Enhanced Power Factor and Increased Conductivity of Aluminum Doped Zinc Oxide Thin Films for Thermoelectric Applications.

We report the structural, electrical and thermopower properties of un-doped and Al doped zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films. Al doping was carried out using 25 keV Al+ implantation with 0.1, 1 and 2% Al into ZnO. X-ray diffraction measurements showed that the lattice parameters were larger than the bulk values, which is consistent with the incorporation of Al atoms at interstitials. Al doping increased the electrical conductivity from 100 (Ωcm)-1 in the un-doped ZnO film to 598 (Ωcm)-1 in the 2% Al doped ZnO film. Electron doping by Al resulted in an increase in the carrier concentration and it had an advantageous effect on the mobility where it was highest for 2% doping. The absolute value of the Seebeck coefficient systematically increased for un-doped, 1% and 2% Al doped ZnO films where the room temperature values were -50.8, -60.9 and -66.3 µV/K, respectively. The power factor increased significantly from 2.58 × 10-5 W/mK2 in un-doped ZnO film to 2.63 × 10-4 W/mK2 in 2% Al doped ZnO film. Our results suggest that the ion beam method is a suitable technique to enhance the thermoelectric properties of ZnO.

Recognition of pain and use of analgesia in horses by veterinarians in New Zealand.

AIM: To explore attitudes towards and use of analgesia in horses by veterinarians in New Zealand. METHODS: A postal questionnaire was sent out to 457 veterinarians identified as working with horses in New Zealand. Questions covered demographics and practice data; analgesic drugs available for use and used in practice; analgesic management of specific conditions including assessment of pain, drugs used, and frequency of cases; factors influencing the choice and use of analgesic agents; and attitudes and personal experience. RESULTS: Ninety-seven questionnaires containing useable data were received, a response rate of 23%. Respondents' demographics corresponded with those of the veterinary population at the time. Phenylbutazone, flunixin, xylazine, ketamine, butorphanol, dexamethasone and lignocaine were the drugs most commonly used. Respondents allocated pain scores with a range of at least eight points (on a scale of 1 to 10) between lower and upper scores for 13/17 conditions and procedures presented. Respondents identified analgesic potency and anti-inflammatory effect as the most important factors in their choice of drug. Sixty-three percent and 59% of respondents considered their knowledge of recognition of pain and analgesia, respectively, to be adequate. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the survey indicate that analgesia was widely used for horses amongst responding veterinarians. However, there were a number of areas where there appeared to be a lack of consensus amongst respondents in their management of pain in horses, and these included assessment of pain, administration of analgesics, and, indeed, what constitutes analgesia. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: While analgesia of horses is widely practised in New Zealand, it would appear that a lack of consistency amongst veterinarians could indicate less than optimal pain relief in some cases and for some procedures.

Animal abuse and family violence: survey on the recognition of animal abuse by veterinarians in New Zealand and their understanding of the correlation between animal abuse and human violence.

AIMS: To establish the incidence, frequency and type of deliberate animal abuse seen in veterinary practice in New Zealand, and ascertain veterinarians' knowledge of human abuse within the families where animal abuse was occurring. To explore attitudes of veterinarians to and knowledge about the correlation between animal abuse and human violence, and their perceived role in dealing with such issues. METHODS: A postal questionnaire was sent to practising veterinarians in New Zealand. It covered demographics, frequency and type of animal abuse cases seen, awareness of violence towards humans, within families where animal abuse was seen, the methods used for managing animal and human abuse, the incidence of psychological abuse of animals, and the attitudes of veterinarians towards and their beliefs about the link between animal abuse and human violence. RESULTS: A total of 383/1,412 (27% response rate) questionnaires with useable data were returned. Within the group of respondents, the sexes were evenly represented; 40% of respondents worked in small-animal practice, 50% in mixed practice and 10% in large-animal practice. Deliberate animal abuse had been seen by 63% of respondents in the last 5 years; 37% of these had seen such cases once a year or less, while 9% had seen abuse cases at least four times a year. Dogs were the species most commonly reported as abused, followed, in numerical order, by cats, cattle and horses. Among respondents who had seen deliberate animal abuse, 16% either knew of (4%) or suspected (12%) human abuse within the families of the abused animals. A clear majority of responding veterinarians agreed with the statement that people who abuse their animals are more likely to abuse their children (77%) or spouse (70%). CONCLUSIONS: The survey indicated that the majority of respondents had seen cases of animal abuse within the previous 5 years, and dogs were the species most often reported abused. Responding veterinarians felt a strong ethical duty to deal with cases of animal abuse, but they were less comfortable about issues of human abuse, even though the awareness of the link between abuse of animals and abuse of humans was relatively high. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The greater the awareness of animal abuse and its linkage with human abuse, the greater the possibility that veterinarians can contribute in a meaningful way to the reduction of violence in society.

Public attitudes in New Zealand towards the use of animals for research, testing and teaching purposes.

AIM: To investigate the awareness of and interest in the use of animals for research, testing and teaching (RTT) purposes, the levels of support and attitudes towards this use of animals, and the awareness of and opinions on regulations governing it within the public in New Zealand. METHODS: An independent telephone survey was used to collect information including demographics, awareness and interest in the use of animals for RTT, attitudes towards the use of animals for RTT, and awareness of the regulation of the use of animals in RTT and the degree of confidence held in such regulation. RESULTS: Data were obtained from 750 respondents throughout New Zealand. The rim-weighting efficiency figure was 90%, indicating that the sample collected closely matched the population demographics for New Zealand. Overall, 33% of respondents expressed an interest in the issue generally, 39% were interested in the area of animals used for research and testing purposes, and 21% for teaching purposes. A majority of respondents agreed that the use of animals for teaching (72%) and research and testing (68%) purposes was acceptable as long as there was no unnecessary suffering by the animals. Respondents felt animal research was most justified for research into life-threatening and debilitating diseases, and least justified for safety-testing of cosmetics and household chemicals. Only 8% of respondents knew a fair amount (or more) about the legislation pertaining to the use of animals in RTT. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of New Zealanders were neither interested nor concerned about the use of animals in RTT. The largest proportion of respondents fell into a category of accepting this use of animals with conditions such as where there is no unnecessary suffering by the animals or where the research is for a serious disease. However, the responses also indicated that attitudes towards the use of animals in RTT as a general issue may change when that use is given a specific context. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The understanding of public opinion with regard to the use of animals in RTT is an important tool for New Zealand Veterinary Association nominees on animal ethics committees (AECs), for these veterinarians, as well as acting as assessors of the welfare of the animals involved, are also independent of the institutions using animals, so that, along with the other 'external' members, they provide a societal perspective to the deliberations of AECs.

In vitro fertilization in the pigtailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina).

The objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of collecting oocytes and semen from pigtailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) and to establish a protocol for the production of viable embryos that would be suitable for transfer into surrogate females. A total of 82 oocytes were collected from a total of four females (on 2 d with two females each). Semen was collected from the same male on both occasions with respective ejaculate volumes of 0.55 and 0.1 mL containing 2 x 10(9) and 6.6 x 10(8)sperm/mL. Following insemination and after 48 h in culture, 42 (51.2%) of the oocytes had cleaved. Of these, 21 were selected based on developmental stage and their morphology and cryopreserved. The remainder was kept in culture for an additional 5 d, at which time three had reached the expanded blastocyst stage. A total of five transfers were performed with frozen-thawed embryos; two of these resulted in pregnancies and the birth of infants. The results of this study demonstrated that oocytes can be retrieved from pigtailed macaques and that such oocytes can be inseminated and cultured in vitro to the blastocyst stage and give rise to viable offspring after transfer into surrogate females.

Current attitudes to, and use of, peri-operative analgesia in dogs and cats by veterinarians in New Zealand.

AIM: To investigate the attitudes of veterinary practitioners in New Zealand to pain and analgesia, and their use of analgesic drugs, in dogs and cats. METHODS: A questionnaire posted to 1,200 practising veterinarians was used to gather information about the use of analgesia in dogs and cats, assessment of pain, attitudes to pain relief, analgesic drugs and procedures used, factors affecting choice of analgesic agent, and veterinary demographics, continuing education and staffing. RESULTS: Three hundred and twenty questionnaires with useable data were returned, a response rate of 28%. Male and female veterinarians were evenly represented. The analgesic agents most commonly used were morphine (opioids) and carprofen (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug; NSAID). Use of peri-operative pain relief ranged from 50% for castration of cats to 91% for fracture repair in dogs. For most procedures, female veterinarians scored pain at a significantly higher level than their male colleagues. Fifty-eight percent of respondents considered their knowledge in the area of assessment and treatment of pain was adequate. CONCLUSIONS: This survey was considered representative of veterinarians working in companion animal practice in New Zealand. Results indicated a relatively high use of peri-operative analgesia, including both pre-emptive and multi-modal analgesia, in cats and dogs, although there was still some disparity between the perception of how painful a procedure was and the consequent use of pain relief. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The establishment of current attitudes and practices indicates to practising veterinarians how their own use of analgesics compares with that of their colleagues. It also provides information to educators on potential areas of focus, given that 42% of respondents felt their knowledge in the area of assessment and treatment of pain was inadequate.

Outcome analysis of noninstrumented anterior cervical discectomy and interbody fusion in 348 patients.

STUDY DESIGN: Twenty-one outcome and outcome-relevant variables (fusion and patient satisfaction) were evaluated in a subset of 348 of 514 patients operated on by one surgeon during a 22-year period, using Cloward's anterior cervical discectomy and dowel interbody fusion. Minimum patient follow-up was 2 years; average length of follow-up was 5.2 years. This retrospective analysis is accompanied by a comprehensive review of the literature (1975-1996) of noninstrumented anterior cervical fusions, excluding fibular grafts alone in the interbody space. OBJECTIVES: To provide data on outcome (with regard to patient satisfaction and radiologically supported fusion) and risks of noninstrumented anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for intractable cervical nerve root and spinal cord compression symptoms at single or multiple levels, using the results from a single surgeon. METHODS: Three experienced spine radiologists determined fusion rates in one to five levels in 348 patients on the basis of the results of plain film analysis. Patient self-assessment was used to determine degree of patient satisfaction and other related variables. From a comprehensive review of the literature, 43 clinical reports meeting requirements for comparison of findings with those in the current study were selected from more than 1600 reports. RESULTS: The mean fusion rate for 348 patients in the current study ranged from 75% (multilevel) to 88% (one level; n = 202). The overall fusion rate was 83%. The persistent complication rate was 0.1%, and patient self-assessments showed that 78% were satisfied with the outcome and that 83% returned to work. The overall fusion rate for 2037 patients evaluated in the comprehensive literature review is 92%. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study indicate that better outcome in noninstrumented anterior cervical discectomy and fusion is associated with solid fusion, fewer fused levels, nonsmoking patients, higher education levels, and absence of secondary economic gain. There was no correlation between fusion status and bone graft source or use of cervical collar.

Laparoscopic knot security.

The security of several types of laparoscopic and open knots and varying suture materials was tested in an attempt to improve suture and knot selection for advanced laparoscopic procedures. Six different types of knots and five suture materials were tested. All sutures were of 2-0 size, and laparoscopic knots were tied using a pelvic trainer. A typical number of square throws was used for each suture. Stress was gradually applied by withdrawing the ends of a manual digital tensiometer until either the knot slipped or the suture parted. The maximum stress withstood by the knot-suture complex was recorded, as was whether the knot was secure (i.e., whether the knot held until the suture broke). The data were analyzed using analysis of variance to compare the knot security of the various knot types and the different sutures using a given knot. No significant difference was found in security or stress resistance between laparoscopic square and open square knots or in the Dacron, polypropylene, and expand polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) extracorporeal and intracorporeal knots, with the exception of ePTFE intracorporeal knots, which were significantly less secure (p = 0.028). Silk suture was significantly less secure than all the other sutures tested for all knots tested (p < 0.0001). The Roeder's and Fisherman's knots were the least secure of all laparoscopic knots in all sutures tested (p < 0.0001), with the exception of polyglactin tied with a fisherman's knot, which was as secure as the extracorporeal and intracorporeal polyglactin knots. These experiments showed laparoscopic square knots to be as secure as open square knots; removing the operating finger from the knot does not seem to affect the security of a well-tied square knot. Furthermore, of the permanent sutures tested, there was no substantive difference in the security of laparoscopic intracorporeally and extracorporeally tied knots, except that ePTFE was more secure when tied with extracorporeal throws. Our data also suggest that silk is not as secure as other permanent suture materials.

Management of isolated thyroid swellings: a prospective six year study of fine needle aspiration cytology in diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE: To audit the accuracy and impact on the frequency of operation of fine needle aspiration cytology of isolated thyroid swellings. DESIGN: Prospective analysis over six years of cytological predictions compared with histological findings. SETTING: Thyroid clinic serving the Grampian region. PATIENTS: 395 Consecutive patients presenting with an isolated thyroid swelling, 307 of whom underwent surgical excision. Analysis was confined to a subgroup of 283 patients with satisfactory aspirates who were operated on. RESULTS: The positive predictive value of aspiration cytology for detecting malignant disease was 100% and the sensitivity 83%. The sensitivity for the detection of neoplasia (frank malignancy together with follicular adenomas) was 76%. The specificity was 58% and the overall accuracy 69%. Recalculation of data in previous papers with strict criteria showed the accuracy of aspiration cytology to be variable and lower than is widely accepted. Since the introduction of aspiration cytology 21% fewer operations for isolated thyroid swellings have been performed. CONCLUSIONS: As a basis of selection for surgical excision of isolated thyroid swellings according to prediction of neoplasia fine needle aspiration cytology is less reliable than is widely accepted. It is an adjunct to management rather than a definitive test, and negative cytological results do not exclude neoplastic disease. Further study should take account of the implications of repeated clinic attendances for review and aspiration as these may culminate in delayed surgical treatment.

Donovanosis in Western Australia.

We report and discuss a series of 47 consecutive patients with donovanosis that were diagnosed in a public health laboratory in Western Australia during slightly more than six years. Most came from the tropical northern parts of Western Australia, there was a preponderance of women in the series, and vulval lesions were the most common manifestation of the disease. Two men had extragenital lesions, though each was eventually found to have concomitant genital lesions.

Fine needle aspiration cytology in isolated thyroid swellings: a prospective two year evaluation.

During 1 September 1981 to August 1982 aspiration cytology was carried out in all isolated thyroid swellings referred to the Aberdeen Thyroid Clinic: cytological findings were not disclosed, did not influence management, and were compared retrospectively with the histological diagnosis. In a total of 70 swellings sensitivity for the detection of neoplasia was 86% and overall accuracy 92%; the positive predictive value was 80% and negative predictive value 96%. During the second year (1 September 1982 to 31 August 1983), when cytological findings were used to influence management, the frequency of operation for isolated thyroid swellings decreased by 25% and the proportion of operations for neoplasia increased from 31% to 50%. In terms of bed occupancy the potentially avoidable surgical workload for benign disease was reduced by 34%. Aspiration cytology, carried out at the first clinic attendance, makes a sound basis for selective surgery and leads to economy in the management of isolated thyroid swellings.

Crown repair with a cast post and core.

A technique to make a post and core pattern that can be used to save an existing crown has been presented. The technique should become an additional tool in the treatment armamentarium.

Bis-(4-methylumbelliferyl) phosphate as a substrate for the surface membrane-associated phosphodiesterase activity of pig platelets.

It was found that the newly-available compound, bis-(4-methylumbelliferyl) phosphate, could be used as a substrate for the pig platelet surface membrane-associated phosphodiesterase activity, usually assayed with bis-(p-nitrophenyl) phosphate. This enzyme activity is distinct from the phosphodiesterase activity towards 5'-dTMP-P-nitrophenyl ester, which is probably associated with intracellular membrane structures in platelets. Consequently, the use of the 4-methylumbelliferyl derivative as substrate for the phosphodiesterase activity provides a sensitive, fluorimetric assay for this marker enzyme of the platelet surface membrane.