A New Monte Carlo Based Algorithm for the Gaussian Process Classification Problem

Gaussian process is a very promising novel technology that has been applied to both the regression problem and the classification problem. While for the regression problem it yields simple exact solutions, this is not the case for the classification problem, because we encounter intractable integrals. In this paper we develop a new derivation that transforms the problem into that of evaluating the ratio of multivariate Gaussian orthant integrals. Moreover, we develop a new Monte Carlo procedure that evaluates these integrals. It is based on some aspects of bootstrap sampling and acceptancerejection. The proposed approach has beneficial properties compared to the existing Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach, such as simplicity, reliability, and speed

Total knee arthroplasty at Gaza Strip Palestine: compliance and retrospective comparative study

Background: In Gaza Strip, arthroplasty only performed at our center. This study is to assess the compliance and improve current practices.Methods: Study is based on medical records review of all patients underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA) between January 2016 and December 2017.Results: Forty eight TKA were performed on 41 patients. Neuraxial anesthesia used in 43 operations (30 spinal, 13 epidural). Tranexamic acid used in 20 operations and those show less frequently decrease in hemoglobin level after surgery and for blood transfusion. Simultaneous bilateral TKA used in one patient. Drain used in 26 operations, 2 of them had infection. No one started physiotherapy at same day surgery, this may be due to repeat doses of Epidural anesthesia, performed surgeries before weekend and using the drain. Delayed physiotherapy is associated with prolong hospitalization and increase suspicion of deep venous tthrombosis. The result from our retrospective comparative study was similar to guidelines.Conclusions: We concluded that there is overall good management of TKA in our hospital according to the best available evidence. We recommend to use the international guidelines like the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) guidelines as a standard guidelines to our Hospital, and increase awareness of our staff to the good practice guidelines. Emphasize the important elements that we have shorten of good practice as listed in the discussion.

Predictors of Developing Significant Mitral Regurgitation Following Percutaneous Mitral Commissurotomy with Inoue Balloon Technique

Background. Despite the high technical expertise in percutaneous mitral commissurotomy (PMC), mitral regurgitation (MR) remains a major procedure-related complication. The aim of this work is to find out the most sensitive and applicable predictors of development of significant mitral regurgitation (SMR) following percutaneous mitral commissurotomy using Inoue balloon technique. Methods. We studied prospectively the preprocedural (clinical, echocardiography, and hemodynamic) and procedural predictors of significant mitral regurgitation (identified as increase of ≥2/4 grades of pre-PMC MR by color Doppler flow mapping) following valvuloplasty using Inoue balloon in 108 consecutive patients with severe mitral stenosis. Multiple stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed for variables found positive on univariate analysis to determine the most important predictor(s) of developing SMR. Results. The incidence of SMR following PMC using Inoue technique was 18.5% (10 patients). MV scoring systems were the only variables that showed significant differences between both groups (Group A without SMR and Group B with SMR). However, no clinical, other echocardiographic measurements, hemodynamic or procedural variables could predict the development of SMR. Using multiple regression analysis, the best predictive factor for the risk of SMR after Inoue BMV was the total MR-echo score with a cutoff point of 7 and a predictive percentage of 97.7%. Conclusions. The total MR-echo score is the only independent predictor of SMR following PMC using Inoue technique with a cutoff point of 7

Intravitreal bevacizumab alone or combined with triamcinolone acetonide as the primary treatment for diabetic macular edema

Hatem M Marey, Amin F EllakwaOphthalmology Department, Minoufiya University, EgyptPurpose: To compare the efficacy of intravitreal injection of bevacizumab alone or combined with intravitreal triamcinolone as the primary treatment for cases with diabetic macular edema (DME).Methods: Ninety eyes were enrolled in one of the three study arms; where intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVT) was used in group I, IVT/intravitreal bevacizumab (IVT/IVB) in group II, and IVB in group III. The visual acuity (VA) and central macular thickness (CMT) were used as the outcome measures, where the results of each group were calculated and compared with the results of the other.Results: There was significant improvement in the VA in the three study groups at weeks 6 and 12; with regards to the intraocular pressure (IOP), there was significant difference at week 6 in the IVT and IVT/IVB groups, and at week 12 in IVT/IVB group, and nonsignificant difference at week 6 in the IVB group and at week 12 in IVT and IVB groups.Conclusion: From this study, we conclude that IVB is an effective drug for treatment of DME, and has a long lasting effect when compared with IVT and when compared with combined IVT/IVB; adding IVT does not affect the outcome measures except for elevating the IOP in treated patients in the early post-injection period.Keywords: visual acuity, central macular thickness, intraocular pressure, IVT, IV

Using Alternative Cogeneration Plants in Iraqi Petroleum Industry

The present paper describes and analyses three proposed cogeneration plants include back pressure steam-turbine system, gas turbine system, diesel-engine system, and the present Dura refinery plant. Selected actual operating data are employed for analysis. The same amount of electrical and thermal product outputs is considered for all systems to facilitate comparisons. The theoretical analysis was done according to 1st and 2nd law of thermodynamic. The results demonstrate that exergy analysis is a useful tool in performance analysis of cogeneration systems and permits meaningful comparisons of different cogeneration systems based on their merits, also the result showed that the back pressure steam-turbine is more efficient than other proposals. Moreover, the results of the present work indicate that these alternative plants can produce more electric power than that required in the refinery. At present time, the industrial cogeneration plants are recommended in Iraq, especially in petroleum industry sectors, in order to contribute with ministry of electricity to solve the present crisis of electric power generation. Such excess in the power can sold to the main electric network. The economic analysis are proved the feasibility of the proposed cogeneration plants with payback period of four year and six months ,three year and eight months, and ten years for steam cogeneration plant, gas turbine cogeneration plant and diesel engine cogeneration plant respectively

Acute rupture of a thin cap fibroatheroma: value of multimodality imaging

ISSN:1522-9645ISSN:0195-668

Intelligent Motion Detection and Tracking System

The rapid development in the field of digital image processing made motion detection and tracking an attractive research topic. Until recent years, real-time video applications were inapplicable due to the expense computational time. An intelligent method to analyze the motion in a stream video line using the methods of background subtraction, temporal differencing, and optical flow, methods are proposed. The new method solves the computational time problem by using a reliable technique that is called Fast Pixels Selection. A low cost tracking system is proposed. This tracking system consist of camera, PC, motor and data acquisition card. This system is designed to detect and track any moving target automatically

CONJUGATE NATURAL CONVECTION IN A POROUS ENCLOSURE SANDWICHED BY FINITE WALLS AND SUBJECTED TO CONVECTION COOLING CONDITION

Steady conjugate natural convection heat transfers in a two-dimensional enclosure filled with fluid saturated porous medium is studied numerically. The two vertical boundaries of the enclosure are kept isothermally at same temperature, the horizontal upper wall is adiabatic, and the horizontal lower wall is partially heated. The Darcy extended Brinkman Forcheimer model is used as the momentum equation and Ansys Fluent software is utilized to solve the governing equations. Rayleigh number (1.38 ≤ Ra ≤ 2.32), Darcy number (3.9 * 10-8), the ratio of conjugate wall thickness to its height (0.025 ≤ W ≤ 0.1), heater length to the bottom wall ratio (1/4 ≤ ≤ 3/4) and inclination angle (0°, 30° and 60°) are the main considered parameters. The presented results show the effect of these parameters on the heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics. These results include streamlines, isotherm patterns, and local and average Nusselt number for different values of the governing parameters. It is found that either increasing the Rayleigh number and the ratio of conjugate wall thickness to its height (d/H) or decreasing the ratio of heat source width to bottom wall (l/L), the average Nusselt number is increased. Also, it was observed that the average Nusselt number does not change substantially with inclination angle

A woman living with osteoarthritis: A case report

Osteoarthritis is a common condition that is typically associated with older adults. Other causes of osteoarthritis, such as those cases resulting from childhood Perthes disease, can affect younger people and frequently have a major impact on the lives of those affected. This case report describes the experiences of one patient with osteoarthritis, using examples of her poetry to illustrate her social, psychological and emotional transformation