Reconsiderando el significado de Hogar en la Rehabilitación: hacia una ciudad histórica sostenible

Despite the significant literature about the meaning of home and the scholars’ research concerning the home environment, the concept of home didn’t filter into the rehabilitation process. The conservation theory and the rehabilitation methodology are still concentrating on the material aspects of the built environment and ignoring the immaterial aspects and meanings. In view of that the dwellings are not only artifacts but they are a livable example of the social structure and behavioral patterns. Understanding the dwellers relationship with their dwellings will be helpful in establishing a connection between the rehabilitation of the historical domestic architecture and the concept of home. This requires reconsidering the theoretical frame work of the rehabilitation process so as to be able to recognize the change in the historical house’s spatial structure and order and to link them to the social structure and pattern of use.A pesar de la gran cantidad de literatura sobre el significado del hogar y las investigaciones hechas por académicos sobre el ambiente del hogar, el concepto de hogar no se filtró en el proceso de rehabilitación. La teoría de la conservación y la metodología de rehabilitación siguen concentrándose en los aspectos materiales del ambiente construido e ignoran los aspectos inmateriales. Tomando en cuenta que las viviendas no son sólo objetos, sino ejemplos de estructuras sociales, y patrones de conducta, el entendimiento de la relación entre habitantes y sus viviendas será de utilidad para establecer una conexión entre la rehabilitación de la arquitectura doméstica histórica y el concepto del hogar. Para ello es necesario reconsiderar el marco de trabajo teórico del proceso de rehabilitación con el fin de ser capaz de reconocer el cambio en la estructura espacial del hogar histórico y el orden, y vincularlos a la estructura social

Factors affecting the performance of small-scale construction firms in Nigeria

Small-Scale Construction Firms (SSCFs) in Nigeria are confronted with several problems that tend to limits their contributions to the country’s GDP, employment generation as well as infrastructural development. Although the prospect for improved contribution towards development still exists, there is the need for implementation of good management practices and support measures. Therefore, this study uses focus group to explore factors affecting the performance of small-scale construction firms and possible remedial measures. The study identified 113 factors that negatively affect performance. The interview further helped in grouping the variables into seven (7) groups. The focus group participants helped to identify and classify eighty-two (82) measures into internal and external measures. Internal measures are to be implemented by the construction firms towards solving internal constraints and external measures to be implemented by government and other stakeholders towards minimizing problems that are outside the control of the small-scale construction firms. Results revealed critical factors affecting performance such as financial indiscipline by contractors, lack of experience and track records, poor policy by commercial banks on SMEs, corruption, effects of globalisation, multiple taxation, stringent prequalification criteria, poor design and specifications, lack of entrepreneurship skills and delay in payment for work done. The study recommends the implementation of remedial measures by management of small-scale construction firms and governments with other stakeholders that could improve performance. Keywords: small-scale constructions firms, focus group, problems, remedial measures and performance.&nbsp

Prevalence, Types and Determinants of Complementary and Alternative Medications among Health Clinic Clients

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) covers a wide range of over 100 healing approaches, philosophies and therapeutic modalities that are not provided by conventional medicine. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) covers a wide range of healing approaches not provided by conventional medicine. Objectives: The study was aimed at identifying the prevalence , types and determinants of CAM use,  sources of information about CAM that patients usually depend upon and  reasons of using CAM, Methods: : A cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from random consecutive patients attending  two PHC centres out of ten which was selected randomly in Abha city. All the patients more than 18 years attended to the clinic during two months (March & April) /2014 was included in the study. Results: The present study included 504 patients attending the PHC centres. The mean age of the participants was  47.6 ± 10.2 years. 232(46.0%)  were Males and 272(54.0%) were females. The majority of participants were Saudi ((88.7%)) and Muslims (96.4%). Most of the participants were Illiterate or school level (82.1%) and less than half of them (42.9%) had  enough family income > 10,000 SR. About three fourths of the participants were born in city, most of them were non smokers (81.9%) and about one third of them had self-perceived stress level more than 5. About one third  (36.9%) of participants reported using CAM during the 12 months preceded the study. About half of the participants used CAM due to the personal and family beliefs and because of friends advice ( 63.4% & 46.8% ) respectively. More than half of CAM users used it regularly. 58.6% of CAM users Feeling physically & psychologically better after using it and most of them did not reported any side effects after using CAM.  Conclusions: Use of CAM is prevalent among patients attending  health clinics in Abha City. CAM is commonly used by all age groups. The significant factors found to increase the likelihood of CAM use were Saudi nationality, Illiterate and the place of birth, there were a statistical significant increase  of using CAM among participants born in village. However, factors like age, gender, income, religion, smoking and perceived stress level did not prove to be statistically significant and thus did not affect CAM prevalence significantly. Most families has strong personal belief on CAM Because of the Belief that CAM builds up the body’s own defenses and promotes self-healing and has less side effects. Key words: Prevalence, Determinants, Complementary,  Alternative Medications, Client

Higher Dimensional Taub-NUTs and Taub-Bolts in Einstein-Maxwell Gravity

We present a class of higher dimensional solutions to Einstein-Maxwell equations in d-dimensions. These solutions are asymptotically locally flat, de-Sitter, or anti-de Sitter space-times. The solutions we obtained depend on two extra parameters other than the mass and the nut charge. These two parameters are the electric charge, q and the electric potential at infinity, V, which has a non-trivial contribution. We Analyze the conditions one can impose to obtain Taub-Nut or Taub-Bolt space-times, including the four-dimensional case. We found that in the nut case these conditions coincide with that coming from the regularity of the one-form potential at the horizon. Furthermore, the mass parameter for the higher dimensional solutions depends on the nut charge and the electric charge or the potential at infinity.Comment: 11 pages, LaTe

Prescribing patterns of gastrointestinal drugs in private clinics in Benghazi-Libya

Background: Prescription analysis can pinpoint areas of improvement in encounters issued by prescribing physicians. The present study was carried out to analyze prescribing trends for outpatients among consultants in the city of Benghazi-Libya.Methods: A total of 4000 prescriptions were collected from private pharmacies around the city of Benghazi, Libya. Indicators addressed included the patient's name, age, sex, and address, and the physician's name, address, and signature. The percentage of prescriptions lacking this information was calculated. Drugs prescribed by dosage, duration of treatment were also considered. The study focused on the commonly prescribed classes of gastrointestinal drugs and the most frequently prescribed drug of each common class. No attempt was made to evaluate the incidence of various gastrointestinal disorders. Results are expressed as frequency and percentage of prescribed medicines.Results: Information present in prescriptions and pertaining to the patient were name (2972, 74.3%), age (468, 11.7%), date of visit (107, 2.7%) while those for prescriber were name (1902, 47.6%) and signature (3612, 90.3%). None of the prescriptions contained sex of patient, his/her address, or registration number of the prescriber. All prescribed drugs were in brand names. Polypharmacy was not evident as all prescriptions contained 1-2 drugs.The number of prescriptions with a gastrointestinal drug(s) counted to 421 (10.5%) out of the total 4000 prescriptions. The most commonly prescribed classes of gastrointestinal drugs include in order, anti-hyperacidity, anti-emetics, anti-spasmodic, laxatives and anti-diarrheal with the most frequently prescribed drug of each therapeutic class being omeprazole (67, 48.9%), metoclopramide (57, 57%), hyoscine-N-butyl bromide (42, 55.3%), bisacodyl (44, 59.5%) and loperamide (30, 88.3%) respectively.Conclusions: The results of the present study indicate the need to improve prescribing among physicians, a task that can be achieved through inclusion of related topics such as prescription writing and rational drug use in undergraduate curricula and continuing medical educational programs

A Bestiary of Higher Dimensional Taub-NUT-AdS Spacetimes

We present a menagerie of solutions to the vacuum Einstein equations in six, eight and ten dimensions. These solutions describe spacetimes which are either locally asymptotically adS or locally asymptotically flat, and which have non-trivial topology. We discuss the global structure of these solutions, and their relevance within the context of M-theory.Comment: 11 pages, LaTex(v4: Comments and references added

Scale without Conformal Invariance at Three Loops

We carry out a three-loop computation that establishes the existence of scale without conformal invariance in dimensional regularization with the MS scheme in d=4-epsilon spacetime dimensions. We also comment on the effects of scheme changes in theories with many couplings, as well as in theories that live on non-conformal scale-invariant renormalization group trajectories. Stability properties of such trajectories are analyzed, revealing both attractive and repulsive directions in a specific example. We explain how our results are in accord with those of Jack & Osborn on a c-theorem in d=4 (and d=4-epsilon) dimensions. Finally, we point out that limit cycles with turning points are unlike limit cycles with continuous scale invariance.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, Erratum adde