Hydrography, nutrients and plankton abundance in the hot spot of Abu Qir Bay, Alexandria, Egypt

The hydrography, nutrient levels and plankton abundance were investigated monthly for a complete annual cycle in the southwestern part of Abu Qir Bay, the most polluted and biologically productive area on the Egyptian Mediterranean coast. Intense temporal and spatial variability was observed in all measured parameters characteristic of the effects of several effluents discharged into the bay. Based on the present investigation, the southwestern Bay can be divided ecologically and biologically into two parts: one including the near shore strip, which is directly affected by the waste waters, and a second comprising the southwestern part of the coastal strip and the offshore stations, both of which are relatively far away from the land-based effluents.The Bay water was characterized by low transparency (monthly average: 64-280 cm), dissolved oxygen (monthly average 2.0-6.8 mg/l) and surface salinity (monthly average: 24.8-37.9 ppt), the highest limits usually being in the offshore section. Water fertility and plankton production were high in the Bay indicating an occasionally acute degree of eutrophication, particularly nearshore. Great variations occurred in the concentrations of nutrients throughout the year, with monthly averages of 0.8-50.88 mM for ammonia, 0.42-3.28 mM for nitrite, 1.29-17.36 mM for nitrate, 0.32-3.61 mM for reactive phosphate and 1.09-33.34 mM for reactive silicate. Similarly, the abundance of both phytoplankton and zooplankton showed pronounced temporal and spatial variability, whereas the monthly average chlorophyll-a fluctuated between 2.06 and 52.64 mg/l and zooplankton between 31x103 and 248.6x103 ind./m3. However, the absolute values of all parameters indicated remarkably wider ranges of variations.Significant correlation was found between chlorophyll-a and some ecological parameters like temperature, salinity, transparency, dissolved oxygen, nitrite and between zooplankton and temperature, while there was a significant correlation between nutrient concentrations and salinity changes

Parenteral nutrition in emergency surgery: a multicentre cross-sectional study

Background Emergency general surgical patients are inherently at high risk of malnutrition. Early decision-making with implementation is fundamental to patient recovery. For many patients, parenteral nutrition (PN) is the only feeding option available. The present study assessed the timing and outcomes of this decision-making process. Methods A sample of at least 10 consecutive adult patients admitted as a general surgical emergency to eight UK hospitals over 1 year who had received PN was identified. Patient demographics, basic descriptors and nutritional data were captured. Process measures regarding dates decisions were made or activities completed were extracted from records, as were outcome measures including PN complications. Six time frames examining the process of PN delivery were analysed. Associations between categorical and binary variables were investigated with a chi-squared test with significance determined as p < 0.05. Results In total, 125 patients were included. Intestinal obstruction was the most common diagnosis with 59% of all patients deemed high risk on nutritional assessment at admission. Median time to decision for PN was 5 days following admission (n = 122, interquartile range = 7). Patients received PN for a mean of 11 days. Eighty-five percent of patients developed a complication, with a phosphate abnormality being the most commonly reported (54%). Only altered blood glucose levels appeared to correlate with a delay in starting PN (p < 0.01). Conclusions The present study shows there are delays in the decision to use PN in the acutely ill surgical patient. Once initiated, the pathway is relatively short. There are high rates of electrolyte abnormalities in this population

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Palmprint recognition based on Mel frequency Cepstral coefficients feature extraction

AbstractPalmprint identification is a measurement of palmprint features for recognizing the identity of a user. Palmprint is universal, easy to capture and it does not change much across time. This paper presents an application of Mel frequency Cepstral coefficients (MFCCs) for identification of palmprint. Palmprint feature extraction is based on transforming the palmprint image into one dimensional (1-D) signal and then extracting MFCCs from this signal. Wavelet transform (DWT) of the 1-D palmprint signals are used for extracting additional features to help in the recognition process. The features from MFCCs of this DWT vector are added to the MFCCs feature vector, generated from the original palmprint signal, to form a large feature vector that can be used for palmprint identification. Feature matching is performed in this research using feed forward back propagation error neural network. Experimental results show that the proposed method is robust in the presence of noise

Socioeconomic factors and complete edentulism for female patients at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

AbstractIntroductionEdentulism is the loss of all permanent teeth due to different biological and non-biological factors. Prevalence of edentulism varies considerably between countries, geographic regions and different patients' backgrounds.Purpose of the studyTo assess the relationship between socio-demographic factors and edentulism in a sample of patients in Riyadh.Materials and methodsThe sample comprised of 279 female patients, edentulous in either arches who attended King Saud University dental institution in the Riyadh region, patients filled out a questionnaire which covered their age, area of living, education level, monthly income, dental preventive attitudes and the reason of attendance.ResultsMajority of patients (44%) were uneducated, almost 60% of subjects had a monthly income of less than 3000 SR living mainly in south and east of Riyadh, 71.3% of subjects were considered to have a negative attitude. Increase in the dental preventive attitude was noticed as the degree of education increases.ConclusionThe study revealed a relationship between sociodemographic variables and complete edentulism with age, educational level and socioeconomic status playing a vital role in edentulism and denture demand.More emphasis should be given on improving educational and the socioeconomic status among citizens in south and east of the capital

PERANCANGAN SISTEM INFORMASI BERBASIS WEB MENGGUNAKAN PERHITUNGAN DIJKSTRA\'S ALGORITHM DI PT ATW LOGISTICS

PERANCANGAN SISTEM INFORMASI BERBASIS WEB MENGGUNAKAN PERHITUNGAN DIJKSTRA\'S ALGORITHM DI PT ATW LOGISTICS