bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Drug-induced paraspinal myositis mimicking acute bilateral sciatica
Authors: Pearse Richard , Visagan Ravindran , Reddy Kiran , Dev Shumontha
Published: February 2019

Although cocaine induced myopathy and myotoxicity are described in the literature, we report a rare case of cocaine induced paraspinal myositis presenting with acute sciatic symptoms. A 35-year-old man presented with acute left-sided sciatica and was discharged from the emergency department (ED). He subsequently attended ED the following day in severe pain and bilateral sciatic symptoms, but denied symptoms of neurogenic bowel/bladder disturbance. Clinical examination was limited by severe pain: focal midline lumbar tenderness was elicited on palpation, per rectal and limb examinations were within normal limits with no significant neurological deficit. He was admitted for observation and pain management. His blood tests revealed a leucocyte count of 21.5×109/L, C reactive protein of 89 mg/L and deranged renal function with creatinine of 293 μmol/L. An urgent lumbar spine MRI was arranged to rule out a discitis or epidural abscess. Lumbar MRI did not demonstrate any features of discitis but non-specific appearances of paraspinal inflammation raised the suspicion of a paraspinal myositis. Creatinekinase (CK) was found to be 66329 IU/L and a detailed history revealed he was a cocaine user. Paraspinal muscle biopsy confirmed histological features compatible with myositis. Other serological tests were negative, including anti-GBM, ANCA, ANA, Rheumatoid factor, Hep B, Hep C, myositis specific ENA,Treponema pallidum,Borrelia burgdorferi,Rickettsia,Leptospira, EBV and CMV. There was good clinical response to treatment with prednisolone 20 mg OD with an improvement in renal function, CK levels and CRP. He had resumed normal activities and return to work at 6-week follow-up. A detailed social history including substance misuse is important in patients presenting to the ED—especially in cases of severe musculoskeletal pain with no obvious localising features. Drug induced myotoxicity, although rare, can result in symptomatic patients with severe renal failure.
Melanotan-induced priapism: a hard-earned tan
Authors: Dreyer Barend Albert , Amer Tarik , Fraser Michael
Published: February 2019

Melanocortin analogues, such as melanotan, are illegally used for artificial tanning. They have also been suggested as possible therapeutic agents in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. This case study presents a patient attending the accident and emergency department, in a tertiary urology centre, with acute priapism after abdominal subcutaneous injection of melanotan. The priapism was diagnosed as ‘low-flow’ and managed with cavernosal aspiration, irrigation and subsequent intracavernosal injection of phenylephrine. The patient avoided requiring surgical shunting but had not yet recovered erectile function at 4-week follow-up. Acute priapism is an unreported side effect of melanocortin analogue use and this case report presents a patient managed without surgical intervention. Future therapeutic application of these agents will need to take this potential life altering complication into consideration.
SMS behaviour change communication and eVoucher interventions to increase uptake of cervical cancer screening in the Kilimanjaro and Arusha regions of Tanzania: a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial of effectiveness
Authors: Erwin Erica , Aronson Kristan J , Day Andrew , Ginsburg Ophira , Macheku Godwin , Feksi Agnes , Oneko Olola , Sleeth Jessica , Magoma Best , West Nicola , Marandu Prisca Dominic , Yeates Karen
Published: February 2019

Background

Cervical cancer, although almost entirely preventable through cervical cancer screening (CCS) and human papillomavirus vaccination, is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in Tanzania. Barriers to attending CCS include lack of awareness of CCS, affordability concerns regarding screening and travel cost. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of SMS (short message service) behaviour change communication (BCC) messages and of SMS BCC messages delivered with a transportation electronic voucher (eVoucher) on increasing uptake of CCS versus the control group.

Methods

Door-to-door recruitment was conducted between 1 February and 13 March 2016 in randomly selected enumeration areas in the catchment areas of two hospitals, one urban and one rural, in Northern Tanzania. Women aged 25–49 able to access a mobile phone were randomised using a computer-generated 1:1:1 sequence stratified by urban/rural to receive either (1) 15 SMS, (2) an eVoucher for return transportation to CCS plus the same SMS, or (3) one SMS informing about the nearest CCS clinic. Fieldworkers and participants were masked to allocation. All areas received standard sensitisation including posters, community announcements and sensitisation similar to community health worker (CHW) sensitisation. The primary outcome was attendance at CCS within 60 days of randomisation.

Findings

Participants (n=866) were randomly allocated to the BCC SMS group (n=272), SMS + eVoucher group (n=313), or control group (n=281), with 851 included in the analysis (BCC SMS n=272, SMS + eVoucher n=298, control group n=281). By day 60 of follow-up, 101 women (11.9%) attended CCS. Intervention group participants were more likely to attend than control group participants (SMS + eVoucher OR: 4.7, 95% CI 2.9 to 7.4; SMS OR: 3.0, 95% CI 1.5 to 6.2).

Trial registration number

NCT02680613.
Global sustainability (health, environment and monetary costs) of three dietary patterns: results from a Spanish cohort (the SUN project)
Authors: Fresán Ujué , Martínez-González Miguel Angel , Sabaté Joan , Bes-Rastrollo Maira
Published: February 2019

Objective

To evaluate the sustainability of the dietary patterns, according to their effects on health and environment and their affordability.

Design

Prospective, ongoing cohort study of university graduates.

Settings

The Spanish SUN project (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra, University of Navarra Follow-up), starting from 1999.

Participants

A total of 18 429 participants.

Methods

Information from participants is collected every 2 years by validated questionnaires. We assessed three dietary patterns (the Mediterranean, the Western and the Provegetarian dietary patterns). The rate advancement period (RAP) was used to assess the healthiness of each pattern (considering the composite endpoint of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer or type 2 diabetes). We also assessed environmental footprints and monetary costs of each dietary pattern.

Results

After a median follow-up of 10.1 years, we identified 469 incident cases of the composite endpoint. The Mediterranean dietary pattern exhibited the best RAP (3.10 years gained [95% CI 4.35 to 1.85] for the highest vs the lowest quartile), while the Western pattern was the unhealthiest pattern (1.33 years lost when comparing extreme quartiles). In a scale between 4 and 16 of harmful environmental effects (the lower, the more environmentally friendly), the Provegetarian pattern scored best (8.82 [95% CI 8.75 to 8.88] when comparing extreme quartiles), whereas the Western pattern was the most detrimental pattern (10.80 [95% CI 10.72 to 10.87]). Regarding monetary costs, the Western pattern was the most affordable pattern (€5.87/day [95% CI 5.82 to 5.93], for the upper quartile), while the Mediterranean pattern was the most expensive pattern (€7.52/day [95% CI 7.47 to 7.56]). The Mediterranean dietary pattern was the most overall sustainable option, closely followed by the Provegetarian pattern. The least overall sustainable pattern was the Western dietary pattern.

Conclusion

Following plant-based diets, like the Mediterranean or Provegetarian dietary patterns, could be a good option in order to achieve an overall sustainable diet.

Trial registration number

NCT02669602; Results.
The ongoing French metastatic breast cancer (MBC) cohort: the example-based methodology of the Epidemiological Strategy and Medical Economics (ESME)
Authors: Pérol David , Robain Mathieu , Arveux Patrick , Mathoulin-Pélissier Simone , Chamorey Emmanuel , Asselain Bernard , Berchery Delphine , Gourgou Sophie , Breton Mathias , Delaine-Clisant Stéphanie , Mons Muriel , Diéras Véronique , Carton Matthieu , Guizard Anne-Valérie , Laborde Lilian , Laurent Carine , Loeb Agnès , Mouret-Reynier Marie-Ange , Parent Damien , Perrocheau Geneviève , Campion Loïc , Velten Michel , Cailliot Christian , Ezzalfani Monia , Simon Gaëtane
Published: February 2019

Purpose

The currently ongoing Epidemiological Strategy and Medical Economics (ESME) research programme aims at centralising real-life data on oncology care for epidemiological research purposes. We draw on results from the metastatic breast cancer (MBC) cohort to illustrate the methodology used for data collection in the ESME research programme.

Participants

All consecutive ≥18 years patients with MBC treatment initiated between 2008 and 2014 in one of the 18 French Comprehensive Cancer Centres were selected. Diagnostic, therapeutic and follow-up data (demographics, primary tumour, metastatic disease, treatment patterns and vital status) were collected through the course of the disease. Data collection is updated annually.

Finding to date

With a recruitment target of 30 000 patients with MBC by 2019, we currently screened a total of 45 329 patients, and >16 700 patients with a metastatic disease treatment initiated after 2008 have been selected. 20.7% of patients had an hormone receptor (HR)-negative MBC, 73.7% had a HER2-negative MBC and 13.9% were classified as triple-negative BC (ie, HER2 and HR status both negative). Median follow-up duration from MBC diagnosis was 48.55 months for the whole cohort.

Future plans

These real-world data will help standardise the management of MBC and improve patient care. A dozen of ancillary research projects have been conducted and some of them are already accepted for publication or ready to be issued. The ESME research programme is expanding to ovarian cancer and advanced/metastatic lung cancer. Our ultimate goal is to achieve a continuous link to the data of the cohort to the French national Health Data System for centralising data on healthcare reimbursement (drugs, medical procedures), inpatient/outpatient stays and visits in primary/secondary care settings.

Trial registration number

NCT03275311; Pre-results.
Determinants of BCG vaccination coverage in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional survey
Authors: Tsehay Asmamaw Ketemaw , Worku Getasew Tadesse , Alemu Yihun Mulugeta
Published: February 2019

Objective

The objective of this study is to assess the determinants of BCG vaccination in Ethiopia from 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS).

Setting

Since Ethiopia has nine regional states and two administrative cities, sample was taken from all the divisions. The population-based sample was intended to provide estimates of key indicators for the country.

Participant

The sampling frame used for the 2016 EDHS is the Ethiopia Population and Housing Census. From 15 683 women recorded in EDHS dataset, women with no child (n=10 379) were excluded from the study. Therefore, the total sample size for this study was 5304 women. The outcome variable was BCG immunisation status of children.

Result

Out of the study participants (n=5304), the majority were in between 20 and 34 years of age (73.8%). The median age of the respondents was 28.4 (SD=±6.5) years old. Prevalence of BCG vaccination was 63.6% (n=3373) and BCG vaccination coverage in urban residents was higher (88%) than rural residents (57.3%). Mothers’ age between 20 up to 34 (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.48; 95% CI: 1.13 to 1.93) and between 35 up to 49 (AOR=1.83; 95% CI: 1.35 to 2.46) were more likely to vaccinate their child’s than those mothers’ age less than 20. Mothers settled in urban areas were two times more likely to vaccinate their child’s than those living in rural areas (AOR=1.94; 95% CI: 1.45 to 2.60). Mothers with greater antenatal visits show higher BCG vaccination, Antenatal Care (ANC) 4 and above (AOR=3.48; 95% CI: 2.91 to 4.15). BCG vaccination is higher for mothers delivered at non-governmental organisation health facility than home (AOR=2.9; 95% CI: 1.69 to 4.96). Maternal occupation and wealth index also had a significant association with BCG vaccination.

Conclusion

BCG vaccination coverage, in this study, was lower and determinant factors for BCG vaccination were residence, mother’s age, place of delivery, mother’s antenatal visit, wealth index and mother’s occupation.
Cohort profile: design and methods in the eye and vision consortium of UK Biobank
Authors: Chua Sharon Yu Lin , Thomas Dhanes , Allen Naomi , Lotery Andrew , Desai Parul , Patel Praveen , Muthy Zaynah , Sudlow Cathie , Peto Tunde , Khaw Peng Tee , Foster Paul J
Published: February 2019

Purpose

To describe the rationale, methods and research potential of eye and vision measures available in UK Biobank.

Participants

UK Biobank is a large, multisite, prospective cohort study. Extensive lifestyle and health questionnaires, a range of physical measures and collection of biological specimens are collected. The scope of UK Biobank was extended midway through data collection to include assessments of other measures of health, including eyes and vision. The eye assessment at baseline included questionnaires detailing past ophthalmic and family history, measurement of visual acuity, refractive error and keratometry, intraocular pressure (IOP), corneal biomechanics, spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the macula and a disc–macula fundus photograph. Since recruitment, UK Biobank has collected accelerometer data and begun multimodal imaging data (including brain, heart and abdominal MRI) in 100 000 participants. Dense genotypic data and a panel of 20 biochemistry measures are available, and linkage to medical health records for the full cohort has begun.

Findings to date

A total of 502 665 people aged between 40 and 69 were recruited to participate in UK Biobank. Of these, 117 175 took part in baseline assessment of vision, IOP, refraction and keratometry. A subgroup of 67 321 underwent OCT and retinal photography. The introduction of eye and vision measures in UK Biobank was accompanied by intensive training, support and a data monitoring quality control process.

Future plans

UK Biobank is one of the largest prospective cohorts worldwide with extensive data on ophthalmic diseases and conditions. Data collection is an ongoing process and a repeat of the baseline assessment including the questionnaires, measurements and sample collection will be performed in subsets of 25 000 participants every 2–3 years. The depth and breadth of this dataset, coupled with its open-access policy, will create a powerful resource for all researchers to investigate the eye diseases in later life.
Protocol for a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the diabetes community exercise and education programme (DCEP) for long-term management of diabetes
Authors: Hale Leigh , Stokes Tim , Scarth Bonnie , Mani Ramakrishnan , Sullivan Trudy , Doolan-Noble Fiona , Jayakaran Prasath , Gray Andrew R , Mann Jim , Higgs Christopher
Published: February 2019

Introduction

Type 2 diabetes is common in Māori and Pacific peoples and in those living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation in New Zealand (NZ). People with type 2 diabetes often have multimorbidity, which makes their diabetes management more complex. The Diabetes Community Exercise and Education Programme (DCEP) is an interprofessional, patient-centred, whānau (family)-supported package of care specifically developed to engage with Māori and Pacific people and those living in deprived areas. We have previously demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of the DCEP. This study aims to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the DCEP through a pragmatic randomised controlled trial (RCT).

Methods and analysis

220 adults (age ≥35 years) with type 2 diabetes will be recruited from general practices in the lower South Island of NZ (Dunedin and Invercargill) to participate in an RCT. Participants will be randomised to intervention (DCEP) and control (usual care) groups. The DCEP participants will have their exercise goals agreed on with a physiotherapist and nurse and will attend two 90 min exercise and education sessions per week for 12 weeks. The primary outcome measure is blood glucose control (glycated haemoglobin). Secondary outcome measures include quality of life assessed using the Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life questionnaire. Data will be collected at four time points: baseline, end of the 12-week intervention (3 months), 6 months postintervention (9 months) and 12 months after the intervention ends (15 months). We will also conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis and a qualitative process evaluation.

Ethics and dissemination

The study has been approved by the Health and Disability Ethics Committee, Ministry of Health (HDEC17/CEN/241/AM01). A key output will be the development of an evidence-based training package to facilitate implementation of the DCEP in other NZ regions.

Trial registration number

ACTRN 12617001624370 p; Pre-results.
Research in nutritional supplements and nutraceuticals for health, physical activity, and performance: moving forward
Authors: Ward Wendy E. , Chilibeck Philip D. , Comelli Elena M. , Duncan Alison M. , Phillips Stuart M. , Robinson Lindsay E. , Stellingwerff Trent
Published: February 2019

This Horizons is part of a series that identifies key, forward-thinking research questions and challenges that need to be addressed. Specifically, this Horizons paper discusses research in nutritional supplements and nutraceuticals for health, physical activity, and performance, and is the product of a discussion by an expert panel that took place in January 2018 prior to the Canadian Nutrition Society Thematic Conference “Advances in Sport Nutrition from Daily Living to High Performance Sport”. The objective of this Horizons paper was to identify core considerations for future studies for this research area, and how scientists can be leaders in the field to ensure the best quality science is available for decision makers. It is strongly recommended that the various elements highlighted throughout this Horizons paper will increase the awareness of the significant before-, during-, and after-research due-diligence required to produce research of the highest quality. While it is recognized that many scientists will not be able to meet all of these aspects, it is nonetheless important to consider the points outlined and to recognize that those elements that are not met in studies may be significant limitations.

Highlights Research questions that are hypothesis-driven are the strongest, and when combined with careful planning of the study, the result will often be of the best quality. Studies with a strong experimental design help discern between evidence-based findings and those that have not been substantiated.
The seven tools of causal inference, with reflections on machine learning
Authors: Pearl Judea
Published: February 2019

The kind of causal inference seen in natural human thought can be "algorithmitized" to help produce human-level machine intelligence.
Activity Archetypes in Question-and-Answer (Q8A) Websites—A Study of 50 Stack Exchange Instances
Authors: Santos Tiago , Walk Simon , Kern Roman , Strohmaier Markus , Helic Denis
Published: February 2019

Millions of users on the Internet discuss a variety of topics on Question-and-Answer (Q8A) instances. However, not all instances and topics receive the same amount of attention, as some thrive and achieve self-sustaining levels of activity, while others fail to attract users and either never grow beyond being a small niche community or become inactive. Hence, it is imperative to not only better understand but also to distill deciding factors and rules that define and govern sustainable Q8A instances. We aim to empower community managers with quantitative methods for them to better understand, control, and foster their communities, and thus contribute to making the Web a more efficient place to exchange information. To that end, we extract, model, and cluster a user activity-based time series from 50 randomly selected Q8A instances from the Stack Exchange network to characterize user behavior. We find four distinct types of user activity temporal patterns, which vary primarily according to the users’ activity frequency. Finally, by breaking down total activity in our 50 Q8A instances by the previously identified user activity profiles, we classify those 50 Q8A instances into three different activity profiles. Our parsimonious categorization of Q8A instances aligns with the stage of development and maturity of the underlying communities, and can potentially help operators of such instances: We not only quantitatively assess progress of Q8A instances, but we also derive practical implications for optimizing Q8A community building efforts, as we, e.g., recommend which user types to focus on at different developmental stages of a Q8A community.
Not-equal
Authors: Crivellaro Clara , Coles-Kemp Lizzie , Dix Alan , Light Ann
Published: February 2019

Community + Culture features practitioner perspectives on designing technologies for and with communities. We highlight compelling projects and provocative points of view that speak to both community technology practice and the interaction design field as a whole. ---
Christopher A. Le Dantec, Editor
Grand challenges in accessible maps
Authors: Froehlich Jon E. , Brock Anke M. , Caspi Anat , Guerreiro João , Hara Kotaro , Kirkham Reuben , Schöning Johannes , Tannert Benjamin
Published: February 2019

In this forum we celebrate research that helps to successfully bring the benefits of computing technologies to children, older adults, people with disabilities, and other populations that are often ignored in the design of mass-marketed products.
--- Juan Pablo Hourcade, Editor
Smoothing the path to computing
Authors: Hall Mary , Ladner Richard , Levitt Diane , Quiñones Manuel A. Pérez , Bagchi Saurabh
Published: February 2019

The
Communications
Web site, http://cacm.acm.org, features more than a dozen bloggers in the BLOG@CACM community. In each issue of
Communications
, we'll publish selected posts or excerpts.

twitter

Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/blogCACM

http://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blog-cacm

Members of the Computing Research Association suggest ways to broaden participation in computer science, while Saurabh Bagchi looks at use cases for big data.
Building a better battery
Authors: Kugler Logan
Published: February 2019

How researchers are improving energy storage devices for power generated from renewable sources like solar and wind.
A deterministic parallel algorithm for bipartite perfect matching
Authors: Fenner Stephen , Gurjar Rohit , Thierauf Thomas
Published: February 2019

A fundamental quest in the theory of computing is to understand the power of randomness. It is not known whether every problem with an efficient randomized algorithm also has one that does not use randomness. One of the extensively studied problems under this theme is that of perfect matching. The perfect matching problem has a randomized parallel (NC) algorithm based on the Isolation Lemma of Mulmuley, Vazirani, and Vazirani. It is a long-standing open question whether this algorithm can be derandomized. In this article, we give an almost complete derandomization of the Isolation Lemma for perfect matchings in bipartite graphs. This gives us a deterministic parallel (quasi-NC) algorithm for the bipartite perfect matching problem.

Derandomization of the Isolation Lemma means that we deterministically construct a weight assignment so that the minimum weight perfect matching is unique. We present three different ways of doing this construction with a common main idea.
Group Mutual Exclusion by Fetch-and-increment
Authors: Aravind Alex , Hesselink Wim H.
Published: February 2019

The group mutual exclusion (GME) problem (also called the room synchronization problem) arises in various practical applications that require concurrent data sharing. Group mutual exclusion aims to achieve exclusive access to a shared resource (a shared room) while facilitating concurrency among non-conflicting requests. The problem is that threads with distinct interests are not allowed to access the shared resource concurrently, but multiple threads with same interest can.

In Blelloch et al. (2003), the authors presented a simple solution to the room synchronization problem using
fetch8add
(
F
8
A
) and
test-and-set
(
T
8
S
) atomic operations. This algorithm has
O
(
m
) remote memory references (RMRs) in the cache coherent (CC) model, where
m
is the number of forums. In Bhatt and Huang (2010), an open problem was posed: “
Is it possible to design a GME algorithm with constant RMR for the CC model using
fetch8add instructions?
” This question is partially answered in this article by presenting a group mutual exclusion algorithm using
fetch-and-increment
instructions. The algorithm is simple and scalable.
Concurrent Hash Tables
Authors: Maier Tobias , Sanders Peter , Dementiev Roman
Published: February 2019

Concurrent hash tables are one of the most important concurrent data structures, which are used in numerous applications. For some applications, it is common that hash table accesses dominate the execution time. To efficiently solve these problems in parallel, we need implementations that achieve speedups in highly concurrent scenarios. Unfortunately, currently available concurrent hashing libraries are far away from this requirement, in particular, when adaptively sized tables are necessary or contention on some elements occurs.

Our starting point for better performing data structures is a fast and simple lock-free concurrent hash table based on linear probing that is, however, limited to word-sized key-value types and does not support dynamic size adaptation. We explain how to lift these limitations in a provably scalable way and demonstrate that dynamic growing has a performance overhead comparable to the same generalization in sequential hash tables.

We perform extensive experiments comparing the performance of our implementations with six of the most widely used concurrent hash tables. Ours are considerably faster than the best algorithms with similar restrictions and an order of magnitude faster than the best more general tables. In some extreme cases, the difference even approaches four orders of magnitude.

All our implementations discussed in this publication can be found on github [17].
Making the child-computer interaction field grow up
Authors: Torgersson Olof , Bekker Tilde , Barendregt Wolmet , Eriksson Eva , Frauenberger Christopher
Published: February 2019

The
Interactions
website (interactions.acm.org) hosts a stable of bloggers who share insights and observations on HCI, often challenging current practices. Each issue we'll publish selected posts from some of the leading and emerging voices in the field.
Heuristic list scheduler for time triggered traffic in time sensitive networks
Authors: Pahlevan Maryam , Tabassam Nadra , Obermaisser Roman
Published: February 2019

Time Sensitive Networks (TSN) are a novel technology that combines the larger bandwidth capabilities of Ethernet with determinism and fault tolerance for safety relevant real time systems. TSN offers bounded latency for the time triggered (TT) communication by transmitting messages according to a global schedule. Most of the scheduling algorithms in this context provide the solution only from the perspective of scheduling constraints and do not consider the impacts of routing on the scheduling problem. Therefore, these algorithms are not capable to provide effective results in the domain of many real time systems. To address interdependence of routing and scheduling constraints, we introduce a heuristic list scheduler (HLS). Our approach generates valid schedules using joint routing and scheduling constraints in one step. Due to this approach, ability to find feasible schedules is dramatically increased in comparison to the schedulers with fixed routing. In addition, HLS supports multi-cast communication, distributed real time applications and inter-flow dependencies. Experimental results shows the significant increase in the schedulability because of the task and message scheduling combined with routing.
Δ
elta
Authors: Reif Stefan , Schmidt Andreas , Hönig Timo , Herfet Thorsten , Schröder-Preikschat Wolfgang
Published: February 2019

The continuously increasing degree of automation in many areas (e.g. manufacturing engineering, public infrastructure) lead to the construction of cyber-physical systems and cyber-physical networks. To both, time and energy are the most critical operating resources. Considering for instance the Tactile Internet specification, end-to-end latencies in these systems must be below 1ms, which means that both communication and system latencies are in the same order of magnitude and must be predictably low. As control loops are commonly handled over different variants of network infrastructure (e.g. mobile and fibre links) particular attention must be payed to the design of reliable, yet fast and energy-efficient data-transmission channels that are robust towards unexpected transmission failures. As design goals are often conflicting (e.g. high performance vs. low energy), it is necessary to analyze and investigate trade-offs with regards to design decisions during the construction of cyber-physical networks.

In this paper, we present Δelta, an approach towards a tool-supported construction process for cyber-physical networks. Δelta extends the previously presented X-L
AP
tool by new analysis features, but keeps the original measurements facilities unchanged. Δelta jointly analyzes and correlates the runtime behavior (i.e. performance, latency) and energy demand of individual system components. It provides an automated analysis with precise thread-local time interpolation, control-flow extraction, and examination of latency criticality. We further demonstrate the applicability of Δelta with an evaluation of a prototypical implementation.
Treatment with EUK-134 improves sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+release but not myofibrillar Ca2+sensitivity after fatiguing contraction of rat fast-twitch muscle
Authors: Watanabe Daiki , Aibara Chihiro , Wada Masanobu
Published: February 2019

Skeletal muscles undergoing vigorous activity can enter a state of prolonged low-frequency force depression (PLFFD). This study was conducted to examine whether antioxidant treatment is capable of accelerating the recovery from PLFFD, with a focus on the function of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and myofibril. One hour before fatiguing stimulation (FS) was administered, rats received an intraperitoneal injection of Eukarion (EUK-134), which mimics the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase. Intact muscles of the hindlimbs were electrically stimulated via the sciatic nerve until the force was reduced to ~50% of the initial force (FS). Thirty minutes after cessation of FS, the superficial regions of gastrocnemius muscles were dissected and used for biochemical and skinned-fiber analyses. Whole muscle analyses revealed that antioxidant alleviated the FS-induced decrease in the reduced glutathione content. Skinned-fiber analyses showed that the antioxidant did not affect the FS-induced decrease in the ratio of force at 1 Hz to that at 50 Hz. However, the antioxidant partially inhibited the FS-mediated decrease in the ratio of depolarization-induced force to the maximum Ca2+-activated force. Furthermore, the antioxidant completely suppressed the FS-induced increase in myofibrillar Ca2+sensitivity. These results suggest that antioxidant treatment is ineffective in facilitating the restoration of PLFFD, probably due to its negative effect on myofibrillar Ca2+sensitivity, which supersedes its positive effect on SR Ca2+release.
Evaluación inicial del paciente con mareos y vértigo
Authors: Musso Pizarro Jorge Andrés , Flores Flandes Gabriela , Cabezas Aramayo Guillermo
Published: February 2019

El paciente que consulta por mareos o vértigo es sin duda un desafío para el médico que trabaja en un servicio de urgencia. Esto se da en parte por la dificultad de los pacientes de definir el síntoma, a la amplia gama de diagnósticos diferenciales y su potencial riesgo de desenlace negativo, como en el caso del accidente cerebrovascular de fosa posterior.En esta revisión narrativa, el objetivo: es explicar el enfrentamiento inicial del paciente con mareos y vértigo, describir las pruebas y métodos diagnósticos complementarios, distinguir los diagnósticos diferenciales más frecuentes y explicar el manejo inicial. Método: se realizó una revisión bibliográfica de literatura científica sobre esta patología, basado en la propuesta de Edlow  (2016), donde se enfatiza en un enfoque basado en temporalidad, factores desencadenantes y contexto del síntoma.
Hantavirus: Descripción de dos décadas de endemia y su letalidad
Authors: Reyes Zaldívar Felipe Tomás , Ferrés Marcela
Published: February 2019

Introducción: la infección por hantavirus es una zoonosis endémica en Chile. En dos décadas la letalidad ha descendido a una cifra estable de alrededor de un 30%, pese a importantes esfuerzos por disminuirla. Objetivos: describir los eventos que ocurren antes de la hospitalización y analizar la relación entre estas variables y la letalidad, con el objetivo de identificar momentos de intervención para mejorar la sobrevida de los pacientes. Material y Métodos: se analizaron retrospectivamente todos los casos notificados a través del Boletín Notificación Enfermedades de Declaración Obligatoria (ENO), la Encuesta Epidemiológica de Investigación Ambiental de los casos de Hantavirus del Ministerio de Salud de Chile. Resultados: existieron diferencias significativas en la letalidad por HV determinada por zona geográfica, tipo de trabajo y hospital donde se atendió primariamente el caso. Conclusiones: Hantavirus, por su rápida evolución hacia una condición catastrófica debe tenerse siempre presente en el diagnóstico diferencial y proceder en consecuencia para tener un diagnóstico precoz y acceso a un centro hospitalario con experiencia en manejo de esta patología.
Regulator of G‐Protein Signaling 16 Is a Negative Modulator of Platelet Function and Thrombosis
Authors: Hernandez Keziah R. , Karim Zubair A. , Qasim Hanan , Druey Kirk M. , Alshbool Fatima Z. , Khasawneh Fadi T.
Published: February 2019

Background

Members of the regulator of G‐protein signaling (
RGS
) family inhibit G‐protein coupled receptor signaling by modulating G‐protein activity. In platelets, there are 3 different
RGS
isoforms that are expressed at the protein level, including
RGS
16. Recently, we have shown that
CXCL
12 regulates platelet function via
RGS
16. However, the role of
RGS
16 in platelet function and thrombus formation is poorly defined.

Methods and Results

We used a genetic knockout mouse model approach to examine the role(s) of
RGS
16 in platelet activation by using a host of in vitro and in vivo assays. We observed that agonist‐induced platelet aggregation, secretion, and integrin activation were much more pronounced in platelets from the
RGS
16 knockout (
Rgs16

−/−

) mice relative to their wild type (
Rgs16

+/+

) littermates. Furthermore, the
Rgs16

−/−

mice had a markedly shortened bleeding time and were more susceptible to vascular injury–associated thrombus formation than the controls.

Conclusions

These findings support a critical role for
RGS
16 in regulating hemostatic and thrombotic functions of platelets in mice. Hence,
RGS
16 represents a potential therapeutic target for modulating platelet function.
TURİZMİN BÖLGESEL KALKINMA VE YEREL HALK ÜZERİNDEKİ ETKİSİ: MUDURNU ÖRNEĞİ
Authors: MESCİ Muammer , DÖNMEZ Gülsün
Published: February 2019

Bu çalışmanın iki temel amacı bulunmaktadır. Bu amaçlardan birincisi, turizmin bölgesel kalkınmaya etkisi, diğer amacı ise, turizmin yerel halk üzerindeki etkisini belirlemektir. Çalışmanın diğer alt amacı ise, yerel halkın demografik özellikleri ile turizm etkilerini oluşturan boyutlara bakış açılarında farklılık olup olmadığı araştırmaktır. Araştırma yöntemi olarak hem nitel hem de nicel araştırma yöntemi tercih edilmiştir. Araştırmada ilk olarak, yüz yüze görüşme tekniği ile veriler elde edilmiş ardından yerel halka anket çalışması uygulanmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda bölgede etkin olan termal turizmin bölge kalkınmasında önemli bir yere sahip olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Aynı zamanda yerel halkın turizmin sosyal, ekonomik ve çevresel etkilerini olumlu algıladıkları tespit edilmiştir.
KATILIM BANKACILIĞI ÇERÇEVESİNDE ALTERNATİF BİR SİGORTA SİSTEMİ: TEKAFÜL SİGORTA SİSTEMİNİN TÜRKİYE’DE UYGULANABİLİRLİĞİ
Authors: ALTINTAŞ Kadir Murat
Published: February 2019

Katılım bankaları geleneksel işlevleri yanında, müşterilerinin temel sigorta ihtiyaçları doğrultusunda topladığı primleri, faiz dışı yatırım araçlarında değerlendiren bir yöntemi de (İslami-katılım sigorta sistemi) kullanmaktadırlar. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Katılım Bankacılığı çerçevesinde alternatif bir sigorta sistemi olan Katılım Sigorta Sistemi’nin İslam hukuku bakımından kavramsal çerçevesi, temel varsayımları ve konvansiyonel sigorta uygulamaları ile karşılaştırmalı bir biçimde çalışma ilkelerini ortaya koymak ve çeşitli ülkelerdeki yerel uygulamaları incelemektir. Bu çalışmada ayrıca, yapılan nitel araştırmalar ve alan yazın çalışması kapsamında, Türkiye’de sistemin kabul görmesi ve yaygınlaşabilmesi hususunda alınması gereken tedbirler ve yapılması zaruri düzenlemeler ayrıntılı bir biçimde analiz edilmektedir. Elde edilen bulgular doğrultusunda yapılan analizler sonucu(katılım bankacılığı son yıllarda konvansiyonel bankacılığa nazaran önemli bir yükseliş ivmesi yakalaması nedeniyle), katılım sigortacılığının hukuki altyapısının geliştirilmesini ve kamuoyu bilincinin artırılmasını müteakip, ciddi ölçüde prim üreteceği ve geniş bir kullanım alanı bulacağı öngörülmektedir.
Between Business Interests and Ideological Marketing: The USSR and the Cold War in Fiat Corporate Strategy, 1957–1972
Authors: Fava Valentina
Published: February 2019

This article analyzes the landmark deal between the Italian automobile corporation Fiat and the Soviet government to build and operate the Volga Automobile Factory (VAZ). Drawing on formerly closed corporate records and declassified Soviet documents, the article traces how the Cold War helped shape the strategy of a West European multinational corporation in its attempts to manipulate the national and international political context in which it was acting. In Fiat's strategy toward the uncertain Soviet market, car production represented more of a bridgehead than an ultimate objective. Fiat's Ostpolitik was carefully planned and coordinated with the U.S. government and with other large Italian businesses. Italian-Soviet cooperation in building VAZ, the symbol of material well-being and peaceful industrial reconstruction, facilitated the requests of Soviet officials and Western corporations to lift East-West trade restrictions on non-strategic goods, thus conferring political legitimacy on trade with the Soviet Union.
Saving Ghana's Revolution: The Demise of Kwame Nkrumah and the Evolution of Soviet Policy in Africa, 1966–1972
Authors: Telepneva Natalia
Published: February 2019

On 24 February 1966, Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, was overthrown in a coup d’état. The coup rekindled a debate within the Soviet bloc about the prospects of socialism in Africa and about the appropriateness of certain policies. Soviet officials concluded that they would have to focus on establishing close relations with the armies and internal security forces of African countries. This article explores how Nkrumah's loyalists in exile and their sympathizers in Ghana attempted to launch a leftwing counter-coup in Accra in 1968 and the involvement of Warsaw Pact countries—notably the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia—in those events. The article sheds new light on “Operation ALEX,” a botched attempt by the Czechoslovak intelligence service to support Nkrumah loyalists in their plans for a countercoup. The article reexamines the late 1960s as an important period for the militarization of the Cold War in Africa and highlights the crucial role that African politicians themselves played in this process.
Neopestalotiopsis alpapicalis sp. nov. a new endophyte from tropical mangrove trees in Krabi Province (Thailand)
Authors: KUMAR VINIT , CHEEWANGKOON RATCHADAWAN , GENTEKAKI ELENI , MAHARACHCHIKUMBURA SAJEEWA S. N. , BRAHMANAGE RASHIKA S. , HYDE KEVIN D.
Published: February 2019

Mangrove forests are dynamic systems primarily confined to tropical and subtropical coastal regions. Mangroves are highly complex habitats sustaining a diverse array of terrestrial and aquatic fungal species. Endophytic fungi are widely distributed in mangrove ecosystems and are integral contributors to global biodiversity. Neopestalotiopsis species occur as endophytes, saprobes and opportunistic pathogens of many plant hosts. Herein, a new species of Neopestalotiopsis, N. alpapicalis, was collected from the mangrove trees Rhizophora apiculata and Rhizophora mucronata, in Krabi, Thailand. Morphological features conform to those of Neopestalotiopsis. Number of apical appendages and size of apical cells of the newly described species differ from those of phylogenetically related species. A combined dataset of ITS, β-tub and TEF1 genes was used to infer the phylogenetic placement of the new species. The two strains of novel species, N. alpapicalis clustered together and have a close affinity to N. rosicola.
Description of a new marine planktonic cyanobacterial species Synechococcus moorigangaii (Order Chroococcales) from Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem
Authors: SINGH TARKESHWAR , BHADURY PUNYASLOKE
Published: February 2019

The genus Synechococcus is widespread across marine environments globally including in coastal habitats. In this study, culture of a new isolate (CMS01) of Synechococcus has been established and described based on polyphasic taxonomy from the world’s largest mangrove ecosystem, Sundarbans. This planktonic photoautrotroph has been proposed as a new species Synechococcus moorigangaii sp. nov. belonging to the order Chroococcales. The cells representing this proposed new species are solitary and can also form chain comprising of 4–6 cells. The shape of cell is oval to cylindrical and length ranges from 1.2–3 µm while the width ranges from 0.8–2 µm. The distribution pattern of photosynthetic filaments was found to be from the periphery of cell. Based on robust phylogeny of 16S rRNA, in addition to functional genes such as psbA, ureC, rbcL, and cbbA (multi gene phylogeny), the proposed new species differed from closest described species of Synechococcus under order Chroococcales. The fatty acid analysis indicated the presence of C12 and C14 chain fatty acids exclusive to isolate CMS01. The new isolate can grow across a range of salinity and in presence of different nitrogen sources. It has the ability to fix atmospheric di-nitrogen into ammonium ion. This new isolate of Synechococcus spp. is the first marine planktonic cyanobacterium described from a mangrove ecosystem and characterized using polyphasic approaches. Based on 16S rRNA phylogeny, this proposed new species clustered with Synechococcus strains PCC 7117, PCC 73109, PCC 7002, PCC 7003, PCC 7376 and NKNG15041c belonging to the order Chroococcales. The new species Synechococcus moorigangaii sp. nov. can serve as a model organism to understand ecophysiology and adaptation of planktonic cyanobacterial communities in mangrove ecosystems.
Lactarius guangdongensis sp. nov. (Russulaceae, Russulales), a species of Lactarius sect. Deliciosi growing with a vulnerable five-needle pine, Pinus kwangtungensis
Authors: HAN YING , LIANG CUN-ZHU , LIU PEI-GUI , NUYTINCK JORINDE , WANG XIANG-HUA
Published: February 2019

Lactarius sect. Deliciosi is a group of ectomycorrhizal mushrooms showing high host specificity with trees of Pinaceae and more rarely Fagales. A new species of this section, L. guangdongensis, is described from South China. This new species has the smallest basidiocarps (pileus 1–3 cm) in the section. The pure orange basidiocarps with faint greenish discoloration are similar to those of Abies-associated L. abieticola and L. laeticolor and Pinus-associated L. vividus. The subdistant lamellae and absence of pleuromacrocystidia can be used as valid characters for this species. It grows with Chinese national protected plant Pinus kwangtungensis and might be one of the very few species that form symbiosis with five-needle pines. Phylogenetic analyses of the ITS region and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (gpd) show that L. guangdongensis clearly diversified from its relatives and look-alikes and probably represents an early diverging lineage in the section. Molecular and morphological characters provided in this study will be useful for in situ and ex situ conservation of P. kwangtungensis in the future.
Jasminanthes laotica (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae), the first new species of Jasminanthes described from Laos
Authors: DING HONG-BO , YANG BIN , ZENG XIAO-DONG , TAN YUN-HONG
Published: February 2019

Jasminanthes laotica (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae), a new species from northern Laos is described, illustrated and a diagnostic key to the species of Jasminanthes Blume is given in this paper. J. laotica is allied to J. xuanlienensis T.B. Tran & Rodda, but can be distinguished by its longer sepals, obtuse to subcordate lamina base, and bright yellow of the inner corolla lobes, salmon-pink of the outer corolla lobes.
New species and new records of Lesteva Latreille, 1797 (Coleoptera Staphylinidae: Omaliinae) from China
Authors: CHENG ZHI-FEI , LI LI-ZHEN
Published: February 2019

New taxonomic, diagnostic and faunistic data for eighteen species of the genus Lesteva Latreille, 1797 from China are provided, of which three are described as new: L. (s.str.) concava Cheng, Li & Peng, sp. nov. (Anhui, Zhejiang), L. (s.str.) elongata Cheng, Li & Peng, sp. nov. (Zhejiang) and L. (s.str.) obesa Cheng, Li & Peng, sp. nov. (Chongqing). New provincial records are provided for L. (s.str.) brevimacula Ma & Li, 2012, L. (s.str.) cala Ma, Li & Zhao, 2012, L. (s.str.) cooteri Rougemont, 2000 and L. (s.str.) erythra Ma, Li & Zhao, 2012 from Anhui, L. (s.str.) dabashanensis Rougemont, 2000 from Anhui, Zhejiang and Jiangxi, L. (s.str.) elegantula Rougemont, 2000 from Anhui and Guizhou, L. (s.str.) fikaceki Shavrin, 2013 from Hunan, L. (s.str.) huabeiensis Rougemont, 2000 from Ningxia, L. (s.str.) ochra Li, Li & Zhao, 2005 from Anhui and Guizhou, L. (incertae sedis) rufimarginata Rougemont, 2000 from Hebei, L. (s.str.) rufopunctata rufopunctata Rougemont, 2000 from Qinghai, Anhui and Chongqing, L. (s.str.) submaculata Rougemont, 2000 from Anhui and Hubei.and Lesteva (s.str.) cordicollis Motschulsky, 1860, originally known from the Far East of Russia, is recorded from China (Heilongjiang) for the first time. The male sexual characters of L. rufimarginata Rougemont is described and illustrated for the first time. A key and some distribution maps of the Chinese species of Lesteva are provided.
Review of the genus Nysius Dallas from Mongolian Plateau (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Orsillidae)
Authors: GE XINYU , LI JUNLAN
Published: February 2019

The genus Nysius Dallas (1852) from Mongolian Plateau is reviewed. Eight species are now recognized. Nysius ericae groenlandicus (Zetterstedt, 1838), known previously from Inner Mongolia, is referred to Nysius ericae ericae (Schilling, 1829). The paramere, pygophore, sperm reservoir and spermatheca of recorded species are illustrated. The distributional records of Nysius ericae ericae and Nysius thymi thymi (Wolff, 1840) are corrected. Photographs of adults, updated distribution maps and key for all species in Mongolian Plateau are provided.