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The aim of the present paper is to deal with the analysis of the classical and Bayesian estimation of various measures of system effectiveness in a two non-identical unit parallel system. Each unit has two possible modes Normal (N) and total failure (F). A single repairman is always available with the system and after working for a random period he goes for rest for a random period. After taking complete rest he again starts the repair of the failed unit on a pre-emptive repeat basis. The system failure occurs when both the units are in (F-mode). The distributions of failure time as well as working and rest time of repairman are assumed to be exponential whereas repair time and rest time distribution of repairman are taken as general. A simulation study is also conducted for analysing the considered system model both in Classical and Bayesian setups. Bayesian estimates of various measure of system effectiveness are also obtained by taking different priors. The comparative study is made to judge the performance of Maximum likelihood estimation and Bayesian estimation methods. A simulation study at the end exhibits the behaviour of such a system. The Monte-Carlo technique is employed to draw observations for this simulation study. To obtain various interesting measure of system effectiveness technique have used the Regenerative point technique, MCMC technique and Gibbs sampler technique. From the graphs and tables we have drawn various important conclusions such that a smaller value of failure rate α1 introduces a larger value of Maximum likelihood estimate and Bayes estimates for fixed value of the parameter of the repairman rest time distribution β. Moreso, when the value of the failure rate α1 increases the mean time to system failure and net expected profit are also decreases. To compare the performance of asymptotic confidence interval and highest posterior density interval with the maximum likelihood estimates technique, it has been observed that width of the highest posterior density interval is less than the width of an asymptotic confidence interval.

The aim of the present paper is to deal with the cost-benefit analysis of a two identical unit cold standby system model. There are two modes of a unit say Normal(N) and Total failure(F). When a unit operates then any of the two types of failure minor or major may occur some fixed known probabilities. Two repairmen are always available with the system to repair a unit failed with minor or major fault respectively. Upon failure of an operative unit the cold standby unit starts operations instantaneously with a perfect switching device. After minor and major repair of a failed unit it becomes as good as new. The distributions of failure times of minor and major faults and each type of repair time are assumed to follow geometric distributions with different parameters. Using regenerative point technique with the basic tools of probabilistic argument and Laplace Transform various important measures of system effectiveness useful to system designers and operations managers have been obtained.

Natural farming, popularly known as zero budget natural farming, is an innovative farming approach. It is low input based, climate resilient, and low cost farming system because all the inputs (insect repellents, fungicides, and pesticides) are made up of natural herbs and locally available inputs, thereby reducing the use of artificial fertilizers and industrial pesticides. It is becoming increasingly popular among the smallholder farmers of Himachal Pradesh. Under the natural farming system, 3 to 12 crops are cultivated together on the same area, along with leguminous crops as intercrop in order to ensure that no piece of land is wasted and utilized properly. This article focuses mainly on the different cropping systems of natural farming and comparing the economics of natural farming (NF) with conventional farming (CF) systems. Study shows that farmers adopted five major crop combinations under natural farming system, i.e., vegetables-based cropping system (e.g., tomato + beans + cucumber and cauliflower + pea + radish), vegetables-cereals-based cropping system, and other three more cropping systems discussed in this article. The results indicated that a vegetable-based cropping system has 19.68% more net return in Kharif season and 24.64% more net return in Rabi season as compared to conventional farming vegetable-based monocropping system. NF maximizes land use and reduces the chance of crop yield loss. NF has resulted in increased returns especially in the vegetable cropping system where reduction in cost was 30.73 per cent (kharif) and 11.88 per cent (rabi) across all crop combinations in comparison to CF. It is found in study that NF was cost savings from not using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, as well as higher benefit from intercrops.

The paper deals with the stochastic analysis of two non-identical units (unit-1 and unit-2). Initially, one unit is operative and other is kept into warm standby. Each unit of the system has two possible modes-Normal (N) and Total Failure (F). A single repairman is always available with the system to repair a failed unit. The operative unit is non-repairable, hence upon failure it goes for replacement. The system failure occurs when both the units are in total failure mode. Failure and repair times of a unit are taken as independent random variables of discrete nature having geometric distributions with different parameters.

The paper deals with the analysis of a system model consisting of two non-identical units arranged in a parallel configuration. If a unit fails it goes to repair. After its repair, the repaired unit is sent for post repair to complete its repair. A single repairman is always available with the system to repair a failed unit and for post repair of repaired unit. A post repaired unit always works as good as new. Failure time of both the units is assumed to be correlated random variables having their joint distribution as bivariate exponential (B.V.E.). The repair time distribution of both the units are taken as general with different c.d.fs whereas the post repair time distribution of both the units are taken as exponential with different parameters.

Reinfection of SARS-CoV-2 is an apparently rare entity and only a few cases have been reported from across the world with the genetic characterization of the virus, differentiating reinfection from persistent virus shedding. These cases, therefore, provide unique insights into the long term protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2. The earlier reports suggest that patients were symptomatic in either one or both the episodes of infection. Here we report a unique case of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in two healthcare workers from India identified in routine surveillance. Genome sequencing of the virus suggests that genetically distinct SARS-CoV-2 caused the infections. Our analysis demonstrates that asymptomatic reinfection could potentially be an under-reported entity with implications in long term surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 infections. This report also highlights the need for genomic surveillance of healthcare workers who are potentially not only at higher risk for primary infections but also for reinfections.

Proton MRS (1 H MRS) provides noninvasive, quantitative metabolite profiles of tissue and has been shown to aid the clinical management of several brain diseases. Although most modern clinical MR scanners support MRS capabilities, routine use is largely restricted to specialized centers with good access to MR research support. Widespread adoption has been slow for several reasons, and technical challenges toward obtaining reliable good-quality results have been identified as a contributing factor. Considerable progress has been made by the research community to address many of these challenges, and in this paper a consensus is presented on deficiencies in widely available MRS methodology and validated improvements that are currently in routine use at several clinical research institutions. In particular, the localization error for the PRESS localization sequence was found to be unacceptably high at 3 T, and use of the semi-adiabatic localization by adiabatic selective refocusing sequence is a recommended solution. Incorporation of simulated metabolite basis sets into analysis routines is recommended for reliably capturing the full spectral detail available from short TE acquisitions. In addition, the importance of achieving a highly homogenous static magnetic field (B0 ) in the acquisition region is emphasized, and the limitations of current methods and hardware are discussed. Most recommendations require only software improvements, greatly enhancing the capabilities of clinical MRS on existing hardware. Implementation of these recommendations should strengthen current clinical applications and advance progress toward developing and validating new MRS biomarkers for clinical use.

The paper deals with the stochastic analysis of a two-identical unit cold standby system model assuming two modesnormal and total failure. A single repair facility appears in and disappears from the system randomly. The random variables denoting the failure time, repair time, time to appearance and time to disappearance of repairman are independent of discrete nature having geometric distributions with different parameters. The various measures of system effectiveness are obtained by using regenerative point technique.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of using convalescent plasma to treat moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) in adults in India.DesignOpen label, parallel arm, phase II, multicentre, randomised controlled trial.Setting39 public and private hospitals across India.Participants464 adults (≥18 years) admitted to hospital (screened 22 April to 14 July 2020) with confirmed moderate covid-19 (partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood/fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO2/FiO2) ratio between 200 mm Hg and 300 mm Hg or a respiratory rate of more than 24/min with oxygen saturation 93% or less on room air): 235 were assigned to convalescent plasma with best standard of care (intervention arm) and 229 to best standard of care only (control arm).InterventionsParticipants in the intervention arm received two doses of 200 mL convalescent plasma, transfused 24 hours apart. The presence and levels of neutralising antibodies were not measured a priori; stored samples were assayed at the end of the study.Main outcome measureComposite of progression to severe disease (PaO2/FiO2ResultsProgression to severe disease or all cause mortality at 28 days after enrolment occurred in 44 (19%) participants in the intervention arm and 41 (18%) in the control arm (risk difference 0.008 (95% confidence interval −0.062 to 0.078); risk ratio 1.04, 95% confidence interval 0.71 to 1.54).ConclusionConvalescent plasma was not associated with a reduction in progression to severe covid-19 or all cause mortality. This trial has high generalisability and approximates convalescent plasma use in real life settings with limited laboratory capacity. A priori measurement of neutralising antibody titres in donors and participants might further clarify the role of convalescent plasma in the management of covid-19.Trial registrationClinical Trial Registry of India CTRI/2020/04/024775.

Additional file 1. ROC analysis of different perfusion parameters before and after B1 correction.

Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) checklist. (DOC 122 kb)

Item does not contain fulltext A large body of published work shows that proton (hydrogen 1 [(1)H]) magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy has evolved from a research tool into a clinical neuroimaging modality. Herein, the authors present a summary of brain disorders in which MR spectroscopy has an impact on patient management, together with a critical consideration of common data acquisition and processing procedures. The article documents the impact of (1)H MR spectroscopy in the clinical evaluation of disorders of the central nervous system. The clinical usefulness of (1)H MR spectroscopy has been established for brain neoplasms, neonatal and pediatric disorders (hypoxia-ischemia, inherited metabolic diseases, and traumatic brain injury), demyelinating disorders, and infectious brain lesions. The growing list of disorders for which (1)H MR spectroscopy may contribute to patient management extends to neurodegenerative diseases, epilepsy, and stroke. To facilitate expanded clinical acceptance and standardization of MR spectroscopy methodology, guidelines are provided for data acquisition and analysis, quality assessment, and interpretation. Finally, the authors offer recommendations to expedite the use of robust MR spectroscopy methodology in the clinical setting, including incorporation of technical advances on clinical units. © RSNA, 2014 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

The immunopathogenesis of neurocysticercosis (NCC) largely remains unknown. We analyzed the immune response to different fractions of Taenia solium cyst fluid antigens in patients with NCC. Lymphocytes were separated from 48 patients with NCC-related active epilepsy and 30 healthy controls. T. solium (isolated from pig muscles) antigens (crude lysate, CL; cyst wall, CW and cyst fluid, CF) at 20 μg/well concentrations were used to stimulate the cells in a lymphocyte transformation test (LTT). Only CF antigen stimulated cell proliferation significantly greater than control (p

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea is a common condition managed by most otolaryngologists with the help of nasal endoscopy (sinoscopy). In the last 2 years, we have used a neuroendoscope with a working sheath to treat nine patients with CSF rhinorrhea. One patient developed a recurrence 1 month after treatment but then responded to conservative treatment. We conclude that the treatment of CSF rhinorrhea by a neuroendoscope with a working sheath is safe, effective, and easy and obviates the need for a separate sinoscope.

【Abstract】Objective: The treatment of multi-fragmentary, intraarticular fractures of the distal humerus is difficult, even in young patients with bone of good quality. Small distal fragment, diminished bone mineral quality and increased trauma-associated joint destruction make stable joint reconstruction more problematic. The anatomically preshaped locking plates allow angular stable fixation for these complex fractures. We evaluated functional results of patients treated with open reduction and internal fixation with distal humerus locking plates for complex distal hu-merus fractures. Methods: Forty-three consecutive patients with ar-ticular fractures of the distal humerus were treated by open reduction and internal fixation with AO distal humerus plate system and locking reconstruction plates. Forty patients were available for the final outcome analysis. According to AO/ASIF classification, there were 2 cases of type A2, 4 cases of type A3, 1 case of type B1, 1 case of type B2, 14 cases of type C1, 7 cases of type C2 and 11 cases of type C3. Open reduction with triceps splitting technique was used in all patients. The clinical and radiographic follow-up was performed and outcome measures included pain assessment, range of motion, and Mayo elbow performance score. Results: Forty patients were available for the final outcome analysis. There were 29 males and 11 females with an average age of 38.4 years (18-73 years). Clinical and ra-diological consolidation of the fracture was observed in all cases at an average of 11.6 weeks (9-14 weeks). The average follow-up was 12 months (10-18 months). Using the Mayo elbow performance score the results obtained were graded as excellent or good results in 33 patients (82.5%). One pa-tient had superficial infection, and 4 had myositis ossificans. There were no cases of primary malposition or secondary displacement, implant failure or ulnar neuropathy. Conclusion: Anatomically preshaped distal humerus locking plate system is useful in providing stable fixation for complex distal articular fracture and facilitating early post-operative rehabilitation. The low rate of implant failure in the present study indicates that the technique is promising and warrants further investigation. Key words: Humerus; Fractures, bone; Bone plates; Fracture fixation, internal

This paper aims to examine the long term relationship between German and three Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) equity markets. Application of Johansen as well as Engle-Granger cointegration tests show that there is no long-term relationship among these markets while the Gregory-Hansen cointegration test rejects the null hypothesis of no cointegration with structural break. An additional objective is to capture the time-varying correlation among these markets through the dynamic conditional correlation models. Empirical results suggest that correlations increased after the accession of the CEE countries into the European Union.

Analysis, design and flow control problems in pressurized hydraulic networks such as water transmission and distribution systems consisting of pipes and other appurtenant components such as reservoirs, pumps, valves and surge devices are dealt with from the prospective of network synthesis aiming at the direct determination of design variables to achieve a specified behaviour of the system under steady state or transient flow conditions.. The book presents an innovative theoretical framework consisting of a generalized network model, necessary and sufficient conditions for solvability and methods/algorithms for the efficient solution of network problems. Presented applications in cases of analysis, design and surge control problems show the advantages that are achieved in problem formulation, problem simplification, performance of the methods of solution and adaptability of the developed framework to a wide variety of problems of the engineering practice.

Purpose: To report a retrospective analysis of a combined procedure of extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) with heparin surface modified (HSM) posterior chamber intraocular lens (PCIOL) implantation along with primary Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) implantation in an attempt to optimize visual acuity gains and intraocular pressure (IOP) control in patients with phacomorphic glaucoma. Methods: ECCE with HSM PC IOL and AGV implantation was performed through two separate incisions in 15 patients diagnosed with phacomorphic glaucoma. Postoperative improvement in visual acuity and IOP control were monitored. Results: A steady control of IOP was maintained in all patients with minimum anti-glaucoma medications. The average visual acuity was approximately 6/24 at 3 months. Conclusion: Superior preoperative IOP control and a shorter phacomorphic attack resulted in better postoperative vision. The successful maintenance of IOP within the desired range in this study suggests that the procedure should be performed under similar conditions.

International audience; Many cosmopolitan plant-eating insect species comprise reproductively isolated population clusters that exhibit contrasting biological (e.g. life cycle) and ecological (e.g. host plant association) characteristics. Phylogeographical studies can untangle such complexities and shed light on the evolutionary forces that drove the divergence between population clusters. In the present study, we investigated the phylogeography of the leaf curl plum aphid (Brachycaudus helichrysi), a cosmopolitan pest of Prunus orchards. Using a combination of DNA markers on a set of specimens sampled worldwide, we confirmed the existence of two main lineages (H1 and H2), with differing life cycles. H1 is a sexually reproducing lineage found across the Holarctic on plum trees, whereas H2 consists of globally distributed asexual lineages and few sexual populations that are restricted to West Asia and use peach trees as primary hosts. We further characterized a third lineage (H3), restricted to East Asia, which is associated with apricot trees and Prunus species that are endemic to this region. The divergence of the lineages postdates the speciation of associated Prunus species but precedes their domestication. Our results suggest that, in B. helichrysi, the differentiation between host-specific lineages initially started in geographically isolated populations, which subsequently each adapted to local Prunus species. (C) 2016 The Linnean Society of London

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