85 research outputs found
Gromov's non-squeezing theorem and pseudoholomorphic discs -
No full textThesis. M.S. American University of Beirut. Department of Mathematics, 2015. T:6244Advisor : Dr. Florian Bertrand, Assistant Professor, Mathematics ; Members of Committee : Dr. Faruk Abi-Khuzam, Professor, Mathematics ; Dr. Mohammad El Smaily, Assistant Professor, Mathematics.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 33-34)In order to understand the geometry of a given symplectic manifold (M, w), one can study how elementary geometric subsets of M, such as balls, are transformed by symplectomorphisms, i.e. diffeomorphisms preserving the symplectic structure w. Although such diffeomorphisms necessarily preserve the volume, M. Gromov proved in 1985 that symplectomorphisms behave in a more rigid way than volume preserving maps by establishing his celebrated non-squeezing theorem; roughly speaking, one cannot deform symplectomorphically a ball to a thin ball in order to squeeze it in a cylinder. Very recently, A. Sukhov and A. Tumanov gave an elegant and self-contained proof of Gromov's non-squeezing theorem based on the theory of attached pseudoholomorphic discs. The main goal of the proposed Master thesis is to study their approach
The Private Cost of Long-Term Care in Canada: Where You Live Matters
No full textCanadians expect the same access to health care whether they are rich or poor, and wherever they live, often without direct charge at the point of service. However, we find that the private cost of long-term care differs greatly across the country, and within provinces, we find substantial variation, depending on income level, marital status, and, in Quebec alone, on assets owned. A non-married person with average income would pay more than twice as much in the Atlantic provinces as in Quebec, while a couple with one in care would pay almost four times as much in Newfoundland as in Alberta.long-term care, private cost
Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19–Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study
No full textPURPOSE As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19–free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19–free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19–free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19–free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score–matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19–free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks
RES-Q an Ongoing Project on Municipal Solid Waste Management Program for the Protection of the Saniq River Basin in Southern Lebanon
No full textLebanon is currently facing an unprecedented mix of social, economic, and political crises, which exacerbate many public health and environmental health problems. Among these, solid waste management (SWM) is considered one of the biggest challenges that Lebanon has been facing for the past two decades. In the absence of national guidelines and ministerial action, SWM is a responsibility of local municipalities. In this paper, we describe the development of a technology-based Waste Management System (WMS) in an area of 43 villages in southern Lebanon. The project is inspired to the paradigms of circular economy and smart cities, and it aims to define affordable and efficient strategies to address SWM. The driving factor in defining the strategies is economic and environmental sustainability, as Lebanon imports most of its resources in hard currency, which is becoming less and less available. The lessons learned from this project can be transposed in other areas and countries with limited financial resources, representing an important paradigm for the WMSs in many areas of the world
ISEC 2005-76251 AN ADAPTIVE PERTURB AND OBSERVE MAXIMUM POWER POINT TRACKING SYSTEM FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC ARRAYS
No full textABSTRACT This paper presents a maximum power point (MPP) hardware tracking system based on an adaptive Perturb and Observe (PAO) algorithm. Under a given solar and temperature condition the search for the MPP starts with a large perturbation step. When a drop in the delivered power is detected, the size of the step is halved and the direction of duty cycle change is reversed. Eventually the MPP will be tracked by small perturbation step (e.g. 1/ 255). When tracking at a maximum and a sudden change occurs in the atmospheric conditions, the system will try to reach the new MPP, with an adaptive perturbation step size that is allowed to increase after 4 consecutive increases or decrease in the duty cycle leading to increase in power delivery. This adaptive PAO algorithm forces the system to respond fairly quickly to any changes in the solar radiation or temperature level irrespective of where the previous operating point MPP was and without deteriorating the tracking efficiency. A tracking efficiency of about 96% was achieved using a very simple controller
An Adaptive Perturb and Observe Maximum Power Point Tracking System for Photovoltaic Arrays
No full text[S] Inpatient Outcomes of Cirrhosis-related Cachexia in the United States
No full textBackground and Aims: Cachexia is a metabolic syndrome defined by a loss of more than 5% of body weight in patients with chronic diseases. The goal of this study was to investigate the link between cirrhotic cachexia and hospital mortality and the 30-day risk of all-cause readmission. Methods: The study utilized Nationwide Readmission Database for the years 2016–2019 in which all patients older than 18 year old with a primary diagnosis of cirrhosis were included. We excluded patients with a concurrent diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus, chronic lung disease, end-stage renal disease, malignancy, heart failure, and certain neurological diseases. We compared baseline characteristics and outcomes between those who were cachectic and those who were not. Survey multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the independent impact of cachexia on categorical outcomes. Results: The study cohort was 342,030 cases. Cachexia was identified in approximately 17% of the study population (58,509 discharges). The mean age was 56 years. Slightly more female patients noted in cachexia group (41% vs 38%). Inpatient mortality during index hospitalization were higher in patients with cirrhotic cachexia (6.7% vs 3%, P < .01). Inpatient mortality during first all-cause readmission within 30 days of index discharge was also higher in cachexia group (8.6% vs 6.5%, P < .01). Conclusion: Cachexia is an adverse prognosticator for inpatient outcomes in patients with cirrhosis. It is associated with greater readmission rates, inpatient mortality, and prolonged hospital admissions. © 2023 The Authorskz
Entre a Psicosfera da Floresta e a Psicosfera Urbana: Um mergulho etnográfico em uma comunidade amazônica
No full textResumo: Com a implementação dos Grandes Projetos de Desenvolvimento, as grandes e médias cidades amazônicas sofreram transformações substanciais nas dinâmicas dos espaços rural e urbano e entre eles. Em meio a esse contexto, este estudo buscou descrever e analisar as mudanças decorridas do fenômeno urbano na vida cotidiana da Comunidade do Mata Fome, situada na periferia de Belém (PA). O percurso metodológico foi estabelecido por pesquisas bibliográficas e de campo. Nesta última, seguindo os princípios de uma abordagem etnográfica, as conversas informais, a observação participante, os registros fotográficos, as memórias e as vivências do autor e de outros moradores da comunidade configuraram-se como as fontes de informação e as ferramentas de pesquisa utilizadas para a coleta dos dados. Os resultados indicam que o viver no Mata Fome sofreu mudanças vultosas com o fenômeno da urbanização, pois a dinâmica da vida cotidiana dessa espacialidade foi aos poucos passando por um processo de transição: sendo antes norteada por valores de uma psicosfera com fortes ligações e harmonia com a natureza, porém, hoje, essa dinâmica tem sido subjugada por preceitos de uma psicosfera urbana – a qual, na busca pelo progresso da modernidade, materializa no espaço amazônico uma tecnosfera desigual e excludente.Palavras-chave: Amazônia. Urbanização. Psicosfera da floresta. Psicosfera urbana. Comunidade do Mata Fome BETWEEN THE FOREST'S AND THE URBAN'S PSYCHOSPHERE: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC DIVE IN AN AMAZONIAN COMMUNITY Abstract: With the implementation of the Great Development Projects, the large and medium-sized Amazonian cities have undergone substantial transformations in the dynamics of rural and urban spaces and between them. In the midst of this context, this study sought to describe and analyze the changes resulting from the urban phenomenon in the daily life of the Mata Fome Community, located on the outskirts of Belém (PA). The methodological path was established by bibliographic and field research. In the latter, following the principles of an ethnographic approach, informal conversations, participant observation, photographic records, memories and experiences of the author and other residents of the community. The results indicate that living in Mata Fome has undergone major changes with the phenomenon of urbanization, because the dynamics of everyday life in this spatiality has been gradually undergoing a transition process: rather being guided by values of a psychosphere with strong connections and harmony with nature, however, today, this dynamic has been overwhelmed by the precepts of an urban psychosphere - which, in the search for the progress of modernity, materializes in the Amazon space an unequal and exclusive technosphere.Keywords: Amazon. Urbanization. Psychosphere of the forest. Urban psychosphere. Mata Fome Communit
Fasting, Diabetes, and Optimizing Health Outcomes for Ramadan Observers: A Literature Review
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Listening to the Infinite: Sikh Soundscapes, Media, and Audiovisions
No full textWhat are Sikh media? This dissertation seeks to answer this question by asking if indeed Sikh media are more than simply audiovisual media that feature Sikh persons and historical figures, or media produced by Sikhs. The question is complicated by asking from a media-theoretical perspective, especially with methodologies from German media theory such as media archaeology, what we can know from Sikh media forms, platforms, and devices (from the digital platform SikhiToTheMax to specialty doorbells) through the temporality of their functioning and their emplaced use in particular sites and contexts. Individual chapters address Sikh media-theoretical concepts and dilemmas such as naad; animation in cinema as a preeminent Sikh audiovisual media form, featuring films such as Chaar Sahibzaade and Nanak Shah Fakir; a soundwalk from the media-laden cultural touristic urban area around Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, India; and issues in media archaeology and creative practice related to the production and exhibition of audiovisual media and performance related to Sikh sounds, images, and media devices. This final chapter features documentation from installation and creative practice also pursued by the author under the rubric of Critical Media Practice as a secondary field of research, carried out concurrently with the completion of this dissertation
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