Case of carbon monoxide poisoning after smoking shisha

Carbon monoxide poisoning has been reported as a result of exposure to various sources of smoke, such as car exhaust fumes, home water heaters and tobacco smoke. We describe a case of symptomatic, moderately severe carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in a young Mediterranean man after smoking a waterpipe, or shisha. This case highlights the importance of considering carbon monoxide exposure in patients presenting with non-specific neurological symptoms to the emergency department (ED)

Non-repudiation in an agent-based e-commerce system

Abecos is an agent-based e-commerce system under development at the Nanyang Technological University. It aims to provide a software infrastructure for a large scale, distributed system whereby seller and buyer (software) agents engage in e-commerce activities on behalf of organizations and individuals. A key factor in making this system usable in practice is strict security controls. One aspect of security is the provision of non-repudiation services. As protocols for non-repudiation have focused on the singlemessage non-repudiation, its adaptation to afford non-repudiation in a communication session for two agents in Abecos is inefficient. In this work, we investigate and propose a protocol for enforcing non-repudiation in a session. We compare and show that it is more efficient than simple adaptations of existing protocols. Keywords: Electronic Commerce, Security, Non-Repudiation Protocol 1 Introduction Electronic commerce is an emerging paradigm of business on the fast g..

Healthcare cost containment.

This report attempts to give an overview of the state ofhealthcare cost and the various cost containment methods employed by various countries. The rising cost of healthcare provision throughout the world have provoked a vigorous debate about the design of healthcare systems and the role of government in healthcare. An important goal in the reform ofhealth care financing is reducing the rate of growth ofhealth expenditures. Health expenditures are increasing much more quickly than our productivity or our income, with little evidence that we are receiving value commensurate with the rate of expenditure increase. As a result, rapidly rising health care expenditures lead to a decline in our standard of living. Further, since the elderly and the poor cannot afford to pay for their health care, rapidly rising expenditures require increasingly large transfers of income across generations and income groups. This strains federal and state budgets. In the absence of tax increases the consequence is increased deficits and/or decreased government spending in areas other than health care. The rise in cost is mainly due to several factors like promotion and advertising, research and development and regulation imposed by the government. Although these factors contributed to the increase in cost, they are still nevertheless essential ingredients for the pharmaceutical industry to operate efficiently and for the benefit ofthe public consumers. A satisfactory solution for healthcare cost containment is imperative especially to the developing countries. However, it is important for one to realize that no single solution is applicable to all countries. This is because each countries have their own government policies towards healthcare cost containment and their own unique economic characteristics. The world should expect to see increased reliance on market solutions and moves towards multi-tiered health systems that differentiate healthcare provisions made for different groups in society.BUSINES

The golden bull : is it coming? (current prospects of gold trading)

The historic reputation of gold was founded on the very stability of its price. It was the benchmark par excellence against which other prices were compared. Today, it is a different story. Over the past decade or so, we have seen gold price surged to its zenith of $850 an ounce in 1980 and then tumbling down to as low as under$300. The wide spectrum of gold prices over time offers an opportunity for investors. What motivates the writing of this report is the potential, we see, in this long- neglected area of investment. We must admit that over the past few years, the price of gold has been in its doldrums and has seemingly been contained within a narrow band of prices. Unlike most other investments, gold hoarding not only does not reap annual returns in the form of dividends or interests (with the exception of gold shares and the like), it instead entails the incurrence of an annual maintenance fee for storage, insurance and other expenses. Thus most investors shun the yellow metal. Early last year (1993), a Swiss banker was heard saying that not a single Swiss portfolio manager had recommended gold as an investment for the New Year. However, we believe the scene is set for a change. With interest rates in many developed countries at their historic low, currency markets struggling to find their rightful place, and as a new World order of wars and threat of wars begins to unveil itself beneath a facade of peace, the glitter is slowly returning to gold. The objectives of this report are twofold: First, to create an understanding and an interest in gold investment (which we find lacking among domestic investors) and; second, to provide some foresight and advice pertaining to gold investment, primarily on the long-term basis and also, to a smaller extent, satisfy the need of the short-term speculators by devoting one chapter to common gold pricing models. The reason why we do not commit more than one chapter of our report to such models is our doubts over the applicability of these pricing models across time and the myriad of diverse situations. Moreover, if such a comprehensive model does exist, it is questionable anyone would pen it in the first place.ACCOUNTANC

Electronic Commerce in Singapore.

The objective of this project is to gain an overview and understanding of electronic commerce in Singapore. The Internet is poised to become an important business channel in the 21 st century. Internet electronic commerce is predicted to have exponential growth in the future and will have a significant impact on the way business is conducted. An understanding of the developments and uses of electronic commerce is essential for all business professionals

Advances in fabricating spherical alginate hydrogels with controlled particle designs by ionotropic gelation as encapsulation systems

International audienceAlginate is a biopolymer that has exceptional gelling properties, which allow easy gel formation under safe and mild conditions. Consequently, it is often used to encapsulate a variety of cargos, such as cells, enzymes, and lipids, and is typically employed as a model to study hydrogel-based encapsulation systems. Since the first use of alginate in the encapsulation field in the 1970s, many methods have been developed to produce alginate hydrogel particles of different sizes, structures, and morphologies. This review provides an overview of the current progress in the fabrication of alginate hydrogels with various particle designs, including a discussion of dispersion techniques to pre-template alginate particles, gelation mechanisms, considerations in selecting suitable fabrication methods, and future directions

Functional roles of JNK and p38 MAPK signaling in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family members integrate signals that affect proliferation, differentiation, survival, and migration in a cell context- and cell type-specific way. JNK and p38 MAPK activities are found upregulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Studies have shown that activation of JNK and p38 MAPK signaling can promote NPC oncogenesis by mechanisms within the cancer cells and interactions with the tumor microenvironment. They regulate multiple transcription activities and contribute to tumor-promoting processes, ranging from cell proliferation to apoptosis, inflammation, metastasis, and angiogenesis. Current literature suggests that JNK and p38 MAPK activation may exert pro-tumorigenic functions in NPC, though the underlying mechanisms are not well documented and have yet to be fully explored. Here, we aim to provide a narrative review of JNK and p38 MAPK pathways in human cancers with a primary focus on NPC. We also discuss the potential therapeutic agents that could be used to target JNK and p38 MAPK signaling in NPC, along with perspectives for future works. We aim to inspire future studies further delineating JNK and p38 MAPK signaling in NPC oncogenesis which might offer important insights for better strategies in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment decision-making in NPC patients