Solving random diffusion models with nonlinear perturbations by the Wiener-Hermite expansion method

[EN] This paper deals with the construction of approximate series solutions of random nonlinear diffusion equations where nonlinearity is considered by means of a frank small parameter and uncertainty is introduced through white noise in the forcing term. For the simpler but important case in which the diffusion coefficient is time independent, we provide a Gaussian approximation of the solution stochastic process by taking advantage of the Wiener¿Hermite expansion together with the perturbation method. In addition, approximations of the main statistical functions associated with a solution, such as the mean and variance, are computed. Numerical values of these functions are compared with respect to those obtained by applying the Runge¿Kutta second-order stochastic scheme as an illustrative example.This work was partially supported by the Spanish M.C.Y.T. and FEDER grants MTM2009-08587, TRA2007-68006-C02-02, DPI2010-20891-C02-01 as well as the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia grant PAID-06-09 (ref. 2588).Cortés López, JC.; Romero Bauset, JV.; Roselló Ferragud, MD.; Santamaría Navarro, C. (2011). Solving random diffusion models with nonlinear perturbations by the Wiener-Hermite expansion method. Computers and Mathematics with Applications. 61(8):1946-1950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.camwa.2010.07.057S1946195061

Experiences of obesity among Saudi Arabian women contemplating bariatric surgery: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2013 The Authors.This study explored experiences of obesity, its perceived causes and motives for surgery, as described by seven Saudi women contemplating bariatric surgery. The women experienced cultural restrictions on their physical and social activities. Obesity embodied these restrictions, attracting stigma and moral failure. Traditional clothing, foods, hospitality norms and limited outdoor female activities were regarded as barriers to weight loss. Bariatric surgery was chosen to protect health and to access normative female roles. Some were encouraged by relatives who had undergone surgery. Opting for surgery reflected both participants’ sense of powerlessness to self-manage weight and the social acceptability, within their family context, of this biomedical approach

Do clinicians overestimate the severity of intracerebral hemorrhage?

Background and Purpose— Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has a poorer prognosis than acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, clinician perception of prognosis may influence treatment decisions and adversely affect outcome. On acute CT, the conspicuity of ICH compared with AIS may lead clinicians to overestimate severity and influence prognostic evaluation. We investigated whether clinicians’ estimates of volume, severity, and prognosis from acute imaging differed between ICH and AIS. Methods— CT scans from participants with acute ICH or ischemic stroke were reviewed. Volume was calculated using the ABC/2 method and automated volumetric analysis via specialized imaging software. ICH cases were matched with AIS cases for lesion volume, based on acute (<6 hours) CT for ICH, and 24-hour CT for AIS. Blind to clinical information, clinicians estimated lesion volume to the nearest 5 mL, graded lesion severity from 1 (mild) to 5 (very severe), and estimated 30-day prognosis using the modified Rankin Scale. Results— We compared 33 ICH cases with 33 volume-matched AIS cases. Clinicians overestimated ICH volume and underestimated AIS volumes: mean differences (estimated−actual volume) were +8 mL (±30) for ICH and −8 mL (±27) for AIS (P<0.001). Observers rated ICH to be of greater severity and poorer prognosis compared with AIS cases: 109 of 265 (41%) ICH cases rated severity categories 4 or 5 compared with 36 of 257 (14%) AIS, P<0.001; estimated modified Rankin Scale of 0 to 2 in 125 of 265 (47%) ICH compared with 190 of 257 (74%) AIS, P<0.001. Results were unaffected by presence of intraventricular blood. Estimated severity and prognosis for ICH remained significantly worse compared with AIS after adjustment for estimated volumes. Conclusions— Clinicians overestimated ICH volume and severity compared with AIS of equivalent volume and also assigned significantly worse prognosis independent of volume estimates

Persepsi Masyarakat Tentang Kualitas Pelayanan Kesehatan di Rumah Sakit Umum Daerah Kota Kotamobagu Provinsi Sulawesi Utara

Liquid health services every effort held alone or together in an organizationto maintain and promote health, prevent and cure disease and restore the health ofindividuals, families, groups or communities. Looked at that hospital patientsshould be more capable in providing health services in the quest of healing andrestoration of quality, fast on the outside top of the complaints as well as theprovision of health services.This research uses qualitative research methods, descriptive, the number ofinformants will be interviewed in this study amounted to 8 (eight) theinformant; 1 person head of sub-division of The HOSPITALS of thecity of Kotamobagu, 1 Staff Officer, 6 people of the communitywho are receiving services (patient). Data collection techniques are in use;interview techniques, techniques of observation, and data collection techniques,with documents. The data analysis techniques in use; reduction of data,data presentation, and conclusion / verification of withdrawal

Probabilistic solution of random homogeneous linear second-order difference equations

This paper deals with the computation of the first probability density function of the solution of random homogeneous linear second-order difference equations by the Random Variable Transformation method. This approach allows us to generalize the classical solution obtained in the deterministic scenario. Several illustrative examples are provided.This work was sponsored by "Ministerio de Economa y Competitividad" of the Spanish Government in the frame of the Project with Reference TRA2012-36932.Casabán Bartual, MC.; Cortés López, JC.; Romero Bauset, JV.; Roselló Ferragud, MD. (2014). Probabilistic solution of random homogeneous linear second-order difference equations. Applied Mathematics Letters. 34:27-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aml.2014.03.010S27323

Understanding Refugees\u27 Perspectives on Health Care

Introduction. Burlington, Vermont accepts refugees from around the world. These individuals face unique barriers to accessing healthcare due to language, culture and finances. Research suggests that cultural beliefs about healthcare can affect ability or willingness to seek medical care. Gaining a better understanding of refugee perspectives of the healthcare system may offer insight into how to rectify this issue. Objectives. The goal of this study was to learn about refugee perspectives of the healthcare system and assess their use of services. Methods. We surveyed a convenience sample of 24 refugees to learn more about thoughts and practices surrounding healthcare and the use of the medical system. Results. Survey findings suggested that refugees who had been living in the US for longer than one year access healthcare resources differently from more recent arrivals. Most respondents agreed that reasons for going to a healthcare provider revolved around the diagnosis and treatment of current ailments. Regardless of time spent in the U.S., most respondents were unlikely to seek out preventive care. Refugees who had been in the U.S. longer than one year were less likely to seek out emergency services for acute symptoms that would be better served by a visit with their PCP. Conclusions. Recent arrivals used the emergency room for primary care needs more than those living in the U.S. longer than one year, suggesting the efficacy of provided health education. Study data suggests an important area for improvement may be increased education for refugees about the importance of preventive care.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1250/thumbnail.jp

Random Hermite differential equations: Mean square power series solutions and statistical properties

This paper deals with the construction of random power series solution of second order linear differential equations of Hermite containing uncertainty through its coefficients and initial conditions. Under appropriate hypotheses on the data, we establish that the constructed random power series solution is mean square convergent. We provide conditions in order to obtain random polynomial solutions and, as a consequence, random Hermite polynomial are introduced. Also, the main statistical functions of the approximate stochastic process solution generated by truncation of the exact power series solution are given. Finally, we apply the proposed technique to several illustrative examples comparing the numerical results with respect to those provided by other available approaches including Monte Carlo simulation. © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.This work has been partially supported by the Spanish M.C.Y.T. and FEDER grants MTM2009-08587, DPI2010-20891-C02-01 as well as the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia grant PAID-06-09 (Ref. 2588).Calbo Sanjuán, G.; Cortés López, JC.; Jódar Sánchez, LA. (2011). Random Hermite differential equations: Mean square power series solutions and statistical properties. Applied Mathematics and Computation. 218(7):3654-3666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amc.2011.09.008S36543666218

What are the attributes of good pharmacy faculty (lecturers)? An international comparison of the views of pharmacy undergraduate students from universities in Australia and Wales, UK

This study aimed to investigate what La Trobe pharmacy students (Australia) considered to be the attributes of a good lecturer (faculty member) and to compare the findings to pharmacy undergraduates at Cardiff University, Wales, UK. A 22 item questionnaire, developed at Cardiff, was administered to students at La Trobe University. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and Mann-Whitney U Test or Kruskal-Wallis Test were used to compare groups. Ethics approval was obtained. Pharmacy students believed good lecturers (faculty) provided clear instruction and assessment criteria, were enthusiastic, inspired students to do their best, motivated students to learn, were accessible for support and started the teaching sessions on time. They also provided timely feedback and illustrated the relevance of material to pharmacy. Australian and UK pharmacy undergraduates in this study shared the same opinions on most aspects of the positive attributes of faculty (lecturers)

Towards the development of an EIT-based stretchable sensor for multi-touch industrial human-computer interaction systems

In human-computer interaction studies, an interaction is often considered as a kind of information or discrete internal states of an individual that can be transmitted in a loss-free manner from people to computing interfaces (or robotic interfaces) and vice-versa. This project aims to investigate processes capable of communicating and cooperating by adjusting their schedules to match the evolving execution circumstances, in a way that maximise the quality of their joint activities. By enabling human-computer interactions, the process will emerge as a framework based on the concept of expectancy, demand, and need of the human and computer together, for understanding the interplay between people and computers. The idea of this work is to utilise touch feedback from humans as a channel for communication thanks to an artificial sensitive skin made of a thin, flexible, and stretchable material acting as transducer. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate that the first prototype of our artificial sensitive skin can detect surface contacts and show their locations with an image reconstructing the internal electrical conductivity of the sensor

Core Interprofessional Education (IPE) health competencies: The process of adaptation and implementation for a local environment

IPE: Interprofessional Healthcare Education (IPE) competencies provide the criteria against which to measure the capacity and capability of fully collaborative healthcare teams to learn and work together. Significant work already exists in the determination of IPE competencies across all disciplines. Although there is still a lack of agreement on a single set of shared core competencies, successive competency iterations enhance its development. IPE competencies need to take into account local and cultural contexts as recommended by WHO, (2010). Here we present a collaborative process that builds on existing competency development, assessing additional academic IPE needs. Core competencies: After the development of a set of shared core IPE competencies a two-day workshop was delivered to healthcare students from four professions. The results and feedback from students showed the value of the competencies. We discuss the evolving process through two major stages: (1) development of a model determining four ..