Individual Requests Research Articles

Multi-Commodity Based Widest Congested Edge Disjoint Path Algorithm (MBWCEDP) using MPLS

Objectives: The paper deals with the Online Multipath Routing of the Traffic flows in MPLS networks. A good multipath routing algorithm fulfills all the online traffic demands at real time. Many conventional multipath routing algorithms were considered good in respect of many parameters but still suffered from their highly rejected online traffic demands rate. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The algorithm presented classifies the traffic demands into various profile classes (which are generated based on the SLAs signed by the Internet users). These profile classes work as a rough estimator of future traffic demands and are used to solve a multi commodity network flow problem. In the proposed algorithm Multicommodity network flow formulation groups the packet flows as per profile classes with the aim to minimize the cost, to prevent network hotspots i.e. bottleneck links and to ensure minimum rejected requests/ traffic demands. The algorithm works in two phases- In the preprocessing phase SLAs, Global and Local quasi static knowledge about the network are used to generate Multi-commodities based “Profile Classes” in the first phase and then these Multi-commodities based packet flows are distributed over widest residual bandwidth Disjoint Paths with respect to the bottleneck links in the second phase. The transmission of Multi-commodity based flows through disjoint paths w.r.t. bottleneck edges prevent the network from critical deadlock point which helps in minimizing the congestion, delays, rejected requests and maximizing the throughput, i.e. improving the overall performance of the network. Findings: To measure the performance of proposed algorithm to the Profile Based Algorithm a series of experiments were measured. Randomly generated request sequence is used for which a random sequence of individual flow request were generated and measured the performance both in terms of number of flows routed and total bandwidth request that was satisfied. Blocking probability for each edge is also considered random.In the findings is shown that out of total 1200 requests, performance of PBR is very poor as it rejects many requests due to overly strict admission control and minimum hop algorithm. The proposed algorithm cleverly controls traffic flow admission by considering congested edges in a disjoint way, so that one LSP does not interfere other LSPs. Application/Improvements: The network information is utilized to its extreme and most of the online path requests are accepted only a few requests are rejected.

Performance Analysis of Push-Based Converged Networks With Limited Storage

By pushing popular contents directly to users through broadcast networks while serving individual requests using cellular networks, a wireless converged network provides a highly effective means to cope with the wireless traffic bottleneck. In this paper, we analyze the network capacity and the pushing and caching schemes for the push-based converged network with limited user storage. Both uniform and non-uniform storage cases are investigated. Specifically, we first derive the converged network capacity under the traditional popularity-based pushing and caching scheme. Furthermore, we establish push-limited and cache-limited regions for the uniform case and an additional transitional region for the non-uniform case, to reveal the constraining factor on the network capacity growth. Moreover, the optimal pushing and caching schemes are investigated from both the network and user perspectives. It is shown that both network and user criterion reduce to the same offloading optimization problem, which can be modeled as the 0–1 knapsack problem and effectively solved by the greedy algorithm. We point out that the optimal scheme depends on not only the traffic load, but also the region where the system operates. Finally, the numerical results are provided to confirm the accuracy of the developed analytical results.

American Books to the Rescue: The American Library Association (ALA) and the Postwar Restoration of Polish Libraries, 1944–1948

Abstract The American Library Association (ALA)’s role in the postwar cultural restoration of Polish libraries remains relatively unknown. This article discusses the ALA’s efforts at sharing the works of American cultural and research institutions with war devastated libraries in the context of war losses suffered by Polish libraries. Special attention is given to individual requests for American books and journals as they offer insight into various needs of Polish libraries. The ALA’s collaboration with the Kosciuszko Foundation and the American Book Center for War Devastated Libraries with respect to Polish libraries is also examined.

Analysis of a strategy of adaptive group admission of customers to single server retrial system

Recent advances in wireless communication networks led to possibility of multi-rate transmission of information. In terms of queueing theory this means that a group of requests from users can be processed simultaneously in parallel and processing of the whole group is considered finished if processing of all individual requests belonging to this group is over. In this paper we consider a novel retrial queueing model where the requests (customers) are served in groups of finite size which are formed during a period of random length that is called admission period. The problem of choosing the optimal length of admission period and optimal size of the groups is faced here under assumptions that the input flow of customers is described by a Markovian Arrival Process (MAP), length of admission period and individual service time have phase type distribution. Advantages of the proposed customers service discipline are numerically illustrated.

Implementation of national body contouring surgery guidelines following massive weight loss: A national cross-sectional survey of commissioning in England

National guidelines for commissioning of body contouring surgery (BCS) following massive weight loss (MWL) in England were published in 2014. Nearly three-quarters of patients who have MWL seek BCS; however, access is known to vary according to the region. The aim of national guidelines was to standardise access. The purpose of this study was to determine implementation of the national guidelines by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England. A cross-sectional, web-based survey was sent to all CCG chairs in England. Of 211 potential respondents, 108 completed the survey or provided funding guidelines (response rate=52%). Eight CCGs (7%) had implemented the guidelines. A total of 69 CCGs were aware of the new guidelines (64%), and 66 CCGs stated that they fund BCS after MWL (61%). A total of 81 CCGs (75%) identified local funding guidelines, while 15 CCGs (14%) cited individual funding requests (IFRs) as the means of accessing funding. To improve patient access to BCS; 58 of 65 respondents (89%) stated cost-effectiveness, whereas 56 of 75 respondents (75%) thought patient-reported outcome measures were key. Qualitative data to improve access included an integrated pathway from bariatric surgery to BCS, an improved evidence base and greater CCG finances. One CCG stated that it cannot afford to fund cosmetic procedures. The purpose of national guidelines was to simplify the pathway to BCS after MWL and create fair distribution of funds across the country to needy patients; however, their uptake has been poor. Access to funding for BCS across England varies according to the location.

The Concept of Shamanism and the Role of Shaman

The Concept of Shamanism and the Role of Shaman

TOLVAPTAN USE IN SEVERE NEONATAL AUTOSOMAL DOMINANT POLYCYSTIC KIDNEY DISEASE (ADPKD): THE PHARMACEUTICAL CHALLENGE

BackgroundUnlicensed medications are used all the time in the management of diseases in childhood. Tolvaptan (Jinarc®) is a vasopressin V2-receptor antagonist licensed for use to slow the progression of cyst...

Cost impact of a non-invasive, portable device for patient self-administration of chronic migraine in a UK National Health Service setting.

BackgroundChronic migraine (CM) is a neurological disorder associated with substantial disability. Botulinum toxin type A (Botox) is an approved and effective preventive treatment option for adult patients with CM. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an alternative treatment device delivering a brief pre-set magnetic pulse used for self-administration by the patient at home. Despite being available in a risk share scheme TMS is perceived to be more costly in the UK. The objective of this study was to analyse the incremental costs of TMS compared to Botox in refractory CM patients both for a UK individual funding request setting as well as for an average UK specialist center setting.MethodsCost impact results were derived from a decision-tree model simulating treatment pathways over 1 year. Costs were applied from the most recently available UK data sources. Sensitivity analysis was performed for all variables.ResultsBased on published utilisation data 45.5 % of CM patients would continuously receive Botox over 1 year, whereas 53.7 % of TMS patients would be still on treatment at the end of year one. Total costs of Botox treatment accrue to £2923 in an individual funding request NHS cost setting, whereas TMS treatment results in £1466 in the first year. Applying a time-based NHS cost setting expenditures accrue to £1747 for the Botox treatment and to £1361 for the TMS treatment. In both cost settings variation of cost assumptions did have a minor impact on the cost increment from Botox to TMS.ConclusionThe current risk share based remuneration model of TMS allows the UK NHS to reimburse only the cost of those patients experiencing reduction in migraine days resulting in lower costs for treating migraine attacks. Treatment of chronic refractory migraine using TMS implies a substantial cost reduction potential for the management of chronic treatment of refractory migraine patients compared to conventional Botox treatment.

Individualised and personalised QALYs in exceptional treatment decisions.

Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) are used to determine how to allocate resources to health programmes or to treatments within those programmes in order to gain maximum utility from those limited, shared healthcare resources. However, if we use those same population- based QALYs when faced with individual treatment decisions we may act unjustly in relation to that individual or in relation to the wider population. A treatment with a population-based incremental cost-effectiveness ratio beyond our willingness to pay threshold may be denied to a patient even if, for that particular patient, the QALYs gained for the cost would fall within that threshold. When considering individual cases, it is proposed that we should take an individualised approach to the cost of treatment and response to treatment ('individualised QALYs') and a personalised approach to the valuation of health states ('personalised QALYs'). Only if we do this, can we maximise utility and give the patient a fair opportunity to benefit. Individualised and personalised QALYs also allow us to express patient choice and religious treatment preferences in terms of utility. Individualised and personalised QALYs are explored in the context of individual funding requests in the National Health Service. In preference to the concept of 'clinical exceptionality', individualised and personalised QALYs provide the potential for better and more consistent decisions and improved utility. Rather than treating unequal patients as if they were equal, individualised and personalised QALYs promote fair and unequal access to resources for some of our most unequal patients. Potential challenges are also considered.

Evaluating the Influence of the Client Behavior in Cloud Computing.

This paper proposes a novel approach for the implementation of simulation scenarios, providing a client entity for cloud computing systems. The client entity allows the creation of scenarios in which the client behavior has an influence on the simulation, making the results more realistic. The proposed client entity is based on several characteristics that affect the performance of a cloud computing system, including different modes of submission and their behavior when the waiting time between requests (think time) is considered. The proposed characterization of the client enables the sending of either individual requests or group of Web services to scenarios where the workload takes the form of bursts. The client entity is included in the CloudSim, a framework for modelling and simulation of cloud computing. Experimental results show the influence of the client behavior on the performance of the services executed in a cloud computing system.

“Business is Business”: Constructing cultural identities in a persuasive writing task

In tandem with increasing attention to sociocultural contexts of learning, ESP researchers and practitioners have in recent years begun to advocate bringing into focus learners' identity, especially cultural identity, to further ESP's needs-responsive practice (Belcher, 2012; Belcher & Lukkarila, 2011). However, the research on cultural identity has for a long time tended either to essentialize cultural identity as being unified, permanent, and bounded to and by national culture or to romanticize it as readily selectable. Drawing upon the critical realist perspective (Archer, 2007; Block, 2013), this study analyzed 65 Chinese university students' discursive and meta-discursive acts in a simulated business writing task, including pre-writing group discussions, individual request writing, and post-writing reflective essays. By examining the (in)consistencies in these discursive and meta-discursive acts, the study revealed the multiple layers of cultural identities that the students constructed, co-constructed, and negotiated in the process. While the students seemed able to exercise agency in an attempt to claim ownership of Anglophone discourse in writing requests, they were unable to resist or undo the cultural stereotypes that make them feel culturally inferior. Implications for research and teaching in ESP and intercultural communication/rhetoric are discussed.

디지털 소멸 기술을 통한 잊힐 권리의 보장 가능성 연구

데이터의 영구 보관과 자유로운 복제 및 유통이 가능한 현대 디지털 사회의 특징으로 인하여 인터넷은 모든 것을 기억하는 세상으로 발전했다. 때문에 영원히 잊히지 않는 데이터들로 인해 피해를 입는 사례가 증가하였고, 인간의 본성인 '망각'을 인터넷상에 적용시키자는 소위 '잊힐 권리'를 요구하는 움직임이 많아지고 있다. 그러나 인터넷 사용자들이 보장받길 원하는 다양한 측면에 있어서의 더욱 높은 수준의 잊힐 권리는 다른 기본권과의 충돌 등 여러 가지 문제들에 막혀 법리적인 접근만으로 더 이상의 의미 있는 진전을 이루기 힘든 상황에 처해져 있는 실정이다. 반면 잊힐 권리를 보장받기 원하는 개인들의 요구들은 휘발성 SNS, 디지털 에이징 시스템(Digital Aging System) 등의 디지털 소멸 기술의 발전을 촉구시켰다. 디지털 정보에 소멸 기한을 설정하여 망각의 개념을 도입한 디지털 소멸기술은 인터넷상의 잊힐 권리 보장 확대에 있어 새로운 해결 방향을 제시해줄 수 있을 것으로 생각된다. 본 연구에서는 다양한 영역의 잊힐 권리에 대해 세부 범위를 설정하고, 국내에서 잊힐 권리 어느 정도의 수준으로 보장되고 있는지 분석하며, 분석된 범위들에 대해 디지털 소멸 기술을 통한 잊힐 권리 보장 가능성을 제시한다. As data can be permanently stored and freely distributed, in modern society, the Internet became a world that remembers everything forever. Because of that, there has been increasing the number of accident with never-forgetting data and, as a result, a movement has been emerged to apply a notion of 'oblivion' to internet world. The movement is called 'The right to be forgotten.' However, 'The right to be forgotten' in a higher level which internet users want to be guaranteed is very limited in the juridical approach because of the confliction with the other basic rights and problems. On the other hand, the requests of individuals to guarantee 'The right to be forgotten' has been urged digital extinction technology, such as volatile SNS, Digital Aging System, to be developed. With introduction of oblivion, digital extinction technology with setting expire date on digital information can present a new solution on assuring 'The right to be forgotten.' This research establishes the detail scope of, analyzes the level of assurance of, and, through digital extinction technology with the established scope, suggest the potential assurance of the 'The right to be forgotten'.

Birth Plans: What Matters for Birth Experience Satisfaction.

To categorize individual birth plan requests and determine if number of requests and request fulfillment is associated with birth experience satisfaction. This is a sub-analysis of a prospective cohort study of 302 women with singleton pregnancies with and without birth plans. Women with a hard copy of their birth plans who completed a postdelivery satisfaction survey were included in this study. We described the number and type of birth plan requests and associated the number of requests and request fulfillment with overall satisfaction, expectations met, and sense of control. Differences between groups were analyzed using chi-square, Spearman rank correlation, and logistic regression. One hundred and nine women presented to Labor and Delivery with a hard copy of their prewritten birth plan. We identified 23 unique requests. The most common requests were no intravenous analgesia (82%) and exclusive breastfeeding (74%). The requests most fulfilled were avoidance of episiotomy (100%) and no operative vaginal delivery (89%). Having a higher number of requests fulfilled correlated with greater overall satisfaction (p = 0.03), higher chance of expectations being met (p < 0.01), and feeling more in control (p < 0.01). Having a high number of requests was associated with an 80 percent reduction in overall satisfaction with the birth experience (p < 0.01). Having a higher number of requests fulfilled was positively associated with birth experience satisfaction, while having a high number of requests was inversely associated with birth experience satisfaction. Further research is needed to understand how to improve birth plan-related birth experience satisfaction.

Web-TCGA: an online platform for integrated analysis of molecular cancer data sets.

BackgroundThe Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) is a pool of molecular data sets publicly accessible and freely available to cancer researchers anywhere around the world. However, wide spread use is limited since an advanced knowledge of statistics and statistical software is required.ResultsIn order to improve accessibility we created Web-TCGA, a web based, freely accessible online tool, which can also be run in a private instance, for integrated analysis of molecular cancer data sets provided by TCGA. In contrast to already available tools, Web-TCGA utilizes different methods for analysis and visualization of TCGA data, allowing users to generate global molecular profiles across different cancer entities simultaneously. In addition to global molecular profiles, Web-TCGA offers highly detailed gene and tumor entity centric analysis by providing interactive tables and views.ConclusionsAs a supplement to other already available tools, such as cBioPortal (Sci Signal 6:pl1, 2013, Cancer Discov 2:401–4, 2012), Web-TCGA is offering an analysis service, which does not require any installation or configuration, for molecular data sets available at the TCGA. Individual processing requests (queries) are generated by the user for mutation, methylation, expression and copy number variation (CNV) analyses. The user can focus analyses on results from single genes and cancer entities or perform a global analysis (multiple cancer entities and genes simultaneously).Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12859-016-0917-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Some effects of a modern university educational environment informatization

The paper analyzes the effects that occur in the process of the educational environment informatization. The following effects were analyzed: information richness, openness, individualization of learning and collaboration. Examples of educational practice, illustrating the significant changes of the university educational environment associated with the manifestation of these effects, are presented. The aim of the pilot study carried out in Herzen University was to identify the attitude to the listed effects of teachers and students who are using information and communication technology in the educational interactions. The leading method of study were a series of surveys addressed to teachers and students. Groups of questions were related to basic information effects, manifested in the educational environment of the university. The total number of the survey participants is 200 students (bachelors and masters) and 100 teachers, most actively using electronic environment for research, education and professional activities. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the results showed that information richness, spatial and temporal freedom of educational interactions are demanded by students, but at the same time, the data indicated a lack of systematic pedagogical support for the information and educational activities of students. A large part of students show a high autonomy in the information educational environment, but also demands implementing individualized information and communication educational request. Students and teachers are actively using a variety of information and communication opportunities of the electronic environment, but students’ activeness in the electronic environment is largely determined by the recommendations of teachers, rather than by a free choice of educational opportunities. The participants of the educational environment acquire a significant degree of freedom in relation to the time and place of interaction with educational resources, but evidence suggests that educational activities in the electronic environment is not sufficiently focused on expanding the range of educational opportunities and preparing students for continual self-improvement of knowledge and skills. As the conclusions, we note the need to improve both the corporate strategy of the university electronic environment development and the competences of educational interactions in the extended information and communication space. This will reveal the full potential of e-learning environment and provide greater guarantees for obtaining high-quality educational outcomes. For teachers are in demand special competences, providing the possibility of forming a diverse and adaptive media environment for saturated solution of educational problems in accordance with university policies, introduction of e-learning and global education trends. For students, come to the fore the competences which help to improve their information culture and individual requests for the use of a variety of educational opportunities available in the electronic space. These ideas are fully consistent with the demanded by modern society the lifelong learning strategy.

An epidemiology-based model as a tool to monitor the outbreak of inappropriateness in tumor marker requests: a national scale study.

Evaluation of appropriateness of laboratory tests on the basis of individual requests remains a serious problem as the clinical question is usually not reported with the test order. This study explored the comparison of the rate of tumor marker orders with cancer prevalence as a putative indicator of inappropriateness. Tumor marker orders (2011 and 2012) were obtained from the Ministry of Health and cancer prevalence from the Italian Association of Cancer Registries. The rate of tumor marker orders was matched with demographic data and tumor prevalence and examined by using the confidence interval approach. Region-to-region and year-to-year variations were also examined. Focus was placed on CEA, CA125, CA19.9 and CA15.3. Tumor markers ordered in Italy were 13,207,289 in 2012 (221.3/1000 individuals). Given an estimated prevalence of 2,243,953 cancer cases, 7.04 tumor markers appear to be requested for each prevalent case of epithelial cancer per year. The rate of requests of CEA, CA125, CA19.9 and CA15.3 (in aggregate 5,834,167 requests in 2012, 44.2% of total) from the first and the last ranked region (96 and 244/1000 individuals) are significantly different (p<0.01). Region-to-region differences do not correspond to any known variation of prevalence in the different regions. The developed approach provides a proxy indicator of inappropriateness showing that tumor markers are overused in Italy and their ordering pattern is not related to tumor prevalence. The model is suitable to be validated in other laboratory tests used in diseases whose prevalence is known.

High-Performance Centralized Content Delivery Infrastructure: Models and Asymptotics

We consider a centralized content delivery infrastructure where a large number of storage-intensive files are replicated across several collocated servers. To achieve scalable mean delays in file downloads under stochastic loads, we allow multiple servers to work together as a pooled resource to meet individual download requests. In such systems, basic questions include: How and where to replicate files? What is the impact of dynamic service allocation across request types, and whether such allocations can provide substantial gains over simpler load balancing policies? What are tradeoffs among performance, reliability and recovery costs, and energy? This paper provides a simple performance model for large systems towards addressing these basic questions.

EDUCATION OF ELDERLY PEOPLE: INDIVIDUAL AND PUBLIC REQUEST

EDUCATION OF ELDERLY PEOPLE: INDIVIDUAL AND PUBLIC REQUEST

Exploring the tensions behind the adoption of mobile work practices in SMEs

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to understand the contextual conditions under which mobile forms of work are chosen by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the most relevant tensions that these firms should be able to face in order to be successful in the adoption of these forms of work.Design/methodology/approach– A survey analysis on 304 SMEs and an analysis of a collection of case studies were conducted to answer to the following research questions: what is the role of contextual conditions in shaping the way firms develop and use their mobile forms of work? Which tensions do SMEs need to manage when adopt a particular mobile form of work?Findings– In this paper, the authors found that SMEs choose different mobile forms of work according to the conditions under which they operate. For example, SMEs that adopt mobile forms of work for operational reasons are more capable of using IT to improve their external orientation. Moreover, the analysis of the configurations of mobile forms of work led to classify in a systematic way the managerial and organizational tensions, and to identify which tensions need to be managed in each mobile work configuration. For example, firms that adopt mobile work given individual employee requests need to manage human resource management tensions.Research limitations/implications– Future research should analyse in depth the jobs that are frequently engaged in mobility and the operational and strategic reasons of their mobility. Moreover, future research should analyse more in-depth companies’ capability of managing tensions discussed in this paper.Practical implications– Managers should understand that mobile work is an essential element in the organizational strategy of SMEs, since it is a way to manage more effectively externally oriented business processes. Also policy makers should provide financial support for programmes aimed at promoting the importance of mobile forms of work, since they allow achieving different objectives and saving. Further, demand-oriented policies and experiences about mobile work adoption should be shared.Originality/value– The authors found scant empirical evidence on understanding the contextual conditions under which SMEs choose different mobile forms of work, and the most relevant tensions that SMEs should deal with when they decide for the adoption of a particular mobile work configuration. The value of this paper consists in filling this research gap.

Evaluating the On-Demand Mobile Charging in Wireless Sensor Networks

Recently, adopting mobile energy chargers to replenish the energy supply of sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks has gained increasing attention from the research community. Different from energy harvesting systems, the utilization of mobile energy chargers is able to provide more reliable energy supply than the dynamic energy harvested from the surrounding environment. While pioneering works on the mobile recharging problem mainly focus on the optimal offline path planning for the mobile chargers, in this work, we aim to lay the theoretical foundation for the on-demand mobile charging (DMC) problem, where individual sensor nodes request charging from the mobile charger when their energy runs low. Specifically, in this work, we analyze the on-demand mobile charging problem using a simple but efficient Nearest-Job-Next with Preemption (NJNP) discipline for the mobile charger, and provide analytical results on the system throughput and charging latency from the perspectives of the mobile charger and individual sensor nodes, respectively. To demonstrate how the actual system design can benefit from our analytical results, we present two examples on determining the essential system parameters such as the optimal remaining energy level for individual sensor nodes to send out their recharging requests and the minimal energy capacity required for the mobile charger. Through extensive simulation with real-world system settings, we verify that our analytical results match the simulation results well and the system designs based on our analysis are effective.