Risk Attitude and Risk Controllability: Their Implications on the Subjective Quantification of Risk in International Construction Projects

The Probability-Impact (P-I) risk matrix is one of the frequently used techniques among the qualitative risk assessment methods in construction projects, which usually utilizes a 1 to 5 rating scale in order to quantify risk. Decision-makers usually apply their personal judgement, experience, and intuition for the quantification of the intensity of a probable risk event in the first stages of analyzing risks. However, the fluctuation observed by many researchers in the risk rating scales that differs from one individual to another is a substantial drawback of the qualitative risk assessment process where some driven factors may have influence the ratings. Hence, in this research the effects of two factors such as decision-makers' attitudes towards a potential risk event and their assumptions about its controllability during the qualitative risk assessment process in International construction projects are studied through a questionnaire survey. In this survey, 74 professionals and 7 academics from the Turkish construction industry have participated. Two hypotheses are tested for their validity, confirming that risk attitude and assumption about risk controllability are the two critical factors that may have influence on the the risk ratings of the individual decision-makers

Proposing a Popular Method for Meteorological Drought Monitoring in the Kabul River Basin, Afghanistan

This paper investigates meteorological drought in one of Afghanistan's most important socio-economic river basins called Kabul River Basin (KRB) using a 38 years monthly precipitation data. Several drought indices such as Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Percent of Normal Precipitation Index (PNPI), Deciles Index (DI), and China-Z Index (CZI) were applied for the first time on the basin in order to observe the correlation among the indices in the basin for drought, and to see which method is suitable for drought monitoring in KRB. Due to the concerns that climate is changing and especially the rapid snowmelt that accounts for 80% of the precipitation in Afghanistan, it was essential to carry such a study in order to warn the responsible bodies in the country for a better drought management. Moreover, the rapid population increase and USAge of more water for both drinking and agricultural purposes in the basin with a possible decrease in the annual precipitation make it necessary to undertake such a study. The results of the investigation show that KRB area experienced drought conditions continuously from 2000 to 2004 with a peak extreme drought in 2001 which confirm to the reported worst drought in the region. It is noted that log-SPI, gamma-SPI, and Deciles captured the historical extreme and severe drought periods successfully, therefore, these methods are recommended to be applied to this region as drought assessment tools

Well-being of medical students and their awareness on substance misuse: a cross-sectional survey in Pakistan.

Objective: To investigate psychological well-being and substance abuse among medical students in Pakistan. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted in six medical colleges across Pakistan. Final-year medical students were interviewed by either a postgraduate trainee in psychiatry or a consultant psychiatrist. Results: A total of 540 medical students were approached, 342 participated and the response rate was 64.5%. Mean age was 23.73 years (SD 2.45 years), 52.5% were male and 90% single. Two out of every five respondents reported that work/study at medical school affected their personal health and well-being. A considerable proportion of students were aware of alcohol and smoking as coping strategies for stress in medical students. The main factors causing stress were heavy workload (47.4%), relationship with colleagues (13.5%) and staff (11.9%). A total of 30% reported a history of depression and 15% among them had used an antidepressant. More than half were aware of depression in colleagues. The majority of respondents said that teaching provided on substance misuse in the areas of alcohol and illegal drugs, management/treatment of addiction, and models of addiction was poor. There was significant association (p = 0.044) between stress and awareness about alcohol as a coping strategy for stress among medical students. A significant negative association was also found between medical colleges in public sector (p = 0.052), female gender (p = 0.003) and well-being. Conclusion: The majority of the medical students reported a negative impact of heavy workload on their psychological well-being. Significant numbers of medical students think that substance misuse is a coping strategy for stress. Teaching on addiction/addictive substances is poor at undergraduate level in Pakistani medical colleges

Evaluation of some important aspects of seed vigour and viability in soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill)

This study is in three sections. The first section investigated the environmental and seed quality factors affecting seed vigour and viability in soybean. In addition an experiment was performed which attempted to correlate laboratory viability tests to field emergence. The second section studied the effect of ageing and of the rate of water uptake on germinability using polyethylene glycol (PEG). Finally in section three numerous soybean cultivars were evaluated for storage potential and resistance to imbibition damage.Laboratory germination at 25°C, 30°C or 35°C, seedling fresh weight, leachate conductivity and tetrazolium chloride topographic staining tests were highly correlated with field emergence at North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Agricultural University Research Station, Mingora, Pakistan. However, seeds aged for more than 4 days progressively lost the ability to germinate under field conditions compared to laboratory germination. Sealed storage at 8% seed moisture content was superior to storage at 12 or 16% seed moisture content. Compared to seeds with 12 or 16% initial moisture content those at 6% initial moisture showed reduced germinability. Reduced germinability of seeds at 6% moisture content was associated with high solute leakage. Solute leakage increased as soaking temperature increased, but at a higher rate when initial seed moisture content was low (6%). Smaller seeded cultivars were susceptible to etching (cut on both the cotyledons), but showed better storage potential compared to large seeded cultivars.Accelerated ageing (41°C; 95-100% RH for 3 days), and soaking for 5 or 10 h in distilled water produced fewer normal seedlings and delayed 50% emergence by 1.5 days probably due to high solute leakage. The seeds germinated earlier and produced more normal seedlings when soaking occurred in 25% PEG compared to distilled water. Seeds with lower vigour due to ageing, produced a higher number of normal seedlings, greater shoot length, shoot fresh weight and shoot dry weight when pre-imbibed in 25% PEG compared to distilled water. Osmotic stress applied by means of 15, 20 or 25% PEG drastically reduced germination and seeding fresh weight. Stress applied with 10% PEG did not reduce germination, but seedling fresh weight was lowered by about 20% compared to the control. Reduced germination and shoot fresh weight were associated with osmotic stress.Cultivars that were resistant to accelerated ageing were also resistant to soaking injury and vice versa. Generally, smaller or yellow seeded cultivars performed better with between 16 and 28% more normal seedlings being produced and 13 to 19% lower leachate conductivity after accelerated ageing. However, larger or light coloured seeds had poor germinability after accelerated ageing or soaking in distilled water. Solute leakage was higher from the larger seeded cultivars compared to the smaller and medium seeded cultivars. Medium seeded cultivars generally leaked more solutes than smaller seeded cultivars, but this relationship was not entirely consistent. The superiority of smaller seeded cultivars over larger seeded cultivars after accelerated ageing and against soaking injury was mostly associated with hard and waxy type seed coats

Metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer: A rare cause of bowel obstruction

Prostate cancer most commonly metastasizes to bone, lymph nodes, lungs, or liver, but rarely spreads to the large intestine. This case highlights a rare case of castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) that spread locally to the large intestine and rectum, significant enough to cause bowel obstruction. Metastatic prostate carcinomas are considered an infrequent cause of bowel obstruction

Educational Evolution and Linguistic Legacy of Afghan Uzbeks

This article examines the historical existence of Turkic populations in Afghanistan, emphasizing the enduring settlement of the Uzbek populations in the nation and their ancestral roots. Furthermore, it highlights the fact that the Afghan Uzbeks persist in utilizing their indigenous language for verbal interaction up to the present time. Over time, the importance of villages, mosques, Mullahkhanas, and madrasas has shaped the growth of traditional teachings in Afghanistan. Moreover, these Mullahkhanas and madrasas function as forums for the development of prose and poetry in Uzbek and Persian languages. Integrating books into education across all fields of study holds significant importance. This page provides details about the development of authorized educational institutions, commonly referred to as "home schools," during the rule of Amanullah Khan. Amanullah Khan established schools in various locations, with a special focus on rural areas, and provided comprehensive information about each school

A rare case of synovial sarcoma of the prostate causing urinary retention

Synovial sarcomas of the prostate are exceedingly rare malignant tumors. Only a few cases have been reported so far. We discuss a case of a 52-year-old male who presented with signs and symptoms of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma of the prostate. Since this sarcoma is rare, it can easily be misdiagnosed with BPH or adenocarcinoma of the prostate

Assessing the use of magnetic resonance imaging virtopsy as an alternative to autopsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background The post mortem examination or autopsy is a trusted method of identifying the cause of death. Patients and their families may oppose an autopsy for a variety of reasons, including fear of mutilation or owing to religious and personal beliefs. Imaging alternatives to autopsy have been explored, which may provide a viable alternative. Objective To explore the possibility of using MRI virtopsy to establish the cause of death as an alternative to the traditional post mortem examination or autopsy. Methods Systematic review was carried out of all studies, without language restriction, identified from Medline, Cochrane (1960-2016) and Embase (1991-2016) up to December 2016. Further searches were performed using the bibliographies of articles and abstracts. All studies reporting the diagnosis of the cause of death by both MRI virtopsy and traditional autopsy were included. Results Five studies with 107 patients, contributed to a summative quantitative outcome in adults. The combined sensitivity of MRI virtopsy was 0.82 (95% CI 0.56 to 0.94) with a diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of 11.1 (95% CI 2.2 to 57.0). There was no significant heterogeneity between studies (Q=1.96, df=4, p=0.75, I-2=0). Eight studies, with 953 patients contributed to a summative quantitative outcome in children. The combined sensitivity of MRI virtopsy was 0.73 (95% CI 0.59 to 0.84) with a DOR of 6.44 (95% CI 1.36 to 30.51). There was significant heterogeneity between studies (Q=34.95, df=7, p<0.01, I-2=80). Conclusion MRI virtopsy may offer a viable alternative to traditional autopsy. By using MRI virtopsy, a potential cost reduction of at least 33% is feasible, and therefore ought to be considered in eligible patients