Incremental Pattern Matching in Graph-Based State Space Exploration

Graph pattern matching is among the most costly operations in any graph transformation system. Incremental pattern matching aims at reducing this cost by incrementally updating, as opposed to totally recalculating, the possible matches of rules in the graph grammar at each step of the transformation. In this paper an implementation of one such algorithm is discussed with respect to the GROOVE toolset, with a special emphasis put on state space exploration. Specifically, we shall discuss exploration strategies that could better harness the positive aspects of incremental pattern matching in order to gain better performance

Incremental pattern matching for regular expressions

Graph pattern matching lies at the heart of any graph transformation-based system. Incremental pattern matching is one approach proposed for reducingthe overall cost of pattern matching over successive transformations by preserving the matches that stay relevant after a rule application. An important issue in any matching scheme, is the ability to properly and consistently deal with various facilities that add to the expressiveness of a GT-tool’s rule language. One such feature is the support for regular path expressions, which would let two nodes to be consideredas a “match”, if a certain path of edges exists between them. In this paper, the incorporation of regular expression support into incremental pattern matching is discussed within the context of the GROOVE tool set. This includes laying down a formal foundation for incremental pattern matching for regular expressions which is then used to justify the extension proposed to add regular expression support to a well-known pattern matching algorithm

Assessing the adherence to the current guidelines in the management of syncope patients

  Background: There exist gaps in the implementation of guideline-recommended treatments and interventions to manage syncope. The present study aimed to investigate the adherence to the current guideline for the diagnosis and management of syncope patients referred to a tertiary center.  Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with the study group consisting of 324 consecutive patients, who were diagnosed with unexplained syncope with one or more attacks and were referred for head-up tilt table test (HUTT) between September 2009 and September 2011 to Tehran Heart Center. All the patients underwent a thorough evaluation, including a careful medical history and physical examination as well as a thorough history of all procedures performed before referral. The data collected was compared between patients with positive and negative HUTT results and also based on the referring physician, in order to assess the deviation from syncope guideline in their management. We compared the selected groups using a chi-square test for categorical variables and student t-test or analysis of variance (ANOVA) for continuous variables where appropriate.   Results: A total of 324 patients with a Mean (SD) age of 41.04 (17.74) years were enrolled in the study (158 patients, i.e. 48.8%, were male). HUTT was positive in 181 (55.8%) patients. Brain computed tomography scan and coronary angiography were performed more in the initial assessment of the patients with a negative HUTT compared with patients with negative HUTT (P=0.001 and P=0.01, respectively). Significantly higher rates of brain MRI (P=0.01), brain imaging (P=0.03), and electroencephalography (P=0.002) were observed among the neurologists' referrals while echocardiography (P<0.001), exercise tolerance test (P=0.001), electrocardiogram Holter monitoring (P<0.001), and coronary angiography (P=0.02) were significantly more performed in patients referred by a cardiologist.   Conclusion: We observed a noticeable deviation from the current guideline for the management of syncope although the patients underwent expensive tests with little benefit

Overextension of Nonsetting Calcium Hydroxide in Endodontic Treatment: Literature Review and Case Report

Premixed non-setting calcium hydroxide (CaOH2) paste in pressure syringe system is commonly used in root canal therapy. The aim of this paper is to present a case involving an iatrogenic extrusion of the medicament during endodontic treatment and a literature review of similar reports. The present case demonstrates severe tissue necrosis and other deleterious effects following the extrusion of CaOH2 paste beyond root apex. A 21-year old female was referred for endodontic treatment of her maxillary left first premolar. After completion of the canal preparation, root canals were filled by premixed CaOH2 paste. In the second appointment, a gingival detachment and an irregular zone of necrosis adjacent to the tooth apex was observed. To treat this complication, a mucoperiosteal flap was raised and the extruded material and necrotic tissues were currettaged and the area sutured. The patient was prescribed antibiotics and followed up at 2 weeks, 6 months and 2 years. Two week follow up showed good soft tissue healing. Two years postoperatively, complete radiographic and clinical healing was observed. We can conclude that the application of CaOH2 should be carried out with care and preferably applied free hand or with a lentulo spiral rather than in a pressure syringe

FIM: A fatigued-injured muscle model based on the sliding filament theory

Skeletal muscle modeling has a vital role in movement studies and the development of therapeutic approaches. In the current study, a Huxley-based model for skeletal muscle is proposed, which demonstrates the impact of impairments in muscle characteristics. This model focuses on three identified ions: H + , inorganic phosphate Pi and Ca 2+. Modifications are made to actin-myosin attachment and detachment rates to study the effects of H + and Pi. Additionally, an activation coefficient is included to represent the role of calcium ions interacting with troponin, highlighting the importance of Ca 2+. It is found that maximum isometric muscle force decreases by 9.5% due to a reduction in pH from 7.4 to 6.5 and by 47.5% in case of the combination of a reduction in pH and an increase of Pi concentration up to 30 mM, respectively. Then the force decline caused by a fall in the active calcium ions is studied. When only 15% of the total calcium in the myofibrillar space is able to interact with troponin, up to 80% force drop is anticipated by the model. The proposed fatigued-injured muscle model is useful to study the effect of various shortening velocities and initial muscletendon lengths on muscle force; in addition, the benefits of the model go beyond predicting the force in different conditions as it can also predict muscle stiffness and power. The power and stiffness decrease by 40% and 6.5%, respectively, due to the pH reduction, and the simultaneous accumulation of H + and Pi leads to a 50% and 18% drop in power and stiffness

Decision making in Ischemic cardiomyopathy: variability in physicians’ approaches and patients’ adherence

Ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) is a common cardiovasculardisease with conflicting evidence regardingits management and a high risk profile for revascularizationprocedures that seems to have resulted invariable approach of physicians toward its management,and likewise, significant patient non-adherence to physicianrecommendation. We included patients with 3-vesseldisease and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)<45%(ICM group; n=825), and patients with LM diseaseand LVEF ≥45% (LM group; n=162), detected by coronaryangiography at Tehran Heart Center. Variation of recommendationsamong cardiologists was evaluated. The rateof coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) non-adherencewas also determined, as well as its predictors and outcomein ICM group. Decision making was more variable inICM group, compared to LM group. CABG non-adherencewas significantly more common in ICM group (32.4%),compared to LM group (10.0%) (P<0.001). Advancedage, being female, absence of angina, creatinine >2mg/dl,severe left ventricular dysfunction, absence of LM diseaseand moderate or severe mitral regurgitation were predictorsof CABG non-adherence. ICM patients with CABGnon-adherence had significantly more all-cause mortality(Hazard Ratio [HR]: 1.97, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.28-3.04), and more all-cause mortality, revascularizationor hospitalization due to cardiac disease (HR: 1.94, 95%CI: 1.41-2.67), than those who received CABG. WhileICM is a common disorder encountered frequently in dailypractice of cardiologists, there is a significant variability indecision making, as well as a significant non-adherencetolifesaving recommendations for these patients

Impact of β-Globin Mutations on Outcome of Matched Related Donor Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Patients with β-Thalassemia Major

AbstractThe clinical outcome of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for patients with β-thalassemia major (β-TM) can be affected by several factors. We investigated the influence of β-globin gene mutation in patients with β-TM on the clinical outcome of HSCT and conducted a prospective study of consecutive β-TM patients who underwent allogeneic HSCT at our center. Among 87 included patients, 62 (71%) had homozygous and 25 (29%) had compound heterozygous β-globin gene mutations. Intervening sequence II-1 appeared to be the most common mutation, with an occurrence rate of 33% in β-globin alleles. With a median follow-up of 12 months, the thalassemia-free survival and overall survival probabilities were 83% (standard error, 4%) and 90% (standard error, 3%), respectively. Overall survival was not found to be associated with the β-globin gene mutation status, but thalassemia-free survival was significantly improved in patients with homozygous mutations compared with patients with compound heterozygous mutations in univariate (91.2% versus 64.0%, P = .009) and multivariable (hazard ratio, 3.83; P = .014) analyses. This is the first report on the impact of β-globin mutation status on the outcome of β-TM after allogeneic HSCT and helps to better illustrate the course and prognosis of β-TM after transplantation

The Relationship between Extrinsic and Intrinsic Religious Orientation with Perceived Stress and Cigarette Addiction among University Students

Background: Psychological stress is associated with unhealthy lifestyles, including smoking. Moreover, religiousbeliefs can play a significant role in relieving mental disorders such as anxiety and stress. Due to the frequentexposure of medical students to stressful situations, this study was conducted with the aim to investigate therelationship of internal and external religious orientation with perceived stress and nicotine dependence.Methods: This correlational study was carried out on medical students of Kerman University of MedicalSciences, Kerman, Iran, in 2015. The sample size was determined to be 224 individuals using the Morgantable. The participants were selected using stratified random sampling. The data collection tools consisted ofa demographic information form, the Religious Orientation Scale (ROS) (Allport and Ross), the PerceivedStress Scale (PSS-14), and the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND). Data were analyzed usingmultiple regression analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation coefficient, and t-test inSPSS software.Findings: The findings of the study showed that internal religious orientation had a significant negativerelationship with perceived stress and nicotine dependence; however, no significant relationship wasobserved between external religious orientation and these variables.Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the religious beliefs of individuals havea preventive role in perceived stress and nicotine dependence