Tumour Treating Fields (TTFs) for recurrent and newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme

In the last decade, significant advances have been made in Glioblastoma Multiforme treatment with the novel use of alternating electrical fields, also termed as tumour treating fields (TTFs). This modality has shown promising results in recurrent and newly diagnosed GBM patients, and according to some, may soon be considered an addition to the previously known \u27trifecta\u27 of GBM standard of care, i.e., surgery, chemo and radiation therapy.Here we review the existing data on TTF for both recurrent and newly diagnosed GBM. This review does not discuss the limitations of TTF, especially from compliance and cost point of view

Frequency and predictors of recurrence of bladder tumour on first check cystoscopy - a tertiary care hospital experience

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency and predictors of non-muscle invasive bladder tumour recurrence on first-check cystoscopy after transurethral resection of bladder tumour. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from April to November 2014, and comprised patients with a suspected newly-diagnosed urothelial cancer. Patients with non-muscle invasive disease with complete resection of all visible lesions along with deep biopsy from the tumour base were included. Patients received standard adjuvant intravesical therapy according to their risk stratification and underwent a white-light check cystoscopy at 3 months to look for tumour recurrence. Association between clinico-pathological variables and recurrence at first cystoscopy was determined. SPSS 20 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of 84 patients at presentation was 63.3±12.5 years (range: 36-89 years). There were 75(89%) men and 9(11%) women. On initial transurethral resection, the size of tumour was less than 3cm in 32(38%) participants and equal to or above 3cm in 52(62%). Single tumour was found in 51(61%) subjects and multiple tumours in 33(39%). None of the resected tumours was primary carcinoma in situ and 35(42%) tumours were of high grade. The overall recurrence rate at first cystoscopy was 28(33.3%). Larger tumour, higher grade and tumour multifocality were factors associated with recurrence at check cystoscopy (p\u3c0.05 each). Patients\\u27 age, gender, smoking status and tumour stage did not correlate with early recurrence (p\u3e0.05 each). CONCLUSIONS: The number, size and grade of the tumour strongly correlated with recurrence at check cystoscopy

Depression as a Risk Factor for Coronary Artery Disease: Myth or Verity

Objectives: To determine the frequency of depression in patients with ischemic heart disease, subgroup analysis of prevalence of depression in patients with heart failure, acute STEMI and non STEMI-ACS and the effect of hospital stay and treatment of primary cardiac illness on depression scores.Methodology: All patients with heart failure, acute STEMI and non STEMI-ACS, presenting to cardiology clinics over a period of March-August, 2016 with a pre-calculated sample size were enrolled into the study by consecutive sampling. HAM-D questionnaire was administered at the time of hospital admission and discharge. SPSS was used for data analysis.Results: A total of 102 patients were included in the study out of which 47 (46%) were females and 55 (54%) were males. The mean age of the study population was 49.5±12 years. At the time of admission, 91/102 (89.2%) patients were found to be depressed, 32 (31.4%) had mild depression, 29 (28.4%) had moderate depression, 10 (9.8%) had severe depression and an alarming number (20 i.e. 19.6%) patients had very severe depression. At the time of discharge, 82/102 (80.3%) patients were found to be depressed, 35 (34.3%) had mild depression, 31 (30.4%) had moderate depression, 12 (11.8%) had severe depression and only 4 (3.9%) had very severe depression. The mean change in HAM-D score during hospital admission was -3.24±4 (Maximum +26, minimum -23). The difference in depression scores during hospital stay tended to inversely correlate with length of hospital stay. A greater proportion of patients with the diagnosis of STEMI had a severe or very severe depression.Conclusion: Depression was found to be alarmingly prevalent in acute coronary syndrome affectees and hospital stay and treatment led to a mean fall in the depression scores

Gas Prices and Industrial Production Level: Empirical Evidence from Pakistan

Pakistan has a vast industrial base which contributes a large portion in economic growth and employs a large population directly and indirectly. The purpose of this research is to examine the shocks of natural gas prices on the industries that use extensive amount of natural gas in their production as raw material and heating source. The industries taken under study are cement, cotton cloth, cotton yarn, glass, nitrogen fertilizer, phosphorus fertilizer, paper and board, sheet iron and synthetic fiber and billet iron. Vector Auto regression (VAR) is applied to check the shocks using monthly data from January 2012 to September 2017, collected from Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). Impulse response function (IRF), Variance Decomposition and Granger Causality test were executed from VAR estimates to examine gas price shocks on industrial production level in short and long run. Results reveal that gas prices have shocks in short run on all major industries but in long run they seems to stabilize and the effect is minimized. The idea of the study is original and findings help investors, policymakers and regulatory authorities as lots of researches have been undertaken on oil prices shocks and industrial production, while none of research has been conducted on gas prices shocks and industrial production. Keywords: Gas Prices, Impulse Response Function, Industrial Production level    JEL Classifications: E30 L95 O13 O14 Q42 

Financial Stability of Islamic Versus Conventional Banks in Pakistan

This study aims to analyze and compare the financial stability of Pakistani banks covering a timeframe of 5 years from 2012 to 2016. This study employs the financial soundness indicators of the International Monetary Funds and State Bank of Pakistan and the z-score index. The comparative analysis through average scores is performed using 3 indicators of financial stability namely Z-Score, Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) and Equity to Total Assets Ratio. The findings of the research reveal that (i) conventional banks are more financially stable than Islamic banks; (ii) large conventional banks are more financially stable than large Islamic banks; (iii) small Islamic banks are less stable than small conventional bank. The implication of this paper is that conventional banks have the potential of absorbing financial stability shock as compare to Islamic banks on the basis of stated financial soundness indicators and Z-Score specifically.DOI: 10.15408/aiq.v10i2.650

Active SLAM: A Review On Last Decade

This article presents a comprehensive review of the Active Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (A-SLAM) research conducted over the past decade. It explores the formulation, applications, and methodologies employed in A-SLAM, particularly in trajectory generation and control-action selection, drawing on concepts from Information Theory (IT) and the Theory of Optimal Experimental Design (TOED). This review includes both qualitative and quantitative analyses of various approaches, deployment scenarios, configurations, path-planning methods, and utility functions within A-SLAM research. Furthermore, this article introduces a novel analysis of Active Collaborative SLAM (AC-SLAM), focusing on collaborative aspects within SLAM systems. It includes a thorough examination of collaborative parameters and approaches, supported by both qualitative and statistical assessments. This study also identifies limitations in the existing literature and suggests potential avenues for future research. This survey serves as a valuable resource for researchers seeking insights into A-SLAM methods and techniques, offering a current overview of A-SLAM formulation.Comment: 34 pages, 8 figures, 6 table

The Impact of The Quality of Balance Sheet Information on Financial Decision-Making

Abstract: The current study aimed to identify the impact of the quality of balance sheet information on making financial decisions. To achieve the goal of the study, the researcher used a questionnaire tool that was applied using the descriptive analytical approach to the study sample, which consisted of all (149) employees of the General Company for Central Electricity Distribution. Results were obtained. The study showed that the axis of the quality of balance sheet information in making financial decisions in the General Company for Central Electricity Distribution came in first place, with the highest arithmetic mean of (3.55), a standard deviation of (1.05), and a moderate degree of impact. In light of the results, the researcher recommended the necessity of adopting lists of accounting information as a basic reference in making decisions. Financial decisions in the Central Electricity Distribution Company. Keywords: Accounting information, financial decision making, Central Electricity Distribution Company. أثر جودة معلومات الميزانية العمومية في اتخاذ القرارات المالية ملخص الدراسة: هدفت الدراسة الحالية الي التعرف على أثر جودة معلومات الميزانية العمومية في اتخاذ القرارات المالية، ولتحقيق هدف الدراسة استخدم الباحث أداة الاستبانة التي طبقتها باستخدام المنهج الوصفي التحليلي على عينة الدراسة التي تكونت من جميع العاملين الشركة العامة لتوزيع كهرباء الوسط والبالغ عددهم (149)، وتوصلت نتائج الدراسة أن محور جودة معلومات الميزانية العمومية في اتخاذ القرارات المالية جاء بالرتبة الأولى وبأعلى متوسط حسابي بلغ (3.55) وانحراف معياري بلغ (1.05) ودرجة أثر متوسطة وفي ضوء النتائج أوصى الباحث بضرورة اعتماد قوائم المعلومات المحاسبية كمرجع أساسي في اتخاذ القرارات المالية. الكلمات المفتاحية: المعلومات المحاسبية، اتخاذ القرارات المالية

Assessing the Impact of Service Quality on Consumers Satisfaction: a Comparative Study of Commercial Vs Islamic Banks in Pakistan

This study aims to show the path that Islamic banking follows of Sharia' h while on the other hand commercial banks obeys commercial regulations and rules for the purpose of banking. The main objective of the Islamic banking is to offer interest free services and products which obeys the path of Sharia' h and Islamic banking system makes transaction on the foundation of profit and loss, while on the other hand commercial banks are business oriented banks. The sampling method used in this research was convenience sampling with a sample size of 200 which were the customers of the banks and the research design of the questionnaire used was exploratory The questionnaire was distributed in 4 banks 2 commercial and 2 Islamic banks respectively. Dependent variables are ‘customer expectation and perception' while on the other hand independent variable that are used this research are ‘reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness. The results which are derived from this research shows a negative or less impact of two service quality dimensions on both banks which are Assurance and Empathy. The highest perceived service dimension is “Reliability,” that refers to the reliability of their products and promise to provide the best service quality to their customers. While the lowest perceived service was observed towards “Empathy,” the other two dimension with highest value are tangibility and responsiveness which means that customers' of both commercial and Islamic banks like tangible service and the quick responsiveness towards providing them the best service

SPORTS SENTIMENTS AND FINANCIAL MARKETS: SHADENFREUDE IN RIVALRY OF INDIA AND PAKISTAN

This paper examines the reaction of sports (International Cricket) outcomes on stock markets of Pakistan and India. Valuation of stock markets is taken in terms of abnormal stock returns around the dates of one day international (ODI) matches. Event study has been employed in this paper for 605 ODI matches played by Pakistan and 660 ODI matches played by India in period of 1990-2019. Findings suggest that on next trading day following the match stock returns are positive after win and negative after losing the game in both countries. In this paper one novel finding is existence of negative abnormal returns one day before matches due to anxiety of fan investors before game starts. Another important aspect of rivalry is examined as two rival countries are taken as sample. Results suggest that fan investors experience schadenfreude as they feel positive when their national team wins or rival team loses and feel bad when their team loses or rival wins. This optimism or pessimism results in abnormal stock returns mentioned in results of this paper

Entropy Based Multi-robot Active SLAM

In this article, we present an efficient multi-robot active SLAM framework that involves a frontier-sharing method for maximum exploration of an unknown environment. It encourages the robots to spread into the environment while weighting the goal frontiers with the pose graph SLAM uncertainly and path entropy. Our approach works on a limited number of frontier points and weights the goal frontiers with a utility function that encapsulates both the SLAM and map uncertainties, thus providing an efficient and not computationally expensive solution. Our approach has been tested on publicly available simulation environments and on real robots. An accumulative 31% more coverage than similar state-of-the-art approaches has been obtained, proving the capability of our approach for efficient environment exploration.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure