Efficient Probabilistic Subsumption Checking for Content-Based Publish/Subscribe Systems

Abstract. Efficient subsumption checking, deciding whether a subscription or publication is covered by a set of previously defined subscriptions, is of paramount importance for publish/subscribe systems. It provides the core system functionality—matching of publications to subscriber needs expressed as subscriptions—and additionally, reduces the overall system load and generated traffic since the covered subscriptions are not propagated in distributed environments. As the subsumption problem was shown previously to be co-NP complete and existing solutions typically apply pairwise comparisons to detect the subsumption relationship, we propose a ‘Monte Carlo type ’ probabilistic algorithm for the general subsumption problem. It determines whether a publication/subscription is covered by a disjunction of subscriptions in O(k md), wherek is the number of subscriptions, m is the number of distinct attributes in subscriptions, and d is the number of tests performed to answer a subsumption question. The probability of error is problem-specific and typically very small, and sets an upper bound on d. Our experimental results show significant gains in term of subscription set reduction which has favorable impact on the overall system performance as it reduces the total computational costs and networking traffic. Furthermore, the expected theoretical bounds underestimate algorithm performance because it performs much better in practice due to introduced optimizations, and is adequate for fast forwarding of subscriptions in case of high subscription rate.

Fast Probabilistic Subsumption Checking for Publish/Subscribe Systems

Efficient subsumption checking, deciding whether a subscription or publication is subsumed (covered) by a set of previously defined subscriptions, is of paramount importance for publish/subscribe systems. It provides the core system functionality, and additionally, reduces the overall system load and generated traffic in distributed environments. As the deterministic solution was shown previously to be co-NP complete and existing solutions typically employ costly pairwise comparisons to detect the subsumption relationship, we propose a probabilistic algorithm for the general subsumption problem. It efficiently determines whether a publication/subscription is covered by a disjunction of subscriptions in $O(k~m~d)$, where $k$ is the number of subscriptions, $m$ is the number of distinct attributes in subscriptions, and $d$ is the number of tests performed to answer a subsumption question. The probability of error is problem specific and typically very small, and determines an upper bound on $d$ in polynomial time prior to the algorithm execution. Our experimental results demonstrate the algorithm performs even better in practice due to introduced optimizations, and is adequate for fast forwarding of publications/subscriptions, especially in resource scarce environments, e.g. sensor networks

Traumatska protrahirana hematurija i pseudoaneurizma segmentalne arterije bubrega u 16-godišnjeg dječaka, liječena endovaskularnom embolizacijom

Većina ozljeda bubrega u djece liječi se neoperativno, no protrahirana krvarenja i ozljede većih krvnih žila često zahtijevaju aktivno zaustavljanje krvarenja. Traumatske pseudoaneurizme segmentalne arterije nastaju u oko 2,5% ozljeda bubrega. Manifestiraju se protrahiranim, intermitentnim ili sekundarnim hematurijama, ali mogu biti i asimptomatske. Liječenje većinom započinje praćenjem, a oko trećine djece zahtijeva aktivni kirurški ili endovaskularni postupak. Dvije su osnovne tehnike endovaskularne embolizacije zavojnicama: „sandwich“ i „coil packing“, a moguća je okluzija uz pomoć stenta. Traumatska protrahirana hematurija, pseudoaneurizma segmentalne arterije bubrega i postupak liječenja rijetko su opisani, osobito u djece. U ovom radu prikazujemo dječaka s tupom ozljedom bubrega, protrahiranim krvarenjem i traumatskom pseudoaneurizmom segmentalne arterije bubrega, liječenog endovaskularnom embolizacijom u lokalnoj anesteziji i sedaciji pristupom kroz desnu femoralnu arteriju. Mikrokateterom 2,7 Fr selektivno je kateterizirana dominantna kranijalna bubrežna arterija i prikazana pseudoaneurizma sa zonom krvarenja interlobarnog ogranka segmentalne arterije. Zavojnicom 2 × 4 mm (Interloc 18, Boston scient) emboliziran je interlobarni ogranak segmentalne arterije s pseudoaneurizmom, bez znakova krvarenja ili značajnijeg ispada vaskularizacije parenhima bubrega na kontrolnim serijama. Endovaskularna metoda ima brojne prednosti nad klasičnom kirurgijom, no i nedostatke poput izlaganja relativno visokim dozama zračenja i kontrasta. Zadnjih godina, uporabom robota u urologiji, opisana je primjena minimalno invazivne robotske tehnike operacijskog liječenja pseudoaneurizme renalne arterije. Smanjenje broja nefrektomija i porast udjela neoperativnog liječenja i endovaskulanih zahvata danas predstavljaju trend u pristupu traumatskim ozljedama burega. KBC Zagreb ima sve specijalnosti i subspecijalnosti potrebite za kirurške i endovaksularne zahvate u djece, čime predstavlja nacionalni centar za zbrinjavanje sveobuhvatne traume bubrega u djece

Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: a pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants

Summary Background Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. Methods For this pooled analysis, we used a database of cardiometabolic risk factors collated by the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends from 1985 to 2019 in mean height and mean BMI in 1-year age groups for ages 5–19 years. The model allowed for non-linear changes over time in mean height and mean BMI and for non-linear changes with age of children and adolescents, including periods of rapid growth during adolescence. Findings We pooled data from 2181 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in 65 million participants in 200 countries and territories. In 2019, we estimated a difference of 20 cm or higher in mean height of 19-year-old adolescents between countries with the tallest populations (the Netherlands, Montenegro, Estonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina for boys; and the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark, and Iceland for girls) and those with the shortest populations (Timor-Leste, Laos, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea for boys; and Guatemala, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Timor-Leste for girls). In the same year, the difference between the highest mean BMI (in Pacific island countries, Kuwait, Bahrain, The Bahamas, Chile, the USA, and New Zealand for both boys and girls and in South Africa for girls) and lowest mean BMI (in India, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia, and Chad for boys and girls; and in Japan and Romania for girls) was approximately 9–10 kg/m2. In some countries, children aged 5 years started with healthier height or BMI than the global median and, in some cases, as healthy as the best performing countries, but they became progressively less healthy compared with their comparators as they grew older by not growing as tall (eg, boys in Austria and Barbados, and girls in Belgium and Puerto Rico) or gaining too much weight for their height (eg, girls and boys in Kuwait, Bahrain, Fiji, Jamaica, and Mexico; and girls in South Africa and New Zealand). In other countries, growing children overtook the height of their comparators (eg, Latvia, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Iran) or curbed their weight gain (eg, Italy, France, and Croatia) in late childhood and adolescence. When changes in both height and BMI were considered, girls in South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some central Asian countries (eg, Armenia and Azerbaijan), and boys in central and western Europe (eg, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, and Montenegro) had the healthiest changes in anthropometric status over the past 3·5 decades because, compared with children and adolescents in other countries, they had a much larger gain in height than they did in BMI. The unhealthiest changes—gaining too little height, too much weight for their height compared with children in other countries, or both—occurred in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, New Zealand, and the USA for boys and girls; in Malaysia and some Pacific island nations for boys; and in Mexico for girls. Interpretation The height and BMI trajectories over age and time of school-aged children and adolescents are highly variable across countries, which indicates heterogeneous nutritional quality and lifelong health advantages and risks

Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions

Chronic Appendicitis: Possible Differential Diagnosis in Patients with Chronic Abdominal Pain

In the emergency department, patients frequently present with abdominal pain, with a variety of different causes ranging from intra-abdominal to extra-abdominal and retroperitoneal pathologies which can affect all age groups. Chronic appendicitis is a rare medical condition characterized by less severe and continuous abdominal pain and a clinical picture lasting longer than 1-2 days and extending over months, even years, and it is not always possible to consider it as a preliminary diagnosis. We represent a case report of chronic appendicitis where the patient’s clinical picture led the diagnostics and treatment in different directions and delayed the diagnosis. Namely, our patient was radiologically diagnosed with a collection of denser content retroperitoneally in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen, which in the first place was not related to possible appendicitis, regarding complaints. The existence of chronic appendicitis is a diagnosis unfamiliar to many clinicians and has no official diagnostic criteria. After diagnosis, treatment usually begins with antibiotics, and the next most common step is surgery. The optimal treatment for this condition is unknown. With this case report, we wish to draw attention to chronic appendicitis as a possible differential diagnosis in patients with chronic abdominal pain

A contribution towards improving the applicability of the Myriophyllum aquaticum sediment contact test

Abstract Background Whole sediment contact tests provide realistic exposure scenarios, but the inherent properties of sediments may play a significant role in organism’s response and interfere with result interpretation. Recently, a sediment contact test with a rooted aquatic macrophyte Myriophyllum aquaticum has been standardized. The present study aims to distinguish between effects of basic sediment properties and sediment-bound pollutants on M. aquaticum growth and evaluate the method as a tool in sediment quality assessment. Tests with artificial sediments with different organic matter, sand and clay content, as well as freshwater sediments with different levels of contamination were conducted. Results Results were based on comparison to the standard artificial control sediment. Organic matter content and grain size distribution in different variants of artificial sediments significantly affected M. aquaticum growth. Growth was impaired in formulations with low (1%) and high (10%) organic matter content, while better growth of plants compared to control was recorded in artificial samples with higher fine particles content. Because of the presence of unmeasured pollutants in freshwater sediments and inherent sediment properties, results of the M. aquaticum sediment contact tests were not always in accordance with the results of chemical analysis. Whorl, shoot and root parameters had different variability and showed a particular growth pattern in natural sediments. If the threshold of 20% for sediment toxicity is applied, then about 60% of tested natural sediments may be considered as toxic. As sediment structure may influence plant growth, this interpretation may be false as the physico–chemical properties of the control sediment used for comparison are considerably different from the properties of natural sediments. Conclusions Since inherent properties showed a significant effect on plant growth, the use of suitable controls more similar to tested natural sediments is advisable. To avoid over-, but also under-estimations, the use of the strict toxicity threshold of 20% or even higher inhibition for this test can be recommended, provided the statistical power of the test is high. The results of this study might contribute to the ongoing process of including effect-based methods in water quality monitoring under the Water Framework Directive

Initial results of microsurgical varicocele treatment in boys and adolescents

SAŽETAK Cilj: prikazati metodu i rane ishode prvih 20 dječaka i adolescenata kod kojih je učinjena mikrokirurška varikokelektomija na Zavodu za dječju kirurgiju Kliničkoga bolničkog centra Zagreb. Ova metoda prema literaturnim podatcima ima najmanju učestalost recidiva i komplikacija. Ispitanici i metode: Indikacije za mikrokiruršku operaciju jesu simptomatska varikokela, hipotrofija testisa (zahvaćeni testis volumno manji od zdravog za >20%), te poremećaj spermiograma kod adolescenata u završnom (Tanner 5) stadiju spolnog razvoja. Varikokela i hipotrofija testisa utvrđeni su kliničkim pregledom, ultrazvučnom volumetrijom i dopplerskim pregledom. Operacija se izvodi kroz rez duljine 3 – 4 cm u razini vanjskoga ingvinalnog otvora. Pacijenti su praćeni prospektivno nakon operacije, a prosječno vrijeme praćenja bilo je deset mjeseci (raspon 6 – 12 mjeseci). Rezultati: Prosječno trajanje operacije bilo je 65 minuta. Svi pacijenti su otpušteni kući unutar 24 sata od operacije, a vratili su se svim aktivnostima unutar dva tjedna nakon operacije. Tijekom kontrolnih pregleda nije zabilježen recidiv varikokele, kod svih pacijenata koji su operirani zbog simptoma došlo je do nestanka tegoba, dok je kod onih koji su operirani zbog lošeg spermiograma došlo do oporavka ejakulata. Od komplikacija, jedan pacijent je imao prolaznu nelagodu kod ejakulacije. Kod jednog pacijenta je intraoperativno neželjeno podvezana testikularna arterija koja je odmah rekonstruirana termino-terminalnom anastomozom uz uredne protoke na kontrolnim dopplerskim pregledima sjemenskog snopa, bez znakova atrofije testisa. Zaključak: Mikrokirurška varikokelektomija je sigurna metoda za liječenje varikokele sa visokom uspješnošću i malim brojem komplikacija.SUMMARY Aim: To describe the surgical technique and present outcomes of the first 20 boys and adolescents that underwent microsurgical varicocelectomy at the Department of pediatric surgery, University Hospital Center Zagreb. According to the literature data, this method has the lowest incidence of recurrence and complications. Patients and Methods: Indications for microsurgical varicocelectomy are the same as for other methods of varicocele treatment: presence of symptoms, testicular hypotrophy (affected testicle smaller >20% in volume compared to the contralateral testicle), or abnormal semen analysis in adolescent that reached the final (Tanner 5) stage of pubertal development. The diagnoses of varicocele and testicular hypotrophy were established by clinical examination, ultrasound volumetry and Doppler examination. The surgery was done through a 3–4 cm incision above the external inguinal ring. The patients were followed prospectively, with an average follow-up of 10 months (range 6–12 months). Results: Average surgery duration was 65 minutes. All patients were discharged within 24 hours after surgery, and returned to all preoperative activities within two weeks postoperatively. No recurrences were noted during follow-up, symptoms resolved in all patients operated for symptomatic varicocele, and sperm count normalized in all patients that underwent surgery for abnormal semen analysis. Regarding complications, one patient reported a transitory discomfort during ejaculation. In one patient the testicular artery was inadvertently ligated during surgery, but was immediately reconstructed with an end-to-end anastomosis. Control Doppler examinations of the spermatic cord showed a patent anastomosis with normal flow. Conclusion: Microsurgical varicocelectomy is a safe method for varicocele treatment with a high success rate and low incidence of complications