Pediatric Laryngotracheal Stenosis and Airway Reconstruction: A Review of Voice Outcomes, Assessment, and Treatment Issues

Laryngotracheal stenosis is defined as a congenital or acquired narrowing of the airway. Congenital causes may include subglottic membranous or cartilaginous narrowing. Acquired causes may include trauma due to prolonged endotracheal or tracheal intubation or laryngotracheal injury. Although advances have been made over the past 30 years in reconstructive surgeries to improve airway patency in these patients, long-term laryngeal function for voice production is not well defined in this population. This review examines causes, symptoms and signs, and methods for diagnosing laryngotracheal stenosis. Surgical management procedures are briefly summarized. The current literature on voice outcomes is summarized. The predominant voice characteristics in the population are presented, although results are challenged by the heterogeneity of voice presentation and paucity of data from instrumental measures. Considerations for subjective and instrumental assessment, measures of quality of life, instrumental methods, and treatment options specific to the needs of this population are discussed. Research strategies to identify long-term outcomes of surgical and behavioral treatments in this population are posed.     

Smart Geodesic Tracing in GRworkbench

We have developed a new tool for numerical work in General Relativity: GRworkbench. We discuss how GRworkbench's implementation of a numerically-amenable analogue to Differential Geometry facilitates the development of robust and chart-independent numerical algorithms. We consider, as an example, geodesic tracing on two charts covering the exterior Schwarzschild space-time.     

INTERSECTION OF PRIME SUBMODULES AND DIMENSION OF MODULES

The aim of this paper is to study the conditions by which a P-prime submodule can be expressed as a finite intersection or union of P-prime submodules. Also corresponding to dimension and rank of modules, some equivalent conditions for a ring to be a Dedekind domain are given.     

A mild and highly efficient protocol for the one-pot synthesis of primary α-amino phosphonates under solvent-free conditions

Under solvent-free reaction conditions and in the presence of solid LiClO₄ a novel and mild protocol for the one-pot, three-component synthesis of primary α-amino phosphonates from an aldehyde, hexamethyldisilazane and a trialkyl phosphite is described giving high yields and having short reaction times. The same products are obtained in very low yields, when the three-component reaction is carried out under microwave irradiation and in the absence of solid LiClO₄. Examples of some prepared 1-aryl-N,N′-bis(arylidene)methanediamines are also described.     

Weak Multiplication Modules

In this paper we characterize weak multiplication modules.     

Outflow refreshment angiography: A bright blood, bright static tissue technique

A new “bright blood” strategy, outflow refreshment imaging, is introduced in which a number of overlapping slices are excited in rapid succession. Flowing spins that refresh each overlapped slice portion contribute a bright signal. Additionally, static tissue in each non-overlapped slice portion also yields a bright signal. However, the flow/static contrast is comparable to that produced in inflow refreshment images, and angiograms can be generated by conventional maximum intensity projection processing. The dual ability to visualize angiograms and static tissue images is a major benefit of the strategy. Computer simulations of flow sensitivities and in vivo results are presented which compare the outflow and inflow refreshment imaging strategies.     

Determination of the portfolio selection for a property-liability insurance company

This paper presents an analysis of a portfolio model which can be used to assist a property-liability insurance company in determining the optimal composition of the insurance and investment portfolios. By introducing insurer's threshold risk and relaxing some non-realistic assumptions made in traditional chance constraint insurance and investment portfolio models, we propose a method for an insurer to maximize his return threshold for a given threshold risk level. This proposed model can be used to optimize the composition of underwriting and investment portfolios regarding the insurer's threshold risk level, as well as to generate the efficient frontier by adjusting insurer's threshold risk levels. A numerical example is given based on the industry's aggregated data for a sixteen year period.     

One-pot diastereoselective synthesis of α-aminonitriles from aldehydes, chiral amines, and trimethylsilyl cyanide under solvent-free conditions

Treatment of aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes with chiral amines and trimethylsilyl cyanide in the absence or in the presence of Lewis acids (including lithium perchlorate) under solvent-free conditions afforded the corresponding α-aminonitriles in good yields and with a diastereoselectivity of 68 to 86%. Published in Russian in Zhurnal Organicheskoi Khimii, 2006, Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 56–59. The text was submitted by the authors in English.