Cerebral AVM with Onyx - Initial Experience

SUMMARY

Five patients (M:2, F:3; Age range 9-51; N=30 yrs) with cerebral AVM were managed with Onyx embolization through endovascular route in last three months. Two patients had complete occlusion of AVM following embolisation. In remaining three, one had 95% occlusion and other two had 70% and 50% occlusion respectively. No procedural related complications were observed immediately following procedure.

Commentary from the front lines: American physician assistants working in a United Kingdom emergency department

Physician assistants (PAs) have been an integral part of the emergency medicine team in the USA for the past 30 years. This review outlines the reasons why PAs can play a vital role in UK National Health Service (NHS). The experience of American PAs working in one NHS trust are discussed, highlighting the cultural differences in the environment of the emergency departments in the two countries that will influence the scope of practice of PAs in the UK.

Experimental realization of chaos control by thresholding

We report the experimental verification of thresholding as a versatile tool for efficient and flexible chaos control. The strategy here simply involves monitoring a single state variable and resetting it when it exceeds a threshold. We demonstrate the success of the technique in rapidly controlling different chaotic electrical circuits, including a hyperchaotic circuit, onto stable fixed points and limit cycles of different periods, by thresholding just one variable. The simplicity of this controller entailing no run-time computation, and the ease and rapidity of switching between different targets it offers, suggests a potent tool for chaos based applications.

A novel method of demonstrating rectal prolapse

BACKGROUND

Full thickness rectal prolapse may be difficult to view in the outpatient setting. We present a novel method to demonstrate it using equipment commonly found in the Urology clinic.