Use of operational research techniques for concrete mix design: A systematic review.

Traditional methods for designing concrete mixtures provide good results; however, they do not guarantee the optimum composition. Consequently, applying operational research techniques is motivated by an increasing need for designers to proportion the concrete's raw materials that satisfy the concrete performance requirements such as mechanical properties, chemical properties, workability, sustainability, and cost. For this reason, many authors have been looking for mathematical programming and machine learning solutions to predict concrete mix properties and optimise concrete mixtures. Therefore, a comprehensive review of operational research techniques concerning the design and proportioning of concrete mixtures and a classification framework are presented herein.

Remote Sensing Methods for Flood Prediction: A Review.

Floods are a major cause of loss of lives, destruction of infrastructure, and massive damage to a country's economy. Floods, being natural disasters, cannot be prevented completely; therefore, precautionary measures must be taken by the government, concerned organizations such as the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and Office for the coordination of Human Affairs, and the community to control its disastrous effects. To minimize hazards and to provide an emergency response at the time of natural calamity, various measures must be taken by the disaster management authorities before the flood incident. This involves the use of the latest cutting-edge technologies which predict the occurrence of disaster as early as possible such that proper response strategies can be adopted before the disaster. Floods are uncertain depending on several climatic and environmental factors, and therefore are difficult to predict. Hence, improvement in the adoption of the latest technology to move towards automated disaster prediction and forecasting is a must. This study reviews the adoption of remote sensing methods for predicting floods and thus focuses on the pre-disaster phase of the disaster management process for the past 20 years. A classification framework is presented which classifies the remote sensing technologies being used for flood prediction into three types, which are: multispectral, radar, and light detection and ranging (LIDAR). Further categorization is performed based on the method used for data analysis. The technologies are examined based on their relevance to flood prediction, flood risk assessment, and hazard analysis. Some gaps and limitations present in each of the reviewed technologies have been identified. A flood prediction and extent mapping model are then proposed to overcome the current gaps. The compiled results demonstrate the state of each technology's practice and usage in flood prediction.

Disruptive technologies as a solution for disaster risk management: A review.

Integrating disruptive technologies within smart cities improves the infrastructure needed to potentially deal with disasters. This paper provides a perspective review of disruptive technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), image processing, artificial intelligence (AI), big data and smartphone applications which are in use and have been proposed for future improvements in disaster management of urban regions. The key focus of this paper is exploring ways in which smart cities could be established to harness the potential of disruptive technologies and improve post-disaster management. The key questions explored are a) what are the gaps or barriers to the utilization of disruptive technologies in the area of disaster management and b) How can the existing methods of disaster management be improved through the application of disruptive technologies. To respond to these questions, a novel framework based on integrated approaches based on big data analytics and AI is proposed for developing disaster management solutions using disruptive technologies.

Sagittal sinus thrombosis in a patient with familial Protein C deficiency: Highlighting the impact of thrombophilia testing.

Plasma protein-C is a natural anticoagulant that inactivates factors Va and VIIIa. Familial protein C deficiency is inherited as an autosomal dominant disorder. The homozygous or compound heterozygous type may present early as purpura fulminant, while the heterozygous type can present as thromboembolism later in life. Presented in this report is a case of a 21-year-old female patient with protein-C deficiency, confirmed by thrombophilia investigations. She experienced recurrent deep vein thrombosis and cerebral sinus thrombosis due to thrombotic occlusion. She had a family history of deep vein thrombosis. Hence, high-risk cases should be seriously considered for long term anticoagulation therapy. The utility versus futility of thrombophilia testing in a particular situation is discussed to address and ensure safe practice among patients with thromboembolism.

A child with elbow pain.

Elbow injuries are common in children. Supracondylar fractures occurred in 16% of all pediatric fractures. Supracondylar fractures can be classified into 4 types according to the Gartland classification, depending on the degree of the fracture present in the lateral radiograph. This case highlights the case of a child with a Gartland Type I fracture. A misdiagnosis of this fracture will compromise the management of the injury with regards to immobilization and subsequent care. As this injury can be managed on an outpatient basis, primary care frontliners need to be aware of the condition.

Ultrasonographic wall thickness measurement of the upper and lower uterine segments in the prediction of the progress of preterm labour.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the role of ultrasonographic measurement of the upper and lower uterine segments wall thickness in predicting the progress of preterm labour in patients presenting with preterm labour pains. STUDY DESIGN: Fifty pregnant women presenting at Obstetrics Department - Suez Canal University, Egypt with regular lower abdominal pains and diagnosed as having preterm labour were enrolled in the study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Measurements of the upper and lower uterine segments wall thickness by transabdominal ultrasonography in-between contractions and with full bladder were taken. The upper/lower uterine wall thickness ratio was calculated and correlated to the progress of the preterm labour and to the response to tocolytics. RESULTS: The ultrasonographic upper/lower uterine wall thickness ratio was directly related to the progress of preterm delivery (PTD). The change in this ratio is correlated inversely with the response to tocolysis. Using the ROC curve, when the upper/lower uterine wall thickness ratio was ≤ 1.26 the sensitivity was 94.74 and the specificity was 100.00, and when the ratio was ≤ 1.52 the sensitivity was 100.00 and the specificity was 83.33. CONCLUSIONS: These data may serve as a baseline ultrasonographic reference values for further studies in prediction the progress of preterm labour in patients presenting with preterm labour pains.

Prevalence of menopausal related symptoms and their impact on quality of life among Egyptian women.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of menopausal-related symptoms and to evaluate their impact on quality of life (QoL) among a sample of menopausal women from Egypt. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional hospital-based study conducted at the Gynecology department, Suez Canal University, Ismailia - Egypt. A total 1,214 women aged 40 - 70 years were recruited and studied using an interview questionnaire. The questionnaire contains four main items: socio-demographic data, menstruation status assessment, modified Menopausal Rating Scale (MRS), and World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. RESULTS: Mean age was 48.1 ± 10.3 years, with 26.6% of the studied participants were illiterates. According to menstruation status, 40.9% of the studied women were postmenopausal, 41.4% were premenopausal, while 17.7% were perimenopausal. Most of the studied participants have mild/moderate somatic symptoms. Mild/moderate depressive mode, irritability, and anxiety have been reported in 63%, 58.4%, and 58.2% of women, respectively. Postmenopausal women have significantly higher scores on MRS except for urogenital score that was higher in perimenopausal women. They also had significantly lower QoL score in all subscales of WHOQOL-BREF except for psychological domain that was lowest among perimenopausal women. MRS total score has significant negative correlation to all domains of WHOQOL questionnaire. CONCLUSION: Postmenopausal women have higher prevalence of menopausal symptoms that significantly affect their quality of life more than pre- and perimenopausal women. Those in the transition period (perimenopausal) have higher prevalence of psychological symptoms with higher impact on their psychological welfare.

Intimate partner violence among Egyptian pregnant women: incidence, risk factors, and adverse maternal and fetal outcomes.

AIMS: To assess incidence and risk factors of intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy among a sample of women from Egypt and to evaluate its impact on maternal and fetal adverse health outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After obtaining ethical approval, a total of 1,857 women aged 18 - 43 years completed the study and were investigated using an interview questionnaire. The questionnaire contains five main items: demographic characteristics of women, intimate partner characteristics, assessment of IPV during current pregnancy, and assessment of maternal as well as fetal/neonatal adverse outcomes. Women were also examined to detect signs of violence and identify injuries. RESULTS: Exposure to IPV during pregnancy was reported among 44.1% of the studied women. Emotional violence was the most common form. Women exposed to violence were of younger age, higher parity, and lower educational level. Their partners were older, less educated, and more likely to be addicted to drugs and alcohol. Women were also found to have significantly higher incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes (miscarriage, preterm labor, and premature rupture of membrane), and fetal/neonatal adverse outcomes (fetal distress, fetal death, and low birth weight). A total of 297 cases had been exposed to physical violence (15.9%) vs 32.6% and 10% exposed to emotional and sexual violence, respectively. The most common form of physical violence was kicking. CONCLUSION: Violence during pregnancy is prevalent among Egyptian women. Exposure to violence was a significant risk factor for multiple adverse maternal and fetal health outcomes.

Rising cesarean section rates, a patient's perspective: experience from a high birth rate country.

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION: To investigate the effect of social class, education and antenatal care on cesarian section (CS) rate and women's preference for CS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a descriptive study performed on 509 women attending postnatal clinics in three primary care units in Ismailia governorate, Egypt. The study performed via a structured questionnaire including questions related to background socio-demographic data, questions related to obstetrical history for the last pregnancy and delivery, and questions related to economic standards. RESULTS: The study included 266 participants (52.3%) that delivered by CS in their last delivery. CS rate was significantly higher in highly educated women and high economic standard. Only 29 (7.7%) reported that they had preferred CS as a method of delivery. Educational level and economic standards significantly affected the proportion of women preferring CS as a method of delivery (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively). In a stepwise logistic regression model, significant factors affecting CS rate were: the method of delivery preferred (p < 0.005) and educational level (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Educational level and economic standards significantly affected women's preference towards CS and CS rate.