Specific Requests Research Articles

Clinical study evaluating the accuracy of injecting the distal tarsal joints in the horse.

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the centrodistal (CD) and tarsometatarsal (TMT) joints is a common cause of lameness in horses. Intra-articular diagnostic anaesthesia and/or therapeutic injection are relied upon to help diagnose and treat many horses with OA of these joints. The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of arthrocentesis of the CD and TMT joints using a sample population of equine surgeons and surgery residents. Randomised experimental study. Six operators each injected four CD and four TMT joints in 12 sedated horses. The operators were randomly assigned to inject either the left CD and right TMT or the right CD and left TMT on four randomly assigned horses. The joints were injected with a 4 ml solution of contrast medium (2 ml), sterile saline (1.5 ml) and amikacin (0.5 ml). A minimum of two radiographs of each joint was obtained to evaluate the presence of contrast medium within the target joint. The TMT joint was successfully injected in 23/24 joints (96% accuracy). The CD joint was successfully injected in 10/24 joints (42% accuracy). Communication between the TMT and CD joints was visible in 26% of successful TMT injections. Communication between the CD and TMT joints was visible in 20% of successful CD injections. Despite specific requests to do so, we were unable to standardise the injection technique across all operators. The accuracy of injecting the TMT and CD joints of sedated horses was 96 and 42%, respectively. The CD joint was frequently missed with contrast medium being placed in the periarticular tissues. These data support the clinical impression of the difficulty of injecting the CD joint and suggests that practitioners should utilise ancillary methods, such as radiographs, to ensure proper needle placement.

Conformance test development with the Java modeling language

SummaryIn order to claim conformance with a Java Specification Request, a Java implementation has to pass all tests in an associated Technology Compatibility Kit. This paper presents a model‐based development of a Technology Compatibility Kit test suite and a test execution tool for the draft safety‐critical Java profile specification. The Java Modeling Language is used to model conformance constraints for the profile. Java Modeling Language annotations define contracts for classes and interfaces. The annotations are translated by a tool into runtime assertion checks. Hereby, the design and elaboration of the concrete test cases are simplified, because the expected results are derived from contracts and thus do not need to be provided explicitly. Bottom‐up testing is applied for testing methods of the safety‐critical Java classes, whereas top‐down testing is applied for testing global properties, such as protocols, memory management, and real‐time properties, including scheduling. The tests are executed using a simplified version of JUnit, which makes the test suite executable on resource‐constrained platforms. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Speeding up laboratory test reporting in Medical Emergency and Cardiac Arrest calls: a quality improvement project

Many hospitals deploy Medical Emergency (MET) and Cardiac Arrest teams to improve the management and treatment of patients who become critically ill. In many cases, blood results are key in...

Mobile Application Removes Societal Barriers to P4 Medicine.

The overlap between one innovative paradigm (P4 medicine: predictive, personalized, participatory and preventive) and another (a new definition of "Healthy ageing") is fertile ground for new technologies; a new mobile application (app) that could broaden our scientific knowledge of the ageing process and help us to better analyse the impact of possible interventions in slowing the ageing decline. A novel mobile application is here presented as a game including questions and tests will allow in 10 minutes the assessment of the following domains: robustness, flexibility (lower muscle strength), balance, mental and memory complaints, semantic memory and visual retention. This game is completed by specific measurements, which could allow establishing precise information on functional and cognitive abilities. A global evaluation precedes advice and different types of exercises. The repetition of the tests and measures will allow a long follow up of the individual performances which could be shared (on specific request) with family members and general practitioners.

Карлики в древнеиндийской религиозной иконографии. Уровни интерпретации

The images of dwarfish beings inhabit ancient Indian temples in great abundance. One has only to look carefully to start noticing them everywhere: in mythological scenes and decorative friezes, in prabhamandala around the object of veneration and as bhadrakaras — original atlantes, supporting architectural elements; on walls, pillars and ceilings, in the interiors and on the facades of temples. This pan-Indian image is common in iconographic program of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, the three major religions of ancient India. Despite similar appearance, the figures of dwarfs may be interpreted in completely different ways, as different characters.The meaning depends on the location in the iconographic program, their attributes, weapons, posture, gestures, and encirclement. They are demonic creatures and guardians, fearful and worshipful at the same time. They arecajoled and addressed with specific requests concerning different needs: well-being, harvest, as well as granting children. However, only one value is determined by the iconography of temple dwarfs images, their semantics is much more complicated as religious images tend to have more than one meaning and can be understood onmany levels, corresponding to different research perspectives. The figures of dwarfs play a minor but important role in the ancient Indian religious iconography.

Optimization of aircraft center of gravity

In this research, linear programming is the chosen method for optimizing aircraft center of gravity. The method was tested on the Airbus A320 and Boeing 757 aircraft. In order to successfully accommodate the special company requests, certain modifications are applied. Formulation of the proposed method enables the use of real data for the passenger and cabin baggage weight, instead of statistical values which are commonly used. The proposed method is simple to use, modify, upgrade or apply in existing systems.

Infectious Intestinal Diseases and Residential Water Services in Mexico: a Spatial Analysis

Infectious intestinal diseases (IID) represent a widespread public health problem in Mexico. The country also faces major challenges with respect to the provision of residential water services (piped water and sewer)—an essential input for hygiene and cleanliness in homes. This paper analyzes morbidity rates from several IID associated with unsanitary living conditions along with a series of residential water services indicators for Mexico’s 2,456 municipalities. With data obtained through a special request to the federal epidemiological authority as well as official census data for 2010, we find stark regional contrasts and identify interesting spatial structures for both IID morbidity and residential water services indicators. In particular, municipalities tend to present values similar to neighboring municipalities, forming clusters of relatively high-value (or low-value) municipalities. Moreover we find that municipalities with a relatively high level of access to residential water services tend to present relatively low IID morbidity rates. These results have multiple public policy implications. In order to reduce the incidence of IID effectively and efficiently, interventions should explicitly consider the spatial structure of morbidity and target problem spots—which typically spill over state, municipal and other administrative boundaries. Moreover, improvements in the quality of access to piped water (for example, increasing the frequency of supply) may be as important for reducing morbidity as the expansion of basic access to this service.

Ultrasound assessment of antibiotic-induced pulmonary reaeration in ventilator-associated pneumonia

Objective In this study we assessed lung reaeration by means of bedside chest radiography, lung computed tomography (CT), and lung ultrasound (LUS) in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) treated by antibiotics. Introduction VAP is a subtype of hospital-acquired pneumonia that occurs in patients under mechanical ventilation for at least 48 h and is characterized by the presence of a new or progressive infiltrate, signs of systemic infection (temperature, blood cell count), changes in sputum characteristics, and detection of the causative agent. Ultrasound examination is increasingly being used as a valuable bedside method for the diagnosis of various thoracic conditions in ICUs, including pleural or pericardial effusion, empyema, pneumothorax, pulmonary embolism, and pneumonia. To date, only a few studies have investigated the use of LUS in the diagnosis of pneumonia in the emergency department or in the ICU. In critically ill patients with acute lung injury, pulmonary aeration may be reliably assessed using bedside LUS. Design This is a randomized prospective comparative trial. Setting The study was conducted in the Critical Care Department of Alexandria Main University Hospital. Patients and methods This study was carried out on 60 patients with a preliminary diagnosis of VAP who matched the inclusion and exclusion criteria in the Critical Care Medicine Department in Alexandria University. In all patients chest ultrasound (US),chest radiography, and chest CT (the gold standard) were performed in sequence at day 0 and day 7 after antibiotic administration. Thereafter, all patients were categorized on the basis of the radiological findings and finally the effectiveness of each method was calculated and statistical comparisons were made. Results In our study, we compared lung reaeration by bedside chest radiography, lung CT, and LUS in patients with VAP treated with antibiotics. We included 60 patients with a preliminary diagnosis of VAP (33.3% were male and 16.7% were female); their ages ranged between 31 and 70 years (mean±SD: 48.3±11.063 years). In our study, we found a highly significant correlation between LUS score and CT reaeration findings (P Conclusion This study can affirm the superiority of chest US over chest radiographs for quantifying lung reaeration in patients with VAP who are successfully treated with antibiotics. LUS is a reliable, dynamic, rapid, noninvasive, bedside technique. Thus, considering the benefits of chest US versus the multiple drawbacks of chest CT, such as the requirement for a special request, the dose of radiation, and the major problem of patient transfer, chest US can be reported to be a reasonable substitute, allowing the early detection of antibiotic-induced lung reaeration or the extension of lung infection in cases of antimicrobial therapy failure. Ultrasound can be considered a reasonable bedside ‘gold standard’ in the critically ill.

Cervical cytopathological changes among women with vaginal discharge attending teaching hospital.

Aims:To find cytology changes among women attending obstetrics and gynaecology clinic with complaints of vaginal discharges.Settings and Design:This descriptive hospital-based cytological study was conducted at the outpatient clinic of the obstetrics and gynaecology department.Materials and Methods:Two hundred women with complaints of vaginal discharge were selected. Their detailed histories were documented on a special request form. Pap smears were then obtained and sent for cytological examination to the cytopathology department. All low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) cases were advised to follow-up with Pap smears in the next 6–12 months. Those with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) were further investigated by a cervical biopsy and managed accordingly.Statistical Analysis Used:The statistical analysis was performed using, the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Chi-square and cross-tabulation were used in this study.Results:The cytological examination of Pap smears showed no changes (i.e. negative findings) in 88 (44%) cases, while Candida species infection was the most prevalent, which was found in 67 (33.5%) of the cases. Bacterial vaginosis was found in 39 women (19.5%); 6 women (3%) were reported with dyskaryotic changes. Two cases were found to have LSIL and 4 women had HSIL.Conclusion:Infection is common among the illiterate group of women. Women with vaginal discharges should undergo screening tests for evaluation by cervical smear for the early detection of cervical precancer conditions. There is an urgent need to establish a screening program for cervical cancer in Sudan.

Semantic Agent-Based Service Middleware and Simulation for Smart Cities.

With the development of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) technology, a variety of embedded and mobile devices is integrated to interact via the platform of the Internet of Things, especially in the domain of smart cities. One of the primary challenges is that selecting the appropriate services or service combination for upper layer applications is hard, which is due to the absence of a unified semantical service description pattern, as well as the service selection mechanism. In this paper, we define a semantic service representation model from four key properties: Capability (C), Deployment (D), Resource (R) and IOData (IO). Based on this model, an agent-based middleware is built to support semantic service enablement. In this middleware, we present an efficient semantic service discovery and matching approach for a service combination process, which calculates the semantic similarity between services, and a heuristic algorithm to search the service candidates for a specific service request. Based on this design, we propose a simulation of virtual urban fire fighting, and the experimental results manifest the feasibility and efficiency of our design.

Cátedra libre de pueblos originarios. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco: experiencias, interpelaciones y desafíos

<p>La Cátedra Libre de Pueblos Originarios fue creada en el año 2008, en el ámbito de la Secretaría de Extensión Universitaria, Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia “San Juan Bosco”, y viene desarrollando proyectos de articulación, vinculación y promoción de los derechos de los pueblos originarios en la provincia del Chubut, Patagonia Argentina. Tiene como misión dar una respuesta social a demandas concretas realizadas a la Universidad por parte de las autoridades de las comunidades indígenas, conformando una propuesta curricular que ha ido adquiriendo una fisonomía particular, trascendiendo en un amplio espacio territorial. En el siguiente artículo, nos proponemos dar cuenta de las experiencias, interpelaciones y desafíos que el equipo de cátedra enfrenta en lo cotidiano, pero que sobretodo les ha permitido la concreción de sus objetivos, entre ellos, constituirse en un espacio de educación intercultural en el ámbito universitario. La diversidad cultural sustentada en valores y saberes tradicionales, como modos de aprendizajes, son los ejes centrales en las actividades y programas que desarrolla la Cátedra Libre de Pueblos Originarios (CLPO). Sus distintas líneas de trabajo, tienen un denominador común, generar mayores espacios de visibilidad y de articulación de los pueblos originarios, espacios que se traducen en experiencias tanto hacia adentro de la “comunidad universitaria” (personal no docente, docente, estudiante, y funcionarios de gestión política) como hacia fuera de la Universidad, trasladando sus aulas a los territorios indígenas.</p>

Mixed integer linear programming models for optimal crop selection

In this paper, we propose the modeling of a real-case problem where a farmer has to optimize the use of his/her land by selecting the best mix of crops to cultivate. Complexity of the problem is due to the several factors that have to be considered simultaneously. These include the market prices variability of harvested products, the specific resource requests for each crop, the restrictions caused by limited machines availability, and the timing of operations required to complete each crop cultivation. We provide two different mathematical formulations for the analyzed problem. The first one represents a natural integer programming formulation looking for the crop-mix that maximizes the farmer’s expected profit measured as the difference between revenues obtained by selling the harvested products and the production costs. Since the revenue of each crop depends on the price as quoted at the exchange market and the yield per hectare of harvested product, we define it as a random variable. Then, the second model uses the maximization of the Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR) as objective function and looks for the crop-mix that allows to maximize the average expected profit under a predefined quantile of worst realizations. To test and compare the proposed models with the cultivation choice made by the farmer, we use Italian historical data represented by monthly returns of different crops over a time period of 16 years. Computational results emphasize the advantage of using the CVaR model for a risk-averse farmer and provide interesting insights for farmers involved in similar problems.

NCI outlines tobacco control research priorities

NCI outlines tobacco control research priorities

Protocol for the Mindful Student Study: a randomised controlled trial of the provision of a mindfulness intervention to support university students' well-being and resilience to stress

IntroductionLevels of stress in UK university students are high, with an increase in the proportion of students seeking help in recent years. Academic pressure is reported as a major trigger....

Provision of a mindfulness intervention to support university students' wellbeing and resilience to stress: preliminary results of a randomised controlled trial

BackgroundLevels of stress in university students in the UK are high, with an increase in the proportion of students seeking help in recent years. Students report academic pressure as a major trigger. Mindfulness training has been shown to reduce stress and is popular among students, but its effectiveness in this context needs to be ascertained. We aimed to test the hypothesis that the provision of a preventive mindfulness intervention in universities could reduce students' psychological distress during the examination period. MethodsUniversity of Cambridge students free from active crises or severe mental illness were randomised (1:1, automatic remote simple randomisation by random numbers, with automatic concealed allocation) to an 8 week mindfulness course or to mental health provision as usual. Primary outcome was psychological distress during the examination term as measured with the CORE Outcome Measure (CORE-OM). Other outcomes included CORE-OM at postintervention and 1 year follow-up, use of mental health support services, inability to sit exams or special circumstance requests, exam grades, wellbeing, altruism, and coping. At least 550 participants were required to detect a 0·3 SD change in the primary outcome with 90% power. Outcome assessment and intention-to-treat primary analysis with linear modelling adjusted for baseline scores were masked to intervention allocation. We systematically monitored for, and reacted to, adverse events. Independent data monitoring and ethics, and advisory reference committees were set up. This trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials registry, number ACTRN12615001160527. Findings309 students were randomised to mindfulness (median age 22 years [IQR 19·5–24·5], 59% women), and 307 to mental health provision as usual (22 [19·5–24·5], 65%). Students were more distressed (higher mean baseline CORE-OM score) than the average UK student but less so than those attending counselling sessions at the University Counselling Service. Collection of outcome data is continuing. InterpretationThis well-powered pragmatic randomised trial assessing a mindfulness intervention for university students is highly relevant to policy makers. Involving from its inception horizontal coproduction between researchers and stakeholders, it evaluates the provision of a service, and intends to inform student welfare policies in the global context of large increases in participation in higher education. FundingUniversity of Cambridge Vice-Chancellor's Endowment Fund, the University Counselling Service, and the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care East of England.

Role of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in prediction of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lung. Some of the inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), leukocyte count are associated with COPD. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as new inflammatory marker in COPD patients in comparison with the other well-known inflammatory markers. We prospectively evaluated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, CRP and ESR in 60 patients with stable COPD and 68 COPD patients during acute exacerbation and 60 sex- and age-matched healthy controls. We found that NLR values during acute exacerbation of the disease were significantly higher than those during stable period (P<0.001). NRL values of the stable COPD patients were significantly higher than those of the controls (P<0.001). NLR values were also positively correlated with serum CRP levels, ESR, and WBC. ConclusionNLR can be used as a new inflammatory marker for assessment of inflammation in COPD patients. It is a good predictor for exacerbation of COPD. It is a quick, cheap, easily measurable marker with no need for a special request.

Acquisition of L2 Spanish requests in short-term study abroad

The aim of this investigation was to examine the pragmatic development of 20 students during a short-term study abroad program in Spain. Request strategies were assessed with a written request production questionnaire. A language contact profile (LCP) was used to measure the relationship between pragmatic performance ratings and target language contact. Pretest and posttest mean scores on the request production questionnaire indicated that the students improved their request performance as rated by two native speakers. In looking at the specific request strategies used on the pretest and posttest vignettes, it is clear, however, that the students improved some aspects of their request production while other aspects remained unchanged. Further, LCP scores indicated that the students had little contact with native speakers during their time in Spain. No significant relationships were found between the LCP and request performance ratings. Results suggest that study abroad leadership should support students’ L2 pragmatic development before, during, and after study abroad.

IFRS 9 for Financial Institutions The Case for IFRS and FINREP Taxonomies A Conceptual Gap Analysis

Main topic: A tsunami of regulations since the 2013 financial crisis is steering toward’s Europe’s financial service sector. At the same time the accounting standard for financial institutions core products the financial instruments will be changing. Whenever such new accounting and reporting standards are issued by the IASB (International Accounting Standards Board) and this includes also footnotes, those disclosures become increasingly relevant. The reason for that is that the footnote disclosure represent an important source of information to provide transparency and enable the investor to understand the ex-post implementation business impact. In this paper the focus will be on those new footnote disclosures. As disclosures according to IFRS 9 become compulsary by 2018, the existing IFRS Taxonomy for IFRS 9 already developed by the IFRS Foundation, represents a suitable and objective framework to assess IFRS 9 impact on disclosures at an early stage. The specific goal of this paper is to perform a conceptual gap analysis considering the IFRS 9 taxonomy issued by the IASB and the Financial Reporting (FinRep) taxonomy on IFRS 9 issued by the European Banking Authority (EBA). In general, the IFRS Taxonomy is not used very much in practice. This is not understandable as several advantages relate to the IFRS taxonomy: principle-based accounting standard does very often not define specifically disclosure rules for each and every topic, therefore to derive reporting elements would very difficult to accomplish. A robust taxonomy development and governance process leading to the IFRS taxonomy simplifies the task of interpretations and the actual expression of reporting elements.The IASB started to perform a review process of the XBRL Due Process in 2013. As a result the development of the IFRS taxonomy should become part of the general due process of the financial reporting standards. Due to these changes it is expected that the importance of the IFRS taxonomy will be growing. The FinRep taxonomy has become mandatory since 2014 for all banks within Europe, to fulfill the regulatory reporting requirements according to the Capital Requirements Directive (CRR) IV.Results: Even though the disclosures for external reporting and for regulatory reporting are based on the same accounting framework International Financial Reporting Standards Boards (IFRS), differences can be observed with regard to disclosures, which are partly material. These differences become transparent when analysing IFRS- and FinRep-taxonomy reporting elements. This is caused by the principle-based IFRS, which enable scope of interpretation and the different objectives of the IASB and the banking supervision. Whereas the IASB follows the objective to develop industry non-specific international financial reporting standards, the banking supervision core focus lies on the banking industry. The EBA follows specific information requests with the FinRep taxonomy in the role as banking supervisory. The IASB intends to provide decision useful information for investors. Nevertheless these two taxonomies provide the possibility for a starting point for the harmonization and the development of common practice disclosures, which could counteract against heterogeneous financial reporting and the issue of “information overload”.

Economic Impact of Accommodation Structures on the Local Territorial System

Abstract The tourists servicing structure or unit in a particular territory has an impact on it as a result of the links which it (accommodation) establishes with certain environments, in which it evolves and which are connected to one other, leading in the end to the organization of space and hence the impact of tourism on the territory where accommodation options were implemented. In the whole local economy, tourism acts as a stimulating element of the local economic system, assuming a specific request for goods and services, which also causes an increase in their production sphere. Also, the touristic demand determines a correlated supply, which is materialized in the development of touristic structures and indirectly participating in the stimulating of production branches: construction and development of new means of transport, leisure facilities for winter sports, water sports, etc. Tourism development thus leads to a significant increase of production. Tourism drives and stimulates production in other areas. Tourism is a way of diversifying the economic structure of a country, region, territory. Tourism is capable of ensuring the prosperity of disadvantaged areas, being a cure for unindustrialized regions. This can be achieved through the development of less resource-rich areas with high economic value, which have a great heritage of natural and anthropogenic tourist resources. As a result, tourism is considered a lever to mitigate inter-regional imbalances. Furthermore, tourism, because it is a major consumer of force, plays an important role in the economy. It creates new jobs, thus participating in attracting extra labor from other sectors, helping to alleviate unemployment. It is important to note the fact that a job exclusively in tourism can generate 3 other indirect or induced related jobs. This can be explained by the fact that tourism is a major consumer of goods and services positively influencing labor use in its branches (agriculture, food processing, construction, transport, etc.).

Formal Concept Analysis for Arabic Web Search Results Clustering

Recently, Arabic language has become one of the most used languages in the web. However, the majority of existing solutions to improve web usage do not take into account the characteristics of this language. The process of browsing search results is one of the major problems with traditional web search engines, especially with ambiguous queries.Using a ranked list as return result of a specific user request is time consuming and the browsing style seems to not be user-friendly. In this paper, we propose to study how to integrate and adapt the Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) as a new system for Arabic Web Search Results Clustering based on their hierarchical structure. The effectiveness of our proposed system is illustrated by an experimental study using Arabic comprehensive set of documents from the Open Directory Project hierarchy as benchmark, where we compare our system with two others: Suffix Tree Clustering (STC) and Lingo. The comparison focuses on the quality of the clustering results and produced label by different systems. It shows that our system outperforms the two others.