Assessment of Electrode Configurations of Electrical Impedance Myography for the Evaluation of Neuromuscular Diseases

Electrical impedance myography (EIM) is a painless, noninvasive approach to measure the neuromuscular disease status. EIM parameters- resistance (R), reactance (X) and phase (θ) depend significantly on subcutaneous fat thickness, muscle size and inter electrode distance. The objective of this research is to find an electrode configuration which can minimize the effects on EIM parameters due to subcutaneous fat thickness variation. In this study, a model of human upper arm was developed using finite element method (FEM), which has already been established as an appropriate approach for the analysis of non-symmetrical shape for assessing alternations of muscle in disease-induced changes through EIM. Finite element model with two different kinds of electrode shapes namely rectangular (conventional shape) and circular shapes (proposed shape) were designed for a subcutaneous fat range of 5mm to 25mm. The results show that the standard deviation of reactance values measured for this specified range of fat thickness is 0.65 Ω for circular electrodes, whereas for the rectangular electrode this value is 2.04 Ω. Finally, genetic algorithm was implemented to find an optimized electrode shape which also indicates that the conventional rectangular electrode shape is not the ideal shape for EIM measurements

Study on epidemiology, risk factors and clinical characteristics of triple negative breast cancer in Bangladesh

Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer in Bangladesh. Although significant improvement has been made in breast cancer treatment and management, Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is still the least known breast cancer subtype in this country. TNBC is well known for its aggressive nature and limited therapeutic options when compared to other breast cancer subtypes. Several population-based studies indicated high prevalence of TNBC in African women in addition to few recent studies indicating a growing number of TNBC patients among Asian population. However, there is a lack of evidence on TNBC patients in Bangladesh due to limited knowledge and awareness. In this paper we review the epidemiology, general risk factors and clinical characteristics of TNBC to find out the correlation between TNBC and other conventional breast cancer subtypes in Bangladesh. Some diagnostic and therapeutic approaches as well as future novel solutions for TNBC are also discussed to understand the pathologic process and treatment strategies of TNBC. Literature review reveals that, there is a lack of TNBC studies in Bangladesh. Therefore, more investigations should be carried out to address the degree of vulnerability of TNBC in breast cancer patients of Bangladesh

Modified Lee-Carter Methods with LASSO type Smoothing and Adjusting for Lifespan Disparity

Extrapolative methods like Lee-Carter and its later variants are widely accepted for forecasting mortality in industrial countries due to simplicity, both for single population forecasting and coherent forecasting. This model assumes an invariant age component and a linear time component for forecasting. The latter requires a second level estimation to increase forecast accuracy. We propose to apply the Lee-Carter method on smoothed mortality rates obtained by LASSO type regularization and hence to partially adjust the time component to match the observed lifespan disparity ($e_0^\dagger$). Smoothing by lasso produces less error during fitting period compared to other spline based smoothing techniques. Also matching with $e_0^\dagger$ - a more informative indicator of longevity than $e_0$, made the time component more reflective of countries' mortality patterns. We further extend this methodology for coherent forecasting as well. In this setting, choosing the appropriate reference population remains an arbitrary process. We propose to obtain the reference population on the basis of closest $\bar{e}_0^\dagger$. Hence the common factor of coherent model is estimated utilizing only a subset of the available years (the best fitting period), and these same years are considered as country-specific fitting period as well. Both of the proposed methods have been found to be more accurate during out-of-sample evaluation compared to corresponding existing models and provide more optimistic forecasts

Asymmetry and persistence of energy price volatility

This study estimates and compares the asymmetry and persistence of volatility of crude oil, natural gas and coal- three main sources of energy. This study also evaluates the effect of recent Global Financial Crisis (GFC) on the return and volatility of these energy prices. Threshold GARCH (TGARCH) and fractionally integrated GARCH (FIGARCH) model are employed to facilitate the study. The estimated results show that coal return volatility exhibits strong mean reversion whereas crude oil and natural gas return volatility endures shocks for relatively higher period. The estimated results also confirm that volatility of crude oil and natural gas increases after positive shocks in prices

Macroeconomic impact of remittances and the Dutch Disease in a developing country

The magnitude of the flow of remittances to a developing country like Bangladesh and their rate of growth has become a significant factor in its economy. The huge flow of remittances affects the production sector and employment structure, as well as the scale of external trade competitiveness of the economy as measured by the real exchange rate (RER). Movement of the RER from its equilibrium position is very important and is also crucial in identifying the factors most influencing this movement. Using Johansen cointegration and Vector Error Correction models, this study has found that the flow of remittances is appreciating the RER and decreasing the external trade competitiveness of Bangladesh; thus, the procedure is slowly bringing about deterioration in the economy of Bangladesh, a process known as Dutch Disease. To counter this, a gradual relaxation of the trade barrier plus promotion of external trade diversification and diversion of the remittances flow from non-tradable sectors to priority investment areas will counteract the adverse consequences of remittances on the Bangladeshi economy in the long run

Grand Challenges in Central Europe : The Relationship of Food Security, Climate Change, and Energy Use

Pursuing various sustainable development goals is posing new challenges for societies, policymakers, and researchers alike. This study implements an exploratory approach to address the complexity of food security and nuance its relationship with other grand challenges, such as energy use and climate change, in Central European countries. A multiple factor analysis (MFA) suggests that the three pillars of food security relate differently to climate change: food affordability and food accessibility positively correlate with climate change, while food quality has a negative association with temperature rise. However, if countries switched to renewable energy resources, all three pillars of food security could be achieved simultaneously. The study also underlines regional inequalities regarding grand challenges and emphasizes the need for innovative local solutions, i.e., advances in agriculture systems, educational programs, and the development of environmental technologies that consider social and economic issues.publishedVersio

Food Security and Transition towards Sustainability

In the light of linkages in various scales and targets, the complex and nuanced design of the sustainable development goals (SDG) raises more challenges in their implementation on the ground. This paper reviewed 25 food security indicators, proposed improvements to facilitate operationalization, and illustrated practical implementation. The research focused on three essential blind spots that arise from the potential interactions between sustainable food production, consumption, and domestic material consumption (DMC). Projection of latent structure regression was applied to link food security and sustainable development goals. Findings revealed that the key target in reducing trade-offs was the integration of DMC with sustainable food production and consumption. DMC was positively correlated with the creation of coherent SDG strategies and sustainable food security. Practical implications were discussed by highlighting how to achieve food security across contrasting development contexts and the challenges of addressing the links between targets and indicators within and beyond SDGs 2 and 12. The results are useful for setting a proper strategy for sustainable production and consumption that can improve the efficient use of resources in the eight Central European countries

What Went Wrong with the Achievement of Replacement Fertility in Bangladesh and Its Consequences on the Demographic Dividend: The Role of Proximate Determinants?

According to 2010 World Population Prospects (WPP), Bangladesh is passing the second phase of fertility transition. The recent fertility level (TFR) of Bangladesh is 2.3 births per woman. The Bangladesh Demographic & Health Survey (BDHS)-2014 data showed that fertility is stalled again since BDHS-2011 unexpectedly. This stagnation raises questions about the prospect of reaching replacement fertility which was supposed to be achieved in Bangladesh by 2015 but failed again. This also has implications on the demographic window and consequently on the demographic dividend. Using the data of BDHS-2014 and applying the Bongaarts framework of the proximate determinants of fertility, this study attempts to identify the factors responsible for not achieving replacement fertility yet. The results demonstrate that contraception still dominates the fertility reduction in Bangladesh, followed by lactational infecundability, marriage and induced abortion. The change in the level of the proximate determinants and other key factors showed that fertility did not change much since BDHS-2011 which possibly caused this stagnation. The important factor which may have contributed to this is the high proportion of adolescent marriage in Bangladesh. This factor still creates a higher value of index of marriage which in turn affects fertility rates. Simulation on proportion married at adolescent age group suggests policy implications for achieving replacement fertility in Bangladesh can be achieved. In addition, the role of abortion and its measurement problem are also discussed