Search results for: option to abandon
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 949

Search results for: option to abandon

709 Differentiated Surgical Treatment of Patients With Nontraumatic Intracerebral Hematomas

Authors: Mansur Agzamov, Valery Bersnev, Natalia Ivanova, Istam Agzamov, Timur Khayrullaev, Yulduz Agzamova

Abstract:

Objectives. Treatment of hypertensive intracerebral hematoma (ICH) is controversial. Advantage of one surgical method on other has not been established. Recent reports suggest a favorable effect of minimally invasive surgery. We conducted a small comparative study of different surgical methods. Methods. We analyzed the result of surgical treatment of 176 patients with intracerebral hematomas at the age from 41 to 78 years. Men were been113 (64.2%), women - 63 (35.8%). Level of consciousness: conscious -18, lethargy -63, stupor –55, moderate coma - 40. All patients on admission and in the dynamics underwent computer tomography (CT) of the brain. ICH was located in the putamen in 87 cases, thalamus in 19, in the mix area in 50, in the lobar area in 20. Ninety seven patients of them had an intraventricular hemorrhage component. The baseline volume of the ICH was measured according to a bedside method of measuring CT intracerebral hematomas volume. Depending on the intervention of the patients were divided into three groups. Group 1 patients, 90 patients, operated open craniotomy. Level of consciousness: conscious-11, lethargy-33, stupor–18, moderate coma -18. The hemorrhage was located in the putamen in 51, thalamus in 3, in the mix area in 25, in the lobar area in 11. Group 2 patients, 22 patients, underwent smaller craniotomy with endoscopic-assisted evacuation. Level of consciousness: conscious-4, lethargy-9, stupor–5, moderate coma -4. The hemorrhage was located in the putamen in 5, thalamus in 15, in the mix area in 2. Group 3 patients, 64 patients, was conducted minimally invasive removal of intracerebral hematomas using the original device (patent of Russian Federation № 65382). The device - funnel cannula - which after the special markings introduced into the hematoma cavity. Level of consciousness: conscious-3, lethargy-21, stupor–22, moderate coma -18. The hemorrhage was located in the putamen in 31, in the mix area in 23, thalamus in 1, in the lobar area in 9. Results of treatment were evaluated by Glasgow outcome scale. Results. The study showed that the results of surgical treatment in three groups depending on the degree of consciousness, the volume and localization of hematoma. In group 1, good recovery observed in 8 cases (8.9%), moderate disability in 22 (24.4%), severe disability - 17 (18.9%), death-43 (47.8%). In group 2, good recovery observed in 7 cases (31.8%), moderate disability in 7 (31.8%), severe disability - 5 (29.7%), death-7 (31.8%). In group 3, good recovery was observed in 9 cases (14.1%), moderate disability-17 (26.5%), severe disability-19 (29.7%), death-19 (29.7%). Conclusions. The method of using cannulae allowed to abandon from open craniotomy of the majority of patients with putaminal hematomas. Minimally invasive technique reduced the postoperative mortality and improves treatment outcomes of these patients.

Keywords: nontraumatic intracerebral hematoma, minimal invasive surgical technique, funnel canula, differentiated surcical treatment

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708 A User-Friendly Approach for Design and Economic Analysis of Standalone PV System for the Electrification of Rural Area of Eritrea

Authors: Tedros Asefaw Gebremeskel, Xaoyi Yang

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The potential of solar energy in Eritrea is relatively high, based on this truth, there are a number of isolated and remote villages situated far away from the electrical national grid which don’t get access to electricity. The core objective of this work is to design a most favorable and cost-effective power by means of standalone PV system for the electrification of a single housing in the inaccessible area of Eritrea. The sizing of the recommended PV system is achieved, such as radiation data and electrical load for the typical household of the selected site is also well thought-out in the design steps. Finally, the life cycle cost (LCC) analysis is conducted to evaluate the economic viability of the system. The outcome of the study promote the use of PV system for a residential building and show that PV system is a reasonable option to provide electricity for household applications in the rural area of Eritrea.

Keywords: electrification, inaccessible area, life cycle cost, residential building, stand-alone PV system

Procedia PDF Downloads 143
707 Optimal Hedging of a Portfolio of European Options in an Extended Binomial Model under Proportional Transaction Costs

Authors: Norm Josephy, Lucy Kimball, Victoria Steblovskaya

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Hedging of a portfolio of European options under proportional transaction costs is considered. Our discrete time financial market model extends the binomial market model with transaction costs to the case where the underlying stock price ratios are distributed over a bounded interval rather than over a two-point set. An optimal hedging strategy is chosen from a set of admissible non-self-financing hedging strategies. Our approach to optimal hedging of a portfolio of options is based on theoretical foundation that includes determination of a no-arbitrage option price interval as well as on properties of the non-self-financing strategies and their residuals. A computational algorithm for optimizing an investor relevant criterion over the set of admissible non-self-financing hedging strategies is developed. Applicability of our approach is demonstrated using both simulated data and real market data.

Keywords: extended binomial model, non-self-financing hedging, optimization, proportional transaction costs

Procedia PDF Downloads 252
706 Study of Effect of Steering Column Orientation and Operator Platform Position on the Hand Vibration in Compactors

Authors: Sunil Bandaru, Suresh Yv, Srinivas Vanapalli

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Heavy machinery especially compactors has more vibrations induced from the compactor mechanism than the engines. Since the operator’s comfort is most important in any of the machines, this paper shows interest in studying the vibrations on the steering wheel for a double drum compactor. As there are no standard procedures available for testing vibrations on the steering wheel of double drum compactors, this paper tries to evaluate the vibrations on the steering wheel by considering most of the possibilities. In addition to the feasibility for the operator to adjust the steering wheel tilt as in the case of automotive, there is an option for the operator to change the orientation of the operator platform for the complete view of the road’s edge on both the ends of the front and rear drums. When the orientation is either +/-180°, the operator will be closer to the compactor mechanism; also there is a possibility for the shuffle in the modes with respect to the operator. Hence it is mandatory to evaluate the vibrations levels in both cases. This paper attempts to evaluate the vibrations on the steering wheel by considering the two operator platform positions and three steering wheel tilting angles.

Keywords: FEA, CAE, steering column, steering column orientation position

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705 Manufacturing of Nano Zeolite by Planetary Ball Mill and Investigation of the Effects on Concrete

Authors: Kourosh Kosari

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This study is engineering the properties of concrete containing natural nano zeolite as supplementary cementitious material in the blended Portland-cement based binder in amounts of 5,7 and 10% by mass. Crashing of clinoptilolite zeolite is performed by means of planetary ball mill. Two types of concrete along with water to cementitious material ratio (W/(C + P)) in 0.45 and 0.4 at the ages of 7, 28 and 90 days and were compared with each other. The effect of these additives on mechanical properties (compressive and tensile strength) and durability has been investigated by Electrical Resistivity (ER) and Rapid Chloride Penetration Test (RCPT) at the ages 28 and 90 days. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) revealed that nanoparticles of natural clinoptilolite could improve quality of concrete. As a result of the tests, decrease in penetration of chloride ion and increase electrical resistivity significantly that are appropriate option for controlling of corrosion in reinforced concrete structures but increase of mechanical characteristics is not considerable.

Keywords: ball mill, durability, mechanical properties, nano zeolite

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704 Case Report: A Rare Case of Popliteal Artery Aneurysm Presenting with Foot Drop

Authors: John Yahng, Hansraj Riteesh Bookun

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Popliteal artery aneurysms (PAAs) are the most common arterial aneurysm of the periphery. It is defined as focal dilation of the artery more than 50% of the normal vessel diameter which usually varies between 7 mm to 11 mm. The most common presentation for PAAs is claudication due to luminal stenosis secondary to mural thrombus or acute limb ischaemia due to occlusive thrombosis or distal thromboembolism. It is less common for patients to present with non-ischaemic symptoms secondary to mass effect and compression of adjacent structures, and of these, presentation with common peroneal nerve compression is particularly uncommon. We present a rare case of a 92-year-old female patient presenting with 4-month history of left foot drop with radiological evidence of common peroneal nerve compression secondary to PAA of 22 mm by 21mm in size. To the best of our knowledge, this is the smallest reported popliteal aneurysm presenting with foot drop. We also present the endovascular treatment option taken in our case.

Keywords: aneurysm, foot drop, peroneal nerve, popliteal

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703 Vital Pulp Therapy: A Paradigm Shift in Treating Irreversible Pulpitis

Authors: Fadwa Chtioui

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Vital Pulp Therapy (VPT) is nowadays challenging the deep-rooted dogma of root canal treatment, being the only therapeutic option for permanent teeth diagnosed with irreversible pulpitis or carious pulp exposure. Histologic and clinical research has shown that compromised dental pulp can be treated without the full removal or excavation of all healthy pulp, and the outcome of the partial or full pulpotomy followed by a Tricalcium-Silicate-based dressing seems to show promising results in maintaining pulp vitality and preserving affected teeth in the long term. By reviewing recent advances in the techniques of VPT and their clinical effectiveness and safety in permanent teeth with irreversible Pulpitis, this work provides a new understanding of pulp pathophysiology and defense mechanisms and will reform dental practitioners' decision-making in treating irreversible pulpits from root canal therapy to vital pulp therapy by taking advantage of the biological effects of Tricalcium Silicate materials.

Keywords: irreversible pulpitis, vital pulp therapy, pulpotomy, Tricalcium Silicate

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702 Morpho-Dynamic Modelling of the Western 14 Km of the Togolese Coast

Authors: Sawsan Eissa, Omnia Kabbany

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The coastline of Togo has been historically suffering from erosion for decades, which requires a solution to help control and reduce the erosion to allow for the development of the coastal area. A morpho-dynamic model using X-beach software was developed for the Western 14 Km of the Togolese coast. The model was coupled with the hydrodynamic module of DELFT 3D, flow, and the Wave module, SWAN. The data used as input included a recent bathymetric survey, a recent shoreline topographic survey, aerial photographs, ERA 5 water level and wave data, and recent test results of seabed samples. A number of scenarios were modeled: do nothing scenario, groynes, detached breakwaters system with different crest levels and alignments. The findings showed that groynes is not expected to be effective for protection against erosion, and that the best option is a system of detached breakwater, partially emerged-partially submerged couples with periodical maintenance.

Keywords: hydrodynamics, morphology, Togo, Delft3D, SWAN, XBeach, coastal erosion, detached breakwaters

Procedia PDF Downloads 68
701 Markov Switching of Conditional Variance

Authors: Josip Arneric, Blanka Skrabic Peric

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Forecasting of volatility, i.e. returns fluctuations, has been a topic of interest to portfolio managers, option traders and market makers in order to get higher profits or less risky positions. Based on the fact that volatility is time varying in high frequency data and that periods of high volatility tend to cluster, the most common used models are GARCH type models. As standard GARCH models show high volatility persistence, i.e. integrated behaviour of the conditional variance, it is difficult the predict volatility using standard GARCH models. Due to practical limitations of these models different approaches have been proposed in the literature, based on Markov switching models. In such situations models in which the parameters are allowed to change over time are more appropriate because they allow some part of the model to depend on the state of the economy. The empirical analysis demonstrates that Markov switching GARCH model resolves the problem of excessive persistence and outperforms uni-regime GARCH models in forecasting volatility for selected emerging markets.

Keywords: emerging markets, Markov switching, GARCH model, transition probabilities

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700 Investigation of Solar Concentrator Prototypes under Tunisian Conditions

Authors: Moncef Balghouthi, Mahmoud Ben Amara, Abdessalem Ben Hadj Ali, Amenallah Guizani

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Concentrated solar power technology constitutes an interesting option to meet a part of future energy demand, especially when considering the high levels of solar radiation and clearness index that are available particularly in Tunisia. In this work, we present three experimental prototypes of solar concentrators installed in the research center of energy CRTEn in Tunisia. Two are medium temperature parabolic trough solar collector used to drive a cooling installation and for steam generation. The third is a parabolic dish concentrator used for hybrid generation of thermal and electric power. Optical and thermal evaluations were presented. Solutions and possibilities to construct locally the mirrors of the concentrator were discussed. In addition, the enhancement of the performances of the receivers by nano selective absorption coatings was studied. The improvement of heat transfer between the receiver and the heat transfer fluid was discussed for each application.

Keywords: solar concentrators, optical and thermal evaluations, cooling and process heat, hybrid thermal and electric generation

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699 Enhancement of Cement Mortar Mechanical Properties with Replacement of Seashell Powder

Authors: Abdoullah Namdar, Fadzil Mat Yahaya

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Many synthetic additives have been using for improve cement mortar and concrete characteristics, but natural additive is a friendly environment option. The quantity of (2% and 4%) seashell powder has been replaced in cement mortar, and compared with plain cement mortar in early age of 7 days. The strain gauges have been installed on beams and cube, for monitoring fluctuation of flexural and compressive strength. Main objective of this paper is to study effect of linear static force on flexural and compressive strength of modified cement mortar. The results have been indicated that the replacement of appropriate proportion of seashell powder enhances cement mortar mechanical properties. The replacement of 2% seashell causes improvement of deflection, time to failure and maximum load to failure on concrete beam and cube, the same occurs for compressive modulus elasticity. Increase replacement of seashell to 4% reduces all flexural strength, compressive strength and strain of cement mortar.

Keywords: compressive strength, flexural strength, compressive modulus elasticity, time to failure, deflection

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698 Decreasing the Oxidative Stress in Autistic Children: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Study With Palm Dates Fruit

Authors: Ammal Mokhtar Metwally, Amal Elsaied, Ghada A. Abdel-Latef, Ebtissam M. Salah El-Din, Hanaa R. M. Attia

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The link between various diet therapies and autism is controversial and limited. Nutritional interventions aim to increase antioxidant levels suggesting a positive effect on the improvement of autism severity. In this study, the effectiveness of a 90-day Dates fruits consumption fruits (a non-pharmacological and risk-free option) on alleviating autism severity symptoms in individuals with ASD was investigated. The study examined also whether the baseline or improvements of some of the clinical and laboratory characteristics of the subjects affected their response to dates fruits intake on the severity of ASD symptoms. Methodology: This study involved a randomized controlled, double-blind 3-month dates fruits intake. 131 Egyptian children aged 3-12 years with confirmed ASD were enrolled in the study. cases were randomized in one of the three groups as follows; 1st regimen: Group I on 3 dates’ fruits/day (47 cases), 2nd regimen: Group II on 5 dates’ fruits/day (42 cases), and 3rd regimen: group III; nondates group (42 cases). ASD severity was assessed using both the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 5th ed. (DSM-V) criteria and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) analysis. The following measures were assessed before and after the regimens: blood levels of three oxidative markers; Malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GPX1), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), nutritional, dietary assessment & anthropometric measurements Results: A significant reduction in the mean score of autism was detected based on CARS scores for those on dates’ regimens compared to those on non-dates (p < 0.01). Participants on 5 dates’ fruits/day for three months showed the highest improvement for autism severity based on both CARS and DSM5 compared to those in 3 dates’ fruits/day and non-dates groups. Responders to dates fruits intake as reflected on the Improvement of autism severity based on CARS diagnosis was detected among 78.7 % and 62.9 % based on CARS and DSM5 diagnosis, respectively. Responders had significant improvement in BMI z score and in the ratio levels of both MDA/SOD and MDA/GPX. Conclusion: The positive results of this study suggest that palm dates fruits could be recommended for children with ASD as adjuvant therapy on a daily regular basis to achieve consistent improvement of autism symptoms Objective: Investigate the effectiveness of a 90-day Dates fruits consumption fruits on alleviating autism severity symptoms in individuals with ASD and explore the clinical and laboratory characteristics of the subjects affected their response to dates fruits intake. Methodology: The study was a randomized controlled, double-blind for 3-month. 131 autistic Egyptian children aged 3-12 years were enrolled in one of the three groups; 1st: on 3 dates’ fruits/day (47 cases), 2nd: Group II on 5 dates’ fruits/day (42 cases), and 3rd: group III; nondates group (42 cases). Conclusion: The positive results of this study suggest that palm dates fruit (a non-pharmacological and risk-free option) could be recommended for children with ASD as adjuvant therapy on a daily regular basis to achieve consistent improvement of autism symptoms.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorders, palm dates fruits, CARS, DSM5, oxidative markers

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697 Numerical Solutions of an Option Pricing Rainfall Derivatives Model

Authors: Clarinda Vitorino Nhangumbe, Ercília Sousa

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Weather derivatives are financial products used to cover non catastrophic weather events with a weather index as the underlying asset. The rainfall weather derivative pricing model is modeled based in the assumption that the rainfall dynamics follows Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, and the partial differential equation approach is used to derive the convection-diffusion two dimensional time dependent partial differential equation, where the spatial variables are the rainfall index and rainfall depth. To compute the approximation solutions of the partial differential equation, the appropriate boundary conditions are suggested, and an explicit numerical method is proposed in order to deal efficiently with the different choices of the coefficients involved in the equation. Being an explicit numerical method, it will be conditionally stable, then the stability region of the numerical method and the order of convergence are discussed. The model is tested for real precipitation data.

Keywords: finite differences method, ornstein-uhlenbeck process, partial differential equations approach, rainfall derivatives

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696 Cost Effectiveness of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement vs Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in a Low-Middle Income Country

Authors: Vasuki Rayapati, Bhanu Duggal

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Trans catheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is the recommended treatment over surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) for high-risk groups, patients >75 years of age with severe symptomatic Aortic stenosis (AS). In high income countries TAVR is more cost effective because of – i) Reduction in total length of stay including less number of days in ICU ii) Non-procedural costs like cost of general anaesthesia are higher for SAVR. In India, there are two kinds of hospitals – Public and Private. Most patients visit public sector hospitals than private sector hospitals. In a LMIC like India, especially in the Public health sector cost of TAVR is prohibitive. In a small study from three (public) hospitals in India, it was envisaged that cost of TAVR should decrease at least by 2/3 to be a cost effective option in Public health sector for severe AS.

Keywords: cost effectiveness, TAVR vs SAVR, LMIC, HTA

Procedia PDF Downloads 107
695 Structural Performances of Rubberized Concrete Wall Panel Utilizing Fiber Cement Board as Skin Layer

Authors: Jason Ting Jing Cheng, Lee Foo Wei, Yew Ming Kun, Mo Kim Hung, Yip Chun Chieh

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This research delves into the structural characteristics of distinct construction material, rubberized lightweight foam concrete (RLFC) wall panels, which have been developed as a sustainable alternative for the construction industry. These panels are engineered with a RLFC core, possessing a density of 1150 kg/m3, which is specifically formulated to bear structural loads. The core is enveloped with high-strength fiber cement boards, selected for their superior load-bearing capabilities, and enhanced flexural strength when compared to conventional concrete. A thin bed adhesive, known as TPS, is employed to create a robust bond between the RLFC core and the fiber cement cladding. This study underscores the potential of RLFC wall panels as a viable and eco-friendly option for modern building construction, offering a combination of structural efficiency and environmental benefits.

Keywords: structural performance, rubberized concrete wall panel, fiber cement board, insulation performance

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694 Improving Communication System through Router Configuration: The Nigerian Navy Experience

Authors: Saidu I. Rambo, Emmanuel O. Ibam, Sunday O. Adewale

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The configuration of routers for effective communication in the Nigerian Navy (NN) enables the navy to improve on the current communication systems. The current system is faced with challenges that make the systems partially effective. The major implementation of the system is to configure routers using hierarchical model and obtaining a VSAT option on C-band platform. These routers will act as a link between Naval Headquarters and the Commands under it. The routers main responsibilities are to forward packets from source location to destination using a Link State Routing Protocol (LSRP). Also using the Point to Point Protocol (PPP), creates a strong encrypted password using Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) which uses one-way hash function of Message Digest 5 (MD5) to provide complete protection against hackers/intruders. Routers can be configured using a Linux operating system or internet work operating system in the Microsoft platform. With this, system packets can be forwarded to various locations more effectively than the present system being used.

Keywords: C-band, communication, router, VSAT

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693 Influence of Ligature Tightening on Bone Fracture Risk in Interspinous Process Surgery

Authors: Dae Kyung Choi, Won Man Park, Kyungsoo Kim, Yoon Hyuk Kim

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The interspinous process devices have been recently used due to its advantages such as minimal invasiveness and less subsidence of the implant to the osteoporotic bone. In this paper, we have analyzed the influences of ligature tightening of several interspinous process devices using finite element analysis. Four types of interspinous process implants were inserted to the L3-4 spinal motion segment based on their surgical protocols. Inferior plane of L4 vertebra was fixed and 7.5 Nm of extension moment were applied on superior plane of L3 vertebra with 400N of compressive load along follower load direction and pretension of the ligature. The stability of the spinal unit was high enough than that of intact model. The higher value of pretension in the ligature led the decrease of dynamic stabilization effect in cases of the WallisTM, DiamTM, Viking, and Spear®. The results of present study could be used to evaluate surgical option and validate the biomechanical characteristics of the spinal implants.

Keywords: interspinous process device, bone fracture risk, lumbar spine, finite element analysis

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692 A Prospective Study on the Efficacy of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Intervertebral Disc Regeneration

Authors: Prabhu Thangaraju, Manoj Deepak, A. Sivakumar

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Removal of inter vertebral disc along with spinal fusion has many disadvantages such as causing stress fractures. If it is possible regenerate the spine it would be possible avoid the complications of the surgery and achieve better results. Our study involves the use of mesenchymal stem cells in regenerating the discs. Our study involved 10 patients who presented with degenerative disc disease between 2008-2011 in our hospital. After adequate pre-operative check prepared mesenchymal stem cells were injected into the disc spaces. These patients were subjected to conservative therapy for a minimum of six weeks before they were accepted into the study. They were followed up regularly for a minimum of 2years with serial radiographs and MRI. 8 out of the 10 patients had completed reduction in the pain. The T2 weighted MRI images in 9 out of the 10 patients showed a bright signal compared the previous Images which indicated that there was improvement in the hydration levels. From the case study of 10 patients who were subjected to mesenchymal cell therapy in our hospital, we can conclude that the use of mesenchymal cells in treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration in a safe and effective option.

Keywords: mesenchymal stem cells, intervertebral disc, the spine, disc degeneration

Procedia PDF Downloads 371
691 Relative Composition of Executive Compensation Packages, Corporate Governance and Financial Reporting Quality

Authors: Philemon Rakoto

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Most executive compensation packages consist of four major components: base fixed salary, annual and long-term non-equity incentive plans, share-based and option-based awards and pension value. According to agency theory, the relative composition of executive compensation packages is one of the mechanisms that firms use to align the interests of executives and shareholders in order to mitigate agency costs. This paper tests the effect of the relative composition of executive compensation packages on financial reporting quality. Financial reporting quality is measured by the value relevance of accounting earnings. Corporate governance is a moderating variable in the model. Using data from Canadian firms composing S&P/TSX index of the year 2013 and governance scores based on Board Games, the analysis shows that, only for firms with good governance, there is an optimal level of the proportion of executive equity-based compensation in relation to total compensation that enhances the quality of financial reporting.

Keywords: Canada, corporate governance, executive compensation packages, financial reporting quality

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690 Business Challenges and Opportunities of Mobile Applications for Equity Trading in India

Authors: Helee Dave

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Globalization has helped in the growth and change of the Indian economy to a great extent. The purchasing power of Indians has increased. IT Infrastructure has considerably improved in India. There is an increase in the usage of smartphones. The smartphones facilitate all sorts of work now a day, from getting groceries to planning a tour; it is just one click away. Similar is the case with equity trading. The traders in equity market can now deal with their stocks through mobile applications eliminating the middle man. The traders do not have an option but to open a dematerialization account with the banks which are compulsory enough irrespective of their mode of transaction that is online or offline. Considering that India is a young country having more than 50% of its population below the age of 25 and 65% of its population below the age of 35; this youth is comfortable with the usage of smartphones. The banking industry is also providing a virtual platform supporting equity market industry. Yet equity trading through online applications is at an infant stage. This paper primarily attempts to understand challenges and opportunities faced by equity trading through mobile apps in India.

Keywords: BPO, business process outsourcing, de-materialization account, equity, ITES, information technology enabled services

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689 Drivers of Digital Product Innovation in Firms: An Empirical Study of Technological, Organizational, and Environmental Factors

Authors: Anne Theresa Eidhoff, Sarah E. Stief, Markus Voeth, Sarah Gundlach

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With digitalization increasingly changing the rules of competition, firms face the need to adapt and assimilate digital technologies in order to remain competitive. Firms can choose from various possibilities to integrate digital technologies including the option to embed digital technologies aiming to innovate products or to develop digital products. However, the question of which specific factors influence a firm’s decision to pursue digital product innovation remains unanswered in research. By adopting the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE)-framework we have designed a qualitative exploratory study including eleven German practitioners to investigate relevant contingency factors. Our results indicate that the most critical factors for a company’s decision to pursue digital product innovation can be found in the technological and environmental dimensions, namely customers, competitive pressure, technological change, as well as digitalization fit. 

Keywords: digital innovation, digitalization, product innovation, TOE-framework

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688 A System Framework for Dynamic Service Deployment in Container-Based Computing Platform

Authors: Shuen-Tai Wang, Yu-Ching Lin, Hsi-Ya Chang

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Cloud computing and virtualization technology have brought an innovative way for people to develop and use software nowadays. However, conventional virtualization comes at the expense of performance loss for applications. Container-based virtualization could be an option as it potentially reduces overhead and minimizes performance decline of the service platform. In this paper, we introduce a system framework and present an implementation of resource broker for dynamic cloud service deployment on the container-based platform to facilitate the efficient execution and improve the utilization. We target the load-aware service deployment approach for task ranking scenario. This proposed effort can collaborate with resource management system to adaptively deploy services according to the different requests. In particular, our approach relies on composing service immediately onto appropriate container according to user’s requirement in order to conserve the waiting time. Our evaluation shows how efficient of the service deployment is and how to expand its applicability to support the variety of cloud service.

Keywords: cloud computing, container-based virtualization, resource broker, service deployment

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687 Flexural Behavior of Voided Slabs Reinforced With Basalt Bars

Authors: Jazlah Majeed Sulaiman, Lakshmi P.

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Concrete slabs are considered to be very ductile structural members. Openings in reinforced slabs are necessary so as to install the mechanical, electrical and pumping (MEP) conduits and ducts. However, these openings reduce the load-carrying capacity, stiffness, energy, and ductility of the slabs. To resolve the undesirable effects of openings in the slab behavior, it is significant to achieve the desired strength against the loads acting on it. The use of Basalt Fiber Reinforcement Polymers (BFRP) as reinforcement has become a valid sustainable option as they produce less greenhouse gases, resist corrosion and have higher tensile strength. In this paper, five slab models are analyzed using non-linear static analysis in ANSYS Workbench to study the effect of openings on slabs reinforced with basalt bars. A parametric numerical study on the loading condition and the shape and size of the opening is conducted, and their load and displacement values are compared. One of the models is validated experimentally.

Keywords: concrete slabs, openings, BFRP, sustainable, corrosion resistant, non-linear static analysis, ANSYS

Procedia PDF Downloads 111
686 Bank ATM Monitoring System Using IR Sensor

Authors: P. Saravanakumar, N. Raja, M. Rameshkumar, D. Mohankumar, R. Sateeshkumar, B. Maheshwari

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This research work is designed using Microsoft VB. Net as front end and MySQL as back end. The project deals with secure the user transaction in the ATM system. This application contains the option for sending the failed transaction details to the particular customer by using the SMS. When the customer withdraws the amount from the Bank ATM system, sometimes the amount will not be dispatched but the amount will be debited to the particular account. This application is used to avoid this type of problems in the ATM system. In this proposed system using IR technique to detect the dispatched amount. IR Transmitter and IR Receiver are placed in the path of cash dispatch. It is connected each other through the IR signal. When the customers withdraw the amount in the ATM system then the amount will be dispatched or not is monitored by IR Receiver. If the amount will be dispatched then the signal will be interrupted between the IR Receiver and the IR Transmitter. At that time, the monitoring system will be reduced their particular withdraw amount on their account. If the cash will not be dispatched, the signal will not be interrupted, at that time the particular withdraw amount will not be reduced their account. If the transaction completed successfully, the transaction details such as withdraw amount and current balance can be sent to the customer via the SMS. If the transaction fails, the transaction failed message can be send to the customer.

Keywords: ATM system, monitoring system, IR Transmitter, IR Receiver

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685 Аnalysis of the Perception of Medical Professionalism by Specialists of Family Medicine in Kazakhstan

Authors: Nurgul A. Abenova, Gaukhar S. Dilmagambetova, Lazzat M. Zhamaliyeva

Abstract:

Professionalism is a core competency that all medical students must achieve throughout their studies. Clinical knowledge, good communication skills and an understanding of ethics form the basis of professionalism. Patients, medical societies and accrediting organizations expect future specialists to be professionals in their field, which in turn leads to the best clinical results. Currently, there are no studies devoted to the study of medical professionalism in the Republic of Kazakhstan. As a result, medical education in the Kazakhstani system has a limited perception of the concept of professionalism compared to many Western medical schools. Thus, the primary purpose of this study is to analyze the perception of medical professionalism among residents and teachers of family medicine at the West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov Medical University. А qualitative research method was used based on the content analysis methodology. A focus group discussion was held with 60 residents and 12 family medicine teachers to gather participants' views and experiences in the field of medical professionalism. The received information was processed using the MAXQDA-2020 software package. Respondents were selected for the study based on their age, gender, and educational level. The results of the conducted survey confirmed the respondents’ acknowledgment of the basic attributes of professionalism, such as medical knowledge and skills (more than 40% of the answers), personal and moral qualities of the doctor (more than 25% of the answers), respect for the interests of the patient (15% of the answers), the relationship between the doctor and the patient and among professionals themselves (15% of responses). Another important discovery of the survey was that residents are five times more likely to define the relationship between a doctor and a patient in a model “respect for the interests of the patient” in comparison with teachers of family medicine, who primarily reported responsibility and collegiality to be the basis for the development of professionalism and traditionally view doctor-patient relationship to be formed on the basis of paternalism defined by a high degree of control over patients. This significant difference demonstrates a rift among specialists in the field of family medicine, which causes a lot of problems. For example, nowadays, professional family doctors regularly face burnout problem due to many reasons and factors that force them to abandon their jobs. In addition to that, elements of professionalism such as reflective skills, time management and feedback collection were presented to the least extent (less than 1%) by both groups, which differs from the perception of the Western medical school and is a significant issue that needs to be solved. The qualitative nature of our study provides a detailed understanding of medical professionalism in the context of the Central Asian healthcare system, revealing many aspects that are inferior to the Western medical school counterparts and provides a solution, which is to teach the attributes and skills required for medical professionalism at all stages of medical education of family doctors.

Keywords: family medicine, family doctors, medical professionalism, medical education

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684 Clustering Performance Analysis using New Correlation-Based Cluster Validity Indices

Authors: Nathakhun Wiroonsri

Abstract:

There are various cluster validity measures used for evaluating clustering results. One of the main objectives of using these measures is to seek the optimal unknown number of clusters. Some measures work well for clusters with different densities, sizes and shapes. Yet, one of the weaknesses that those validity measures share is that they sometimes provide only one clear optimal number of clusters. That number is actually unknown and there might be more than one potential sub-optimal option that a user may wish to choose based on different applications. We develop two new cluster validity indices based on a correlation between an actual distance between a pair of data points and a centroid distance of clusters that the two points are located in. Our proposed indices constantly yield several peaks at different numbers of clusters which overcome the weakness previously stated. Furthermore, the introduced correlation can also be used for evaluating the quality of a selected clustering result. Several experiments in different scenarios, including the well-known iris data set and a real-world marketing application, have been conducted to compare the proposed validity indices with several well-known ones.

Keywords: clustering algorithm, cluster validity measure, correlation, data partitions, iris data set, marketing, pattern recognition

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683 Testing the Moderating Effect of Sub Ethnic on Household Investment Behaviour

Authors: Widayat Widayat

Abstract:

Nowday, in the modern investment era, household behavior on investment is a topic that is quite warm. The development of the modern investment, indicated by the emergence of a variety of investment instruments, such as stocks, bonds and various forms of derivatives, affected on the complexity of choosing an investment, especially for traditional societies. Various studies show that there is more than one factor acting as a behavioral antesenden decide to choose an investment instrument. One of the factors, which contribute in determining the investment option is ethnic. Society with a particular sub-culture tend to prefer investing their particular instrument. This is because they have the values, norms and different social environmental. This article is designed to test the impact of sub-cultures between Osing-Java as moderator, in investing. The study was conducted in Banyuwangi, East Java Province of Indonesia. Data were collected using questionnaires, which is given to the head of the household respondents were selected as samples. Sample of households selected by multistage sampling method. The data have been collected processed using SmartPLS software and testing moderating effects using grouped sample test. The result showed that sub-ethnic and has a significant role in determining the investment.

Keywords: investment behaviour, household, moderating, sub ethnic

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682 Role of Zakat and Awqf in Socioeconomic Development of Pakistan: Exploring the Issues and Challenges

Authors: Marium. K.Makhdoom, Talat Hussain, Syed H. Bukhari

Abstract:

The motivation behind this paper is to focus the need of Zakat as a monetary framework with a specific end goal and as a social equity instrument and minimization of the level of poverty in society to assess the socioeconomic development. The procedure of the study includes investigating the applied system of Islamic economics to propose an option display so as to contribute fundamentally to the Ummah and serving the countries. This paper closes to be viewed Zakat as one of the best possible strategies to quantify the socioeconomic development, which implies when individuals pay Zakat the socioeconomic development level will be higher and vice versa. The duties of Muslims to pay Zakat to accomplish practical improvement as far as wealth redistribution in the middle of Muslims and in addition overcoming any and all hardships between the rich and the poor in the general public. The paper adds to consider Zakat as an index to gauge economic development, moreover, the part of Zakat as an instrument of social equity and neediness destruction in the public eye. By and large, this includes the installment every year of more than two percent of one's capital after the needs of the family have been met.

Keywords: Zakat, Waqf, economic development, Pakistan, Islamic economics, macroeconomics, microeconomics

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681 Aiming at Optimization of Tracking Technology through Seasonally Tilted Sun Trackers: An Indian Perspective

Authors: Sanjoy Mukherjee

Abstract:

Discussions on concepts of Single Axis Tracker (SAT) are becoming more and more apt for developing countries like India not just as an advancement in racking technology but due to the utmost necessity of reaching at the lowest Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) targets. With this increasing competition and significant fall in feed-in tariffs of solar PV projects, developers are under constant pressure to secure investment for their projects and eventually earn profits from them. Moreover, being the second largest populated country, India suffers from scarcity of land because of higher average population density. So, to mitigate the risk of this dual edged sword with reducing trend of unit (kWh) cost at one side and utilization of land on the other, tracking evolved as the call of the hour. Therefore, the prime objectives of this paper are not only to showcase how STT proves to be an effective mechanism to get more gain in Global Incidence in collector plane (Ginc) with respect to traditional mounting systems but also to introduce Seasonally Tilted Tracker (STT) technology as a possible option for high latitude locations.

Keywords: tracking system, grid connected solar PV plant, CAPEX reduction, levelized cost of energy

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680 Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor Followed by Dissolved Air Flotation Treating Municipal Sewage

Authors: Priscila Ribeiro dos Santos, Luiz Antonio Daniel

Abstract:

Inadequate access to clean water and sanitation has become one of the most widespread problems affecting people throughout the developing world, leading to an unceasing need for low-cost and sustainable wastewater treatment systems. The UASB technology has been widely employed as a suitable and economical option for the treatment of sewage in developing countries, which involves low initial investment, low energy requirements, low operation and maintenance costs, high loading capacity, short hydraulic retention times, long solids retention times and low sludge production. Whereas dissolved air flotation process is a good option for the post-treatment of anaerobic effluents, being capable of producing high quality effluents in terms of total suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand, phosphorus, and even pathogens. This work presents an evaluation and monitoring, over a period of 6 months, of one compact full-scale system with this configuration, UASB reactors followed by dissolved air flotation units (DAF), operating in Brazil. It was verified as a successful treatment system, and an issue of relevance since dissolved air flotation process treating UASB reactor effluents is not widely encompassed in the literature. The study covered the removal and behavior of several variables, such as turbidity, total suspend solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), Escherichia coli, total coliforms and Clostridium perfringens. The physicochemical variables were analyzed according to the protocols established by the Standard Methods for Examination of Water and Wastewater. For microbiological variables, such as Escherichia coli and total coliforms, it was used the “pour plate” technique with Chromocult Coliform Agar (Merk Cat. No.1.10426) serving as the culture medium, while the microorganism Clostridium perfringens was analyzed through the filtering membrane technique, with the Ágar m-CP (Oxoid Ltda, England) serving as the culture medium. Approximately 74% of total COD was removed in the UASB reactor, and the complementary removal done during the flotation process resulted in 88% of COD removal from the raw sewage, thus the initial concentration of COD of 729 mg.L-1 decreased to 87 mg.L-1. Whereas, in terms of particulate COD, the overall removal efficiency for the whole system was about 94%, decreasing from 375 mg.L-1 in raw sewage to 29 mg.L-1 in final effluent. The UASB reactor removed on average 77% of the TSS from raw sewage. While the dissolved air flotation process did not work as expected, removing only 30% of TSS from the anaerobic effluent. The final effluent presented an average concentration of 38 mg.L-1 of TSS. The turbidity was significantly reduced, leading to an overall efficiency removal of 80% and a final turbidity of 28 NTU.The treated effluent still presented a high concentration of fecal pollution indicators (E. coli, total coliforms, and Clostridium perfringens), showing that the system did not present a good performance in removing pathogens. Clostridium perfringens was the organism which suffered the higher removal by the treatment system. The results can be considered satisfactory for the physicochemical variables, taking into account the simplicity of the system, besides that, it is necessary a post-treatment to improve the microbiological quality of the final effluent.

Keywords: dissolved air flotation, municipal sewage, UASB reactor, treatment

Procedia PDF Downloads 331