Search

Ten primary health care clinics in the Gaza Strip were randomly selected from the five regions that form the Gaza Strip (Southern region, Gaza City, Middle region, Khan-Younis and Rafah). The objective of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of mental health problems among patients attending primary health care clinics in the Gaza Strip. Six hundred and sixty-one randomly selected primary health care patients from the five regions were surveyed using the HSCL-25. Seventy-three per cent of patients visiting primary care clinics in the Gaza Strip had psychiatric symptoms consistent with psychiatric disorders. The prevalence of mental health problems among females was higher (76.8%) than males (67%). Previously married and single patients reported more distressing symptoms than married people. The results also revealed that the prevalence of mental health problems was higher among patients living in refugee camps. Civic status was not associated with mental health problems.

BACKGROUND: Acute coronary syndromes account for half of all deaths secondary to cardiovascular disease and represent a significant economic burden in the United States. Therefore, assessing hospitalization costs relative to Medicare reimbursement for these patients is important in understanding the impact of these patients on hospitals. We hypothesized that hospitalization costs for acute myocardial infarction patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were higher than their associated Medicare payments. METHODS: Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we evaluated hospitalization costs for patients treated with PCI from 2001 through 2009 by multiplying hospital charges by the group average cost‐to‐charge ratio for each patient's hospitalization. Primary end points examined were total hospital costs and trends over time, which were correlated with clinical outcomes and insurance payments. Costs were inflation adjusted with 2009 as the reference year. RESULTS: Median hospitalization costs of PCI increased from $15 889 (interquartile range [IQR] = $12 057–$21 204) in 2001 to $19 349 (IQR = $14 660–$26 282) in 2009. From 2004 to 2009, inflation‐adjusted costs for PCI decreased at a rate of 0.3% per year. In 2009, a total of 265,531 patients received PCI for acute myocardial infarction. Of these, 143 654 were

In this paper, we consider distributed beamform- ing for spectrum sharing networks comprising two secondary transceivers, multiple secondary relays and multiple primary transceivers. The aim of this work is to improve the secondary system performance. We assume that the relays that reliably decode the secondary signals participate in the beamforming process. We also assume the presence of mutual interference between the primary and secondary systems, while beamforming is used to suppress the interference in?icted on the primary system. However, the interference in?icted on the secondary system is not mitigated. To examine the impact of this interference on the performance of the secondary system, we derive closed- form expressions for the outage probability and bit error rate (BER) over independent and identically distributed Rayleigh fading channels. Numerical results demonstrate the efocacy of beamforming in making the secondary system performance resilient against the interference caused by the primary system.

Tesis ( Magíster en Enseñanza del Inglés como Lengua Extranjera) The present study investigates the effect of using authentic captioned videos on listening comprehension of intermediate L2 learners. Twelve learners of ESL participated in the experimental sessions. The same group is treated in the first two sessions as a control group who saw the videos without captions (CG), and in the second two sessions as an experimental group who saw the videos with captions (EG). The data collection was accomplished by means of a recall protocol posterior to the video sessions. The group with captions (EG) scored much higher on their written recall protocols than the group without captions (CG), which means that the Experimental Group (EG) listening comprehension improved more than the control Group (CG). Moreover, practical alternatives were presented in order to provide teachers with easy ways to design and personalize their videos without spending long time in searching for the appropriate videos for their classes.

In this paper, we consider collaborative beamforming for spectrum-sharing two-way relay networks in an effort to improve the performance of the cognitive system and enhance the spectrum efficiency. In such a joint relaying/spectrum-sharing setting, a pair of secondary transceivers communicates via a set of secondary decode-and-forward (DF) relays in the presence of multiple primary transceivers. Among the available relays, only those that receive the signals reliably participate in the cooperative beamforming process to nullify the interference inflicted on primary receivers. Furthermore, the received signals at relays and at secondary transceivers are unavoidably interfered by the signals from primary transmitters. To study the performance of the cognitive system under the effects of these co-channel interferences (CCIs) from the primary transmitters, we derive closed-form expressions for the outage probability and bit error rate (BER) over independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Rayleigh fading channels. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of beamforming in compensating the cognitive system performance loss due to the CCIs in addition to mitigating the interference to the primary users.

In this paper, we consider distributed beamforming for two-way spectrum-sharing system in an effort to enhance the performance of the secondary system and improve the bandwidth efficiency. In particular, we consider a cognitive radio network where a set of amplify-and-forward (AF) relays are employed to help a pair of secondary transceivers in the presence of multiple primary receivers. This set of the available relays participate in the beamforming process, where the beamformer weights are obtained via a convex optimization method. We analyze the performance of the proposed methods where closed-form expressions for the end-to-end outage and average error probabilities are derived for independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Rayleigh fading channels. Numerical results demonstrate the vitality of beamforming in enhancing the secondary system performance in addition to mitigating the interference to the primary users.

We consider in this paper distributed beamforming for two-way cognitive radio networks in an effort to improve the spectrum efficiency and enhance the performance of the cognitive (secondary) system. In particular, we consider a spectrum sharing system where a set of decode-and-forward (DF) relays are employed to help a pair of secondary transceivers in the presence of multiple licensed (primary) users. Among the available relays, only those that receive the signals reliably participate in the beamforming process, where the optimal beamformer weights are obtained via a linear optimization method. We derive closed-form expression for the probability distribution function (PDF) of the total end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the secondary transceiver. We also derive closed-form expressions for the outage and error probabilities over independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Rayleigh fading channels. Numerical results show the effect of beamforming in enhancing the secondary system performance in addition to mitigating the interference to the primary users.

Journal for educational research online 5 (2013) 1, S. 59-89, The relationship between school resources such as learning materials, computers, and student-teacher ratio and student performance has been shown to be important (e.g., Hanushek, 1986, 2003; Hanushek & Woessmann, 2007; Krueger, 2003). In this article, school resources and their relationship with student achievement are compared for Israeli and Palestinian Authority (PA) schools using data from the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement’s (IEA) 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in the context of efforts aimed at reducing the differences in resources in schools in Israel. Results of bivariate analyses show some differences regarding the availability of school resources between the three groups of schools under review, namely PA schools, Israeli Arab schools and Israeli Hebrew schools. Moreover, results of the multivariate hierarchical linear model analyses reveal that only shortages regarding computer hardware, software and support have a significant relationship with mathematics achievement of Grade 8 students once the socio-economic level of their schools and home backgrounds are taken into account. Finally, these effects are found for the Israeli Arab schools and the PA schools but not for the Israeli Hebrew schools. (DIPF/Orig.), Der Zusammenhang zwischen Schulausstattung mit Lernmaterialien, Computern sowie die Klassengröße und den Leistungen von Schülerinnen und Schülern hat sich vielfach als wichtig herausgestellt (siehe Hanushek, 1986, 2003; Hanushek & Woessmann, 2007; Krueger, 2003). Vor dem Hintergrund von Bemühungen in Israel, die Unterschiede in der Ausstattung von hebräischen und arabischen Schulen und damit schlussendlich deren Leistungsunterschiede zu verringern, wird in diesem Beitrag der Zusammenhang zwischen Schulausstattung und Schülerleistung vergleichend für diese beiden Schultypen in Israel sowie auch arabische Schulen der Autonomiebehörde (PA) untersucht mittels Daten der International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement’s (IEA) Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) von 2007. Die bivariaten Analysen zeigen einige Unterschiede in der Ausstattung der drei untersuchten Schulgruppen, und zwar hebräischen Schulen und arabischen Schulen in Israel sowie den PA Schulen, auf. Darüber hinaus bestätigen multivariate Mehrebenenanalysen, die den sozioökonomischen Hintergrund von Schulen sowie Schülerinnen und Schülern einbeziehen, einen signifikanten Zusammenhang mit der Schülerleistung von Achtklässlern in Mathematik nur dort, wo Schulen von einer mangelhaften Ausstattung mit Computer Hardware, Software und Computerunterstützung berichten. Schließlich finden sich diese Zusammenhänge nur für arabische Schulen in Israel und PA Schulen, nicht jedoch für hebräische Schulen in Israel. (DIPF/Orig.)

Following land tendency is a crucial aspect in the development of desertification monitoring systems. The density of the vegetation cover and its spatial structure constitute motivating properties in order to use as indices at the end of the tendency following. These properties of enormous important that permit to test changes at time scales similar to desertification, and on the other hand are relatively easy to record through remote sensing techniques. The general objective of the research work was to develop procedures in order to evaluate the vegetation properties with implications over land degradation such as the density and the spatial structure of the vegetation cover, utilizing remote sensing techniques. The new indices departed from a concrete hypothesis that is: Do relief forms (terrain classes) affect the density of vegetation cover distribution? Answering that question was achieved through studying the particular characters of the study area under consideration and the using of the digital form spatial available data that includes that describe the topography and the vegetation cover density in that area. The Tabernas Basin was selected as the representative site of the work, an area of about 1100 km2 that represent an arid environment. In that area we calculated the DEM through which we derived the topographic variables of the area. Then we realized a Numerical Taxonomy classification (NT) on the terrain attributes (raster overlays) to produce a subset of classes named as physiographic classes (topographic classes). After that, the NDVI of the area was calculated using the bands 3 & 4 of the Landsat TM. Afterward, a group of nonparametric statistical analysis was realized to analysis the relation between the terrain classes and the amount of the vegetation cover in each class (NDVI image). The results revealed that upper parts of the terrain possess more vegetation cover than mid and low ones, and mid parts possess more vegetation cover density than low parts but less than upper ones. In other words, the vegetation density shows a systematical distribution a long the hillslopes, which implies a clear relation between the spatial distribution of the vegetation cover density and the topographic landforms. The resulted relation was replicated over the same area but after dividing it to three levels in order to check whether altitude effect is a controlling factor in determining the vegetation cover density. However the results return again to agree with the above results. Finally, a field visit was realized to validate the results obtained from the NDVI image values, in order to check for the abnormal values of the NDVI and the changes in landuse took place through the 1996 until the 2002., This work was carried out in the Experimental station of Arid zones (EEZA) in Almería supported by a scholarship from the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza (IAMZ)

Background: 50% of those who had ever used an on-line life satisfaction measurement tool were considered optimally satisfied about their lives. Categorization into age, sex, country of origin and religion did not seem to affect the results of the on-line database for life satisfaction scores. In Gaza, Palestine, most of the public believed that being a female doctor would kill any form of life enjoyment and it is a common belief here that doctors tend to wait longer than other female workers are before getting into a stable marital relationship. The aims of our study were to quantify life satisfaction among female doctors in Gaza, compare their results with those from other work sectors and finally to prove that a medical career does not affect adversely life satisfaction for Gazian female doctors. Methods: We used random sample tables to choose the work places for our sample groups. We have interviewed any female worker at the given facility using convenient sampling technique. 50 female doctors and 50 other workers were compared to each other using objective standard measurement tool for life satisfaction which was composed of 14 specific questions with a possible total score from (14 to 70) where 70 is the most satisfied total score and a total score of more than 50 was the cut-off for defining satisfaction. Total average scores and average scores for each question were compared between the two groups using statistical analysis methods. The frequency of use of over the counter medications was also compared between the two groups. Results: Average age for female doctors (FD) and other workers (OW) was comparable (FD 30.16 years, OW 30.4 years). Response rate was 90% between both groups. Average age, number of children per family and matched scores for the 14 questions, were all of no statistical significant difference between married female doctors and married other workers (p = 0.4; 0.7 and 0.6 respectively). Life satisfaction among married female doctors and other workers was not statistically significantly different between the two groups (FD 13/25 VS OW 9/25); p = 0.4. Average age, matched average scores for each of the 14 questions and life satisfaction proportions were not statistically significantly different between single females of the two groups (p = 0.2; 0.4; and 1.0 respectively). Use of the over the counter drugs was statistically more commonly reported among single female doctors; p = 0.02. Interpretation: We have proved that there is no real association between being a female doctor in Gaza and having a low life satisfaction score. We can assure our female doctors they do not have lower enjoyment of their lives compared to other female workers. The average age for female singles between the two groups was not different which stands against the wide belief in our society that female doctors tend to get married later than other workers. Finally, our single female doctors should be discouraged about the non-rationale use of over the counter drugs.

Forecasting of the timing of slope failure has been widely modelled using strain-rate based approaches. Such techniques are reliant upon high-precision data on slope deformation, yet conventionally a trade-off between monitoring precision and spatial resolution has to be made in mine slope safety systems. Newly available full waveform terrestrial laser scanners (FW-TLS) have been shown capable of capturing detailed additional metrics of rock slope surfaces, which from sequential scans allow significantly reduced uncertainties in change detection. Innovatively, this approach obtains both geometric and radiometric target surface information which is suited to the measurement of very small scale deformation, whilst retaining the spatially rich detail of TLS point-clouds. We present data captured using this new technology integrated into the slope safety monitoring system ‘SiteMonitor’, to explore the opportunities offered by this new technology in characterising actively failing rock slopes in new ways. Results presented highlight the ability to resolve surface features at a scale appropriate to precursory mass wasting and creep in unstable rock slopes. These findings open the possibility for a step-change in the integration of recent strain-rate based predictive models with the unprecedented level of combined precision and detail offered by newly available FW-TLS data.

The reliable monitoring of slope deformation is a significant parameter for mitigating landslide damages, including business disruption and danger to workers. Despite this, remote sensing of surface deformation used to interpret failure mechanisms at the shear zone remains limited by factors such as the resolution and viewing angle of monitoring. Here we present an analysis of data captured using a new generation of full waveform terrestrial laser scanners (FW-TLS), which offers potential gains for near realtime rock slope monitoring. This approach, having evolved from recent advances in airborne LiDAR, resolves the structure of the reflected laser signal (the waveform) from which a series of attributes of the surface character, geometry and deformation are extracted. The influence of target geometry, analogous to a deforming rock face, on the reflected waveform is interpreted from a set of controlled condition datasets. The analysis highlights the sensitivity of the maximum amplitude, relative to other parameters of the waveform, to changes in target geometry. We conclude by considering the implications for slope deformation monitoring of this new approach.

In this paper, we use a distributed beamforming method in cognitive radio relay networks in an effort to enhance the spectrum efficiency and improve the performance of the cognitive (secondary) system. In particular, we consider a spectrum sharing system where a set of potential relays are employed to help a pair of secondary users in the presence of a licensed (primary) user. A selection relaying scenario in an amplify and forward (AF) scheme is investigated. In this context, we obtain the exact expressions for the cumulative distribution function (CDF) and the moment generating function (MGF) of the equivalent end-to-end SNR at the secondary destination. Then, to analyze the performance, we derive closed-form expressions for the outage probability and bit error rate (BER) over independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Rayleigh fading channels. Numerical results demonstrate the efficacy of beamforming in improving the secondary system performance in addition to limiting the interference to the primary users.

In this paper, we use a distributed Zero Forcing Beamforming (ZFB) method in cognitive radio relay networks in an effort to enhance the spectrum efficiency and improve the performance of the cognitive (secondary) system. In particular, we consider a spectrum sharing system where a set of decode-and-forward (DF) relays are employed to help a pair of secondary users in the presence of a licensed (primary) user. In this context, we derive expressions for the probability density functions (PDFs) of the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the relays as well as at the secondary destination. We also derive closed form expressions for the outage and bit error rate (BER) probabilities over independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Rayleigh fading channels. Numerical results demonstrate the efficacy of beamforming in improving the outage and BER performance.

Recently, both living and deceased organ donation rates have hit a plateau, despite increases in need for viable organs. One approach to improve donation rate is public education and policy; thus, it is necessary to understand the information the public is receiving regarding organ donation. We hypothesized that primetime medical dramas portray organ donation and transplantation in a negative manner. We compiled data on all primetime medical drama episodes with transplant themes from November 2008 through June 2010 and assessed depictions of organ donors and transplant candidates. Positive and negative thematic elements surrounding the process and individuals involved were also identified. One hundred and fifty-five million and 145 million households watched episodes containing any negative message and any positive message, respectively. Episodes containing only negative messages had over twice the household viewership per episode compared to episodes containing only positive messages (8.4 million vs. 4.1 million, p = 0.01). Widespread exposure to these representations may reinforce public misconceptions of transplantation. The transplant community should consider the popularity of medical dramas as an opportunity to impact the perception of organ donation and transplantation for millions of Americans.

28 páginas, 4 figuras, 5 tablas., [ES] Las costras físicas (CFS) y biológicas (CBS) del suelo ocupan una gran extensión en zonas áridas y semiáridas de todo el mundo. En estos medios, el encostramiento del suelo tiene una gran influencia sobre los procesos hidrológicos y erosivos. Los objetivos que se persiguen en este trabajo son: analizar las características de las costras que influyen en la infiltración y en la erosión e identificar cuáles de estas características tiene una mayor influencia sobre estos procesos. En dos áreas semiáridas representativas en la provincia de Almería se identificaron los principales tipos de costras físicas y biológicas. Para cada tipo de costra, se analizaron las características físicas y químicas de la propia costra y del material subyacente, así como su rugosidad, hidrofobia, resistencia a la penetración y cobertura de diferentes comunidades de organismos. Para analizar la influencia de las costras sobre la infiltración y la erosión, se llevaron a cabo simulaciones de lluvia en parcelas con la costra intacta y para examinar los efectos de las características del material subyacente a la costra, los experimentos de simulación de lluvia se realizaron tras retirar la costra. La respuesta hidrológica de las áreas encostradas estudiadas se ve afectada no solo por las características de la costra, sino también por las características del suelo sobre el que se desarrollan estas costras y especialmente por la pendiente que aparece como una variable altamente predictiva para la infiltración y la erosión. Entre las características del material subyacente, resalta la influencia de la textura, el contenido en carbono orgánico y la conductividad eléctrica, y entre las características de la costra, la cobertura y rugosidad son las variables más predictivas que explican las diferencias en las tasas de infiltración y erosión entre ambos sitios., [EN] Physical soil crusts and biological soil crusts occupy a wide extension in arid and semiarid areas all over the world. In these regions, soil crusting has a very strong influence on local hydrologic regimes and erosion. The main purposes of this paper are: 1) to examine how crust characteristics influence infiltration and erosion and 2) to identify the most influential crust characteristics on runoff and erosion processes. Two semiarid areas in the province of Almería were chosen and the most representative physical and biological soil crusts were identified at both sites. For each crust type, physical and chemical characteristics of the crust and the soil underneath the crust were analysed, as well as other crust properties like roughness, hydrophobicity, resistance to penetration and cover. To analyse the influence of the crust on infiltration and erosion, rainfall simulations were conducted on plots with the intact crust, and in order to examine the influence of the soil underlying the crust, rainfall simulations were conducted on plots after removing the crust. The hydrological response of the studied encrusted areas is affected, not only by the characteristics of the crust itself, but also by the characteristics of the soil in where the crust is developed and specially by the slope gradient that appears like a highly predictive variable for infiltration and erosion. Among the properties of the soil material below crusts, it is remarkable the influence of soil texture, organic carbon content and electrical conductivity, and among the properties of the crust, cover and roughness are the most predictive variables explaining the differences in infiltration and erosion between sites., Este trabajo ha recibido el apoyo financiero de diferentes proyectos de investigación: PROBASE (Ref.: CGL2006-11619/HID), PREVEA (Ref.: CGL2007-63258/BOS), financiados por el Plan Nacional de I+D y COSTRAS (Ref. RNM 3614), financiado por la Junta de Andalucía y EC-DG RTD- 6th Framework Research Programme (1.1.6.3)-Research on Desertificationproject DESIRE (037046).

Physical soil crusts and biological soil crusts occupy a wide extension in arid and semiarid areas all over the world. In these regions, soil crusting has a very strong influence on local hydrologic regimes and erosion. The main purposes of this paper are: 1) to examine how crust characteristics influence infiltration and erosion and 2) to identify the most influential crust characteristics on runoff and erosion processes. Two semiarid areas in the province of Almería were chosen and the most representative physical and biological soil crusts were identified at both sites. For each crust type, physical and chemical characteristics of the crust and the soil underneath the crust were analysed, as well as other crust properties like roughness, hydrophobicity, resistance to penetration and cover. To analyse the influence of the crust on infiltration and erosion, rainfall simulations were conducted on plots with the intact crust, and in order to examine the influence of the soil underlying the crust, rainfall simulations were conducted on plots after removing the crust. The hydrological response of the studied encrusted areas is affected, not only by the characteristics of the crust itself, but also by the characteristics of the soil in where the crust is developed and specially by the slope gradient that appears like a highly predictive variable for infiltration and erosion. Among the properties of the soil material below crusts, it is remarkable the influence of soil texture, organic carbon content and electrical conductivity, and among the properties of the crust, cover and roughness are the most predictive variables explaining the differences in infiltration and erosion between sites., Las costras físicas (CFS) y biológicas (CBS) del suelo ocupan una gran extensión en zonas áridas y semiáridas de todo el mundo. En estos medios, el encostramiento del suelo tiene una gran influencia sobre los procesos hidrológicos y erosivos. Los objetivos que se persiguen en este trabajo son: analizar las características de las costras que influyen en la infiltración y en la erosión e identificar cuáles de estas características tiene una mayor influencia sobre estos procesos. En dos áreas semiáridas representativas en la provincia de Almería se identificaron los principales tipos de costras físicas y biológicas. Para cada tipo de costra, se analizaron las características físicas y químicas de la propia costra y del material subyacente, así como su rugosidad, hidrofobia, resistencia a la penetración y cobertura de diferentes comunidades de organismos. Para analizar la influencia de las costras sobre la infiltración y la erosión, se llevaron a cabo simulaciones de lluvia en parcelas con la costra intacta y para examinar los efectos de las características del material subyacente a la costra, los experimentos de simulación de lluvia se realizaron tras retirar la costra. La respuesta hidrológica de las áreas encostradas estudiadas se ve afectada no solo por las características de la costra, sino también por las características del suelo sobre el que se desarrollan estas costras y especialmente por la pendiente que aparece como una variable altamente predictiva para la infiltración y la erosión. Entre las características del material subyacente, resalta la influencia de la textura, el contenido en carbono orgánico y la conductividad eléctrica, y entre las características de la costra, la cobertura y rugosidad son las variables más predictivas que explican las diferencias en las tasas de infiltración y erosión entre ambos sitios.