The geography of health in Libya : accessibility to, utilisation of and satisfaction with public polyclinics in Benghazi.

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN197541 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Experimental observation of two-dimensional fluctuation magnetization in the vicinity of T_c for low values of the magnetic field in deoxygenated YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-x}

We measured isofield magnetization curves as a function of temperature in two single crystal of deoxygenated YBaCuO with T_c = 52 and 41.5 K. Isofield MvsT were obtained for fields running from 0.05 to 4 kOe. The reversible region of the magnetization curves was analyzed in terms of a scaling proposed by Prange, but searching for the best exponent $\upsilon$. The scaling analysis carried out for each data sample set with $\upsilon$=0.669, which corresponds to the 3D-xy exponent, did not produced a collapsing of curves when applied to MvsT curves data obtained for the lowest fields. The resulting analysis for the Y123 crystal with T_c = 41.5 K, shows that lower field curves collapse over the entire reversible region following the Prange's scaling with $\upsilon$=1, suggesting a two-dimensional behavior. It is shown that the same data obeying the Prange's scaling with $\upsilon$=1 for crystal with T_c = 41.5 K, as well low field data for crystal with $T_c$ = 52 K, obey the known two-dimensional scaling law obtained in the lowest-Landau-level approximation.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Sustained-release progesterone nanosuspension following intramuscular injection in ovariectomized rats

The production of an intramuscular (IM) injection of natural progesterone would provide a safer solution than using semi synthetic progesterone. However, disadvantages such as low solubility and a short half life prevent the use of natural progesterone. In this study, we formulated a sustained release form of natural progesterone to be given as IM injection. A progesterone nanosuspension (PNS) was first developed and then dispersed in a thermosensitive gel matrix. The selected nanoparticles showed an average particle size of 267 nm and a zeta potential approaching-41 mV. The in vitro release profile of PNS from the F127 plus methyl cellulose gel followed zero order kinetics and correlated linearly with the weight percentage of gel dissolved, demonstrating that the overall rate of release of PNS is controlled by dissolution of the pluronic F127/methyl cellulose (MC) gel (r2 > 0.99). The pharmacokinetic parameters of the PNS (6 mg/mL) in pluronic F127/MC gel were evaluated in comparison with the control progesterone suspension. After the administration of PNS in F127/MC gel into the rats, a maximum serum concentration of 22.1 ± 1.9 ng/mL was reached at a Tmax of 4.05 ± 0.1 h. The terminal half life was 12.7 ± 0.8 h. The area under the curve AUC0-∞ of the injected formula was 452.75 ± 42.8 ng·h/mL and the total mean residence time was 18.57 ± 1.44 h. The PNS in gel was significantly different from the control in rate and extent at P < 0.001. The natural progesterone which was nanosized and formulated in a thermosensitive gel significantly sustained the action of natural progesterone so that it could be injected every 36 h instead of every day. Moreover, this formula is expected to provide a much safer choice than the use of semi-synthetic progesterone

The Tailoring Of National Guidelines For Upper Extremity Post-Stroke Rehabilitation: A Concept In Use.

Background: In Saudi Arabia, national evidence-based clinical guidelines (NCG) were created based for healthcare interventions. However, clinicians appear to be slow to incorporate the evidence into practice. As a result, there exists a time-gap between the gathering and presentation of evidence for best practice and the use of that evidence by clinicians. It becomes, therefore, imperative to investigate the gap between the research evidence and clinical practice. The knowledge to action (KTA) framework is available to facilitate the implementation of research evidence. This framework incorporates the theory of tailoring, a concept that is intended to create a fit between the evidence for the intervention and its use by the clinician. Unfortunately, the process of tailoring stills awaits clear guidelines on how it should be implemented. Consequently, this study presents hitherto unknown strategies for using novel methods, which reflect the particular role of the KTA framework in tailoring recommendations. Aim: The purpose of this study is to examine the use of the UK National Clinical Guidelines for Stroke as a clinical tool for tailoring evidence around upper extremity (UE) rehabilitation after a stroke. Methods: This study used a mixed methods (consensus approach), which includes a survey (n = 26) and nominal group meeting (NGM) with physiotherapists (n=15). Result: The first part of this study (survey) showed that 59 items (recommendations) from the UK National Clinical Guidelines for Stroke around UE post-stroke rehabilitation were accepted as consensus. Of these fifty-nine items, only 5 were rated as “no consensus.” In addition, of all the items that had been included, not a single one was rejected. The results led to three groups of recommendations based on the agreed median scores. These are as follow: lack of agreement (no consensus), highest consensus with tightest range of scores, or lowest consensus with widest range of scores. The second part of this study (NGM) explores four themes, which appeared to significantly influence the concept of “tailoring” and the participants’ ways of thinking. Conclusion: This study illustrates the role of tailoring in bridging the time-gap between the evidence and its implementation in the clinical setting. The study also provides more clarification about the role of tailoring and outlines the steps required to effectively investigate it

The way ahead ? an analysis of the Camp David Accords and the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty

In one sense, the Palestinian problem dates back to early history when the Canaanites, Israelites and Philistines contended for the territory and its resources. However, the modern Palestine problem dates only from the Balfour Declaration in 1917, and yet has proved to be more deadly, with six wars if one includes the Gulf War, and more intractable, with attempts to create a state of Palestine for nearly three-quarters of a century. A recent attempt to solve the problem was the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty of 1979. If that had been the only purpose of Presidents Carter and Sadat and Prime Minister Begin at Camp David and of the last two in signing the Treaty in Washington, their efforts could only be described as futile. But more was at stake: the ending of a state of war and the resolution of outstanding territorial claims. In that regard the `Camp David process' was successful - indeed successful to the extent that an issue not resolved during the process, the question of Taba, was amicably settled by Egypt and Israel through arbitration. This thesis seeks to analyse the `Camp David process' and the terms of the Treaty in an attempt to answer the question of how the state of war, equally important for Egypt and Israel, could be satisfactorily ended for both parties, how the territorial claims, equally important for both Israel and Egypt, could be resolved, when the issue of Palestine, the source of virtually all the present conflicts in the Middle East and essential for the Egyptians as part of the Arab nation, should remain unresolved, despite the provisions of the Camp David Accords and the Treaty

A Robust Solution Procedure for Hyperelastic Solids with Large Boundary Deformation

Compressible Mooney-Rivlin theory has been used to model hyperelastic solids, such as rubber and porous polymers, and more recently for the modeling of soft tissues for biomedical tissues, undergoing large elastic deformations. We propose a solution procedure for Lagrangian finite element discretization of a static nonlinear compressible Mooney-Rivlin hyperelastic solid. We consider the case in which the boundary condition is a large prescribed deformation, so that mesh tangling becomes an obstacle for straightforward algorithms. Our solution procedure involves a largely geometric procedure to untangle the mesh: solution of a sequence of linear systems to obtain initial guesses for interior nodal positions for which no element is inverted. After the mesh is untangled, we take Newton iterations to converge to a mechanical equilibrium. The Newton iterations are safeguarded by a line search similar to one used in optimization. Our computational results indicate that the algorithm is up to 70 times faster than a straightforward Newton continuation procedure and is also more robust (i.e., able to tolerate much larger deformations). For a few extremely large deformations, the deformed mesh could only be computed through the use of an expensive Newton continuation method while using a tight convergence tolerance and taking very small steps.Comment: Revision of earlier version of paper. Submitted for publication in Engineering with Computers on 9 September 2010. Accepted for publication on 20 May 2011. Published online 11 June 2011. The final publication is available at http://www.springerlink.co

Branding fashion through gameplay: the branded gaming and the cool dynamics in the fashion markets. A game-theory approach

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the role of immersive gaming on brand coolness and brand equity, with particular emphasis on fashion gaming collaborations. We used game theory as a theoretical framework to analyse immersive branding strategies and gain a deeper understanding of fashion consumers’ decision-making process in gaming environments. Gender, as a significant factor affecting gamers, has been studied as a moderator that impacts the overall proposed framework. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative method was used to assess the significance of relationships within the proposed model empirically. The partial least squares structural equation modelling technique was implemented to assess the relationships of the framework with a sample size of 160 active Malaysian gamers. Findings The findings indicate that brand equity is positively associated with perceived brand coolness. Furthermore, of the three core values of online games, perceived enjoyment is most strongly associated with perceived brand coolness, ahead of the values of self-expression and perceived emotional challenge. The results of the multigroup analysis further suggest that in the fashion industry, building brand equity through online games is strongly related to perceived brand coolness among female respondents, the role of perceived brand coolness being weaker among male respondents. Originality/value The study contributes to the existing literature by providing a deeper understanding of the impact of immersive gaming branding practices on the overall equity of the fashion brand. The results provide insight for fashion brand managers into the significant effect on consumer behaviour outcomes of fashion-gaming collaborations.研究目的 本研究擬探討身歷其境的遊戲體驗在品牌酷感和品牌資產上所扮演的角色; 研究特別強調裝扮遊戲的合作。研究人員以博弈論作為研究的理論框架,來分析沉浸品牌策略、和對時裝消費者在遊戲的環境中如何作出決策取得更深入的瞭解。研究人員探討了性別作為影響遊戲參與者的重要因素,這因素被視為為整個被提出的框架帶來調節的影響和作用。 研究設計/方法/理念 研究人員採用定量方法進行研究,目的為於被提出的模型內之各種關聯的意義進行以經驗為依據的評估。研究人員採用了基於偏最小平方法的結構方程模型研究法,來對一個包含160名活躍的馬來西亞遊戲參與者的樣本進行框架的各個聯繫的評估研究。 研究結果 研究結果顯示,品牌資產與品牌酷感成正相關; 而且,在網絡遊戲的三個核心價值中,感知享受與品牌酷感之間的聯繫最為強烈和密切,超過自我表現和感知情感挑戰兩者的價值; 多群組的分析結果更暗示了在時裝產業裡,透過網絡遊戲去建立品牌資產在女性回應者中是與品牌酷感有強烈密切的關係; 而在男性回應者中,品牌酷感所扮演的角色則較弱。 研究的原創性/價值 本研究使我們能更深入認識沉浸遊戲品牌的慣常做法如何影響時裝品牌的整體資產。研究結果為時裝品牌經理提供了啟示,使他們明瞭時裝遊戲的合作會給消費者行為產生重要的影響

A functional data analytic approach for region level differential DNA methylation detection

DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that can alter gene expression without a DNA sequence change. The role of DNA methylation in biological processes and human health is important to understand, with many studies identifying associations between specific methylation patterns and diseases such as cancer. In mammals, DNA methylation almost always occurs when a methyl group attaches to a cytosine followed by a guanine (i.e. CpG dinucleotides) on the DNA sequence. Many statistical methods have been developed to test for a difference in DNA methylation levels between groups (e.g. healthy vs disease) at individual cytosines. Site level testing is often followed by a post hoc aggregation procedure that explores regional differences. Although analyzing CpGs individually provides useful information, there are both biological and statistical reasons to test entire genomic regions for differential methylation. The individual loci may be noisy but the overall regions tend to be informative. Also, the biological function of regions is better studied and are more correlated to gene expression, so the interpretation of results will be more meaningful for region-level tests. This study focuses on developing two techniques, functional principal component analysis (FPCA) and smoothed functional principal component analysis (SFPCA), to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs) that will enable discovery of epigenomic structural variations in NGS data. Using real and simulated data, the performance of these novel approaches are compared with an alternative method (M3D) for region level testing --Abstract, page iv

Corporate Finance and Restructuring: Evidence from Central and Eastern Europe

After the end of communism enterprises in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) were marked by low levels of labor productivity, mainly because of too high employment levels. According to economic theory, the corporate capital structure can be an important element in the restructuring process. But both, empirical evidence on corporate finance in CEE countries and its relation to employment is still sparse. This study describes the patterns of the corporate capital structure for ten CEE countries over the years 1993-1998, taking two major Western economies as a benchmark. An impressive rise in total indebtedness suggests that there is room for creditors to fulfill their role in corporate governance. On the other hand, investment is predominantly financed internally in CEE firms, making creditor and shareholder governance more difficult. But a regression analysis shows that inefficient CEE firms are forced to downsize employment when they finance themselves largely externally, but less so for those firms with high levels of debt. However, downsizing is limited by soft budget constraints