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Vegetation in cities keeps climate warming down and improves the health of people and ecosystems while making for a pleasant urban setting. Contemporary urban planning promotes sustainable green cities. Green and blue infrastructures, which help maintain an eco-friendly environment, are the primary instruments of this movement. This paper attempts to show the relative weight of plant life (trees, grass, orchards, etc.) seen from buildings in different urban settings (local urban patterns of high or low density of buildings). Landscapes open to view are identified by combining a digital elevation model and an 11-class land-use layer (including buildings, facilities, grey infrastructures, green and blue surfaces) in a computational tool that calculates viewsheds. The results show that vegetation is very much present in urban landscapes. In high-density built areas of city centres, the landscape is varied although not open and is dominated by trees, low-rise residential buildings and grass. Grey infrastructures and bushes are also very common. In low-density built areas the rank order of objects in view is similar but the landscape is more panoramic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Most resectable pancreatic cancers are classified as T3, including those involving the porto-mesenteric vein. Survival and perioperative morbidity for venous resection have been found to be comparable to standard resection. We investigate factors associated with short and long term outcomes in pancreaticoduodenectomy with (PDVR) and without (PD) venous resection exclusively for T3 adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas. Methods This is a UK multicenter retrospective cohort study assessing outcomes in patients undergoing PD and PDVR. All consecutive patients with T3 only adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas undergoing surgery between December 1998 and June 2011 were included. Multivariable logistic and proportional hazards regression analyses were performed to determine the association between the surgical groups and in-hospital mortality (IHM) and overall survival (OS). Results 1070 patients were included of whom 840 (78.5%) had PD and 230 (21.5%) had PDVR. Factors independently associated with IHM were a high creatinine (aHR 1.14, p = 0.02), post-operative bleeding (aHR 2.86, p = 0.04) and a re-laparotomy (aHR 8.42, p = 0.0001). For OS, multivariable analyses identified R1 resection margin status (aHR 1.22, p = 0.01), N1 nodal status (aHR 1.92, p = 0.0001), perineural invasion (aHR 1.37, p = 0.002), tumour size >20mm (aHR 0.63, p = 0.0001) and a relaparotomy (aHR 1.84, p = 0.0001) to be independently associated with overall mortality. Conclusion This study on T3 adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas suggests that IHM is strongly associated with perioperative complications whilst OS is affected by histological parameters. Detailed pre-operative disease evaluation and advances in oncological treatment have the potential to improve OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a potential radiation hazard from TENORM sludge wastes generated during exploration and extraction processes of oil and gas was evaluated. The activity concentration of natural radionuclides 238U, 226Ra and 232Th were determined in TENORM sludge waste. It was found that sludge waste from oil and gas industry is one of the major sources of 226Ra in the environment. Therefore, some preliminary chemical treatment of sludge waste using Triton X-100 was also investigated to reduce the radioactivity content as well as the risk of radiation hazard from TENORM wastes. The activity concentrations of 226Ra and 228Ra in petroleum sludge materials before and after chemical treatment were measured using gamma-ray spectrometry. The average values of the activity concentrations of 226Ra and 228Ra measured in the original samples were found as 8908 Bq kg-1 and 933 Bq kg-1, respectively. After chemical treatment of TENORM samples, the average values of the activity concentrations of 226Ra and 228Ra measured in the samples were found as 7835 Bq kg-1 and 574 Bq kg-1, respectively. Activity concentration index, internal index, absorbed gamma dose rate and the corresponding effective dose rate were estimated for untreated and treated samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study aimed to find analytical data base for Iraqi phoenix date palm pruning woods, which produced by pruning process at the season of date palm production. Lignin has been extracted and purified for five types of Iraqi date palm using Klason lignin method. The weight of the extracted lignin ranged from 0.410g to 0.720g, and the lignin % ranged from 17.6 to 36. The other ingredients (waxes, oils, resin, and proteins of wood gums) % ranged from 20 to 29.5. FT-IR characterization showed that the (–OH) phenolic group appear in Ashrasi lignin structure only and disappear in other lignin samples, and the (4-O-5 inter monomeric lignin linkage) showed strong to moderate intensity peaks for all studied samples except the Austa omran sample has a weak intensity peaks. Also (DODO inter monomeric lignin linkage) showed strong intensity peaks for all studied samples except the Barban sample showed moderate intensity peaks. UV–vis characterization showed that the lowest absorption maximum (266nm) corresponds to Barban lignin sample, while the highest absorption maximum (271nm) corresponds to Sultani lignin sample. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Laparoscopic liver surgery has been difficult to popularize. High volume liver centres have identified left lateral sectionectomy (LLS) as a procedure with potential for transformation into a primarily laparoscopic procedure where surgeons can safely gain proficiency. Methods: Forty-four patients underwent either laparoscopic (LLLS) or open (OLLS) left lateral sectionectomy (of segments II/III) for focal lesions at Southampton General Hospital. Results: OLLS and LLLS groups were matched for age, sex and tumour types resected. Median operative time in the LLLS group was 180 (40–340) min and 155 (110–330) min in the OLLS group (p =0.885) with median intra-operative blood loss in the LLLS group 80 (25–800) ml versus a larger 470 (100–3000) ml; p =0.002 for patients receiving OLLS. Post-operative stay was also shorter in the LLLS group (3.5 (1–6) days) compared to the OLLS group (7 (3–12) days; p <0.001). Resection margin was not different in the two groups (11 (1.5–30) mm (LLLS) versus 12 (4–40) mm (OLLS); p =1) and neither was the complication rate (13% for LLLS versus 25% for OLLS; p =0.541). There were no conversions to open in the LLLS group and no deaths in either group at 90 days. Between the first and second 12 LLLS the median operative time fell from 240 (70–340) min to 120 (40–120) min; p =0.005 as well as median post-operative hospital stay from 4.5 (2–6) days to 2 (1–4) days, p =0.001. Conclusion: LLLS is a viable alternative to OLLS with potential improvements in intra-operative blood loss and shorter hospital stay without adversely affecting successful resection or complication rates. Larger prospective studies are required to explore this new avenue in laparoscopic liver surgery. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high worldwide prevalence and mortality. While surgical resection and transplantation offers curative potential, donor availability and patient liver status and comorbidities may disallow either. Interventional radiological techniques such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) may offer acceptable overall and disease-free survival rates.Materials and Methods: Sixty-eight cirrhotic patients matched for age, sex, tumor size, and Child-Pugh grade with small (1-5 cm) unifocal HCC were studied retrospectively to find determinants of overall and disease-free survival in those treated with surgical resection and RFA between 1991 and 2003.Results: Multivariate analysis using Cox proportional regression modeling showed that overall survival was related to tumor recurrence (p = 0.010), tumor diameter (p = 0.002), and treatment modality (p = 0.014); overall p = 0.008. Recurrence was independently related to the use of RFA over surgery (p = 0.023) on multivariate analysis; overall p = 0.034.Conclusion: Surgical resection offers longer disease-free survival and potentially longer overall survival than RFA in patients with small unifocal HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Introduction: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has become widely accepted as an important adjunct, and sometimes a viable alternative, to liver surgery. The aims of this study are to assess the risks associated with percutaneous RFA and to discuss the indications and contraindications to its use. Patients and methods: This is a review of 130 consecutive patients who were treated for primary (n =92) and metastatic (n =38) liver tumours. Only complications after percutaneous RFA (83 patients) were evaluated. Interesting case studies are included to highlight potential complications following RFA and their management. Results: One patient died of perforation of the colon and five others had major complications. There were 15 minor complications. Local recurrence rates reached 30% overall, and a further 25 patients developed a new hepatic lesion, different from the one treated by RFA. Median disease-free survival was 13months. Overall survival rates at 1, 2 and 5years were 85.3%, 71.3% and 57.6%, respectively. Conclusion: Percutaneous RFA is a safe and efficient technique but not free of complications and with potential fatal outcome. It is also associated with significant local recurrence rates. The procedure should only be performed following adequate training and the indication should always be discussed in multidisciplinary meetings. Patient''s liver function and general health as well as tumour size and position must be considered. Intraoperative or video laparoscopic RFA is useful for superficial tumours in order to avoid damage to viscera surrounding the liver surface. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Thanks to advances in surgical technique, anaesthesia and peri-operative care, hepatic resection has evolved from a rare procedure with an associated mortality rate of up to 20% to a routine surgery carried out in high volume liver units with an operative risk of less than 5%. This review concentrates on the techniques employed in radical hepatic resection, considering in particular: (1) The feasibility of extended hepatic parenchymal resections; (2) The treatment of lesions compromising the hepatic in-flow; and (3) The treatment of lesions compromising the hepatic out-flow. We discuss how these aims can be achieved by: minimizing the blood loss; minimizing the remnant liver parenchymal injury; performing an adequate oncological resection; and creating adequate venous out-flow reconstruction, using case series and case histories to illustrate these points. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In addition to shortage of fresh water resources, Jordan is suffering from shortages in recoverable commercial energy sources such as crude oil and natural gas. The limited energy sources in Jordan makes considering renewable energy options such as solar power very attractive, especially for remote areas. This will be extremely important for small-scale applications. Due to prevailing tough conditions, such as low water quality and shortage in supplies, there is a large demand for small desalination units, not only in locations not connected to a water supply network, but also as units for additional or independent supply. In this paper, an experimental study was conducted to investigate the potential of the development of water desalination using photovoltaic powered system in Jordan. A testing rig was built, where a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination system driven by photovoltaic power is used. The RO unit consists of a five-micron sediment filter that is made of polypropylene, two active carbon filters with 1–2 micrometer hole diameter, and one polyamide TFC membrane. The system is mechanically powered, directly coupling the photovoltaic power system to a DC motor, which is coupled to a pump that is capable of providing sufficient torque to run the RO system. Two PV arrays are connected in series and tilted a 32° to the south. To study the effect of tracking on the performance of the system, a one-axis east–west tracking flat plate photovoltaic is constructed. Results for both, the fixed flat plate and the one-axis tracking system were compared. Output electrical current, voltage and power of pump’s motor were measured. Pure water flow rate, TDS and PH of produced water were measured for both systems. Analysis of results show that a gain of 25 and 15% of electrical power and pure water flow, respectively, could be achieved using the east–west one-axis tracking system compared with fixed flat plate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper deals with the random vibration of a simply-supported laminated composite coated beam traversed by a random moving load. The moving load is assumed to move with accelerating, decelerating and constant velocity types of motion. Using basic analytical techniques, this investigation aims at improving the random response of beams made from isotropic materials by using composite coats. Closed form solutions for the variance of the response is obtained. The results arrived at in this paper discuss the random vibration characteristics of the response of the aforementioned beam taking into account the speed effect, lamina thickness and orientation of the coat effects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The behaviour of a thin fluid film with a new slip/no slip model (The double parameter slip DPS) on a part of the boundary is studied. From the Stokes equations, the convergence of the velocity, pressure and wall-stress is established. The limit problem is described in terms of a new Reynolds equation involving shear stress and associated with a variational equation. Existence and uniqueness are proved. Relation with the previously known thin film problem with Tresca boundary condition is highlighted. A numerical algorithm is proposed and numerical examples are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B Background: b The introduction of minimally invasive pancreatic resection (MIPR) into surgical practice has been slow and the worldwide utilization and attitudes towards MIPR remain unknown. Minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy (MIDP) was performed by 345(79%) surgeons with a total median experience of 20(IQR:10-50) MIDPs. Of surgeons performing MIDP, 338(98%) surgeons considered the overall value of MIDP superior or equivalent to the open approach. [Extracted from the article]