Understanding the determinants of credit spreads has always been an important objective of academic researchers, regulators and practitioners alike. While extensive research has been produced on bonds and loans separately, few empirical studies have analyzed those two classes of debt instruments jointly. The aim of this paper is twofold: first, we derive a simple structural model in which diffe...

As fetal electronic monitoring has become a routine practice in modern obstetric units, rapid and accurate Interpretation of the cardiotocograph tracings has become important. Decreased fetal heart rate (FHR) variability is the most constant finding observed in severe fetal distress in the ante partum period. An experienced obstetrician, if acquainted with electronic monitoring, can recognize t...

Parallel to the significant improvements in care of the premature and sick neonate, extensive technology concerned with the evaluation and supervision of the high-risk fetus has developed. 3 5 , 150. 153,180 Initially stimulated in the 1960s by the pioneering work with amniotic fluid analysis in Rh-isoirnmunized pregnancy, this technology has evolved and expanded at a rapid rate. Hormonal asses...

BACKGROUND The decreased use of electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) for healthy women in labour and the increased provision of professional support to all women in labour is recommended by experts. We evaluated the effectiveness of a community-wide approach to transferring research results to practice using a regional committee, newsletter articles and annual conference presentations compared wit...

BACKGROUND A variety of international organizations, professional groups and individuals are promoting evidence-informed obstetric care in China. We measured change in obstetric practice during vaginal delivery that could be attributed to the diffusion of evidence-based messages, and explored influences on practice change. METHODS Sample surveys of women at postnatal discharge in three govern...

An intrauterine pressure catheter (IUPC) is a device placed inside a pregnant woman?s uterus [2] to monitor uterine contractions during labor. During labor, a woman?s uterus [2] contracts to dilate, or open, the cervix [3] and push the fetus [4] into the birth canal. The catheter measures the pressure within the amniotic space during contractions and allows physicians to evaluate the strength, ...

The paper presents a novel screening method to indicate congenital heart diseases (CHD), which otherwise could remain undetected because of their low level. Therefore, not belonging to the high-risk population, the pregnancies are not subject to the regular fetal monitoring with ultrasound echocardiography. Based on the fact that CHD is a morphological defect of the heart causing turbulent bloo...

Centralized system for fetal home telemonitoring with wireless data transmission based on GSM service and internet is presented in this paper. Cardiotocographic signals are provided by mobile instrumentation which consists of bioelectrical signal recorder and Tablet PC. It enables to support a classical interpretation of cardiotocographic trace by information on fetal electrocardiogram morpholo...

OBJECTIVE To describe maternity services available to Australian women and, in particular, the location, classification of services and support services available. DESIGN A descriptive study was conducted using an online survey that was emailed to eligible hospitals. Inclusion criteria for the study included public and private maternity units with greater than 50 births per year. In total, 27...

BACKGROUND Proper monitoring of labor and childbirth prevents many pregnancy-related complications. However, monitoring is still poor in many places partly due to the usability concerns of support tools such as the partograph. In 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for the development and evaluation of context-adaptable electronic health solutions to health challenges. Computerized...