Studies on bending limitations for the optimal fit of orthopaedic bone plates

Distal tibial fractures are now commonly treated via intermedullary plate fixation due to higher rates of union and lower rates of postoperative complications. However, patient specific bone morphology demands manual deformation of the plate to ensure appropriate fit along the bone Distal tibial fractures are now commonly treated via intermedullary plate fixation due to higher rates of union and lower rates of postoperative complications. However, patient specific bone morphology demands manual deformation of the plate to ensure appropriate fit along the bone contours, and depending on the material of the plate, different outcomes have been reported along with postoperative complications. A comparative analysis of Stainless Steel 316L and Ti-6Al-4V alloys was carried to estimate the safe bending limit for appropriate fits. The results from the ANSYS FEA simulations were validated with experiments based on ASTM F382-99. It is found that SS316L is better suited for large deformations (up to 16˚ in proximal tip and 7.5˚ in distal end) and Ti for smaller deformation contours (up to 3˚ in proximal tip and 1.8˚ in distal end). The results of this study have profound implications for the choice of plates based on preliminary radiographical fracture examinations to ensure better fixation and higher rates of union of distal tibial fractures.

Dumbing it down : where do standards fit?

In Australia, Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs are delivered in a variety of settings. You can be enrolled within a course in a high school, at a technical institution, private training provider or at your place of employment. Recognition of prior learning, on the job training and industry partnerships are strong factors supporting the change of delivery. The curriculum content within these programs has also changed. For example within the Business Services programs, the prerequisite and corequisite skill of touch keyboarding to an Australian Standard has moved from a core requirement in the 1990’s to an elective requirement in the 2000’s. Where a base skill becomes an elective skill, how does this effect the performance and outcomes for the learner, educator, employer and society as a whole? This paper will explore these issues and investigate the current position of standards within the VET curriculum today.

How fit is your organizational culture for business process management?

While business transformations often primarily focus on technological and methodological solutions, there is consensus that having the right organizational culture is critical for the successful change of business processes.

The first year experience of social work students : developing a “sense of fit” and engagement with the profession : a practice report

Engagement is believed to be critical to a successful first year experience. This paper examines a range of strategies introduced into a first year Social Work and Human Services unit at Queensland University of Technology. The focus of these strategies was to enhance student engagement through building connections with peers, lecturers and the Social Work and Human Services professions. It is argued in this paper that students are more likely to continue with their studies if they are supported in building an emerging identity as both a university student and as a Social Work or Human Services practitioner. A range of strategies was introduced, including restructuring the unit to include an early intensive teaching block; inviting current practitioners to speak with students about the realities of practice; and embedding an academic skills component into the unit. Feedback from students highlighted the success of these strategies in developing their academic skills, building connections and embedding a sense of fit with the profession.

Rapid quantification of methamphetamine: using Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and Chemometrics

In Australia and increasingly worldwide, methamphetamine is one of the most commonly seized drugs analysed by forensic chemists. The current well-established GC/MS methods used to identify and quantify methamphetamine are lengthy, expensive processes, but often rapid analysis is requested by undercover police leading to an interest in developing this new analytical technique. Ninety six illicit drug seizures containing methamphetamine (0.1% - 78.6%) were analysed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy with an Attenuated Total Reflectance attachment and Chemometrics. Two Partial Least Squares models were developed, one using the principal Infrared Spectroscopy peaks of methamphetamine and the other a Hierarchical Partial Least Squares model. Both of these models were refined to choose the variables that were most closely associated with the methamphetamine % vector. Both of the models were excellent, with the principal peaks in the Partial Least Squares model having Root Mean Square Error of Prediction 3.8, R2 0.9779 and lower limit of quantification 7% methamphetamine. The Hierarchical Partial Least Squares model had lower limit of quantification 0.3% methamphetamine, Root Mean Square Error of Prediction 5.2 and R2 0.9637. Such models offer rapid and effective methods for screening illicit drug samples to determine the percentage of methamphetamine they contain.

Designing a continuum of quality external cause of injury information in Queensland : from ambulance to hospital

This study is the first to employ an epidemiological framework to evaluate the ‘fit-for-purpose’ of ICD-10-AM external cause of injury codes, ambulance and hospital clinical documentation for injury surveillance. Importantly, this thesis develops an evidence-based platform to guide future improvements in routine data collections used to inform the design of effective injury prevention strategies. Quantification of the impact of ambulance clinical records on the overall information quality of Queensland hospital morbidity data collections for injury causal information is a unique and notable contribution of this study.

Quantification of ebullitive and diffusive methane release to atmosphere from a water storage

Accurately quantifying total freshwater storage methane release to atmosphere requires the spatial–temporal measurement of both diffusive and ebullitive emissions. Existing floating chamber techniques provide localised assessment of methane flux, however, significant errors can arise when weighting and extrapolation to the entire storage, particularly when ebullition is significant. An improved technique has been developed that compliments traditional chamber based experiments to quantify the storage-scale release of methane gas to atmosphere through ebullition using the measurements from an Optical Methane Detector (OMD) and a robotic boat. This provides a conservative estimate of the methane emission rate from ebullition along with the bubble volume distribution. It also georeferences the area of ebullition activity across entire storages at short temporal scales. An assessment on Little Nerang Dam in Queensland, Australia, demonstrated whole storage methane release significantly differed spatially and throughout the day. Total methane emission estimates showed a potential 32-fold variation in whole-of-dam rates depending on the measurement and extrapolation method and time of day used. The combined chamber and OMD technique showed that 1.8–7.0% of the surface area of Little Nerang Dam is accounting for up to 97% of total methane release to atmosphere throughout the day. Additionally, over 95% of detectable ebullition occurred in depths less than 12 m during the day and 6 m at night. This difference in spatial and temporal methane release rate distribution highlights the need to monitor significant regions of, if not the entire, water storage in order to provide an accurate estimate of ebullition rates and their contribution to annual methane emissions.

A novel iterative method for simulating patient-specific optimal deformation and fit of fracture fixation plates

This paper proposes a new iterative method to achieve an optimally fitting plate for preoperative planning purposes. The proposed method involves integration of four commercially available software tools, Matlab, Rapidform2006, SolidWorks and ANSYS, each performing specific tasks to obtain a plate shape that fits optimally for an individual tibia and is mechanically safe. A typical challenge when crossing multiple platforms is to ensure correct data transfer. We present an example of the implementation of the proposed method to demonstrate successful data transfer between the four platforms and the feasibility of the method.

Flexibility in change practices and job outcomes for nurses : exploring the role of subjective fit

Aims To integrate existing theoretical perspectives on change management, subjective fit and occupational stress to better understand the effects of change on employee adjustment. Background Although subjective fit with organizational goals and objectives has been shown to have positive effects on employee adjustment, its role in the organizational change–occupational stress context is not understood. This represents a caveat in research when considering the notion that those who feel that they fit with the organization's goals may be better equipped to reconcile and deal with change. Design A cross-sectional survey of nurses from public and non-profit sector hospitals was conducted. Method Data were collected from 252 public and non-profit sector nurses via online surveys. Data were collected from June–October in 2010. Structural equation modelling was used to test the direct and indirect effects among the focal variables. Results The results showed that public and non-profit nurses experience flexibility-limiting and flexibility-promoting change initiatives and that these are differentially related to the perception of administrative stressors and adjustment with these relationships directly and indirectly influenced by perceptions of subjective fit. Flexibility-limiting change initiatives led to lower levels of subjective fit, higher levels of administrative stressors and less favourable adjustment. On the other hand, flexibility-promoting change practices led to higher levels of subjective fit, lower levels of administrative stressors and ultimately better adjustment. Conclusion The results further the theoretical understanding of the role of subjective fit in organizational change and occupational stress theories.

Why fit contact lenses? Part 1 - clinical reasons

There are probably two main reasons why some practitioners do not bother fitting contact lenses – that it is not profitable and it is clinically too difficult. Although this article will concentrate on clinical issues rather than questions of profitability, I feel that the belief that contact lens fitting is not as profitable as prescribing spectacles is unfounded.

Why fit contact lenses?

Contrary to what many practitioners believe, current generation contact lenses are easy to fit, are well tolerated, provide superior vision, are physiologically compatible with the anterior ocular structures, cause few serious complications and are cost effective. These factors will be explored with examples of advancements that have occurred in contact lens practice over the past two decades. Consideration will also be given to the role of optometrists, the contact lens industry and educational institutions in promoting contact lenses as an alternative form of vision correction.

Rapid quantification of free cholesterol in tears using direct insertion/electron ionization-Mass spectrometry

Purpose. To establish a simple and rapid analytical method, based on direct insertion/electron ionization-mass spectrometry (DI/EI-MS), for measuring free cholesterol in tears from humans and rabbits. Methods. A stable-isotope dilution protocol employing DI/EI-MS in selected ion monitoring mode was developed and validated. It was used to quantify the free cholesterol content in human and rabbit tear extracts. Tears were collected from adult humans (n = 15) and rabbits (n = 10) and lipids extracted. Results. Screening, full-scan (m/z 40-600) DI/EI-MS analysis of crude tear extracts showed that diagnostic ions located in the mass range m/z 350 to 400 were those derived from free cholesterol, with no contribution from cholesterol esters. DI/EI-MS data acquired using selected ion monitoring (SIM) were analyzed for the abundance ratios of diagnostic ions with their stable isotope-labeled analogues arising from the D6-cholesterol internal standard. Standard curves of good linearity were produced and an on-probe limit of detection of 3 ng (at 3:1 signal to noise) and limit of quantification of 8 ng (at 10:1 signal to noise). The concentration of free cholesterol in human tears was 15 ± 6 μg/g, which was higher than in rabbit tears (10 ± 5 μg/g). Conclusions. A stable-isotope dilution DI/EI-SIM method for free cholesterol quantification without prior chromatographic separation was established. Using this method demonstrated that humans have higher free cholesterol levels in their tears than rabbits. This is in agreement with previous reports. This paper provides a rapid and reliable method to measure free cholesterol in small-volume clinical samples. © 2013 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.

Quantitative fit analysis of orthopedic bone plates : methods, criteria and approach

Studies on quantitative fit analysis of precontoured fracture fixation plates emerged within the last few years and therefore, there is a wide research gap in this area. Quantitative fit assessment facilitates the measure of the gap between a fracture fixation plate and the underlying bone, and specifies the required plate fit criteria. For clinically meaningful fit assessment outcome, it is necessary to establish the appropriate criteria and parameter. The present paper studies this subject and recommends using multiple fit criteria and the maximum distance between the plate and underlying bone as fit parameter for clinically relevant outcome. We also propose the development of a software tool for automatic plate positioning and fit assessment for the purpose of implant design validation and optimization in an effort to provide better fitting implant that can assist proper fracture healing. The fundamental specifications of the software are discussed.

Detection and quantification of tear phospholipids and cholesterol in contact lens deposits : the effect of contact lens material and lens care solution

PURPOSE. To examine the deposition of tear phospholipids and cholesterol onto worn contact lenses and the effect of lens material and lens care solution. METHODS. Lipids were extracted from tears and worn contact lenses using 2:1 chloroform: Methanol and the extract washed with aqueous ammonium acetate, before analysis by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). RESULTS. Twenty-three molecular lipids from the sphingomyelin (SM) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) classes were detected in tears, with total concentrations of each class determined to be 5 ± 1 pmol/μL (~3.8 μg/mL) and 6 ± 1 pmol/μL (~ 4.6μg/mL), respectively. The profile of individual phospholipids in both of these classes was shown to be similar in contact lens deposits. Deposition of representative polar and nonpolar lipids were shown to be significantly higher on senofilcon A contact lenses, with ~59 ng/lens SM, 195 ng/lens PC, and 9.9 μg/lens cholesterol detected, whereas balafilcon A lens extracts contained ~19 ng/lens SM, 19 ng/lens PC, and 3.9 μg/lens cholesterol. Extracts from lenses disinfected and cleaned with two lens care solutions showed no significant differences in total PC and SM concentrations; however, a greater proportion of PC than SM was observed, compared with that in tears. CONCLUSIONS. Phospholipid deposits extracted from worn contact lenses show a molecular profile similar to that in tears. The concentration of representative polar and nonpolar lipids deposited onto contact lenses is significantly affected by lens composition. There is a differential efficacy in the removal of PC and SM with lens care solutions.

Protocol : A highly sensitive RT-PCR method for detection and quantification of microRNAs

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs with a critical role in development and environmental responses. Efficient and reliable detection of miRNAs is an essential step towards understanding their roles in specific cells and tissues. However, gel-based assays currently used to detect miRNAs are very limited in terms of throughput, sensitivity and specificity. Here we provide protocols for detection and quantification of miRNAs by RT-PCR. We describe an end-point and real-time looped RT-PCR procedure and demonstrate detection of miRNAs from as little as 20 pg of plant tissue total RNA and from total RNA isolated from as little as 0.1 l of phloem sap. In addition, we have developed an alternative real-time PCR assay that can further improve specificity when detecting low abundant miRNAs. Using this assay, we have demonstrated that miRNAs are differentially expressed in the phloem sap and the surrounding vascular tissue. This method enables fast, sensitive and specific miRNA expression profiling and is suitable for facilitation of high-throughput detection and quantification of miRNA expression.