Fraser of cryptophthalmosis syndrome: A case report

Fraser or cryptophthalmos syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by major features such as cryptophthalmos, syndactyly, and abnormal genitalia. Consanguinity is reported in 15-24.8% of the cases. The diagnosis of this syndrome can be made on clinical examination; therefore we present the clinical findings of a rare case of Fraser syndrome in a female infant

General methods for designing single-mode planar photonic crystal waveguides in hexagonal lattice structures

We systematically investigate and compare general methods of designing single mode photonic crystal waveguides in a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice of air holes in a dielectric material. We apply the rather general methods to dielectric-core hexagonal lattice photonic crystals since they have not been widely explored before. We show that it is possible to obtain single mode guiding in a limited portion of the photonic bandgap of hexagonal lattice structures. We also compare the potentials of different photonic crystal lattices for designing single-mode waveguides and conclude that triangular lattice structures are the best choice

Development of a curriculum for endoscopy nurse education in Iran

Abstract Introduction: Nursing as a discipline and a profession is following to meet the needs of clients in clinical settings. The nurse participation and cooperation in the programs of diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy has not been recorded in Iran. On the other hand, health care system needs to provide specialized care for patients under endoscopy. The aim of this study was to develop a professional curriculum for endoscopy nurse education in Iran. Method: This was a study to approve the content and curriculum for endoscopy nurse education in Iran using the Delphi method. This study carried out in three phases; a review of the literature on endoscopy nursing courses and training program in the world; assessment of expert groups and individuals associated with gastrointestinal endoscopy; and finally, a consensus on the curriculum of nursing endoscopy and its implementation. Results: Based on the endoscopy nurse training needs, eight priorities for education endoscopy nurse including theory, practical, and clinical professional was determined. Total hours of training were 210 hours, including 140 hours for theoretical and practical courses and 70 hours of clinical training. Different strategies were used to teach the theoretical and practical subjects. For theoretical teaching, lectures, group work, and self-learning were applied. Role Playing and simulation were used for practical training; and for clinical training, endoscopy clinical practice settings were determined. Conclusion: This training program was based on a participant survey on the digestive endoscopy and educational needs. This educational curriculum involved learning different areas of knowledge, attitudes, and skills for nurses to train caring of patients undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopy through an inter-professional education program. These special nursing educational programs can be contributed to the professional development of Iranian nurses

Classical Analogue of the Ionic Hubbard Model

In our earlier work [M. Hafez, {\em et al.}, Phys. Lett. A {\bf 373} (2009) 4479] we employed the flow equation method to obtain a classic effective model from a quantum mechanical parent Hamiltonian called, the ionic Hubbard model (IHM). The classical ionic Hubbard model (CIHM) obtained in this way contains solely Fermionic occupation numbers of two species corresponding to particles with \up and \down spin, respectively. In this paper, we employ the transfer matrix method to analytically solve the CIHM at finite temperature in one dimension. In the limit of zero temperature, we find two insulating phases at large and small Coulomb interaction strength, $U$, mediated with a gap-less metallic phase, resulting in two continuous metal-insulator transitions. Our results are further supported with Monte Carlo simulations.Comment: 12 figure

AN OVERVIEW OF BUDU PRODUCTION IN KELANTAN FROM HALAL AND POLICY ASPECTS

Budu or fish sauce is a traditional food of the East Coast communities in Peninsular Malaysia that is produced through a fermentation process between 6 to 12 months in the covered containers known as unprocessed budu. Meanwhile, the processed budu is prepared by grounding coarsely unprocessed budu before mixing with tamarind paste, palm sugar, sugar, monosodium glutamate (MSG), food colouring, and then boiled. Once the mixture is filtered, processed budu is cooled, bottled and marketed all over Malaysia. Most of the manufacturers (23) are located in Kelantan and Terengganu. However, based on the recent data, only one brand of budu is halal-certified as compared to other Malaysian fermented fish products, i.e., belacan (243), pekasam (14), and cencaluk (13). The study offers some important insights into the issues that arise in budu production from the halal and policy aspects that may hinder the manufacturers from applying halal certification. The use of qualitative studies is a well-established approach in this study. Five broad themes emerged from the analysis, the low quality of raw materials (anchovies) and lack of awareness and knowledge base in food safety and hygiene practices among the manufacturers and workers are identified as the main factors contributing to scare-mongering against halal certification. In addition, we found shortage of raw materials (anchovies), lack of incentive and specification standards for the quality of budu were the bottleneck of halal application among the budu entrepreneur. Therefore, more outstanding efforts are needed to ensure the involvement and cooperation from the government agencies and regulators and budu manufacturers to help them penetrate the international market. Indeed, a desire is needed to boost the exportation of budu globally following the market demand and opportunities.  &nbsp

A value chain analysis of Malaysia's seaweed industry

A global shortfall in protein supply from capture fisheries has motivated the Malaysian government to revise its aquaculture strategy, focusing on three commodities: seaweed, fish and marine shrimp. However, the performance of the Malaysian aquaculture sector, particularly seaweed production, is poorly documented. This is the first empirical study to undertake a value chain analysis (VCA) of the Malaysian seaweed sector using stakeholder perceptions and secondary data that encompass members of seaweed farming cooperatives (the Semporna Area Farmers’ Association and the governments’ flagship Seaweed Cluster Project). Fieldwork was conducted between April and June 2015 among seaweed stakeholders involved in the value chain using a mixed methods approach—in-depth interviews with key informants, focus group discussions, household surveys, personal observation and secondary data. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from both upstream (seaweed farming, marketing structure and the Malaysian Good Aquaculture Practices [MyGAP] certification programme) and downstream (seaweed processing) activities involving farmers, intermediaries/middlemen (buyers), processors and officials. Kappaphycus spp. was sold in two forms: (1) dried seaweed to be used as raw materials in carrageenan processing (approximately 90% of total harvest) and (2) fresh seaweed to be used as a source of seedlings (approximately 10% of total harvest). The value chain ended with the carrageenan form, which is exported to international markets. The price of dried seaweed varied according to a combination of seaweed quality, the strength of farmer’s relationships with intermediaries and processors and in response to demand from the carrageenan industry. The prices obtained by Malaysian farmers for dried seaweed and carrageenan remained low, US$0.60 and US$ 4.43 per kg, respectively, despite efforts by the government to enhance the value chain by imposing seaweed standards (via MyGAP) for farm management, dried seaweed and semi-refined carrageenan. The VCA was a useful tool to identify and map the market, with the results providing a better understanding of the seaweed sector, which could be helpful in supporting further aquaculture development in Malaysia

The reporting requirements of case reports and adherence of case report reporting guidelines in medical journals: an analysis of the authors’ guide sections

Background: Owing to the growth of case reports and changes in the policy of journals in publishing this evidence, the need to standardize them is felt more than before. Therefore, in this study, the authors’ guide of medical journals indexed in the Scopus database that published most of the case reports has been analyzed to identify the reporting requirements and emerging case report types. Methods: A total of 50 journals were selected from the Scopus citation database (the world’s largest knowledge base) that published most of the case reports. These and the authors’ guideline section on the types and requirements of writing case reports were analyzed by inductive content analysis. Results: Most of the case reports were published in the fields of dermatology and surgery and general medicine. Reporting requirements in author’s guide are grouped in four categories: (1) reasons for publication or content value, (2) emphasis on the patient consent form and confidentiality, (3) emphasizing the constraints on the word count and limitation, and (4) recommendation for structure and reporting elements. In terms of adherence to the reporting guidelines, 76% of journals do not adhere to any reporting guideline. In addition, 13 types of case reports were identified in these journals, among which traditional case reports, clinical image, letters, and case series were the most widely used formats. Conclusions: Improving the publication processes of case reports has been left unattended by international organizations. The policies of journals need to become more integrated, and reporting guidelines should be modified or redeveloped to enhance the quality of publications, cover different reporting requirements, and consequently, benefit from the evidence value available in case reports

Controlling group velocity in rectangular-lattice photonic crystal waveguides

A method for controlling the dispersion and thus group velocity of guided modes in photonic crystal (PC) waveguides using bi- and quasi-periodic lattices is presented. Rectangular lattice photonic crystals are proposed as possible candidates for implementing such control. However, these structures, and generally all bi-periodic lattices, develop undesirable characteristics as the perfect square lattice is perturbed. Thus, quasi-periodic photonic crystals, which have been shown to be promising in selective mode engineering, were examined next. A possible scheme for engineering of a single mode PC waveguide with guiding through the entire bandgap is presented