Economics of a Single Currency

The last two decades saw a lot of changes in the world scenario, it includes not just the emergence of Euro but also a number of crises, namely in Mexico, Brazil, Russia and Southeast Asia. These two extremes pointed towards the fragility of the international financial system. As the world converges together via regional blocs, free trade areas, the need for a common currency has arisen. The increasing amount of literature in the area has propelled the need for a compilation. This review seeks to provide an overview of the ��what-if probability for a common global currency. Beginning with an overview of the present International Monetary System, it ventures into the murky waters of the various contributions of economists towards the eventuality. The author tries to bring out the pros and cons of adopting a single currency, from an economic perspective, while testing the viability of the theory with the European Monetary Union, the only real example of an Economic and Monetary Union. The assessment aims to educate about the benefits and drawbacks of a single currency, leaving the reader to choose between the multi-currency world of today and the futuristic world of mono-money

Development of strategies to support home-based exercise adherence after stroke: a Delphi consensus

Objective To develop a set of strategies to enhance adherence to home-based exercises after stroke, and an overarching framework to classify these strategies. Method We conducted a four-round Delphi consensus (two online surveys, followed by a focus group then a consensus round). The Delphi panel consisted of 13 experts from physiotherapy, occupational therapy, clinical psychology, behaviour science and community medicine. The experts were from India, Australia and UK. Results In round 1, a 10-item survey using open-ended questions was emailed to panel members and 75 strategies were generated. Of these, 25 strategies were included in round 2 for further consideration. A total of 64 strategies were finally included in the subsequent rounds. In round 3, the strategies were categorised into nine domains - (1) patient education on stroke and recovery, (2) method of exercise prescription, (3) feedback and supervision, (4) cognitive remediation, (5) involvement of family members, (6) involvement of society, (7) promoting self-efficacy, (8) motivational strategies and (9) reminder strategies. The consensus from 12 experts (93%) led to the development of the framework in round 4. Conclusion We developed a framework of comprehensive strategies to assist clinicians in supporting exercise adherence among stroke survivors. It provides practical methods that can be deployed in both research and clinical practices. Future studies should explore stakeholders' experiences and the cost-effectiveness of implementing these strategies

A nuclear magnetic resonance study of orientational ordering in thermotropic liquid crystals

The work presented in this thesis is concerned with the study of orientational ordering in thermotropic liquid crystals by means of Fourier Transform Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy. Particular emphasis has been placed on a detailed study of the 4-n-alkoxy-4'-cyanobiphenyl (n-OCB) homologous series; a range of liquid crystals which find extensive applications in liquid crystal display devices. Thus in Chapter 2 we present a study of selected members of the n-OCB series in the nematic phase. The orientational ordering along the flexible alkyl chain is determined by deuterium NMR spectroscopy and the experimental results compared with theoretical predictions. The conformational probabilities are calculated and a predictive theory is developed which is used to anticipate the behaviour of other members in the n-OCB series. Chapter 3 is concerned with a study of field-induced orientational ordering in the pretransitional region. We again employ deuterium NMR to study the behaviour of the first four members of the n-OCB series in the isotropic phase. An analysis similar to that presented in Chapter 2 is carried out and results for the isotropic and nematic phases are compared. In Chapter 4 we present a study of solute alignment in the n-OCB homologous series. Fully deuteriated para-xylene(d10)is employed as a solute and the liquid crystal solvents consist of the first twelve members of the series. We are then able to investigate in detail the effect of increasing the chain length on orientational ordering. The structure of para-xylene is known and we are able to calculate both the major order parameter and the biaxiality as a function of temperature for this solute. Chapter 5 is also concerned with solute aligment in liquid crystals but the ten solvents used now vary radically in their structures. Fully deuteriated para-xylene is again used as a solute and the results in Chapters 4 and 5 are compared. The anomalous behaviour observed for the solute in the smectic phases of the solvents HAB and 5-0-5 has been interpreted by the adoption of a two-site model in which the solute interacts preferentially with the core or chain regions of the solvent. A test of this model by simultaneous measurement of the ordering in both the solute and solvent shows good agreement with similar studies using different solutes. Finally a study of the orientational ordering of para-xylene in the binary mixtures PCH7/EBBA and ZLI-1132/EBBA is presented. A model has been proposed to account for the results obtained which, although capable of fitting the observed data, still needs to be validated experimentally.</p

Economics of a Single Currency

The last two decades saw a lot of changes in the world scenario, it includes not just the emergence of Euro but also a number of crises, namely in Mexico, Brazil, Russia and Southeast Asia. These two extremes pointed towards the fragility of the international financial system. As the world converges together via regional blocs, free trade areas, the need for a common currency has arisen. The increasing amount of literature in the area has propelled the need for a compilation. This review seeks to provide an overview of the ��what-if probability for a common global currency. Beginning with an overview of the present International Monetary System, it ventures into the murky waters of the various contributions of economists towards the eventuality. The author tries to bring out the pros and cons of adopting a single currency, from an economic perspective, while testing the viability of the theory with the European Monetary Union, the only real example of an Economic and Monetary Union. The assessment aims to educate about the benefits and drawbacks of a single currency, leaving the reader to choose between the multi-currency world of today and the futuristic world of mono-money

Total Anterior Staphyloma Secondary to Acanthamoeba Keratitis.

ABSTRACT There are very few published cases of total anterior staphyloma, all of which have been reported as secondary to fungal keratitis. This study reports the clinical and histopathological findings and subsequent management of a 27-year-old healthy female patient who developed total anterior staphyloma after poor compliance with treatment for clinically diagnosed acanthamoeba keratitis. She underwent a successful evisceration with good long-term results. This case highlights that total anterior staphyloma may also result from untreated keratitis which is not fungal in origin. In cases of fungal and acanthamoeba keratitis, patient compliance with both treatment and follow-up is paramount to avoid vision-threatening sequelae that present significant challenges in their management

Facilitators and Barriers of Artificial Intelligence Applications in Rehabilitation: A Mixed-Method Approach

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been used in physical therapy diagnosis and management for various impairments. Physical therapists (PTs) need to be able to utilize the latest innovative treatment techniques to improve the quality of care. The study aimed to describe PTs&rsquo; views on AI and investigate multiple factors as indicators of AI knowledge, attitude, and adoption among PTs. Moreover, the study aimed to identify the barriers to using AI in rehabilitation. Two hundred and thirty-six PTs participated voluntarily in the study. A concurrent mixed-method design was used to document PTs&rsquo; opinions regarding AI deployment in rehabilitation. A self-administered survey consisting of several aspects, including demographic, knowledge, uses, advantages, impacts, and barriers limiting AI utilization in rehabilitation, was used. A total of 63.3% of PTs reported that they had not experienced any kind of AI applications at work. The major factors predicting a higher level of AI knowledge among PTs were being a non-academic worker (OR = 1.77 [95% CI; 1.01 to 3.12], p = 0.04), being a senior PT (OR = 2.44, [95%CI: 1.40 to 4.22], p = 0.002), and having a Master/Doctorate degree (OR = 1.97, [95%CI: 1.11 to 3.50], p = 0.02). However, the cost and resources of AI were the major reported barriers to adopting AI-based technologies. The study highlighted a remarkable dearth of AI knowledge among PTs. AI and advanced knowledge in technology need to be urgently transferred to PTs

Bi-allelic TTI1 variants cause an autosomal-recessive neurodevelopmental disorder with microcephaly.

Telomere maintenance 2 (TELO2), Tel2 interacting protein 2 (TTI2), and Tel2 interacting protein 1 (TTI1) are the three components of the conserved Triple T (TTT) complex that modulates activity of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-related protein kinases (PIKKs), including mTOR, ATM, and ATR, by regulating the assembly of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1). The TTT complex is essential for the expression, maturation, and stability of ATM and ATR in response to DNA damage. TELO2- and TTI2-related bi-allelic autosomal-recessive (AR) encephalopathies have been described in individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disability (ID), short stature, postnatal microcephaly, and a movement disorder (in the case of variants within TELO2). We present clinical, genomic, and functional data from 11 individuals in 9 unrelated families with bi-allelic variants in TTI1. All present with ID, and most with microcephaly, short stature, and a movement disorder. Functional studies performed in HEK293T cell lines and fibroblasts and lymphoblastoid cells derived from 4 unrelated individuals showed impairment of the TTT complex and of mTOR pathway activity which is improved by treatment with Rapamycin. Our data delineate a TTI1-related neurodevelopmental disorder and expand the group of disorders related to the TTT complex