A view of HIV--infection in Karachi

A prospective study on the prevalence of HIV-l infection in Karachi, Pakistan was conducted over a period of six years (1986-1992). Over 15,000 individualsamples and more than 32,000 donor units of individuals residing in Karachi at the time of sample co llection were tested for HIV-I infection by our screening test EIA which revealed a positivity rate of 0.23% and 0.003% in individual and donor units respectively by Western Blot. We divided patients into four groups A,B,C and D based on the most plausible cause of transmission. The largest number of positive patients belonged to group B, who were of either foreign origin or expatriates or Pakistanis settled abroad. They comprised approximately 67% of the total positive cases and were subjected to testing on strong clinical grounds. In individuals of other groups like group A and D, there was history of travel abroad from time to time. The only positive donor unit (group C) belonged to a person who had been li ving in Middle East for the last 10-12 years. The last group D comprised of samples that wer e directly sent to us without complete history,except for the fact that they had been travelling back and forth. The large majority of patients fell in 20-50 years age group. Despite the limitations of this study, we conclude that the prevalence of HIV is steadily Increasing in our population and so far, we have no been able to find an indigenous case of AIDS in our serie

Thermal Conductivity of Dusty Plasmas through Molecular Dynamics Simulations

The studies of strongly coupled complex plasmas are of significant in the area of science and technology. The plasma thermal conductivity strongly coupled (complex) plasmas is of significant in scientific technology, because it behaves as complex fluids. The two-dimensional (2D) plasma thermal conductivity of strongly coupled complex dusty plasmas (SCCDPs) has been investigated by using the homogenous nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (HNEMD) simulations, proposed by Evan-Gillan scheme, at higher screening parameter к. In our case, we have chosen particularly higher screening strength (к) for calculating plasma thermal conductivity. The new simulations of plasma thermal conductivity are computed over an extensive range of plasma states (Г, к) for suitable system sizes by applying the HNEMD simulation method at constant external force field strength (F*). It is found that the plasma thermal conductivity of SCCDPS decreases by increasing plasma states (Г, к). The calculations show that the kinetic energy of SCCDPS depends upon the system temperature (1/Г) and it is independent of к for higher screening parameter. The new results of thermal conductivity obtained from an improved HNEMD algorithm are in satisfactory agreement with earlier known numerical results and experimental data for 2D SCCDPS. It is depicted that the HNEMD method is a powerful tool to calculate an accurate plasma thermal conductivity of 2D SCCDPS

Studies of Self Diffusion Coefficient in Electrorheological Complex Plasmas through Molecular Dynamics Simulations

A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method has been proposed for three-dimensional (3D) electrorheological complex (dusty) plasmas (ER-CDPs). The velocity autocorrelation function (VACF) and self-diffusion coefficient (D) have been investigated through Green-Kubo expressions by using equilibrium MD simulations. The effect of uniaxial electric field (MT) on the VACF and D of dust particles has been computed along with different combinations of plasma Coulomb coupling (Γ) and Debye screening (κ) parameters. The new simulation results reflect diffusion motion for lower-intermediate to higher plasma coupling (Γ) for the sufficient strength of 0.0 < M ≥ 1.5. The simulation outcomes show that the MT significantly affects VACF and D. It is observed that the strength of MT increases with increasing the Γ and up to κ = 2. Furthermore, it is found that the increasing trend in D for the external applied MT significantly depends on the combination of plasma parameters (Γ, κ). For the lower values of Γ, the proposed method works only for the low strength of MT; at higher Γ, the simulation scheme works for lower to intermediate MT, and D increased almost 160%. The present results are in fair agreement with parts of other MD data in the literature, with our values generally overpredicting the diffusion motion in ER-CDPs. The investigations show that the present algorithm more effective for the liquids-like and solid-like state of ER-CDPs. Thus, current equilibrium MD techniques can be employed to compute the thermophysical properties and also helps to understand the microscopic mechanism in ER-CDPs

Inventory Management and Its Effects on Customer Satisfaction

This study examines how inventory management puts positive impact on customer satisfaction and how easily we can check the performance. It also helps retailers to put their inventories in proper order which tells them about demand and supply of their inventories. Proper inventory management system reduces the risk of short of inventories which reduce the cost of lost customers. The objective of the study is to minimize the risk of dissatisfaction of customers and found how to sustain customer satisfaction with the help of proper inventories system. This paper also outlines significant relationship between Customer needs, Quality with variable of prime interest. Poor association has been found between performance and customer satisfaction

Association Of Vitamin D Status And Diabetes Mellitus

To evaluate the association of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD)inadequacyand hyperglycaemia in a Pakistani adult population.Study Design:Case control studyPlace &amp; Period of Study:Department of Pathology, PNS SHIFA Hospital, Karachi; Aug 2011 to Nov 2011.Method and Material:Plasma Glucose levels were measured in 86 patients divided on the basis of their 25-hydroxyvitamin D3(25OHD)levels in three groups, normal (&gt;31 ng/ml), insufficient (20-31ng/ml) and deficient (&lt;20ng/ml). Vitamin D insufficiency (VDI)and Vitamin D Deficiency (VDD) are collectively called Vitamin D inadequacy. 25OHD was measured by electrochemiluminescenceusing Roche Elecsys® Systems while glucose was estimated by routine methods on Roche Hitachi® Autoanalyser.Results:.Vitamin D levels were inversely correlated with plasma glucose levels(r=-0.38;p&lt;0.01) with an Odd Ratio of 3.59(95%confidence interval 1.29 to 8.70).Fasting plasma glucose was significantly higher in VDD patientsas compared to patients withnormal vitamin D status (p&lt;0.05).Conclusion:Higher glucose levels were found more frequent in patients with Vitamin D deficiency

Addressing Communication, Coordination and Cultural Issues in Global Software Development Projects

The field of Global Software Development has been an active area of research for the last two decades due to its enormous benefits such as lower labor cost, faster development and easy access to the skilled labor pool. Apart from these benefits, it faces some challenges like communication, coordination, trust and configuration management etc. These challenges arise primarily due to physical, cultural and time zone differences. The empirical studies highlight that the existing Global Software Development solutions do not fully meet the user needs as there are still several gaps in these solutions. Therefore, to fulfill these gaps, there is a need to develop novel frameworks that address outstanding issues. In this paper, we have attempted to address the aforesaid GSD challenges. The practitioners can benefit from our proposed framework during the execution of GSD projects. The proposed framework mainly focuses on the root causes of the two principal challenges namely the communication and cultural differences. We believe that if the team members of a software project can communicate effectively and show considerations for others by imparting due reverence to the cultural norms, then the other residual issues can easily be reduced and minimized

Automating Test Case Generation for Android Applications using Model-based Testing

Testing of mobile applications (apps) has its quirks as numerous events are required to be tested. Mobile apps testing, being an evolving domain, carries certain challenges that should be accounted for in the overall testing process. Since smartphone apps are moderate in size so we consider that model-based testing (MBT) using state machines and statecharts could be a promising option for ensuring maximum coverage and completeness of test cases. Using model-based testing approach, we can automate the tedious phase of test case generation, which not only saves time of the overall testing process but also minimizes defects and ensures maximum test case coverage and completeness. In this paper, we explore and model the most critical modules of the mobile app for generating test cases to ascertain the efficiency and impact of using model-based testing. Test cases for the targeted model of the application under test were generated on a real device. The experimental results indicate that our framework reduced the time required to execute all the generated test cases by 50%. Experimental setup and results are reported herein

Prognostic model to predict postoperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery based on a national prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Acute illness, existing co-morbidities and surgical stress response can all contribute to postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery. The aim of this study was prospectively to develop a pragmatic prognostic model to stratify patients according to risk of developing AKI after major gastrointestinal surgery. Methods: This prospective multicentre cohort study included consecutive adults undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection, liver resection or stoma reversal in 2-week blocks over a continuous 3-month period. The primary outcome was the rate of AKI within 7 days of surgery. Bootstrap stability was used to select clinically plausible risk factors into the model. Internal model validation was carried out by bootstrap validation. Results: A total of 4544 patients were included across 173 centres in the UK and Ireland. The overall rate of AKI was 14·2 per cent (646 of 4544) and the 30-day mortality rate was 1·8 per cent (84 of 4544). Stage 1 AKI was significantly associated with 30-day mortality (unadjusted odds ratio 7·61, 95 per cent c.i. 4·49 to 12·90; P < 0·001), with increasing odds of death with each AKI stage. Six variables were selected for inclusion in the prognostic model: age, sex, ASA grade, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, planned open surgery and preoperative use of either an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker. Internal validation demonstrated good model discrimination (c-statistic 0·65). Discussion: Following major gastrointestinal surgery, AKI occurred in one in seven patients. This preoperative prognostic model identified patients at high risk of postoperative AKI. Validation in an independent data set is required to ensure generalizability