Ice formation within a thin film flowing over a flat plate

We present a model for ice formation in a thin, viscous liquid film driven by a Blasius boundary layer after heating is switched off along part of the flat plate. The flow is assumed to initially be in the Nelson et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 284, 1995, pp. 159–169) steady-state configuration with a constant flux of liquid supplied at the tip of the plate, so that the film thickness grows lik

Laparoscopic versus open transhiatal oesophagectomy for oesophageal cancer

Surgery is the preferred treatment for resectable oesophageal cancers, and can be performed in different ways. Transhiatal oesophagectomy (oesophagectomy without thoracotomy, with a cervical anastomosis) is one way to resect oesophageal cancers. It can be performed laparoscopically or by open method. With other organs, laparoscopic surgery has been shown to reduce complications and length of hospital stay compared to open surgery. However, concerns remain about the safety of laparoscopic transhiatal oesophagectomy in terms of post-operative complications and oncological clearance compared with open transhiatal oesophagectomy

Does market turbulence moderate the impact of relationship competency on small retail firm’s performances

It has been widely acknowledged that small businesses are contributing a lot in all developing countries. The existing researchers have widely acknowledged the positive impact of relationship competency on firm's performance. Whilst emerging markets for Small businesses in different emerging or developing contexts are different from developed countries. Thus, the impact of entrepreneurs’ relationship competency on firm’s performances varies across different cultures or contexts. The aim of the current study was to analyse the impact of relationship competency on four types of firms’ performances namely financial and non-financial performances, business growth, and firm’s performance compared with rival firms among retail Small businesses owned by Malaysian Chinese entrepreneurs under the moderating role of market turbulence. Composition Based View (CBV) and Strategic Contingency Theory (SCT) were the underpinning theories. Eight hypotheses were created based on proposed research model and standard instrument was used to collect the data. A total of 300 small business retail owners in Selangor, Malaysia participated in study through standard survey. The data were collected at one point of time across the sample population by using sampling techniques of non-probability. The collected data were analysed using SPSS software and PLS-SEM techniques. Findings revealed the positive and significant impact of relationship competency on non-financial performance and on firms’ performances relative to their competitor firms. Furthermore, the positive and significant moderating influence of market turbulence was also found for enhancing the impact of relationship competency on business growth. However, findings revealed no impact of relationship competency on financial performance and business growth. Moreover, results did not reveal any moderating influence of market turbulence for the impact of relationship competency on firm’s financial and firm’s non-financial performances as well as on performance relative to competitors

Management of gastrointestinal stromal tumours in the Imatinib era: a surgeon's perspective

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Surgical resection has remained the mainstay of treatment of GIST with a 5-year-survival of 28–35%. Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (Imatinib) has revolutionised the treatment of these tumours. The current research is directed towards expanding the role of this drug in the treatment of GIST. We present our experience of managing GIST in this institute.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a case note study of patients identified from a prospectively kept database from January 2000 to August 2007.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>16 patients were diagnosed with GIST. The median age was 66 years (range 46 to 82) and the male to female ratio was 9:7. Eleven patients underwent surgery, 9 of which had R0 resection (2 laparoscopic, 1 converted to open), one had an open biopsy and one had a debulking procedure. 3 patients were inoperable and 2 were found to be unfit for surgery. Five patients received Imatinib (2 postoperatively). The risk assessment based on morphological criteria showed that 4 patients had low, 4 had intermediate and 8 had high malignant potential. The median follow up was for 12 months (range 3–72); 2 patients died of unrelated causes at 6 and 9 months after diagnosis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Most GISTs can be managed effectively using existing protocols. However currently there is no evidence based guidance available on the management of GIST in the following situations-role of debulking surgery, the follow up of benign tumours not requiring surgical resection and role of laparoscopic surgery. Further research is needed to answer these questions.</p

Galbladder perforation: The importance of standardised treatment algorithms

Von H. Barfo

OCCURRENCE, DISTRIBUTION AND SOME PROPERTIES OF ALFALFA MOSAIC ALFAMOVIRUS IN THE SULTANATE OF OMAN

Alfalfa mosaic Alfamovirus (AMV) was widely distributed in Sultanate of Oman as 88% of the fields surveyed were found to be infected. The virus was identified on the basis of biological, serological and some physical properties, and was recorded on 21 hosts comprising of 4 field crops, 14 vegetables, 1 ornamental plant and 2 weed species; distributed in 9 botanical families. Two new hosts of AMV i.e. Heliotrope (Heliotropium europaeum) and Ammi (Ammi majus) were found. The virus was detected in all parts of systemically infected plants except wood. Seed transmission in the farmers&apos; samples, commercial stock and seeds harvested from mechanically inoculated plants was 2 to 8%, 10.2% and 26%, respectively. The virus isolate had a dilution end point 1 x 10-3 -10-4, longevity in vitro for 3 days at 25°C and thermal inactivation point of 65-67°C. Cotton aphids (Aphis gossypi/) transmitted the virus in a non-persistent manner. Wide occurrence and distribution of AMV in the country is attributed to its broad host range, seed-transmission, adaptation to high temperature and abundance of insect vector

Prevalence of infections among 6-16 years old children attending a semi-rural school in Western Maharashtra, India

Background: Infections are an important cause of morbidity in rural India. Reports on the prevalence of infections in older childrenand their effects on growth are scarce. Objective: The objectives were to determine the prevalence of common infections among6-16 year old school-children in a semi-rural setting in Western India and to assess the influence of infections on the growth status ofthe children. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a semi-rural setting in a Zilla Parishad PrimarySchool, Karegaon, Maharashtra. 802 children (boys = 439), 6-16 years of age were assessed. Data on height, weight and infectionrelatedsymptoms reported by children (pre-tested, validated questionnaire) were collected. K-means cluster analysis was used to createthree clusters based on the severity of infections, and one-way analysis of variance with post-hoc Tukey’s multiple comparisons wasused to test the significance of differences in means of various characteristics of the subjects in three clusters. Results: 43% boys and49% girls reported symptoms of respiratory tract infections occasionally, and 28% boys and 27% girls complained of gastrointestinal(GI) infections occasionally. Children with more severe infections were more likely to be shorter and lighter; this was more marked ingirls. Conclusions: Rural school-going children (aged 6-16 years) suffer from high rates of infections, mainly upper respiratory tractinfections followed by GI tract infections

What Will It Mean for Me? Perceptions of the ECFMG 2023 Accreditation Requirement from an Online Forum

ABSTRACT In 2010, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) announced that as of 2023, physicians applying to train and practice in the United States will be required to graduate from a medical school that has been accredited using criteria such as those developed by the World Federation for Medical Education. This study analyzed posts on the Student Doctor Network (SDN) online forum that refer to this accreditation requirement to investigate how it has been perceived and understood by current and prospective medical students. A keyword search of relevant terms was used to identify posts discussing the accreditation requirement on the SDN online forum, which were subjected to thematic analysis. There were a total of 83 posts from 49 distinct user accounts between May 2012 and January 2020. Seven themes were identified in total; four whose overall purpose was to seek or offer advice and three whose overall purpose was commentary. Themes relating to advice included applications and admissions, future career planning, personal circumstances, and country-specific issues. Themes relating to commentary included the accreditation requirement policy itself, the potential implications of the requirement, and the educational quality of non-U.S. medical schools. Only half of web links on these posts were to the ECFMG website for official information about the requirement. Although a variety of different perspectives about the ECFMG accreditation requirement were expressed on an online forum for student doctors, the overall number of posts was low, which suggests that the requirement has not been a frequent topic of discussion on this platform. The insights gained from posts suggest personal opinions about the requirement and consequences for individual student application and career choices were the main areas of interest. Signposting to official information channels may help to raise awareness about the requirement and tackle areas of uncertainty and confusion about its implementation.</jats:p