The internationalization of financial services in Asia

The internationalization of financial services -- eliminating discrimination between the treatment of foreign and domestic providers of financial services and removing barriers to the cross-border provision of financial services -- is of global interest, especially in Asia. Most of Asia limits the entry of foreign financial firms much more than otherwise comparable countries do. Empirical evidence for Asia and elsewhere suggests that this slows down institutional development and that, as a result, it costs more to provide financial services. Asian countries could benefit from accelerating the opening of the financial services sector, in conjunction with the further liberalization of capital accounts and domestic deregulation of financial markets. Apart from other benefits, internationalization helps build more robust, efficient financial systems by introducing international practices and standards; by improving the quality, efficiency, and breadth of financial services; and by allowing more stable sources of funds. The ongoing WTO (World Trade Organization) negotiation of financial services under GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services) gives countries the opportunity to commit to opening their financial sectors. Safeguards can be built into the process, and the liberalization can be phased in gradually.Banks&Banking Reform,Decentralization,Fiscal&Monetary Policy,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Economic Theory&Research,Banks&Banking Reform,Financial Economics,National Governance,Economic Theory&Research,Health Economics&Finance

Model-based quantification of systolic and diastolic left ventricular mechanics

Het linker ventrikel (LV) is de meest gespierde kamer van het hart. Door het gecoördineerd samentrekken van de spiercellen in de LV-wand wordt zuurstofrijk bloed in de aorta gepompt (systolische fase). Daarna ontspannen de spiercellen zich snel waardoor het LV opnieuw met bloed wordt gevuld (diastolische fase). In de kliniek en de onderzoekswereld bestaat er een waaier van modelgebaseerde methoden en concepten om de performantie en de mechanische eigenschappen van het LV te kwantificeren. Invasief bekomen druk- en volumedata laten toe om de systolische en diastolische mechanica van het LV met grote nauwkeurigheid te kennen. In de klinische praktijk wordt echter vaker gebruik gemaakt van (Doppler-) echocardiografie, een snelle en veilige niet-invasieve beeldtechniek. In een eerste deel van dit doctoraatsonderzoek werd een originele methode voorgesteld om, op basis van echocardiografie en klassieke bloeddrukmetingen, de intrinsieke krachtontwikkeling (contractiliteit) van het LV te schatten. De methode werd toegepast bij 2524 mensen die deelnemen aan de Asklepios-studie. De onderzoeksresultaten verschaften ons nieuwe informatie over hoe de evolutie van de krachtontwikkeling verschilt tussen gezonde mannen en vrouwen. De mechanische en vloeistofdynamische fenomenen tijdens de diastole vormden het onderwerp van het tweede deel van het onderzoek. Met behulp van een hydraulisch model van het LV werd nagegaan welke factoren een belangrijke invloed uitoefenen op het gedrag van het LV tijdens de isovolumetrische ontspanningsfase. In dit deel werd eveneens een uitgebreid overzicht gegeven van de meest recente echocardiografische methoden om de diastolische LV-mechanica te begroten. Daarbij werden de bloedstroming, de wandbeweging en de interactie tussen beiden gedetailleerd behandeld

Evaluation of a new implicit coupling algorithm for the partitioned fluid-structure interaction simulation of bileaflet mechanical heart valves

We present a newly developed Fluid-Structure Interaction coupling algorithm to simulate Bileaflet Mechanical Heart Valves dynamics in a partitioned way. The coupling iterations between the flow solver and the leaflet motion solver are accelerated by using the Jacobian with the derivatives of the pressure and viscous moments acting on the leaflets with respect to the leaflet acceleration. This Jacobian is used in the leaflet motion solver when new positions of the leaflets are computed during the coupling iterations. The Jacobian is numerically derived from the flow solver by applying leaflet perturbations. Instead of calculating this Jacobian every time step, the Jacobian is extrapolated from previous time steps and a recalculation of the Jacobian is only done when needed. The efficiency of our new algorithm is subsequently compared to existing algorithms which use fixed relaxation and dynamic Aitken Δ2 relaxation in the coupling iterations when the new positions of the leaflets are computed. Results show that dynamic Aitken Δ2 relaxation outperforms fixed relaxation. Moreover, during the opening phase of the valve, our new algorithm needs fewer subiterations per time step to achieve convergence than the method with Aitken Δ2 relaxation. Thus, our newly developed FSI coupling scheme outperforms the existing coupling schemes

Experimental study of the flow field in patient specific lower airways

In this study Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is used to visualize and measure airflow in the lower airways. Using Rapid Prototyping Manufacturing (RPM) technology, a hydraulic in vitro model was developed and constructed. Preliminary 2D PIV measurements compared successfully to Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) results

Multiplane Scanning Stereo PIV for Biofluid Applications

The aim of this project is to map the 3D intracardiac spatiotemporal structure flow by mean phase-locked Stereo-PIV. The developed setup permits the flow field measurment in the whole left ventricle model without repeating the complex stereo calibration. It consisted of coupling Stereo-PIV apparatus and cardiovascular simulator system

A Novel Hydraulic Thick-walled Phantom for the Assessment of Left Ventricular Function

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Experimental Investigation of 3D Left Ventricular Flow Using a Novel Multiplane Scanning Stereo PIV Setup

The aim of this project is to design and develop a novel system that allows to quantitatively study the flow in experimental in vitro PIV models, for instance vascular segments, heart valves and left ventricle replicas. In this study we present an application which permits 3D volume reconstruction of the flow field by means of phase-locked stereo-PIV in a transparent pulsatile LV membrane model

A Novel Multiplane Scanning Stereo PIV Setup to Investigate Left Ventricular Flow

The spatiotemporal characteristics of the intraventricular flow field, and their evolution with time, are of (patho)physiological and clinical interest. This is shown in several recent in vivo studies, using modern medical imaging techniques. Intraventricular flow is also topic of biofluid mechanic research, in silico and in vitro. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) studies have been performed in hydraulic bench models to investigate the flow field inside a left ventricle (LV) replica in a two-dimensions. However, as the intraventricular flow has a complex 3D and unsteady structure. In this study therefore we present a novel experimental setup which allows 3D volume reconstruction of the flow field in a transparent pulsatile LV membrane model, in different controllable and repeatable physiological relevant hydrodynamic conditions. The setup was primarily designed and developed to facilitate consecutive stereoscopic measurements without repeating the complex and time consuming stereo calibration