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Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a sleep associated breathing disorder and it affects the health and quality of life of individuals suffering from it. Orthodontists should be well aware of the symptoms of this disorder and competent enough to recognize its signs and symptoms. Orthodontics is well suited for the treatment of OSA patients due to their expertise and knowledge regarding growth and development of orofacial and dentofacial structures as well as orthopaedic, orthodontic, and surgical correction of the jaws and other supporting tissues. There are basically two types of sleep apnoea- Central sleep apnoea and obstructive sleep apnoea where obstructive sleep apnoea is the more common one. This disorder can be life threatening as the oxygen supply to various parts of the body is substantially reduced. Obstructive sleep apnoea is caused by an interplay between a variety of factors, including sleep related loss of muscle tone in the tissues supplied by the glossopharyngeal nerve, anatomical obstruction of the nasal passages, large tonsils, large tongue, a retrognathic mandible, obesity, alcohol, sedative medication, and allergies. Sleep apnoea can be caused due to many factors and many treatment modalities have been employed to correct this disorder including mandibular advancement appliances, polysomnographs, and surgical intervention. It can be treated using surgery, continuous positive airway pressure and oral appliances therapy. This article highlights the role the orthodontist plays in the diagnosis and treatment planning of OSA patients. KEY WORDS Orthodontics, Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, Sleep, Snoring

Considering the large number of fixed functional appliances, choosing the best device for your patient is not an easy task. To describe the development of fixed functional appliances as well as our 20-year experience working with them. Fixed functional appliances are grouped into flexible, rigid and hybrid. They are different appliances, whose action is described here. Four clinical cases will be reported with a view in illustrating the different appliances. Rigid fixed functional appliances provide better skeletal results than flexible and hybrid ones. Flexible and hybrid appliances have similar effects to those produced by class II elastics. They ultimately correct class II with dentoalveolar changes. From a biomechanical standpoint, fixed functional appliances are more recommended to treat class II in dolichofacial patients, in comparison to class II elastics. The electromyographic (EMG) activity of masticatory muscles was monitored longitudinally with chronically implanted EMG electrodes to determine whether functional appliances produce a change in postural EMG activity of the muscles. Pre-appliance and post-appliance EMG levels in four experiments that had been fitted with functional appliances were compared against the background of EMG levels in controls without appliances. The insertion of two types of functional appliance to induce mandibular protrusion was associated with a decrease in postural EMG activity of the superior and inferior heads of the lateral pterygoid, superficial masseter, and anterior digastric muscles; the decrease in the first three muscles was statistically significant. This decreased postural EMG activity persisted for approximately 6 weeks, with a gradual return towards pre-appliance levels during a subsequent 6-week period of observation. Progressive mandibular advancement of 1.5 to 2 mm every 10 to 15 days did not prevent the decrease in postural EMG activity. KEY WORDS Orthodontics, Class II Malocclusion, Fixed Functional Appliance.

The design is focused on fabrication and testing of frequency reconfigurable antenna designed to operate in LTE and Wi-Fi implementations. The reconfigurable mechanism is governed by three PIN diodes and the operating bandwidth (1.38 GHz - 3.24 GHz) is efficiently controlled by diode’s different operating states. The antenna’s working principle is elucidated with the reflection coefficient, VSWR, gain and directivity characteristics. The antenna exhibits a maximum gain of 2.23 dBi and the VSWR of less than 1.5 throughout the bandwidth. The ON and OFF conditions of the diode go well with the desired operation and it does not induce the cross polarization. This work aims to design the simulations which are conceded using ANSYS HFSS full wave EM simulator and the measurements are in accordance with the simulated one.

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have a significant number of sensing nodes with computing and communication resources for data transmission. Many essential aspects such as computational power, storage capability, and energy consumption must be taken into account to use WSNs for data transmission. Previous research work developed a cross layer security based intrusion detection system (CLS-IDS) framework that has improved network performance, minimal energy consumption and to prolong network life, meeting QoS requirements. However, this CLS-IDS method cannot detect the faults happening at various places at the same time. So, this research work proposes the cross layer security based fuzzy trust calculation mechanism (CLS-FTCM) and also least overhead monitoring for WSNs by means of memory and energy demands to resolve the above issue. This cross-layer security was designed with the aid of a fuzzy logic-based calculation method for a protocol called cross-layer protocol, uses multiple parameters extracted by the exchange of inter-layer information in order to alleviate the effects of security hazards to the network of wireless sensors. In order to identify malicious nodes on the network, the fault monitoring system is carried out using enhanced convolutional neural network (ECNN) classifier and the confidential value is determined for the trust values. The proposed cross layer security based fuzzy trust mechanism (CLS-FLTCM) is highly efficient technique to ensure optimum safety in wireless sensor environment when compared to the previous techniques. The simulation results conducted using the NS-2 simulator and testing the safety performance of the proposed system demonstrates that this approach is better than the current detection precision techniques.

Objective: The proposed work is to improve the network lifetime with secure packet transmission. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The proposed system has been suggested here as the TAEBC or the Trust Aware Energy Based Clustering (TAEBC), the introduction of this system has been selected on account of its novel approach in attaining secure packet transmission. The research work suggested here primarily takes into consideration the analysis conducted on the trust score for effectual detection of nodes that appear to be malicious in nature. Choosing and identification of the CH and clustering is executed by deployment of the MOASO or the Multi Objective Anarchies Society Optimization algorithm. The proposed system is to fulfill three main areas which include node degree, residual energy and as well as transmission power. In order to optimize and realize the network’s maximum energy potential what has been proposed here is the development and deployment of the MOASO algorithm. This also facilitates CH selection and lifetime for the nodes in a best possible way. Findings: The NS-2 simulator has been used for purpose of experimentation and analytical findings. Inferences drawn clearly demonstrate that experimental results have been successful and the suggested TAEBC approach compared with existing system. Application/Improvements: The proposed system achieves better end to end delay, energy consumption and Packet Delivery Ratio compared with existing FCR based CH selection method. Keywords: Anarchies Society Optimization or the ASO and Security, CH or Cluster Head, Wireless Sensor Network also known as WSN

Dual mode antipodal Vivaldi antenna (AVA) with narrowband to wideband switching is proposed in this work. The antenna has the footprint of 60 mm x 40 mm x 1.6 mm and FR-4 substrate used for fabrication. The antenna exhibits 8.3 GHz bandwidth in wideband mode with a peak gain of 6.9 dBi and 1.6 GHz bandwidth in narrowband mode with a peak gain of 7 dBi. The simulations are performed using CST full wave simulator and the results are compared with the reference antenna of the same dimensions. PIN diodes are implemented to achieve the frequency switching. The working principle of the antenna is explained through simulation and verified through measurements.

The model decomposition and some iteration techniques in Stochastic Petri Nets (SPNs) to derive its approximate steady state solution, which is used to obtain the approximate performance metrics of the D2D communications in terms of average queue length, mean throughput, average packet delay and packet dropping probability of each link. Simulations are performed to verify the analytical results under different traffic loads and interference conditions. The protocol that we use here is Novel Key Exchange protocol. The goal of this technique is to present advances on the current 3GPP LTE-advanced system related to Device-to-Device (D2D).

Background Free Open-Access Medical education (FOAM) use among residents continues to rise. However, it often lacks quality assurance processes and residents receive little guidance on quality assessment. The Academic Life in Emergency Medicine Approved Instructional Resources tool (AAT) was created for FOAM appraisal by and for expert educators and has demonstrated validity in this context. It has yet to be evaluated in other populations. Objectives We assessed the AAT's usability in a diverse population of practicing emergency medicine (EM) physicians, residents, and medical students; solicited feedback; and developed a revised tool. Methods As part of the Medical Education Translational Resources: Impact and Quality (METRIQ) study, we recruited medical students, EM residents, and EM attendings to evaluate five FOAM posts with the AAT and provide quantitative and qualitative feedback via an online survey. Two independent analysts performed a qualitative thematic analysis with discrepancies resolved through discussion and negotiated consensus. This analysis informed development of an initial revised AAT, which was then further refined after pilot testing among the author group. The final tool was reassessed for reliability. Results Of 330 recruited international participants, 309 completed all ratings. The Best Evidence in Emergency Medicine (BEEM) score was the component most frequently reported as difficult to use. Several themes emerged from the qualitative analysis: for ease of use-understandable, logically structured, concise, and aligned with educational value. Limitations include deviation from questionnaire best practices, validity concerns, and challenges assessing evidence-based medicine. Themes supporting its use include evaluative utility and usability. The author group pilot tested the initial revised AAT, revealing a total score average measure intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of moderate reliability (ICC = 0.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0 to 0.962). The final AAT's average measure ICC was 0.88 (95% CI = 0.77 to 0.95). Conclusions We developed the final revised AAT from usability feedback. The new score has significantly increased usability, but will need to be reassessed for reliability in a broad population.

Smart home systems help one to control and assist using voice commands. It plays a vital role in assisting differently abled and elder people. It can also be operated remotely. In this paper, the implementation involves two methods, using Bluetooth and GSM technology. The former method uses a HC - 05 Bluetooth, which can be implemented when we are at home. A mobile application is developed and the Arduino Bluetooth is controlled which has the control over the house appliances. The latter method uses GSM technology. The project is implemented on ARM11 Raspberry Pi microcontroller board. The software is developed in Python integrated development environment. The demonstration of the working prototype is done using a fan and bulb as a load. The proposed system is also used for surveillance of the home or office when we are in a remote location by alerting the user when there is any illegal intrusion into the house. Thus the proposed system ensures effective assistance along with security surveillance.

Background: Bacteraemia can develop a broad array of complications that may be difficult to recognize initially and can increase morbidity. The study was thus conducted to identify the causative agents of bacteraemia and to assess antibiogram of the isolates among the patients suspected of blood stream infection visiting Everest hospital, New Baneshwor Kathmandu. Methods: Altogether 400 blood cultures were processed during March, 2015 to August, 2015. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) was followed during the processing of the specimens. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of bacterial isolates was done by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method with Muller-Hinton agar using the guidelines and interpretive criteria of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI 2013). Result: The positivity of blood culture was found to be 48 (12%). Gram negative bacterial were found to be more predominant 27(56.2%) than gram positive bacteria 21(43.7%) in causing bacteraemia. The most prevalent isolate was Staphylococcus aureus 15 (31.2%) followed by Salmonella Paratyphi A 10 (20.8%) and Salmonella Typhi 8 (16.6%), E. coli & CoNS 4 (8.3%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa 3 (6.2%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae & Streptococcus pneumoniae 2 (4.1%) respectively. All gram-positive isolates were found to be sensitive to Cefoxitin, Ceftriaxone and Vancomycin followed by Ampicillin (90.42%), Erythromycin (85.71%), Ciprofloxacin (83.33%), Doxycycline (75%) and Cephalexin (70.58%) whereas gram negative isolates were sensitive to Ceftriaxone followed by Chloramphenicol (92%), Gentamicin (88.8%), Cefixime (85.71%), Ofloxacin (83.3%) and Amoxycillin and Ciprofloxacin (71.3%) Conclusion: The isolation of etiological agents of blood stream infection should be assessed by proper microbiological analysis and it would be helpful for controlling of the outbreaks of resistance strains through effective empirical therapy.

Bandwidth requirement prediction is an important part of network design and service planning. The natural way of predicting bandwidth requirement for existing network is to analyze the past trends and apply appropriate mathematical model to predict for the future. For this research, the historical usage data of FWDR network nodes of Nepal Telecom is subject to univariate linear time series ARIMA model after logit transformation to predict future bandwidth requirement. The predicted data is compared to the real data obtained from the same network and the predicted data has been found to be within 10% MAPE. This model reduces the MAPE by 11.71% and 15.42% respectively as compared to the non-logit transformed ARIMA model at 99% CI. The results imply that the logit transformed ARIMA model has better performance compared to non-logit-transformed ARIMA model. For more accurate and longer term predictions, larger dataset can be taken along with season adjustments and consideration of long term variations.Journal of the Institute of Engineering, 2017, 13(1): 160-168

The planning of efficient transportation systems is a central topic of concern as it saves energy and contributes to economic development both at national and household level. The development and optimization of highway and transportation engineering models such as transportation networks, parking facilities and as well as reduction of traffic congestion etc., require information on travel modes. To overcome the burdens for the respondent and the other drawbacks of the conventional methods related to travel mode detection, combination of Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) were tested in this research. After validating the accuracy of the smartphone based ‘My Tracks’ GPS mobile application, GPS travel route with a manually entered travel mode diary was used to collect data from randomly selected days and students in two faculties in the University of Peradeniya. Out of 125 datasets, 99 accurate datasets were selected for the analysis using ‘ArcGIS’ software coupling with ‘STATA’ statistical software. Rule-Based algorithms and heuristic based methods are two main approaches that were used to detect four travel modes (Walk, Bus, Motor Vehicles and Motor Bicycles). Differentiation of Bus mode from the motor vehicles (except motor bicycles) was the most challenging part of the research and a country specific novel method was introduced in this research. Travel mode detection results were compared with relevant correctly completed travel mode diaries to validate the methodology. The overall travel mode detection accuracy of the new method is 96% for the accurate data sets compared to conventional travel mode diary method. The success rate of collecting an accurate data set is 79%. The GPS/GIS based travel mode detection could be applied in energy efficient development in the transportation sector. In future research, the bus mode detection method invented in this research could be used to detect driver behaviour.

The major demand need of wireless communication are less weight, optimization in cost and antennas with Small height that are adequate of obtaining high efficient performance over a frequencies of wide range. Micro-strip patch antennas are widely used for the range of 2 to 4 GHz (S-band) frequencies. Antenna design and simulation was done using HFSS (High Frequency Structural Simulator). Generally these antennas uses different feeding techniques like Micro Strip Line, co-axial and proximity, aperture coupled feeds. The proposed reconfigurable rectangular microstrip patch antenna has been tested using Co-axial, Aperture coupled Feed Techniques to improve the antenna parameters like Frequency and VSWR, Return Loss.

In ultrasound images, speckle noise emerges as the major cause, which has the tendency to limit the contrast resolution. This affects the detection of low contrast and small lesions. To improve clinical diagnosis, speckle reduction filters are designed to enhance the visual quality as well as preserve important features in ultrasound images. Ultrasound imaging is mainly utilized for the detection of thyroid diseases. Several despeckling filters have been proposed for the reduction of speckle noise in ultrasound images. Despecking filters are based on statistics filtering, transform domain filtering, fuzzy logic filtering and partial differential equation based filtering. This paper presents an exhaustive search in literature on the existing methods for speckle reduction in ultrasound images.

The main aim is to secure the medical records by ensuring safe communication between the sender and the receiver by adding multiple layers of security. This project is a combined approach of both encryption and steganography to give security the utmost importance. In the sender, only the authorized person can send the secret image to the receiver. In the first stage, an image steganography system is processed using confidential medical X-ray images which are hidden under the cover images. The encryption method used is based on Random Number Generator and the pixel indicator, in other words, by moving the position of the pixel in the image to encrypt the image on the transmitting side. Whereas on the receiver side, this project proposes a method to authenticate the receiver by incorporating Email Authentication and OTP Verification to decrypt the encrypted image.

In today’s world more death occurs due to not immediate treatment for bed ridden patients. It also requires more man power. This document presents the model, installation and looks of a hardware and software platform for health monitoring system for patients. The main purpose of this system is to set up a system that can watch over bedridden patient’s health. This project depends on both hardware and software. It is developed using sp02, temperature, heartbeat connected to a raspberry pi micro controller, which get the sensor values and process it in machine learning process to produce a dosage prediction. It also intimates the doctor by triggering an automatic email. In addition, one can know the patients records and prediction of dosage from anywhere using the mobile application linked with it.

Study objective Online educational resources such as blogs are increasingly used for education by emergency medicine clinicians. The Social Media Index was developed to quantify their relative impact. The Medical Education Translational Resources: Indicators of Quality (METRIQ) study was conducted in part to determine the association between the Social Media Index score and quality as measured by gestalt and previously derived quality instruments. Methods Ten blogs were randomly selected from a list of emergency medicine and critical care Web sites. The 2 most recent clinically oriented blog posts published on these blogs were evaluated with gestalt, the Academic Life in Emergency Medicine Approved Instructional Resources (ALiEM AIR) score, and the METRIQ-8 score. Volunteer raters (including medical students, emergency medicine residents, and emergency medicine attending physicians) were identified with a multimodal recruitment methodology. The Social Media Index was calculated in February 2016, November 2016, April 2017, and December 2017. Pearson's correlations were calculated between the Social Media Index and the average rater gestalt, ALiEM AIR score, and METRIQ-8 score. Results A total of 309 of 330 raters completed all ratings (93.6%). The Social Media Index correlated moderately to strongly with the mean rater gestalt ratings (range 0.69 to 0.76) and moderately with the mean rater ALiEM AIR score (range 0.55 to 0.61) and METRIQ-8 score (range 0.53 to 0.57) during the month of the blog post's selection and for 2 years after. Conclusion The Social Media Index's correlation with multiple quality evaluation instruments over time supports the hypothesis that it is associated with overall Web site quality. It can play a role in guiding individuals to high-quality resources that can be reviewed with critical appraisal techniques.

The purpose of the present study was to compare the explosive strength through standing broad jump and vertical jump between male inter-college level volleyball and basketball players of Panjab University, Chandigarh. For this study, fifty male inter-college level volleyball players (N-25) and basketball Players (N=25) ranging between 17 to 25 years were selected randomly from different colleges of Panjab University. To compare the mean difference between the male inter college volleyball and basketball players on explosive strength (standing broad jump and vertical jump),t test was employed with the help of SPSS software. The level of significance chosen was .05. The calculated t value in case of male volleyball and basketball players in standing broad jump was not found to be statistically significant as the value obtained was 0.419. The mean difference of standing broad jump of inter-college volleyball and basketball players was 0.27. In case of vertical jump, the calculated t value was found to be statistically significant as the value obtained was 3.192 whereas, the tabulated value was 2.02 which 48 degrees of freedom at .05 level of significance. So, it is concluded that, volleyball players have more explosive strength in case of vertical jump than their counterpart basketball players.

Context: Anterior crossbite or pseudo Class III is one of such malocclusion which has potential to turn into facial deformity. Considering this, Planas direct tracks (PDTs) were selected to correct anterior crossbite. Aims To evaluate the efficacy of PDTs by studying pre- and post-treatment study models for correction in overjet and overbite and molar relationship.To evaluate cephalometrically, the treatment effect of PDTs on craniomaxillary and mandibular complex. Settings and design: A 6 months prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Rural Dental College of Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences, Loni, from a period of April 2008 to October 2008. The total sample in the study consisted of seven subjects (3 males and 4 females) with a mean age of 5.3. Materials and methods: For all the subjects, all the diagnostic records were taken and maintained. The patient was immediately taken up for placement of PDTs in the oral cavity by indirect method. Statistical analysis used: Data was analyzed by applying student′s unpaired t-test at 5 and 1% level of significance. Results: Significant clinical change has occurred in all the subjects included in the study. There was significant reduction in the overbite and significant increase in overjet from negative to positive. The significant reduction in mesial step was observed. Cephalometrically, there was significant increase seen in the lower anterior facial height. There was significant change seen in inclination of upper and lower incisors. Significant change with lower lip was observed. Conclusion: PDT was an effective treatment modality for pseudo class III and anterior crossbite in early age.

Due to government initiatives, many solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants of different sizes will be set up in India in the near future. In this context, the performance of a 60 kWp PV power plant is discussed in this paper which is installed at National Institute of Technology (a centrally funded institute of Government of India), Agartala, located in a small state (Tripura) of North East India where supply of grid electricity is a critical issue. This article examines the various parameters for performance prediction of this solar power plant.

Anterior cross bite due to a pseudo Class III is a kind of malocclusion, which has a potential to turn into a facial deformity. This orthodontic emergency should be treated as soon as it is observed. A case of pseudo Class III was treated with Planas direct tracks (PDT). The PDT was designed such that the distal incline of the upper block occludes with mesial incline of the lower block such that the mandible will have a posterior path of closure with condyles in centric relation. Significant clinical change was seen in the subject. There was a significant reduction in mesial step and a considerable improvement in the facial profile. Cephalometrically, there was a significant increase seen in the lower anterior facial height. PDT is an efficient solution for the correction of early pseudo Class III malocclusion.

Study objective Open educational resources such as blogs are increasingly used for medical education. Gestalt is generally the evaluation method used for these resources; however, little information has been published on it. We aim to evaluate the reliability of gestalt in the assessment of emergency medicine blogs. Methods We identified 60 English-language emergency medicine Web sites that posted clinically oriented blogs between January 1, 2016, and February 24, 2016. Ten Web sites were selected with a random-number generator. Medical students, emergency medicine residents, and emergency medicine attending physicians evaluated the 2 most recent clinical blog posts from each site for quality, using a 7-point Likert scale. The mean gestalt scores of each blog post were compared between groups with Pearson's correlations. Single and average measure intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated within groups. A generalizability study evaluated variance within gestalt and a decision study calculated the number of raters required to reliably (>0.8) estimate quality. Results One hundred twenty-one medical students, 88 residents, and 100 attending physicians (93.6% of enrolled participants) evaluated all 20 blog posts. Single-measure intraclass correlation coefficients within groups were fair to poor (0.36 to 0.40). Average-measure intraclass correlation coefficients were more reliable (0.811 to 0.840). Mean gestalt ratings by attending physicians correlated strongly with those by medical students (r=0.92) and residents (r=0.99). The generalizability coefficient was 0.91 for the complete data set. The decision study found that 42 gestalt ratings were required to reliably evaluate quality (>0.8). Conclusion The mean gestalt quality ratings of blog posts between medical students, residents, and attending physicians correlate strongly, but individual ratings are unreliable. With sufficient raters, mean gestalt ratings provide a community standard for assessment.

Aim : To evaluate and compare the anteroposterior position of permanent maxillary central incisor in profile in relation to the forehead inclination and prominence in adult (18-25 years) females of Maharashtra population. Materials and methods: The control sample ( N = 100) consisted of adult females (18-25 years of age) with optimum facial balance showing a pleasing profile compared with study sample (100 adult female patients of 18-25 years) seeking orthodontic treatment. All smiling profile images had the maxillary central incisors and the forehead in full view. The images were adjusted and rotated to the upright head position. Reference lines were drawn to measure the anteroposterior positions of the maxillary central incisors as well as forehead inclinations. Results: Strong correlation exists between positions of maxillary central incisor relative to forehead inclination in control group. In study group it is insignificant. It means that if position of maxillary central incisor relative to ′forehead′s facial axis (FFA) point′ changes the forehead inclination also changes. The most esthetic maxillary central incisor position between FFA point and glabella was highest in the control sample (94%). Conclusion: The forehead is a useful landmark for assessing the facial profile for adult Maharashtra females as it relates to A-P maxillary central incisor position. Smiling profile photograph can be useful additional diagnostic tool for determining esthetic position of maxillary central incisors in the face.

I am deeply honoured to have been invited to deliver the Olcott Oration 2017 and to join a list of great Anandians who have delivered this Oration before. I cannot think of a greater honour that my school could confer on me. I accepted this invitation with humbleness, with gratitude and respect, and with great pride. Let me also take this opportunity to appreciate the support and guidance I received during my school career at Ananda College. The guidance our teachers gave us laid the foundation for any success later on in our lives. My oration today, is on the rather technical topic of monetary and exchange rate policy. The biggest challenge that I have to face is to present such a topic to an audience with a majority who might not be familiar with the technical jargon involved. However, I will attempt to keep the discussion as simple as possible.

The graph model for conflict resolution GMCR, along with its associated decision support system GMCR II, are employed for systematically studying the strategic aspects of conflict existing among countries in the Aral Sea Basin of Central Asia. Competition for water is increasing in the central Asian countries in the Aral Sea Basin since they became independent in 1991. Disputes have developed between the three downstream countries, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, and the two upstream countries, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, in the basin in sharing water in its two main rivers, Syr Darya and Amu Darya. The downstream countries are heavy consumers of water for growing cotton while the upstream countries want to use more water for electricity generation and farming. Accordingly, GMCR II is utilized as a formal mechanism for better understanding the complex conflict existing at present among countries along the Syr Darya and for providing insights as to how these countries may interact with one another in attempting to reach a resolution acceptable to all. In particular, strictly following the present water allocation agreement by all parties is found to be the most preferred resolution for both the upstream and downstream countries.

A decision support system for reservoir water management conflict resolution (RWM-CRSS) in a multipurpose single reservoir system has been developed. The system consists of a communication system, a database management system, and a model-base management system. A new approach is used in developing the communication system, in which the use of artificial intelligence markup language facilitates the task of developing human-like communication between the stakeholders and the system. Tools that are common to analyze a multipurpose single reservoir system are provided in the model-base management system. RWM-CRSS is designed to handle conflict between two groups who have on-demand water requirements for irrigation, drinking water, hydropower generation, or minimizing flood damage. A hypothetical scenario of irrigation versus drinking water supply is demonstrated.

This report explores the exposure and vulnerability of Korea and the Southern African region to climate-driven impacts in the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus. It presents the building of ecological networks as a mean to address climate change - induced alterations of ecosystems and the consequences for humans and nature. Reducing the asymmetry between price and value of water resources is identified as an essential aspect to enable sound resource management use decisions. The report highlights the need for comprehensive tools which assist decision makers in dealing with the complexity of WEF nexus interrelations and facilitate sustainable resource management.

Background Verbal autopsy (VA) is recognized as the only feasible alternative to comprehensive medical certification of deaths in settings with no or unreliable vital registration systems. However, a barrier to its use by national registration systems has been the amount of time and cost needed for data collection. Therefore, a short VA instrument (VAI) is needed. In this paper we describe a shortened version of the VAI developed for the Population Health Metrics Research Consortium (PHMRC) Gold Standard Verbal Autopsy Validation Study using a systematic approach. Methods We used data from the PHMRC validation study. Using the Tariff 2.0 method, we first established a rank order of individual questions in the PHMRC VAI according to their importance in predicting causes of death. Second, we reduced the size of the instrument by dropping questions in reverse order of their importance. We assessed the predictive performance of the instrument as questions were removed at the individual level by calculating chance-corrected concordance and at the population level with cause-specific mortality fraction (CSMF) accuracy. Finally, the optimum size of the shortened instrument was determined using a first derivative analysis of the decline in performance as the size of the VA instrument decreased for adults, children, and neonates. Results The full PHMRC VAI had 183, 127, and 149 questions for adult, child, and neonatal deaths, respectively. The shortened instrument developed had 109, 69, and 67 questions, respectively, representing a decrease in the total number of questions of 40-55 %. The shortened instrument, with text, showed non-significant declines in CSMF accuracy from the full instrument with text of 0.4 %, 0.0 %, and 0.6 % for the adult, child, and neonatal modules, respectively. Conclusions We developed a shortened VAI using a systematic approach, and assessed its performance when administered using hand-held electronic tablets and analyzed using Tariff 2.0. The length of a VA questionnaire was shortened by almost 50 % without a significant drop in performance. The shortened VAI developed reduces the burden of time and resources required for data collection and analysis of cause of death data in civil registration systems. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12916-015-0528-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Samanalawewa and Udawalawe reservoirs were built to harness the hydro-energy and irrigation potentials of the Walawe river in Sri Lanka. The recently completed Samanalawewa reservoir primarily generates hydropower while the Udawalawe reservoir, which was built in the 1960s, supplies water mainly for irrigation. With the addition of the Samanalawewa reservoir, located upstream of the Udawalawe reservoir, the Government of Sri Lanka is planning to increase the irrigated area of the Udawalawe reservoir. The Samanalawewa reservoir is expected to act as an additional storage for irrigation water supply. A study was carried out to investigate the operational behavior of these two reservoirs. The model used in the study is based on stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) and simulation techniques. Since, the direct application of SDP for two reservoirs is limited by the dimensionality of the problem, a sequential decomposition method is employed in the model. The algorithm employed breaks down the system into single-reservoir subsystems and subsequently, each subsystem’s operation is individually optimized using a SDP based optimization model and then simulated using a reservoir operation simulation model. The results indicate the usefulness of optimization techniques in planning reservoirs and deriving operational policies for them. The inclusion of the Samanalawewa reservoir reduces the irrigation water supply deficits at the Udawalawe reservoir.

Though Sri Lanka is a water rich country where many water resources development projects have been implemented, the country still very often faces many issues due to water scarcity. By improving the management of existing water resources development projects such issues could be addressed. The irrigation area coming under the Nachchaduwa Reservoir Scheme in the Malwathu Oya Basin has encountered severe water scarcities in the recent past. This paper presents a system dynamics based simulation model that will help in making decisions for managing the Nachchaduwa Reservoir for fulfilling the water requirements of its irrigation area. The model was developed using system dynamics concepts and the software used was Vensim Professional. The advantage of system dynamics modelling is its ability to model many different sectors such as water quantity, population, agriculture and economy using one single model making it possible to look at all sectors using the same model . The model developed for the Nachchaduwa Reservoir System comprised of the above sectors and was used to investigate several optional operation patterns of the system. Four different operational patterns were considered based on crop types and cropping areas. Initially, the developed model was tested for its applicability and thereafter it was used to determine the most suitable cropping pattern. The results indicate that the patterns consisting of 100% paddy during the Maha Season and 50% paddy and 50% maize during the Yala Season as the most suitable cropping patterns for the two seasons. The model also showed that the temporary increase in the population by the pilgrims and tourists visiting the area during festive seasons affects the amount of water available for crops.

Background More countries are using verbal autopsy as a part of routine mortality surveillance. The length of time required to complete a verbal autopsy interview is a key logistical consideration for planning large-scale surveillance. Methods We use the PHMRC shortened questionnaire to conduct verbal autopsy interviews at three sites and collect data on the length of time required to complete the interview. This instrument uses a novel checklist of keywords to capture relevant information from the open response. The open response section is timed separately from the section consisting of closed questions. Results We found the median time to complete the entire interview was approximately 25 minutes and did not vary substantially by age-specific module. The median time for the open response section was approximately 4 minutes and 60% of interviewees mentioned at least one keyword within the open response section. Conclusions The length of time required to complete the interview was short enough for large-scale routine use. The open-response section did not add a substantial amount of time and provided useful information which can be used to increase the accuracy of the predictions of the cause of death. The novel checklist approach further reduces the burden of transcribing and translating a large amount of free text. This makes the PHMRC instrument ideal for national mortality surveillance.

A contrast between traditional and modern survey operations is drawn. The concept of a Graphics Compiler is discussed followed by a detailed description of the author's implementation of SurvPlan, a computer program which reads a text data file and generates a graphics file suitable for editing and printing by standard computer-aided-draughting (CAD) software.

[1] With industrial development and economic growth, conflicts over use and allocation of water have been increasing. Though diverse efforts have been made toward resolving conflicts through computer-based models, its clear understanding is prerequisite for models to be effective. A systems view illuminates how people think and consequences of their thoughts and actions on results and thus helps to achieve sustainable solutions. This paper presents a systemic approach to assist stakeholders in two different jurisdictions in a hypothetical water resource system to resolve a potential water-sharing conflict. A causal loop diagram developed provides an understanding of the conflict dynamics and feedback nature. A system dynamics simulation model developed fitting the causal diagram offers a significant opportunity to explore conflict's behavior and resolution with respect to final water allocations and time necessary to reach an agreement. The impact of initial aspiration, influence on system and struggle of stakeholders is discussed in detail.

The graph model for conflict resolution (GMCR), along with its associated decision support system GMCR II, is employed for systematically studying the strategic aspects of a conflict existing in Per Aru basin. National Water Supply & Drainage Board has planned to build a reservoir on the Per Aru for the sole purpose of supplying drinking water to the urban areas of Vavuniya district. People who will be affected due to the inundation of their lands have shown resistance to the construction of the reservoir. Moreover, government organizations such as Forest Department and Wildlife Department also have expressed their concerns over the construction of a reservoir since that will have diverse impacts on forest lands and wildlife in the area that will be inundated by the proposed reservoir. The above three stakeholders, viz., National Water Supply & Drainage Board, affected people and government organizations suggest a few options to solve the conflict.The options are specific actions that can actually occur in a conflict. The decision support system, GMCR II, was used to investigate and resolve this conflict. The paper presents all the steps involved in the modeling of the conflict using GMCR II and analysis of the results obtained from the model. The National Water Supply & Drainage Board accepting to reduce the inundation area and agreeing to release sufficient environmental flow was resulted as the best possible solution acceptable for all the three parties.The solution includes affected people and Government Organizations agreeing for the construction of the reservoir at the original location. ENGINEER, Vol. 47, No. 03, pp. 61-70, 2014

Horizontal oil well drilling, completion and production techniques have continued to advance through the use of shared learnings and new technology as applied in the most recent BP Amoco field development in Trinidad. The Mahogany field is being developed to supply gas to the Atlantic LNG plant in Trinidad. The 21 Sand reservoir in this field has a 60 foot oil column overlain by a 400 bcf gas cap and underlain by water. As with other fields in Trinidad that have thin oil columns horizontal well technology was selected as the preferred method to develop the Mahogany 21 Sand oil leg. During the front end loading design phase of the Mahogany field development an extensive review of evolving technology and recent world wide experience was undertaken. As well, the front end loading involved a review of the BP Amoco Immortelle (Trinidad) horizontal well program which was in its third phase as the Mahogany front end loading was being completed. The critical success factors that emerged from the front end loading review were well placement within the oil column, avoid drilling poor quality reservoir, avoid undulating wellbores, the need to understand well performance with very low drawdowns, the need to land the well in the right place and at the right angle. All of these issues were addressed in the Mahogany horizontal well designs and have been successfully implemented. The front end loading work and continuing optimization of the well designs has resulted in a highly successful 21 sand oil development which is expected to deliver economic results superior to the authorized metrics.

This paper presents two optimization models developed for the derivation of operation policies for a reservoir when the quality considerations are important besides satisfying the quantity requirement. In one model only the releases are controlled. In the other model both inflows and releases are controlled. Reservoir operational policy is based on the Incremental Dynamic Programming technique. Complete mixing is assumed to be occurring in the reservoir throughout the year. The models are applied to a reservoir on the Shapur river in Southern Iran. The results obtained from the models show their potential in improving the quality of water supplied from a reservoir. The improvements obtained by manipulating both inflows and releases are observed to be higher than the ones achieved by simple release control.

The effect of radioiodine therapy in Graves' disease is gradual in onset and the subjects continue to be hyperthyroid for several weeks after such therapy. In a prospective study of 112 patients, we compared the usefulness of two commonly employed antithyroid drug regimens in controlling hyperthyroidism in the period immediately following radioiodine therapy. They received propylthiouracil (PTU, 100 mg orally three times a day), saturated solution of potassium iodide (10 drops once a day) or no drugs starting 5 days after radioiodine therapy. Thyroid status was monitored clinically and by serum thyroxine index and TSH measured at 4-6 week intervals over a 6-month period. The control or drug-treated groups did not differ in thyroid status 6 weeks after radioiodine. The PTU-treated group had greater incidence of hyperthyroidism and a lower incidence of hypothyroidism at 6 months. However, the differences were explained on the basis of a greater incidence of large goiters that appeared to confer relative radioresistance in the PTU group. We conclude that patients with mild to moderate hyperthyroidism do not benefit from adjunctive treatment with PTU or potassium iodide immediately after radioiodine therapy.