National Income Accounting and Environment: A Case Study of Waterlogging and Salinity in Pakistan

Irrigation plays a crucial role in improving agricultural productivity, it has resulted in waterlogging and salinity problems in Pakistan due to both water seepage from canals and overdoses of water encouraged by inappropriate water pricing practices. As many as 2.2 million hectares of land forming 13 percent of the cultivated area in Pakistan suffer from an acute problem of waterlogging and salinity, i.e., water table is less than 5 feet from the normal surface level. [See Government of Pakistan (1993)]. Despite the government’s effort to resolve the problem through an expansive network of public tubewells under the salinity control and reclamation project (SCARP), the problem seems to have worsened over time. The higher water doses may increase the growth of output in the short run, but by degrading the agricultural lands and increasing impurities of potable water, etc., they adversely affect the long-run growth. These adverse effects of the inappropriate irrigation practices on agricultural productivity are generally not accounted for in the national income accounting system. Accordingly, there is a need to account for the forgone economic, social, and environmental benefits. In this regard, the environmental resource accounting provides a valuable information base for integrated development planning and policy. The approach allows for segregation and elaboration of all environment-related flows and stocks of traditional accounts, linkage of physical accounts with monetary environmental accounts and balance sheets, assessment of environmental costs and benefits, accounting for the maintenance of tangible wealth, and elaboration and measurement of the indicators of environmentally-adjusted production and income.

Integration of Optimum Power for Wind Turbine Blade at Different Cross Section

البحث يقوم بتحليل وتحسين براميترات الخاصة بتورباين رياح افقي ذو اداء عالي المستوى مع تغير زاوية خطوة الريشة لمقاطع مختلفة من الريش ذو مطيار غير متماثل نوع (NACA 4412)  وكذلك لمطيار غير متماثل انشطاري نوع (EPPLER 417) ومن اجل دقة أكثر تم تثبيت بعض البرامترات خلال التحليل لكي يتم التكامل والحصول على اعلى معامل قدره لتوربين الرياح. تم اجراء التحليل باستعمال برنامج (FORTRAN 90) تم المقارنة مع برنامج الماني ثم تم تحسين الاداء باستعمال طريقة شمز وبيتز الخاصة لوتر الريشة وكذلك الخاصة بالرفع والكبح ولزاوية خطوة الريشة من مناقشة النتائج النظريه تم توضيح ورسم الاستنتاجات المهمة وكذلك عمل توصيات ومقترحات مستقبلية. من خلال النتائج وجد قيم معامل القدرة ازدادت بمقدار (10.3%) لمطيار انشطاري نوع (EPPLER417) و(9.5%) لمطيار غير متماثل نوع (NACA 4412).This research analysis and optimizes the main wind horizontal turbine blade parameters for high-performance altitude with variable pitch blade angle for different blade cross-section unsymmetrical airfoil NACA 4412 and unsymmetrical airfoil supercritical Eppler 417. For deep specification, some wind horizontal turbine parameters kept constant through the proses method to integrate the highest behavior of windmill turbine power coefficient. The procedure analysis with FORTRAN.90 code ,then compare with German code and then optimized using Schmitz and Betz method for blade chord and lift to drag for blade pitch angle. From theoretical results discussion, important conclusions figured; also a recommendation for further work was suggested. Best optimization methods were Schmitz chord optimization and Lift/Drag twist optimization which increases the Cp 10.3% for Eppler 4417 and 9.5% for NACA 4412.All results were tabulated and plotted for all optimization result

Power optimization of wind mill turbine blade for different cross section

الهدف من هذا البحث هو الحصول على زاويه التواء والوتر الامثل لريشه التوربين الهوائي باستخدام برنامج السوائل الحسابيه الديناميكيه (CFG) والمتضمن نظريه (Schmitz) ونظريه (Betz) وطريقه الرفع الى الكبح (Lift To Drag) باستخدام طريقه           ( Genetic Algorithm ) . من وجه النظر الفنيه هو هو تغير المقطع العرضي للريشه باستخدام المطيار المتناظر (Symmetrical) والغير متناظر (Unsymmetrical ) ومطيار ابلر(Eppler-417) في الطرق اعلاه حيث تبين ان نظريه (Schmitz) للوتر الامثل وطريقه الرفع الى الكبح (Lift To Drag) لزاويه الالتواء المثلي هي احسن الطرق لرفع معامل القدره الكهربائيه 10.3% لمطيار ابلر (Eppler-417) و9.5% للمطيار الغير متناظر(Unsymmetrical ) و16% للمطيار الغير متناظر(Symmetrical) . جميع النتائج مثبته بالاشكال والجداول المرفقه .The aim of this paper was to attain best optimization for twist angle and the chord of wind mill blade by using CFD code with Schmitz, Betz and .Lift to drag twist optimization along with Genetic Algorithm method. The technical point of view to change the cross section of the blade by using symmetry airfoil (NACA-0012), unsymmetrical airfoil (NACA-4412) and supercritical airfoil (Eppler-417). The best optimization Method was  Schmitz chord optimization and lift to drag for twist optimization which increase the Cp 10.3% for Eppler 417 , 9.5% for NACA 4412 and 16% for NACA 0012. All results were plotted and tabulated for all optimization results

Adaptive Impedance Tuning Network using Genetic Algorithm: ITuneGA

Adaptive impedance tuning algorithms are used to preserve the link quality of mobile phones under fluctuating user conditions. It is highly desirable to correct the complex impedance mismatch with high convergence rate. Presented here, is a novel technique for correcting impedance mismatch in adaptive impedance tuning network by exploiting the relationships among the genetic algorithm’s coefficient values derived from the matching network parameters. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed impedance tunable algorithm (ITuneGA) outperforms conventional GA and LMS, with its fast convergence speed and high accuracy. The robustness of ITuneGA has been verified by using Pi-networks with two and four tuning elements. ITuneGA corrects antenna impedance mismatches and reduces the reflected power, thereby significantly improving the quality of the signal

Synthesis and liquid crystalline behaviour of substituted (E)-phenyl-4-(phenyldiazenyl) benzoate derivatives and their photo switching ability

Azobenzene derivatives containing phenyl/4-halogen-phenyl 4-{(E)-[4-(pent-4-en-1-yloxy)phenyl]diazenyl}benzoate group with different electronegative substituent (H, F, Cl, Br and I) at other end was synthesised. These azo-based benzoate derivatives have been characterised by FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, elemental analyser, POM and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Photosaturation at 358 nm obtained after 82 s of UV irradiation and the longest thermal back relaxation time of 45 h recorded by UV-Vis. The azo derivative could be possible photolock under UV light, as observed by the improved thermal back relaxation time. The resulting photolockable chain of azobenzene might prove valuable in the development of optical device application. These azobenzene moieties also exhibit liquid crystalline behaviour with respect to the halogen substitution as an electron withdrawing group shows that strong structure property relationship exists among them

A quasi-experimental study to improve health service quality: implementing communication and self-efficacy skills training to primary healthcare workers in two counties in Iran

Background: Service satisfaction ratings from clients are a good indicator of service quality. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of communication skills and self-efficacy training for healthcare workers on clients’ satisfaction. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in health centers of Saveh University of Medical Science in Iran. Primary Healthcare (PHC; N = 105) workers and service recipients (N = 364) were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group received four 90-min training sessions consisting of lecture, film screening, role-playing, and discussion group. Before and 3 months after the intervention, a multi-part questionnaire (including demographics, self-efficacy and communication skills in PHC workers; and satisfaction questionnaire in service recipients) was completed by participants in both intervention and control groups. Results: PHC worker mean scores of self-efficacy and communication skills after the educational program were increased in the intervention group compared to the control group (p \u3c 0.05). Also, mean satisfaction scores for service recipients of the intervention group (PHC workers) generally significantly increased compared to the control group (p \u3c 0.001). Conclusions: The educational program improved the self-efficacy, and communication skills in health workers and improved client satisfaction overall. Our results support the application of self-efficacy and communication skills training for other medical groups who wish to improve clients satisfaction as an important health services outcome

Use of artificial intelligence in diagnosis of head and neck precancerous and cancerous lesions: A systematic review

This systematic review analyses and describes the application and diagnostic accuracy of Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods used for detection and grading of potentially malignant (pre-cancerous) and cancerous head and neck lesions using whole slide images (WSI) of human tissue slides. Electronic databases MEDLINE via OVID, Scopus and Web of Science were searched between October 2009 – April 2020. Tailored search-strings were developed using database-specific terms. Studies were selected using a strict inclusion criterion following PRISMA Guidelines. Risk of bias assessment was conducted using a tailored QUADAS-2 tool. Out of 315 records, 11 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. AI-based methods were employed for analysis of specific histological features for oral epithelial dysplasia (n = 1), oral submucous fibrosis (n = 5), oral squamous cell carcinoma (n = 4) and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (n = 1). A combination of heuristics, supervised and unsupervised learning methods were employed, including more than 10 different classification and segmentation techniques. Most studies used uni-centric datasets (range 40–270 images) comprising small sub-images within WSI with accuracy between 79 and 100%. This review provides early evidence to support the potential application of supervised machine learning methods as a diagnostic aid for some oral potentially malignant and malignant lesions; however, there is a paucity of evidence using AI for diagnosis of other head and neck pathologies. Overall, the quality of evidence is low, with most studies showing a high risk of bias which is likely to have overestimated accuracy rates. This review highlights the need for development of state-of-the-art deep learning techniques in future head and neck research

Peripartum Pulmonary Embolism

Pregnancy and peripartum increase the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) by many folds. Interestingly, the VTE is more common during the pregnancy, whereas the pulmonary embolism is more frequent in postpartum period. There are various risk factors for the VTE and pulmonary embolism in these patients. The important risks are improper thromboprophylaxis, obesity, and multigravida. The clinical parameters and the d-dimer are not used for diagnosis of thromboembolism during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. The compression ultrasonography (CUSG) is commonly used for VTE diagnosis; for the pulmonary embolism diagnosis, one has to consider the radiation hazard to the fetus as well as to the mothers. Ventilation/perfusion scan is the imaging of choice for patient who has respiratory signs with normal chest radiograph. If chest X-ray is abnormal with suspicion of peripartum pulmonary embolism (PPE), the choice should be computed tomographic angiography. Heparin and its derivatives remained the anticoagulation of choice for the treatment of VTE as well as the PPE, as it is a shorter acting, easy to reverse with protamine sulfate. Proper thromboprophylaxis is the key for prevention of VTE and peripartum pulmonary embolism

Convolutional neural network-based clinical predictors of oral dysplasia: class activation map analysis of deep learning results

Oral cancer/oral squamous cell carcinoma is among the top ten most common cancers globally, with over 500,000 new cases and 350,000 associated deaths every year worldwide. There is a critical need for objective, novel technologies that facilitate early, accurate diagnosis. For this purpose, we have developed a method to classify images as “suspicious” and “normal” by performing transfer learning on Inception-ResNet-V2 and generated automated heat maps to highlight the region of the images most likely to be involved in decision making. We have tested the developed method’s feasibility on two independent datasets of clinical photographic images of 30 and 24 patients from the UK and Brazil, respectively. Both 10-fold cross-validation and leave-one-patient-out validation methods were performed to test the system, achieving accuracies of 73.6% (±19%) and 90.9% (±12%), F1-scores of 97.9% and 87.2%, and precision values of 95.4% and 99.3% at recall values of 100.0% and 81.1% on these two respective cohorts. This study presents several novel findings and approaches, namely the development and validation of our methods on two datasets collected in different countries showing that using patches instead of the whole lesion image leads to better performance and analyzing which regions of the images are predictive of the classes using class activation map analysis

Peripartum Cardiomyopathy: Facts and Figures

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare clinical entity during pregnancy. PPCM is a diagnosis of exclusion. These patients do not have prior history of heart disease, and there are no other known possible causes of heart failure. It is more common in African countries, may be related to the consumption of kanwa, in the postpartum period. The multiparity, African descent and pregnancy-induced hypertension are a few risk factors for PPCM. The exact etiology of PPCM is not known; possible theories range from myocarditis to the maladaptation to the changes of pregnancy. The clinical manifestation varies from shortness of breath to thromboembolic phenomenon. Echocardiography is essential for diagnosis as well as differential diagnosis of PPCM. These patients preferably are managed in tertiary healthcare facilities. Anticoagulation and antiarrhythmic medications are pillars for the management of PPCM patients. If required, mechanical devices should be used temporarily. PPCM patients may need heart transplant. The beneficial role of bromocriptine and immunosuppression is not clear in PPCM patients. Subsequent pregnancies should be avoided to prevent the PPCM occurrence