Additively manufactured unimorph dielectric elastomer actuators: Design, materials, and fabrication.

Dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) is a smart material that holds promise for soft robotics due to the material's intrinsic softness, high energy density, fast response, and reversible electromechanical characteristics. Like for most soft robotics materials, additive manufacturing (AM) can significantly benefit DEAs and is mainly applied to the unimorph DEA (UDEA) configuration. While major aspects of UDEA modeling are known, 3D printed UDEAs are subject to specific material and geometrical limitations due to the AM process and require a more thorough analysis of their design and performance.

The effect of cardiopulmonary bypass on blood thiamine concentration and its association with post-operative lactate concentration.

Objective: Cardiothoracic surgery is a large field in Australia, and evidence suggests post-cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) hyperlactataemia is associated with higher morbidity and mortality. Low thiamine levels are a potentially common yet treatable cause of hyperlactataemia and may occur in the setting of exposure to CPB non-biological material. We hypothesized that cardiopulmonary bypass would result in decreased whole-blood thiamine levels, which may therefore result in increased whole-blood lactate levels in the post-operative period.

Toxic leukoencephalopathy in the intensive care unit.

In this article, we report two cases of acute toxic leukoencephalopathy to highlight this acute clinicoradiological syndrome as an important, although uncommon, consideration in the undifferentiated comatose patient who fails to wake following drug overdose or has unexplained neurology with a history of drug exposure. We then review the current literature and discuss potential differential diagnoses in this setting, along with proposed treatments for this condition. The cases presented demonstrate a more fulminant onset than previously well-defined acute toxic leukoencephalopathy subtypes and highlight the prognostic importance of magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosing a condition from which significant functional recovery seems possible.

Effectiveness of visual inspection compared with non-microbiologic methods to determine the thoroughness of post-discharge cleaning.

Background: Published data to date have provided a limited comparison between non-microbiologic methods-particularly visual inspection-and a microbiologic comparator to evaluate the effectiveness of environmental cleaning of patient rooms. We sought to compare the accuracy of visual inspection with other non-microbiologic methods of assessing the effectiveness of post-discharge cleaning (PDC).

Methods: Prospective evaluation to determine the effectiveness of PDC in comparison to a microbiologic comparator.

Australian dust storm: impact on a statewide air medical retrieval service.

Introduction: The Australian dust storm during the week of September 22, 2009, resulted in the grounding of a large portion of the air medical retrieval fleet in Queensland. We sought to determine whether during this event an increase occurred in cases requiring retrieval as a result of the dust storm, and whether the grounding of the retrieval fleet resulted in any adverse outcomes as a result of its inability to respond.

Methods: A retrospective review of respiratory and injury cases referred to the Queensland Emergency Medical System Coordination Centre from September 8 to October 5, 2009 was conducted.