The M/G/1 retrial queue: an information theoretic approach

In this paper, we give a survey of the use of information theoretic techniques for the estimation of the main performance characteristics of the M/G/1 retrial queue. We focus on the limiting distribution of the system state, the length of a busy period and the waiting time. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the accuracy of the maximum entropy estimations when they are compared versus the classical solutions.Peer Reviewe

Frequency of family meals and childhood overweight: a systematic review

Energy balance is influenced by understudied genetic, social and other environmental factors. The frequency of family meals (FFM) may be one of these factors since it is associated with a healthier dietary pattern in children and adolescents. The objective of this review is to evaluate the scientific evidence on the association between FFM and the risk of childhood and adolescent overweight. The electronic literature search identified 394 articles published during 2005-2012. Of these, 15 studies gave precise information of the studied association, of which four were longitudinal. We found great variability regarding the measurement of FFM. Six out of 11 cross-sectional studies and 1 out of 4 longitudinal studies found statistically significant inverse associations between FFM and being overweight, mainly in children, with odds ratios ranging from 0.11 to 0.93. Of those, only one adjusted for all the potential confounding factors considering socio-demographic, physical activity- and diet-related variables. Therefore, this review found inconsistent and weak evidence of an inverse association between FFM and risk of childhood overweight. In conclusion, further research is needed to establish whether family meals have an effect on childhood overweight. These studies ideally should have longitudinal or experimental designs, a clear and standardized definition of the exposure under study, a measure of the exposure based on direct observation or validated questionnaires and an adequate adjustment for potential confounders.S

Effectiveness of acute geriatric units on functional decline, living at home, and case fatality among older patients admitted to hospital for acute medical disorders: meta-analysis

Objective To assess the effectiveness of acute geriatric units compared with conventional care units in adults aged 65 or more admitted to hospital for acute medical disorders

Entropy maximization and the busy period of some single-server vacation models

In this paper, information theoretic methodology for system modeling is applied to investigate the probability density function of the busy period in M/G/1 vacation models operating under the N-, T- and D-policies. The information about the density function is limited to a few mean value constraints (usually the first moments). By using the maximum entropy methodology one obtains the least biased probability density function satisfying the system's constraints. The analysis of the three controllable M/G/1 queueing models provides a parallel numerical study of the solution obtained via the maximum entropy approach versus “classical” solutions. The maximum entropy analysis of a continuous system descriptor (like the busy period) enriches the current body of literature which, in most cases, reduces to discrete queueing measures (such as the number of customers in the system)

One egg per day improves inflammation compared to an oatmeal-based breakfast without increasing the risk for heart disease in diabetic patients

There is concern that egg intake may increase blood glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, we have previously shown that eggs reduce inflammation in patients at risk for T2DM, including obese subjects and those with metabolic syndrome. Thus, we hypothesized that egg intake would not alter plasma glucose in T2DM patients when compared to oatmeal intake. Our primary endpoints for this clinical intervention were plasma glucose and the inflammatory markers tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin 6 (IL-6). As secondary endpoints, we evaluated additional parameters of glucose metabolism, dyslipidemias, oxidative stress and inflammation. Twenty-nine subjects, 35–65 years with glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) value

On the incorporation of interval-valued fuzzy sets into the Bousi-Prolog system: declarative semantics, implementation and applications

In this paper we analyse the benefits of incorporating interval-valued fuzzy sets into the Bousi-Prolog system. A syntax, declarative semantics and im- plementation for this extension is presented and formalised. We show, by using potential applications, that fuzzy logic programming frameworks enhanced with them can correctly work together with lexical resources and ontologies in order to improve their capabilities for knowledge representation and reasoning

Association between telomere length, frailty and death in older adults.

Frailty is considered a clinical marker of functional ageing. Telomere length (TL) has been proposed as a biomarker of biological age but its role in human ageing is controversial. The main aim of the study was to evaluate the longitudinal association of TL with incident frailty and mortality in two cohorts of Spanish community–dwelling older adults. TL was determined at baseline in blood samples from older adults included in Toledo Study for Healthy Aging and ENRICA cohorts while frailty was determined by frailty phenotype (FP) at baseline and at follow-up (3.5 years). Deaths occurring during follow-up were also recorded. Associations of TL with frailty and mortality were analysed by logistic regression with progressive adjustment. Data were separately analysed in the two cohorts and in all subjects by performing a meta-analysis. TL was not different between frail and non-frail subjects. Longer telomeres were not associated with lower risk of prevalent frailty. Similarly, TL at baseline failed to predict incident frailty (OR: 1.04 [0.88–1.23]) or even the development of a new FP criterion (OR: 0.97 [0.90–1.05]) at follow-up. Lack of association was also observed when analysing the development of specific FP criteria. Finally, while frailty at baseline was significantly associated with higher risk of death at follow-up (OR: 4.08 [1.97–8.43], p < 0.001), TL did not significantly change the mortality risk (OR: 1.05 [0.94–1.16]). Results show that TL does not predict incident frailty or mortality in older adults. This suggests that TL is not a reliable biomarker of functional age.post-print660 K

Trends in hypertension control among the older population of Spain from 2000 to 2001 to 2008 to 2010: Role of frequency and intensity of drug treatment

This is the prepint version of the following article: Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes 8.1 (2015) , which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.114.001191Background—The use of antihypertensive medication and hypertension control has significantly increased during recent decades in some developed countries, but the impact of improved drug treatment on blood pressure (BP) control in the population is unknown. Methods and Results—Data were taken from 2 surveys representative of the population aged ≥60 years in Spain conducted with the same methodology in 2000 to 2001 and in 2008 to 2010. BP was measured 6×. The first BP reading was discarded, and the average of the remaining 3 to 5 BP readings was taken for analysis. Hypertension prevalence was 68.7% in 2000 to 2001 and 66.0% in 2008 to 2010. Between both time periods there was an improvement in hypertension awareness (63.6%–67.7%), drug treatment among those aware (84.5%–87.5%), and BP control among treated hypertensives (30.3%–42.9%). Overall, BP control among all hypertensives increased from 16.3% to 25.4%. After adjustment for age, sex, education, hypertension duration, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, sedentary behavior, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and visits to the physician through logistic regression, ≈7% of the improvement in BP control among all hypertensives was explained by higher hypertension awareness, and 36.2% was explained by a higher treatment rate. Among the treated hypertensives, 22.6% of the progress in BP control was because of the increase in the number of BP medications used in each patient. Conclusions—BP control among the older hypertensive population in Spain has improved from 2000 to 2001 to 2008 to 2010 because of a higher treatment rate and more intense antihypertensive drug treatmentThis work has been supported by Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS) grant PI13/02321 (Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain) and “Cátedra Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) de Epidemiología y Control del Riesgo Cardiovascular”, Madrid, Spain

Food sources of nutrients in the diet of Spanish children: the Four Provinces Study

The aim of the present study was to assess the principal food sources of energy and nutrients among Spanish children. We used a cross-sectional study design, based on results obtained from a food-frequency questionnaire. The sample included 1112 children, aged 6-7 years, from Cadiz, Madrid, Orense and Murcia, Spain. Children were selected through random cluster-sampling in schools. We analysed the percentage contributed by each food item to total energy and nutrient intake. The most important food sources were: white bread in the case of carbohydrate (13.4 %); olive oil in the case of total lipids (18.3 %) and monounsaturated fatty acids (29.2 %); whole milk in the case of protein (10.2 %) and saturated fatty acids (14.9 %); chips (French fried potatoes) in the case of polyunsaturated fatty acids (30.4 %). The greatest proportion of Na, consumed in excess, came from salt added to meals. Ham ranked second as a source of saturated fats. Fruits and green leafy vegetables proved to have great relevance as sources of fibre and vitamins, though with regard to the latter, it was observed that fortified foods (breakfast cereals, dairy products, fruit juices, etc.) had come to play a relevant role in many cases. In conclusion, the nutritional profile of Spanish school-aged children aged 6-7 years could be improved by nutritional policies targeted at limiting their consumption of ham (cured or cooked) and of salt added to meals, replacing whole milk with semi-skimmed milk, encouraging the consumption of products rich in complex carbohydrates already present in children's diets (bread, pasta, rice) and promoting less fatty ways of cooking food.This study was partly funded by grants from the Inter-national Olive Oil Board (Consejo Oleı ́cola Internacional),Madrid Regional Authority (Comunidad de Madrid), PedroBarrie ́de la Maza Foundation and Eugenio Rodrı ́guezPascual FoundationS