Analysis of trace elements in river and spring waters

Methods for the analysis of trace elements in natural fresh waters were investigated. Preconcentration of the water samples by reducing the volume and by using cation adsorption resins was studied. It was concluded that cation absorption was the more promising procedure. The methods used for analysis were absorption spectrophotometry, neutron activation analysis, and atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was considered the most suitable method for the analysis of trace elements in waters. Calcium, copper, lead, zinc, and cadmium were determined in a number of Missouri springs and stream water samples --Abstract, page ii

Big Data Storage Tools Using NoSQL Databases and Their Applications in Various Domains: A Systematic Review

Over the past few years, data has been growing significantly due to the advent of new connected devices, availability of bandwidth, and the emergence of new applications which utilize cloud computing infrastructure in the data centers. This increased amount of data faces many problems in terms of storage, transmission, management, and processing, etc. Therefore, the term big data has gained significant attention from researchers in recent years. The rapidly growing quantity, velocity, and variety of data require more probable and logical tools for its storage. For this purpose, the industry is highly emphasizing the development of more viable tools for the storage of big data. The traditional big data storage tools are unsuccessful in storing an enormous amount of data. Hence, the structural modifications of management mechanisms of conventional storage systems such as SQL databases to NoSQL databases technology are necessary to cope up with drastically increasing requirements of big data storage. The primary objective of this paper is to concentrate exclusively on designing a road map for NoSQL big data storage technologies, evaluate current evidence, research progresses in NoSQL data storage systems and their applications in various domains. We conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) of various studies published in recent years. We propose a framework to classify selected articles on the basis of various factors such as motivations behind big data storage, NoSQL techniques used for storing big data, and significant applications of big data in different domains. Furthermore, we also discuss research issues and define an outline for future research in the big data storage domain for NoSQL databases

Data Behind the Walls An Advanced Architecture for Data Privacy Management

In today's highly connected society, we are constantly asked to provide personal information to retailers, voter surveys, medical professionals, and other data collection efforts. The collected data is stored in large data warehouses. Organisations and statistical agencies share and use this data to facilitate research in public health, economics, sociology, etc. However, this data contains sensitive information about individuals, which can result in identity theft, financial loss, stress and depression, embarrassment, abuse, etc. Therefore, one must ensure rigorous management of individuals' privacy. We propose, an advanced data privacy management architecture composed of three layers. The data management layer consists of de-identification and anonymisation, the access management layer for re-enforcing data access based on the concepts of Role-Based Access Control and the Chinese Wall Security Policy, and the roles layer for regulating different users. The proposed system architecture is validated on healthcare datasets.Comment: 7 page

Higher-Order Effects in Biaxial Flexure of GFRP I-Section Beams

A theoretical study of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) beams subjected to biaxial bending moments is presented with a focus on the influence of higher-order effects on maximum normal stresses. It is shown that the biaxial bending type of loading causes a dramatic increase in the maximum normal stress for a GFRP beam when induced torsional effects are included. The study demonstrates that the traditional first-order theory can grossly underestimate the maximum normal stress in a GFRP beam. Based on the numerical results presented using a higher-order theory which also accounts for induced warping normal stresses, the maximum normal stress is found to be about two to three times larger than that determined using the first-order theory

Healthcare Data Governance, Privacy, and Security -- A Conceptual Framework

The abundance of data has transformed the world in every aspect. It has become the core element in decision making, problem solving, and innovation in almost all areas of life, including business, science, healthcare, education, and many others. Despite all these advances, privacy and security remain critical concerns of the healthcare industry. It is important to note that healthcare data can also be a liability if it is not managed correctly. This data mismanagement can have severe consequences for patients and healthcare organisations, including patient safety, legal liability, damage to reputation, financial loss, and operational inefficiency. Healthcare organisations must comply with a range of regulations to protect patient data. We perform a classification of data governance elements or components in a manner that thoroughly assesses the healthcare data chain from a privacy and security standpoint. After deeply analysing the existing literature, we propose a conceptual privacy and security driven healthcare data governance framework

A New Beta Power Generator for Continuous Random Variable: Features and Inference to Model Asymmetric Data

Statistical methodologies have broad applications in sports and other exercise sciences. These methods can be used to predict the winning probability of a team or individual in a match. Due to the applicability of the statistical methods in sports, this paper introduces a new method of obtaining statistical distributions. The new method is called a novel beta power-L family of distributions. Some mathematical characteristics of the new family are obtained. Based on the novel beta power-L family, a special model, namely, a novel beta power Weibull model is studied. Finally, the applicability/usefulness of the novel beta power Weibull distribution is shown by analyzing the time-to-even data taken from different football matches during 1964-2018. The data consist of seventy-eight observations and is representing the waiting time duration of the fastest goal scored ever in the history of football. The fitting results of the novel beta power Weibull distribution are compared with other models. Based on three model selection criteria, it is observed that the proposed novel beta power Weibull model provides a close fit to the waiting time data

Comparative Risk of Surgical Site Infection With Open Cholecystectomy Vs Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare the risk of surgical site infection with open vs laparoscopic cholecystectomy. METHODOLOGY: This randomized control trial was done at the Department of Surgery, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, for 12 months from 11/5/2018 to 11/5/2019. 116 patients were recruited for this study, 58 for each group randomly allocated to a group by lottery method and concealed Allocation. Patients in Group A underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy, while patients in group B underwent open cholecystectomy. According to ward protocol, post-operative analgesia & antibiotics were given to patients in both groups. Expert consultant general surgeons did all the evaluation & procedures; all the patients were followed up to 30 days after the procedure & any surgical site infections, if found, were noted. RESULTS: The mean age was 36 years ± 12.19 SD and 38 years ± 11.88 SD in laparoscopic and open cholecystectomy, respectively. In laparoscopic cholecystectomy, 28% of patients were male, and 72% of patients were female, while in open cholecystectomy, 29% of patients were male, and 71% of patients were female. 07% of laparoscopic and 26% of open cholecystectomy patients had surgical site infections.  CONCLUSION: Our study concludes that the frequency of surgical site infection was found less in laparoscopic cholecystectomy than in open cholecystectomy