Malaysia will be an ageing population by 2030 as the number of those aged 60 years and above has increased drastically from 6.2 percent in 2000 and is expected to reach 13.6 percent by 2030. There are many challenges that will be faced due to the ageing population, one of which is the increasing cost of pensions in the future. In view of that, it is necessary to investigate the effect of actuarial assumptions on pension liabilities under the perspective of ageing. To estimate the pension liabilities, the Projected Unit Credit method is used in the study and commutation functions are employed in the process. Demographic risk and salary risk have been identified as major risks in analyzing pension liabilities in this study. The sensitivity analyses will be conducted in the study to investigate how the pension liabilities will be affected when these major risks changes. This study analyzes nine scenarios under assumptions in the actuarial model, namely age of retirement, rate of mortality and rate of salary growth. The result of this study indicates that the implied mortality experience and salary growth rate assumptions have a significant impact on pension liabilities.
Background: Acute appendicitis is a common surgical
problem that is associated with an acute-phase reaction.
Previous studies have shown that cytokines and acutephase proteins are activated and may serve as indicators for
appendicitis.
Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate of serum
levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in correlation to the severity
to acute appendicitis.
Methods: This is a prospective study from December 2008
to March 2009 of patients who had appendectomy in
Department of Surgery, Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital -
Baghdad/Iraq. Serum for estimating levels of interleukin-6
(IL-6) was taken pre-operatively. Depending on the
macroscopic evidence during the operation and the
histopathol
Physical model tests were simulated non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) spill in two-dimensional
domain above the water table. Four laboratory experiments were carried out in the sand-filled
tank. The evolution of the plume was observed through the transparent side of this tank and the
contaminant front was traced at appropriate intervals. The materials used in these experiments
were Al-Najaf sand as a porous medium and kerosene as contaminant.
The results of the experiments showed that after kerosene spreading comes to a halt (ceased) in
the homogeneous sand, the bulk of this contaminant is contained within a pancake-shaped lens
situated on top of the capillary fringe.
AIM: To evaluate the short-term effectiveness of Gamma knife radiosurgery as a modality of treatment of brain arteriovenous malformation. METHODS: Sixty-three patients with arteriovenous brain malformations underwent Gamma knife radiosurgery included in this prospective study between April 2017 and September 2018 with clinical and radiological with MRI follow up was done at three months and six months post-Gamma knife radiosurgery. By the end of the 12th-month post-Gamma knife radiosurgery, the patients were re-evaluated using digital subtraction angiography co-registered with M.R.I. During the 12 months follow up, CT scan or MRI was done at any time if any one of the patients᾽ condition deteriorated or developed signs and s
... Show MoreAntibiotics are essential for treating infectious diseases, but their overuse and adverse effects are raising concerns about global public health. The pervasiveness of antibiotic contamination in aquatic environments has drawn increased attention in recent years. The primary concern regarding the release of antibiotics into the environment is the potential for microorganisms to become resistant to antibiotics. This review article summarizes the analytical methods used to determine the presence of trimethoprim and metronidazole in various environmental samples. These antibiotics have traditionally been analyzed using tandem mass spectrometry or high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry; fluorescence or ultrav
... Show MoreAccording to the European Union Water Framework Directive requirements, diatom metrics were used to assess the ecological status of surface waters in the Gaziantep central catchment (Turkey). A total of 42 diatom taxa were identified. A few environmental factors (especially lead, copper, orthophosphate, and chromium) played significant roles on the distribution of diatom assemblages among the sampling stations. The first two axes of the canonical correspondence analysis elucidated 91.6 % of the species–environment correlations with 13.9 % of the cumulative variance of species. The applied diatom indices (TIT – Trophic Index Turkey, TI – Trophic Index, and EPI-D – Eutrophication and/or Pollution Index-Diatom) showed different results
... Show MoreIntestinal parasites present in freshwater from the Al- Fallujah, Al- Habbaniyah and Al-Alwarar, of the Euphrates river in Iraq are Cryptosporidium spp (25.3%), Giardia sp (3.3%), Eimeria sp (3.3%), Pinworm eggs (3.3%), Naegleria sp (15.3%), Lecane niwati (1.3%), Trichomonas hominis (19.3%), Acanthamoeba spp (24.6%), Entamoeba coli (20.6%), Balantidium coli (12%), Ascaris sp (3.3%), Volvox sp (26%), Chilomastix mesnili (4%), Pelomyxa palustris (2.6%), Trinema enchelys (2.6%), Actinophrys Sol (7.3%), Amobea Vespertilio (9.3%), Rhabditea (5.3%), paramecium bursaria (9.3%), cyst of cestode (6%), Oocyst protozoa (16%), Euglena gracilis (10.6%).were isolated. The study's goal was to isolate some of the parasites that pollute the Euphrat
... Show More