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The overall goal of this study was to examine the effects of climate change on the yield of four distinct crops (Aus, Aman, Boro and Wheat) in Sylhet by using secondary climate data from 1970 to 2020. The study's other goal is to assess the impact of river water levels on crop productivity in Sylhet over time. Data on crop productivity, weather variability and river water levels were gathered from the various fields. Yield vs. climatic correlation was discovered in the study, and this correlation varied according to season. To estimate the impact of climate change on rice yield, a multiple regression model is used. Climate variables in the model were found to account for 11% of the overall variation in Aus rice yield. The relationship between relative humidity and maximum temperature is positive and statistically significant. Other variables had no effect on yield because they were not significant. Furthermore, Regression results indicated that climate variables account for 60.6 percent of the overall variation in Aman rice output. Relative humidity, on the other hand, can undermine the yield. Climate variables account for 53.5 percent of the overall variation in Boro rice output, according to the findings. As a result, an increase in rainfall may have a negative impact on Boro rice yield. Maximum and minimum temperatures might have a favorable impact on Boro rice yield. Increases in maximum temperature, on the other hand, can considerably boost Wheat yield while decreases in minimum temperature can diminish Wheat yield. On the other side, the results of the regression analysis suggest that river water level has a minor impact on Aus, Aman, and Boro yield. However, as the model demonstrates, the river water level can have an impact on wheat yield. The impact of temperature and rainfall on water level was also investigated in this study because the regression model failed to produce positive results. Surprisingly, the model performs well, despite the fact that maximum temperatures have a negative impact on water levels in the Aus and Aman seasons. This shows that if warmer temperatures aid raises Aus and Aman yields, then the water level cannot sabotage the yield rise. Rainfall has a favorable impact on the water levels in the Aus, Aman, and Boro seasons, but has a negative impact on the water levels in the Wheat season.

Objectives: Due to rheumatic heart disease, young people are more likely to develop valvular heart disease in developing countries. In countries like Pakistan, surgeons implant more bioprosthetic mitral valves (MVs) in younger patients. However, bioprosthetic valves degenerate rapidly in younger people, leading to bioprosthetic MV dysfunction (BMVD). This study aims to evaluate the clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes of patients with bioprosthetic MV replacement (MVR) at a tertiary care hospital in a South Asian country. Material and Methods: This is a retrospective observational study, conducted at a tertiary care hospital. We included a total of 502 patients who underwent bioprosthetic MVR from the year 2006 to 2020. Clinical and surgical characteristics along with transthoracic echocardiographic findings (pre-surgery and recent most follow-up studies) were noted. Follow-up data were also collected. Results: Out of 502 patients, 322 (64%) were female, mean age at the time of surgery was 49.42 ± 14.56 years. Mitral regurgitation was more common, found in 279 (55.6%) patients followed by mitral stenosis in 188 (37.5%) patients. MVR was done as an elective procedure due to the New York Heart Association (NYHA) II to IV symptoms at the time of surgery in 446 (88.8%) patients. In the mean follow-up of 6.59 ± 2.99 years, BMVD was observed in 183 (36.5%) patients. However, re-do MV surgery was done in only 49 (9.8%) patients. Patients were divided into two groups based on normal functioning bioprosthetic MV and BMVD. Comparing the two groups, individuals with normal functioning bioprosthetic MV had a mean age of 51.6 ± 14.27 years, while those with BMVD had a mean age of 45.639 ± 14.33 years at the time of index surgery (P = 0.000). There were more long-term complications including heart failure (n = 16, 8.74%), atrial fibrillation (n = 11, 6.01%), and death (n = 6, 3.28%) in the BMVD group which were statistically significant. Conclusion: This study is distinct because it demonstrates the outcomes of bioprosthetic valve replacement in a relatively younger South Asian population. Due to rapid degeneration of bioprosthetic valve in younger patients, significant number of patients developed BMVD along with poor long-term clinical outcomes, even at a short follow-up period of <10 years. These findings are similar to international data and signify that mechanical MVR may be a more reasonable alternative in younger patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aimMarriage is one of the most important phenomena in human life. The survival of the marriage and the impact of various competing factors on the survival is of high importance. This study aimed at utilizing competing risks survival analysis to investigate the marriage survival of new couples in Tabriz.MethodsIn this longitudinal study, a number of 386 individuals who were married and divorced from 1991 to 2017, were selected by random sampling. The registered information was attained from the general registry office of Tabriz. Data analysis was carried out using the Lunn-McNeil procedure and the results were presented using an adjusted hazard ratio (AHR).ResultsThe average age of marriage was about 23.9 (SD 6.6) years. The results of multivariate Lunn-McNeil models indicated that for the competing cause of having a relationship with another person (AHRs range: 1.12 to 2.03), the traditional mode of being familiar (AHRs range: 1.55 to 3.39), family weak role in choosing a wife/spouse (AHRs range: 0.25 to 3.25) and the role of moral-religious commitment (AHRs range: 0.37 to 0.47), along with other causes severed the risk of marriage survival reduction.ConclusionAccording to the results of this study in assessing competing risks, we conclude that the decline in marriage survival is a multifactorial phenomenon. Examining the survival of marriage in order to better understand all the dimensions and factors affecting this phenomenon and providing information to counselors and officials can play an important role in increasing marriage survival.

Objectives: This retrospective observational study aimed to evaluate the correlation between visually estimated left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) via 2D echocardiography (ECHO) and quantitatively measured LVEF via cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). Methodology: The study was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital, involving patients who underwent both 2D ECHO and CMR within a maximum interval of three months between the two studies. LVEF was visually estimated by experienced cardiologists on 2D ECHO and quantitatively calculated on CMR. Results: Among 127 patients meeting inclusion criteria, comparisons between visually estimated LVEF ranges on ECHO and LVEF on CMR consistently showed highly significant differences (p < 0.0001), with ECHO underestimating LVEF. The mean difference between visually estimated average LVEF by ECHO and calculated LVEF by CMR was 4.9 ± 7.0. Subgroup analysis revealed consistent findings across patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and those with dilated or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Conclusion: Despite a significant difference, the observed discrepancy in LVEF values between visually estimated ECHO and quantitatively measured CMR remains small. Thus, visually estimated LVEF by experienced readers retains its reliability as a method for diagnosing and managing patients in routine clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Resin composites, glass ionomers (GIs), or a combination of these materials have gradually replaced silver amalgam in pediatric dentistry. The purpose of this study was to compare the microleakage of Class II (box only) cavity restorations with ACTIVA Bioactive Restorative Glass, resin-modified GI (RMGI), and composite in primary molars. Materials and Methods: A total of 65 primary molars with at least one intact proximal surface were selected in this in-vitro study. After debridement of each tooth, Class II (box only) cavities were prepared. Based on the type of the restorative material and the application of etching and bonding adhesives, the samples were categorized into five groups: (1) composite; (2) RMGI (Fuji II LC)+conditioner; (3) RMGI (Fuji II LC); (4) enhanced RMGI (ACTIVA Bioactive Restorative Glass)+etching/bonding; and (5) ACTIVA Bioactive Restorative Glass. The restored teeth were thermocycled for 2000 cycles. After embedding in an acrylic resin, the degree of dye penetration at axial and gingival walls was assessed using a stereomicroscope. The data were statistically analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s test. Results: Resin-based composite (RBC) Z250 showed the least microleakage, while RMGI showed maximum microleakage at axial walls. The mean degree of microleakage at gingival margins was the lowest in RBC Z250 and ACTIVA+etching/bonding groups and the highest in RMGI+conditioner and RMGI groups. Conclusions: The microleakage of ACTIVA Bioactive Restorative material in the absence or presence of etching and bonding could be comparable to the microleakage of composites

Acute pancreatitis (AP) refers to the acute inflammation of the pancreas; however, if there is concurrent necrosis, it is called necrotizing acute pancreatitis (NAP). The diagnosis is sometimes difficult because it might mimic acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We report a case of a 28-year-old male, who presented to the emergency department (ED) with severe epigastric pain, shortness of breath and diaphoresis for 4–5 h. The initial electrocardiogram (ECG) showed marked sinus bradycardia with an incomplete left bundle branch block. Considering the clinical presentation and ECG changes, he was managed as ACS and was rushed to catheterization laboratory for a coronary angiogram, which was reported normal. Subsequently, his serum pancreatic enzymes were elevated, and computed tomography of the abdomen showed NAP. In ED settings, it is difficult to differentiate between the two, particularly when AP presents with ECG manifestations masquerading as ACS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Rapid diagnosis of Trisomy 21 Syndrome (Down Syndrome) patients usingReal-Time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (Real-Time qPCR) in order to establisha novel method for prenatal diagnosis in the future.Materials and Methods: A total of 5 ml of peripheral blood was obtained from eachpatient and normal controls (NR). Then, genomic DNA from lymphocytes was extractedusing the salting out procedure. Gene dosage levels of DSCAM and (PMP22, DSCAM) inDown Syndrome and NR were analyzed using real-time quantitative PCR. The DSCAM/PMP22 ratio was calculated according to the 2-ΔΔCt formula for all samples.Results: Real-time PCR showed a DSCAM/PMP22 ratio of 1.48 ± 0.18 and 1.01 ± 0.10(p

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2007.10.029 Byline: J.P. Oddoye (a), D.F. Jones (a), M. Tamiz (a), P. Schmidt (b) Keywords: Health service; Simulation; Goal programming; Resource management Abstract: This paper describes a detailed simulation model for healthcare planning in a medical assessment unit (MAU) of a general hospital belonging to the national health service (NHS), UK. The MAU is established to improve the quality of care given to acute medical patients on admission, and to provide the organisational means of rapid assessment and investigation in order to avoid unnecessary admissions. The simulation model enables different scenarios to be tested to eliminate bottlenecks in order to achieve optimal clinical workflow. The link between goal programming (GP) and simulation for efficient resource planning is explored. A GP model is developed for trade-off analysis of the results obtained from the simulation. The implications of MAU management preferences to various objectives are presented. Author Affiliation: (a) Management Mathematics Group, Department of Mathematics, University of Portsmouth, Lion Gate Building, Lion Terrace, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 3HF, UK (b) Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham, UK Article History: Received 18 May 2007; Accepted 12 October 2007

Background and aim: Marriage is one of the most important phenomena in human life. The survival of the marriage and the impact of various competing factors on the survival is of high importance. This study aimed at utilizing competing risks survival analysis to investigate the marriage survival of new couples in Tabriz. Methods: In this longitudinal study, a number of 386 individuals who were married and divorced from 1991 to 2017, were selected by random sampling. The registered information was attained from the general registry office of Tabriz. Data analysis was carried out using the Lunn-McNeil procedure and the results were presented using an adjusted hazard ratio (AHR). Results: The average age of marriage was about 23.9 (SD 6.6) years. The results of multivariate Lunn-McNeil models indicated that for the competing cause of having a relationship with another person (AHRs range: 1.12 to 2.03), the traditional mode of being familiar (AHRs range: 1.55 to 3.39), family weak role in choosing a wife/spouse (AHRs range: 0.25 to 3.25) and the role of moral-religious commitment (AHRs range: 0.37 to 0.47), along with other causes severed the risk of marriage survival reduction. Conclusion: According to the results of this study in assessing competing risks, we conclude that the decline in marriage survival is a multifactorial phenomenon. Examining the survival of marriage in order to better understand all the dimensions and factors affecting this phenomenon and providing information to counselors and officials can play an important role in increasing marriage survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper details models that determine the efficient allocation of resources on a medical assessment unit (MAU) of a general hospital belonging to the National Health Service (NHS) UK. The MAU was established to improve the quality of care given to acute medical patients on admission, and also provide the organizational means of rapid assessment and investigation in order to avoid unnecessary admissions. To analyse the performance of the MAU, doctors, nurses and beds are considered as the three main resources. Then a model is developed using the goal programming approach in multiobjective decision making and solved to deal with MAU performance. The developed model is solved under three different sets of patient admissions with the same resource levels using past data from the MAU. The results of the model are used to analyse the needed resource levels. Conclusions as to the appropriate staffing levels and functions of the MAU are drawn. Keywords: health care; goal programming; multi-objective decision making

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2005.10.009 Byline: J.W. Large, D.F. Jones, M. Tamiz Keywords: Inversion transformation; Crossover; Convergence; Multi-objective evolutionary algorithms Abstract: Multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) are widely considered to have two goals: convergence towards the true Pareto front and maintaining a diverse set of solutions. The primary concern here is with the first goal of convergence, in particular when one or more variables must converge to a constant value. Using a number of well known test problems, the difficulties that are currently impeding convergence are discussed and then a new method is proposed that transforms the decision space using the geometric properties of hyper-spherical inversions to converge towards/onto the true Pareto front. Future extensions of this work and its application to multi-objective optimisation is discussed. Author Affiliation: Department of Mathematics, University of Portsmouth, Buckingham Building, Lion Terrace, Portsmouth, Hants PO1 3HE, UK

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2005.10.022 Byline: M.A. Yaghoobi (a), M. Tamiz (b) Keywords: Fuzzy goal programming; Goal programming; Fuzzy programming; MINMAX approach Abstract: Narasimhan incorporated fuzzy set theory within goal programming formulation in 1980. Since then numerous research has been carried out in this field. One of the well-known models for solving fuzzy goal programming problems was proposed by Hannan in 1981. In this paper the conventional MINMAX approach in goal programming is applied to solve fuzzy goal programming problems. It is proved that the proposed model is an extension to Hannan model that deals with unbalanced triangular linear membership functions. In addition, it is shown that the new model is equivalent to a model proposed in 1991 by Yang et al. Moreover, a weighted model of the new approach is introduced and is compared with Kim and Whang's model presented in 1998. A numerical example is given to demonstrate the validity and strengths of the new models. Author Affiliation: (a) Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran (b) Department of Mathematics, University of Portsmouth, Buckingham Building, Lion Terrace, Portsmouth, PO1 3HE, UK

The aim of this work is to be a useful instrument for helping finance practitioners on the selection of suitable mutual fund portfolios. The portfolio selection problem is characterized by imprecision and/or vagueness inherent in the required data and more generally, in the context where investors have to make decisions. In order to mitigate these problems, a three stage model has been proposed based on a multi-index model and considering several market scenarios described in an imprecise way by an expert. The proposed fuzzy model allows the Decision Maker to select, by means of an outranking method, a suitable portfolio taking into account the uncertainty related to the market scenarios and the imprecision and/or vagueness associated with the model data. Keywords: Portfolio selection; Fuzzy sets; Multicriteria; Goal programming, 1. Introduction The great growth of investment in mutual funds over recent years raises the question whether indirect investment is a serious alternative to direct investment in the stock exchange. [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2005.06.045 Byline: M.A. Yaghoobi (a), M. Tamiz (b) Keywords: Fuzzy goal programming; Goal programming; Fuzzy programming Abstract: Kim and Whang use a tolerance approach for solving fuzzy goal programming problems with unbalanced membership functions [J.S. Kim, K. Whang, A tolerance approach to the fuzzy goal programming problems with unbalanced triangular membership function, European Journal of Operational Research 107 (1998) 614-624]. In this note it is shown that some results in that article are incorrect. The necessary corrections are proposed. Author Affiliation: (a) Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran (b) Department of Mathematics, University of Portsmouth, Buchingham Building, Lion Terrace, Portsmouth PO1 3HE, UK Article History: Received 17 May 2005; Accepted 8 June 2005

In this paper an effective model to rank candidates in a preferential election is proposed. It is an extension and simplified form of a recently proposed model for ranking efficient candidates. The model consists of fewer constraints and can he used for ranking inefficient as well as efficient candidates. Some techniques are introduced to decrease the complexity of the proposed model by obtaining some of the results by inspection. Keywords: Data envelopment analysis; Ranking; Voting, 1. Introduction A well-known method for ranking candidates in a ranked voting system is to compare the weighted sum of their votes after determining suitable weights. Cook and Kress [1] [...]

The timetabling problem is generally large, highly constrained and discrete in nature. This makes solution by exact optimisation methods difficult. Therefore, often a heuristic search is deemed acceptable providing a simple (non-optimal) solution. This paper discusses the timetabling problem for a university department, where a large-scale integer goal programming (IGP) formulation is implemented for its efficient optimal solution in two phases. The first phase allocates lectures to rooms and the second allocates start-times to lectures. Owing to the size and complicated nature of the model, an initial analysis procedure is employed to manipulate the data to produce a more manageable model, resulting in considerable reductions in problem size and increase of performance. Both phases are modelled as IGPs. Phase 1 is solved using a state-of-the-art IGP optimisation package. However, due to the scale of the model, phase 2 is solved to optimality using a genetic algorithm approach. Keywords: goal programming; timetabling; integer goal programming; multi-objective genetic algorithms

Many neurological disorders have complex etiologies that include noninheritable factors, collectively called the neural exposome. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is developing a new office with goals to advance our understanding of the multiple causes of neurological illness and to enable the development of more effective interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An assessment of meta-heuristics techniques used within the framework of multi-objective programming is presented. There has been considerable expansion in this area, and this has boosted the scope of multi-objective programming.

Two different approaches to solving the difficult Goal Programming models are discussed. The development of an integer Goal Programming solver is described.

A study was conducted to examine twist effect interaction between alkene and tetracyanoethylene (TCNE). Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was carried out on CDCl3 solutions at 300 MHz while analytical-grade 1,2-dichloroethane was distilled twice using a fractionating column. Results indicated that the TCNE molecule aligned parallel to the naphthalene ring where it had the ability to slide into the geometry of the transition state.

Downscaling is a state-of-the-art technique to generate fine-resolution climate change prediction and an obvious tool for forecasting future climate scenarios for many data-scarce areas like Bangladesh. The Educational Global Climate Model (EdGCM) predicts numerically and its performance was not evaluated for Bangladesh earlier. Due to this reason, an attempt has been made to apply a new geostatistical approach with the help of transform software to downscale EdGCM for identifying the trend of surface air temperature at the Sylhet district. Both Doubled_CO2 and Global_Warming_01 are simulated from EdGCM and maps are generated to depict global temperature variations. Downscaling is applied to the outputs from Doubled_CO2 scenario. Percent of bias (PBIAS), Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) and the ratio of root mean square error to the standard deviation of measured data (RSR) values are satisfactory and acceptable. The trend analysis was performed using the Mann-Kendall Trend test and Sen's slope estimator. Temperature changes are significant for both downscaled and observed results of p-value which is less than alpha = 0.05. Mann-Kendall Z tests for annual downscaled and IPCC during (2006-2020) show a positive trend. Downscaled predicted annual average temperature (simulations by Doubled_CO2) for 2020 is 21.67°C for the Sylhet district. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]