Reichenbach Fuzzy Set of Transitivity

Fuzzy implicators are the basic ingredients of many applications. So it becomes essential to study the various features of an implicator before implementing it in any practical application. This paper discusses the properties of transitivity of a fuzzy relation on a given universe and measure of fuzzy transitivity defined in terms of the Reichenbach fuzzy implicator which is an s-implicator

Conceptualizing Core Practices for Professional Development of Novice Mentors

Purposeful and effective professional development of teacher mentors is often a proposed solution in many of the present debates about education, including teacher quality, teacher retention, and the student achievement gap. The literature about teacher mentoring suggests that if mentors in teacher education programs do not have significant professional development on mentoring, even a thoughtfully organized formal induction program can be ineffective in preparing good teachers, undermined by an unprepared mentor. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to propose a framework of professional development for veteran teachers who are to become mentors. Our framework will have a three-fold effect. The framework is designed to (a) develop or strengthen supportive and collaborative partnerships between schools and teacher education programs; (b) prompt veteran teachers to identify, share, and deconstruct their teaching practices with colleagues and teacher educators; and (c) scaffold teacher learning into research on and best practices in effective mentoring. Ultimately, the framework's aim is to structure the preparation of effective teacher mentors, who will go on to have positive impacts on interns and novice teachers' long-term successes. Notably, based on the research, our Professional Development (PD) framework is situated in schools, about subject area knowledge, and focused on mastery of mentoring skills.

Child labour: a public health issue

Child labour is a global practice and has many negative outcomes. According to International Labour Organization, child labour is the important source of child exploitation and child abuse in the world today. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has estimated the number of Pakistani working children to be around 11-12 millions, out of which, at least, half the children are under the age of ten years. It portrays the society\u27s attitude towards child care. It is therefore, essential to break this vicious cycle and hence, enable the society to produce healthy citizens. This article analyzes the determinants of child labour in the Pakistani context and its implications for child\u27s life, in specific, and for the nation, in general, utilizing the model developed by Clemen-stone & McGuire (1991). Since this practice has complex web of causation, a multidisciplinary approach is required to combat this issue through proposed recommendations

Assessment of quality of life in patients on antiepileptic drugs: a hospital based cross sectional study

Background: Quality of life (QOL) is a broad, multidimensional concept that usually includes subjective evaluations of both positive and negative aspects of life. Very few studies have been carried out on QOLIE 31 in India and research in this area will identify factors affecting QOL. study was therefore conducted to determine the level of health related QOL of patients of epilepsy in a tertiary care teaching hospital. To evaluate patterns of the use of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) and their impact on the Quality of Life (QOL) in patients with epilepsy.Methods: The study was a hospital based cross sectional study conducted by the Department of Pharmacology in association with the Department of Medicine, Government Medical College, Srinagar. A total number of 134 patients, aged >18 years were studied for a period of one and a half years, January 2015-July 2016. QOLIE‑31 questionnaire was used for collecting data on health‑related QOL.Results: The mean overall QOLIE-31 score was 53 corresponding to a t-score of 44. Amongst the QOLIE-31 subscales, the highest mean score was the cognitive subscale (73.6) followed by medication effects (55.5) and social functions (52).Conclusions: It is evident from our study that there are many factors that influence QOL of people with epilepsy. Among them, type of drug therapy plays an important role. Adding clinical counselling and other interventions to address the physical, mental, psychological, social, and emotional aspects of health wellbeing is likely to achieve better health outcomes for epilepsy patients

A “Near-Miss Lethal Accident Case” in MR Suit of a Tertiary Care Hospital

A “near miss” is an unpleasant event that did not result in injury, illness, or damage but had the potential to do so, but for a fortunate break in the chain of events. We present a near-miss case which occurred in the MR suite of a tertiary care hospital. Although the MR is considered a very safe procedure, if MR safety guidelines are not adhered to, adverse and catastrophic events to the extent of patient deaths are known to have occurred. It is hoped that this incident will prompt hospitals to document and follow MR safety protocols for patient and staff safety. Although MRI is an extremely safe procedure rarely MR adverse incidents have resulted in serious physical injury or even death. The incident is an eye opener regarding potential adverse events lurking in the relatively safe MR environment and provides an opportunity to rectify the inadequacies in MR safety

Operational parameters optimization for remediation of crude oil-polluted water in floating treatment wetlands using response surface methodology

The application of floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) is an innovative nature-based solution for the remediation of polluted water. The rational improvement of water treatment via FTWs is typically based on multifactorial experiments which are labor-intensive and time-consuming. Here, we used the response surface methodology (RSM) for the optimization of FTW’s operational parameters for the remediation of water polluted by crude oil. The central composite design (CCD) of RSM was used to generate the experimental layout for testing the effect of the variables hydrocarbon, nutrient, and surfactant concentrations, aeration, and retention time on the hydrocarbon removal in 50 different FTW test systems planted with the common reed, Phragmites australis. The results from these FTW were used to formulate a mathematical model in which the computational data strongly correlated with the experimental results. The operational parameters were further optimized via modeling prediction plus experimental validation in test FTW systems. In the FTW with optimized parameters, there was a 95% attenuation of the hydrocarbon concentration, which was very close to the 98% attenuation predicted by the model. The cost-effectiveness ratio showed a reduction of the treatment cost up to $0.048/liter of wastewater. The approach showed that RSM is a useful strategy for designing FTW experiments and optimizing operational parameters

The analgesic efficacy of ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane block vs. local anesthetic infiltration technique in major gynecologic surgery: A randomized controlled trial

Background and aim: Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block and local anesthetic infiltration (LAI) technique are used as part of the multimodal analgesic regimen after abdominal surgery. Postoperative opioid consumption and analgesic efficacy was compared using TAP and LAI techniques in patients undergoing gynecologic surgery in a randomized, controlled clinical trial.Material and methods: Total of 135 patients scheduled for major gynecological surgeries were allocated into three groups: group T received bilateral TAP block with bupivacaine 0.25%; group I received LAI with 0.25% bupivacaine with epinephrine 5 μ/mL in the peritoneum and abdominal wall, and group C was control group. Anesthesia and postoperative analgesia were standardized. Outcome measures were cumulative and rescue tramadol consumption, numerical rating score (NRS) for pain and side effects in post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) at 4, 8, 12 hours postoperatively.Results: Tramadol consumption, need for rescue analgesia, and NRS for pain between three groups at 4, 8, and 12 hours postoperatively had no statistically significant difference (P \u3c 0.05). In PACU, median tramadol consumption used for rescue analgesia between group T (15 (15-30)) and group C (30 (15-45)) (P = 0.035), and between group T (15 (15-30)) and group I (30 (15-52)) was statistically significant (P = 0.034). In PACU, the percentage of patients having NRS \u3e4 on movement in group C (72%) compared to group T (46.5%) and group I (46.5%) was significant (P = 0.034). No statistically significant difference was observed in the incidence of side effects among study groups (P \u3e 0.05).Conclusion: Except for the immediate postoperative period, neither TAP block nor LAI had added benefit to the multimodal analgesia regimen in patients undergoing gynecological surgeries

Atypical Localizations of Hydatid Disease: Experience from a Single Institute

Introduction: The hydatid disease most often involves the liver and the lungs. The disease can involve any part of the body except the hair, teeth and nails. Primary extrahepaticopulmonary hydatid cysts are rare and only a few sporadic cases have been reported. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and forty-four patients with hydatid cysts managed surgically from January 2005 to December 2009 were evaluated retrospectively. Fourteen (5.7%) patients had isolated involvement of the atypical sites, while six (2.4%) also had a primary involvement of liver. Results: The cysts were present in gall bladder (0.4%), peritoneum (1.6%), spleen (1.6%), ovary (0.4%), subcutaneous (0.8%), seminal vesicle (0.4%), spinal (0.4%), pancreas (0.4%), kidney (0.4%), mediastinal (0.4%), muscle (0.4%), and brain (0.8%). Discussion and Conclusions: Involvement of sites other than liver and lungs by hydatid disease is rare. Symptoms are related to size, location or possible complication of the cyst. It should be strongly suspected in differential diagnosis of all abdominal cysts especially in an endemic area. Proper surgical and medical management to avoid any recurrences, and a regular follow-up, are of utmost importance to detect any late complications such as local recurrence of the disease and development of hydatidosis at the primary sites.Keywords: Atypical locations, hydatid, echinococcosisNigerian Journal of Surgery, Jan-Jun 2012 | Volume 18 | Issue