Genetic Algorithm-Based Model for Determination of Efficient Management Strategies for Irrigation Canal Networks

An optimization model for the determination of efficient management strategies for an irrigation canal network is developed. The objective is to minimize the total water consumed while satisfying various system constraints. An unsteady flow model is used to simulate the flow in the network. A genetic algorithm- (GA-) based framework is used to solve the model. The suitable GA parameters that should be used within the model, as well as the performance of various constraint-handling techniques, are studied. Uncertainties in crop pattern and water consumption rates are incorporated into the search procedure to identify more reliable solutions. A graphical interface is also developed to make the model more user-friendly

Sinc-Galerkin method for solving nonlinear boundary-value problems

AbstractThe sinc-Galerkin method is used to approximate solutions of nonlinear problems involving nonlinear second-, fourth-, and sixth-order differential equations with homogeneous and nonhomogeneous boundary conditions. The scheme is tested on four nonlinear problems. The results demonstrate the reliability and efficiency of the algorithm developed

Aortic Valve Disease: State of the Art

Aortic valve replacement is the most commonly performed valve operation. It has been shown to be an effective therapy in all age groups, including the very elderly (age > 90 years). The most common etiologies for aortic stenosis are calcific degeneration, rheumatic disease, and congenital bicuspid valves. The most common causes of pure aortic regurgitation include annuloaortic ectasia and associated dilation of the aortic root, endocarditis, aortic dissection, and rheumatic disease. The indications for surgery depend on the pathophysiology and symptoms. The choice of the prosthesis can be difficult and depends on multiple clinical and lifestyle considerations. Early and late outcomes are generally quite good, even in high-risk patients

Effect of tramadol addiction alone and its co-abuse with cannabis on urinary excretion of Copper, Zinc, and Calcium among Egyptian addicts

Background: The use of illicit drugs has become a worldwide health problem. Substances with the potential to be abused may have direct or indirect effects on physiologic mechanisms that lead to organ system dysfunction and diseases.Objective: The present study aims to investigate the structural and reabsorption integrity of the nephron among Egyptian addicts of tramadol alone and coabused with cannabis.Methods: Sixty-five males were included in the study, they were classified into control group (G1=19), tramadol addicts group (G2=18), and tramadol coabused with cannabis addicts group (G3=28). Parameters investigated for structural integrity were urinary levels ofleucineaminopeptidase and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase, and urinary parameters for reabsorption integrity were levels of copper and zinc as well as calcium, also urinary creatinine was measured. In addition, urinary levels of tramadol and tetrahydrocannabinol were estimated.Results: Among the two addicted groups, all measured parameters were not significantly different in comparison with the control group except for urinary calcium excretion which was found to be significantly increased among the two addicted groups.Conclusion: Both tramadol addiction alone or coabused with cannabis causes increased urinary excretion of calcium, indicating reabsorption dysfunction of calcium without affecting structural integrity along the nephron.Keywords: Enzymuria, copper, zinc, calcium, reabsorption impairment, tubular structural integrity

Estado da arte da temática de Internacionalização do Ensino Superior e de suas Instituições: mapeamento sistemático da produção global

Diante da realidade do aumento de estudos no que tange à Internacionalização do Ensino Superior, vê-se a necessidade de realizar o estudo a respeito do estado da arte do tema, com o objetivo de captar, sistematizar e analisar a produção científica sobre a temática da Internacionalização do Ensino Superior. Para atingir este objetivo foi realizado um estudo em 58 artigos, sendo todos voltados ao tema central citado acima, dos quais foram classificados a fim de maior organização e clareza dos dados, em 4 seções, são elas: (i) ano de publicação; (ii) autor(es) responsáveis pelo estudo; (iii) país de publicação; (iv) artigos publicados no International Journal of Educational Management. Foram encontradas nas categorias de análise futura, ou seja, pesquisas futuras, as seguintes lacunas: (i) estudos que partam de amostras maiores e diversificadas, para melhor representatividade da Internacionalização do Ensino Superior; (ii) estudos que tratam dos fatores decisivos para indivíduos no contexto da internacionalização de estudantes; (iii) estudos que tragam contribuição metodológica por meio de pesquisas mistas dentro da área de international education; (iv) estudos que abordem os esforços individuais de pesquisadores para a internacionalização, bem como as parcerias internacionais entre IES, com foco em particularidades culturais. Além disso, também foram analisados os autores mais citados.Palavras-chave: internacionalização no ensino superior; ensino superior; estratégia organizacional; educação internacional

Effect of tramadol addiction alone and its co-abuse with cannabis on urinary excretion of Copper, Zinc, and Calcium among Egyptian addicts

Background: The use of illicit drugs has become a worldwide health problem. Substances with the potential to be abused may have direct or indirect effects on physiologic mechanisms that lead to organ system dysfunction and diseases. Objective: The present study aims to investigate the structural and reabsorption integrity of the nephron among Egyptian addicts of tramadol alone and coabused with cannabis. Methods: Sixty-five males were included in the study, they were classified into control group (G1=19), tramadol addicts group (G2=18), and tramadol coabused with cannabis addicts group (G3=28). Parameters investigated for structural integrity were urinary levels ofleucineaminopeptidase and N-acetyl-\u3b2-D-glucosaminidase, and urinary parameters for reabsorption integrity were levels of copper and zinc as well as calcium, also urinary creatinine was measured. In addition, urinary levels of tramadol and tetrahydrocannabinol were estimated. Results: Among the two addicted groups, all measured parameters were not significantly different in comparison with the control group except for urinary calcium excretion which was found to be significantly increased among the two addicted groups. Conclusion: Both tramadol addiction alone or coabused with cannabis causes increased urinary excretion of calcium, indicating reabsorption dysfunction of calcium without affecting structural integrity along the nephron

A system of ODEs for a Perturbation of a Minimal Mass Soliton

We study soliton solutions to a nonlinear Schrodinger equation with a saturated nonlinearity. Such nonlinearities are known to possess minimal mass soliton solutions. We consider a small perturbation of a minimal mass soliton, and identify a system of ODEs similar to those from Comech and Pelinovsky (2003), which model the behavior of the perturbation for short times. We then provide numerical evidence that under this system of ODEs there are two possible dynamical outcomes, which is in accord with the conclusions of Pelinovsky, Afanasjev, and Kivshar (1996). For initial data which supports a soliton structure, a generic initial perturbation oscillates around the stable family of solitons. For initial data which is expected to disperse, the finite dimensional dynamics follow the unstable portion of the soliton curve.Comment: Minor edit

Minimum follow-up time required for the estimation of statistical cure of cancer patients: verification using data from 42 cancer sites in the SEER database

BACKGROUND: The present commonly used five-year survival rates are not adequate to represent the statistical cure. In the present study, we established the minimum number of years required for follow-up to estimate statistical cure rate, by using a lognormal distribution of the survival time of those who died of their cancer. We introduced the term, threshold year, the follow-up time for patients dying from the specific cancer covers most of the survival data, leaving less than 2.25% uncovered. This is close enough to cure from that specific cancer. METHODS: Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database were tested if the survival times of cancer patients who died of their disease followed the lognormal distribution using a minimum chi-square method. Patients diagnosed from 1973–1992 in the registries of Connecticut and Detroit were chosen so that a maximum of 27 years was allowed for follow-up to 1999. A total of 49 specific organ sites were tested. The parameters of those lognormal distributions were found for each cancer site. The cancer-specific survival rates at the threshold years were compared with the longest available Kaplan-Meier survival estimates. RESULTS: The characteristics of the cancer-specific survival times of cancer patients who died of their disease from 42 cancer sites out of 49 sites were verified to follow different lognormal distributions. The threshold years validated for statistical cure varied for different cancer sites, from 2.6 years for pancreas cancer to 25.2 years for cancer of salivary gland. At the threshold year, the statistical cure rates estimated for 40 cancer sites were found to match the actuarial long-term survival rates estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method within six percentage points. For two cancer sites: breast and thyroid, the threshold years were so long that the cancer-specific survival rates could yet not be obtained because the SEER data do not provide sufficiently long follow-up. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests a certain threshold year is required to wait before the statistical cure rate can be estimated for each cancer site. For some cancers, such as breast and thyroid, the 5- or 10-year survival rates inadequately reflect statistical cure rates, and highlight the need for long-term follow-up of these patients

Survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer: twenty-year data from two SEER registries

BACKGROUND: Many researchers are interested to know if there are any improvements in recent treatment results for metastatic breast cancer in the community, especially for 10- or 15-year survival. METHODS: Between 1981 and 1985, 782 and 580 female patients with metastatic breast cancer were extracted respectively from the Connecticut and San Francisco-Oakland registries of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The lognormal statistical method to estimate survival was retrospectively validated since the 15-year cause-specific survival rates could be calculated using the standard life-table actuarial method. Estimated rates were compared to the actuarial data available in 2000. Between 1991 and 1995, further 752 and 632 female patients with metastatic breast cancer were extracted respectively from the Connecticut and San Francisco-Oakland registries. The data were analyzed to estimate the 15-year cause-specific survival rates before the year 2005. RESULTS: The 5-year period (1981–1985) was chosen, and patients were followed as a cohort for an additional 3 years. The estimated 15-year cause-specific survival rates were 7.1% (95% confidence interval, CI, 1.8–12.4) and 9.1% (95% CI, 3.8–14.4) by the lognormal model for the two registries of Connecticut and San Francisco-Oakland respectively. Since the SEER database provides follow-up information to the end of the year 2000, actuarial calculation can be performed to confirm (validate) the estimation. The Kaplan-Meier calculation for the 15-year cause-specific survival rates were 8.3% (95% CI, 5.8–10.8) and 7.0% (95% CI, 4.3–9.7) respectively. Using the 1991–1995 5-year period cohort and followed for an additional 3 years, the 15-year cause-specific survival rates were estimated to be 9.1% (95% CI, 3.8–14.4) and 14.7% (95% CI, 9.8–19.6) for the two registries of Connecticut and San Francisco-Oakland respectively. CONCLUSIONS: For the period 1981–1985, the 15-year cause-specific survival for the Connecticut and the San Francisco-Oakland registries were comparable. For the period 1991–1995, there was not much change in survival for the Connecticut registry patients, but there was an improvement in survival for the San Francisco-Oakland registry patients

Long-term Mortality in Adult Orthotopic Heart Transplant Recipients

Heart transplantation is now regarded as the treatment of choice for end-stage heart failure. To improve long-term results of the heart transplantation, we analyzed causes of death relative to time after transplantation. A total of 201 consecutive patients, 154 (76.6%) males, aged ≥ 17 yr underwent heart transplantation between November 1992 and December 2008. Mean ages of recipients and donors were 42.8 ± 12.4 and 29.8 ± 9.6 yr, respectively. The bicaval anastomosis technique was used since 1999. Mean follow up duration was 6.5 ± 4.4 yr. Two patients (1%) died in-hospital due to sepsis caused by infection. Late death occurred in 39 patients (19.4%) with the most common cause being sepsis due to infection. The 1-, 5-, and 10-yr survival rates in these patients were 95.5% ± 1.5%, 86.9% ± 2.6%, and 73.5% ± 4.1%, respectively. The surgical results of heart transplantation in adults were excellent, with late mortality due primarily to infection, malignancy, and rejection. Cardiac deaths related to cardiac allograft vasculopathy were very rare