TheScientificWorldJournal
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TheScientificWorldJournal · Jan 2014
Study of the long-term results of decompressive craniectomy after severe traumatic brain injury based on a series of 60 consecutive cases.
Decompressive craniectomy can be proposed in the management of severe traumatic brain injury. Current studies report mixed results, preventing any clear conclusions on the place of decompressive craniectomy in traumatology. ⋯ Despite the discordant results in the literature, this study demonstrates that decompressive craniectomy is useful for the management of refractory intracranial hypertension after severe traumatic brain injury.
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TheScientificWorldJournal · Jan 2014
A novel wide-area backup protection based on fault component current distribution and improved evidence theory.
In order to solve the problems of the existing wide-area backup protection (WABP) algorithms, the paper proposes a novel WABP algorithm based on the distribution characteristics of fault component current and improved Dempster/Shafer (D-S) evidence theory. When a fault occurs, slave substations transmit to master station the amplitudes of fault component currents of transmission lines which are the closest to fault element. ⋯ The simulation examples based on IEEE 10-generator-39-bus system show that the proposed WABP algorithm has an excellent performance. The algorithm has low requirement of sampling synchronization, small wide-area communication flow, and high fault tolerance.
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TheScientificWorldJournal · Jan 2014
Ecological effects of roads on the plant diversity of coastal wetland in the Yellow River Delta.
The 26 sample sites in 7 study plots adjacent to asphalt road and earth road in coastal wetland in the Yellow River Delta were selected to quantify plant diversity using quadrat sampling method in plant bloom phase of July and August 2012. The indice of β T and Jaccard's coefficient were applied to evaluate the species diversity. The results showed that the plant diversities and alien plants were high in the range of 0-20 m to the road verge. ⋯ The similarity of plant communities in studied plots of asphalt roadsides and earth roadsides increased with increasing the distance to road verge. The effect range of roads for plant diversity in study region was about 20 m to road verge. Our results indicate that the construction and maintenance of roads in wetland could increase the plant species diversities of communities and risk of alien species invasion.
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TheScientificWorldJournal · Jan 2014
Towards a low-cost mobile subcutaneous vein detection solution using near-infrared spectroscopy.
Excessive venipunctures are both time- and resource-consuming events, which cause anxiety, pain, and distress in patients, or can lead to severe harmful injuries. We propose a low-cost mobile health solution for subcutaneous vein detection using near-infrared spectroscopy, along with an assessment of the current state of the art in this field. The first objective of this study was to get a deeper overview of the research topic, through the initial team discussions and a detailed literature review (using both academic and grey literature). ⋯ Although the reviewed commercial devices have demonstrated usefulness and value for peripheral veins visualization, other evaluated clinical outcomes are less conclusive. Previous studies regarding low-cost near-infrared systems demonstrated the general feasibility of developing cost-effective vein detection systems; however, their limitations are restricting their applicability to clinical practice. Finally, based on the current findings, we outline the future research direction.
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TheScientificWorldJournal · Jan 2014
Prevalence and imaging characteristics of palatine tonsilloliths detected by CT in 2,873 consecutive patients.
Tonsilloliths are calcified structures that develop in tonsillar crypts. They are commonly detected in daily clinical practice. The prevalence of tonsilloliths was 16 to 24% in previous reports, but it is inconsistent with clinical experience. The aim of this study is to clarify the prevalence, number, and size distribution of tonsilloliths using computed tomography (CT) in a relatively large number of patients. ⋯ As palatine tonsilloliths are common conditions, screenings for tonsilloliths during the diagnosis of soft tissue calcifications should be included in routine diagnostic imaging.