Assessment framework for the impacts of climate change and urbanization on urban drainage systems

It has been widely recognized that global climate change will have negative impacts not only on the natural environment but also on the human-built environment. This paper describes the framework developed to assess the potential impacts of climate change and urbanization on drainage systems of Australian urban cities. One of real concerns is how the flooding risk will change over the next 5-25 years under such possible impacts. In this study, the assessment method is explored with regards to two major effects of climate change (i.e. changed pattern of storm event and rising sea level), two effects of urbanization (i.e. increasing impervious area and storm water harvesting) and two effects of hydraulic deterioration (i.e. reduced cross-sectional area and increased internal surface roughness of conduits). The framework is demonstrated on a simulation study at street. The outcomes of this study will provide preliminary understanding on how drainage systems respond to changing climate inputs and also guided steps to implement the framework on real-world problems

Comparing the patterns of hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus in patients with colorectal cancer

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension are worldwide epidemic. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most prevalent gastrointestinal cancer in Iran. Prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension in the patients with colorectal cancer had not reported in Iran, before this study. Methods: Overall, 2570 individual-year follow-ups were conducted for 1127 patients with colorectal cancer. For diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus, fasting blood sugar and glycosylated hemoglobin tests were used and for that of hypertension, blood pressure was measured in two turns. The descriptive indices were calculated and the mean and median survivals, from colorectal cancer diagnosis time, were calculated using survival analysis and the comparison among survival times was done through log-rank test. Stata12 software was used for data analysis. Findings: The prevalences of hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the patients with colorectal cancer were 13.38 (95 CI: 11.1-15.8) and 8.69 (95 CI: 7.0-10.7), respectively. Median survival time in patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus were 8.52 and 4.90 years, respectively. According to log-rank test, no significant difference was observed between the survival time of patients with colorectal cancer suffering from hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Conclusion: The obtained findings in this study indicate that survival time in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus is less than those with hypertension; but two metabolic diseases have same effect on survival rate of the patients with colorectal cancer. © 2014, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved

Aplikasi Penjadwalan Security Pada PT TANSATRISNA MAJU BERSAMA Berbasis Web

PT. TANSATRISNA MAJU BERSAMA bergerak dibidang jasa keamanan dan didirikan pada tanggal 29 Januari tahun 2002 dengan akte pendirian perseroan Terbatas Notaris Dra. Melitana Lawrence, SH No. 14 di Palembang. Tujuan penulisan ini adalah membuat aplikasi penjadwalan security Palembang. Adapun permasalahan yang ada pada penjadwalan yaitu lambatnya manajer operasional dalam menyusun jadwal shift kerja petugas dan daftar berbas tugas pekerja belum dapat dicari secara tepat. Aplikasi yang dibuat berguna untuk mempermudah manajer operasional dalam proses penyusunan jadwal kerja petugas dan mempermudah dalam pencarian data petugas yang sedang bertugas. Metode yang digunakan dalam pengembangan aplikasi ini adalah metode iterative dengan empat tahapan yaitu tahap analisis sistem (system analysist) dengan menggambarkan sistem menggunakan rich picture, desain sistem (system design) dengan menggunakan DFD dan ERD, tahap pengkodean, dan pengujian program. Tool yang digunakan untuk membuat aplikasi ini menggunakan XAMPP dan Notepad++. Dari hasil pembahasan tersebut, maka penulis menyimpulkan bahwa dengan adanya aplikasi penjadwalan operasional, kinerja staff bagian operasional dapat meningkatkan dan meminimalkan kesalahan dalam menyusun jadwal petugas security serta mempermudah pencarian daftar petugas yang sedang bertuga

Spatiotemporal Organization of Electromechanical Phase Singularities during High-Frequency Cardiac Arrhythmias

Ventricular fibrillation (VF) is a lifethreatening electromechanical dysfunction of the heart associated with complex spatiotemporal dynamics of electrical excitation and mechanical contraction of the heart muscle. It has been hypothesized that VF is driven by three-dimensional (3D) rotating electrical scroll waves, which can be characterized by filament-like electrical phase singularities (EPS). Recently, it was shown that rotating excitation waves during VF are associated with rotating waves of mechanical deformation. 3D mechanical scroll waves and mechanical filaments describing their rotational core were observed in the ventricles by using high-resolution ultrasound. The findings suggest that the spatiotemporal organization of cardiac fibrillation may be assessed from waves of mechanical deformation. However, the complex relationship between excitation and mechanical waves during VF is currently not understood. Here, we study the fundamental nature of mechanical phase singularities (MPS), their spatiotemporal organization and relation with EPS. We demonstrate the existence of two fundamental types of MPS: "paired singularities", which are co-localized with EPS, and "unpaired singularities", which can form independently. We show that the unpaired singularities emerge due to the anisotropy of the active force field, generated by fiber anisotropy in cardiac tissue, and the non-locality of elastic interactions, which jointly induce strong spatiotemporal inhomogeneities in the strain fields. The inhomogeneities lead to the breakup of deformation waves and create MPS, even in the absence of EPS, which are typically associated with excitation wave break. We exploit these insights to develop an approach to discriminate paired and unpaired MPS. Our findings provide a fundamental understanding of the complex spatiotemporal organization of electromechanical waves in the heart.Comment: 23 pager, 17 figure

An early Little Ice Age brackish water invasion along the south coast of the Caspian Sea (sediment of Langarud wetland) and its wider impacts on environment and people

Caspian Sea level has undergone significant changes through time with major impacts not only on the surrounding coasts, but also offshore. This study reports a brackish water invasion on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea constructed from a multi-proxy analysis of sediment retrieved from the Langarud wetland. The ground surface level of wetland is >6 m higher than the current Caspian Sea level (at -27.41 m in 2014) and located >11 km far from the coast. A sequence covering the last millennium was dated by three radiocarbon dates. The results from this new study suggest that Caspian Sea level rose up to at least -21.44 m (i.e. >6 m above the present water level) during the early Little Ice Age. Although previous studies in the southern coast of the Caspian Sea have detected a high-stand during the Little Ice Age period, this study presents the first evidence that this high-stand reached so far inland and at such a high altitude. Moreover, it confirms one of the very few earlier estimates of a high-stand at -21 m for the second half of the 14th century. The effects of this large-scale brackish water invasion on soil properties would have caused severe disruption to regional agriculture, thereby destabilizing local dynasties and facilitating a rapid Turko-Mongol expansion of Tamerlane’s armies from the east.N Ghasemi (INIOAS), V Jahani (Gilan Province Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organisation) and A Naqinezhad (University of Mazandaran), INQUA QuickLakeH project (no. 1227) and to the European project Marie Curie, CLIMSEAS-PIRSES-GA-2009-24751

Prevalence and correlates of psychiatric disorders in a national survey of Iranian children and adolescents

Objective: Considering the impact of rapid sociocultural, political, and economical changes on societies and families, population-based surveys of mental disorders in different communities are needed to describe the magnitude of mental health problems and their disabling effects at the individual, familial, and societal levels. Method: A population-based cross sectional survey (IRCAP project) of 30 532 children and adolescents between 6 and 18 years was conducted in all provinces of Iran using a multistage cluster sampling method. Data were collected by 250 clinical psychologists trained to use the validated Persian version of the semi-structured diagnostic interview Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-PL (K-SADS-PL). Results: In this national epidemiological survey, 6209 out of 30 532 (22.31%) were diagnosed with at least one psychiatric disorder. The anxiety disorders (14.13%) and behavioral disorders (8.3%) had the highest prevalence, while eating disorders (0.13%) and psychotic symptoms (0.26%) had the lowest. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was significantly lower in girls (OR = 0.85; 95% CI: 0.80-0.90), in those living in the rural area (OR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.73-0.87), in those aged 15-18 years (OR = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.86-0.99), as well as that was significantly higher in those who had a parent suffering from mental disorders (OR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.63-2.36 for mother and OR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.07-1.66 for father) or physical illness (OR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.17-1.35 for mother and OR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.10-1.28 for father). Conclusion: About one fifth of Iranian children and adolescents suffer from at least one psychiatric disorder. Therefore, we should give a greater priority to promoting mental health and public health, provide more accessible services and trainings, and reduce barriers to accessing existing services. © 2019 Tehran University of Medical Scienc

Riboflavin alleviates cardiac failure in Type I diabetic cardiomyopathy

Heart failure (HF) is a common and serious comorbidity of diabetes. Oxidative stress has been associated with the pathogenesis of chronic diabetic complications including cardiomyopathy. The ability of antioxidants to inhibit injury has raised the possibility of new therapeutic treatment for diabetic heart diseases. Riboflavin constitutes an essential nutrient for humans and animals and it is an important food additive. Riboflavin, a precursor of flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), enhances the oxidative folding and subsequent secretion of proteins. The objective of this study was to investigate the cardioprotective effect of riboflavin in diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced in 30 rats by a single injection of streptozotocin (STZ) (70 mg /kg). Riboflavin (20 mg/kg) was orally administered to animals immediately after induction of diabetes and was continued for eight weeks. Rats were examined for diabetic cardiomyopathy by left ventricular (LV) remadynamic function. Myocardial oxidative stress was assessed by measuring the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) as well as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protein level. Myocardial connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) level was measured by Western blot in all rats at the end of the study. In the untreated diabetic rats, left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP) rate of pressure rose (+dp/dt), and rate of pressure decay (−dp/dt) were depressed while left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) was increased, which indicated the reduced left ventricular contractility and slowing of left ventricular relaxation. The level of SOD decreased, CTGF and HO-1 protein expression and MDA content rose. Riboflavin treatment significantly improved left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in diabetic rats, there were persistent increases in significant activation of SOD and the level of HO-1 protein, and a decrease in the level of CTGF. These results suggest that riboflavin treatment ameliorates myocardial function and improves heart oxidant status, whereas raising myocardial HO-1 and decreasing myocardial CTGF levels have beneficial effects on diabetic cardiomyopathy