Comparison of Knee-High and Thigh-High Graduated Compression Stockings in Preventing Deep Vein Thrombosis in Patients with Hemorrhagic Stroke

Background: Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is a common complication in patients with hemorrhagic stroke. Prophylaxis and treatment of DVT in these patients is very difficult because there are some limitations regarding the use of anticoagulant drugs. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of knee-high and thigh-high graduated compression stockings in preventing DVT in patients with hemorrhagic stroke. Methods: In this clinical trial, 88 patients with hemorrhagic stroke were randomly assigned to two groups to receive either thighhigh or knee-high graduated compression stockings as prophylaxis for DVT. The prevalence of DVT was studied using clinical symptoms and Doppler ultrasound. Chi-square and Mann Whitney U tests were used to analyze the data. Results: In the thigh-high stockings group, 11 patients (26.8%) and in the knee-high stockings group, 18 patients (38.3%) were affected by DVT during the study. However, no significant difference was observed between the two groups (P = 0.25). Conclusions: There was no significant difference between the two groups in the incidence of DVT. Therefore, either knee-high or thigh-high stockings can be used as prophylaxis, depending on patients’ will, cost and ease of use

Comparison of a Biometric Method with Clipping and Weighing Method for Estimating the Yield of \u3cem\u3eArtemisia sieberi\u3c/em\u3e (Case Study Zarand-e-Save Region)

Forage production is a most important vegetation attribute in rangeland analysis and evaluation and use in management practices. Artemisia sieberi covered about 47% of the rangeland area in Iran and scientists need to know the best method for analysis and evaluation of this species. Clipping and weighing has high precision, but this method is time-consuming and expensive and alternative methods are required. Russian scientists developed a biometric method based on plant dimensions and suggest this method for rangelands in the Middle East (discussed by Dianati, 2003). In America, Muray (1982) used plant dimensions for yield estimation and regression models for estimating production. This method required the selection of a lot of individual plants for each species to draw curves and estimate forage production. The critical stage of this method is the determination of the relationship between plant dimensions and yield. The research showed that in A. sieberi the best relationship with yield is from height (H) and the sum of diameters (D1 +D2). This relationship should be calculated separately for each species. In this study this method was tested with the Artemisia type in Iran

Per-user service model for opportunistic scheduling scheme over fading channels

In this paper, we propose a ¯nite-state Markov model for per-user service of an oppor- tunistic scheduling scheme over Rayleigh fading channels, where a single base station serves an arbitrary number of users. By approximating the power gain of Rayleigh fading chan- nels as ¯nite-state Markov processes, we develop an algorithm to obtain dynamic stochastic model of the transmission service, received by an individual user for a saturated scenario, where user data queues are highly loaded. The proposed analytical model is a ¯nite-state Markov process. We provide a comprehensive comparison between the predicted results by the proposed analytical model and the simulation results, which demonstrate a high degree of match between the two sets

Perancangan Kemasan Take Away Bubur Ayam Menggunakan Metode Quality Function Deployment (QFD)

The development of the culinary business in Indonesia is currently quite rapid. One effort that can be done in the face of fierce product competition is through packaging design. The packaging used to package is not attractive because it is in the form of packaging with ordinary Styrofoam (PS or Polystyrene). Besides, the packaging is easily damaged in the lock and cannot be tightly closed, making it difficult for consumers when they want to consume porridge while on the way and do not have a clear identity to represent the brand of Kabayan Chicken Porridge. This study aims to provide recommendations for designing Kabayan Chicken Porridge packaging using the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) method. Data processing uses the product planning stage by preparing the House of Quality (HOQ) and the design deployment stage. After processing the data in the two stages of Quality Function Deployment (QFD), 24 critical parts were used as a reference in the design of Kabayan Chicken Porridge Take Away packaging. The recommended recommendations are paper bowl packaging which is waterproof, easily distributed, uses attractive fonts, uses attractive colors and does not conflict with product characteristics, uses easy-to-open and closed lid covers, displays product photos, displays manufacturer information, and displays the logo

Intensive Care Nurses' Knowledge of Radiation Safety and Their Behaviors Towards Portable Radiological Examinations

Background: Radiological examinations for patients who are hospitalized at intensive care units are usually performed using portable radiography devices. However they may require knowledge and safety precautions of nurses. Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate ICU nurses’ knowledge of radiation safety and their behaviors towards portable radiological examinations. Materials and Methods: In total, 44 intensive care nurses were recruited for this cross-sectional descriptive study using census sampling during April and May 2014. The study setting was at intensive care units of Shahid Beheshti Hospital of Kashan, Iran. An eleven-item questionnaire and a five-item checklist were used for evaluating nurses’ radiation protection knowledge and behaviors, respectively. An expert panel consisting of ten nursing and radiology faculty members confirmed the content validity of the questionnaire and the checklist. Moreover, a Geiger-Müller counter was used for measuring ionizing radiation during portable radiological examinations. Study data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 13.0. Mean, standard deviation, frequency and one-sample t test were used for description of the data. The level of significance was set at below 0.05. Results: The mean of participants’ radiation protection knowledge was 4.77 ± 1.38. The most prevalent radiation protection behavior of nurses was leaving the intensive care unit during portable radiological examinations. Only 6.8% of nurses stayed at the nursing station during radiological examinations. The highest dose of radiation was 0.11 micro Sievert per hour (μSv/h), which was much lower than the highest permitted level of radiation exposure i.e. 0.25 μSv/h. Conclusions: Portable radiological examinations did not expose healthcare providers to high doses of ionizing radiation. Nurses’ radiation protection knowledge was limited and hence, they require in-service education programs

Energy Efficiency Analysis and Optimization for Virtual-MIMO Systems

Virtual multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems using multiple antennas at the transmitter and a single antenna at each of the receivers have recently emerged as an alternative to point-to-point MIMO systems. This paper investigates the relationship between energy efficiency (EE) and spectral efficiency (SE) for a virtual-MIMO system that has one destination and one relay using compress-and-forward (CF) cooperation. To capture the cost of cooperation, the power allocation (between the transmitter and the relay) and the bandwidth allocation (between the data and cooperation channels) are studied. This paper derives a tight upper bound for the overall system EE as a function of SE, which exhibits good accuracy for a wide range of SE values. The EE upper bound is used to formulate an EE optimization problem. Given a target SE, the optimal power and bandwidth allocation can be derived such that the overall EE is maximized. Results indicate that the EE performance of virtual-MIMO is sensitive to many factors, including resource-allocation schemes and channel characteristics. When an out-of-band cooperation channel is considered, the performance of virtual-MIMO is close to that of the MIMO case in terms of EE. Considering a shared-band cooperation channel, virtual-MIMO with optimal power and bandwidth allocation is more energy efficient than the noncooperation case under most SE values

Outline of the SECOQC Quantum-Key-Distribution Network in Vienna

A Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network is currently implemented in Vienna by integrating seven QKD-Link devices that connect five subsidiaries of SIEMENS Austria. We give an architectural overview of the network and present the enabling QKD-technologies, as well as the novel QKD network protocols.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

A participatory process for modelling green infrastructure implementation in London

Cities face the interlinked challenges of transforming environmental quality, sustainability, population health and health equity. There is increasing interest in green infrastructure in connection with these challenges. In order to go beyond an understanding of the effects of green infrastructure and develop an understanding of how policymakers should think about it, we need to capture potential interactions and be aware of possible unintended consequences. In our research, we applied a systems-thinking approach: integrating participatory engagements, qualitative system dynamics modelling, and an assessment framework in order to address the challenge. This allowed us to see multiple dynamics between the prioritisation of policymakers, different types of green infrastructure, and environmental and health outcomes. It also made us ask different and more integrated questions, and suggested a methodology for addressing the challenge of transforming cities