Data analysis as a service: an infrastructure for storing and analyzing the internet of things

As the Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming an increasingly trendy topic both for individuals, businesses and governments, the need for academically reviewed and developed prototypes focusing on certain aspects of IoT are increasing as well. Throughout this paper we propose an architecture and a technology stack for creating real-time applications focusing on time-series data generated by IoT devices. The architecture and technology stack are then implemented through a proof-of-concept prototype named Office Analysis as a Service, DaaS, a data-centric web application developed using Meteor. js and MongoDB. We also propose a data structure for storing time-series data in a MongoDB document for optimal query performance of large datasets. One common research challenge in the IoT, security, is considered only briefly, and is of utmost importance in future research

A spectral method for elliptic equations: the Dirichlet problem

An elliptic partial differential equation Lu=f with a zero Dirichlet boundary condition is converted to an equivalent elliptic equation on the unit ball. A spectral Galerkin method is applied to the reformulated problem, using multivariate polynomials as the approximants. For a smooth boundary and smooth problem parameter functions, the method is proven to converge faster than any power of 1/n with n the degree of the approximate Galerkin solution. Examples in two and three variables are given as numerical illustrations. Empirically, the condition number of the associated linear system increases like O(N), with N the order of the linear system.Comment: This is latex with the standard article style, produced using Scientific Workplace in a portable format. The paper is 22 pages in length with 8 figure

Novel clinicopathological characteristics differentiate dementia with Lewy bodies from Parkinson's disease dementia

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) known as Lewy body dementias have overlapping clinical and neuropathological features. Neuropathology in both includes combination of Lewy body and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), often seen in AD, is increasingly recognised for its association with dementia. AIMS: This study investigated clinical and neuropathological differences between DLB and PDD. METHODS: 52 PDD and 16 DLB cases from the Queen Square Brain Bank (QSBB) for Neurological disorders were included. Comprehensive clinical data of motor and cognitive features were obtained from medical records. Neuropathological assessment included examination of CAA, Lewy body and AD pathology. RESULTS: CAA was more common in DLB than in PDD (p = 0.003). The severity of CAA was greater in DLB than in PDD (p = 0.009), with significantly higher CAA scores in the parietal lobe (p = 0.043), and the occipital lobe (p = 0.008), in DLB than in PDD. The highest CAA scores were observed in cases with APOE ε4/4 and ε2/4. Survival analysis showed worse prognosis in DLB, as DLB reached each clinical milestone sooner than PDD. Absence of dyskinesia in DLB is linked to the significantly lower lifetime cumulative dose of levodopa in comparison with PDD. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study which identified prominent concurrent CAA pathology as a pathological substrate of DLB. More prominent CAA and rapid disease progression as measured by clinical milestones distinguish DLB from PDD

Determining Principal Component Cardinality through the Principle of Minimum Description Length

PCA (Principal Component Analysis) and its variants areubiquitous techniques for matrix dimension reduction and reduced-dimensionlatent-factor extraction. One significant challenge in using PCA, is thechoice of the number of principal components. The information-theoreticMDL (Minimum Description Length) principle gives objective compression-based criteria for model selection, but it is difficult to analytically applyits modern definition - NML (Normalized Maximum Likelihood) - to theproblem of PCA. This work shows a general reduction of NML prob-lems to lower-dimension problems. Applying this reduction, it boundsthe NML of PCA, by terms of the NML of linear regression, which areknown.Comment: LOD 201

Neonatal jaundice and its management: knowledge, attitude and practice of community health workers in Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Neonatal jaundice (NNJ) is still a leading cause of preventable brain damage, physical and mental handicap, and early death among infants in many communities. Greater awareness is needed among all health workers. The objective of the study was to assess the knowledge of primary health care workers about the description, causes, effective treatment, and sequelae of NNJ. METHODS: The setting was a local government area i.e. an administrative district within the south-western part of Nigeria. Community health workers in this area were interviewed by means of a self-administered questionnaire which focused on awareness and knowledge of neonatal jaundice and its causes, treatment and complications. RESULTS: Sixty-six community health workers participated in the survey and male-to-female ratio was 1:5. Their work experience averaged 13.5 (SD 12.7) years. Only 51.5% of the respondents gave a correct definition of NNJ. 75.8 % knew how to examine for this condition while 84.9 % knew at least two of its major causes in our environment. Also, only 54.5 % had adequate knowledge of effective treatment namely, phototherapy and exchange blood transfusion. Rather than referring affected babies to hospitals for proper management, 13.4 %, 10.4 % and 3 % of the participants would treat with ineffective drugs, natural phototherapy and herbal remedies respectively. None of the participants knew any effective means of prevention. CONCLUSION: Primary health care workers may have inadequate knowledge and misconceptions on NNJ which must be addressed concertedly before the impact of the condition on child health and well-being can be significantly reduced. We recommend regular training workshops and seminars for this purpose

Winter wheat roots grow twice as deep as spring wheat roots, is this important for N uptake and N leaching losses?

Cropping systems comprising winter catch crops followed by spring wheat could reduce N leaching risks compared to traditional winter wheat systems in humid climates. We studied the soil mineral N (Ninorg) and root growth of winter- and spring wheat to 2.5 m depth during three years. Root depth of winter wheat (2.2 m) was twice that of spring wheat, and this was related to much lower amounts of Ninorg in the 1 to 2.5 m layer after winter wheat (81 kg Ninorg ha-1 less). When growing winter catch crops before spring wheat, N content in the 1 to 2.5 m layer after spring wheat was not different from that after winter wheat. The results suggest that by virtue of its deep rooting, winter wheat may not lead to high levels of leaching as it is often assumed in humid climates. Deep soil and root measurements (below 1 m) in this experiment were essential to answer the questions we posed

Spatial ecology of jaguars, pumas, and ocelots: a review of the state of knowledge

Knowledge of the spatial ecology of mammalian carnivores is critical for understanding species’ biology and designing effective conservation and management interventions. We reviewed the available information about the spatial ecology of jaguars Panthera onca, pumas Puma concolor, and ocelots Leopardus pardalis, and we examined how sex and extrinsic variables affect their spatial behaviour. Sixty-one articles addressing home range, home range overlap, daily net displacement (straight-line distance between two locations on consecutive days), and/or distance of dispersal of the three species were included. Meta-analysis, ANOVA, ANCOVA, and beta regression tests were run to analyse differences among species and sexes and to elucidate the influence of other variables, such as latitude and ecoregion, on spatial behaviour. Pumas had on average larger home ranges (mean ± SE: 281.87 ± 35.76 km) than jaguars (128.61 ± 49.5 km) and ocelots (12.46 ± 3.39 km). Intersexual range overlap was higher than intrasexual range overlap in jaguars and pumas. Sex affected the home range size of all three species, but only influenced daily net displacement in ocelots. Ecoregion affected the home range size of all three species but did not significantly affect either the daily net displacement or the dispersal distance of pumas. Latitude affected the home range size of jaguars and pumas. It did not affect daily net displacement or dispersal distance in jaguars and pumas, but did affect daily net displacement in ocelots. Although there was a lack of studies in most countries for the three species, information was particularly lacking in the Neotropics for jaguars and pumas and in North America for ocelots. Researchers usually presented low sample sizes and used different methods to examine the ecological issues considered here. Homogenisation of methods is needed to clarify the ecology of these species and to allow a better understanding of the threats to their populations.Peer Reviewe

Device-related infection in de novo transvenous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator Medicare patients

BACKGROUND: Cardiac device infection is a serious complication of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) placement and requires complete device removal with accompanying antimicrobial therapy for durable cure. Recent guidelines have highlighted the need to better identify patients at high risk of infection to assist in device selection. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of infection in de novo transvenous (TV) ICD implants and assess factors associated with infection risk in a Medicare population. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using 100% Medicare administrative and claims data to identify patients who underwent de novo TV-ICD implantation (7/2016-12/2017). Infection within 720 days of implantation was identified using ICD-10 codes. Baseline factors associated with infection were identified by univariable logistic regression analysis of all variables of interest, including conditions in Charlson and Elixhauser comorbidity indices, followed by stepwise selection criteria with a p≤0.25 for inclusion in a multivariable model and a backwards, stepwise elimination process with p≤0.1 to remain in the model. A time-to-event analysis was also conducted. RESULTS: Among 26,742 patients with de novo TV-ICD, 519 (1.9%) developed an infection within 720 days post-implant. While more than half (54%) of infections occurred during the first 90 days, 16% of infections occurred after 365 days. Multivariable analysis revealed several significant predictors of infection: age <70 years, renal disease with dialysis, and complicated diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSION: The rate of de novo TV-ICD infection was 1.9% and identified risk factors associated with infection may be useful in device selection

The ENDOCARE questionnaire (ECQ): a valid and reliable instrument to measure the patient-centeredness of endometriosis care in Europe

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is prevalent and women need high-quality care, which should be patient-centered. This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable patient-centeredness questionnaire, based on a defined concept of patient-centered endometriosis care (PCEC). METHODS: A literature review, focus groups (FGs) with patients and an expert panel defined PCEC with 10 dimensions. The ENDOCARE questionnaire (ECQ) was developed. FGs resulted in 43 specific statements covering the 10 dimensions of PCEC, for which the ECQ measured 'importance' and 'performance'. Medical and demographic questions and an open question were added. The Dutch ECQ questionnaire was piloted and reciprocally translated into English and Italian. Patients with endometriosis from Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy and the UK were invited to complete the ECQ online. Item analysis, inter-item analysis and confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and reliability analysis were performed. The theory-driven dimensions were adapted. RESULTS: The ECQ was completed by 541 patients. Based on item analysis, five statements were deleted. Factor analysis was performed on 322 questionnaires (only from respondents with a partner). Insights from the data-driven EFA suggested adaptations of the theory-driven dimensions. The reliability statistics of 9/10 adapted theory-driven dimensions were satisfactory and the root mean square error of approximation was good. CONCLUSIONS: This study resulted in a valid and reliable instrument to measure PCEC. For data presentation, the adapted theory-driven dimensions of PCEC are preferred over the data-driven factors. The ECQ may serve to benchmark patient-centeredness, conduct cross-cultural European research and set targets for improvement