An Unusual Case of Tertiary Syphilis Behaving Like Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Syphilis may present with a myriad of oral manifestations in the primary, secondary, and tertiary stages, and may be confused with malignancy. Despite a rise in the incidence of syphilis, tertiary syphilis is exceedingly rare. Tertiary syphilis gummas usually affect the hard palate, while tongue involvement is very rare. A 55-year-old male with extensive smoking and alcohol use was referred for malignancy evaluation with an ulcerative mass creating a tongue cleft, and a positron emission tomography scan suggestive for malignancy. Biopsy results demonstrated no carcinoma but histology demonstrated granulomatous inflammation. Further laboratory results demonstrated elevated rapid plasma reagin titers with Treponema pallidum immunoglobulin G antibodies present. The patient was diagnosed with tertiary syphilis, received appropriate antibiotic therapy, and had healing of the tongue with a persistent cleft. Syphilis may mimic many disease processes. As such, it is important to include this disease in the differential of an unusual tongue lesion. An oral lesion may be the first sign of infection

Simulation of a pion photodetection experiment

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 39).In this thesis we asses the capabilities of the Crystal Box detector and evaluate its advantages over the Neutral Meson Spectrometer (NMS) detector in a planned experiment at the High Intensity Gamma Source (HI[gamma]S) at Duke University. After discussing the relevance of the experiment and briefly reviewing the physics at play, we delve into the details of the Crystal Box detector and explain how it is being modeled in the simulation. We calculate the acceptance of each detector and their resolution in measuring physical quantities from each pion photoproduction event detected. We then simulate the extraction of raw data from the experiment using both the Crystal Box and the NMS detectors, and present our results as to how well we believe each detector will perform at measuring the physical quantities of interest. Finally, we discuss possible refinements that could be implemented in the simulation to further improve the accuracy of these predictions.by Angel Roberto Solis Ortíz.S.B

An Opt + 1 algorithm for the cutting stock problem with a constant number of object lengths

In the cutting stock problem we are given a set $T=T_1,T_2, \ldots, T_d$ of object types, where objects of type $T_i$ have integer length $p_i > 0$. Given a set $\mathcal{O}$ of $n$ objects containing $n_i$ objects of type $T_i$, for each $i = 1, \ldots, d$, the problem is to pack $\mathcal{O}$ into the minimum number of bins of capacity $\beta$. In this paper we consider the version of the problem in which the number $d$ of different object types is constant and we present an algorithm that computes a solution using at most $OPT+1$ bins, where $OPT$ is the value of an optimum solution

A simple OPT + 1 algorithm for cutting stock under the modified integer round-up property assumption

We present a simple algorithm for the cutting stock problem with a constant number d of object sizes that produces solutions of value at most OPT +1 in time d^{O(d)} log^7 n, where OPT is the value of an optimum solution. This algorithm works under the assumption that the modified integer round-up property of Scheithauer and Terno for the cutting stock problem holds

Using mobility information to perform a feasibility study and the evaluation of spatio-temporal energy demanded by an electric taxi fleet

Half of the global population already lives in urban areas, facing to the problem of air pollution mainly caused by the transportation system. The recently worsening of urban air quality has a direct impact on the human health. Replacing today’s internal combustion engine vehicles with electric ones in public fleets could provide a deep impact on the air quality in the cities. In this paper, real mobility information is used as decision support for the taxi fleet manager to promote the adoption of electric taxi cabs in the city of San Francisco, USA. Firstly, mobility characteristics and energy requirements of a single taxi are analyzed. Then, the results are generalized to all vehicles from the taxi fleet. An electrificability rate of the taxi fleet is generated, providing information about the number of current trips that could be performed by electric taxis without modifying the current driver mobility patterns. The analysis results reveal that 75.2% of the current taxis could be replaced by electric vehicles, considering a current standard battery capacity (24–30 kWh). This value can increase significantly (to 100%), taking into account the evolution of the price and capacity of the batteries installed in the last models of electric vehicles that are coming to the market. The economic analysis shows that the purchasing costs of an electric taxi are bigger than conventional one. However, fuel, maintenance and repair costs are much lower. Using the expected energy consumption information evaluated in this study, the total spatio-temporal demand of electric energy required to recharge the electric fleet is also calculated, allowing identifying optimal location of charging infrastructure based on realistic routing patterns. This information could also be used by the distribution system operator to identify possible reinforcement actions in the electric grid in order to promote introducing electric vehicles

Efficient algorithms for robustness in resource allocation and scheduling problems

AbstractThe robustness function of an optimization (minimization) problem measures the maximum increase in the value of its optimal solution that can be produced by spending a given amount of resources increasing the values of the elements in its input. We present efficient algorithms for computing the robustness function of resource allocation and scheduling problems that can be modeled with partition and scheduling matroids. For the case of scheduling matroids, we give an O(m2n2) time algorithm for computing a complete description of the robustness function, where m is the number of elements in the matroid and n is its rank. For partition matroids, we give two algorithms: one that computes the complete robustness function in O(mlogm) time, and other that optimally evaluates the robustness function at only a specified point

Finanzas : Apalancamiento operativo y financiero Banco de América Central (BAC),S.A.periodo 2014-2015

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo demostrar mediante el desarrollo de un caso práctico el funcionamiento del Apalancamiento Financiero, Operativo y Total en una Institución Financiera, considerando que esta temática contribuye a expandir el conocimiento financiero - contable en el campo bancario. Mediante la exhaustiva obtención y lectura de información en Internet y bibliografía recomendada sobre la temática así como el gentil apoyo del Vice – Gerente de Operaciones de Banco de América Central (BAC), S.A fue posible establecer una amplia base de información sobre la cual deriva la preparación del presente trabajo. El Apalancamiento Financiero y Operativo es una herramienta de gestión empresarial de relevante importancia al momento de definir la estructura de Capital que adoptar a una Empresa en función de su estrategia de crecimiento y apetito de riesgo que esté dispuesta a asumir. La adopción de costos fijos por variables o el nivel de gasto financiero permisible por la obtención de financiamiento es posible medirlo haciendo uso del Apalancamiento

Assessing the probative value of DNA evidence: guidance for judges, lawyers, forensic scientists and expert witnesses

Practical guidance for judges, lawyers, forensic scientists and expert witnesses on the logical analysis of DNA profiles, and their probative value in criminal proceedings. Explains technical aspects of DNA profiling and how this information should be presented and interpreted in criminal trials