Survey study of the etiology of non-traumatic altered consciousness in the Emergency Department at Suez Canal University Hospital in Egypt

BACKGROUND Disorders of consciousness including coma in non-trauma patients can be caused by a wide variety of pathologies affecting the central nervous system.They represent a frequent challenge in emergency medicine and are combined with a very high in-hospital mortality.Hence,early treatment of these patients is vital and increases the likelihood of a good outcome.AIM To identify the causes of altered consciousness presentation to the Emergency Department at Suez Canal University Hospital.METHODS This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted on 87 patients with acute non-traumatic disturbed level of consciousness(DLOC)at the Emergency Department.RESULTS The mean age of the studied patients was 60.5±13.6 years.Among them,60%were males and 40%were females.The most common cause of acute non-traumatic DLOC was systemic infection,such as sepsis and septic shock(25.3%),followed by respiratory causes(24.1%)and neurological causes(18.4%).CONCLUSION The most common cause of acute non-traumatic DLOC was systemic infections followed by respiratory and neurological causes.

Quantum Theory of Consciousness

Both consciousness and quantum phenomenon are subjective and indeterministic. In this paper, we propose consciousness is a quantum phenomenon. A quantum theory of consciousness (QTOC) is presented based on a new interpretation of quantum physics. We show that this QTOC can address the mind and body problem, the hard problem of consciousness. It also provides a physics foundation and mathematical formulation to study consciousness and neural network. We demonstrate how to apply it to develop and extend various models of consciousness. We show the predictions from this theory about the existence of a universal quantum vibrational field and the large-scale, nearly instantaneous synchrony of brainwaves among different parts of brain, body, people, and objects. The correlation between Schumann Resonances and some brainwaves is explained. Recent progress in quantum information theory, especially regarding quantum entanglement and quantum error correction code, is applied to study memory and shed new light in neuroscience.

The Paradox of “New Mysterianism” vs. Esotericism: An Approach in Philosophy of Mind

In 1995,David Chalmers published in Scientific American Revue his famous essay called“The Puzzle of Conscious Experience”,where he analyses the hard and easy problems of consciousness,and objected at the same time against the“esoteric”that claim to be impossible understand consciousness.In fact,Chalmers is just presenting a position that became known from the works of Colin McGinn(The Problem of Consciousness,1991)and Owen Flanagan(The Science of the Mind,1991)as the“New Mysterianism”.According to this philosophical position,the hard problem of consciousness cannot be solved by humans(it is impossible to explain the existence of qualia).Although esotericism may refer to an exploration of the hidden meanings and symbolism in various philosophical,historical,and religious texts,the new mysterianism is however nothing more than a profound paradox,since there is no knowledge to preserve or meanings to discover.However,if this argument is true,then the esotericism is wrong.The purpose will discuss this topic through the philosophical literature produce in the last years.

Clues to the Fundamental Nature of Gravity, Dark Energy and Dark Matter

This paper integrates the Flat Space Cosmology (FSC) model into the Friedmann equations containing a cosmological term. The Lambda term within this model scales according to 3H2t/c2 and 3/R2t. Use of the Bekenstein-Hawking definition of closed gravitational system total entropy provides for FSC cosmic parameter definitions in terms of . Cosmic time, radius, total matter mass-energy and vacuum energy in this model scale in exactly the same way as . This analysis opens the way for understanding gravity, dark energy and dark matter as being deeply connected with cosmic entropy. The recent theoretical work of Roger Penrose and Erik Verlinde is discussed in this context. The results of this FSC model analysis dovetail nicely with Verlinde’s work suggesting gravity as being fundamentally an emergent property of cosmic entropy. This emergent-property-of-entropy definition of gravity, if true, would also indicate that gravitational inertia, dark matter and dark energy are simply manifestations of cosmic entropy. Thus, they would likely have no identifiable connection to quantum physics, including the standard particle model.

A Conceptual Framework for Consciousness Based on a Deep Understanding of Matter

One of the main challenges in consciousness research is widely known as the hard problem of consciousness. In order to tackle this problem, I utilize an approach from theoretical physics, called stochastic electrodynamics （SED） which goes one step beyond quantum theory and sheds new light on the reality behind matter. According to this approach, matter is a resonant oscillator that is orchestrated by an all-pervasive stochastic radiation field, called zero-point field （ZPF）. The properties of matter are not intrinsic but acquired by dynamic interaction with the ZPF, which in turn picks up information about the material system as soon as an ordered state, i.e., a stable attractor, is reached. I point out that these principles apply also to macroscopic biological systems. From this perspective, long-range correlations in the brain, such as neural gamma synchrony, can be interpreted in terms of order phenomena induced and stabilized by the ZPF, suggesting that every attractor in the brain goes along with an information state in the ZPF. In order to build the bridge to consciousness, I employ additional input from Eastern philosophy. From a comparison between SED and Eastern philosophy I draw the conclusion that the ZPF is an appropriate candidate for the substrate of consciousness, implying that information states in the ZPF are associated with conscious states. On this basis I develop a conceptual framework for consciousness that is fully consistent with physics, neurophysiology, and Eastern philosophy. I argue that this conceptual framework has many interesting features and opens a door to a theory of consciousness. Particularly, it solves the problem of how matter and consciousness communicate in a causally closed functional chain, it gives a physical grounding to existing approaches regarding the connection between consciousness and information, and it gives clear direction to future models and experiments.

Towards a Possible Entropy-Driven Process of Consciousness

In the present article, we argue that consciousness and body are not to be separate to explain the intentional consciousness of the human being facing to environment. 1) The most neurobiologist and neurocognitivist studies suggest that the emerging consciousness appears to be a generic recurring process which subsumes under it the various results of scientist approaches. When analyzed with the cybernetic transductive method of Simondon, this process can be viewed as a noetico-neuronal unit which the sui generis activity can be boiled down to concept of intentional consciousness. 2) Homeostasis can be also metaphorically described as a generic recurring process which subsumes under it the myriad molecular feedback loops of organism. This self-regulating dynamic process could be governed by the cosmologic (Earth + Universe) production of entropy, which would keep high activity and dissipating energy and low internal entropy to maintain an ordering in the organic structure. 3) Based on numerous arguments and data, the cerebral noetico-neuronal process and the self-regulating homeostasic process may be viewed as an entire physiological (brain + body) system. We suggest that the whole (brain + body) has an intentional embodied consciousness that could be driven by the cosmologic production of entropy.

A Solution to the Binding Problem

Visual information about an object is widely distributed over the cortex. The problem of how this information gets reassembled in consciousness is the “binding problem”. It is assumed in this paper that consciousness reads the distributed information as a laser reads a barcode;and that this solves the binding problem without resorting to oscillations, or synchronous signals, or any other form of mechanical association. Cortical distributions are made intelligible by consciousness that learns from childhood to recognize cortical arrays of single objects and project them onto the external world. An example shows how consciousness exercises its influence in the case of a well-known line drawing. When an object is constructed by consciousness there is no guarantee that the resulting image will be anything like the original object of observation. However, there is reason to believe that most of the visual images of our surroundings reflect real properties of those surroundings. These images have a constancy about them that is not always conveyed by the sensory input, but consistency in the external world can be learned by consciousness that is able to override the incongruities of the senses.

The Mind-Brain Problem Bose-Einstein Statistics, Temperature, Heat, Entropy God and Other Elementary Particles

The purpose of this research is to apply the Einstein’s principle of relativity to solve the mind-brain problem and to generate all Standard Model Particle masses. Our approach is somewhat analogous to the dualistic idea of Descartes. Instead of a pineal gland, wherein the brain interacts with the mind, we propose during the developmental stages of the human fetus the tiny brain begins to communicate with the smallest structures of spacetime. This interaction occurs as the fetus brain begins to emit thermodynamic low heat energies, which are then absorbed into the smallest structures of spacetime saturating the interstices of the fetus brain. Think of these heat-energies like Morse code instructions. Since these kinds of interaction involve spacetime, with brain matter-energy, and that our main guiding principle is that of relativity, our research resulted in a general relativistic wave equation, wherein the n-valued heat-energies emitted by the brain-field-matrix Bμv, is identified as the energy momentum tensor of general relativity. The spacetime mind-matrix (Mμv) is likewise identified as the Riemannian curvature matrix. Together they form a general relativistic expression given by: Mμv +Pμv M=cBμv. Here c represents the combined general relativistic constants. By detaching the energy momentum tensor Bμv from the general relativistic wave equation, converting it to an operator, and then combining the time component with the Bose-Einstein equation, resulted in a brain temperature function capable of calculating precise heat-energies emitted by the brain during the formation of the fetus mind. As the fetus brain becomes more complex, it further organizes the mind. At some point self-aware consciousness is evoked within the spacetime mind. The same equation (relabeled to distinguish it from the mind-brain equation) can be applied to generate all Standard Model Particle masses.

The Alleged Hard Problem： A Pseudo Problem

One of the most intriguing problems of philosophy is the question whether the human mind and human consciousness can be completely reduced to matter, namely to the brain. A special problem in this context is what has been called the ＂hard problem.＂ The hard problem denies that it is possible to reduce phenomenal experiences to brain states. The hard problem claims that it is impossible for materialists to explain what it is like to feel something. Here, we will prove that the hard problem is a pseudo problem that is based on errors in logic and language. One of the key arguments for the hard problem, the conceivability of zombies, is logically wrong within naturalism, which most philosophers acknowledge. Nevertheless, generally all questions of the type ＂What is it like to feel something？＂ are either trivial or linguistically impermissible. The core of the ＂hard problem＂ is the mix-up between non-reducibility and non-describability.

Feasibility analysis of a single-sensor-based approach for source identification of hazardous chemical releases

Source identification is critical for emergency responses to hazardous chemical releases,especially sudden releases of toxic gases.The timely arrangement of multiple sensors at the scene of a sudden accident is difficult.To overcome this limitation,a two-step source identification method based on a single sensor was developed.In the first step,the measured concentration was transmitted to the computing platform.First,a preliminary estimation of the release source was calculated from recently detected concentrations.Then,the preliminary result was used to predict the concentrations and to assess whether more measurements were needed.This data processing was conducted by the computing platform.In the second step,a new objective monitoring point was transmitted to the detector for the measurement of additional concentrations.These two steps were conducted repeatedly until the estimation adequately represented the release source.The fixed and mobile single sensor results were analyzed,and a comparison to multi-sensor results was also conducted.The results show that single-sensor source identification is attainable with a sufficient number of observations,and the number of valid concentration observations is required to be no less than the number of unknown parameters.To best estimate the release source,the movement strategy of the single sensor was based on the possible release source and the hazard partition of the gas plume.It is highly recommended that the single-sensor source identification method be used in unexpected incidents due to its flexibility and timely response.

A Model of How Matter Produces Qualitative Perception

A model of the way subjective experience arises in matter is proposed, beginning with a brief history of the mind/body problem and proceeding to describe how quantum physics has made modest in roads into an in-depth account. The promise quantum biology holds for developing neuroscientific theory is drawn to its logical conclusions, establishing the preliminaries of a comprehensive paradigm for explaining basic elements of perception and how they give rise to full-fledged consciousness.

From Chaos to Qualia： An Analysis of Phenomenal Character in Light of Process Philosophy and Self-Organizing Systems

The author will propose that qualia--typically understood as the purely subjective and phenomenal elements of experience--are not specifically brain processes, but are instead best thought of as world processes that can be characterized as distributed self-organizing networks of Whiteheadian actual entities. If this is correct, then we need not wrestle with the materialist＇s ＂hard problem＂ of explaining how consciousness can arise from the purely objective particles and forces of fundamental ptiysics, but we will need to explain in what sense microparticles and other physical objects are experiential and objectively real without embracing panpsychism. Since Whiteheadian actual entities have intrinsic natures grounding the subjective and phenomenal aspects of experience, and extrinsic relations grounding objective physical properties, we find that qualia, understood in light of Whiteheadian actual entities, can provide the metaphysical foundations for both the subjective and objective aspects of the world.

Consciousness, Free Will, and the Sciences of the Mind

In his review of the trio of philosopher-scientist dialogues on the nature and capacities of the human mind, Paul Thagard （2018） advocates clearly and forcefully for a fairly extreme position, which he advances as preferable to an equally extreme alternative. I will suggest a middle path that becomes attractive when one attends not just to the range of data now pouring forth from the sciences of mind but also to our own experience as minded individuals.

The role of cross-listing,foreign ownership and state ownership in dividend policy in an emerging market

In this paper, we investigate if dividend policy is influenced by ownership type.Within the dividend literature, dividends have a signaling role regarding agency costs, such that dividends may diminish insider conflicts(reduce free cash flow) or may be used to extract cash from firms(tunneling effect)- which could be predominant in emerging markets. We expect firms with foreign ownership and those that are listed in overseas markets to have different dividend policies and practices than those that are not, and firms with more state ownership and less individual ownership to be more likely to pay cash dividends and less likely to pay stock dividends. Using firms from an emerging economy(China), we examine whether these effects exist in corporate dividend policy and practice. We find that both foreign ownership and cross-listing have significant negative effects on cash dividends, consistent with the signaling effect and the notion of reduced tunneling activities for firms with the ability to raise capital from outside of China. Consistent with the tunneling effect, we find that firms with higher state ownership tend to pay higher cash dividends and lower stock dividends, while the opposite is true for public(individual) ownership.Further analysis shows that foreign ownership mediates the effect of state ownership on dividend policy. Our results have significant implications for researchers, investors, policy makers and regulators in emerging markets.

Clarifying Problems with Emergency Healthcare Systems in Japanese Long-Term Care Facilities for Older People

Background: Long-term care facilities for older people play an important role as alternatives to family care in an aging society. This study aimed to assess staffing problems linked to emergency healthcare for residents of these facilities, and to investigate the relationship between these problems and the characteristics of the facilities. Methods: The study surveyed managers of long-term care facilities for older people in a Japanese urban area between September and December 2014. The type of care facility, the number of staff and any problems providing or accessing emergency healthcare for the residents were evaluated. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to explore the factors common to facilities reporting staffing problems linked to emergency healthcare of residents. Results: In total, 321 long-term care facilities were eligible for this study and 226 (70%) returned the questionnaire. We compared the characteristics of facilities reporting and not reporting staffing problems in emergency healthcare of residents. The type of care facility was significantly associated with staffing problems in emergency healthcare of residents both during the day (p < 0.01) and at night (p = 0.04). The facilities most likely to report problems were group homes for older people with dementia, because of staffing shortages. Conclusions: Problems in emergency healthcare systems in Japanese long-term care facilities for older people varied by type of care facility. Our data underscore the need for telemedicine and consideration of mergers between smaller facilities such as group homes for older people with dementia.

Emergency DepartmentmProblem Solving Approach

Emergency Department （ED） suffers from one or more of these problems. Some are resistant to treatment, to become a chronic problem represented in resistant overcrowded ED, and it is a syndrome that needs a holistic view of the problem, then to have a holistic solution, and this needs teamwork to be achieved, so the authors have to consider all these problems and solutions together; and may be more solutions are needed. The author＇s goal is to reach to effectively running ED, structurally and functionally, locally and internationally.

基于离散混合蛙跳算法的地震应急物资调度

建立震后应急物资调度数学模型。该模型根据各灾区的受灾情况评估其救援紧急程度,并设计一种需求拆分供应的运输机制,提高车辆的利用效率。为求解该模型,提出一种多源信息学习的离散混合蛙跳算法。所提算法引入多种信息源以扩展算法的搜索方向,降低种群的同化速度。同时,让子组最差个体学习种群中的有效信息,提高算法的收敛精度。实验结果表明,所提算法能够搜索到精度更优的调度方案,对问题规模具有良好的可扩展性。

The Story of a Snail

When a snail crossed the road,he was run overby a turtle.Regaining consciousness in the emergency room,he was asked what caused the accident.

高校实验室应急演练任务的界定、问题与记录要点

针对实验室应急演练任务如何实施、如何有效记录的问题,文章调研了100场高校实验室应急演练的实施情况,界定了高校实验室应急演练的主要任务,分析了高校实验室应急演练实施中存在的共性问题。文章从计划、准备、实施、评估总结、持续改进等5个阶段梳理了实验室应急演练业务流程,分解了应急演练5个任务的15个任务单元、47个任务要点,并形成格式文本《实验室应急演练任务清单》及记录要点。以期为不同学科、不同“情景”下的实验室演练活动如何有效记录提供借鉴。