A 2.75-Approximation Algorithm for the Unconstrained Traveling Tournament Problem

A 2.75-approximation algorithm is proposed for the unconstrained traveling tournament problem, which is a variant of the traveling tournament problem. For the unconstrained traveling tournament problem, this is the first proposal of an approximation algorithm with a constant approximation ratio. In addition, the proposed algorithm yields a solution that meets both the no-repeater and mirrored constraints. Computational experiments show that the algorithm generates solutions of good quality.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figur

Relationship of Glucose Variability and Daily Lifestyle by Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM)

Authors and collaborators have continued diabetic practice and research on low carbohydrate diet (LCD), continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), and so on. The case is a 64-year-old male with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treated with multiple daily insulin injections (MDI). When his HbA1c was 8.2% before, he changed to take tofu instead of rice and bread. HbA1c decreased to 7.1% and 4kg of weight reduction in 2 months. Tofu is a traditional Japanese food made from soybeans, which is a suitable LCD with Protein:Fat:Carbohydrate (PFC) ratio=40:45:15 in this case. His HbA1c is recently unstable, then glucose variability was investigated by CGM using FreeStyle Libre. The glucose pattern was different due to his lifestyle, including working day, off day, playing golf, respectively. The average glucose was 143-167 mg/dL and the estimated HbA1c was 7.1%, whereas HbA1c in outclinic was 8.1%, respectively. This report will hopefully become reference data for future research

Tratamiento de aguas residuales mediante lodos activados a escala de laboratorio

The experiment was carried out at the laboratory scale. For this purpose a system with 6 mini reactors was designed, adapted from the literature. The used equations were deduced from the Eckenfelder (1970) and Metcalf & Eddy (1998) proceedings. The kinetics constants of biological growth at laboratory level were obtained using the activated sludge method. The obtained kinetic constants with synthetic wastewater were: a: 0,8763 (Parameter of oxygen utilization to substrate oxidation). b: 0,0744 (Parameter of oxygen utilization to substrate oxidation in the endogenous respiration). Y: 0,0494 (Ratio of the mass of cells formed to the mass of substrate consumed). kd: 0,00048 d-1 (Endogenous decay coefficient). k: 0,0025 h-1.L/mg (Velocity constant of substrate utilization). The wastewater were supplied to each mini reactor trough a dosificator and a peristaltic pump. It was found difficulty in the water flow distribution. It is recommended to carry out the experiment, pumping wastewater with a peristaltic pump to each mini reactor, because the used dosificator got obstructed frequently.Se realizó la prueba de tratamiento de aguas residuales a escala de laboratorio. Para lo cual se ha diseñado un módulo compuesto por 6 minirreactores, los cuales son una adaptación de los mostrados en la bibliografía. Las ecuaciones empleadas fueron deducidas según los procedimientos de Eckenfelder (1970) y Metcalf & Eddy (1998). Con los resultados analíticos obtenidos se determinó las constantes cinéticas de crecimiento biológico, a escala de laboratorio, utilizando el método de lodos activados. Las constantes cinéticas obtenidas empleando un agua residual sintética fueron: a: 0,8763 (Parámetro de utilización de oxígeno para la oxidación de sustrato), b: 0,0744 (Parámetro de utilización de oxígeno utilizado en la respiración endógena), Y: 0,0494 (Coeficiente de producción de biomasa por consumo de sustrato), kd: 0,00048 d-1 (Coeficiente de consumo de biomasa por respiración endógena), k: 0,0025 h-1.L/mg (Constante de velocidad de consumo de sustrato). Las aguas residuales fueron suministradas a cada minirreactor mediante un dosificador, el mismo que fue abastecido por medio de una bomba peristáltica. Encontrándose dificultades en la distribución apropiada de los caudales. Por lo cual se recomienda realizar el experimento con una bomba peristáltica para cada unidad de los minirreactores, pues los dosificadores utilizados tuvieron dificultad en operar óptimamente al obstruirse continuamente

Application of four molecular typing methods for analysis of Mycobacterium fortuitum group strains causing post-mammaplasty infections

A cluster of cases of post-augmentation mammaplasty surgical site infections occurred between 2002 and 2004 in Campinas, in the southern region of Brazil. Rapidly growing mycobacteria were isolated from samples from 12 patients. Eleven isolates were identified as Mycobacterium fortuitum and one as Mycobacterium porcinum by PCR-restriction digestion of the hsp65 gene. These 12 isolates, plus six additional M. fortuitum isolates from non-related patients, were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and three PCR-based techniques: 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) genotyping; randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) PCR; and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) PCR. Four novel M. fortuitum allelic variants were identified by restriction analysis of the ITS fragment. One major cluster, comprising six M. fortuitum isolates, and a second cluster of two isolates, were identified by the four methods. RAPD-PCR and ITS genotyping were less discriminative than ERIC-PCR. ERIC-PCR was comparable to PFGE as a valuable complementary tool for investigation of this type of outbreak.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, BR-04023062 São Paulo, SP, BrazilFleury Ctr Med Diagnost, São Paulo, BrazilInst Adolfo Lutz Registro, São Paulo, BrazilInst Vozza Med & Diagnose LTDA, Campinas, BrazilCtr Vigilancia Epidemiol Prof Alexandre Vranjac, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, BR-04023062 São Paulo, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Examining the associations between oral health and social isolation: A cross-national comparative study between Japan and England.

In Western countries, the most important part of the face in communication is the mouth, whereas it is the eyes in Asian countries; thus oral health could be more important in social interactions in Western countries. Our aim was to examine differences in the association between oral health status and social isolation among older people by comparing Japan and England. We used cross-sectional information obtained from adults aged 65+ in two ongoing prospective cohort studies: The Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES, N = 120,195) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA, N = 3,958). The dependent variable, social isolation score (SIS) was calculated from five factors (marital status, social support from children, social support from family, social support from friends, and social participation). The independent variables were self-reported number of remaining teeth (0, 1–9, 10–19, ≥20) and denture use (≥20 teeth, 10–19 teeth with denture, 10–19 teeth without denture, 0–9 teeth with denture, 0–9 teeth without denture), while the covariates in the model were: sex, age, educational attainment, self-rated health, number of comorbidities, household annual equivalized income, mental health status, daily living activities, and smoking status. We examined associations between oral health status and SIS by applying an ordered logit model by country. Compared to England, more Japanese participants were socially isolated (1.4% vs. 5.8%), but fewer were edentulous (13.1% vs. 7.7%). In both countries, poorer oral health further increased the odds of being socially isolated. Pooled analysis of the ordered logit model with an interaction term showed that the association of number of remaining teeth with SIS was stronger in edentulous participants and in England (odds ratio = 1.50, 95% Confidence interval:1.26–1.80). In both countries, oral health was associated with social isolation; this association could be stronger in England than in Japan