Analytical Solutions of a Space-Time Fractional Derivative of Groundwater Flow Equation

The classical Darcy law is generalized by regarding the water flow as a function of a noninteger order derivative of the piezometric head. This generalized law and the law of conservation of mass are then used to derive a new equation for groundwater flow. Two methods including Frobenius and Adomian decomposition method are used to obtain an asymptotic analytical solution to the generalized groundwater flow equation. The solution obtained via Frobenius method is valid in the vicinity of the borehole. This solution is in perfect agreement with the data observed from the pumping test performed by the institute for groundwater study on one of their boreholes settled on the test site of the University of the Free State. The test consisted of the pumping of the borehole at the constant discharge rate Q and monitoring the piezometric head for 350 minutes. Numerical solutions obtained via Adomian method are compared with the Barker generalized radial flow model for which a fractal dimension for the flow is assumed. Proposition for uncertainties in groundwater studies was given

Factors Affecting Treatment Adherence Among Leprosy Patients: Perceptions of Healthcare Providers

BACKGROUND: Treatment adherence is a vital aspect in the management of chronic diseases like leprosy; however, most studies on treatment adherence focus on patients. This study aims to examine the perceptions of healthcare providers on factors that can promote or prevent patients from adhering to treatment. METHODS: We conducted three focus group discussions (FGDs) with healthcare providers who have at least one year experience in managing leprosy in three large leprosy case-holding hospitals in Metro Manila, Philippines. We audio-recorded, transcribed, translated the FGD proceedings, and analyzed the transcripts thematically to identify patient-intrinsic and patient-extrinsic enablers and barriers to treatment adherence of leprosy patients. RESULTS: Patient-intrinsic motivators to complete treatment include innate desire to be cured, fear of infecting family and friends, fear of disability, good knowledge about the disease, need for medical clearance to be considered fit to work, and experiencing leprosy reactions. Patient-extrinsic motivators to complete treatment include free treatment, immediate and sufficient counselling, flexibility in treatment, follow-up and motivation of healthcare workers, and presence of Hansen\u27s Club and support groups. Patient-intrinsic barriers to good treatment adherence include distance between residence and hospital, financial and opportunity costs, adverse drug reactions, misconceptions about being cured, disabilities and presence of leprosy reactions, stubbornness and/or laziness, and undergoing clinical depression. Patient-extrinsic barriers to good treatment adherence include poor availability of MDT, transfer to other leprosy treatment facilities without informing current facility, and stigma. CONCLUSION: Healthcare providers perceive that patient-intrinsic and patient-extrinsic factors influence the treatment adherence of leprosy patients through different mechanisms. We highlight the role of healthcare provider attitudes, stigma, and support groups in promoting treatment adherence

Cobertura vegetal do Parque Estadual Pantanal do Rio Negro (PEPRN) - MS.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo a elaboração do mapa da cobertura vegetal na escala de 1:50.000 do Parque Estadual Pantanal do Rio Negro, MS, para fins de plano de manejo. A legenda do mapeamento da cobertura vegetal foi baseada no sistema fisionômico-ecológico do IBGE, seguida das denominações regionais. A seguinte seqüência metodológica foi seguida: a) georreferenciamento, realce e mosaico das imagens, b) aplicação de segmentação por crescimento da região, c) interpretação visual de imagens digitais obtidas pelo satélite Landsat-TM, ano 2002, d) informações georreferenciadas (foto e identificação fisionômica) com GPS obtidas em trabalho de campo, e) análise e comparação com trabalhos já existentes, f) elaboração de mapas preliminares, g) correção dos mapas, h) reinterpretação e finalização. Foi utilizado o SIG SPRING. No mapeamento foram obtidas 12 classes fisionômicas: Floresta Estacional Semidecidual Aluvial (1), formação de Cerrado (5), área de tensão ecológica - misturas ou contatos florísticos (4), área antrópica (1) e corpos d´água (1). Contatos florísticos predominam no Parque, com destaque para a Savana Gramíneo-Lenhosa com formações pioneiras, que representa 39% da cobertura vegetal, localizando-se principalmente nos alagados do rio Negro. Áreas antrópicas são representadas por pastagem plantada do tipo Brachiaria em Savana e ocupam apenas 1% deste tipo de cobertura vegetal. A área possui três ambientes bastante distintos: o Norte representado pelas áreas de Savana (Cerrado) com lagoas, o centro pelas áreas de brejo e o Sul pelos campos com paratudais, vegetação de Savana (Chaco), constituindo-se desta forma uma área bastante representativa da diversidade de fisionomias destas duas sub-regiões do Pantanal.GeoPantanal 2009

Substituent effects on 13C NMR chemical shifts in dialkylaminophenylchlorophosphines

The relative chemical shifts and 2J(PC) coupling constants in the low-temperature limiting spectra of a series of Ph(R2N)PCl compounds [R = Me, Et, PhCH2, iPr and c-Hex] differ for R = primary or secondary. For primary alkyl substituents, the more downfield signal exhibits a large, positive coupling and the more upfield resonance shows a small, negative coupling. These observations are reversed for secondary alkyl substituents. Calculated minimum-energy molecular structures indicate that the source of this reversal does not lie in differences in conformation about the P---N bond. Analysis of the high- and low-temperature limiting spectra of a series of Ph(RR'N)PCl compounds [R, R' = Me, Et, Bz, iPr and c-Hex] suggests that the N---C carbon syn to the phosphorus lone-pair is subject to a relatively constant deshielding effect from the phosphorus-lone pair and a shielding contribution from the anti substituent that increases with increasing bulk of that anti substituent. Conversely, the chemical shift of the carbon anti to the phosphorus lone-pair is relatively insensitive to changes in the syn substituent, giving rise to the observed chemical shift reversal.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30376/1/0000778.pd

Patterns and Determinants of Treatment Completion and Default Among Newly Diagnosed Multibacillary Leprosy Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background Poor treatment adherence among leprosy patients contribute to relapse, development of antimicrobial resistance, and the eventual plateauing of the prevalence and incidence of leprosy not just in the Philippines, but also worldwide. For this reason, we aimed to identify the patterns and determinants affecting treatment completion and default among multibacillary leprosy patients. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving three large hospitals in Metro Manila, Philippines. Patients who started the World Health Organization - Multiple Drug Therapy for multibacillary leprosy between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2013 were included in the study. Selected socio-demographic and clinical data were abstracted from the patient treatment records. Survival analysis and proportional hazards regression were used to analyze the data. Results Records of 1,034 patients with a total follow-up time of 12,287 person-months were included in the analysis. Most patients were male, younger than 45 years old, had an initial bacterial index between 1 and 4, and were residents of Metro Manila. Less than 20% had their treatment duration extended to more than 12 months. Treatment adherence of the patients was poor with less than 60% completing treatment. Most patients complete their treatment within 12 months, but treatment duration may be extended for up to three years. Patients who default from treatment usually do so a few months after initiating it. After adjusting for other variables, hospital, initial bacterial index, and non-extended treatment duration were associated with treatment completion. These factors, in addition to age, were also found to be associated with treatment default. Conclusion This study provides quantitative evidence that there might be marked variations in how doctors in particular hospitals manage their patients, and these findings underscore the need to revisit and re-evaluate clinical practice guidelines to improve treatment outcomes and adherence

Identificação de impactos ambientais no meio físico subsidiada por banco de dados georreferenciados.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo identificar impactos ambientais no meio físico, mediante subsídios fornecidos por um banco de dados georreferenciados organizado em ambiente SPRING

Intermolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of muchnones with acetylenic dipolarophiles: Sorting out the regioselectivity

A series of 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of munchnones with acetylenic dipolarophiles was studied, wherein factors related to regioselectivity were investigated. The results from munchnones with electronically divergent thioaryl substituents compared with others bearing alkyl substituents suggest that an unsymmetrical transition state structure, rather than FMO perturbation, plays a significant role in regioselection. If eclipsing interactions preclude a highly unsymmetrical transition state however, then minimizing steric interactions becomes important. A pair of complementarily substituted munchnones, differing only in the position of isotopic labels, establishes an inherently symmetrical electronic nature of the mesoionic heterocycle.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/31644/1/0000578.pd

Measuring substance use in the club setting: a feasibility study using biochemical markers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>During the last few decades the use of club drugs (e.g., cocaine, amphetamines) has been of increased concern in nightlife settings. Traditionally, surveys have been used to estimate the use of club drugs, however, they mostly rely on self-reports which may not be accurate. Recent advances have allowed for readily accessible drug testing methods such as oral fluid drug testing. Nevertheless, research using oral fluid sampling to measure the frequency of drug use in the club environment is scarce. The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of measuring the frequency of alcohol and drug use among Swedish clubbers using breath alcohol and oral fluid drug testing.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>The setting was a 40 hour electronic music dance event (EMDE) on a cruise ship on the Baltic Sea, departing from Sweden, with 875 passengers. Groups of participants at the EMDE were randomly invited to participate. Data were collected with face-to-face and self-administered questionnaires. Further, oral fluid samples were collected to determine illicit drug use, and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels were measured using a breath analyzer.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 422 passengers were asked to participate in the study whereof 21 declined (5.0% refusal rate). Of the 401 study participants (accounting for 45.8% of all attendees), 5 declined oral fluid drug testing. Results show that there was a discrepancy between self-reported and actual drug use as 10.1% of the participants were positive on illicit drug use (amphetamines, ecstasy/MDMA, cannabis, cocaine), while only 3.7% of the participants reported drug use during the last 48 hours. The average BAC level was 0.10% and 23.7% had BAC levels ≥ 0.15%, while 5.9% had levels below the detection limit. The mean BAC levels for the illicit drug users were significantly higher (<it>p </it>= 0.004) than for non-drug users (0.13% vs. 0.10%). Self-reported AUDIT-C scores (using a threshold of ≥ 5 for men and ≥ 4 for women) revealed that 76.0% of the men and 80.7% of the women had risky alcohol consumption patterns.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study indicates that it is feasible to conduct breath alcohol and oral fluid drug testing in a Swedish club setting.</p