Stress-induced Cardiomyopathy during Pulmonary Resection (Takotsubo Syndrome) - A case report -

Stress-induced cardiomyopathy is caused by emotional or physical stressors and mimics acute myocardial infarction, though Stress-induced cardiomyopathy is characterized by reversible left ventricular (LV) apical ballooning in the absence of significant coronary artery disease. We describe a 51-year-old male who underwent left upper lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer, and during which cardiogenic arrest occurred due to stress-induced cardiomyopathy, successfully managed by intra-aortic balloon pumping and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

An Isolated True Aneurysm of the Superficial Femoral Artery in a Young Woman - A case report -

A 39-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital due to a pulsatile mass on her right inner thigh that was evident for two months. She did not exhibit any risk factors of atherosclerosis, no evidence of vasculitis, or any signs of previous trauma history. Ultrasound and computed tomography revealed an adult fist-sized aneurysm on the distal superficial femoral artery. The aneurysm was resected and peripheral circulation was restored with the interposition of a saphenous vein graft. The resected aneurysm had three layers that showed atherosclerosis on histological examination

Effects of warming and eutrophication on coastal phytoplankton production

Phytoplankton production in coastal waters influences seafood production and human health and can lead to harmful algal blooms. Water temperature and eutrophication are critical factors affecting phytoplankton production, although the combined effects of warming and nutrient changes on phytoplankton production in coastal waters are not well understood. To address this, phytoplankton production changes in natural waters were investigated using samples collected over eight months, and under 64 different initial conditions, established by combining four different water temperatures (i.e., ambient T, + 2, + 4, and + 6 degrees C), and two different nutrient conditions (i.e., non-enriched and enriched). Under the non-enriched conditions, the effect of warming on phytoplankton production was significantly positive in some months, significantly negative in others, or had no effect. However, under enriched conditions, warming affected phytoplankton production positively in all months except one, when the salinity was as low as 6.5. These results suggest that nutrient conditions can alter the effects of warming on phytoplankton production. Of several parameters, the ratio of initial nitrate concentration to chlorophyll a concentration [NCCA, mu M (pg L-1)(-1))] was one of the most critical factors determining the directionality of the warming effects. In laboratory experiments, when NCCA in the ambient or nutrient-enriched waters was >= 1.2, warming increased or did not change phytoplankton production with one exception; however, when NCCA was < 1.2, warming did not change or decreased production. In the time series data obtained from the coastal waters of four target countries, when NCCA was 1.5 or more, warming increased phytoplankton production, whereas when NCCA was lower than 1.5, warming lowered phytoplankton production, Thus, it is suggested that NCCA could be used as an index for predicting future phytoplankton production changes in coastal waters.11Ysciescopu

IT-Enabled Information-Intensive Services

In information-intensive services (IISs), information interactions have a significant effect on service-value creation. Recent innovations in IT have facilitated the creation of various types of IT-enabled IISs (IT-IIS) in which IT is essential for information interactions. The authors introduce the generic composition of the IIS value-creation system, then view this system from an IT-oriented perspective to propose classifications for various IT-IIS types. This knowledge serves as a basis for designing new IT-IISs. The authors also conducted two IT-IIS design case studies.ope

Applications of Energy Usage Data: A Literature Review

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Scales for Measuring Mobile Service Quality (M-SQ): A Literature Review and Identification of Key Dimensions

Mobile service quality (m-SQ) is vital to manage the competitiveness of a company in the mobile business market. Existing studies on m-SQ share key characteristics of m-service in general, such as mobility and context awareness. A set of common m-SQ dimensions that reflects such key characteristics would serve as the theoretical backbone of m-SQ. This research aims to conduct a comprehensive review of existing studies on m-SQ scales and identify key dimensions of m-SQ to understand the essence of m-SQ scales. A total of 45 existing studies on m-SQ scales were reviewed and seven key dimensions of m-SQ scales were identified. This study is expected to serve as a solid knowledge base for conducting new investigations on m-SQ scale development as well as help practitioners utilize m-SQ scales.ope

Method for Improving Indoor Positioning Accuracy Using Extended Kalman Filter

Beacons using bluetooth low-energy (BLE) technology have emerged as a new paradigm of indoor positioning service (IPS) because of their advantages such as low power consumption, miniaturization, wide signal range, and low cost. However, the beacon performance is poor in terms of the indoor positioning accuracy because of noise, motion, and fading, all of which are characteristics of a bluetooth signal and depend on the installation location. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the accuracy of beacon-based indoor positioning technology by fusing it with existing indoor positioning technology, which uses Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and so forth. This study proposes a beacon-based indoor positioning method using an extended Kalman filter that recursively processes input data including noise. After defining the movement of a smartphone on a flat two-dimensional surface, it was assumed that the beacon signal is nonlinear. Then, the standard deviation and properties of the beacon signal were analyzed. According to the analysis results, an extended Kalman filter was designed and the accuracy of the smartphone’s indoor position was analyzed through simulations and tests. The proposed technique achieved good indoor positioning accuracy, with errors of 0.26 m and 0.28 m from the average x- and y-coordinates, respectively, based solely on the beacon signal

Scales for Measuring Mobile Service Quality (M-SQ): A Literature Review and Identification of Key Dimensions

Mobile service quality (m-SQ) is vital to manage the competitiveness of a company in the mobile business market. Existing studies on m-SQ share key characteristics of m-service in general, such as mobility and context awareness. A set of common m-SQ dimensions that reflects such key characteristics would serve as the theoretical backbone of m-SQ. This research aims to conduct a comprehensive review of existing studies on m-SQ scales and identify key dimensions of m-SQ to understand the essence of m-SQ scales. A total of 45 existing studies on m-SQ scales were reviewed and seven key dimensions of m-SQ scales were identified. This study is expected to serve as a solid knowledge-base for conducting new investigations on m-SQ scale development as well as help practitioners utilise m-SQ scales.110Nscopu