Autonomic system management in mobile grid environments

Mobile device integration in grid environments is a challenge for many researchers. Due to the transient nature of mobile devices, service management is a critical, but often overlooked area of research. We propose a distributed broker responsible for the autonomic management of grid services. The broker provides self discovery and negotiation, self configuration and self healing for SOA based mobile grids. In this paper the design and prototype implementation of the broker is presented and the importance of autonomic grid service management is shown.<br /

Varenicline as a smoking cessation aid in a Greek population: a subanalysis of an observational study

Background: Greece has the highest proportion of smokers in the European Union with 42% of Greeks admitting that they smoke, based on a 2009 survey. This post-hoc analysis of a prospective, observational study evaluated the effectiveness and safety profile of the smoking cessation aid varenicline, as well as potential predictors of quit success in a Greek population. Methods: Participants were prescribed varenicline according to the recommendations of the European Summary of Product Characteristics (1 mg twice daily). The 7-day point prevalence of abstinence at Week 12 was determined based on verbal reporting using a nicotine use inventory. Abstinence was confirmed by carbon monoxide measurements of exhaled air at the last visit of the study. The safety profile of varenicline was also assessed. Results: At baseline, the Greek subsample (n=196) had a mean age of 42.6 years, with 54.6% of them being men. Participants had a smoking history of 23.5 years and a Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence total score of 6.6. After 12 weeks of varenicline therapy, 70.4% (95% CI, 64.0-76.7) of all participants had quit smoking. This increased to 86.2% among participants who had taken the study medication for 80% of the planned number of treatment days. Age was a significant predictor of quit success. The most frequently observed treatment-emergent adverse event was nausea, occurring in 13.3% of participants. Conclusions: In this 'real-world' observational study, 70.4% of Greek smokers successfully quit smoking after 12 weeks of varenicline therapy, providing support that varenicline is an effective smoking cessation medication. Further studies with longer follow-up are warranted

Relative effects of statin therapy on stroke and cardiovascular events in men and women - Secondary analysis of the Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels (SPARCL) study

Background and Purpose-In SPARCL, treatment with atorvastatin 80 mg daily reduced stroke risk in patients with recent stroke or TIA and no known coronary heart disease by 16% versus placebo over 4.9 years of follow-up. The purpose of this secondary analysis was to determine whether men and women similarly benefited from randomization to statin treatment. Methods-The effect of sex on treatment-related reductions in stroke and other cardiovascular outcomes were analyzed with Cox regression modeling testing for sex by treatment interactions. Results-Women (n = 1908) constituted 40% of the SPARCL study population. At baseline, men (n = 2823) were younger (62.0 +/- 0.21 ersus 63.9 +/- 0.27 years), had lower systolic BPs (138.1 +/- 0.35 versus 139.5 +/- 0.47 mm Hg), higher diastolic BPs (82.2 +/- 0.20 versus 81.0 +/- 0.25 mm Hg), more frequently had a history of smoking (73% versus 38%), and had lower total cholesterol (207.0 +/- 0.54 versus 218.9 +/- 0.67 mg/dL) and LDL-C levels (132 +/- 0.45 versus 134 +/- 0.57 mg/dL) than women. Use of antithrombotics and antihypertensives were similar. After prespecified adjustment for region, entry event, time since event, and age, there were no sex by treatment interactions for the combined risk of nonfatal and fatal stroke (treatment Hazard Ratio, HR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.68, 1.02 in men versus HR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.63, 1.11 in women; treatment x sex interaction P = 0.99), major cardiac events (HR = 0.61, 95% CI 0.42, 0.87 in men versus HR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.48, 1.21 in women; P = 0.45), major cardiovascular events (HR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.65, 0.93 in men versus HR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.65, 1.07 in women; P = 0.63), revascularization procedures (HR = 0.50, 95% CI 0.37, 0.67 in men versus HR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.46, 1.24 in women; P = 0.17), or any CHD event (HR = 0.54, 95% CI 0.41, 0.72 in men versus 0.67 95% CI 0.46, 0.98 in women; P = 0.40). Conclusion-Stroke and other cardiovascular events are similarly reduced with atorvastatin 80 mg/d in men and women with recent stroke or TIA