Rudin-Shapiro Sums Via Automata Theory and Logic.

We show how to obtain, via a unified framework provided by logic and automata theory, many classical results of Brillhart and Morton on Rudin-Shapiro sums. The techniques also facilitate easy proofs for new results.

Preoperative and intraoperative neuromonitoring and mapping techniques impact oncological and functional outcomes in supratentorial function-eloquent brain tumours: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Supratentorial function-eloquent brain tumour surgeries challenge the balance between maximal tumour resection and preservation of neurological function. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of preoperative and intraoperative mapping techniques on resection outcomes and post-operative deficits.

Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis examined literature up to March 2023, sourced from PubMed, Embase, and Medline.

Management of Accidental Paraquat Ingestion in a Child.

Aim: To report on the management of a toddler who had accidental ingestion of an unknown amount of paraquat, with treatment including continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), steroids and antifibrinolytics at a tertiary-level health system.

Methods: A 16-month-old child weighing 10 kg accidentally ingested an unknown amount of Gramoxone containing paraquat. The child was transferred to a tertiary centre Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) where she was electively intubated and commenced on CRRT at 7 hours and 15 minutes post-ingestion.

Viewing distance, font size and symptoms of eyestrain in non-presbyopic and presbyopic smartphone users.

Purpose: Smartphones are the most frequently used digital devices globally with ~6.80 billion users. Despite the ubiquitous use of smartphones, limited information is known on the preferred viewing distance and font size of smartphone users.

Spectral transmission of commercially available high-energy visible light-filtering spectacle lenses.

Significance: High-energy visible (HEV) light-filtering spectacle lenses are being widely promoted despite limited evidence to support their use. The spectral transmission properties of commercially available lenses varied, particularly in the HEV light region, and they do not perform in the same way for transmission of ultraviolet (UV)-A and HEV light.

Purpose: Although HEV light is important for several visual and nonvisual functions, there are concerns over the potential adverse effects of increased HEV light exposure.

Postoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Scans for the Surgical Resection of Cranial Glial Tumors According to National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guidelines: A Single-Center Experience.

Background Glial tumours are the most common central nervous system (CNS) neoplastic lesions. They occur in 7 per 100,000 individuals in the United Kingdom (UK) and are categorized into astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, and glioblastomas in the adult population. The World Health Organization (WHO) has created a classification system in order to better categorise these lesions, placing them in a range from grade I to grade IV.

Teaching Style Preferences and Online Teaching Practices of Optometry Teachers During COVID-19: A Preliminary Study.

Purpose: Although research on teaching style preferences is available in the literature, there is limited information on the preferences of optometry teachers. The Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has impacted educational practices in all sectors. This study focuses on the teaching style preferences and online teaching practices of optometry teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Barriers and enablers to low vision care and rehabilitation in sub-Saharan Africa within a global context.

Low vision is an uncorrectable form of visual impairment that affect millions of people worldwide. Low vision care and rehabilitation are essential to improving the independence of affected individuals. Even though sub-Saharan Africa has one of the highest burdens of low vision globally, there are inadequate care and rehabilitation services in most countries and in some cases they are non-existent This scoping review aimed to identify the barriers and enablers to low vision care and rehabilitation in sub-Saharan Africa and assess these within the global context.

The proposed need for integrated maternal and child oral health policy: A case of South Africa.

The high oral disease burden among children in South Africa, specifically early childhood caries, has received scant attention despite the fact that it is a public health concern that negatively impacts the overall well-being and quality of life of the child. While South Africa has a number of well documented policies that focus on oral health in general and maternal and prenatal health, none specifically addresses the oral health of children under the age of six years. The integration of oral health in maternal and child health care in South Africa could lead to an improved oral health quality of life and better oral health outcomes for mothers and children to address the high prevalence of childhood caries and unmet treatment needs for this population.

Motivation for postgraduate studies by nonacademic optometrists: A case study at a South African university.

Background: An increasing number of optometrists who are nonacademics are pursuing postgraduate studies, despite such qualifications traditionally being more relevant to an academic rather than a clinical setting.

Aim: This study set out to explore possible reasons for the increase in postgraduate studies by nonacademic optometrists and their experiences thereof.

Setting: Postgraduate optometry students who were registered at a selected South African university within the period 2010-2020 participated in the study.

Cataract surgery outcomes: comparison of the extracapsular cataract extraction and manual small incision cataract surgery techniques.

Background: Blindness and visual impairment are public health problems and constitute an important socio-economic burden in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding the outcomes of cataract surgery will improve our knowledge of risk factors for poor outcomes. Previous studies have focused exclusively on the phacoemulsification technique with limited attention to the extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) and manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS) techniques.

Distribution of anterior chamber angle measurements in South African young adults: an optical coherence tomography study.

Purpose: Assessment of anterior chamber angle (ACA) variables is important to screen, diagnose and monitor ocular anomalies. Even though data on ACA variables, such as angle-opening distance taken at 500 µm (AOD500) and trabecular-iris angle (TIA), are available in the literature, limited information is available about these variables in African sub-populations. The purpose of this study is to describe the distribution of ACA measurements (AOD500 and TIA) in a South African young adult population.

Characterization of Retinal Thickness in Individuals with Albinism: Baseline Data for a Black South African Population.

Introduction: The central retina is responsible for several visual functions and continues to develop postnatally. In albinism, which is a genetic disorder characterized by impaired melanin biosynthesis, the development of the central retina is prematurely arrested and results in foveal hypoplasia. Retinal thickness measurements can be determined non-invasively using optical coherence tomography systems.

Historical Development, Applications and Advances in Materials Used in Spectacle Lenses and Contact Lenses.

Lenses used in vision correction have evolved from the initial glass reading stone of the 10th century to the currently anticipated planar metalens made from "nanopillars" of titanium dioxide. With ideas from early scientific minds being translated into reality, and military commissioned concepts adapted for civilian use, spectacle lens and contact lens materials have progressed significantly over the last century, with the expectation of further lens material innovations ahead. The purpose of this article is a review of literature on the historical developments and advances in spectacle lens and contact lens materials.

Endotracheal intubation by a specialised paediatric retrieval team.

Objectives: Intubation of critically ill children is an infrequent procedure, and is associated with significant risk. We set out to describe intubations carried out by the Children's Health Queensland Retrieval Service (CHQRS), with the intention to identify areas for improvement in the performance of intubation in the retrieval setting.

Methods: Paediatric patients undergoing transport while intubated were identified, and cases where intubation occurred after the arrival of the CHQRS team were examined.

Repeatability and reproducibility of retinal nerve fibre layer thickness measurements with the iVue-100 optical coherence tomographer.

Background: Accurate and repeatable measurements of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness are important in the diagnosis and management of glaucoma and other disorders.

Objective: To assess the repeatability and reproducibility of the iVue-100 optical coherence tomographer (OCT).

Methods: The thickness of the RNFL was measured for 50 healthy participants using the iVue-100 OCT.

Outcomes of paediatric critical care asthma patients.

Aim: The aim of this study was to characterise patients with asthma admitted to an Australian paediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

Methods: This was a retrospective review of patients with asthma admitted to a university-affiliated, 23-bed, tertiary PICU between January 2000 and December 2011, with a subset of pharmacotherapy and biochemical data from patients admitted between July 2007 and December 2011.

Results: A total of 589 admissions (501 patients) with asthma over 12 years constituted 4.

Detection of Hb Rothschild HBB: c.[112T>A or 112T>C], Through High Index of Suspicion on Abnormal Pulse Oximetry.

We describe a case with a low oxygen affinity hemoglobin (Hb) variant who presented with cyanosis in the absence of cardiopulmonary disease. The patient, a 27-year-old pregnant female (P1G2), complained of a productive cough and bluish discoloration of the lips that started 3 days prior to seeking attention. She had no previous episodes and has generally been in good health.

Anterior and posterior segment parameters measured with Fourier domain optical coherence tomography in photopic and scotopic conditions.

Purpose: To compare anterior and posterior segment parameters measured with the iVue-100 optical coherence tomography (OCT) in photopic and scotopic conditions.

Methods: Central and peripheral corneal thickness, retinal nerve fiber layer and macula thickness were measured using the iVue-100 OCT in 47 healthy individuals at a higher education institution in photopic (958 lux) and scotopic (0.03 lux) conditions.

Depression among adolescents, aged 13-19 years, attending secondary schools in Trinidad: prevalence and associated factors.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of depression and psychosocial factors associated with depression in secondary school students in Trinidad

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of a stratified random sample of public secondary schools utilizing a modified pre-tested self-administered Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to detect depression in students aged 13-19 years in Trinidad.

Results: In this study, 1290 students participated, a response rate of 79.6%; 43% were aged 13-15 years; 53.

Cortisol response to general anaesthesia for medical imaging in children.

Objective: The cortisol response to surgical stress has been frequently studied, and recommendations developed for steroid replacement in adrenally insufficient patients. There are currently no guidelines, however, for adrenal hormone replacement during anaesthesia alone. The objective of this study was to characterize the normal cortisol response to general anaesthesia in the absence of a surgical procedure in children.

Correlation of fetal outcome with mode of delivery for breech presentation.

The objective of this retrospective analysis of 344 singleton pregnancies of gestational ages greater than 24 weeks conducted at a tertiary hospital was to determine the fetal outcome in relation to the mode of delivery of the fetus with a breech presentation. Caesarean section was performed in 157 mothers, and 187 babies were delivered vaginally. There was no statistical difference in the perinatal outcome for breech fetuses delivered either abdominally or vaginally.