Summation of some infinite series by the methods of Hypergeometric functions and partial fractions

In this article we obtain the summations of some infinite series by partial fraction method and by using certain hypergeometric summation theorems of positive and negative unit arguments, Riemann Zeta functions, polygamma functions, lower case beta functions of one-variable and other associated functions. We also obtain some hypergeometric summation theorems for: 8F7[9/2, 3/2, 3/2, 3/2, 3/2, 3, 3, 1; 7/2, 7/2, 7/2, 7/2, 1/2, 2, 2; 1], 5F4[5/3, 4/3, 4/3, 1/3, 1/3; 2/3, 1, 2, 2; 1], 5F4[9/4, 5/2, 3/2, 1/2, 1/2; 5/4, 2, 3, 3; 1], 5F4[13/8, 5/4, 5/4, 1/4, 1/4; 5/8, 2, 2, 1; 1], 5F4[1/2, 1/2, 5/2, 5/2, 1; 3/2, 3/2, 7/2, 7/2; -1], 4F3[3/2, 3/2, 1, 1; 5/2, 5/2, 2; 1], 4F3[2/3, 1/3, 1, 1; 7/3, 5/3, 2; 1], 4F3[7/6, 5/6, 1, 1; 13/6, 11/6, 2; 1] and 4F3[1, 1, 1, 1; 3, 3, 3; -1]

Summation of some infinite series by the methods of Hypergeometric functions and partial fractions

In this article we obtain the summations of some infinite series by partial fraction method and by using certain hypergeometric summation theorems of positive and negative unit arguments, Riemann Zeta functions, polygamma functions, lower case beta functions of one-variable and other associated functions. We also obtain some hypergeometric summation theorems for: 8F7[9/2, 3/2, 3/2, 3/2, 3/2, 3, 3, 1; 7/2, 7/2, 7/2, 7/2, 1/2, 2, 2; 1], 5F4[5/3, 4/3, 4/3, 1/3, 1/3; 2/3, 1, 2, 2; 1], 5F4[9/4, 5/2, 3/2, 1/2, 1/2; 5/4, 2, 3, 3; 1], 5F4[13/8, 5/4, 5/4, 1/4, 1/4; 5/8, 2, 2, 1; 1], 5F4[1/2, 1/2, 5/2, 5/2, 1; 3/2, 3/2, 7/2, 7/2; −1], 4F3[3/2, 3/2, 1, 1; 5/2, 5/2, 2; 1], 4F3[2/3, 1/3, 1, 1; 7/3, 5/3, 2; 1], 4F3[7/6, 5/6, 1, 1; 13/6, 11/6, 2; 1] and 4F3[1, 1, 1, 1; 3, 3, 3; −1]

Direction-Dependent CMB Power Spectrum and Statistical Anisotropy from Noncommutative Geometry

Modern cosmology has now emerged as a testing ground for theories beyond the standard model of particle physics. In this paper, we consider quantum fluctuations of the inflaton scalar field on certain noncommutative spacetimes and look for noncommutative corrections in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. Inhomogeneities in the distribution of large scale structure and anisotropies in the CMB radiation can carry traces of noncommutativity of the early universe. We show that its power spectrum becomes direction-dependent when spacetime is noncommutative. (The effects due to noncommutativity can be observed experimentally in the distribution of large scale structure of matter as well.) Furthermore, we have shown that the probability distribution determining the temperature fluctuations is not Gaussian for our noncommutative spacetimes.Comment: 26 pages. v3: Minor correction

MEDICAL STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE THERAPIES: A PRE- AND POST-EXPOSURE SURVEY IN MAJMAAH UNIVERSITY, SAUDI ARABIA

Background: Evidently, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is increasingly a recognized medical practice that efficiently uses multiple treatment therapies and techniques in promoting the health and wellbeing of people as well as preventing and managing a variety of human disorders. Research in CAM, which courses exposure to diverse healthcare professionals, is important from many perspectives including improvement in teaching skills of faculty, enhancing capacity building, and innovative curriculum development. This pre- and post-design crosssectional study aimed to assess perceptions, training needs, personal usage, use in office practice, and knowledge of two batches of medical students toward CAM therapies in Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: The second year medical students of the first (year 2012-13) and second (year 2013-2014) batch [n=26 & 39, respectively] were selected for this study. A reliable 16-item self-administered questionnaire was distributed among all students for answering before and after the 48-hour specific 19 CAM therapies course, in terms of CAM therapies are clearly conventional or alternative, training needs, effectiveness, personal use, use in practice, management of two clinical cases by CAM or conventional therapies, and views about which evidence based approach strongly support individual CAM modalities. Results: Medical students' knowledge and perceptions of CAM therapies significantly improved across some sub-items of CAM questionnaire with a positive trend in the rest of its items including their views about CAM therapies, need for further training, personal use of therapies and advising patients regarding CAM practices strongly supported by randomized clinical controlled trials and published case studies. Conclusion: CAM course tends to have positive impact on the knowledge and perceptions of medical students, in addition to need for further training, and personal use and use of CAM therapies in practice in line with strong evidence-based data regarding therapeutic efficacy. The preliminary results of this study call for further research in specific CAM modalities with a larger sample in academic settings across the nation

Reply to commentary on "History of spinal neurosurgery and spine societies"

Scientific Assessment and Innovation in Neurosurgical Treatment Strategie

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. Methods: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model—a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates—with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality—which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. Findings: The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2–100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1–290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1–211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4–48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3–37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7–9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. Interpretation: Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The international legal theory of IMF conditionality An alternative approach

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DX201788 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

An analysis of beef and bovine marketing systems in Pothwar Plateau of Punjab, Pakistan

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN030898 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo