Common respiratory diseases.

The self-medication phenomenon in upper respiratory tract infections, rhinosinusitis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are significant and will continue to increase. Current level of evidence is poor because of the small number of good quality studies, small sample size, short duration, and variation in the composition of the herbal interventions or therapies. The current review points to several potential therapies that could be effective either alone, or as adjuncts to conventional therapies

Content Based Status Updates

Consider a stream of status updates generated by a source, where each update is of one of two types: high priority or ordinary (low priority). These updates are to be transmitted through a network to a monitor. However, the transmission policy of each packet depends on the type of stream it belongs to. For the low priority stream, we analyze and compare the performances of two transmission schemes: (i) Ordinary updates are served in a First-Come-First-Served (FCFS) fashion, whereas, in (ii), the ordinary updates are transmitted according to an M/G/1/1 with preemption policy. In both schemes, high priority updates are transmitted according to an M/G/1/1 with preemption policy and receive preferential treatment. An arriving priority update discards and replaces any currently-in-service high priority update, and preempts (with eventual resume for scheme (i)) any ordinary update. We model the arrival processes of the two kinds of updates, in both schemes, as independent Poisson processes. For scheme (i), we find the arrival and service rates under which the system is stable and give closed-form expressions for average peak age and a lower bound on the average age of the ordinary stream. For scheme (ii), we derive closed-form expressions for the average age and average peak age of the high priority and low priority streams. We finally show that, if the service time is exponentially distributed, the M/M/1/1 with preemption policy leads to an average age of the low priority stream higher than the one achieved using the FCFS scheme. Therefore, the M/M//1/1 with preemption policy, when applied on the low priority stream of updates and in the presence of a higher priority scheme, is not anymore the optimal transmission policy from an age point of view

Apolipoprotein E4, inhibitory network dysfunction, and Alzheimer's disease.

Apolipoprotein (apo) E4 is the major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), increasing risk and decreasing age of disease onset. Many studies have demonstrated the detrimental effects of apoE4 in varying cellular contexts. However, the underlying mechanisms explaining how apoE4 leads to cognitive decline are not fully understood. Recently, the combination of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) modeling of neurological diseases in vitro and electrophysiological studies in vivo have begun to unravel the intersection between apoE4, neuronal subtype dysfunction or loss, subsequent network deficits, and eventual cognitive decline. In this review, we provide an overview of the literature describing apoE4's detrimental effects in the central nervous system (CNS), specifically focusing on its contribution to neuronal subtype dysfunction or loss. We focus on γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-expressing interneurons in the hippocampus, which are selectively vulnerable to apoE4-mediated neurotoxicity. Additionally, we discuss the importance of the GABAergic inhibitory network to proper cognitive function and how dysfunction of this network manifests in AD. Finally, we examine how apoE4-mediated GABAergic interneuron loss can lead to inhibitory network deficits and how this deficit results in cognitive decline. We propose the following working model: Aging and/or stress induces neuronal expression of apoE. GABAergic interneurons are selectively vulnerable to intracellularly produced apoE4, through a tau dependent mechanism, which leads to their dysfunction and eventual death. In turn, GABAergic interneuron loss causes hyperexcitability and dysregulation of neural networks in the hippocampus and cortex. This dysfunction results in learning, memory, and other cognitive deficits that are the central features of AD

Impact of Change Management Dimensions on Performance Criteria at Greater Amman Municipality (GAM)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the possible impact of change management and its five dimensions (leadership, organizational dimension of change management, change culture, technological dimension , employee involvement ), on organizational performance and represented in the six selected criteria (overall performance, customer satisfaction, obtaining quality and excellence awards, implementing  the organization plans, improving relationships  with stakeholders and realizing quality of e-government services) in Greater Amman Municipality (GAM). The study sample consisted of 162 respondents from top, middle and lower management. Results of the study showed that there is a positive effect of the five dimensions of change management on all performance criteria. These results confirm that the change management can contribute to improve organizational performance in government institutions such as the Greater Amman Municipality in the same way in which businesses achieve these improvements. Key terms: Change, Change Management, Performance Criteria

Organizational Intelligence and Market Expansion in Jordanian Pharmaceutical Companies

There are many studies that have focused on the Albrecht model of organizational intelligence (OI) and its seven dimensions (strategic vision, shared fate, appetite for change, heart, alignment and congruence, knowledge deployment, and performance pressure), but the current study presents a new attempt to study OI using the Yolles model in its three dimensions (self-reference, self-regulation, and self-organization) (2005). This study sought to determine the effect of organizational intelligence on market expansion (new markets and new product) in the Jordanian pharmaceutical industry, and it examined the effect of transformational leadership as a mediating variable on the relationship between organizational intelligence and market expansion. The study sample consisted of 231 respondents taken from six pharmaceutical companies divided into three categories according to their size as small, medium and large companies. The results confirmed that there is a significant positive effect of the two dimensions (self-regulation and self-organization) on new markets, while three dimensions of OI have a significant effect on new products in the pharmaceutical companies

Timely Updates over an Erasure Channel

Using an age of information (AoI) metric, we examine the transmission of coded updates through a binary erasure channel to a monitor/receiver. We start by deriving the average status update age of an infinite incremental redundancy (IIR) system in which the transmission of a k-symbol update continuesuntil k symbols are received. This system is then compared to a fixed redundancy (FR) system in which each update is transmitted as an n symbol packet and the packet is successfully received if and only if at least k symbols are received. If fewer than k symbols are received, the update is discarded. Unlike the IIR system, the FR system requires no feedback from the receiver. For a single monitor system, we show that tuning the redundancy to the symbol erasure rate enables the FR system to perform as well as the IIR system. As the number of monitors is increased, the FR system outperforms the IIR system that guarantees delivery of all updates to all monitors

Mental health of the Palestinian refugee communities in Lebanon : strategy for the National Institute for Social Care and Vocational Training for 2018-2021

ABSTRACT: The mental health programme of the National Institution for Social Care and Vocational Training, serving the community of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, requires a mental health strategy. This dissertation consists in such a strategy which contributes in reducing the burden of mental disorders in this community and thus improve the overall life quality of the community. Method: The NISCVT appointed the author to facilitate the development process of the mental health strategy according to WHO’s recommendations for policy and services development. The development of the strategy is grounded in interviews conducted by the author with key persons in the NISCVT. It unfolds in five steps: Consultations with stakeholders; Situation analysis of the current programme; The elaboration of the policy elements: vision, mission, objectives, values, guiding principles; Development of a first draft of the strategy; Experts reviews. Results: A mental health strategy for the NISCVT was developed following a consultational process. Five domains of action are identified: (1) Leadership and Governance, (2) Re-orientation and Scaling-up of Services, (3) Prevention and Promotion, (4) Information, Evidence and Research and (5) Vulnerable Groups. Each domain comprises of a general goal, strategic objectives and targets for the achievement of the objectives. Conclusion: This dissertation describes a successful collaboration among key stakeholders of the mental health programme of NISCVT which resulted in the development of a strategic policy. It is recommended to complete the development process of the strategy in these five steps: (1) an elaboration of a second draft following the experts review, (2) building a consensus among all the stakeholders, (3) an elaboration of final draft and an (4) online launching. Also, (5) an implementation plan needs to be developed to lay out a roadmap for delivering the commitments and recommendations of the mental health strategy.RESUMO: O programa de saúde mental do National Institution for Social Care and Vocational Training, que presta cuidados à comunidade de refugiados palestinianos no Líbano, exige uma estratégia de saúde mental. Esta dissertação consiste na descrição dessa estratégia, que vai contribuir para reduzir a carga de perturbações mentais nesta comunidade e, desse modo, melhorar a qualidade de vida geral da comunidade. Métodos: O NISCVT nomeou a autora da tese para facilitar o processo de desenvolvimento da estratégia de saúde mental de acordo com as recomendações da OMS para o desenvolvimento de políticas e serviços. O desenvolvimento da estratégia baseia-se em entrevistas realizadas pela autora com pessoas-chave no NISCVT e desdobra-se em cinco etapas: Consultas com as partes interessadas; Análise da situação do programa atual; Elaboração dos elementos políticos: visão, missão, objetivos, valores e princípios orientadores; Desenvolvimento de um primeiro rascunho da estratégia; Revisões por especialistas. Resultados: Uma estratégia de saúde mental para o NISCVT foi desenvolvida após um processo de consulta. São identificados cinco domínios de ação: (1) Liderança e Governança, (2) Reorientação e Ampliação de Serviços, (3) Prevenção e Promoção, (4) Informações, Evidências e Pesquisa e (5) Grupos Vulneráveis. Cada domínio compreende um objetivo geral, objetivos estratégicos e metas para a consecução dos objetivos. Conclusões: Esta dissertação descreve uma colaboração bem sucedida entre os principais interessados no programa de saúde mental do NISCVT, que resultou no desenvolvimento de uma política estratégica. Recomenda-se concluir o processo de desenvolvimento da estratégia nestes cinco passos: (1) elaboração de um segundo rascunho na sequência da avaliação dos peritos, (2) elaboração de um consenso entre todas as partes interessadas, (3) elaboração de rascunho final e (4) lançamento online. Além disso, (5) precisa ser desenvolvido um plano de implementação para estabelecer um roteiro para a entrega dos compromissos e recomendações da estratégia de saúde mental