Fuzzy logic as a decision-making support system for the indication of bariatric surgery based on an index (MAFOI) generated by the association between body fat and body mass index.

Background: A fuzzy obesity index (MAFOI) for use as an alternative to bariatric surgery indication (BSI) is presented. The search for a more accurate method to evaluate obesity and to indicate a better treatment is important in the world health context. BMI (body mass index) is considered the main criteria for obesity treatment and BSI. Nevertheless, the fat excess related to the percentage of Body Fat (%BF) is actually the principal harmful factor in obesity disease that is usually neglected. This paper presents a new fuzzy mechanism for evaluating obesity by associating BMI with %BF that yields a fuzzy obesity index for obesity evaluation and treatment and allows building up a Fuzzy Decision Support System (FDSS) for BSI. Methods: Seventy-two patients were evaluated for both BMI and %BF. These data are modified and treated as fuzzy sets. Afterwards, the BMI and %BF classes are aggregated yielding a new index (MAFOI) for input linguistic variable are considered the BMI and %BF, and as output linguistic variable is employed the MAFOI, an obesity classification with entirely new classes of obesity in the fuzzy context as well as is used for BSI. Results: There is gradual, smooth obesity classification and BSI when using the proposed fuzzy obesity index when compared with other traditional methods for dealing with obesity.
Conclusion: The BMI is not adequate for surgical indication in all the conditions and fuzzy logic becomes an alternative for decision making in bariatric surgery indication based on the MAFOI

Ladder proof of nonlocality for two spin-half particles revisited

In this paper we extend the ladder proof of nonlocality without inequalities for two spin-half particles given by Boschi et al [PRL 79, 2755 (1997)] to the case in which the measurement settings of the apparatus measuring one of the particles are different from the measurement settings of the apparatus measuring the other particle. It is shown that, in any case, the proportion of particle pairs for which the contradiction with local realism goes through is maximized when the measurement settings are the same for each apparatus. Also we write down a Bell inequality for the experiment in question which is violated by quantum mechanics by an amount which is twice as much as the amount by which quantum mechanics violates the Bell inequality considered in the above paper by Boschi et al.Comment: LaTeX, 7 pages, 1 figure, journal versio

Pullback attractors for a singularly nonautonomous plate equation

We consider the family of singularly nonautonomous plate equation with structural damping $$u_{tt} + a(t,x)u_{t} + (- \Delta) u_{t} + (-\Delta)^{2} u + \lambda u = f(u),$$ in a bounded domain $\Omega \subset \R^n$, with Navier boundary conditions. When the nonlinearity $f$ is dissipative we show that this problem is globally well posed in $H^2_0(\Omega) \times L^2(\Omega)$ and has a family of pullback attractors which is upper-semicontinuous under small perturbations of the damping $a$

A systems approach to social entrepreneurship

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The role of microbiology and pharmacy departments in the stewardship of antibiotic prescribing in European hospitals

This observational, cross-sectional study describes the role played by clinical microbiology and pharmacy departments in the stewardship of antibiotic prescribing in European hospitals. A total of 170 acute care hospitals from 32 European countries returned a questionnaire on antibiotic policies and practices implemented in 2001. Data on antibiotic use, expressed as De.ned Daily Doses per 100 occupied bed-days (DDD/100 BD) were provided by 139 hospitals from 30 countries. A total of 124 hospitals provided both datasets. 121 (71%) of Clinical Microbiology departments and 66 (41%) of Pharmacy departments provided out of hours clinical advice. 70 (41%) of microbiology/infectious disease specialists and 28 (16%) of pharmacists visited wards on a daily basis. The majority of laboratories provided monitoring of blood cultures more than once per day and summary data of antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) for empiric prescribing (86% and 73% respectively). Most of the key laboratory and pharmacy-led initiatives examined did not vary signi.cantly by geographical location. Hospitals from the North and West of Europe were more likely to examine blood cultures more than once daily compared with other regions (p < 0.01). Hospitals in the North were least likely routinely to report susceptibility results for restricted antibiotics compared to those in the South-East and Central/Eastern Europe (p < 0.01). Hospital wards in the North were more likely to hold antibiotic stocks (100%) compared with hospitals in the South-East which were least likely (39%) (p < 0.001). Conversely, hospital pharmacies in the North were least likely to dispense antibiotics on an individual patient basis (16%) compared with hospital pharmacies from Southern Europe (60%) (p = 0.01). Hospitals that routinely reported susceptibility results for restricted antibiotics had signi.cantly lower median total antibiotic use in 2001 (p < 0.01). Hospitals that provided prescribing advice outside normal working hours had signi.cantly higher antibiotic use compared with institutions that did not provide this service (p = 0.01). A wide range of antibiotic stewardship measures was practised in the participating hospitals in 2001, although there remains great scope for expansion of those overseen by pharmacy departments. Most hospitals had active antibiotic stewardship programmes led by specialists in infection, although there is no evidence that these were associated with reduced antibiotic consumption. There was also no evidence that pharmacy services reduced the amount of antibiotics prescribed.The ARPAC study was funded by the European Commission (project QLK2-CT-2001-00915). F.M. MacKenzie was supported by the European Study Group on Antibiotic Policies to write this manuscript

Least-squares approximation of an improper by a proper correlation matrix using a semi-infinite convex program

An algorithm is presented for the best least-squares fitting correlation matrix approximating a given missing value or improper correlation matrix. The proposed algorithm is based on a solution for C. I. Mosier's oblique Procrustes rotation problem offered by J. M. F. ten Berge and K. Nevels (1977). It is shown that the minimization problem belongs to a certain class of convex programs in optimization theory. A necessary and sufficient condition for a solution to yield the unique global minimum of the least-squares function is derived from a theorem by A. Shapiro (1985). A computer program was implemented to yield the solution of the minimization problem with the proposed algorithm. This empirical verification of the condition indicates that the occurrence of non-optimal solutions with the proposed algorithm is very unlikely

Exploring molecular motors

The introduction of mechanical functions and controlled motion based on molecular motors and machines offers tremendous opportunities towards the design of dynamic molecular systems and responsive materials. In this brief perspective the focus is on the exploration of rotary molecular motors discussing basic principles and showing illustrative applications in functional materials. Furthermore, major challenges to bring dynamic properties to more complex molecular systems, ranging from transmission, amplification and synchronization to biocompatibility and autonomous behavior, are discussed

Spin dynamics for bosons in an optical lattice

We study the internal dynamics of bosonic atoms in an optical lattice. Within the regime in which the atomic crystal is a Mott insulator with one atom per well, the atoms behave as localized spins which interact according to some spin Hamiltonian. The type of Hamiltonian (Heisenberg, Ising), and the sign of interactions may be tuned by changing the properties of the optical lattice, or applying external magnetic fields. When, on the other hand, the number of atoms per lattice site is unknown, we can still use the bosons to perform general quantum computation