Stem and standing heights in bantu and white South Africans: their significance in relation to pulmonary function values

Sitting and standing heights have been recorded for Bantu and Whites, males and females. It !Vas found that Bantu males and females have relatively longer lower extremities than White South African males and females. Anthropometric differences account for only about 15% of the actual observed difference in spirometrically determined lung volumes of Bantu and Whites in the groups observe

Вплив техногенного чинника на формування скупчень метану в пісковиках

Исследовано влияние горных работ в процессе добычи угля на физические свойства песчаников по результатам опробования керна геологоразведочных скважин и горных выработок. Установлено, что коэффициент открытой пористости песчаников, в зоне влияния горных работ существенно отличается от соответствующих показателей в нетронутом массиве. Показано, что такое разуплотнение, за счёт трещинообразвания, способствует увеличению открытой пористости песчаников в 1,2-1,4 раза и формированию проницаемости, соответствующей коллекторам III-IV класса.Influence of mining operations has been investigated in the coal mining process on physical properties of sandstones, on results of core assay of geological prospecting holes and mining workings. It was set that open porosity coefficient of sandstones, in the affected zone of mining operations substantially differs from the proper indexes in natural array. It is shown, that such volume expension due to cracks formation, promotes increasing of sandstones open porosity in 1,2-1,4 time and forming of permeability corresponding of the III-IV class collectors

Automatic Classification of Hand-Dermatitis

An important problem in the evaluation of new treatments for hand-eczema or hand-dermatitis lies in finding an objective measure that tells us how badly a hand is affected. When evaluating the degree of dermatitis, dermatologists are influenced by a number of subjective factors; e.g. patient populations differ, knowledge of treatments varies, the dermatologist might be having a particularly good or bad day. In an attempt to overcome these problems during clinical trials, usually several dermatologists grade the same sets of hands or images thereof and their diagnoses are averaged out to get more reliable results. This thesis is a pilot study for building an automated system for the gradation of hand-dermatitis using photo images, with a high degree of reproducibility of results. The automated system that was implemented had an accuracy of 66 %, and of the wrongly identified images 66.6 % was off by only one class. This is a substantial improvement on the expected accuracy for guessing (16.67% in a 6 class problem) or always picking the largest class (47.4 % of the examples belonged to the same class). Though the automated system developed in this pilot study cannot compete with dermatologists it is a step into the right direction.

Preventing perinatal vertical HIV transmission in South Africa [4]

LetterThe original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.za[No abstract available]Publisher’s versio

Intrapleural streptokinase for empyema and complicated parapneumonic effusions

We conducted a single-center, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to determine whether streptokinase instillations adjunctive to chest tube drainage reduce the need for surgery and improve outcome in patients with pleural empyema. Fifty-three patients (frank pus aspirated, 81%; microbiological agent cultured, 62%; mean effusion pH, 6.6 ± 0.4) received antibiotic treatment, chest tube drainage, and once-daily pleural rinses with either normal saline or normal saline with streptokinase (250,000 IU). Nine patients were excluded for various reasons before pleural rinses were started. Streptokinase (n = 22) was instilled over 4.5 ± 2 days and saline (n = 22) was instilled over 3 ± 1.3 days. One patient in each group died during treatment, Clinical treatment success and need for referral to surgery were the main outcome measures. No difference was observed after 3 days. After 7 days, streptokinase-treated patients had a higher clinical success rate (82 vs, 48%, p = 0.01) and fewer referrals for surgery (45 vs, 9%, p = 0.02). No significant radiologic or functional differences were observed between groups during follow-up over 6 months. We conclude that intrapleural streptokinase adjunctive to chest tube drainage reduces the need for surgery and improves the clinical treatment success in patients with pleural empyema.Articl

Early bactericidal activity of ethambutol, pyrazinamide and the fixed combination of isoniazid, rifampicin and pyrazinamide (Rifater) in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

No Abstract

How Pioneering Managers Strive to Integrate Social Risk Management in Government Debt Collection

This study explores risk management issues in local government-owned enterprises in accordance to the third wave of governance, organization and management logics of Public Administration: the Public Value approach. However, the coexistence between the emerging Public Value approach and the more traditional and consolidated ones is often difficult, also because of the resistance of shareholders who may not consider the management of system-level risks as a priority mission for their company. For this reason, we have analysed the strengths and weaknesses of the Traditional Approach and the New Public Management approach in the public sector management. The case study presented reveals some interesting critical factors influencing the transition towards a new model that incorporates a Public Value approach and reconciles it with the other, complementary logics, through the concrete efforts of implementing formal practices of social risk management. The paper is structured through the qualitative analysis of a debt collection company located in northern Italy, which can be a good example of how these tensions between the public and the private logic co-exist. Indeed, on one hand, while it cannot be allowed that unlawful conducts go unpunished, it is necessary to formally recognize the impact that a sensitive activity such as the debt collection can have on potentially fragile subjects. In other words, a social and a reputational risk have to be correctly managed. On the other hand, internal risks need to be monitored and the manager needs to keep the company in a profitable condition, ensuring the right balance between the used resources and the obtained results