Chaos Engineering for Microservices

Chaos engineering is a relatively new concept that is growing in popularity as it helps companies to be more resilient in the face of unexpected networking or software failure. The idea behind chaos engineering is that if you can create controlled failures, you can discover where your system is weak and then fix those weaknesses before something happens to your production environment. This research has been done on microservices, which are small pieces of code that perform specific tasks on behalf of a larger application. Microservices are often hosted on different servers and run by different teams, so they are much more fragile than monolithic applications. Microservices also tend to be written in different languages, which makes them more difficult to understand and test for bugs. The goal of this study was to determine whether microservices can be made more resilient through chaos engineering or not; specifically, if it is possible to find out what kinds of failures occur most often and how long they take to resolve

Determination of Dielectric Property Profile in Cement-Based Materials using Microwave Reflection and Transmission Properties

Microwave characterization methods are effective means for evaluating dielectric properties of materials and correlating them to their important physical, chemical and mechanical properties. For characterization purposes most materials are considered homogeneous and the measurement of their dielectric properties is fairly straightforward. However, certain materials may be considered inhomogeneous in such a way that their dielectric properties vary in a preferred direction within the material. To evaluate the dielectric property profile of these materials an electromagnetic model is necessary that can be used along with their measured reflection and transmission properties. This paper presents the development of such a model which is subsequently used to determine the dielectric property profile in mortar samples exposed to cyclical ingress of salt solution

The Use of Epidural Corticosteroids for Cervical Radiculopathy: An Interlaminar Versus Transforaminal Approach

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146929/1/pmr2178.pd

Service Quality Dimension Impact on Customer Satisfaction in Regional Rural Bank in Orissa

Customer satisfaction occurs when customers’ expectations are met. This study examined the factors that are critical in improving customer satisfaction in branch Utkal regional rural bank in Rourkela, India. Convenient random sampling techniques was used to select 250 respondents from two branches of Utkal Grameen Bank Rourkela, Orissa and structured questionnaire was administered to collect data. Descriptive statistics and regression model were employed in the data analysis. The results showed that there was active youth involvement in the activities of Utkal Grameen bank, some customers were literate and some were illiterate and most of the patrons of the bank were males. In general, customers were satisfied with the services provided by the bank. The results of the multiple regression analysis indicated that customer satisfaction depends on attention to customer complaints by the staff of the bank, accessibility of the bank to customers, tidiness and cleanliness of banking environment, speed of service delivery and knowledge base of the staff of the bank. These factors were found to have positive effects on customer satisfactio

Yoga and pilates in the management of low back pain

Many interventions for the management of low back pain exist, however most have modest efficacy at best, and there are few with clearly demonstrated benefits once pain becomes chronic. Therapeutic exercise, on the other hand, does appear to have significant benefits for managing patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) in terms of decreasing pain and improving function. In addition, because chronic pain is complex and does not fit a simple model, there have also been numerous trials investigating and demonstrating the efficacy of multidisciplinary pain programs for CLBP. It follows that interventions that treat more than one aspect of LBP would have significant benefits for this patient population. Yoga and Pilates which have, both been gaining in popularity over the last decade are two mind–body exercise interventions that address both the physical and mental aspects of pain with core strengthening, flexibility, and relaxation. There has been a slow evolution of these nontraditional exercise regimens into treatment paradigms for LBP, although few studies examining their effects have been published. The following article will focus on the scientific and theoretical basis of using yoga and Pilates in the management of CLBP

Hysterectomy in uterine fibroids: an institutional survey pre and post COVID lockdown

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a tremendous effect on surgical practice and surgical outcomes, especially in Gynaecology which had led to an increase in operative interferences like hysterectomies, which is one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures for uterine leiomyomas. Aim of this study was to determine the impact of covid lockdown on hysterectomies performed on AUB–L in perimenopausal and post-menopausal women based on clinical, radiological, and operative aspects. Methods: A retrospective study on perimenopausal and post-menopausal women who underwent hysterectomy for AUB-L was compared based on their clinical, radiological, and operative findings in the pre COVID period (April 2019-March 2020) and post COVID lockdown period of one year (July 2021-June 2022), at Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, SVS Hospital, Telangana. Results: The post-covid group has a significant increase in the severity of clinical symptoms such as menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea (VMSS-GRADE 2). Radiological findings (US AND MRI)-The size (>5cms) and number (>2) of fibroids increased significantly in post COVID group. The operative duration (1-3hrs), intraoperative blood loss (150-300ml), need for blood transfusion (>24%), postoperative pain (VAS pain score 5), and mean hospital stay (72-120hrs) were significantly increased in the post-COVID group as compared to pre COVID group attributable to delay in seeking medical advice due to COVID-19 lockdown. Conclusions: This study clearly states that the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown was significant in worsening clinical features, increasing the size and number of fibroids which in turn increased the number of hysterectomies, operative time and complications

Development and Application of a Functional Human Esophageal Mucosa Explant Platform to Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

There is an increasing prevalence of esophageal diseases but intact human tissue platforms to study esophageal function, disease mechanisms, and the interactions between cell types in situ are lacking. To address this, we utilized full thickness human donor esophagi to create and validate the ex vivo function of mucosa and smooth muscle (n = 25). Explanted tissue was tested for contractile responses to carbachol and histamine. We then treated ex vivo human esophageal mucosa with a cytokine cocktail to closely mimic the Th2 and inflammatory milieu of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and assessed alterations in smooth muscle and extracellular matrix function and stiffening. We found that full thickness human esophagus as well as the individual layers of circular and longitudinal muscularis propria developed tension in response to carbachol ex vivo and that mucosa demonstrated squamous cell differentiation. Treatment of mucosa with Th2 and fibrotic cytokines recapitulated the majority of the clinical Eosinophilic Esophagitis Diagnostic Profile (EDP) on fluidic transcriptional microarray. Transforming growth factor-beta-1 (TGFβ1) increased gene expression of fibronectin, smooth muscle actin, and phospholamban (p < 0.001). The EoE cocktail also increased stiffness and decreased mucosal compliance, akin to the functional alterations in EoE (p = 0.001). This work establishes a new, transcriptionally intact and physiologically functional human platform to model esophageal tissue responses in EoE

Effective antigen presentation to helper T cells by human eosinophils

Although eosinophils are inflammatory cells, there is increasing attention on their immunomodulatory roles. For example, murine eosinophils can present antigen to CD4+ T helper (Th) cells, but it remains unclear whether human eosinophils also have this ability. This study determined whether human eosinophils present a range of antigens, including allergens, to activate Th cells, and characterized their expression of MHC class II and co-stimulatory molecules required for effective presentation. Human peripheral blood eosinophils purified from non-allergic donors were pulsed with the antigens house dust mite extract (HDM), Timothy Grass extract (TG) or Mycobacterium tuberculosis purified protein derivative (PPD), before co-culture with autologous CD4+ Th cells. Proliferative and cytokine responses were measured, with eosinophil expression of HLA-DR/DP/DQ and the co-stimulatory molecules CD40, CD80 and CD86 determined by flow cytometry. Eosinophils pulsed with HDM, TG or PPD drove Th cell proliferation, with the response strength dependent on antigen concentration. The cytokine responses varied with donor and antigen, and were not biased towards any particular Th subset, often including combinations of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Eosinophils up-regulated surface expression of HLA-DR/DP/DQ, CD80, CD86 and CD40 in culture, increases that were sustained over 5 days when incubated with antigens, including HDM, or the major allergens it contains, Der p I or Der p II. Human eosinophils can, therefore, act as effective antigen-presenting cells to stimulate varied Th cell responses against a panel of antigens including HDM, TG or PPD, an ability that may help to determine the development of allergic disease

Eosinophil purification from peripheral blood

Eosinophils are granulocytes integral to allergic inflammation and parasitic responses and comprise 1-4 % of the circulating leukocytes in human beings under normal conditions. Isolation of human eosinophils allows for ex vivo and in vitro experimentation, providing a valuable tool for the study of allergic mechanisms. Here, we describe a technique for the isolation of human eosinophils by negative selection from whole blood obtained by venipuncture