Join query enhancement processing (jqpro) with big rdf data on a distributed system using hashing-merge join technique

Semantic web technologies have emerged in the last few years across different fields of study and their data are still growing rapidly. Specifically, the increased data storage and publishing capabilities in standard open web formats have made the technology much more successful. So, the data have become readable by humans, and they can be processed on a computer. The demand for complex multiple RDF queries is becoming significant with the increasing number of RDF triples. Such complex queries occasionally produce many common subexpressions. It is therefore extremely challenging to reduce the amount of RDF queries and transmission time for a vast number of related RDF data. Moreover, Recent literature shows that join query processing of Big RDF data has introduced many problems with respect to execution time and throughput. The hash-based encoding induces low execution time, which takes a long time to load and hence does not load all graphs. This is because the Resource Description Framework (RDF) collects and analyses large data in swarms, thereby having to deal with the inherent challenge of efficient swarm storage. The effective storage and data retrieval, which could be applied to high amounts of possible schema-less data, has also proven exceedingly difficult for RDF data storage. For instance, it is particularly difficult to view semantic and SPARQL query languages, as well as huge and complex graph patterns. To address this problem, a Join Query Processing Model (JQPro) is introduced for Big RDF data. The objectives of this research are: (i) formulate plan generator algorithms for join query processing on the basis of the previous research. (ii) develop an enhancement model of Join Query Processing (JQPro) based on SPARQL and Hadoop MapReduce using hashing-merge join technique to process Big RDF Data. (iii) evaluate and compare the performance based on the execution time, throughput, and CPU utilization of the JQPro model with existing models. On the other hand, the throughput was employed to measure the units of information that a system can process in each time frame. In addition, the CPU utilization was used in the big join query processing as an important resource element particularly during the map, to reduce phases. Furthermore, the hash-join and Sort-Merge algorithms were used to generate the join query processing, and this was employed due to their capacity to allow for more data sets to be joined. Both processes were sorted by algorithms on join attributes and the sorted relations was merged. Therefore, the join column sorted the groups of datasets with the same value. The sort–merge–join algorithm sorts the datasets on the joining attribute and then searches for tuples by merging the two datasets. Then, a processing framework for RDF queries was introduced and the benchmark was used for performance evaluation. Finally, the validation was conducted by standard statistical analysis to validate and compare the performance of the JQPro model with current models. In addition, the synthetic benchmarks Lehigh University Benchmark (LUBM) and Waterloo SPARQL Diversity Test Suite (WatDiv) v06 were used for measurement. The experiment was carried out on three datasets ranging from 10 million to 1 billion RDF triples produced by the generator of WatDiv data with a scale factor of 10, 100 and 1000, respectively. A selective dataset for each experimental query was also used for the processing of RDFs with a LUBM benchmark in sizes 500, 1000 and 2000 million triples. The result revealed that there is a strong correlation between execution time and throughput with a strength of 99.9% percent as confirmed by the Pearson correlation coefficient. Furthermore, the findings show that the JQPro solution was comparable to gStore RDF-3X, RDFox and PARJ and the percentage of improved performance was 87.77% in terms of execution time. The CPU utilization was significantly increased by extensive mapping and reduced code computing. It is therefore inferred that the JQPro solution is timely and innovative, as it provides an efficient execution time and CPU utilization where users could perform better queries for Big RDF data processing in a seamless manne

A comparative study on the efficacy of artesunate plus sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine versus artemether-lumefantrine in eastern Sudan

BACKGROUND: A combination of artesunate (AS) plus sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine (SP) as first-line and artemether-lumefantrine (AL) as second-line treatment are currently recommended against uncomplicated P. falciparum infection in Sudan. However, there is limited information on the efficacy of ACTs in the country and only one report of PCR-corrected results for AS/SP only. METHODS: The WHO protocol for the assessment of antimalarial drug efficacy for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria was employed. Artesunate plus sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine (AS/SP) was compared to artemether-lumefantrine (AL) in a 28-day follow up. Samples that were classified as early treatment failure (ETF), late treatment failure (LCF) or late parasitological failure (LPF) were genotyped for msp-1 and msp-2 genes to differentiate recrudescence from reinfection. RESULTS: A total of 178 patients were screened and 160 met the enrollment criteria and were recruited to the study of which 157 (98.1%) completed the follow up and had an analysed treatment outcome. On the AS/SP arm, three (0.038%) patients were lost during the follow-up, two on day 1 and one on day 7, and 77 (96.3) completed the study, while all 80 (100%) patients completed the follow up in the AL arm. In the per protocol analysis for AS/SP the treatment outcome for patients who completed the follow-up were as follows: adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR); 84.4% ETF; 1.3%, LCF; 3.9%, (LPF); 10.4%. For the AL arm the out come was as follows, ACPR; 90%, ETF; 0%, LCF; 6.3% and LPF; 3.8%. However, when PCR-corrected, 6.5% (5/77) of patients treated with AS/SP maintained parasites from their primary infection, while (7/80) in the AL group maintained their initial parasite genotype. Therefore, PCR-corrected efficacy was 93.5% in the AS/SP treated group and for AL it was 91.3%. CONCLUSION: Both AS/SP and AL are highly effective for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in eastern Sudan. However, AS/SP appears to have a slightly higher efficacy than AL, this may be due to patient compliance with the repeated dose rather than drug efficacy

Production of insulin producing cells from cord blood mesenchymal stem cells and their potential in cell therapy

Introduction: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were described as adherent cells with a fibroblast-like appearance, have a great capacity for self-renewal while maintaining their multipotency and differentiation into multiple tissues in vivo and in vitro. Methods: MSCs were isolated from cord blood of Sudanese donors using Ficoll-Hypaque gradient density protocol, and differentiate into β- like cells using 3-step protocol. STZ induced diabetic rats were injected intraperitoneally with the differentiated islet β- like cells and blood glucose levels were monitored for seven days. Results: The adherent cell appeared round and sphere after one-week of incubation, and the fibroblast-like colony was strongly attached after three weeks of seeding. The phenotyping of cells showed positivity for CD13, and negativity for CD34, CD45 and HLADR. MSCs were induced into islet-like cells using a 3-step (15-days) protocol. The differentiated cells showed positive diathizone stain and positive imuno-reactivity to anti-human insulin antibody. Secretion of insulin by insulin-producing cells showed positive result with >3.4 u/ml scale reading in high glucose concentration medium. After one-week of transplantation the level of blood glucose was reduced from 410 to 225 mg/dl in the experimental rat. Conclusion: Human UCB-MSCs can be differentiated into insulin-secreting cells invitro, and are able to produce and secrete insulin in response to high glucose concentration in vivo and in vitro. Keywords: Cord blood, Mesenchymal stem cell, islets β-like cell

Cross-sectional Study of Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Male and Female Medical Students in Qassim University – College of Medicine Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a major cause of mortality around the world. At present, almost half of the non-communicable diseases are CVDs. According to the literature review, CVD disease and the associated risk factors are high among Saudi adults. It has not been studied to determine at which age the majority of adults acquire the risk factors. We hypothesized and planned to assess CVD risk factors among medical students. AIM: The main objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of CVD risk factors among male and female medical students in Qassim University. METHODS: A cross-sectional study surveyed 188 males and female medical students in Qassim University. They were selected by random sampling technique. The data were collected by using a questionnaire included (age, gender, height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, random blood glucose, smoking habits, physical activity, and stress scale). After the data collection, it was entered and analyzed by SPSS. RESULTS: About 9.6% of male students were smokers, while there is no history of smoking among female students. About 18.2% of males were found obese, while obesity was lower among females (4.2%). The random blood glucose for males and females was within normal limits, but the measured blood pressure showed a higher percentage of elevated blood pressure among males (47.8%) in comparison to females (25.4%). Perceived stress scale exhibited that females were getting a greater percentage of high stress (34.3%), while in males, it was 14.4%. CONCLUSION: Many risk factors were greater among males, including elevated blood pressure 47.8%, obesity 18.2%, and smoking 9.6%. On the other hand, these risk factors were lower in females, but they have a higher stress scale 34.3% in comparison to males

A Randomized Open-Label Trial of Artesunate- Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine with or without Primaquine for Elimination of Sub-Microscopic P. falciparum Parasitaemia and Gametocyte Carriage in Eastern Sudan

In areas of seasonal malaria transmission, treatment of asymptomatic carriers of malaria parasites, whose parasitaemia persists at low densities throughout the dry season, could be a useful strategy for malaria control. We carried out a randomized trial to compare two drug regimens for clearance of parasitaemia in order to identify the optimum regimen for use in mass drug administration in the dry season.A two-arm open-label randomized controlled trial was conducted during the dry season in an area of distinct seasonal malaria in two villages in Gedarif State in eastern Sudan. Participants were asymptomatic adults and children aged over 6 months, with low-density P. falciparum infection detected by PCR. Participants were randomized to receive artesunate/sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (AS+SP) combination for three days with or without a dose of primaquine (PQ) on the fourth day. Parasitaemia detected by PCR on days 3, 7 and 14 after the start of treatment and gametocytes detected by RT-PCR on days 7 and 14 were then recorded. 104 individuals who had low density parasitaemia at screening were randomized and treated during the dry season. On day 7, 8.3% were positive by PCR in the AS+SP+PQ group and 6.5% in the AS+SP group (risk difference 1.8%, 95%CI -10.3% to +13.8%). At enrolment, 12% (12/100) were carrying gametocytes. This was reduced to 6.4% and 4.4% by day 14 (Risk difference 1.9% (95%CI -9.3% to +13.2%) in AS+SP+PQ and AS+SP groups, respectively.Addition of primaquine to artemisinin combination treatment did not improve elimination of parasitaemia and prevention of gametocyte carriage in carriers with low-density parasitaemia in the dry season.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00330902

There and back again: historical perspective and future directions for Vaccinium breeding and research studies

The genus Vaccinium L. (Ericaceae) contains a wide diversity of culturally and economically important berry crop species. Consumer demand and scientific research in blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) and cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) have increased worldwide over the crops' relatively short domestication history (~100 years). Other species, including bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), and ohelo berry (Vaccinium reticulatum) are largely still harvested from the wild but with crop improvement efforts underway. Here, we present a review article on these Vaccinium berry crops on topics that span taxonomy to genetics and genomics to breeding. We highlight the accomplishments made thus far for each of these crops, along their journey from the wild, and propose research areas and questions that will require investments by the community over the coming decades to guide future crop improvement efforts. New tools and resources are needed to underpin the development of superior cultivars that are not only more resilient to various environmental stresses and higher yielding, but also produce fruit that continue to meet a variety of consumer preferences, including fruit quality and health related trait

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

The polymorphic linker domain of pfmdr1 is associated with resistance-conferring mutations in Plasmodium falciparum populations from East and West Africa.

Sequence variation in the asparagine/aspartate-rich domain of pfmdr1 in 215 isolates of Plasmodium falciparum from three African countries was compared with published data. The role of this domain in modulating antimalarial sensitivity has not been established. The pfmdr1 86Y allele was significantly associated with different configurations of the Asn/Asp-rich domain in West and East Africa. In Kenya, a specific form of the Asn/Asp-rich domain was significantly linked to the 86Y, 184Y, and 1246Y haplotype of pfmdr1