Empirical analysis of rough set categorical clustering techniques based on rough purity and value set

Clustering a set of objects into homogeneous groups is a fundamental operation in data mining. Recently, attention has been put on categorical data clustering, where data objects are made up of non-numerical attributes. The implementation of several existing categorical clustering techniques is challenging as some are unable to handle uncertainty and others have stability issues. In the process of dealing with categorical data and handling uncertainty, the rough set theory has become well-established mechanism in a wide variety of applications including databases. The recent techniques such as Information-Theoretic Dependency Roughness (ITDR), Maximum Dependency Attribute (MDA) and Maximum Significance Attribute (MSA) outperformed their predecessor approaches like Bi-Clustering (BC), Total Roughness (TR), Min-Min Roughness (MMR), and standard-deviation roughness (SDR). This work explores the limitations and issues of ITDR, MDA and MSA techniques on data sets where these techniques fails to select or faces difficulty in selecting their best clustering attribute. Accordingly, two alternative techniques named Rough Purity Approach (RPA) and Maximum Value Attribute (MVA) are proposed. The novelty of both proposed approaches is that, the RPA presents a new uncertainty definition based on purity of rough relational data base whereas, the MVA unlike other rough set theory techniques uses the domain knowledge such as value set combined with number of clusters (NoC). To show the significance, mathematical and theoretical basis for proposed approaches, several propositions are illustrated. Moreover, the recent rough categorical techniques like MDA, MSA, ITDR and classical clustering technique like simple K-mean are used for comparison and the results are presented in tabular and graphical forms. For experiments, data sets from previously utilized research cases, a real supply base management (SBM) data set and UCI repository are utilized. The results reveal significant improvement by proposed techniques for categorical clustering in terms of purity (21%), entropy (9%), accuracy (16%), rough accuracy (11%), iterations (99%) and time (93%). vi

Analysis of frequency of congenital fetal anomalies diagnosed on antenatal ultrasound in a tertiary care hospital of Balochistan

Background: The objective of our study is to check the incidence of various congenital fetal anomalies in antenatal period by ultrasonography in a subset of population.Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in the department of Radiology, Bolan Medical Complex Hospital Quetta from November 2017 to October 2018. Total of 1323 second and third trimester pregnancies were analyzed for a period of one year. 34 fetal anomalies were detected making the prevalence of 2.5%. Information obtained from history, clinical examination and Ultrasound examination were recorded. The data was analyzed in SPSS 20.These patients were also interviewed for folic acid supplementation and consanguineous marriage.Results: 1323 patients were examined with congenital abnormalities detected in 34 fetuses. Among 34 fetuses, 20 were male and 14 were female fetuses. Out of 34, mother of 24 fetuses verified that they did not take folic acid supplementation. Consanguineous marriage recognized as the important risk factor as found in 22 congenital abnormal fetus.  CNS anomalies were the most commonly occurring anomalies with prevalence of (0.9%) followed by gastrointestinal tract anomalies (0.3%) and Urinary tract anomalies (0.3%).Conclusions: The fetus prognosis largely depends on early detection of its any congenital anomaly on antenatal ultrasound as they can result in abortions, still births and other fetal defects. So antenatal ultrasound is very important and safe method for early detection and management of fetal anomalies

Women experiences of using external breast prosthesis after mastectomy.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the experiences of breast cancer patients using external breast prostheses (EBP) in the context of the Pakistani society. Methods: A qualitative descriptive exploratory design was used in the study. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with 15 postmastectomy women using EBP. A semi-structured interview guide with open-ended questions was used for the interviews. The analysis of the data was organized into four categories according to the study questions including reasons for using EBP, feeling about EBP, challenges for using EBP, and coping with lost breast. Each category was further divided into subcategories. Results: Women used EBP because they felt strange, incomplete, and embarrassed in front of other people, due to the asymmetrical shape of the chest after mastectomy. They faced several challenges with regard to obtaining and using the EBP. While EBP was used as an alternative of their lost breast, they experienced sadness and embarrassment. They found it challenging to take care of the EBP and were required to make changes in their lifestyle. However, they accepted living with their lost breast, either through rationalization, family support, or faith and prayers, which helped them to cope. Conclusions: The study findings have given insight into some real experiences of mastectomy patients. Mastectomy not only affects women\u27s physical health but also their psychological health, as a result of which they become reluctant to socialize. Using EBP can help them to improve their body image and body posture. Health-care providers\u27 support is very important to the families of the patients specifically where patients are very shy to openly seek information due to cultural constraints

Comparison of Effectiveness of Topical Versus Oral Nifedipine for Treatment of Chronic Anal Fissure

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of topical and oral Nifedipine in the treatment of chronic anal fissure.Patients and Methods: In this randomized control trial total of 124 patients with chronic anal fissure (CAF) were selected through OPD and divided randomly into two equal groups. In Group A the topical Nifedipine (2%) was applied, while in Group B the oral Nifedipine 10mg TDS was used. Both groups were compared in terms of pain and healing measured one month after starting treatment.Results: Mean age of the patients was 38.81±11.81 years. In both groups there was statistically significant difference for the age but no difference was found regarding gender and baseline visual analogue scale. Group A had better healing rate and pain relieve as compared to Group B. There was no difference between groups regarding the effectiveness of treatment.Conclusion: The topical Nifedipine has better healing effects as compared to the oral Nifedipine. The oral form is better in relieving pain after one month of treatment. There was no difference between oral and topical form in terms of overall effectiveness

Kinetic and thermodynamic evaluation of effective combined promoters for CO₂ hydrate formation

The increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere raises earth's temperature. CO2 emissions are closely related to human induced activities such as burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. So, to make the environment sustainable, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is required to reduce CO2 emissions. In this study, CO2 hydrate (CO2:6H2O) formation has been explored as an approach to capture CO2 in the integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) conditions. The formation of hydrate was experimentally investigated in an isochoric system with high-pressure volumetric analyzer (HPVA). The solubility of CO2 in water using experimental pressure–time (P-t) curves were analyzed to determine the formation of hydrate. Additionally, the effect of newly synthesized combined promoters and various driving forces were evaluated. The experimental results demonstrated that the CO2 uptake expanded as ΔP expanded and designated combined promoters type T1-5 and type T3-2 were the two best, acquiring a uptake of 5.95 and 5.57 mmol of CO2 per g of H2O separately. Ethylene glycol mono-ethyl ether (EGME) was demonstrated to be a good option to THF when linked with SDS, with a CO2 uptake of 5.45 mmol for the designated combined promoters T1A-2. Additionally, the total sum of CO2 devoured through hydrate development maximize as the measure of water inside mesoporous silica increased. All results of the studied parameters confirmed the reliability of experiments and successful implementation

Pain Perception and Rate of Canine Retraction Through Self- Ligating Brackets and Conventional Elastomeric Ligation System: A Split Mouth Study

Objective: To evaluate the rate of tooth movement and the pain perception via self-ligating (SL) and conventional elastomeric ligation brackets (CB) system. Material and Methods: This study has been conducted at the Orthodontic Department of Baqai Dental College, Baqai Medical University. The sample size of this study comprised 40 patients, falling between the age of 12-30 years without any sex discrimination. Shapiro-Wilk was used to check the distribution of data. Non-parametric Mann Whitney U test was applied to evaluate the pain associated with SL and CB brackets system. To analysis the canine retraction Wilcoxon test was applied for the comparison of CB and SL brackets system. For all statistical analyses, the p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: Pain level associated with retraction via CB and SL shows significant differences. However, the rate of canine retraction via CB and SL shows no significant differences at stages T0-T1 and T1-T2. However, stage T2-T3 shows a significant difference. Conclusion: As pain during orthodontic treatment is mostly associated with the level of compression of the periodontal ligament, it may be hypothesized that lower frictional forces generate less compression of the periodontal ligament and blood vessels, and so alter the type of pain experienced

A Systematic Review of Open Access Institutional Repositories (OAIRs)

The article tries to explore the existing literature on Open Access Institutional Repositories (OAIRs) so that the existing developments can be identified and research gaps can be investigated. This structured review was carried out with the aid of three indexing databases, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Different search terms showcasing multiple dimensions of OAIRs were executed across the three databases. After eliminating the duplicate records, the papers were scanned for final review. The paper tries to highlight the status, content management policies, and Web 2.0 use/ Interactive features of the OAIRs. How the OAIRs are used by academia is also a highlight of the paper. The paper also focuses on the studies that showcase the awareness of the users using the OAIRs. Furthermore, the studies featuring the problems, and challenges have also been incorporated. Studies that focus on the factors and motivators in the use of OA IRs also form a part of the paper

Association of Socio-Demographic and Clinicopathological Risk Factors with Oral Cancers: A 19-Year Retrospective Study

Objective: To determine the association of socio-demographic and clinic-pathological risk factors with oral cancer in Kelantan, Malaysia. Material and Methods: A 19-year cross-sectional survey was performed in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Malaysia. Medical record of 301 oral cancer patients was retrieved from the Medical Records office. Results: The majority of the oral cancer cases were male (62.8%), non-smokers (57.5%), non-alcohol consumers (83.4%), non-betel quid chewers (96.7%), and belonged to Malay ethnicity (68.8%). At the time of diagnosis, most of the patients were at stage II (38.9%). Approximately one-third (30.6%) of the total OC patients experienced loco-regional/distant metastasis, whereas no metastasis was detected in around two-thirds of cases (69.4%). A combination of surgery and radiotherapy was the most commonly employed treatment modality (27.2%). At the time of this study, the survival status of most of the patients was alive (69.1%). The most frequently encountered oral cancer in the Kelantanese population was oral squamous cell carcinoma (70.1%), with the tongue being the most frequently involved oral cavity site (35.5%). Conclusion: More than three-fourths of the cases were alive at follow-up, which included the cases that did not undergo any form of treatment

Association of Socio-Demographic and Clinicopathological Risk Factors with Oral Cancers: A 19-Year Retrospective Study

Objective: To determine the association of socio-demographic and clinic-pathological risk factors with oral cancer in Kelantan, Malaysia. Material and Methods: A 19-year cross-sectional survey was performed in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Malaysia. Medical record of 301 oral cancer patients was retrieved from the Medical Records office. Results: The majority of the oral cancer cases were male (62.8%), non-smokers (57.5%), non-alcohol consumers (83.4%), non-betel quid chewers (96.7%), and belonged to Malay ethnicity (68.8%). At the time of diagnosis, most of the patients were at stage II (38.9%). Approximately one-third (30.6%) of the total OC patients experienced loco-regional/distant metastasis, whereas no metastasis was detected in around two-thirds of cases (69.4%). A combination of surgery and radiotherapy was the most commonly employed treatment modality (27.2%). At the time of this study, the survival status of most of the patients was alive (69.1%). The most frequently encountered oral cancer in the Kelantanese population was oral squamous cell carcinoma (70.1%), with the tongue being the most frequently involved oral cavity site (35.5%). Conclusion: More than three-fourths of the cases were alive at follow-up, which included the cases that did not undergo any form of treatment

Effectiveness of specialized nutritious foods and social and behavior change communication interventions to prevent stunting among children in Badakhshan, Afghanistan: Protocol for a quasi-experimental study

Stunting predominantly occurs during the first 1000 days of life and continues to the age of five years. We will aim to assess the effectiveness of specialized nutritious foods (SNF)and social and behavior change communication (SBCC) strategies during the first 1000 days of life to prevent stunting among children in two rural districts of Badakhshan, Afghanistan. This will be a quasi-experimental pre-post study with the control group utilizing qualitative and quantitative methods. Before launching the program, formative research will be conducted on the acceptability, appropriate use and SBCC strategies needed to support the introduction of intervention package. Repeated cross-sectional baseline and endline surveys will be conducted in both the intervention and the control districts. After the formative research and baseline household survey, an intervention focusing on the provision of SNF, targeting pregnant and lactating women and children 6-23 months, and SBCC strategies will be implemented for at least 12 months. The primary outcome will be a reduction in the prevalence of stunting among children under two years in the intervention group compared to the control group. We will aim to compare the intervention and control group between the pre- and post-intervention assessments to isolate the effect of the intervention by difference-in-differences estimates. The program monitoring and evaluation component will examine the quality of implementation, acceptability of intervention, identification of potential barriers and to learn how to enhance the program\u27s effectiveness through ongoing operational improvements. The results will be beneficial to design interventions to prevent stunting within Afghanistan and other low-middle-income countries