PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

P Laird

Publications and source records attributed to P Laird.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Ferrofluidic adaptive mirrors.

A magnetic liquid mirror based on ferrofluids was demonstrated. Magnetic liquid mirrors represent a major departure from solid mirror technology. They present both advantages and disadvantages with respect to established technologies. Stroke (from a fraction of a wave to several hundreds of micrometers), cost (a few dollars per actuator), and scalability (hundreds of thousands of actuators) are the main advantages. Very large mirrors having diameters of the order of a meter should be feasible. There are a few disadvantages. The most important disadvantage is the time response, which is of the order of a few milliseconds. Although this time response could be further decreased with additional technical developments, it is unlikely to match the speed of solid mirrors. The technology is still in its infancy, and considerable work must still be done. However, the advantages are such that the technology is worth pursuing.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Client perceptions of the polysomnography experience and compliance with therapy.

A grounded theory approach was used to generate theory about clients' perceptions of polysomnography, and the relationships between these perceptions and compliance with therapy. Interviews were conducted with two groups of clients: those who complied with recommended therapy (Continuous Positive Airways Pressure) and those who did not. Compliance with suggested therapy appeared to be related to the degree of benefit derived by the client. In addition, there were problems with the process of diagnosis and follow-up that impacted on client satisfaction and may have influenced their compliance. These findings have highlighted issues which have been used to generate theories that will be tested in future research.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Incidence and risk factors for symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus among inborn very-low-birth-weight infants.

The incidence of symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus (sPDA) in very-low-birth-weight infants has been reported almost exclusively from referral centers. Moreover, the incidence has varied considerably. We prospectively evaluated the incidence and risk factors of sPDA in a totally inborn population of infants less than or equal to 1500 g birth weight (n = 120) receiving conservative fluid management and examined the role of echocardiography in predicting sPDA before clinical signs are evident. The incidence of sPDA was relatively low (16%) and the age at onset was relatively late (mean +/- S.E. = 14.7 +/- 3.0 days) when compared to prior reports. Echocardiographic changes preceded physical and radiographic findings of sPDA. Fluid volume within the range administered to our infants was unrelated to the occurrence of sPDA. However, risk factors identifiable within 24 h of birth were defined: obstetric estimate of gestational age, race, mean fluid volume intake in the initial 24 h, and early treatment with volume expanders. From these risk factors, 79% of infants with sPDA and 79% without sPDA could be predicted by stepwise discriminant function analyses. These findings may be employed in studies needed to assess the benefit of early surgical or pharmacologic therapy for infants at highest risk for sPDA.

Delivery, Obstetric↗