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Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia Terminating In Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Safoorah Khalid, Salman Adil, Mohammad Khurshid

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM) is a rare condition, accounting for approximately 2% of haematologic malignancies. The most common causes of death in these patients are progression of the malignant lymphoproliferative process, infection and cardiac failure. Acute leukemia is a rare event in the clinical course of WM. A number of case reports have documented the development of terminal acute leukemia in patients with WM following prolonged chemotherapy.

Role Of Ict Malaria Immunochromatographic Test For Rapid Diagnosis Of Malaria, Mahadev S. Harani, M.Asim Beg, Lubna Khaleeq,, Salman Adil, Ghulam Nabi Kakepoto, Mohammad Khurshid

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of immunochromatographic test (ICT) malaria p.f/p.v using microscopy as the gold standard diagnosis. Methods: Five hundred and sixty patients of both sexes and all age groups with clinical suspicion of malaria were studied. Venous blood was collected for microscopy and ICT. Thick and thin films prepared and stained with Leishman's stain were examined. ICT malaria test was performed and interpreted according to manufacturer's instructions. Data was analyzed using Epi-6.
Results: A total of 560 cases were studied, 339 males and 221 females with age ranges between 2 to 73 years. …

Fludarabine Induced Autoimmune Haemolytic Anaemia In A Patient With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia, Naveen Naz Syed, Mohammad Khurshid

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia following fludarabine is an uncommon complication and previously treated patients are at higher risk. We describe a case of 57- year old lady with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia; she received intermittent courses of alkylating agents and purine analogue, fludarabine. Reintroduction of fludarabine for her relapsing disease induced autoimmune haemolytic anaemia. Numbers of cases have been reported regarding autoimmune haemolytic anaemia following fludarabine administration, but none have been published from our part of the world. Normally T-cell suppresses autoreactive lymphocytes that can produce autoantibodies. Suppression of T-cells by fludarabine, in addition to the underlying disease process appears to be …

Significance Of Cytogenetic Abnormalities In Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, Mahadev S. Harani, Salman Adil, Ghulam Nabi Kakepoto, Zahida Khilji, Usman Shaikh, Mohammad Khurshid

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective: To evaluate the role of karyotype in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) as a predictor of response to induction chemotherapy.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at the department of Pathology and Oncology, Aga Khan University Karachi from January 2003 to January 2005. Newly diagnosed patients with denovo AML admitted to the hospital were included in the study. Diagnosis of AML was based on FAB criteria, immunophenotyping and cytogenetic studies. They were treated according to standard protocols (combination of anthracycline and cytarabine -3+7) and those who had acute promyelocytic leukaemia additionally received all- trans retinoic acid (ATRA). …

Clinico-Pathologic Features Of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia And Risk Stratification According To Sokal Score, Naveen Naz Syed, Mikal Usman, Gulnaz Khaliq, Salman Adil, Mohammad Khurshid

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

To compile the clinical and haematological parameters of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and risk stratification according to Sokal score in our population. A descriptive analysis. The Aga Khan University Hospital, during the period from August 1997 to August 2005. All patients with diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia treated as outpatient in haematology clinic, or admitted in haem-oncology wards in The Aga Khan University Hospital were included. Records were retrospectively analyzed for clinicopathologic features. Risk groups were assigned as per Sokal scoring. During the 8 years study period, 245 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia were analyzed, the median age of presentation …

Extra Pulmonary Uptake Of Tc-99m-Maa Perfusion Lung Scan As A Result Of Right To Left Intra Cardiac Shunt, Riffat Hussain, Maseeh-Uz-Zaman, Sohail Abrar Khan, M Nadeem Ahmad

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Extra pulmonary accumulation of Tc-99m-macroaggregate of albumin (MAA) is rarely seen on perfusion lung scan, and has been reported in less than 4% of a study population of nearly 380 patients1. It occurs when the agent bypasses the lungs due to a right to left (R-L) cardiac or pulmonary shunt, when it is shunted to the portal vein before reaching the right atrium and ventricle of the heart, and when the agent is degraded to a submicron particle size.2 When a pharmaceutical problem is excluded, extra-pulmonary uptake implies unusual hemodynamics with a shunt.

The Development And Optimization Of Microbial Molecular Biomarkers For The In Situ Assessment Of Trace Metal Toxicity, Nicolas James Bouskill

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Microorganisms are fundamental components of many geochemical transformations occurring in the aquatic environment. Microbial redox and methylation of metals within the environment can alter metal speciation, mobility and ultimately, toxicity to eukaryotes. It is therefore practical that any environmental monitoring framework advocating the application of `early-warning biomarker system' should incorporate a holistic view of the environment beginning with microbial activity. This thesis describes the development of protocols for assessing the in situ condition of microbial ecosystems within a gradient of metal contaminated sites radiating downstream of the Anaconda Smelter, a USEPA-designated superfund site and within two control sites. Experiments focus …

The Potential Use Of (1→3, 1→4)-Β-D-Glucan From Barley As A Functional Food Ingredient For Cereal Foods, Louise Jane Cleary

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The health related importance of dietary fibre as part of a balanced diet is well known. More recently, soluble fibres, such as (1→3, 1→4)-β-D-glucan (β-glucan), have been shown to influence glycaemic, insulin and cholesterol responses to foods. Barley is a rich source of β-glucan; however, consumption of products containing barley grain or flour is often limited by their negative organoleptic quality. A potential solution lies in the use of barley as an extraction source for β-glucan fractions. One problem with regards to this is the lack of clarity on the use of barley β-glucan fractions in food systems, particularly their …

The Future Of Student Grouping Systems In Science 14-16., Stephen Rowcliffe

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

Ability grouping is a contentious issue in high school science education, and one that divides teachers,parents, and policymakers alike. However, it may be that current grouping systems are founded on ideasthat are failing to provide for the best interests of students at any ability level. This article aims to reviewcurrent practice and its effects on student and teacher outcomes, and suggest a new direction for studentgrouping polices based on the ideal of “science for all” through curriculum reform and choice-basedmodular course systems. The article is based largely on the British education system.

Supplementary Prescribing By Pharmacists In England, Rj Hobson, Gj Sewell

School of Health Professions

No abstract provided.

Studies On The Decontamination Of Surfaces Exposed To Cytotoxic Drugs In Chemotherapy Workstations, Gj Sewell, S Roberts, N Khammo, G Mcdonnell

School of Health Professions

No abstract provided.

Wikis, Blogs And Podcasts: A New Generation Of Web-Based Tools For Virtual Collaborative Clinical Practice And Education, Boulos Mn Kamel, Inocencio Maramba, Steve Wheeler

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

Settling In, I Rae, J Lansley, J Tormey

School of Art, Design and Architecture

No abstract provided.

Force Measurements On A Flapping And Pitching Wing At Low Reynolds Numbers, Kakkattukuzhy M. Isaac, Anthony Colozza, Jessica Rolwes

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Force measurements from experiments conducted in water on a flapping-and-pitching thin flat plate wing of semi-elliptic planform at low Reynolds numbers are reported. Time varying force data, measured using a force transducer, provide a means to understand the mechanisms that lead to enhanced performance observed in insect flight compared to fixed wing aerodynamics. Experimental uncertainties associated with low level (∼1N) fluid dynamic force measurements on flapping-and-pitching wings are addressed. a previously proposed pitching mode in which the leading edge and trailing edge switch roles to allow using cambered airfoils has been shown to be viable and may have advantages over …

Effects Of Current On Droplet Generation And Arc Plasma In Gas Metal Arc Welding, J. Hu, Hai-Lung Tsai

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In gas metal arc welding (GMAW), a technology using pulsed currents has been employed to achieve the one-droplet-per-pulse (ODPP) metal transfer mode with the advantages of low average currents, a stable and controllable droplet generation, and reduced spatter. In this paper, a comprehensive model was developed to study the effects of different current profiles on the droplet formation, plasma generation, metal transfer, and weld pool dynamics in GMAW. Five types of welding currents were studied, including two constant currents and three wave form currents. In each type, the transient temperature and velocity distributions of the arc plasma and the molten …

Neural Network Approach For Obstacle Avoidance In 3-D Environments For Uavs, Vivek Yadav, Xiaohua Wang, S. N. Balakrishnan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper a controller design is proposed to get obstacle free trajectories in a three dimensional urban environment for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). The controller has a two-layer architecture. In the upper layer, vision-inspired Grossberg neural network is proposed to get the shortest distance paths. In the bottom layer, a model predictive control (MPC) based controller is used to obtain dynamically feasible trajectories. Simulation results are presented for to demonstrate the potential of the approach.

Nonlinear Control Concepts For A Ua, Vijayakumar Janardhan, Derek Schmitz, S. N. Balakrishnan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A reconfigurable flight control method is developed to be implemented on an Unmanned Aircraft (UA), a thirty percent scale model of the Cessna 150. This paper presents the details of the UA platform, system identification, reconfigurable controller design, development, and implementation on the UA to analyze the performance metrics. A Crossbow Inertial Measurement Unit provides the roll, pitch, and yaw accelerations and rates along with the roll and pitch. The 100-400 mini-air data boom from SpaceAge Control provides the airspeed, altitude, angle of attack, and the side slip angles. System identification is accomplished by commanding preprogrammed inputs to the control …

Plasma Modeling For Ultrashort Laser Ablation Of Dielectrics, Lan Jiang, Hai-Lung Tsai

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In ultrashort pulse (<10 ps) laser ablation of dielectrics, affected materials are first transformed into absorbing plasma with metallic properties and, then, the subsequent laser-plasma interaction causes material removals. For ultrashort-pulse laser ablation of dielectrics, this study proposes a model using the Fokker-Planck equation for electron density distribution, a plasma model for the optical properties of ionized dielectrics, and quantum treatments for electron heating and relaxation time. The free electron density distribution of the plasma within the pulse duration is then used to determine the ablation crater shape. The predicted threshold fluences and ablation depths for barium aluminum borosilicate and fused silica are in agreement with published experimental data. It is found that the significantly varying optical properties in time and space are the key factors determining the ablation crater shape. The effects of fluence and pulse duration are also studied.

Statistically Steady Measurements Of Rayleigh-Taylor Mixing In A Gas Channel, Malcolm J. Andrews, Arindam Banerjee

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A novel gas channel experiment is described to study the development of high Atwood number Rayleigh-Taylor mixing. Two gas streams, one containing air and the other containing a helium-air mixture, flow parallel to each other separated by a thin splitter plate. The streams meet at the end of a splitter plate leading to the formation of an unstable interface and of buoyancy driven mixing. This buoyancy driven mixing experiment allows for long data collection times, has short transients, and is statistically steady. The facility was designed to be capable of large Atwood number studies (At~0.75). We describe initial validation work …

An Optimal Dynamic Inversion Approach For Controlling A Class Of One-Dimensional Nonlinear Distributed Parameter Systems, Radhakant Padhi, S. N. Balakrishnan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Combining the principles of dynamic inversion and optimization theory, a new approach is presented for stable control of a class of one-dimensional nonlinear distributed parameter systems, assuming the availability a continuous actuator in the spatial domain. Unlike the existing approximate-then-design and design-then-approximate techniques, here there is no need of any approximation either of the system dynamics or of the resulting controller. Rather, the control synthesis approach is fairly straight-forward and simple. The controller formulation has more elegance because we can prove the convergence of the controller to its steady state value. To demonstrate the potential of the proposed technique, a …

Dynamic Re-Optimization Of A Spacecraft Attitude Controller In The Presence Of Uncertainties, Nishant Unnikrishnan, S. N. Balakrishnan, Radhakant Padhi

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Online trained neural networks have become popular in recent years in the design of robust and adaptive controllers for dynamic systems with uncertainties due to their universal function approximation capabilities. This paper discusses a technique that dynamically reoptimizes a Single Network Adaptive Critic (SNAC) based optimal controller in the presence of unmodeled plant uncertainties. The SNAC based optimal controller designed for the nominal plant model no more retains optimality in the presence of uncertainties/unmodeled dynamics that may creep up in the system equations during operation. This calls for a strategy to re-optimize the existing SNAC controller with respect to the …

Experimental Simulation Of Lightning Optical Emissions In Clouds, Anil Ogale, Kunal Mitra, Arindam Banerjee

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The objective of the study is to experimentally determine the information content of lightning optical emissions through clouds. Clouds affect the amplitude of lightning signals and the apparent dimensions of the optical source. Multiple scattering from the cloud media also alters the shape of the temporal profile of the lightning signal. The goal is to provide accurate estimates of the arrival time delay and temporal pulse width broadening of output signals emitted from clouds for different cloud and lightning parameters. Experiments conducted in the laboratory yield a temporally broadened pulse with an overall decrease in the peak and a delay …

Magnetically Filtered Faraday Probe For Measuring The Ion Current Density Profile Of A Hall Thruster., Joshua L. Rovey, Mitchell L. R. Walker, Alec D. Gallimore, Peter Y. Peterson

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The ability of a magnetically filtered Faraday probe (MFFP) to obtain the ion current density profile of a Hall thruster is investigated. The MFFP is designed to eliminate the collection of low-energy, charge-exchange (CEX) ions by using a variable magnetic field as an ion filter. In this study, a MFFP, Faraday probe with a reduced acceptance angle (BFP), and nude Faraday probe are used to measure the ion current density profile of a 5 kW Hall thruster operating over the range of 300-500 V and 5-10 mg/s. The probes are evaluated on a xenon propellant Hall thruster in the University …

Neuroadaptive Model Following Controller Design For A Nonaffine Uav Model, Nishant Unnikrishnan, S. N. Balakrishnan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes a new model-following adaptive control design technique for nonlinear systems that are nonaffine in control. The adaptive controller uses online neural networks that guarantee tracking in the presence of unmodeled dynamics and/or parameter uncertainties present in the system model through an online control adaptation procedure. The controller design is carried out in two steps: (i) synthesis of a set of neural networks which capture the unmodeled (neglected) dynamics or model uncertainties due to parametric variations and (ii) synthesis of a controller that drives the state of the actual plant to that of a reference model. This method …

Optimal Impulse Control Of Systems With Control Constraints And Application To Hiv Treatment, Vivek Yadav, S. N. Balakrishnan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, conditions for optimal impulse control of an impulsive system with constraints on control are derived. These hold for a system whose states can be changed instantaneously at discrete times with impulses while a continuous control is being applied between those times. The conditions derived are applied to the problem of optimal HIV treatment. Simulation results are presented to show the treatment procedure. The results obtained show that the intervention method developed leads to good results.

Biblical Exposition And Faith Integration, Robby Waddell Dr.

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Massive Primary Postpartum Haemorrhage: Setting Up Standards Of Care, Lumaan Sheikh, Nadeem F. Zuberi, Rubab Riaz, Javed H. Rizvi

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Objective: To review practice of massive primary postpartum haemorrhage management and develop a protocol.
Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi between January 1, 2003 and July 31, 2004. Women with primary postpartum haemorrhage and had blood loss >1000ml were included in the study. Medical record files of these women were reviewed for maternal mortality and morbidities which included mode of delivery, possible cause of postpartum haemorrhage, supportive, medical and surgical interventions.
Results: Approximately 3% (140/4881) of women had primary postpartum haemorrhage. 'Near miss' cases with blood loss …

The Accuracy Of Ultrasound In The Diagnosis Of Congenital Abnormalities, Shama Munim, Salva Nadeem, Nadya Ali Khuwaja

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Objective: To determine the accuracy of ultrasound in the diagnosis of congenital abnormalities at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi.
Methods: The data of congenital abnormalities was obtained from the obstetrical database and medical records of all cases complicated by congenital abnormalities, delivering from January 2001 to December 2003 and was reviewed. Antenatal ultrasounds had been performed by operators with different level of experience. In addition this data was retrieved from the termination and Congenital anomaly register. A structured data collection form was used to collect information of different variables of interest.
Results: Congenital abnormalities, complicated 2.8% (n=170), of all …

Revelation, Robby Waddell Dr.

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Old Testament Survey, Steelman Library, G White

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.