Extremal Problems Research Articles

Quality of life of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis: A comparative analysis of the EQ-5D-3L and CLIQ questionnaires.

To evaluate the performance of the Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Impact Questionnaire (CLIQ) using the EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D-3L) as a reference standard (criterion validation); to evaluate the responsiveness of the instruments and estimate a cut-off point for the CLIQ to be able to discriminate between high and low impacts of cutaneous leishmaniasis on patients. Between 2020 and 2022, a longitudinal validation study was conducted at a reference centre for leishmaniasis in Brazil. The EQ-5D-3L and CLIQ questionnaires were administered before, during and after treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis. The correlation between the instruments was assessed using Spearman's correlation coefficient, responsiveness was assessed using the Wilcoxon test, and CLIQ cut-off points were proposed based on results of the EQ-5Q-3L, dichotomized between patients reporting no problems' and 'some or extreme problems'. There were satisfactory correlation coefficients between the two instruments before (-0.596) and during treatment (-0.551) and a low correlation between the instruments after the end of treatment (-0.389). In general, the responsiveness of the instruments was satisfactory. The CLIC scores that maximized sensitivity and specificity for recognizing impaired health status before and during treatment were 7 points and 17 points, respectively. However, at the end of treatment, based on the results for the EQ-5D-3L, the CLIC was not able to discriminate between individuals with high and low impacts of the disease. The CLIQ corresponds well with the EQ-5D-3L when applied before and during treatment but does not seem to be appropriate for follow-up evaluations after the end of treatment.

HIV, multimorbidity, and health-related quality of life in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: A population-based study.

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) assesses the perceived impact of health status across life domains. Although research has explored the relationship between specific conditions, including HIV, and HRQoL in low-resource settings, less attention has been paid to the association between multimorbidity and HRQoL. In a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the Vukuzazi ("Wake up and know ourselves" in isiZulu) study, which identified the prevalence and overlap of non-communicable and infectious diseases in the uMkhanyakunde district of KwaZulu-Natal, we (1) evaluated the impact of multimorbidity on HRQoL; (2) determined the relative associations among infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and HRQoL; and (3) examined the effects of controlled versus non-controlled disease on HRQoL. HRQoL was measured using the EQ-5D-3L, which assesses overall perceived health, five specific domains (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression), and three levels of problems (no problems, some problems, and extreme problems). Six diseases and disease states were included in this analysis: HIV, diabetes, stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, and TB. After examining the degree to which number of conditions affects HRQoL, we estimated the effect of joint associations among combinations of diseases, each HRQoL domain, and overall health. Then, in one set of ridge regression models, we assessed the relative impact of HIV, diabetes, stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, and tuberculosis on the HRQoL domains; in a second set of models, the contribution of treatment (controlled vs. uncontrolled disease) was added. A total of 14,008 individuals were included in this analysis. Having more conditions adversely affected perceived health (r = -0.060, p<0.001, 95% CI: -0.073 to -0.046) and all HRQoL domains. Infectious conditions were related to better perceived health (r = 0.051, p<0.001, 95% CI: 0.037 to 0.064) and better HRQoL, whereas non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were associated with worse perceived health (r = -0.124, p<0.001, -95% CI: 0.137 to -0.110) and lower HRQoL. Particular combinations of NCDs were detrimental to perceived health, whereas HIV, which was characterized by access to care and suppressed viral load in the large majority of those affected, was counterintuitively associated with better perceived health. With respect to disease control, unique combinations of uncontrolled NCDs were significantly related to worse perceived health, and controlled HIV was associated with better perceived health. The presence of controlled and uncontrolled NCDs was associated with poor perceived health and worse HRQoL, whereas the presence of controlled HIV was associated with improved HRQoL. HIV disease control may be critical for HRQoL among people with HIV, and incorporating NCD prevention and attention to multimorbidity into healthcare strategies may improve HRQoL.

Pendidikan Islam dan Tantangan Kontemporer: Strategi Mengatasi Radikalisme dan Ekstremisme Melalui Pendidikan Holistik

This article discusses the role of Islamic education in facing contemporary challenges, especially in addressing the problems of radicalism and extremism. Through an interdisciplinary approach, this article investigates how Islamic education can serve as an effective solution in responding to the phenomenon. In this article, we will analyze the main concepts in Islamic education that promote a correct understanding of religion, tolerance, moderatism, and criticism of extreme thought. Through proper education, the values of tolerance, justice, and moderation can be instilled in the younger generation of Muslims. This article highlights the concept of inclusive Islamic education, based on balanced religious teachings, and developing critical understanding. This research was conducted through literature review and contextual analysis to provide deeper insight into the importance of Islamic education in addressing contemporary challenges. The results show that holistic and contextual Islamic education can play an important role in preventing and overcoming radicalism and extremism. This article provides a new outlook for educators, education practitioners, and policy makers to promote well-rounded Islamic education and build a generation of civilized Muslims.

Stability of Solutions to Extremal Problems with Constraints Based on λ-Truncations

In this paper, we consider finite- and infinite-dimensional optimization problems with constraints of general type. We obtain sufficient conditions for stability of a strict solution and conditions for stability of a set of solutions with more than one point in it according to small perturbations of the problem parameters. For finite-dimensional extremal problems with equality-type constraints, we obtain stability conditions based on the construction of λ-truncations of mappings.

Stability of Solutions to Extremal Problems with Constraints Based on λ-Truncations

Рассматриваются конечномерные и бесконечномерные задачи оптимизации при наличии ограничений общего вида. Получены достаточные условия устойчивости строгого решения и условия устойчивости множества решений, состоящего более чем из одной точки, относительно малых возмущений параметров задачи. Вконечномерном случае получены условия устойчивости решений экстремальных задач с ограничениями типа равенств на основе конструкции λ-укорочений отображений.

Impact of Chronic Opioid Use on Postoperative Mobility Recovery and Patient-Reported Outcomes: A Propensity-Matched Study

BackgroundOpioid use prior to total joint arthroplasty may be associated with poorer postoperative outcomes. However, few studies have reported the impact on postoperative recovery of mobility. We hypothesized that chronic opioid users would demonstrate impaired objective and subjective mobility recovery compared to nonusers. MethodsA secondary data analysis of a multicenter, prospective observational cohort study in which patients used a smartphone-based care management platform with a smartwatch for self-directed rehabilitation following hip or knee arthroplasty was performed. Patients were matched 2:1 based on age, body mass index, sex, procedure, Charnley class, ambulatory status, orthopedic procedure history, and anxiety. Postoperative mobility outcomes were measured by patient-reported ability to walk unassisted at 90 days, step counts, and responses to the 5-level EuroQol-5 dimension 5-level, compared by Chi-square and student’s t-tests. Unmatched cohorts were also compared to investigate the impact of matching. ResultsA total of 153 preoperative chronic opioid users were matched to 306 opioid-naïve patients. Age (61.9 ± 10.5 versus 62.1 ± 10.3, P = .90) and sex (53.6 versus 53.3% women, P = .95) were similar between groups. The proportion of people who reported walking unassisted for 90 days did not vary in the matched cohort (87.8 versus 90.7%, P = .26). Step counts were similar preoperatively and 1-month postoperatively but were lower in opioid users at 3 and 6 months postoperatively (4,823 versus 5,848, P = .03). More opioid users reported moderate to extreme problems with ambulation preoperatively on the 5-level EuroQol-5 dimension 5-level (80.6 versus 69.0%, P = .02), and at 6 months (19.2 versus 9.3%, P = .01). ConclusionsSubjective and objective measures of postoperative mobility were significantly reduced in patients who chronically used opioid medications preoperatively. Even after considering baseline factors that may affect ambulation, objective mobility metrics following arthroplasty were negatively impacted by preoperative chronic opioid use.

Health-related quality of life of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: A cross-sectional study in the cape coast metropolis.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) has in recent decades become a global pandemic, accounting for over 90% of DM cases. The study evaluated the health-related quality of life (HrQoL) and identified its determinants among type 2 DM patients at the University of Cape Coast Hospital. We conducted our study at the University of Cape Coast Hospital from January to March 2022. The EQ-5D-5L questionnaire was administered to 68 type 2 DM patients. Data were then inputted into Microsoft Excel and analyzed accordingly using IBM SPSS statistical software version 26 and GraphPad Prism 8. The mean age of the participants was 60.71 ± 12.18 with 55.9% being females. The average systolic, diastolic blood pressure and fasting blood glucose (FBG) of participants were 140.99 ± 22.27, 85 ± 11.14 and 7.97 ± 2.66 respectively. With the EQ-5D-5L scale, participants reported severe to extreme problems mainly in pain/discomfort (19.1%) and mobility (8.8%) dimensions. Approximately 21% (14/68) of patients reported themselves as being in perfect health based on the EQ-5D index score with no significant difference between males and females (p ≥ 0.05). On a scale of 0 to 100, most (26.5%) of the participants rated their general health state at 80. Age was significantly associated with all five dimensions while patients with comorbidities had higher odds of experiencing pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. The study reveals that pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression are the most experienced problems among patients with type 2 DM. The HrQoL of type 2 DM patients was also found to be affected by age, comorbidities, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Therefore, identifying these factors and developing appropriate interventions is crucial for improving patient outcomes and enhancing treatment outcomes.

Stability of Solutions to Extremal Problems with Constraints Based on λ-Truncations

Stability of Solutions to Extremal Problems with Constraints Based on λ-Truncations

Graph Limits and Spectral Extremal Problems for Graphs

Graph Limits and Spectral Extremal Problems for Graphs

Salience theory value spillovers between China’s systemically important banks: evidence from quantile connectedness

Analyzing the interdependencies among financial institutions is critical for designing systemic risk monitoring mechanisms; however, most existing research focuses on the first moment of the return distribution, which falls into the conventional models of choice under risk. Previous literature has observed the scarcity of investors’ attention and processing power, which makes the traditional theory of choice under risk more vulnerable and brings the salience theory that accommodates investors’ cognitive limitations to our attention. Motivated by evidence of salience theory value (STV) containing unique information not captured by traditional higher-order moments, we employ a quantile connectedness approach to examine the STV interconnectedness of China’s systemically important banks (C-SIBs). The quantile approach allows us to uncover the dynamic STV interconnectedness of C-SIBs under normal, bearish, and bullish market conditions and is well-suited to extreme risk problems. Our results show that the C-SIBs system is asymmetrically interconnected across quantiles and at higher levels under bullish than bearish market conditions. Principally, a bank’s performance in the C-SIBs system depends on its systemic importance and market conditions. Furthermore, the comparative analysis indicates that STV could provide more information than higher-order moments in capturing the dynamic change in the C-SIBs system and detecting some market events more precisely. These results have important implications for policymakers and market participants to formulate regulatory policy and design risk management strategies.

Spectral Extremal Problem on Disjoint Color-Critical Graphs

For a given graph $F$, we say that a graph $G$ is $F$-free if it does not contain $F$ as a subgraph. A graph is color-critical if it contains an edge whose deletion reduces its chromatic number. Let $K_r^{+}(a_1, a_2, \ldots, a_r)$ be the graph obtained from complete $r$-partite graph with parts of sizes $a_1\geqslant 2, a_2, \ldots, a_r$, by adding an edge to the first part. In this paper, we focus on the spectral extrema of disjoint color-critical graphs. For fixed $t, a_1,\ldots, a_r\ (r\geqslant 2)$ and large enough $n$, we characterize the unique $n$-vertex $tK_r^+(a_1,\ldots,a_r)$-free graph having the largest spectral radius. Moreover, let $F_1,\ldots,F_t$ be $t$ disjoint color-critical graphs with the same chromatic number. We identify the unique $n$-vertex $\bigcup_{i=1}^tF_i$-free graph having the largest spectral radius for sufficiently large $n$. Consequently, we generalize the main results obtained by Ni, Wang and Kang [Electron. J. Combin. 30 (1) (2023), #P1.20] and by Fang, Zhai and Lin [arXiv:2302.03229v2].

CAT (Comprehensive Assessment Tool) for Assessment of Functional Capacity of the Hand

Background: Hand function evaluations form an important element of extremity assessment, which helps to define the patient’s problem. Many functional hand evaluations described in the literature. However, cultural differences, expenses incurred, non-availability of Indian normative data makes clinical application of these tests difficult in Indian scenario. An attempt is made in the said study to construct an inexpensive, culture based, easy to administer, hand function test, which can be used for evaluation of the functioning of the upper extremity, for daily living tasks. Hence, the formulation of CAT (Comprehensive assessment tool) for evaluation of hand function. Objectives: To construct a simple, but comprehensive test for assessment of hand function. (CAT for hand function evaluation) 2. To check the reliability of the CAT test. Materials and methods: CAT test proforma was prepared based on available literature. The test that was constructed, consisted of 14 unilateral and 16 bilateral items. The study was conducted in the Occupational therapy department of a tertiary care hospital. Inclusion criteria were Normal, healthy individuals, between 20-60 years of age, with no known musculoskeletal upper extremity problems were recruited for the study. Total 30 people were evaluated on the newly constructed test and retested after a period of 3 weeks on the 30 test items after obtaining written informed consent. Standard method was employed while performance of the test. Scoring was done in time in seconds, and performance on CAT results noted. Results: Cronbach’s alpha values ranged from .798 to .976 suggesting excellent test-retest reliability for most test items. For bilateral test items, Cronbach’s alpha ranged from .573 to .941 suggesting from fair for some items and excellent test-retest reliability for most test items. Conclusion: The above findings suggest that the results of the CAT test are reproducible, hence CAT is a reliable test. Keywords: CAT test, Comprehensive test, Functional hand evaluation, Hand function

Three-Stage Rapid Physical Design Algorithm for Continuous-Flow Microfluidic Biochips Considering Actual Fluid Manipulations

With the continuous development of microfluidic technology, continuous-flow microfluidic biochips (CFMBs) are being increasingly used in the Internet of Things. The automation design of CFMBs has also received widespread attention. The architecture design of CFMBs is divided into a high-level synthesis stage and a physical design stage. Among them, the problem of the physical design stage is very complex. At this stage, the chip architecture is generated based on the device library and a set of flow paths, taking into account the actual fluid manipulations, while minimizing the cost of the chip, such as the number of ports, total length of flow channels, number of flow channel intersections. As fabrication technology advances, the number of devices integrated into CFMBs is increasing. The existing physical design algorithms can no longer meet the design requirements of CFMBs in terms of time. Therefore, we propose a three-stage rapid physical design algorithm for CFMBs considering the actual fluid manipulations. The proposed algorithm includes a port-driven preprocessing stage, a force-directed quadratic placement stage, and a negotiation-based routing stage. In the port-driven preprocessing stage, a port-driven preprocessing algorithm is proposed to generate connection matrices between ports and devices to reduce the number of ports introduced. In the force-directed quadratic placement stage, we model the placement problem as an extremum problem of a quadratic cost function, which mathematically reduces the search space significantly and shortens the running time of the algorithm significantly. In the negotiation-based routing stage, a heuristic negotiation-based routing algorithm and a flow channel strategy that prioritizes the construction of parallel execution are proposed to reduce the running time of the algorithm while ensuring that the number of crossings in the routing solution is close to the optimal solution. Experimental results confirm that our proposed method is able to generate the high-quality solutions quickly. Under general scale problems, compared to the existing method based on ILP, our proposed method achieves a speedup ratio of 23,171 in terms of CPU time and optimizations in terms of number of ports and port reuse of 3.18% and 6.52%, respectively. These optimizations come at the cost of only a slight increase in the number of intersections, the flow length, and the number of flow valves. In addition, our proposed method can effectively solve large-scale problems that cannot be solved by existing method based on ILP.

Extremum problems and control function estimates for a parabolic equation

Extremum problems and control function estimates for a parabolic equation

СРАВНЕНИЕ МЕТОДОВ РЕШЕНИЯ ТРАНСПОРТНОЙ ЗАДАЧИ

Mathematical programming is a mathematical discipline that studies various extremal problems and develops algorithms for solving them. Among the problems are those of mathematical integer programming. Integer programming is indispensable for solving mathematical programming problems in which some or all of the variables take on integer values. The problems include the transport problem. The paper considers the transport problem and three linear programming methods for solving it: the method of potentials, the method of differential rents and the simplex method. The paper analyzes and assesses the effectiveness of the three algorithms for optimizing transport problems. Several linear optimization algorithms have been studied and presented. The paper contains the basic concepts, formulas, and algorithms of the methods used. The method of potentials, the method of differential rents and the simplex method are considered. The results of solving the problem using these methods are presented and compared. All calculations were performed using Excel.

A Generative Transfer Learning Method for Extreme Class Imbalance Problem and Applied to Piston Aero-Engine Fault Cross-Domain Diagnosis

A Generative Transfer Learning Method for Extreme Class Imbalance Problem and Applied to Piston Aero-Engine Fault Cross-Domain Diagnosis

Пути противодействия экстремизму в социальных сетях

Extremism is one of the global problems of modern society. He has especially actively penetrated social networks, which are characterized by anonymity, permissiveness and impunity. Representatives of extremist associations have the ability to recruit people from anywhere in the world, using various methods of intimidation and intimidation. This article analyzes the problem of extremism in social networks and possible ways to counter this phenomenon. At the same time, it is important to understand that at present it is extremely difficult and practically impossible to eradicate extremism on social networks, which is due to the peculiarities of the global Internet. It is used by people from different parts of the world and the laws of a certain country may not apply to them. At the same time, it is easy to create new resources after blocking the previous ones. Social networks open up hundreds of opportunities and workarounds for leaders of extremist groups. In addition, the article analyzes existing research on ways to counter extremism online and evaluates the degree of their effectiveness.

Inequalities for meromorphic functions with prescribed poles

The extremal problems for functions of complex variables, as well as approaches for obtaining classical inequalities on the base of various methods of the geometric function theory, are known for various norms and for many classes of functions such as rational functions with various constraints and for various domains in the complex plane. It is important to mention that different types of Bernstein-type inequalities appeared in the literature in more generalized forms in which the underlying polynomial was replaced by a more general class of functions. One such generalization is the passage from polynomials to rational functions. In this paper, we prove some inequalities for meromorphic functions with prescribed poles and restricted zeros. These results not only generalize some Bernstein-type inequalities for rational functions, but also improve and generalize some known polynomial inequalities. These inequalities have their own importance in the approximation theory.

INVESTIGATE THE FUNCTIONING OF THE POWER-LOOM INDUSTRY THROUGH RULA AND REBA

Employees in India frequently complain about musculoskeletal issues. Currently, manual labor is a common component of power loom industries, making the problems of job-related musculoskeletal ailments and injuries at various body sites of important importance. To measure job processes, workload assessment, and work stress in the current study, video was taken. The Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method was utilized to quantify the risk variables connected to upper extremity problems. While the physical issues were measured with the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA). This ergonomic study sheds light on the analysis of worker posture in the power loom sector. The study's participants were the 15 power-loom industry employees at MIDC Solapur (Maharashtra, India).Then, using a video clip that showed the workers' various tasks, images were taken for analysis. It was concluded as a result that the power loom industry is not ergonomicsaware or aware. According to RULA and REBA's examination of the problem utilising postural analysis, the staff is working more than is safe. The vast majority of workers are stooped over. Since there is a moderate to high risk of musculoskeletal issues among the workforce, many interventions are employed to avoid WMSDs or their symptoms, such as training, ergonomic adjustments, rest relief, and exercises.

The effect of video-assisted training on upper extremity problems and functions after rotator cuff repair: a randomized controlled trial.

The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body, and is frequently exposed to injuries. The applied surgical treatments, protection of the shoulder after surgery, care in the use of the shoulder in activities of daily living (ADLs) and gradual exercise programs are all vital to the recovery process. The present study investigates the effect of video-assisted training (VAT) on upper extremity complications and functions after rotator cuff repair (RCR). Included in this prospective, parallel two-armed, randomized controlled study were an experimental group (n: 24) that received VAT detailing early postoperative care for RCR and instructions on performing ADLs, and that had access to a 90-day gradual exercise program, and a control group (n: 24) that received routine care. The primary outcomes were upper extremity problems and functions, as assessed by the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) and modified Constant-Murley scores (MCM), while secondary outcomes were complications that had developed within the past three months. The outcomes were measured at baseline, after six weeks and at three months. After 3 months, a statistically significant difference was noted in the DASH-Work (p = 0.001) and MCM ADLs scores (p = 0.003) of the two groups, and significant changes in which the scale scores of both groups when compared to the initial measurement. Only one patient in the VAT group developed complications after RCR at one month; there were no significant differences in the complications of the two groups (p = 0.235). VAT can increase function in RCR patients. Healthcare professionals, especially nurses, can use the VAT method to improve shoulder function in patients after RCR.