Poisson\u27s Equation

This presentation deals with how to solve Poisson\u27s Equation for a two dimensional plate. The numbers can be represented as heat, charge density, and gravitational force. This is a generalization of Laplace\u27s Equation, which are steady state problems. In this problem, it is broken up into two simpler problems. For the first part, there are two ways of solving it since it is two dimensional. This presentation covers both ways of solving it using separation of variables, orthogonality, and partial differential equations. In addition, it shows how to solve the second part and finalize Poisson\u27s Equation

School inspectors, policy implementers, policy shapers: influences and activities

This chapter introduces the idea of school inspectors as implementers of public policy, framing their role within the context of policy implementation and the governance of education. Using a framework for policy implementation developed by Weible and Sabatier (2006), it presents a modified framework for inves-tigating inspectors’ work and practices as policy implementers. In so doing it questions their role as policy shapers and policy coalition workers in the context of the practice of inspection in Finland, Sweden, England, Germany, The German State of Lower Saxony, The Netherlands, The Republic of Ireland and The Austrian province of Styria. In introducing the idea of policy learning it introduces the ways in which policy learning theory has contributed to implementation theory, in order to further reflect on these issues in the final chapter of this book

Improving BPH symptoms and sexual dysfunctions with a saw palmetto preparation? Results from a pilot trial

In elderly men, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a major risk factor for sexual dysfunctions (SDys). Additionally, the standard treatments for BPH symptoms, alpha blockers and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, cause SDys themselves. Preparations from saw palmetto berries are an efficacious and well-tolerated symptomatic treatment for mild to moderate BPH and have traditionally been used to treat SDys. We conducted an open multicentric clinical pilot trial to investigate whether the saw palmetto berry preparation Prostasan® influenced BPH symptoms and SDys. Eighty-two patients participated in the 8-week trial, taking one capsule of 320 mg saw palmetto extract daily. At the end of the treatment, the International Prostate Symptom Score was reduced from 14.4 ± 4.7 to 6.9 ± 5.2 (p < 0.0001); SDys measured with the brief Sexual Function Inventory improved from 22.4 ± 7.2 to 31.4 ± 9.2 (p < 0.0001), and the Urolife BPH QoL-9 sex total improved from 137.3 ± 47.9 to 195.0 ± 56.3 (p < 0.0001). Investigators' and patients' assessments confirmed the good efficacy, and treatment was very well tolerated and accepted by the patients. Correlation analyses confirmed the relationship between improved BPH symptoms and reduced SDys. This was the first trial with saw palmetto to show improvement in BPH symptoms and SDys as well

Current benign prostatic hyperplasia treatment : Impact on sexual function and management of related sexual adverse events

The definitive version can be found at : http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ Copyright Wiley-Blackwell [Full text of this article is not available in the UHRA]Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common disease in older men that can lead to lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Male sexual dysfunction is also an age-related condition. Epidemiological studies have confirmed an association between BPH/LUTS and sexual dysfunction in ageing men that is independent of the effects of age, other co-morbidities and lifestyle factors. Proposed pathophysiological mechanisms for BPH/LUTS-associated sexual dysfunction include the nitric oxide/cyclic guanosine monophosphate (NO/cGMP) pathway, rho-kinase and endothelin-1 activity, autonomic nervous system overactivity and the metabolic syndrome, and pelvic organ atherosclerosis. Both BPH/LUTS and sexual dysfunction can have a substantial negative impact on a man's quality of life. However, urologists and primary care physicians appear to under-recognise sexual dysfunction in men with BPH/LUTS. Current guidelines recommend alpha-blockers and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, either alone or in combination, among appropriate medical treatment options for BPH/LUTS. Randomised, controlled trials demonstrate that these therapies can be associated with sexual adverse effects (AEs) such as loss of libido, erectile dysfunction and ejaculatory disorders. Sexual dysfunction should be fully evaluated in men requiring treatment for BPH/LUTS using validated questionnaires. Management of sexual dysfunction in men treated for BPH/LUTS should involve assessment of co-morbidities and concomitant medications, consideration of lifestyle interventions such as weight loss and increased physical activity to improve risk factors and, if necessary, introduction of pharmacotherapies. In addition, physicians should provide patients with proper counselling on the possible sexual AEs of medical therapies for BPH/LUTS and their impact on sexual satisfaction, while being aware of the possibility that counselling in itself is likely to influence reported rates of sexual dysfunction.Peer reviewe