1,731 research outputs found
A systematic review of epidemiological studies on the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use by paediatric cancer patients. Presented at ECIM 2008.
No full textBackground: paediatric cancer patients are likely to use complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) alongside more conventional interventions. A number of individual studies have been carried out to examine prevalence rates of CAM use amongst paediatric cancer patients. These studies have varied findings and are of mixed quality. This meta-analytic review therefore aimed to assess the quality of this literature and to determine what is known about the prevalence of the CAM use in paediatric cancer. Secondary research questions focused on the types of CAM used, trends in CAM use over time, reasons for CAM use, and demographic characteristics associated with CAM use.Method: electronic and manual searches for relevant studies identified 26 English language journal articles of primary research studies investigating the prevalence of CAM usage among paediatric cancer patients in peer-reviewed journals. A quality assessment checklist was rigorously developed based on the strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) statement in collaboration with Dr. Erik von Elm (lead author of the STROBE statement). Data were extracted and validated by more than one author and analysed using meta-analytic techniques.Results: the prevalence of CAM use by paediatric cancer patients ranged from 40% to 53%. The quality of the studies was mixed and did not correlate with the estimated prevalence of CAM use. ‘Herbals’ was the most popular CAM modality. Paediatric cancer patients use CAM for various reasons. Higher level of education and income were associated with CAM use in North America; the opposite was true for CAM use in Mexico and Turkey.Conclusion: a substantial proportion of paediatric cancer patients use CAM. There is a need to use standardised definitions of the CAM in future studies to generate comparable data. The quality assessment checklist has potential to be a useful quality assessment instrument for other reviews of similar epidemiological studie
Middle Bronze Age oil lamps from As-Salt (Jordan)
No full textThis article focuses on eight new oil lamps excavated by As-Salt archaeology office at Tell-
Al-Gadur and As-Salalm, in As-Salt, Jordan. Based on their form and related stratigraphic evidence, these pottery oil lamps date to the EBIV-MBI Period. All of them found in tombs discovered during excavation, they appear to have never been used
A Novel Technique to Reconstruct the Mass of the Associated Z boson Decaying into Jets in W+Z and Z+Z Events with Lepton(s), Missing Transverse Energy and Three Jets.
No full textThe study of associated WZ boson production with a lepton and a neutrino signaling the W, and a bb-pair in the final state is important since the event topology of this process is the same as expected for WH associated production of a W and the Standard Model light-Higgs boson (M_{H} lnubb whose rate can be accurately predicted, allows to calibrate and optimize many of techniques used in the SM Higgs search and provides a ``standard candle'' for that crucially important search. In addition, WZ associated production generates a significant background for low mass Higgs Boson searches with H decaying into a bb pair.
At the Tevatron, the process WH-> W bb has an expected cross section about five times lower than WZ->Wbb for m_H~ 120 GeV/c2. Therefore, observing that process would be a benchmark for the even more difficult search for the light Higgs in the WH->Wbb process.
Observing associated WZ production at the Tevatron in the channel WZ->lnubb is extremely difficult for two main reasons.
The event rate is extremely low. A WZ production cross section of ~3.22 pb together with a Z->bb branching ratio of ~15% provides about 50 fb in the WZ->lnubb channel. With a trigger and kinematical selection efficiency of the order of a few %, one expects a handful of events per fb^-1 of integrated luminosity.
This statement remains valid even if the few ZZ events with leptonic decay of one Z are included in the acceptance.
A standard kinematical cut requests exactly two high energy jets (i.e. E_{T}> 20 GeV) in the candidate sample. Simulations show that if a third energetic jet is allowed the signal acceptance is increased by about 1/3. Therefore, it would be very important to be able to extract a Z->bb signal also in events with more than two high energy jets.
A second difficulty is that the signal to background ratio is very poor, due primarily to the contribution of associated production of and incoherent jets. Optimal dijet mass resolution is of utmost importance for discriminating this background, since a fit to the invariant mass distribution of the two jets, associated to the hadronic decay of , is used to disentangle the diboson signal from the backgrounds in the candidate data sample.
In this thesis, we present a search for WZ/ZZ in events with a lepton(s), missing transverse energy and jets. Besides looking at the sample where two exclusive jets are found, we investigate the sample with 3 jets where about the 33% of the signal events lie.
In WZ events, additional jets may be initiated by gluon(s) radiated by the interacting partons (initial state radiation, ISR) or by the Z-decay products (final state radiation, FSR). FSR jets should legitimately be included in the reconstructed Z-mass.
However, the presence of either ISR or FSR jets in a 3-jets events confuses the choice of the jet system to be attributed to Z decay. In this sample the invariant mass of the two E_T-leading jets would normally be chosen to reconstruct the Z boson. To improve both the mass resolution and the sensitivity of the search we describe an alternative procedure to reconstruct the Z-invariant mass. Improving the resolution in such a sample means choosing the correct jet combination for building the Z mass.
My thesis work has been to investigate at generator level a sample of simulated CDF WZ events for finding a means to determine the origin of the extra jet and the right jet combination to be chosen for the best reconstruction of the Z mass. This is attempted for the first time in CDF.
Four different Neural Networks (NNs) have been trained: NN, NN, NN and NN. These NNs should make us to be able to decide event by event which among of the 4 four possible different combinations can be used for building the -mass in the three jets sample. If one jet is due to ISR, we expect one of the MJ1J2, MJ1J3, MJ2J3 combinations to be correct, while if one jet is due to FSR the choice should be MJ1J2J3. NNs combine kinematical information and some tools developed by CDF Collaboration for distinguishing gluon-like and b-like jets from light-flavored jets.
Based on the response of the four NNs, we determine the most likely jet combination for building the Z mass in each event. The method allow to use a different combination from J1J2 in about 50% of cases.
To qualify the potential of the method we have studied an experimental data sample accepting events with a leptonically decaying W and 3 large transverse momentum jets, as in the studies of the simulated WZ sample. The selection cuts accept jets of all flavors (pretag sample), and all diboson events including WW besides WZ, ZZ may pass the cuts. We estimate the probability at three standard deviations level to extract an inclusive diboson signal in the 3-jets sample alone (P). After our procedure for building the Z mass is applied, P is about 4 times greater than when building the Z mass ``by default'' with the two E_{T} leading jets.
The next step would be to discriminate against the WW contribution. A straight ``Higgs like'' approach would be to require b-jets in the events. When one or more jets are required to be b-like (the \emph{tag} sample) our technique, if applied stand-alone, provides only a modest improvement in sensitivity over the option of building the Z-mass from J1J2. Studies for improving the method further are on-going.
However, already now our technique allows including the three jets sample in the WZ/ZZ analyses in order to increase acceptance and sensitivity in the search for the hadronically decaying Z-boson
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Evaluation by simulation of interpolation and acceleration algorithms for Stepper Motors
No full textStepper motors are used to control CNC machines for many applications. As well as following the required path precisely, it is also important that the motion be smooth and that the surface speed be controllable. Improved interpolation algorithms for individual straight lines and circular arcs have been developed using distance as a parameter [Chow et al, 2002], [Chow, 2003]. The algorithms control the motor by means of pulses and the generation of the pulse timings is based on the geometry of the shape. For high speeds it is necessary to allow smooth acceleration at the beginning and similar smooth deceleration at the end. Thus, appropriate acceleration and deceleration algorithms have been developed for use with the new interpolation algorithms. This paper describes how simulation has been used to evaluate the new algorithms and compare them with previous algorithms. The algorithms are described for the 2D case but the principle can be extended to 3D
Microchip electrophoresis for UVC-induced DNA damage assessment
No full textIn this thesis a design is presented which main objectives are to improve the speed, sensitivity and resolution of the commonly used gel electrophoresis method. To this end a background study is performed to look at the differences and similarities between both gel and micro-chip electrophoresis. Based on these findings some calculations are done to see if the expected design can theoretically improve in the above mentioned fields. A design is created and later fabricated in order to obtain these objectives. For the design a glass substrate is used with integrated electrodes, combined with a PMT sensor system to process the signals from the chip via a computer program. The main techniques used for the fabrication are wet etching and wafer bonding. The testing results produce a clear signal, which shows improvements in sensitivity and resolution, as well as producing results in less than three minutes.Microelectronics & Computer EngineeringElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Metabolic Syndrome and its components among Qatari population
No full textMetabolic Syndrome (MeS) is a cluster of abnormalities including
impaired glucose metabolism, central obesity, dyslipidemia and hypertension.
The MeS has not been widely studied among the Arab populations, but the data
available suggests that it is an increasingly common problem. Prevalence of
MeS and its associated components are not available in Qatar. To estimate the
prevalence of MeS and its associated components among the Qatari population
and to determine its associated risk factors. A cross-sectional study was carried out among Qatari adults aged 20 years and above. Face to face interviewing
using a structured questionnaire followed by laboratory tests were conducted.
MeS was defined using the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria as well
as the International Diabetes Federation criteria (IDF). The crude prevalence
rate of MeS according to ATP III criteria and IDF criteria were 26.4 and
34.0%, respectively. The age-standardised prevalence of the MeS according to
ATP III was 27.7% (95% CI 23.3–32.0%), (23.6% among men (95% CI 19.5–
27.7%) and 32.6% among women (95% CI 28.0–37.2%)) and according to IDF
criteria, the age standardised prevalence was 35.4% (95% CI 30.7–40.0%),
38.7% (95% CI 34.0–43.5%) for women and 35.8% (95% CI 31.2–40.5%) for
men. Age, Body Mass Index and HbA1c were significantly associated with
MeS after adjustment for a number relevant variables including; gender, marital
status, educational level, exercise, smoking, etc. Prevalence of the MeS in
Qatar is considerably higher than anticipated. A well-designed health education
programmes to increase the awareness of the public as well as healthcare
providers are highly recommended. The programme should focus on the risk
factors and the health consequences of MeS
Impact of Static Sea Surface Topography Variations on Ocean Surface Waves
No full textElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer ScienceDelft Institute of Applied Mathematic
ShopHouse Transformation: Appraisal of the pre-war shophouse and its contemporary application
No full textWe are now faced with new social problems of deteriorating sense of community and a disjointed society that is generated by the Modern city paradigms. To tackle these new problems does not mean the complete restoration of the old system. It should mean a new typology that reflects the traditional system in an innovative way. By mixing the old buildings with the new ones through the injection of new communication platforms that encourage communication among people from different cultures and backgrounds, a more well-balanced society will be the new model for the future.Housing NeighborhoodsRMITArchitectur
Modeling of nonstationary earthquake ground motion and biaxial and torsional response of inelastic structures
No full textA systematic way to analyze the response of inelastic structures under bi-directional random excitations is developed. Most of the system and excitation characters have been considered, e.g., hysteretic behavior of restoring force, biaxial interaction, torsional response and degradation of the structure, and nonstationary behavior of ground excitation. A new stochastic ground motion model is proposed in which both intensity and frequency content are functions of time. Corresponding methods for estimating the model parameters based on actual earthquake records are also given. The proposed ground motion model can be efficiently applied to simulations as well as analytical solutions of random vibration and reliability studies for inelastic structures. Responses of single-mass inelastic systems and three-story space frames, with or without deterioration, under bi-directional non-stationary ground excitations are investigated via an equivalent linearization method and Monte Carlo simulations. The results show that (1) the equivalent linearization method predicts the response statistics quite well except for r.m.s. displacement, which can be improved by the proposed semi-empirical equation; (2) the time-varying frequency content of ground excitation has significant effects on the response of inelastic structures, especially when the excitation dominant frequencies are close to the structural pre-yielding natural frequency; (3) biaxial and torsional response may become significant in an asymmetric structure.Made available in DSpace on 2011-05-07T13:19:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Ixodes nipponensis Kitaoka & Saito 1967
No full text168. Ixodes nipponensis Kitaoka & Saito, 1967. Palearctic: 1) China (north), 2) Japan (except the Ryukyu Islands), 3) South Korea, 4) Russia (Filippova 1977, Takada et al. 1998, Robbins 2005, Kolonin 2009, Kim et al. 2011a, Tsapko 2020, Seo et al. 2021). Yamaguti et al. (1971) cautioned that Ixodes nipponensis can be confused with Ixodes persulcatus and Ixodes ricinus. Takada et al. (1998) found Ixodes nipponensis in the Palearctic portion of China (Liaoning Province), but this was not recognized by Kolonin (2009), Chen et al. (2010) and Zhang, Y.K. et al. (2019). However, Cheng et al. (2018), Zhang, G. et al. (2019) and Zhao et al. (2021) accepted Liaoning Province as being within the range of Ixodes nipponensis, and northern China is therefore included here. . Robbins (2005) stated that the presence of Ixodes nipponensis in Taiwan might be due to introduced specimens, while Kuo et al. (2017) collected this tick on migratory birds in Taiwan. Nevertheless, Chen et al. (2010), Zhang, G. et al. (2019), Zhang, Y.K. et al. (2019) and Zhao et al. (2021) included Taiwan within the range of Ixodes nipponensis. Cheng et al. (2018) reported this tick in southern China (Oriental), but its presence there was not recognized by Zhang, G. et al. (2019), Zhang, Y.K. et al. (2019) and Zhao et al. (2021). Taiwan and China (south) are here provisionally excluded from the range of Ixodes nipponensis.Published as part of Guglielmone, Alberto A., Nava, Santiago & Robbins, Richard G., 2023, Geographic distribution of the hard ticks (Acari: Ixodida: Ixodidae) of the world by countries and territories, pp. 1-274 in Zootaxa 5251 (1) on page 26, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5251.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/770419
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