Note on the invariant classification of vacuum type D spacetimes

We illustrate the fact that the class of vacuum type D spacetimes which are $\mathcal{I}$-\emph{non-degenerate} are invariantly classified by their scalar polynomial curvature invariants

Automated detection of calcified plaque using higher-order spectra cumulant technique in computer tomography angiography images

Cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death globally. Often, it stems from atherosclerosis, which can trigger substantial variations in the coronary arteries, possibly causing coronary artery disease (CAD). Coronary artery calcification is known to be a strong and independent forecaster of CAD. Hence, coronary computer tomography angiography (CTA) has become a fundamental noninvasive imaging tool to characterize coronary artery plaques. In this article, an automated algorithm is presented to uncover the presence of a calcified plaque, using 2060 CTA images acquired from 60 patients. Higher-order spectra cumulants were extracted from each image, thereby providing 2448 descriptive features per image. The features were then reduced using numerous well-established techniques, and ranked according to t value. Subsequently, the reduced features were input to several classifiers to achieve the best diagnostic accuracy with a minimum number of features. Optimal results were obtained using the support vector machine with a radial basis function, having 22 features obtained with the multiple factor analysis feature reduction algorithm. The accuracy, positive predictive value, sensitivity, and specificity obtained were 95.83%, 97.05%, 94.54%, and 97.13%, respectively. Based on these results, the technique could be useful to automatically and accurately identify calcified plaque evident in CTA images, and may therefore become an important tool to help reduce procedural costs and patient radiation dose

Education & Entrepreneurship: Implications For Contemporary Microfinance

In world regions receiving direct foreign aid, beneficiaries of aid often lack the education required to remove themselves from poverty. Micro-lending refers to the initiation of small loans to the neediest of borrowers who are unable to secure traditional financing from financial intermediaries. In order for micro-lending to thrive as a viable alternative to traditional government aid, borrowers must not only receive a loan, but also an education in business to fully equip borrowers with necessary resources to establish and operate a prosperous business entity. The authors will argue for the provision of increased educational resources and discuss the disparities between the US model of education and that of third-world nations. Furthermore, the authors will prescribe steps to develop educational materials and train micro-credit borrowers to better guarantee the viability of microfinance

Godel-type Universes in String-inspired Charged Gravity

We consider a string-inspired, gravitational theory of scalar and electromagnetic fields and we investigate the existence of axially-symmetric, G\"{o}del-type cosmological solutions. The neutral case is studied first and an "extreme" G\"{o}del-type rotating solution, that respects the causality, is determined. The charged case is considered next and two new configurations for the, minimally-coupled to gravity, electromagnetic field are presented. Another configuration motivated by the expected distribution of currents and charges in a rotating universe is studied and shown to lead to a G\"{o}del-type solution for a space-dependent coupling function. Finally, we investigate the existence of G\"{o}del-type cosmological solutions in the framework of the one-loop corrected superstring effective action and we determine the sole configuration of the electromagnetic field that leads to such a solution. It turns out that, in all the charged cases considered, Closed Timelike Curves do appear and the causality is always violated.Comment: 26 pages, LaTex file, a few comments and references added, version to appear in Physical Review

Therapeutic effects of methylphenidate for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children with borderline intellectual functioning or intellectual disability: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently co-occurs with intellectual disability in children, and may further compromise learning. Methylphenidate is a first-line treatment for ADHD, however no previous meta-analysis has evaluated its overall efficacy for ADHD in children with comorbid intellectual disability (ID) or borderline intellectual functioning. The PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane CENTRAL and ScienceDirect databases were systematically searched from inception through 2018/7/15 for clinical studies that investigated the effects of methylphenidate in children with ADHD and ID. A random-effects model meta-analysis was used for data synthesis. Eight studies (average Jadad score = 2.5) enrolling 242 participants receiving methylphenidate and 181 participants receiving placebo were included. The meta-analysis showed that methylphenidate led to a significant improvement in ADHD symptoms relative to placebo (Hedges’ g = 0.878, p < 0.001). Meta-regression analysis pointed to an association between the dose of methylphenidate and overall improvement in ADHD severity (slope = 1.334, p < 0.001). Finally, there was no significant difference in drop-out rate [odds ratio (OR) = 1.679, p = 0.260] or rate of treatment discontinuation due to adverse events (OR = 4.815, p = 0.053) between subjects receiving methylphenidate and those taking placebos. Our study suggests that methylphenidate retains its efficacy in children with ADHD and borderline intellectual functioning or ID

Which executive functioning deficits are associated with AD/HD, ODD/CD and comorbid AD/HD+ODD/CD?

Item does not contain fulltextThis study investigated (1) whether attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is associated with executive functioning (EF) deficits while controlling for oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (ODD/CD), (2) whether ODD/CD is associated with EF deficits while controlling for AD/HD, and (3)~whether a combination of AD/HD and ODD/CD is associated with EF deficits (and the possibility that there is no association between EF deficits and AD/HD or ODD/CD in isolation). Subjects were 99~children ages 6–12 years. Three putative domains of EF were investigated using well-validated tests: verbal fluency, working memory, and planning. Independent of ODD/CD, AD/HD was associated with deficits in planning and working memory, but not in verbal fluency. Only teacher rated AD/HD, but not parent rated AD/HD, significantly contributed to the prediction of EF task performance. No EF deficits were associated with ODD/CD. The presence of comorbid AD/HD accounts for the EF deficits in children with comorbid AD/HD+ODD/CD. These results suggest that EF deficits are unique to AD/HD and support the model proposed by R. A. Barkley (1997).17 p

Investigate a Gas Well Performance Using Nodal Analysis

Gas condensate well has unique reservoir characteristics and ups and downs in well behaviour affect the production rate significantly. A proper optimization can reduce the operating cost, maximize the hydrocarbon recovery and increase the net present value. Well level optimization can be achieved through optimizing well parameters, such as wellhead, tubing size, and skin factor. All of these factors have been investigated using a real field of Thrace Basin and PROSPER simulation program. The history matching data are validated to identify the future performance prediction for the same reservoir deliverability following the period changes. Therefore, predicted results are compared and validated with measured field data to provide the best production practices. Moreover, the results show that the skin factor has a large influence on the production rate by 45% reduction. The reduction in the reservoir pressure declines the production rate dramatically resulted in 70% decline. While manipulating the wellhead pressure shows minor decline compare to tubing size that does not show any significant change to production rate

Immunotherapy of lung cancer: An update

In Germany lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-associated death in men. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation may enhance survival of patients suffering from lung cancer but the enhancement is typically transient and mostly absent with advanced disease; eventually more than 90% of lung cancer patients will die of disease. New approaches to the treatment of lung cancer are urgently needed. Immunotherapy may represent one new approach with low toxicity and high specificity but implementation has been a challenge because of the poor antigenic characterization of these tumors and their ability to escape immune responses. Several different immunotherapeutic treatment strategies have been developed. This review examines the current state of development and recent advances with respect to non-specific immune stimulation, cellular immunotherapy ( specific and non-specific), therapeutic cancer vaccines and gene therapy for lung cancer. The focus is primarily placed on immunotherapeutic cancer treatments that are already in clinical trial or well progressed in preclinical studies. Although there seems to be a promising future for immunotherapy in lung cancer, presently there is not standard immunotherapy available for clinical routine

The prevalence and incidence of mental ill-health in adults with autism and intellectual disabilities

The prevalence, and incidence, of mental ill-health in adults with intellectual disabilities and autism were compared with the whole population with intellectual disabilities, and with controls, matched individually for age, gender, ability-level, and Down syndrome. Although the adults with autism had a higher point prevalence of problem behaviours compared with the whole adult population with intellectual disabilities, compared with individually matched controls there was no difference in prevalence, or incidence of either problem behaviours or other mental ill-health. Adults with autism who had problem behaviours were less likely to recover over a two-year period than were their matched controls. Apparent differences in rates of mental ill-health are accounted for by factors other than autism, including Down syndrome and ability level