Optimal Pricing and order quantity strategies for a firm offering multiple products facing customers cannibalization and random market demand

This paper studies a firm’s profitability problem offering its products into different market segments at differentiated prices. In order to improve the firms’ profitability the firm needs to decide the prices and order quantities allocations for each market segment. In perfect market segmentation, it is assumed that the customers do not cannibalize between market segments. Whereas, in the case of imperfect market segmentation, the customers are assumed to cannibalize from a high price market segment to a lower price segment. Models to determine the optimal strategies for pricing and order quantity for the perfect as well as for the imperfect market segmentations are proposed with both the deterministic and stochastic customers’ demand. The study has shown that the perfect market segmentation always yields higher revenues compared to no segmentation for a firm facing both the deterministic and stochastic demand situations. In addition to this, the study has also shown that when cannibalization exists, a firm is still able to yield higher revenues compared to the case of no market segmentation facing both the deterministic and stochastic demands, however, greater the extent of cannibalization could result substantial losses in the profitability

Leveraging proxy mobile IPv6 with SDN

The existing Proxy Mobile IPv6 suffers from a long handover latency which in turn causes significant packet loss that is unacceptable for seamless realtime services such as multimedia streaming. This paper proposes an OpenFlow-enabled proxy mobile IPv6 (OF-PMIPv6) in which the control of access gateways is centralized at an OpenFlow controller of a foreign network. The proposed OF-PMIPv6 separates the control path from the data path by performing the mobility control at the controller, whereas the data path remains direct between a mobile access gateway and a local mobility anchor in an IP tunnel form. A group of simple OpenFlow-enabled access gateways performs link-layer control and monitoring activities to support a comprehensive mobility of mobile nodes, and communicates with the controller through the standard OpenFlow protocol. The controller performs networklayer mobility control on behalf of mobile access gateways and communicates with the local mobility anchor in the Proxy Mobile IPv6 domain. Benefiting from the centralized view and information, the controller caches the authentication and configuration information and reuses it to significantly reduce the handover latency. An analytical analysis of the proposed OF-PMIPv6 reactive and proactive handover schemes shows 43% and 121% reduction in the handover latency, respectively, for highly utilized network. The results gathered from the OF-PMIPv6 testbed suggest similar performance improvements

Key Features of SARS-CoV-2 and Available Therapies for COVID-19

The disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV2) is highly pathogenic and communicable infection, progressed in Wuhan city of China and then goes viral around the globe. The Genomic investigations exposed that Phylogenetically SARS-CoV2 resembles the other SARS-like bat viruses, therefore bats were also considered as the possible potential reservoir for SARS-CoV2. There are 2 prevalent types of SARS-CoV2, L type (~70%) and S type (~30%).The L strains are considered more infectious and virulent than the ancestral S strain. The positive sense single-stranded RNA genetic material contains 29891 nucleotides which codes for 9860 amino acids. The ORF1a/b is involved in carrying the translation of two (2) polyproteins, pp1a and pp1ab as well as the encoding of 16 NSPs (Non-structural proteins), and the leftover ORFS can bring about the encoding of non-essential and structural proteins. The origination source and transmission to humankinds is still not clear, but the intermediate hosts are supposed to have a significant role in the transfer and emergence of SARS-CoV2 from bats to humans. There is still no approved drug or vaccine available for Covid-19. In the current review, we condense and fairly evaluate the emergence and pathogenicity of SARS-CoV2, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. Moreover, we also discuss the treatment and vaccine developments strategies for Covid-19

Upper-Extremity Injuries are the 2nd Most Common Workplace Injuries from 1992 to 2018

Musculoskeletal injuries occur frequently in the workplace, yet it is unclear whether upper-extremity, lower-extremity, or trunk injuries are the most prevalent. We hypothesize that: (1) trunk injuries are the most common in the overall workplace, and (2) upper-extremity injuries are more common in labor-based industries than non-labor industries. Workplace related injury data from 1992 to 2018 was collected from the Bureau of Labor Statistics “Workplace Injuries & Illnesses” database. Occurrence of trunk, upper-extremity, and lower-extremity injuries in major industries (agriculture, construction, manufacturing, and healthcare) were aggregated during this time period and compared. Overall workplace related injury occurrence in major industries from 1992 to 2018 for the following body regions were tabulated as follows: upper-extremity (4,471,340 cases), lower-extremity (3,296,547 cases), and trunk (5,889,940 cases) (p\u3c.05). Upper-extremity injury incidence was observed to be significantly higher than lower-extremity injury incidence in the manufacturing industry (p\u3c.001) and significantly lower than trunk injury incidence in the healthcare industry (p\u3c.001). However, differences between upper-extremity injury incidence and both lower-extremity and trunk injury incidence were not significant for the other industries. When comparing the occurrence of upper-extremity injuries across industries from 1992 to 2018, significant differences were determined between all industries except for healthcare (p\u3c.001). When identifying changes in injury occurrence in each respective industry across this time span, manufacturing was shown to have the largest decrease (x=-5,432, r=-.91) followed by construction (x=-966, r=-.87) and then agriculture (x=-270, r=-.79). Weak correlation was observed for healthcare (x=118, r=.15)

On-call emergency workload of a general surgical team

ABSTRACT Background: To examine the on-call emergency workload of a general surgical team at a tertiary care teaching hospital to guide planning and provision of better surgical services. Patients and Methods: During six months period from August to January 2007; all emergency calls attended by general surgical team of Surgical Unit II in Accident and Emergency department (A and E) and in other units of Civil, Hospital Karachi, Pakistan were prospectively recorded. Data recorded includes timing of call, diagnosis, operation performed and outcome apart from demography. Results: Total 456 patients (326 males and 130 females) were attended by on-call general surgery team during 30 emergency days. Most of the calls, 191 (41.9%) were received from 8 am to 5 pm. 224 (49.1%) calls were of abdominal pain, with acute appendicitis being the most common specific pathology in 41 (9.0%) patients. Total 73 (16.0%) calls were received for trauma. Total 131 (28.7%) patients were admitted in the surgical unit for urgent operation or observation while 212 (46.5%) patients were discharged from A and E. 92 (20.1%) patients were referred to other units with medical referral accounts for 45 (9.8%) patients. Total 104 (22.8%) emergency surgeries were done and the most common procedure performed was appendicectomy in 34 (32.7%) patients. Conclusion: Major workload of on-call surgical emergency team is dealing with the acute conditions of abdomen. However, significant proportion of patients are suffering from other conditions including trauma that require a holistic approach to care and a wide range of skills and experience. These results have important implications in future healthcare planning and for the better training of general surgical residents

Socio – Political Context and Inferences from Remote Sensing in South Asia: A Study of Tectonic Induced Surface Deformation in SE-IKSZ

Natural or man‐made disasters are dreadful incidents that devastate lives, disturb the socioeconomic and socio-political structure of a society and preserve or erase developments and gains based on decades, within few minutes. A catastrophe has the capacity to affect existing general population to their base, parting an occasion for self-investigation and reassessment of their framework and composition. This study signifies the Radar Digital Elevation Model centered pattern of drainage network to appraise the catastrophic landslide events due to the 2005 earthquake in Neelum-Jhelum Valley in SE-Indus Kohistan Zone north of Pakistan. This investigation highlights zones affected by the earthquake and vulnerable to landslides by utilizing Hypsometric integrals (HI values) and Hack SL-gradient techniques that are proficient in detecting erosion, land mass and tectonic movements. Dataset principally includes “Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)” Digital Elevation Model having pixel resolution of 90 meters. Hypsometric investigation brings evidence related to the deformation periods of a geographical stage. To accomplish this objective, D8 method was used, 355 subbasins of 4th Strahler order, from 5th Strahler order 75 subbasins and from 6th Strahler order 15 subbasins were delineated. To appraise the indentations of erosional scarps, Hypsometric curves (HC) and Hypsometric integrals (HI) for all distinct subbasins were computed. Variable topographic elevations (Maximun, minimum and mean) were determined to decipher the HI values. The HCs are characterized as convex up, S shaped and concave down curves. Curvature of convex up symbolizes a lesser amount of eroded or deformed subbasins (comparatively young geography), and are located in conjunction of the North-Eastern anticline side of the Muzaffarabad that indicates the tectonic behavior of HKS, however S-shaped curvatures denote the transitional stage between the convex up and concave down deformational stage. The curvatures of concave down represents extreme deformation phase and are located west and eastern side of HKS

The utility of three-dimensional modeling and printing in pediatric surgical patient and family education: a systematic review

Abstract Background Three-dimensional (3D) modeling and printing are increasingly being used in surgical settings. This technology has several applications including pre-operative surgical planning, inter-team communication, and patient education and counseling. The majority of research on 3D technology has focused on adult populations, where it has been found to be a useful tool for educating patients across various surgical specialties. There is a dearth, however, of research on the utility of 3D modeling and printing for patient and family education in pediatric populations. Our objective was to systematically review the current literature on how this modality is being utilized in pediatric surgical settings for patient and family education and counselling. Methods We conducted a systematic review in accordance with PRISMA and CASP guidelines. The MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to October 21, 2023, with no restrictions on language or geographical location. Citation chaining was used to ensure relevant papers were included. Articles were doubly screened and data was extracted independently by two authors. In the case of disagreement, a third author was consulted. Any articles pertaining to 3D modeling and printing in pediatric surgical settings for patient and family education and counseling were included. Results Six articles met inclusion criteria and were used for qualitative analysis. Two involved questionnaires given to parents of children to assess their understanding of relevant anatomy, surgical procedure, and risks after viewing conventional CT images and again after viewing a 3D-printed model. One involved a quasi-experimental study to assess young patients’ pre-operative surgical understanding and anxiety after undergoing conventional teaching as compared to after viewing a 3D storybook. One involved questionnaires given to parents of children in control and study groups to assess the usefulness of 3D printed models compared to conventional CT images in their understanding of relevant anatomy and the surgical procedure. Another study looked at the usefulness of 3D printed models compared to 2D and 3D CT images in providing caregiver understanding during the pre-operative consent process. The last article involved studying the impact of using 3D printing to help patients understand their disease and participate in decision-making processes during surgical consultations. In all six studies, utilizing 3D technology improved transfer of information between surgical team members and their patients and families. Conclusion Our systematic review suggests that 3D modeling and printing is a useful tool for patient and family education and counselling in pediatric surgical populations. Given the very small number of published studies, further research is needed to better define the utility of this technology in pediatric settings

Risk factors for failure to rescue after hepatectomy in a high-volume UK tertiary referral center

BACKGROUND: Mortality after severe complications after hepatectomy (failure to rescue) is strongly linked to center volume. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors for failure to rescue after hepatectomy in a high-volume center.METHODS: Retrospective study of 1,826 consecutive patients who underwent hepatectomy from 2011 to 2018. The primary outcome was a 90-day failure to rescue, defined as death within 90 days posthepatectomy after a severe (Clavien-Dindo grade 3+) complication. Risk factors for 90-day failure to rescue were evaluated using a multivariable binary logistic regression model.RESULTS: The cohort had a median age of 65.3 years, and 56.6% of patients were male. The commonest indication for hepatectomy was colorectal metastasis (58.9%), and 46.9% of patients underwent major or extra-major hepatectomy. Severe complications developed in 209 patients (11.4%), for whom the 30- and 90-day failure to rescue rates were 17.0% and 35.4%, respectively. On multivariable analysis, increasing age (P = .006) and modified Frailty Index (P = .044), complication type (medical or combined medical/surgical versus surgical; P &lt; .001), and body mass index (P = .018) were found to be significant independent predictors of 90-day failure to rescue.CONCLUSION: Older and frail patients who experience medical complications are particularly at risk of failure to rescue after hepatectomy. These results may inform preoperative counseling and may help to identify candidates for prehabilitation. Further study is needed to assess whether failure to rescue rates could be reduced by perioperative interventions.</p