Reliant Technologies (United States)

Individual case reports are the main asset in pharmacovigilance signal management. Signal validation is the first stage after signal detection and aims to determine if there is sufficient evidence to justify further assessment. Throughout signal management, a prioritization of signals is continually made. Routinely collected health data can provide relevant contextual information but are primarily used at a later stage in pharmacoepidemiological studies to assess communicated signals. The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility and utility of analysing routine health data from a multinational distributed network to support signal validation and prioritization and to reflect on key user requirements for these analyses to become an integral part of this process. Statistical signal detection was performed in VigiBase, the WHO global database of individual case safety reports, targeting generic manufacturer drugs and 16 prespecified adverse events. During a 5-day study-a-thon, signal validation and prioritization were performed using information from VigiBase, regulatory documents and the scientific literature alongside descriptive analyses of routine health data from 10 partners of the European Health Data and Evidence Network (EHDEN). Databases included in the study were from the UK, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands and Serbia, capturing records from primary care and/or hospitals. Ninety-five statistical signals were subjected to signal validation, of which eight were considered for descriptive analyses in the routine health data. Design, execution and interpretation of results from these analyses took up to a few hours for each signal (of which 15-60 minutes were for execution) and informed decisions for five out of eight signals. The impact of insights from the routine health data varied and included possible alternative explanations, potential public health and clinical impact and feasibility of follow-up pharmacoepidemiological studies. Three signals were selected for signal assessment, two of these decisions were supported by insights from the routine healthdata. Standardization of analytical code, availability of adverse event phenotypes including bridges between different source vocabularies, and governance around the access and use of routine health data were identified as important aspects for future development. Analyses of routine health data from a distributed network to support signal validation and prioritization are feasible in the given time limits and can inform decision making. The cost-benefit of integrating these analyses at this stage of signal management requires further research.

Abstract Ventricular assist devices (VAD) are designed to provide circulatory support to patients suffering from advanced-stage heart failure. While not pulsatile, the advantages of continuous axial flow VADs include a compact size and low mechanical failure rate. However, being compact, they operate at high speed, resulting in adverse effects, such as hemolysis caused by high flow shear and thrombosis formation in stagnant regions are common and threaten the successful use of the device. While state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is widely used in designing these devices, detailed high-resolution experimental measurements of the flow within them are not readily available in the literature. Such experimental data is crucial for understanding the flow inside the VAD and its interaction with blood cells as well as for validating the CFD predictions. The present study investigates the flow inside a 1:1 exact replica of a VAD – ReliantHeart HeartAssist5®. This 12mm diameter device consists of an inlet guide vane (IGV), a rotor and a stator. However, unlike in the real machine, the rotor is driven by a thin shaft that penetrates through the center of the IGV. Refractive index-matching is used to facilitate optical measurements. Hence, all the blades and housing of the pump are made of transparent acrylic. The working fluid is a mixture of water, sodium iodide and glycerin, which matches the refractive index of acrylic, and the kinematic viscosity of blood. Performance tests have been carried out at speeds ranging from 7000 to 9000 RPM. Trends of the results are consistent with those of the actual machine. While scaled data for the pressure rise across the rotor at different speeds collapse, the total head rise across the entire machine does not. High-resolution 2D PIV measurements with vector spacing of 30μm have been conducted in meridional planes of the rotor passage at several blade orientations. They have been performed at 8000RPM and flowrate of 4.5L/min, consistent with physiological requirements. They show that near the rotor front end, the flow in the tip region is dominated by the tip leakage vortex (TLV), associated blockage effects, and very high turbulence level. The upstream end of this domain remains aligned with the leading edge, implying that blades persistently dissect the remnants of a previous TLVs. Interaction of the hub boundary layer with the blades also generates secondary flows. Downstream of the helical section of the rotor, the axial flow is high near the hub and low in the outer part of the passage due to leakage flow-related blockage. Hub boundary layer separation occurs upstream of the stator, generating a large circumferential vortex that occupies nearly half of the rotor span. The complexity of the flow structure and turbulence in this machine would be a challenge to model.

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family TherapyVolume 39, Issue 2 p. 269-271 Book Review Treatment of Complex Trauma: A Sequenced, Relationship-based Approach , Christine A. Courtois & Julian D. Ford, The Guilford Press, New York, 2016 ISBN: 9781462524600, PB, 378 pages Mark Mahemoff, Mark Mahemoff Senior Clinician mark.mahemoff@gmail.com Senior Clinician, Relationships Australia, NSW Private Practice, SydneySearch for more papers by this author Mark Mahemoff, Mark Mahemoff Senior Clinician mark.mahemoff@gmail.com Senior Clinician, Relationships Australia, NSW Private Practice, SydneySearch for more papers by this author First published: 09 June 2018 https://doi.org/10.1002/anzf.1303Citations: 1Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume39, Issue2June 2018Pages 269-271 RelatedInformation

This paper aims to examine the macroeffects of exchange rate movements on a wide array of real economic variables in the US in a unifying model. By employing the non-linear factor-augmented vector autoregressive (FAVAR) model with simulation methods, we could trace the effects of exchange rate appreciation and depreciation on a wide array of macroeconomic variables through the impulse response function (IRF). The main findings are: (1) In response to dollar depreciation, import price index (IMP), producer price index (PPI) and CPI increase significantly. The pass-through ratio declines along the distribution chain. (2) Merchandise trade balance, current account balance and output improve facing dollar depreciation. (3) Savings decreases in response to dollar depreciation. (4) Employment and average hourly earnings increase in times of exchange rate depreciation and vice versa. The effects on macroeconomy from appreciation and depreciation seem symmetric. Many other interesting findings are also documented.

В докладе авторы демонстрируют технологию и результаты использования нетрадиционного комплекса геофизических методов для поиска подземных вод в сложных геологических условиях. В результате исследований все поставленные задачи были успешно выполнены. Технология заключается в следующем: 1) На первом этапе на всей поисковой площади проводится экспрессная радоновая съемка, с целью выявления тектонических нарушений и выделения связанных с ними перспективных участков для постановки детализационных работ; 2) На втором этапе методом резонансно-акустического профилирования выполняются детальные исследования выделенных перспективных участков с целью локализации трещиноватых зон, как наиболее вероятных коллекторов для подземных вод; 3) На третьем этапе методом переходных процессов осуществляется разбраковка выявленных трещиноватых зон путём качественной оценки их водообильности. При гораздо более высокой эффективности, данный комплекс работ выполняется нами в более сжатые сроки, чем это принято в геофизическом сообществе. После камеральной обработки данных выбирается лучшее место для расположения водозаборной скважины. Предлагаемая нами технология особенно актуальна в сегодняшней непростой экономической ситуации в России.

The growing demand for high-speed broadband communications with low orbital or geostationary satellites is a major challenge. Using an optical link at 1.55 μm is an advantageous solution which potentially can increase the satellite throughput by a factor 10. Nevertheless, cloud cover is an obstacle for this optical frequency. Such communication requires an innovative management system to optimize the optical link availability between a satellite and several Optical Ground Stations (OGS). The Saint-Exupery Technological Research Institute (France) leads the project ALBS (French acronym for BroadBand Satellite Access). This initiative involving small and medium enterprises, industrial groups and research institutions specialized in aeronautics and space industries, is currently developing various solutions to increase the telecommunication satellite bandwidth. This paper presents the development of a preliminary prediction system preventing the cloud blockage of an optical link between a satellite and a given OGS. An infrared thermal camera continuously observes (night and day) the sky vault. Cloud patterns are observed and classified several times a minute. The impact of the detected clouds on the optical beam (obstruction or not) is determined by the retrieval of the cloud optical depth at the wavelength of communication. This retrieval is based on realistic cloud-modelling on libRadtran. Then, using subsequent images, cloud speed and trajectory are estimated. Cloud blockage over an OGS can then be forecast up to 30 minutes ahead. With this information, the preparation of the new link between the satellite and another OGS under a clear sky can be prepared before the link breaks due to cloud blockage.