Aspects of moduli stabilization in type IIB string theory

We review moduli stabilization in type IIB string theory compactification with fluxes. We focus on the KKLT and Large Volume Scenario (LVS). We show that the predicted soft SUSY breaking terms in KKLT model are not phenomenological viable. In LVS, the following result for scalar mass, gaugino mass, and trilinear term is obtained: $m_0 =m_{1/2}= - A_0=m_{3/2}$, which may account for Higgs mass limit if $m_{3/2} \sim {\cal O}(1.5)$ TeV. However, in this case the relic abundance of the lightest neutralino can not be consistent with the measured limits. We also study the cosmological consequences of moduli stabilization in both models. In particular, the associated inflation models such as racetrack inflation and K\"ahler inflation are analyzed. Finally the problem of moduli destabilization and the effect of string moduli backreaction on the inflation models are discussed.Comment: 34 pages, 8 figure

Correlation between body mass index and cardiac parameters in obese and non obese critically ill patients at Cairo university hospitals

Background : Obesity  is  associated  with an  increased  risk  of  morbidity and mortality  as  well  as  reduced  life  expectancy .   Association between Body Mass Index (BMI) and cardiovascular diseases has been consistently observed, but remain poorly understood possibly because of interactions with other influencing factors. One unresolved question is whether there is a linear relationship. The aim of the study was to investigate the correlation between BMI and cardiac parameters among obese and non obese critically ill patients at Cairo university hospitals. Methods: A descriptive exploratory research design was utilized in   this study.   a purposive sample  of 115  male and 70 female obese patients with body Mass Index > 30 kg/m2 and also 98 male and 33 female  non obese patients with body Mass Index of 18.50 – 24.99 kg/m2 were selected  from three intensive care units which were; medical ICU , emergency ICU,  and coronary ICU . Parameters such as heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean blood pressure and pulse blood pressure were assessed. . Results: the mean ages of  subjects were largely similar irrespective of sex (53-55 years).The study findings revealed that there is no significant correlation what so ever between cardiac parameters and body mass index in both obese and non obese males and females. In addition, there is positive   correlation between age and body mass index among obese male(r=0.2, p=0.01). Moreover, there is significant statistical difference between non obese male and female as regards   height, systolic pressure, and pulse pressure. However, the present study findings revealed increased frequencies of chronic diseases as hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart diseases and stroke among obese patients as compared to non obese patients. Conclusion: There is no correlation between body mass index and cardiac parameters among obese and non obese critically ill patients. Recommendation: More research is needed to evaluate the association between body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular diseases on a large probability samples to ensure generalization of results. Key Words: body mass index, cardiac parameters, obese and non obese

Critical Care Nurses' Knowledge and Compliance with Ventilator Associated Pneumonia Bundle at Cairo University Hospitals

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) continues to be a common and potentially fatal complication of ventilator care and often encountered within intensive care units (ICUs). Ventilated and intubated patients present critical care nurses the unique challenge to incorporate evidence-based practices surrounding the delivery of high-quality care. Bundled practices approach is composed of individual preventive measures for preventing the incidence and prevalence of VAP and improving outcomes of patients. The aim of this study is to assess the critical care nurses' knowledge and compliance with ventilator associated pneumonia bundle. A descriptive exploratory study design was utilized. A sample of convenience of 45 critical care nurses was recruited from different critical care units at Cairo university hospital for this study. Data were collected between March 2010 and September 2011. The participants initially, were instructed to complete a demographic data sheet and a validated 20- items questionnaire; 15 items multiple-choice and 5 true/ false items covered the knowledge about pathophysiology , risk factors and preventive VAP bundle practices. Then, direct observation of nurses who provided nursing care to mechanically ventilated patients was carried out utilizing VAP bundle compliance checklist that consisted of ventilator bundled practices for preventing VAP. The main bundle items were infection control measures, patient positioning, endotracheal suctioning care, peptic ulcer prophylaxis, oral care, weaning & extubatoin trials ,and ventilator care measures .The results of 20- items questionnaire revealed unsatisfactory knowledge scores (mean= 7.46 + 2.37) and most of the nurses were not compliant with ventilator associated pneumonia bundle practices (average mean = 8.62 + 7.9 out of 29) and there is no specific protocol to follow for VAP prevention. The findings of the study recommended the need for developing and implementing a protocol for VAP prevention in ICUs. Moreover, there is also a need for training programs for nurses on infection control and VAP bundle preventive measures to lessen the prevalence of ventilator associated pneumonia. Key Words: Critical care nurses' knowledge, compliance, ventilator associated pneumonia bundl

Firm Specific Determinants of Growth in a Post CPEC Situation

Purpose: The study explores  the determinant of firm growth in a post CPEC scenario by taking a panel data of 53 textile based firms listed on Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). Approach/Methodology/Design: The data were extracted from the Financial Statement Analysis (FSA) published by State Bank of Pakistan for a period ranging from 2012 to 2017. In this research, we applied some methods to evaluate results descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and regression models such as random effect model, fixed effect model and pooled OLS and also we use GMM method (generalized method of movement).  Findings: The results after the calibration of CPEC as dummy variable proved that profitability and financial leverage are significant determinants of firm growth in the textile sector of Pakistan even after controlling the endogeneity problems.   Originality/value: The results imply that the firms in textile sector should focus on sustained profitability and also the availability of healthy financial arrangements to pursue growth in the long term

Intelligent adaptive control for nonlinear applications

The thesis deals with the design and implementation of an Adaptive Flight Control technique for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The application of UAVs has been increasing exponentially in the last decade both in Military and Civilian fronts. These UAVs fly at very low speeds and Reynolds numbers, have nonlinear coupling, and tend to exhibit time varying characteristics. In addition, due to the variety of missions, they fly in uncertain environments exposing themselves to unpredictable external disturbances. The successful completion of the UAV missions is largely dependent on the accuracy of the control provided by the flight controllers. Thus there is a necessity for accurate and robust flight controllers. These controllers should be able to adapt to the changes in the dynamics due to internal and external changes. From the available literature, it is known that, one of the better suited adaptive controllers is the model based controller. The design and implementation of model based adaptive controller is discussed in the thesis. A critical issue in the design and application of model based control is the online identification of the UAV dynamics from the available sensors using the onboard processing capability. For this, proper instrumentation in terms of sensors and avionics for two platforms developed at UNSW@ADFA is discussed. Using the flight data from the remotely flown platforms, state space identification and fuzzy identification are developed to mimic the UAV dynamics. Real time validations using Hardware in Loop (HIL) simulations show that both the methods are feasible for control. A finer comparison showed that the accuracy of identification using fuzzy systems is better than the state space technique. The flight tests with real time online identification confirmed the feasibility of fuzzy identification for intelligent control. Hence two adaptive controllers based on the fuzzy identification are developed. The first adaptive controller is a hybrid indirect adaptive controller that utilises the model sensitivity in addition to output error for adaptation. The feedback of the model sensitivity function to adapt the parameters of the controller is shown to have beneficial effects, both in terms of convergence and accuracy. HIL simulations applied to the control of roll stabilised pitch autopilot for a typical UAV demonstrate the improvements compared to the direct adaptive controller. Next a novel fuzzy model based inversion controller is presented. The analytical approximate inversion proposed in this thesis does not increase the computational effort. The comparisons of this controller with other controller for a benchmark problem are presented using numerical simulations. The results bring out the superiority of this technique over other techniques. The extension of the analytical inversion based controller for multiple input multiple output problem is presented for the design of roll stabilised pitch autopilot for a UAV. The results of the HIL simulations are discussed for a typical UAV. Finally, flight test results for angle of attack control of one of the UAV platforms at UNSW@ADFA are presented. The flight test results show that the adaptive controller is capable of controlling the UAV suitably in a real environment, demonstrating its robustness characteristics

Critical Care Nurses' Knowledge and Practice Regarding Administration of Selected Positive Inotropics at Cairo University Hospitals

Critical care  nurses are responsible for administering Inotropics  drugs that affects the patients cardiovascular functions. Nurses must  know proper diluents of each drug and  should be expert in calculating the dose of medication to prevent errors. Each nurse should be aware of indication,  action, contraindications, adverse reactions  interactions of drugs.  Moreover, nurses monitor  patients for  any negative signs of a change in condition, administer  medication,  and  develop a plan of action for patients care. Aim of the study: to assess critical care nurses 'nurses knowledge and practices regarding selected positive Inotropics. Research Design: A descriptive exploratory  design was utilized in this study. Research questions: To achieve the aim of the present study, the following two research questions were formulated ;a)what the nurses know about the  administration of selected positive Inotropics ?,b) what are the practices the nurses perform while administering the selected positive Inotropics?. Setting: The  study  was  carried  out  at  different  Critical  Care  units at  Cairo University Hospitals, in Egypt. Sample: A sample of convenience of 70 nurses from different critical care units with a minimum one year of experience were included in the present study. Tools of data collection: Two tools were used to collect data; the first tool has two parts ;part one is background data sheet that included  gender, age, years of  experience, educational level  and  area of work.  part two was positive inotropics knowledge questionnaire that was designed by researcher  to assess knowledge regarding indication, contraindication,   and nursing measures taken with selected inotropics.  The second tool was positive inotropic observational checklist  that was designed to assess nurses practices while administering positive inotropics  Results: The  current  study  findings revealed that critical care nurses have  got low knowledge and practice scores and  no significant  correlations  were existed  between years of experience , area of work and their level of knowledge and practice regarding selected positive inotropic medications.. Conclusion: it can be concluded  that critical care nurses have inadequate knowledge and practice regarding selected positive Inotropics. Recommendations : Carrying out educational programs about  nursing  management of  Inotropics and training on calculation of drug doses. Keywords: Nurses ' knowledge  , Nurses practice  , Positive  Inotropics  administratio

Correlation between Body Mass Index and Gastrointestinal Symptoms among Hospitalized Patients

Background: Gastrointestinal problems are highly prevalent in all age groups .The literature and recent studies are inconsistent about the association between body mass index (BMI) and gastrointestinal symptoms. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between BMI and gastrointestinal symptoms among hospitalized patients. Research Design was descriptive exploratory correlational design. Research question: what is the relationship between body mass index and gastrointestinal symptoms? Setting: Different medical critical care units and medical wards at Cairo university hospitals. A sample of convenience of adult male and female patients who met the inclusion criteria was included. Tools: (a) the Structured Interview Questionnaire (SIQ). It covered personal data namely; age, sex, marital status, etc... and Medical history which included chief complaint, present history , past history.  (b)Gastrointestinal assessment questionnaire (GIAQ), it included bowel habit assessment,   common gastrointestinal symptoms and gastrointestinal diseases, and (c) body mass index (BMI). Patients were assigned into four groups based on the BMI using the classification of the World Health Organization. Results: A total of 489 patients were included (25.56%) were overweight (13.49%) were obese. Overall, in obese patients the prevalence of constipation (87.875) distention (83.33%) compared with normal weight; constipation (8.68%) , distention (6.94%)  and dyspepsia (4.51%)  Conclusion: there is a relationship between body mass index and some gastrointestinal symptoms such as constipation, dyspepsia, heart burn. A positive correlation was found between age and both constipation as well as heart burn and dyspepsia. Recommendation: Replicate the study on a large probability sample to realize generalizability and ensure consistency of results. Key words: Body Mass Index, Gastrointestinal symptoms, Hospitalized patient

Modification in Swahili.

The aim of this study is to investigate modification in Swahili from two main standpoints: syntax and semantics. Intonation, as a determining factor for some semantic denotations of some modifying units of structure, is not neglected. In the first chapter there is a relatively detailed argumentation of the treatment and classification of some items, which have been treated differently in previous works on Swahili. The conclusion of the discussions of such items here is different from the suggestions and conclusions of earlier works. There is also a discussion of the number of grammatical classes that are required for the adequate description of the nominal group in Swahili, as well as an elaborate description of items which participate in modification within nominal group structure. In the second chapter, items that participate in modification at the clause level are investigated. They are grouped into three classes according to their syntactic functions and semantic denotations. These classes are Adjunct, Conjunct and Disjunct. These items are differentiated from their homonyms, if they have any, on syntactic, semantic and intonational criteria. In the third chapter, clauses that function as modifying elements to other units of structure are investigated as to their syntax, semantics and intonational features. They are labelled according to the semantic relationships they have with other units within the sentence. Their main features as modifying units, and also their relationships to units they modify are investigated. In chapter four, some items that participate in modification at different ranks are studied separately since they do not seem to fit well into the previous chapters. Their various syntactic, and semantic functions at both group and clause levels are studied. The originality in this thesis lies in the fact that it is concerned with very interesting areas in the language which have not previously been studied. There exist some works which deal indirectly with modification but they are restricted to group level only and even at this level they do not cover the whole area. No work, as far as I know, deals with clauses or sentences as constituting or exemplifying modification in Swahili. I would think that the value of this work lies in the light it sheds on this interesting area of the language

The Relationship between Expatriate Job Deprivation and Thriving at Workplace: Examining the Antecedents, Moderator, and Outcomes

Due to the continuous pressures emanating from today’s global economy, multinational corporations (MNCs) expanded their internationalised operations by placing substantial amounts of foreign direct investment (FDI) in a myriad of developing host countries. One of these developing countries is Egypt that was ranked in the top 5 host countries in the North Africa region, receiving the largest amount of FDI. This, in turn, increased the likelihood of relocating expatriates in the country and the necessity of effectively managing their international assignments. However, not all international assignments are successful due to several reasons, such as maladjustment issues, the inappropriate selection of the right expatriates with the necessary personal resources in their talent pipeline to navigate stressful events during assignments, and the lack of thriving driven by job deprivation issues. This study seeks to shed further light on the precise causes of this condition. Thus, drawing on the central tenets of the institutional theory, the two integrated relative deprivation and self-determination theories, and the conservation of resources theory, the present study contributes to the extant expatriation and international business literature by examining a set of relationships: (1) the institutional distance (ID) between Egypt and the expatriate’s home country and expatriate’s job deprivation regarding autonomy, competence, and relatedness; (2) adjustment and expatriate job deprivation; (3) job deprivation and thriving at workplace; (4) the moderating role of cross-cultural psychological capital (CC-PsyCap) in the expatriate job deprivation-thriving relationship; (5) CC-PsyCap and thriving; and (6) expatriate thriving and willingness to share knowledge with local employees, intention to renew current international assignment in Egypt, and performance. Data were collected from a sample of 313 business expatriates who work in the foreign subsidiaries of foreign organisations in Egypt. Using structural equation modelling to test the hypothesised model, the empirical results demonstrated that ID had a differential effect on the three aspects of job deprivation (autonomy, relatedness, and competence). Results also unfolded that expatriates’ adjustment had a significant negative effect on job deprivation. Additionally, job deprivation had a significant influence on thriving. Although the direct effect of CC-PsyCap on thriving was significant, its moderating effect on job deprivation-thriving linkage was not significant. Finally, expatriate thriving was found to be a significant catalyst for knowledge sharing willingness, current assignment renewal intention, and performance. Accordingly, the study’s results suggest that expatriates’ success on international assignments entails crafting a thriving host workplace where they should possess high levels of psychological resources in their talent pipelines and their host jobs’ needs should be highly fulfilled relative to their previous home jobs’ ones