Energy saving market for mobile operators

Ensuring seamless coverage accounts for the lion's share of the energy consumed in a mobile network. Overlapping coverage of three to five mobile network operators (MNOs) results in enormous amount of energy waste which is avoidable. The traffic demands of the mobile networks vary significantly throughout the day. As the offered load for all networks are not same at a given time and the differences in energy consumption at different loads are significant, multi-MNO capacity/coverage sharing can dramatically reduce energy consumption of mobile networks and provide the MNOs a cost effective means to cope with the exponential growth of traffic. In this paper, we propose an energy saving market for a multi-MNO network scenario. As the competing MNOs are not comfortable with information sharing, we propose a double auction clearinghouse market mechanism where MNOs sell and buy capacity in order to minimize energy consumption. In our setting, each MNO proposes its bids and asks simultaneously for buying and selling multi-unit capacities respectively to an independent auctioneer, i.e., clearinghouse and ends up either as a buyer or as a seller in each round. We show that the mechanism allows the MNOs to save significant percentage of energy cost throughout a wide range of network load. Different than other energy saving features such as cell sleep or antenna muting which can not be enabled at heavy traffic load, dynamic capacity sharing allows MNOs to handle traffic bursts with energy saving opportunity.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, to be published in ICC 2015 workshop on Next Generation Green IC

Prolonged Hypophosphatemia and Intensive Care After Curative Surgery of Tumor Induced Osteomalacia : A Case Report

Introduction Rare FGF23-producing mesenchymal tumors lead to paraneoplastic tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) presenting with phosphate wasting, hypophosphatemia, chronic hypomineralization of the bone, fragility fractures and muscle weakness. Diagnosis of TIO requires exclusion of other etiologies and careful search for a mesenchymal tumor that often is very small and can appear anywhere in the body. Surgical removal of the tumor is the only definitive treatment of TIO. Surgical complications due to chronic hypophosphatemia are not well recognized. Case Description The current case describes severe fragility fractures in a 58-year-old woman, who lost her ability to walk and was bedridden for two years. First, the initial diagnostic laboratory work-up did not include serum phosphorus measurements, second, the suspicion of adverse effects of pioglitazone as an underlying cause delayed correct diagnosis for at least two years. After biochemical discovery of hyperphosphaturic hypophosphatemia at a tertiary referral centre, a FGF23-producing tumor of the mandible was discovered on physical examination, and then surgically removed. Postoperatively, severe hypophosphatemia and muscle weakness prolonged the need for ventilation support, intensive care and phosphate supplementation. After two years of rehabilitation, the patient was able to walk short distances. The tumor has not recurred, and serum phosphate concentration has remained within normal limits during 3.5 years of follow-up. Conclusions The case report illustrates knowledge gaps in the diagnostic work-up of rare causes of low bone mass and fragility fractures. Compared to other low phosphate conditions, surgical recovery from TIO-induced hypophosphatemia warrants special attention. Increased alkaline phosphatase concentration may indicate impaired postsurgical recovery due to prolonged hypophosphatemia, underlining the need for proactive perioperative correction of hypophosphatemia.Peer reviewe

”Kukaan lapsi ei käyttäydy haastavasti tarkoituksella, vaan kaikelle löytyy selittävä tekijä.”:varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaisten kokemuksia haastavista kasvatustilanteista

Tiivistelmä. Varhaiskasvatusikäisten lasten haastavasta käyttäytymisestä on uutisoitu viime vuosina paljon ja haastavat kasvatustilanteet kuormittavat työntekijöitä. Haluamme tutkia aihetta sen ajankohtaisuuden ja tärkeyden vuoksi. Haastavaksi koetun käyttäytymisen taustalla on usein lapsen sosioemotionaalinen tuen tarve, joka voi ilmetä eksternalisoivasti ja internalisoivasti. Tässä tutkimuksessa lapsen haastavalla käyttäytymisellä tarkoitetaan aggressiivista, uhmakasta, levotonta ja vetäytyvää käyttäytymistä. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on selvittää, millaisia kokemuksia varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaisilla on haastavista kasvatustilanteista. Haluamme tutkia, miten lasten haastavaksi koettu käyttäytyminen ilmenee, mitä tekijöitä sen taustalla koetaan olevan sekä millaista tukea varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaiset kokevat tarvitsevansa työssään kohdatessaan haastavia kasvatustilanteita. Pohjustamme tutkimusta kuvaamalla lapsen sosioemotionaalista kehitystä ja siihen liittyvää tuen tarpeen ilmenemistä sekä ammattilaisen roolia näissä tilanteissa. Tutkimus on toteutettu monimenetelmäisesti hyödyntäen sekä laadullista että määrällistä tutkimusotetta mahdollisimman monipuolisten tulosten saavuttamiseksi. Tutkimusaineisto kerättiin sähköisen kyselylomakkeen avulla ja se koostuu varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaisten (n=74) kokemuksiin perustuvista vastauksista. Laadullinen aineisto analysoitiin sisällönanalyysiä käyttäen, minkä lisäksi määrällinen aineisto koostettiin vertailemalla aineiston frekvenssi- ja prosenttijakaumia. Tutkimuksen mukaan enemmistö varhaiskasvatuksen ammattilaisista kohtaa haastavia kasvatustilanteita päivittäin tai lähes joka päivä. Vastaajien kokemusten perusteella levotonta käyttäytymistä kohdataan selkeästi eniten. Tulosten mukaan haastavia kasvatustilanteita esiintyy eri konteksteissa, joista yleisimmäksi koettiin siirtymätilanteet. Niiden taustalla vaikuttavat yksilö- ja ympäristötekijöitä, kuten lapsen tuen tarve, perhetilanne, ammattilaisen osaaminen ja asenne sekä resurssitekijät. Ammattilaisten kokemusten mukaan haastaviin kasvatustilanteisiin tarvitaan monenlaista tukea.“No child behaves in a challenging way without a reason, there is an explanatory factor for everything.” : early childhood professionals’ experiences of challenging behaviour of children in early childhood education. Abstract. The challenging behaviour of children in early childhood education has been in the news a lot in recent years and challenging situations are a burden on early childhood education professionals. We want to research this topic because of its topicality and importance. Challenging behaviour is often driven by a child’s need for socio-emotional support, which can manifest itself in externalising and internalising ways. In this study, challenging behaviour in children is defined as aggressive, defiant, agitated and withdrawn behaviour. The aim of the study is to explore the experiences of early childhood professionals in challenging situations. We want to explore how children’s behaviour is perceived as challenging, what factors are perceived to be behind it and what support early childhood professionals feel they need in their work when faced with challenging educational situations. We base our research on a description of children’s socio-emotional development and the related need for support, as well as the role of professionals in these situations. The research is multi-methodological, using both qualitative and quantitative research methods to achieve the most diverse results possible. The research material was collected through an electronic questionnaire and consists of responses based on the experiences of early childhood education professionals (n=74). The qualitative data were analysed using content analysis, and the quantitative data were compiled by comparing frequency and percentage distributions of the data. According to the results of the survey, the majority of early childhood professionals face challenging educational situations every day or almost every day. Based on the experiences of the respondents, agitated behaviour is by far the most common. According to the results, these situations occur in a variety of settings, the most common of which was perceived as transitional situations. These are driven by individual and environmental factors such as the child’s need for support, the family situation, the professional’s skills and attitude, and resources. Professionals’ experience shows that a wide range of support is needed in challenging situations in early childhood education

Autismikirjon lapsen tukeminen varhaiskasvatuksessa

Tiivistelmä. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on eritellä millä tavoin autismikirjo ilmenee ja tuoda esiin erilaisia autismikirjon lapsen tukemisen keinoja varhaiskasvatuksessa. Haluamme lisätä varhaiskasvatuksen opettajien tietoisuutta autismikirjosta sekä tukimenetelmistä, jotka sopivat käytettäväksi varhaiskasvatuksen kontekstissa lasten kanssa, joilla on autismikirjon piirteitä tai saatu diagnoosi. Tutkimuksen teoreettinen viitekehys rakentuu neljästä pääkäsitteestä, joita ovat autismikirjo, lapsen tukeminen varhaiskasvatuksessa, autismikirjon lapsen tukeminen sekä yhteistyö osana lapsen tukea. Autismikirjon kappaleessa syvennymme diagnoosiin ja autismikirjoon kuuluviin piirteisiin. Lisäksi käsittelemme autismikirjon historiaa ja sen nykytilaa, autismikirjon ilmenemistä ja esiintyvyyttä sekä nostamme esiin mielenteorian yhteyden autismiin. Tutkimuksessamme tuomme esiin varhaiskasvatuksen kehityksen ja oppimisen tukemisen keinoja sekä erilaisia menetelmiä tukea autismikirjon lasta varhaiskasvatuksessa. Avaamme myös yhteistyön merkitystä osana lapsen tukemista. Tutkimus on luonteeltaan laadullinen tutkimus ja se on toteutettu kuvailevana kirjallisuuskatsauksena. Kuvailevan kirjallisuuskatsauksen avulla tarkoituksenamme on tarjota lukijalle yleiskatsaus käsiteltävästä aiheesta. Tutkimuksen pohjalta päädyimme johtopäätökseen siitä, että autismikirjon oireiden ja tuen tarpeiden vaihdellessa yksilöllisesti, varhaiskasvatukseen tarvitaan tietoa erilaisista tukimenetelmistä. Aiemman kirjallisuuden ja tutkimusten pohjalta tutkimukseemme valikoitui kolme tukemisen menetelmää, joita ovat puhetta tukevat ja korvaavat menetelmät, arjen strukturointi ja vahvuuksien huomiointi. Tuomme esiin myös muita autismikirjon lapsen tukemiseen soveltuvia kuntoutusmenetelmiä, joita voidaan käyttää varhaiskasvatuksessa

ORP/Osh mediate cross-talk between ER-plasma membrane contact site components and plasma membrane SNAREs

OSBP-homologous proteins (ORPs, Oshp) are lipid binding/transfer proteins. Several ORP/Oshp localize to membrane contacts between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the plasma membrane, where they mediate lipid transfer or regulate lipid-modifying enzymes. A common way in which they target contacts is by binding to the ER proteins, VAP/Scs2p, while the second membrane is targeted by other interactions with lipids or proteins. We have studied the cross-talk of secretory SNARE proteins and their regulators with ORP/Oshp and VAPA/Scs2p at ER-plasma membrane contact sites in yeast and murine primary neurons. We show that Oshp-Scs2p interactions depend on intact secretory SNARE proteins, especially Sec9p. SNAP-25/Sec9p directly interact with ORP/Osh proteins and their disruption destabilized the ORP/Osh proteins, associated with dysfunction of VAPA/Scs2p. DeletingOSH1-3in yeast or knocking down ORP2 in primary neurons reduced the oligomerization of VAPA/Scs2p and affected their multiple interactions with SNAREs. These observations reveal a novel cross-talk between the machineries of ER-plasma membrane contact sites and those driving exocytosis.Peer reviewe

Educational and knowledge gaps within the European reference network on rare endocrine conditions

Objective: The European Reference Network on Rare Endocrine Conditions (Endo-ERN), operational since 2017, consists of 71 health care providers (HCPs) in 19 EU member states. Our objective was to assess education and knowledge on rare endocrine conditions. Design and methods: A survey was developed and sent through the DIGIT-EUROSURVEY system to all Endo-ERN HCPs. Results: Response rate was 55% (n = 146), 95% physicians, 58% > 20 years of experience, 96% academics. Largest knowledge gaps were reported for the transition and neonatal ages, and for the GPs. Less than 50% of HCPs had structured educational rare diseases (RD) plans, while 86% used RD specific guidelines. HCPs would share educational materials within Endo-ERN (74%), and participate in an accreditation model (85%). E-learning portals of the endocrine scientific societies used 58 % (ESPE) and 64% (ESE). Most participants (90%) regarded Endo-ERN coordinated educational activities (annual meetings slots, webinars, etc.) as highly important and supported a common educational platform. Social media was perceived as important for educating patients (86%) but not for physicians (36%). Seventy-five % had developed patient education materials; only 31% had specific children's materials, and by-country avail ability varied from 0 to 100%. Respondents provided newly diagnosed patients with their own material in the national language (81%); referred to advocacy groups (68%), and relevant online sources (50%). Respondents believed the European Commission should fund education through Endo-ERN. Conclusion: Identified knowledge gaps in rare endocrine disorders set the basis for fast catch-up through collaboration, alignment with patients' needs, and further development of existing and newly developed educational resources.Peer reviewe

Protein kinase C-activating isophthalate derivatives mitigate Alzheimer's disease-related cellular alterations

Abnormal protein kinase C (PKC) function contributes to many pathophysiological processes relevant for Alzheimer's disease (AD), such as amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing. Phorbol esters and other PKC activators have been demonstrated to enhance the secretion of soluble APP alpha (sAPP alpha), reduce the levels of beta-amyloid (A beta), induce synaptogenesis, and promote neuroprotection. We have previously described isophthalate derivatives as a structurally simple family of PKC activators. Here, we characterised the effects of isophthalate derivatives HMI-1a3 and HMI-1b11 on neuronal viability, neuroinflammatory response, processing of APP and dendritic spine density and morphology in in vitro. HMI-1a3 increased the viability of embryonic primary cortical neurons and decreased the production of the pro-inflammatory mediator TNF alpha, but not that of nitric oxide, in mouse neuron-BV2 microglia co-cultures upon LPS- and IFN-gamma-induced neuroinflammation. Furthermore, both HMI-1a3 and HMI-1b11 increased the levels of sAPPa relative to total sAPP and the ratio of A beta 42/A beta 40 in human SH-Sv5v neuroblastoma cells. Finally, bryostatin-1, but not HMI-1a3, increased the number of mushroom spines in proportion to total spine density in mature mouse hippocampal neuron cultures. These results suggest that the PKC activator HMI-1a3 exerts neuroprotective functions in the in vitro models relevant for AD by reducing the production of TNF alpha and increasing the secretion of neuroprotective sAPPa.Peer reviewe

Interpretation and reporting of process capability results: focus on improvement

A global financial services company followed a software-mediated process assessment (SMPA) approach based on ISO/IEC 15504, ISO/IEC 20000 and the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL®). Using an action research approach, the Incident Management, Problem Management, and Change Management processes were assessed at two points in time during an ITSM process improvement project. This paper analyzes the results of the process assessments, highlights issues with the interpretation of the results, and offers an alternative method to report process capability results to motivate process improvement. The study found that by using the proportion of SMPA recommendations as a proxy measure for process improvement, the processes did improve yielding fewer recommendations in cycle 2 when compared to cycle 1 of the action research

PLS3 sequencing in childhood-onset primary osteoporosis identifies two novel disease-causing variants

The Summary Altogether 95 children with primary bone fragility were screened for variants in PLS3, the gene underlying X-linked osteoporosis. Two children with multiple peripheral and spinal fractures and low BMD had novel disease-causing PLS3 variants. Children with milder phenotypes had no pathogenic variants. PLS3 screening is indicated in childhood-onset primary osteoporosis. Introduction The study aimed to determine the role of pathogenic PLS3 variants in children's bone fragility and to elucidate the associated phenotypic features. Methods Two cohorts of children with bone fragility were screened for variants in PLS3, the gene underlying X-linked osteoporosis. Cohort I comprised 31 patients with childhood-onset primary osteoporosis of unknown etiology. Cohort II comprised 64 children who had sustained multiple fractures but were otherwise healthy. Clinical and radiological data were reviewed. Peripheral blood DNA was Sanger sequenced for coding exons and flanking intronic regions of PLS3. Results In two patients of cohort I, where other common genetic causes had been excluded, we identified two novel disease-causing PLS3 variants. Patient 1 was a male with bilateral femoral fractures at 10 years, low BMD (Z-score -4.1; 18 years), and multiple vertebral compression fractures. He had a novel nonsense variant in PLS3. Patient 2 was a girl with multiple long bone and vertebral fractures and low BMD (Z-score -6.6 at 6 years). She had a de novo missense variant in PLS3; whole exome sequencing and array-CGH identified no other genetic causes. Iliac crest bone biopsies confirmed low-turnover osteoporosis in both patients. In cohort II, no pathogenic PLS3 variants were identified in any of the subjects. Conclusion Two novel disease-causing variants in PLS3 were identified in a boy and a girl with multiple peripheral and spinal fractures and very low BMD while no pathogenic variants were identified in children with less severe skeletal fragility. PLS3 screening is warranted in male and female patients with childhood-onset primary osteoporosis.Peer reviewe