Dynamics of Tunneling Centers in Metallic Systems

Dynamics of tunneling centers (TC) in metallic systems is studied, using the technique of bosonization. The interaction of the TC with the conduction electrons of the metal involves two processes, namely, the screening of the TC by electrons, and the so-called electron assisted tunneling. The presence of the latter process leads to a different form of the renormalized tunneling frequency of the TC, and the tunneling motion is damped with a temperature dependent relaxation rate. As the temperature is lowered, the relaxation rate per temperature shows a steep rise as opposed to that in the absence of electron assisted process. It is expected that this behavior should be observed at very low temperatures in a careful experiment. The present work thus tries to go beyond the existing work on the {\it dynamics} of a two-level system in metals, by treating the electron assisted process.Comment: REVTeX twocolumn format, 5 pages, two PostScript figures available on request. Preprint # : imsc 94/3

Knowledge about hepatitis B and C among patients attending family medicine clinics in Karachi

Knowledge about hepatitis B and C was assessed in a cross-sectional study of 300 adults aged 18 or older attending family medicine clinics at The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. Most knew that hepatitis B and C are viral diseases that primarily affect the liver, but knowledge about risk factors for disease transmission was poor. Approximately 70% knew that hepatitis B is vaccine preventable; 60% had the misconception that hepatitis C is also vaccine preventable. The majority incorrectly believed that people with hepatitis B or C should follow the diet \u27parhaiz\u27. Generally women knew more than men about the diseases. This study suggests that health education about these infections should be provided to the public. Family physicians can play an important role in educating people about the prevention of these diseases

Universality of dispersive spin-resonance mode in superconducting BaFe2As2

Spin fluctuations in superconducting BaFe2(As1-xPx)2 (x=0.34, Tc = 29.5 K) are studied using inelastic neutron scattering. Well-defined commensurate magnetic signals are observed at ({\pi},0), which is consistent with the nesting vector of the Fermi surface. Antiferromagnetic (AFM) spin fluctuations in the normal state exhibit a three-dimensional character reminiscent of the AFM order in nondoped BaFe2As2. A clear spin gap is observed in the superconducting phase forming a peak whose energy is significantly dispersed along the c-axis. The bandwidth of dispersion becomes larger with approaching the AFM ordered phase universally in all superconducting BaFe2As2, indicating that the dispersive feature is attributed to three-dimensional AFM correlations. The results suggest a strong relationship between the magnetism and superconductivity.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Prevalence and factors associated with anxiety and depression among family practitioners in Karachi, Pakistan

Objective: We aimed to assess anxiety and depression and to identify the factors associated with these conditions among family practitioners in Karachi, Pakistan.Methods: A self-reported postal survey was conducted among 540 family practitioners in Karachi during the months of July - August 2003. Aga Khan University Anxiety and Depression Scale (AKUADS) was used to assess anxiety and depression. Additional questions were also inquired to get information about socio-demographic, professional and lifestyle characters.Results: Using AKUADS, 155 (39%) family practitioners had anxiety and depression. Mutlivariate analysis disclosed five factors to be significantly associated with anxiety and depression; these were female sex (AOR = 6.4, 95% CI 3.2-12.6); age group of \u3c 35 years (AOR = 23.3, 95% CI 9.0-60.3); lack of regular exercise (AOR = 4.9, 95% CI 2.4-10.2) and working for more than 48 hours per week (AOR = 12.7, 95% CI 6.2-26.2).CONCLUSION: This study reveals that prevalence of anxiety and depression among family practitioners in Karachi is high and higher than general population in Karachi. Further research and intervention studies are required to identify preventive measures in this regard and also to assess the impact of these interventions

Client Satisfaction Towards Quality of Health Services: an Assessment at Primary Healthcare of District Gujranwala

This survey designed to evaluate the satisfaction level and the factors that affect the patient satisfaction regarding health care delivery services with the aim to improve the services in the primary health care settings of Gujranwala. A Cross Sectional Study done on randomly selected patients attending the basic health units of Gujranwala, with more than18 years of age. Pretested structured "Liker scale questionnaire" was used for data collection. Out of total respondents, 62 (41.3%) clients were satisfied with the services provided by the basic health units of Gujranwala. The factors identified to determine patient satisfaction were accessibility of services, behavior of staff, health education, level of cleanliness, drug availability and miscellaneous services. Not a single ranked area of satisfaction noticed. Client\u27s occupation and income had significant relationship with the patient satisfaction level. Gender, age, and education of clients were not contributing factors; they not affect the client satisfaction level.Less than half clients were satisfied with the services provided by the basic health units. Management of health facilities needs to improve the services

An evaluation of topical and local anesthesia in phacoemulsification

Objective: To assess the comparative efficacy of topical and local anesthesia in phacoemulsification.MATERIAL AND Methods: The medical records of 186 men and women between the ages of 45-85 years, who underwent elective cataract surgery by phacoemulsification technique, under the care of one surgeon, over a period of one year, from March 1999-March 2000 were reviewed.Results: Of 186 patients who underwent small incision, self-healing phacoemulsification cataract surgery, 124 received topical and 62 local anesthesia. The most common cataract types were nuclear sclerosis. The duration of surgery with topical anesthesia was shorter. Sutures and eye padding were more frequently applied for procedures done under local anesthesia. Uncorrected visual acuity in the first post-op week was between 20/20-20/50 for 53.6% of the cases done under topical compared to 30.9% in local anesthesia. A similar trend was noted in the visual acuity one month post operatively.CONCLUSION: The uncorrected visual acuity improves faster and the duration of surgery is shorter when topical anesthesia is used

AC and DC House Wiring Efficiency Estimations Using a Fast Extensive Measurements Approach

DC-based appliances are exponentially increasing in the present market. This scenario opens the opportunity to utilize the DC electricity produced by the PV panels directly without going through the conversion stages. Due to high penetration of DC electricity sources, it is timely to utilize DC electricity directly. Several research works have been reported in the literature to experimentally test and compare AC and DC wiring options. Accurate and precise experimental measurements are vital to establish a sound theoretical basis. However, this is difficult due to cost and time constraints. Therefore, to avoid costly measurements, this paper develops a mathematical model based on measurements on selected AC and DC wiring at four voltage levels (12 V DC, 24 V DC, 48 V DC, and 230 V AC). A digital simulation calibration using DigSilent is conducted to validate the proposed mathematical model. This paper proposed to utilize the simulation calibration approach that is a cost-effective and timesaving option to perform extensive measurements accurately