Evaluation of Neuroimaging in Cerebral Palsy

ObjectiveCerebral palsy (CP), a common static motor neurological disorder of childhood with wide spectrum of underlying etiologies, can be demonstrated with different neuro imaging techniques. We undertook this study to investigate the diagnosis of intracranial lesions in children with CP and its correlation between clinical deficits and neuroradiological findings.Materials and methodsIn this prospective hospital-based study, the data of 120 patients with CP, aged below 18 years, referring to the neurology clinic of the Ali Asghar Pediatric hospital in Tehran was studied; data on their cranial neuroimaging findings was analyzed any possible association(s) between the gestational ages, prenatal history and neurological deficits were investigated.ResultsOf the 120 patients, 72 (60%) were male; 75% were aged below 7 years. Common predisposing factors were prenatal asphyxia, LBW, prematurity and toxemia of pregnancy. Of the 120 cases, 90%(107) had spastic CP, with the quadriplegic type being the most common (54%), followed by spastic paraplegia (21%); twenty-four patients (20%) had significant Preventricular Leucomalacia (PVL), a finding more common among those born pre-term.Sixteen patients had hemiplegic CP, 14 of whom showed unilateral lesions on brain MRI imaging. Ten (8%) had extra pyramidal CP, a condition more common among term born infants, while six of the 10(72%) showed significant abnormalities on the basal ganglia. Cerebral atrophy was seen in 60 (50%) of patients and PVL in 20%; encephalomalacia, gliosis, middle cerebral artery infarcts, PVL and gliosis indicated hypoxia as a risk factor for CP. Extent of MRI lesions correlated with the severity of neurological deficits in CP lesions, which were more extensive in Quadriplegics and double hemiplegics rather than paraplegics, and among those delivered preterm as compared to those born at term.ConclusionRadiological findings were found to be closely related to the type of CP and the neurological deficits and gestational ages of patients with brain insult; we believe that MRI is helpful in delineating the underlying etiology, extent, severity and timing of insult to the developing brain and prognostication in CP patients

Numerical Investigation of Tsunami-Borne Debris Interaction with Coastal Bridges

The destructive potential of tsunamis has been well-documented in past events such as the 2004 Indian Ocean and 2011 Great East Japan tsunamis, which resulted in extensive damage to coastal regions including the destruction or damage of numerous bridges. These transportation links are particularly vulnerable to damage from tsunami-driven debris, such as boats, vehicles, and shipping containers, which upon impact can remove a bridge superstructure from its supports. The significance of understanding the effect of floating debris on coastal bridges cannot be overemphasized, as transportation infrastructure plays a vital role in post-disaster response and recovery efforts. Despite the availability of data from several debris-related studies, the majority of them have been focused on buildings, and very limited information is available for bridges. Furthermore, the majority of studies have been experimental, as the numerical investigation of complex multi-physics phenomena involving fluid flow with turbulent wave breaking, and non-linear contact between the debris, the trapped fluid, and the bridge, is quite challenging. Accurate quantification of the forces involved in debris-flow-bridge interaction is important for the design of tsunami-resilient bridges. The main objectives of this study were to (a) understand the two-fold effect of debris impact and damming on bridges, (b) shed light on the debris dynamics and debris-fluid-bridge interaction and associated loads, (d) quantify the effect of the debris orientation, (d) explore, calibrate and assess the accuracy and limitations of particle-based (SPH) and/or coupled particle-mesh based (SPH-FEM) methods, (e) investigate the role of debris mass, and (e) provide recommendations regarding simplified prescriptive load equations for debris impact for inclusion in the Tsunami Design Guidelines for Coastal Bridges developed by PEER and recently adopted by the AASHTO Committee on Bridges and Structures. In the present study, a thorough examination of the effect of various factors on debris movement, velocity, and impact force on bridge superstructure was conducted. By utilizing the coupled SPH-FEM numerical technique, it is demonstrated that the trajectory of debris can vary depending on the tsunami flow characteristics, the debris initial orientation, debris mass, and the bridge elevation. Through observation and analysis, three distinct patterns of debris movement around bridge decks are identified and designated as Patterns A, B, and C. Pattern A, the most frequently observed pattern, involves debris impacting the offshore side of the bridge superstructure, followed by movement below the soffit and eventual resurfacing on the onshore side. Additionally, when debris passes below the deck, it may impact the soffit, leading to uplift loads that can surpass the maximum horizontal loads. Pattern B involves debris movement above the deck with or without impact on the top surface. Pattern C -the least frequently observed pattern- involves a debris impacting the offshore side of the superstructure and becoming trapped below the offshore overhang, resulting in repetitive impulsive loads and long-duration damming loads until the end of the inundation. The study also reveals that the debris exhibits both horizontal and vertical velocities at the instant of primary impact, resulting in applied forces on the bridge in both directions simultaneously. Additionally, the research demonstrates the complexity of the debris dynamics and debris-flow-bridge interaction, with some cases resulting in secondary impacts of greater magnitude than the primary impact. The study further demonstrates that the debris initial orientation has a significant effect, with longitudinal debris reaching higher velocities and resulting in larger impact forces than the transverse one. In addition, it is also shown that the debris mass plays a crucial role in determining its movement, velocity, and impact forces. The results of this study indicate that the presence of the debris significantly impacts the flow velocities and pressures on bridges relatively to clear-water tsunami conditions. Specifically, it is found that the presence of debris leads to a consistent increase in total horizontal forces. Through the use of SPH-FEM analyses, the ratio of total forces with transverse debris to total forces without debris (Rx) is found to range between 1.5 and 6.5, with an average value of 2.67. Additionally, the ratio in the vertical direction (Rz) is found to range between 0.9 and 4.7, with an average value of 1.85. Furthermore, it is found that the presence of longitudinal debris leads to an average of 3.64 and 2.13 times larger horizontal and vertical forces respectively, in comparison to cases without debris. These findings highlight the importance of considering the debris in tsunami risk assessment frameworks and the design of bridge structures in tsunami-prone areas. In summary, the findings of this research are expected to have significant implications for the design and construction of bridges in areas prone to tsunamis and in this regard, a preliminary set of prescriptive equations for the debris impact forces is proposed

Evaluación de factores relacionados con la reducción del riesgo de control de productos en la aduana (Estudio de caso: Aduana Shahid Rajaee)

The rapid rise of international trade on the one hand and limited resources of customs offices in risk identification and elimination are considered to be the main limitations of traditional control procedures in customs. So modern control systems in customs should be based on risk selection and management. This study was conducted aimed at evaluating the factors related to reducing commodity control risk in customs (Shahid Rajaee Customs) in the form of five hypotheses. For this purpose, five hypotheses regarding the commodity control risk in customs were first presented using the interviews with customs managers and experts. In this study, we intend to conduct a qualitative examination to confirm or reject the hypotheses. This is and applied and descriptive – survey study. To analyze the collected data, descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage of frequency, drawing related tables and graphs, mean, median, mode, standard deviation, variance and inferential statistics including univariate T test and to rank variables, the Friedman test were used. After analyzing the data using SPSS software, all hypotheses were confirmed.El rápido aumento del comercio internacional, por un lado, y los recursos limitados de las oficinas de aduanas para la identificación y eliminación de riesgos se consideran las principales limitaciones de los procedimientos de control tradicionales en aduanas. Por lo tanto, los sistemas modernos de control en aduanas deben basarse en la selección y gestión de riesgos. Este estudio se realizó con el objetivo de evaluar los factores relacionados con la reducción del riesgo de control de productos en las aduanas (Aduanas Shahid Rajaee) en forma de cinco hipótesis. Para este propósito, primero se presentaron cinco hipótesis con respecto al riesgo de control de productos en la aduana mediante entrevistas con gerentes y expertos de aduanas. En este estudio, pretendemos realizar un examen cualitativo para confirmar o rechazar las hipótesis. Este es un estudio de encuesta aplicado y descriptivo. Para analizar los datos recopilados, se utilizaron estadísticas descriptivas que incluyen frecuencia, porcentaje de frecuencia, dibujo de tablas y gráficos relacionados, media, mediana, modo, desviación estándar, varianza y estadísticas inferenciales, incluida la prueba T univariada y para clasificar las variables, la prueba de Friedman. Después de analizar los datos utilizando el software SPSS, se confirmaron todas las hipótesis

The analysis of the effect of private and state educational and health care expenditures on the economic growth of Iran

Investment in educational and health sector is one of significant factors for economic growth in many countries. Lots of studies have been done in this field, However, The simultaneous effect of education and health and the importance of private and state sectors in economic growth of Iran have not been surveyed. Because of the significance of this investigation, various types of behavior in private and state sector in these areas, we have investigated the effects of private and state educational and health care expenditures on the economic growth of Iran using Auto-Regressive Distributed Lags (ARDL) method from 1965 to 2011. Statistical ramifications showed that state health care expenditures had a positive and significant effect on economic growth. However, private health care expenditures showed no significant effect on growth. Private educational expenditures had a positive significant effect on economic growth. However, State educational expenditures had a negative effect on economic growth which is not surprising because educational system faces serious problems such as discordance between the educational system and needs of society and labor marke

The analysis of the effect of private and state educational and health care expenditures on the economic growth of Iran

Investment in educational and health sector is one of significant factors for economic growth in many countries. Lots of studies have been done in this field, However, The simultaneous effect of education and health and the importance of private and state sectors in economic growth of Iran have not been surveyed. Because of the significance of this investigation, various types of behavior in private and state sector in these areas, we have investigated the effects of private and state educational and health care expenditures on the economic growth of Iran using Auto-Regressive Distributed Lags (ARDL) method from 1965 to 2011. Statistical ramifications showed that state health care expenditures had a positive and significant effect on economic growth. However, private health care expenditures showed no significant effect on growth. Private educational expenditures had a positive significant effect on economic growth. However, State educational expenditures had a negative effect on economic growth which is not surprising because educational system faces serious problems such as discordance between the educational system and needs of society and labor marke