Comparative electrocardiographic study of the Asian freshwater box turtle Cuora flavomarginata and the Asian yellow pond turtle Mauremys mutica using non-invasive methods.

Background: Evaluation of cardiac function is an integral part of clinical examination of chelonians. However, information about electrocardiography (ECG) in turtles and tortoises is limited and fragmentary. Its application is limited due to the lack of ECG reference values. This study aimed to compare specific ECG parameters using non-invasive methods in the Asian box turtle Cuora flavomarginata (CF) and the Asian yellow pond turtle Mauremys mutica (MM). Methods: We included 116 clinically healthy and conscious turtles. Two non-invasive methods, using adhesive patches or crocodile clips, for ECG were applied where possible. The ambient temperature was within the preferred optimum temperature zone of both species. We used specific digital ECG monitoring equipment to record the ECG data and analysed the data using specific software. Results: The MM group showed better ECG quality and lower heart rate than the CF group. Comparing both methods, the adhesive patches method yielded higher ECG quality in the CF group, while the crocodile clips method yielded higher ECG quality in the MM group. Conclusions: The study population was selected as presumed healthy turtles; the presence of systemic or cardiac disease could not be excluded completely due to limited investigation. Both ECG methods were clinically potentially useful for obtaining ECG parameters; the ECG quality was influenced by the method used.

Adjusting Quality Control Chart Limits for WBC, RBC, Hb, and PLT Counts to Reduce Daily Control Risks in Hospital Laboratory.

BACKGROUND: To continuously improve medical quality and provide clinicians with more accurate blood test reports, this study collected blood quality control data in 2017 from a medical examination laboratory in a teaching level hospital located in Taoyuan City, Taiwan. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The quality control data were arranged and analyzed from daily complete blood count (CBC), including white blood cells (WBC), red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), and platelets (PLT) recorded by a laboratory blood analyzer. Using the empirical Bayesian method, we estimated the variation of concentrations of the last and current batches to establish a novel control chart with adjusted upper and lower limits for the current batch, and then compared results with the traditional Shewhart method. The average run length (ARL) and sensitivity of the empirical Bayesian method were explored. RESULTS: The study found that ARL showed a qualified capability for the four blood routine tests when using the empirical Bayesian method. Compared to the Levey-Jennings control chart, the novel control chart presents an alert earlier when a deviation occurs and shows a fake alert later when there is no deviation. CONCLUSION: The parallel tests showed that the longer the time is, the better the test's proficiency. We concluded that the empirical Bayesian method could be applied effectively to improve the capability of daily control in CBC laboratory tests.

A 45 nm Stacked CMOS Image Sensor Process Technology for Submicron Pixel.

A submicron pixel's light and dark performance were studied by experiment and simulation. An advanced node technology incorporated with a stacked CMOS image sensor (CIS) is promising in that it may enhance performance. In this work, we demonstrated a low dark current of 3.2 e-/s at 60 °C, an ultra-low read noise of 0.90 e-·rms, a high full well capacity (FWC) of 4100 e-, and blooming of 0.5% in 0.9 µm pixels with a pixel supply voltage of 2.8 V. In addition, the simulation study result of 0.8 µm pixels is discussed.