A Matrix Iteration for Finding Drazin Inverse with Ninth-Order Convergence

The aim of this paper is twofold. First, a matrix iteration for finding approximate inverses of nonsingular square matrices is constructed. Second, how the new method could be applied for computing the Drazin inverse is discussed. It is theoretically proven that the contributed method possesses the convergence rate nine. Numerical studies are brought forward to support the analytical parts

Multidisciplinary Collaboration In Emergency Medical Services

Healthcare is the delivery of care and service to the patient; therefore, it is important to relate this care delivery and/or service to patient outcomes. Outcomes can be seen from two perspectives: positive, in which the service/care provided resulted in improvement to the patient\u27s well-being, and negative, in which the service/care provided did not meet the patient\u27s needs and requirements, resulting in no improvement or a deterioration in the patient\u27s well-being. The latter is often referred to as an adverse event, and its impact can be both short-term (through exacerbation of a condition or further injury) and long-term (in which the patient\u27s confidence and trust in the healthcare system have been affected). High-quality patient care is our goal, and an improvement in patient outcomes is what we aim to achieve. The very model of EMS in the UK is multi-disciplinary, consisting of different professions in primary and secondary care. A profession can be defined as a vocation founded on specialized educational training. The purpose of the profession is to apply the training and knowledge to an area of need, and it has a code of ethics for its members. The current modernization of the NHS, with changes in the role of primary care, has blurred the boundaries of professional practice. Some professions in EMS are autonomous in nature, with direct access to patients and their diagnosis and treatment. An example of this would be a paramedic. Others may have a dependent role with indirect patient contact. An example of this would be a veterinary nurse working in the helo-vet service. Each profession has its own professional identity and values, and there is potential scope for adverse outcomes if conflict with patient management and/or need occurs between professions. With today\u27s focus on inter-professional care between professions and patient healthcare having a direct relationship to professional practice, now is the time to examine multi-disciplinary interventions between professions in EMS and their impact on patient care and outcomes. Emergency medical services (EMS) are an essential part of any healthcare system. Efficient and timely patient care is paramount at the scene of a medical or trauma incident, and in many cases, the quality of patient outcomes depends on the speed and efficiency with which care is delivered. This paper will focus on the different elements and complex relationships that occur between the primary services (ambulance, helo-vet, and first response) and the potential impact that these can have on the overall patient care and outcome. By the very nature of their jobs, healthcare is a collaboration between professionals from a wide variety of disciplines, each of whom brings a different body of knowledge and perspective to the care of the patient. The complexity of healthcare needs often surpasses the skills of one profession; patient needs can be wide-ranging and diverse. EMS is a unique healthcare system in that it provides immediate care to a patient and then an avenue in which to further transport and access further care. Often in the hospital setting, there is a multi-disciplinary approach to care; however, in many cases, in the pre-hospital setting, this can be disjointed and occur between different service plans and the handover of patient care. This paper will conclude by considering the potential impact of changes to multi-disciplinary clinical governance and the potential for standardizing educational outcomes between professions to improve overall patient care and experience in the pre-hospital setting

SPECIFIC INTERNAL ENERGY OF RELATIVISTIC RANKINE-HUGONIOT EQUATIONS

Abstract – The stress energy tensor and the mean velocity vector of a simple gas are expressed in terms of the Maxwell-Boltzman distribution function. The rest density 0 � , pressure, �, and internal energy per unit rest mass � are defined in terms of invariants formed from these tensor 0 quantities. It is shown that � cannot be an arbitrary function of �and � but must satisfy a 0 certain inequality. Thus � � ( 1

Four-Point Optimal Sixteenth-Order Iterative Method for Solving Nonlinear Equations

We present an iterative method for solving nonlinear equations. The proposed iterative method has optimal order of convergence sixteen in the sense of Kung-Traub conjecture (Kung and Traub, 1974); it means that the iterative scheme uses five functional evaluations to achieve 16(=25-1) order of convergence. The proposed iterative method utilizes one derivative and four function evaluations. Numerical experiments are made to demonstrate the convergence and validation of the iterative method

A Family of Iterative Methods for Solving Systems of Nonlinear Equations Having Unknown Multiplicity

The singularity of Jacobian happens when we are looking for a root, with multiplicity greater than one, of a system of nonlinear equations. The purpose of this article is two-fold. Firstly, we will present a modification of an existing method that computes roots with known multiplicities. Secondly, will propose the generalization of a family of methods for solving nonlinear equations with unknown multiplicities, to the system of nonlinear equations. The inclusion of a nonzero multi-variable auxiliary function is the key idea. Different choices of the auxiliary function give different families of the iterative method to find roots with unknown multiplicities. Few illustrative numerical experiments and a critical discussion end the paper

A family of iterative methods for solving systems of nonlinear equations having unknown multiplicity

The singularity of Jacobian happens when we are looking for a root, with multiplicity greater than one, of a system of nonlinear equations. The purpose of this article is two-fold. Firstly, we will present a modification of an existing method that computes roots with known multiplicities. Secondly, will propose the generalization of a family of methods for solving nonlinear equations with unknown multiplicities, to the system of nonlinear equations. The inclusion of a nonzero multi-variable auxiliary function is the key idea. Different choices of the auxiliary function give different families of the iterative method to find roots with unknown multiplicities. Few illustrative numerical experiments and a critical discussion end the paper

Predictive Modeling of Drug Response in Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

We combine mathematical modeling with experiments in living mice to quantify the relative roles of intrinsic cellular vs. tissue-scale physiological contributors to chemotherapy drug resistance, which are difficult to understand solely through experimentation. Experiments in cell culture and in mice with drug-sensitive (Eµ-myc/Arf-/-) and drug-resistant (Eµ-myc/p53-/-) lymphoma cell lines were conducted to calibrate and validate a mechanistic mathematical model. Inputs to inform the model include tumor drug transport characteristics, such as blood volume fraction, average geometric mean blood vessel radius, drug diffusion penetration distance, and drug response in cell culture. Model results show that the drug response in mice, represented by the fraction of dead tumor volume, can be reliably predicted from these inputs. Hence, a proof-of-principle for predictive quantification of lymphoma drug therapy was established based on both cellular and tissue-scale physiological contributions. We further demonstrate that, if the in vitro cytotoxic response of a specific cancer cell line under chemotherapy is known, the model is then able to predict the treatment efficacy in vivo. Lastly, tissue blood volume fraction was determined to be the most sensitive model parameter and a primary contributor to drug resistance

Theory and Experimental Validation of a Spatio-temporal Model of Chemotherapy Transport to Enhance Tumor Cell Kill

<div><p>It has been hypothesized that continuously releasing drug molecules into the tumor over an extended period of time may significantly improve the chemotherapeutic efficacy by overcoming physical transport limitations of conventional bolus drug treatment. In this paper, we present a generalized space- and time-dependent mathematical model of drug transport and drug-cell interactions to quantitatively formulate this hypothesis. Model parameters describe: perfusion and tissue architecture (blood volume fraction and blood vessel radius); diffusion penetration distance of drug (i.e., a function of tissue compactness and drug uptake rates by tumor cells); and cell death rates (as function of history of drug uptake). We performed preliminary testing and validation of the mathematical model using <i>in vivo</i> experiments with different drug delivery methods on a breast cancer mouse model. Experimental data demonstrated a 3-fold increase in response using nano-vectored drug <i>vs</i>. free drug delivery, in excellent quantitative agreement with the model predictions. Our model results implicate that therapeutically targeting blood volume fraction, e.g., through vascular normalization, would achieve a better outcome due to enhanced drug delivery.</p><p>Author Summary</p><p>Cancer treatment efficacy can be significantly enhanced through the elution of drug from nano-carriers that can temporarily stay in the tumor vasculature. Here we present a relatively simple yet powerful mathematical model that accounts for both spatial and temporal heterogeneities of drug dosing to help explain, examine, and prove this concept. We find that the delivery of systemic chemotherapy through a certain form of nano-carriers would have enhanced tumor kill by a factor of 2 to 4 over the standard therapy that the patients actually received. We also find that targeting blood volume fraction (a parameter of the model) through vascular normalization can achieve more effective drug delivery and tumor kill. More importantly, this model only requires a limited number of parameters which can all be readily assessed from standard clinical diagnostic measurements (e.g., histopathology and CT). This addresses an important challenge in current translational research and justifies further development of the model towards clinical translation.</p></div

Numerical simulations of the general integro-differential model (Eqs 6 and 7) in a cylindrically symmetric domain.

<p>As cell kill ensues over several cell cycles, (<i>A</i>) successive cell layers next to the blood vessel (<i>r</i> = <i>r</i>_b) die out, i.e., tumor volume fraction <i>φ</i> decreases; (<i>B</i>) local drug concentration <i>σ</i> increases due to an enhancement of drug penetration; and (<i>C</i>) cell kill accelerates further from the vessel and deep into the tumor. Input parameters: <i>r</i>_b / <i>L</i> = 0.102 and BVF = 0.01. The duration of the entire simulation was 10 (<i>λ</i>_<i>k</i><i>λ</i>_<i>u</i><i>φ</i>₀<i>σ</i>₀)^−1/2, where time unit is a characteristic cell apoptosis time. Drug concentration and tumor volume fraction were normalized by their initial values, and radial distance by the diffusion penetration distance <i>L</i>. The fraction of tumor kill <i>f</i>_kill is calculated from <a href="http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004969#pcbi.1004969.e012" target="_blank">Eq 12</a> (<b>Methods</b>).</p

Sensitivity analysis results.

<p>Plots of absolute values of sensitivity coefficients for the three parameters for <b>(A)</b> the drug-sensitive cell line, <i>Eμ-myc/Arf-/-</i> and <b>(B)</b> the drug-resistant cell line, <i>Eμ-myc/p53-/-</i>. The range of variation for each parameter is listed in <b><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0129433#pone.0129433.s001" target="_blank">S1 Table</a></b>. <i>S</i> represents sensitivity coefficient.</p