Determining the optimal inventory management policy for Naval Medical Center San Diego's Pharmacy

Inventory management in Navy pharmacies uses outdated technologies and strategies and desperately needs updating. The management of inventory should never use a one-size-fits-all approach, and the optimal inventory management system was determined for Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD). This thesis used demand data gathered from NMCSD to investigate the periodic review and continuous review systems with single item ordering and joint quantity ordering to determine which was best for NMCSD. The results of this study are that joint ordering with continuous review is less expensive than single item ordering and periodic review of inventory. It is recommended that NMCSD begin looking into the costs and how to begin implementing a continuous review system.http://archive.org/details/determiningoptim1094551698Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Drivers of peat accumulation rate in a raised bog : impact of drainage, climate, and local vegetation composition

We used variation partitioning to assess the relative importance of drainage, climate and local vegetation composition for the development of a raised bog. As a case study we selected Teici (Teici) Bog in Latvia (north-east Europe). Explanatory variables together explained 74 % of the variation in peat accumulation and only the residue of 26 % remained unexplained. Our study showed that the local vegetation composition and dominant Sphagnum species significantly influence peat accumulation rates. The results of linear models revealed that, under natural conditions, minor drainage and even strong drainage of the peat is associated with a positive growth balance of the system. However, drainage systems can have a measurable impact on peatland ecosystems situated farther away. Our study demonstrates that the average peat accumulation rate in Teici Bog over the last 150 years was 3.5 mm per year. Although the peat accumulation rate has been affected by drainage over the last half-century, it is still 2.8 mm per year. There was no strong correlation with the historical climate record, suggesting that the bog area has buffered the influence of climate change over the last 150 years.Peer reviewe

The Study of Dielectric Properties of Biological Tissue under Thermal Modification in vitro

The aim of this paper is to study the dynamics of the dielectric properties of the tissue in the experimental controlled thermal modification. Material and methods: the experiment was performed on equal in volume and mass samples of intraoperatively removed tissue of Palmar aponeurosis (n=8). The thermal effect was simulated by placing tissue fragments in a thermostat (processing time – 5 min., temperature – 60 C). Duration of exposure after thermal modification was 5 min. Dielectric properties of tissues was determined using an original hardware-software complex for near-field resonant microwave sensing. Results: the study made it possible to verify the shifts in dielectric properties of the tissue that occur under short-term exposure to high temperature in vitro. It is shown that the dielectric permeability and conductivity of the biological object are significantly reduced under the influence of this factor, which is primarily due to a decrease of its hydration degree

Assessment of the Action of Сold Helium Plasma on Metabolic and Physico-chemical Parameters of Rats Blood

The aim of this paper was to study the effect of cold helium plasma on the parameters of oxidative metabolism and crystallogenic activity of rat blood plasma. Material and methods: The experiment was performed on 20 male Wistar rats divided into control (n=10, without manipulation) and main (n=10) groups. Animals of the main group underwent a course, which included 10 daily procedures for processing a pre-epilated area of the back skin (area – 10% of the body surface) with a stream of helium cold plasma (duration – 1 min.). Upon completion of the course, the intensity of lipid peroxidation, total antioxidant activity, malon dialdehyde level and superoxide dismutase activity were determined in the blood of all rats, and crystallogenic properties were evaluated. The conjugation of potential shifts was carried out by correlation analysis. Results: It was found that cold helium plasma transforms oxidative metabolism of blood plasma and its crystallogenic properties, acting as an agent with moderate antioxidant properties and a stimulant of dehydration structuring. In this case, the antioxidant effect is realized, among other things, due to the activation of superoxide dismutase

Inverse Modeling for MEG/EEG data

We provide an overview of the state-of-the-art for mathematical methods that are used to reconstruct brain activity from neurophysiological data. After a brief introduction on the mathematics of the forward problem, we discuss standard and recently proposed regularization methods, as well as Monte Carlo techniques for Bayesian inference. We classify the inverse methods based on the underlying source model, and discuss advantages and disadvantages. Finally we describe an application to the pre-surgical evaluation of epileptic patients.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figur

Drivers of HIV self-testing among female sex workers: Findings from a multi-state study in Malaysia

BackgroundAlthough research on HIV self-testing (HIVST) has rapidly increased, few studies have explored HIVST uptake in female sex workers (FSW), and none in Malaysia. Therefore, we endeavored to assess the willingness to use HIVST in this at-risk, vulnerable population.MethodsA cross-sectional survey study was conducted among 113 HIV-negative Malaysian FSW in 2017. Participants were recruited using advertisements on social media, flyers, and direct referrals from community-based organizations. Data were collected using self-administered surveys. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify correlates of willingness to use HIVST.ResultsNearly a third of participants (30.1%) reported they would be willing to use HIVST. Multivariable analyses adjusting for Malay ethnicity, stable housing, living in Kuala Lumpur (KL), years in sex work, age of first sex work, childhood sexual assault, history of HIV testing, and previously in prison indicated that living in KL [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 5.214, p = 0.0137] was associated with a greater willingness to use HIVST. In contrast, having stable housing (aOR = 0.100, p = 0.0064) was negatively associated with willingness to use HIVST.ConclusionsOur results indicate that HIVST may potentially enhance the uptake of HIV testing among FSWs living in an urban environment and experiencing unstable housing, but an overall willingness to use HIVST is low. These findings highlight the need for efforts to increase awareness of HIVST among FSWs and additional research on the effective implementation of HIVST for FSW

Stigmatising attitude of medical students towards a psychiatry label

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

A multicentric study on stigma towards people with mental illness in health sciences students

BackgroundThere is evidence of negative attitudes among health professionals towards people with mental illness but there is also a knowledge gap on what training must be given to these health professionals during their education. The purpose of this study is to compare the attitudes of students of health sciences: nursing, medical, occupational therapy, and psychology.MethodsA comparative and cross-sectional study in which 927 final-year students from health sciences university programmes were evaluated using the Mental Illness: Clinicians' Attitudes (both MICA-2 and MICA-4) scale. The sample was taken in six universities from Chile and Spain.ResultsWe found consistent results indicating that stigma varies across university programmes. Medical and nursing students showed more negative attitudes than psychology and occupational therapy students in several stigma-related themes: recovery, dangerousness, uncomfortability, disclosure, and discriminatory behaviour.ConclusionsOur study presents a relevant description of the attitudes of each university programme for education against stigma in the formative years. Results show that the biomedical understanding of mental disorders can have negative effects on attitudes, and that education based on the psychosocial model allows a more holistic view of the person over the diagnosis