Smiths Detection (Canada)

Abstract Restricting the lift of relief devices is seen as a solution to various challenges associated with installing pressure relief valves (PRVs), particularly in addressing high inlet pressure drops and meeting criteria set by standards such as API STD 520. Previous studies and industry presentations have suggested that restricted lift can mitigate issues related to oversized valves and excessive inlet losses. However, there is ongoing debate regarding its impact on PRV operational stability. This paper presents comprehensive test data showing that restricting the lift of a direct spring‐operated relief device does not improve valve stability in vapor/gas service. The data further indicate that stability is not influenced by the required relief rate. While restricted lift reduces capacity, it does not alter the valve's dynamic characteristics. These findings are consistent with earlier work reporting negligible effects on blowdown and valve performance when lift is restricted. Data from over 1500 tests suggest that the reduction in lift can help mitigate some negative system effects caused by valve instability. These results underscore the importance of understanding the trade‐offs involved in applying restricted lift as a strategy to address PRV installation challenges without assuming improved stability.

Nikkomycin Z is an investigational antifungal agent that inhibits chitin synthesis. The drug shows promise against endemic fungi such as Coccidioides spp. The purpose of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics and safety when administered as multiple, ascending doses in healthy subjects. Healthy adult volunteers received nikkomycin Z in oral doses ranging from 250 mg twice daily to 750 mg three times a day for 14 days. An intensive pharmacokinetic study was conducted after the first dose (day 1) and after the last dose (day 14). Subjects were also monitored for safety and tolerance but were not confined to the facility continuously. Doses were tracked by self-reporting and were observed prior to intensive pharmacokinetic studies. On day 14, the mean (sd) maximal concentration ranged from 3.70 (1.08) to 6.89 (1.59) mg/L, and mean time of maximal concentration ranged from 2.3 to 3.0 h. The mean area under the time curve from time 0 to end of the dosing interval (8 or 12 h) was 17.3 (5.2) mg h/L for 250 mg twice daily, 28.5 (9.5) for 500 mg twice daily, 34.5 (10.9) for 750 mg twice daily, and 35.6 (8.4) for 750 mg thrice daily. The mean half-life ranged from 1.94 to 2.18 h. Bioavailability was less than proportional to dose for the 750 mg doses. Nikkomycin Z was well tolerated, and the study was completed without any serious safety concerns. This study supports continued development of nikkomycin Z as a potential therapeutic for the treatment of coccidioidomycosis.

Abstract Numerous layers of chromitite occur in the Bushveld Complex, South Africa, each of which contains stratiform, or reef-type, PGE mineralization. The only chromitite mined exclusively for PGE is the UG2, one of the upper group layers. Here, we investigate the petrogenesis of the UG2, together with the subordinate UG3, UG3a, and UG3b chromitites, at Winnaarshoek in the Eastern Limb. The four layers of chromitite (widths of 0.13–0.92 m) occur in a 50 m-thick sequence of pyroxenites, norites, and anorthosites, together with minor harzburgites. The silicate matrix in the UG2 and UG3 is dominated by plagioclase, rather than the orthopyroxene and minor olivine found in many chromitites, including the UG3a and UG3b. Microtextures of the chromitites have been severely impacted by prolonged periods of annealing and compaction, and we have found no evidence of the chromite having nucleated in situ or having accumulated from gravitational settling. Closely spaced electron microprobe analyses have revealed the composition of the chromite is within analytical error in the UG2 and UG3. The UG3a and UG3b layers reveal minor height-related changes in the composition of the chromite. The composition of the internal silicates is similarly tightly constrained, as are the Sr and Nd initial isotopic ratios for the silicate host rocks (SrR0: 0.70634 ± 0.00035; εNd: −6.9 ± 0.9). The igneous layering developed from successions of intrusive events, magmas having been sourced from a deep crustal staging chamber and intruded into the shallow crust as thin sheets. Intrusion rates were insufficient to enable a magma reservoir to develop. The norites are related to the batch crystallization of a relatively felsic basaltic magma, the anorthosites having formed in situ, from low degrees of partial melting and metasomatism. The pyroxenites accumulated from a relatively mafic basaltic magma, emplaced as out of sequence sills that exploited competency contrasts between the substantially crystalline layers of norite and anorthosite. The mafic basaltic magma entrained xenocrysts of chromite in the staging chamber, sufficiently abundant as to form chromite slurries. The slurries were transported laterally by the pyroxenitic sills. The slurries were highly mobile, and in the case of the UG2 and UG3, they partially disaggregated the footwall anorthosites. The liberated crystals of plagioclase were inherited by the chromitites. The association between chromitite and anorthosite is a spatial feature and does not imply cotectic crystallization of chromite and plagioclase. The UG3 chromitites are adjudged to be the lateral equivalent of the UG2 Leader seams, the separating and coalescing of which are described from several localities. Field relationships, including the preservation of pyroxenitic partings and anorthositic xenoliths at internal contacts in the coalesced seams, are consistent with each chromitite having accumulated from a chromite slurry with a unique composition. The composition of the chromite and the mineralization were established at depth, the PGE having been transported as microxenocrysts, which piggybacked on the xenocrysts of chromite. The PGE mineralization is entirely orthomagmatic, having been concentrated in the chromite slurries independent of an immiscible sulphide melt or hydrothermal fluid.

Background: One of the important and life-threatening complications encountered during labor is bleeding. This study is to estimate the frequency of Primary Postpartum Hemorrhage after augmented labor in normal vaginal delivery in our population because previously no data is available for blood loss after augmentation of labor during spontaneous delivery. Objective: To Determine the Frequency of Primary Postpartum Hemorrhage after augmented labor in normal Vaginal delivery. Material and Methods: Over the course of six months, a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of the Qazi Hussain Ahmad Medical Complex in Nowshera. All deliveries were conducted by trainee medical officers. The slow/obstructed labor was augmented by oxytocin infusion at the rate of 12ml/hour, which was titrated by 12ml/hour every 30 minutes to a max of 192ml/hour till the baby was delivered. The frequency of primary PPH was noted as per the operational definition. Data obtained was noted on the Performa. Results: Our study shows that among 151 patients, the mean age was 27 years with SD ± 7.02. Fifty-seven (37%) patients were Primigravida, and ninety-four (62.3%) patients were multi-para. Sixty-two (41.1%) patients had POG 37-38 weeks, and Eighty-nine (59.9%) patients had POG 39-41 weeks. Eighteen (12%) patients had primary PPH after augmentation, and one hundred thirty-three (88%) patients didn’t have primary PPH after augmentation. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the frequency of primary PPH is significantly higher than expected in augmented labour following normal vaginal deliveries.

This study investigates the effectiveness of bibliographic databases to retrieve qualitative studies for use in systematic and rapid reviews in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) research. Qualitative research is becoming more prevalent in reviews and health technology assessment, but standardized search methodologies-particularly regarding database selection-are still in development. To determine how commonly used databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science) perform, a comprehensive list of relevant journal titles was compiled using InCites Journal Citation Reports and validated by qualitative researchers at Canada's Drug Agency (formerly CADTH). This list was used to evaluate the qualitative holdings of each database, by calculating the percentage of total titles held in each database, as well as the number of unique titles per database. While publications on qualitative search methodology generally recommend subject-specific health databases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO, this study found that multidisciplinary citation indexes Scopus and Web of Science Core Collection not only had the highest percentages of total titles held, but also a higher number of unique titles. These indexes have potential utility in qualitative search strategies, if only for supplementing other database searches with unique records. This potential was investigated via tests on qualitative rapid review search strategies translated to Scopus to determine how the index may contribute relevant literature.