Prediction of reserves using multivariate power-normal mixture distribution

Recently, in the area on stochastic loss reserving, there are a number of papers which analyze the individual claims data using the Position Dependent Marked Poisson Process. The present paper instead uses a different type of individual data. For the i-th (1 ≤ i ≤ n) customer, these individual data include the sum insured i s together with the amount paid ij y and the amount ij a reported but not yet paid in the j-th (1 6) j dd development year. A technique based on multivariate power-normal mixture distribution is already available for predicting the future value ( 1 ijy � , 1 ija � ) using the present year value(,) i j i j ya and the sum insured i s . Presently the above technique is improved by the transformation of distribution which is defined on the whole real line to one which is non-negative and having approximately the same first four moments as the original distribution. It is found that, for the dataset considered in this paper, the improved method giveV a better estimate for the reserve when compared with the chain ladder reserve estimate. Furthermore, the method is expected to provide a fairly reliable value for the Provision of Risk Margin for Adverse Deviation (PRAD

Cancer Survival Experiences Retold Through Web Portal

The purpose of this paper is to examine the experience of cancer survivors while they are still a patient of cancer. Their reflections were documented in video form and published via a web portal entitled ‘Share’. Besides that, this paper also seeks to understand the impact of experience retold via the portal to media users who are generally the support group members. This research uses a qualitative approach which involved five cancer survivors for the actual interviews while two cancer survivors for pilot interviews. The researcher conducted in-depth interviews with empathetic listening approach in order to collect the cancer survivor’s experience. Maslow’s Theory of Motivation is adopted as a conceptual framework for guiding the research particularly in framing the interview questions that focuses on exploring the physiological, safety, love and belonging needs of cancer survivors which is the first three levels discussed in Maslow’s theory. A survey is disseminated to the support group to understand their perception towards the Share’s portal. The results informed that the cancer survivors needs have been identified accordingly to the first three levels of Maslow’s theory. The cancer survivors’ needs were similar to each other when they were still patients. Their sharing intention was high, because they had reached a certain level of attitude compared to the time when they are healthy after experiencing a bigger challenge in their lives. As for the feedbacks from the support group majority of the feedbacks support the role of this portal to keep them connected and agreed on the importance to have such a portal to cater to their support group. This study enables the researcher to understand the experience sharing process and learning from the cancer survivors. Besides that, this study offers a better understanding of the needs of cancer patients. This study benefits the cancer support group in Malaysia because of the fundamental needs for the cancer support group to enable them to have a better knowledge, experiences, and advice sharing to new cancer patients. Such information offers the community a better understanding of the needs of cancer patients based on Maslow’s Theory of Needs. Maslow’s Theory is widely used in the healthcare and hospice study in the recent year

Initiating head development in mouse embryos: integrating signalling and transcriptional activity

The generation of an embryonic body plan is the outcome of inductive interactions between the progenitor tissues that underpin their specification, regionalization and morphogenesis. The intercellular signalling activity driving these processes is deployed in a time- and site-specific manner, and the signal strength must be precisely controlled. Receptor and ligand functions are modulated by secreted antagonists to impose a dynamic pattern of globally controlled and locally graded signals onto the tissues of early post-implantation mouse embryo. In response to the WNT, Nodal and Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) signalling cascades, the embryo acquires its body plan, which manifests as differences in the developmental fate of cells located at different positions in the anterior–posterior body axis. The initial formation of the anterior (head) structures in the mouse embryo is critically dependent on the morphogenetic activity emanating from two signalling centres that are juxtaposed with the progenitor tissues of the head. A common property of these centres is that they are the source of antagonistic factors and the hub of transcriptional activities that negatively modulate the function of WNT, Nodal and BMP signalling cascades. These events generate the scaffold of the embryonic head by the early-somite stage of development. Beyond this, additional tissue interactions continue to support the growth, regionalization, differentiation and morphogenesis required for the elaboration of the structure recognizable as the embryonic head

The Growth Performance and Costs of Rearing Friesian Crossbreed Dairy Young Stock in Malaysian Commercial Farm

The important elements in rearing dairy young stock are good farm management, proper growth and optimal costs of rearing. A survey on these important elements was conducted at two commercial farms in Johor and Sabah in 2019. The farm herd size is 214 heads and 2,221 heads with 163,682 litres and 4.2 mil. litres of milk production, in Johor and Sabah respectively. In addition, the body weight data of 188 dairy young stock was collected and analysed to determine the growth performance using polynomial growth function. The results showed the two farms have youngstock with different Friesian blood levels (60% and 70% in Johor, and 87.5% in Sabah) with different growth performance. The average weight of dairy young stock with 60%, 70% and 87.5% Friesian blood levels at birth were 21.31±3.70kg, 22.33±2.23kg and 26.55±2.68kg, respectively, while average weight at 3 months of age were 45.00±7.07kg, 55.57±8.36kg and 75.84±12.54kg, respectively. Heifers with 87.5% Friesian blood levels was bred at 15 months of age (444kg) while heifers with lower Friesian blood levels was bred 6 months later (250kg). The average rearing (feed) cost was RM4,932 (USD1,194)/heifer. The findings of this study can give awareness and insights in the performance and costs of rearing crossbreed dairy young stock in tropics. Keywords: tropical, dairy, young stock, management, rearing cos

Diet formulation for Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man) broodstock based on essential amino acid profile of its eggs

Twelve pelleted diets containing a range of protein and energy levels from 30% protein, 400 kcal gross energy per 100 g diet to 40% protein and 520 kcal gross energy per 100 g diet were formulated. A least-cost linear programming package was applied to determine the optimum inclusion levels of some locally available ingredients. The essential amino acid constraints applied to the diets were based on the essential amino acid content of the eggs of broodstock Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man). The study was undertaken using 13 one-tonne capacity fibreglass tanks, each with a water recycling system. Each tank was partitioned into three equal compartments by nylon netting; each compartment was stocked with six female and one male prawn which were fed with the various diets at 2% body weight daily split into three feedings at 0800, 1200 and 1800 h. The results indicated that prawn fed the 40% protein diet with an energy level of 400 kcal per 100 g diet attained the highest fecundity, producing 1355 eggs per gram body weight, followed by those fed P40 with a gross energy level of 440 kcal 100 g-1 (1354 eggs per gram body weight), and prawns fed control diet (30% protein with an energy level of 442 kcal 100 g diet-1) attained the lowest fecundity (1080 eggs per gram body weight). However, statistically, no significant differences in fecundity were observed among prawn fed 35% protein diet with an energy level of 473 kcal 100 g-1, 40 with energy levels of 400 or 440 kcal 100 g diet-1. The essential amino acids index (EAAI) were calculated and were found to be a possible method of evaluating the broodstock diet of M. rosenbergii as a higher index indicates higher egg production. Therefore, a diet containing 40% protein, with an energy level of 400 kcal 100 g diet-1 is recommended as a broodstock feed for M. rosenbergii in view of its superior performance and cost

Seroepidemiology of coxsackievirus A6, coxsackievirus A16, and Enterovirus 71 infections among children and adolescents in Singapore, 2008-2010

10.1371/journal.pone.0127999PLoS ONE105e012799

A study of 1088 consecutive cases of electrolyte abnormalities in oncology phase I trials.

Background The incidence and clinical significance of electrolyte abnormalities (EAs) in phase I clinical trials are unknown. The objective of this study is to evaluate the incidence and severity of EAs, graded according to CTCAE, v4.03, to identify variables associated with EAs and their prognostic significance in a phase I population.Methods A retrospective chart review was performed of 1088 cases in 82 phase I clinical trials consecutively treated from 2011 to 2015 at the Drug Development Unit of the Royal Marsden Hospital. Cox regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between overall survival (OS) and baseline characteristics, treating the occurrence of grade III/IV EAs as a time-varying covariate.Results The most common emergent EAs (all grades) were as follows: hyponatraemia 62%, hypokalaemia 40%, hypophosphataemia 32%, hypomagnesaemia 17% and hypocalcaemia 12%. Grade III/IV EAs occurred in 19% of cases. Grade III/IV EAs occurred during the dose-limiting toxicity window in 8.46% of cases. Diarrhoea was associated with hypomagnesaemia at all grades (p < 0.001), hyponatraemia at all grades (p = 0.006) and with G3/G4 hypokalaemia (p = 0.02). Baseline hypoalbuminaemia and hyponatraemia were associated with a higher risk of developing other EAs during the trial in the univariate analysis. Patients who developed grade III/IV EAs during follow-up had an inferior median OS (26 weeks vs 37 weeks, hazard ratio = 1.61; p < 0.001).Conclusion This is the first study to demonstrate the clinical significance of baseline hypoalbuminaemia and hyponatraemia, which are predictors of development of other EAs in phase I patients. Grade III/IV EAs are adverse prognostic factors of OS independent of serum albumin levels

Dental management considerations for the patient with an acquired coagulopathy. Part 1: Coagulopathies from systemic disease

Current teaching suggests that many patients are at risk for prolonged bleeding during and following invasive dental procedures, due to an acquired coagulopathy from systemic disease and/or from medications. However, treatment standards for these patients often are the result of long-standing dogma with little or no scientific basis. The medical history is critical for the identification of patients potentially at risk for prolonged bleeding from dental treatment. Some time-honoured laboratory tests have little or no use in community dental practice. Loss of functioning hepatic, renal, or bone marrow tissue predisposes to acquired coagulopathies through different mechanisms, but the relationship to oral haemostasis is poorly understood. Given the lack of established, science-based standards, proper dental management requires an understanding of certain principles of pathophysiology for these medical conditions and a few standard laboratory tests. Making changes in anticoagulant drug regimens are often unwarranted and/or expensive, and can put patients at far greater risk for morbidity and mortality than the unlikely outcome of postoperative bleeding. It should be recognised that prolonged bleeding is a rare event following invasive dental procedures, and therefore the vast majority of patients with suspected acquired coagulopathies are best managed in the community practice setting

The growth performance and costs of rearing friesian crossbreed dairy young stock in Malaysian commercial farm

The important elements in rearing dairy young stock are good farm management, proper growth and optimal costs of rearing. A survey on these important elements was conducted at two commercial farms in Johor and Sabah in 2019. The farm herd size is 214 heads and 2,221 heads with 163,682 litres and 4.2 mil. litres of milk production, in Johor and Sabah respectively. In addition, the body weight data of 188 dairy young stock was collected and analysed to determine the growth performance using polynomial growth function. The results showed the two farms have young stock with different Friesian blood levels (60% and 70% in Johor, and 87.5% in Sabah) with different growth performance. The average weight of dairy young stock with 60%, 70% and 87.5% Friesian blood levels at birth were 21.31±3.70kg, 22.33±2.23kg and 26.55±2.68kg, respectively, while average weight at 3 months of age were 45.00±7.07kg, 55.57±8.36kg and 75.84±12.54kg, respectively. Heifers with 87.5% Friesian blood levels was bred at 15 months of age (444kg) while heifers with lower Friesian blood levels was bred 6 months later (250kg). The average rearing (feed) cost was RM4,932 (USD1,194)/heifer. The findings of this study can give awareness and insights in the performance and costs of rearing crossbreed dairy young stock in tropics

Rheological Characteristics of Municipal Thickened Excess Activated Sludge (TEAS): Impacts of pH, Temperature, Solid Concentration and Polymer Dose

Rheological characterization of sludge is known to be an essential tool to optimize flow, mixing and other process parameters in wastewater treatment plants. This study deals with the characterization of thickened excess activated sludge in comparison to raw primary sludge and excess activated sludge. The effects of key parameters (total solid concentration, temperature, and pH) on the rheology and flow behavior of thickened excess activated sludge were studied. The rheological investigations were carried out for total solid concentration range of 0.9–3.7 %w/w, temperature range of 23–55 °C, and pH range of 3.6–10.0. Different rheological model equations were fitted to the experimental data. The model equations with better fitting were used to calculate the yield stress, apparent, zero-rate, infinite-rate viscosities, flow consistency index, and flow index. The decrease in concentration from 3.7 to 3.1 %w/w resulted in a drastic reduction of yield stress from 27.6 to 11.0 Pa, while a further reduction of yield stress to 1.3 Pa was observed as solid concentration was reduced to 1.3 %w/w. The viscosity at higher shear rate (>600 s−1) decreased from 0.05 Pa·s down to 0.008 Pa·s when the total solid concentration was reduced from 3.7 to 0.9 %. Yield stress decreased from 20.1 Pa down to 8.3 Pa for the Bingham plastic model when the temperature was raised from 25 to 55 °C. Activation energy and viscosity also showed decreasing trends with increasing temperature. Yield stress of thickened excess activated sludge increased from a value of 6.0 Pa to 8.3 Pa when the pH was increased from 3.6 to 10.0. The effect of polymer dose on the rheological behavior of the thickening of excess activated sludge was also investigated, and the optimum polymer dosage for enhanced thickener performance was determined to be 1.3 kg/ton DS