Comparative Study of the Inference Mechanisms in PROLOG and SPIDER

Control Network Programming (CNP) is a graphical nonprocedural programming style whose built-in inference engine (interpreter) is based on search in a recursive network. This paper is the third in a series of reports that share a common objective – comparison between the CNP language SPIDER and the logic programming language PROLOG. The focus here is on the comparative investigation of their interpreters, presented in a generic formal frame – reduction of goals. As a result of juxtaposing their pseudo-codes the advantages of SPIDER are outlined

Laparascopic-assisted endoscopic mucosal resection of a polyp in sigma and laparoscopic right hemicolectomy for adenocarcinoma in colon ascendens - case report

Today, endoscopic polypectomy has become a daily-performed routine procedure in the operating room. Almost every polyp in the colon can be removed endoscopically, but there are some problematic adenomas which are either large in size or difficult to approach. We present 80 years old white woman with a tubulo­villous adenoma with high-grade dysplasia on a flat surface located in sigma with 4 x 5cm in size and also synchronously found in colon ascendens a well differentiated G1 adenocarcinoma with 2 x 2cm in size on a flat surface. The abdominal ultrasound did not find any liver metastases. Because of the difficult location and the size of the two lesions in the right and left colon, we make a decision for a laparoscopic-assisted en­doscopic mucosal resection (piece-meal) of the polyp in sigma and for the adenocarcinoma in colon ascen­dens the procedure was followed by laparoscopic right hemicolectomy in one step approach. The both inter­ventions were performed without complications and good postoperative period. Hybrid endoscopic and lap­aroscopic interventions are very effective approach that can resect large tubulovillous polyps and adenocar­cinoma of the colon, with a lesser risk of complications. Combining the methods in one surgery save time, make endoscopy more easy to perform and can save one-half of the colon in cases of synchronous lesions of the colon. Scr Sci Med 2017; 49(3): 49-5

Point-of-Care Ultrasound Assessment of Tropical Infectious Diseases—A Review of Applications and Perspectives

The development of good quality and affordable ultrasound machines has led to the establishment and implementation of numerous point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) protocols in various medical disciplines. POCUS for major infectious diseases endemic in tropical regions has received less attention, despite its likely even more pronounced benefit for populations with limited access to imaging infrastructure. Focused assessment with sonography for HIV-associated TB (FASH) and echinococcosis (FASE) are the only two POCUS protocols for tropical infectious diseases, which have been formally investigated and which have been implemented in routine patient care today. This review collates the available evidence for FASH and FASE, and discusses sonographic experiences reported for urinary and intestinal schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, viral hemorrhagic fevers, amebic liver abscess, and visceral leishmaniasis. Potential POCUS protocols are suggested and technical as well as training aspects in the context of resource-limited settings are reviewed. Using the focused approach for tropical infectious diseases will make ultrasound diagnosis available to patients who would otherwise have very limited or no access to medical imaging

Postsocialist disability matrix

This paper explores injustices experienced by disabled people in the postsocialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Drawing on Nancy Fraser’s theory of social justice, the analysis proposes a ‘matrix’ that reveals the negative impact of two factors – state socialist legacy and postsocialist neoliberalization – on disabled people’s parity of participation in three dimensions of justice – economic redistribution, cultural recognition, and political representation. The legacy of state socialism has underpinned: segregated service provision; medical-productivist understanding of disability for assessment purposes; denial of disability on everyday level; and weak disability organizing. Neoliberal restructuring has resulted in: retrenchment of disability support through decentralization, austerity, and workfare; stigmatization of ‘dependency’ through the discourse of ‘welfare dependency’; responsibilization of disabled people; and depoliticization of disability organizations by restricting their activities to service provision and incorporating them in structures of tokenistic participation. The analysis is informed by reports and academic studies of disability in the postsocialist region

Flow of foam through a convergent channel

International audienceWe study experimentally the flow of a foam confined as a bubble monolayer between two plates through a convergent channel. We quantify the velocity, the distribution and orientation of plastic events, and the elastic stress, using image analysis. We use two different soap solutions: a sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solution, with a negligible wall friction between the bubbles and the confining plates, and a mixture containing a fatty acid, giving a large wall friction. We show that for SDS solutions, the velocity profile obeys a self-similar form which results from the superposition of plastic events, and the elastic deformation is uniform. For the other solution, the velocity field differs and the elastic deformation increases towards the exit of the channel. We discuss and quantify the role of wall friction on the velocity profile, the elastic deformation, and the rate of plastic events

Review of phase change emulsions (PCMEs) and their applications in HVAC systems

Phase change material emulsions (PCMEs) are multifunctional fluids consisting of phase change materials (PCMs) and carrier fluids. PCMEs could be potential candidates as heat transfer media in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. This is mainly because PCME could take advantage of its high heat capacity to reduce flow rate and thus saving pumping power whilst delivering the same amount of cooling effect. PCME can also simultaneously act as cold storage to shift peak-load to off-peak time and improve the COP of systems. However, the optimum design of integrated system requires a good understanding of flow behaviour and heat transfer characteristics of PCMEs. In this paper, comprehensive reviews of their thermo-physical properties and potential applications as thermal energy storage and as alternative heat transfer fluids in air conditioning systems have been carried out to establish their limitations for future research