Benchmarking tests on recovery oriented computing

textBenchmarks have played a very important role in guiding the progress of computer science systems in various ways. Specifically, in Autonomous environments it has a major role to play. System crashes and software failures are a basic part of a software system’s life-cycle and to overcome or rather make it as less vulnerable as possible is the main purpose of recovery oriented computing. This is usually done by trying to reduce the downtime by automatically and efficiently recovering from a broad class of transient software failures without having to modify applications. There have been various types of benchmarks for recovering from a failure, but in this paper we intend to create a benchmark framework called the warning benchmarks to measure and evaluate the recovery oriented systems. It consists of the known and the unknown failures and few benchmark techniques which the warning benchmarks handle with the help of various other techniques in software fault analysis.Electrical and Computer Engineerin

Prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity in sporadic idiopathic hypoparathyroidism in comparison to type 1 diabetes and premature ovarian failure

Context: Thyroid autoimmunity is the most common coexistent endocrinopathy in type 1 diabetes (T1D), Addison's disease, and premature ovarian failure (POF). Although the role of autoimmunity is being investigated in patients with sporadic idiopathic hypoparathyroidism (SIH), there is little information on coexistent thyroid autoimmunity. Objective: Our objective was to assess the prevalence of thyroid peroxidase autoantibodies (TPOAb) and thyroid dysfunction in patients with SIH and its comparison with that in T1D, POF, and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (for SIH). Design and Setting: We conducted a case control study in a tertiary care setting. Patients and Methods: Subjects were consecutive patients with SIH (n = 87), T1D (n = 100), POF (n = 58), and HT (n = 47) and healthy controls (100 females and 64 males). Serum free T3, free T4, TSH, and TPOAb (normal ≤ 34 IU/ml) were measured by electrochemiluminescence assay. Subjects with 1) serum TSH at least 5 μ U/ml along with TPOAb more than 34 IU/ml; 2) TSH at least 10 μ U/ml but normal TPOAb titers; or 3) Graves' disease were considered to have thyroid dysfunction. Results: TPOAb positivity (>34 IU/ml) in females was 14.6% in SIH, 24.1% in POF, and 42.1% in T1D compared with 76.6% in HT and 9% in healthy controls. The frequencies of TPOAb positivity and thyroid dysfunction in patients with SIH were comparable to those in control and POF groups, but significantly less than in T1D and HT groups. Conclusion: The frequencies of TPOAb and thyroid dysfunction were not significantly higher in patients with SIH than in healthy controls, unlike in patients with T1D and POF

Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its relationship with thyroid autoimmunity in Asian Indians: a community-based survey

25-Hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) deficiency is linked with predisposition to autoimmune type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Our objective was to assess the relationship between serum 25(OH)D levels and thyroid autoimmunity. Subjects included students, teachers and staff aged 16-60 years (total 642, 244 males, 398 females). Serum free thyroxine, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and thyroid peroxidase autoantibodies (TPOAb), intact parathyroid hormone and 25(OH)D were measured by electrochemiluminescence and RIA, respectively. Thyroid dysfunction was defined if (1) serum TSH ≥ 5 μ U/ml and TPOAb>34 IU/ml or (2) TSH ≥ 10 μ U/ml but normal TPOAb. The mean serum 25(OH)D of the study subjects was 17.5 (SD 10.2) nmol/l with 87 % having values ≤ 25 nmol/l. TPOAb positivity was observed in 21 % of subjects. The relationship between 25(OH)D and TPOAb was assessed with and without controlling for age and showed significant inverse correlation (r - 0.08, P = 0.04) when adjusted for age. The prevalence of TPOAb and thyroid dysfunction were comparable between subjects stratified according to serum 25(OH)D into two groups either at cut-off of ≤ 25 or >25 nmol/l or first and second tertiles. Serum 25(OH)D values show only weak inverse correlation with TPOAb titres. The presence of such weak association and narrow range of serum 25(OH)D did not allow us to interpret the present results in terms of quantitative cut-off values of serum 25(OH)D. Further studies in vitamin D-sufficient populations with wider range of serum 25(OH)D levels are required to substantiate the findings of the current study

Statins attenuate but do not eliminate the reverse epidemiology of total serum cholesterol in patients with non-ischemic chronic heart failure

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. Background In patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) increasing levels of total serum cholesterol are associated with improved survival – while statin usage is not. The impact of statin treatment on the “reverse epidemiology” of cholesterol is unclear. Methods 2992 consecutive patients with non-ischemic CHF due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction from the Norwegian CHF Registry and the CHF Registries of the Universities of Hull, UK, and Heidelberg, Germany, were studied. 1736 patients were individually double-matched on both cholesterol levels and the individual propensity scores for statin treatment. All-cause mortality was analyzed as a function of baseline cholesterol and statin use in both the general and the matched sample. Results 1209 patients (40.4%) received a statin. During a follow-up of 13,740 patient-years, 360 statin users (29.8%) and 573 (32.1%) statin non-users died. When grouped according to total cholesterol levels as low (≤ 3.6 mmol/L), moderate (3.7–4.9 mmol/L), high (4.8–6.2 mmol/L), and very high ( >  6.2 mmol/L), we found improved survival with very high as compared with low cholesterol levels. This association was present in statin users and non-users in both the general and matched sample (p  <  0.05 for each group comparison). The negative association of total cholesterol and mortality persisted when cholesterol was treated as a continuous variable (HR 0.83, 95%CI 0.77–0.90, p  <  0.001 for matched patients), but it was less pronounced in statin users than in non-users (F-test p  <  0.001). Conclusions Statins attenuate but do not eliminate the reverse epidemiological association between increasing total serum cholesterol and improved survival in patients with non-ischemic CHF

Diagnostic accuracy of commercially available immunochromatographic rapid tests for diagnosis of dengue in India.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: There is limited evidence regarding the accuracy of dengue rapid diagnostic kits despite their extensive use in India. We evaluated the performance of four immunochromatographic Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDTs) kits: Multisure dengue Ab/Ag rapid test (MP biomedicals; MP), Dengucheck combo (Zephyr Biomedicals; ZB), SD bioline dengue duo (Alere; SD) and Dengue day 1 test (J Mitra; JM). METHODS: This is a laboratory-based diagnostic evaluation study. Rapid tests results were compared to reference non-structural (NS1) antigen or immunoglobulin M (IgM) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) results of 241 dengue-positive samples and 247 dengue-negative samples. Sensitivity and specificity of NS1 and IgM components of each RDT were calculated separately and in combination (either NS1 or IgM positive) against reference standard ELISA. RESULTS: A total of 238, 226, 208, and 146 reference NS1 ELISA samples were tested with MP, ZB, SD, and JM tests, respectively. In comparison to the NS1 ELISA reference tests, the NS1 component of MP, ZB, SD, and JM RDTs demonstrated a sensitivity of 71.8%, 85.1%, 77.2% and 80.9% respectively and specificity of 90.1%, 92.8%, 96.1 %, and 93.6%, respectively. In comparison to the IgM ELISA reference test, the IgM component of RDTs showed a sensitivity of 40.0%, 50.3%, 47.3% and 20.0% respectively and specificity of 92.4%, 88.6%, 96.5%, and 92.2% respectively. Combining NS1 antigen and IgM antibody results led to sensitivities of 87.5%, 82.9%, 93.8% and 91.7% respectively, and specificities of 75.3%, 73.9%, 76.5%, and 80.0% respectively. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Though specificities were acceptable, the sensitivities of each test were markedly lower than manufacturers' claims. These results also support the added value of combined antigen-and antibody-based RDTs for the diagnosis of acute dengue

Effectiveness of a national quality improvement programme to improve survival after emergency abdominal surgery (EPOCH): a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised trial

Background: Emergency abdominal surgery is associated with poor patient outcomes. We studied the effectiveness of a national quality improvement (QI) programme to implement a care pathway to improve survival for these patients. Methods: We did a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised trial of patients aged 40 years or older undergoing emergency open major abdominal surgery. Eligible UK National Health Service (NHS) hospitals (those that had an emergency general surgical service, a substantial volume of emergency abdominal surgery cases, and contributed data to the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit) were organised into 15 geographical clusters and commenced the QI programme in a random order, based on a computer-generated random sequence, over an 85-week period with one geographical cluster commencing the intervention every 5 weeks from the second to the 16th time period. Patients were masked to the study group, but it was not possible to mask hospital staff or investigators. The primary outcome measure was mortality within 90 days of surgery. Analyses were done on an intention-to-treat basis. This study is registered with the ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN80682973. Findings: Treatment took place between March 3, 2014, and Oct 19, 2015. 22 754 patients were assessed for elegibility. Of 15 873 eligible patients from 93 NHS hospitals, primary outcome data were analysed for 8482 patients in the usual care group and 7374 in the QI group. Eight patients in the usual care group and nine patients in the QI group were not included in the analysis because of missing primary outcome data. The primary outcome of 90-day mortality occurred in 1210 (16%) patients in the QI group compared with 1393 (16%) patients in the usual care group (HR 1·11, 0·96–1·28). Interpretation: No survival benefit was observed from this QI programme to implement a care pathway for patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery. Future QI programmes should ensure that teams have both the time and resources needed to improve patient care. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research Programme

Effectiveness of a national quality improvement programme to improve survival after emergency abdominal surgery (EPOCH): a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised trial

BACKGROUND: Emergency abdominal surgery is associated with poor patient outcomes. We studied the effectiveness of a national quality improvement (QI) programme to implement a care pathway to improve survival for these patients. METHODS: We did a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised trial of patients aged 40 years or older undergoing emergency open major abdominal surgery. Eligible UK National Health Service (NHS) hospitals (those that had an emergency general surgical service, a substantial volume of emergency abdominal surgery cases, and contributed data to the National Emergency Laparotomy Audit) were organised into 15 geographical clusters and commenced the QI programme in a random order, based on a computer-generated random sequence, over an 85-week period with one geographical cluster commencing the intervention every 5 weeks from the second to the 16th time period. Patients were masked to the study group, but it was not possible to mask hospital staff or investigators. The primary outcome measure was mortality within 90 days of surgery. Analyses were done on an intention-to-treat basis. This study is registered with the ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN80682973. FINDINGS: Treatment took place between March 3, 2014, and Oct 19, 2015. 22 754 patients were assessed for elegibility. Of 15 873 eligible patients from 93 NHS hospitals, primary outcome data were analysed for 8482 patients in the usual care group and 7374 in the QI group. Eight patients in the usual care group and nine patients in the QI group were not included in the analysis because of missing primary outcome data. The primary outcome of 90-day mortality occurred in 1210 (16%) patients in the QI group compared with 1393 (16%) patients in the usual care group (HR 1·11, 0·96-1·28). INTERPRETATION: No survival benefit was observed from this QI programme to implement a care pathway for patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery. Future QI programmes should ensure that teams have both the time and resources needed to improve patient care. FUNDING: National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research Programme

Regeneration of Juvenile Woody Plants after Fire in a Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest of Southern India

Woody tree species in seasonally dry tropical forests are known to have traits that help them to recover from recurring disturbances such as fire. Two such traits are resprouting and rapid post-fire growth. We compared survival and growth rates of regenerating small-sized individuals (juveniles) of woody tree species after dry season fire (February-March) at eight adjacent pairs of burnt and unburnt transects in a seasonally dry tropical forest in southern India. Juveniles were monitored at 3-mo intervals between August 2009 and August 2010. High juvenile survivorship (>95%) was observed in both burnt and unburnt areas. Growth rates of juveniles, analyzed at the community level as well as for a few species individually (especially fast-growing ones), were distinctly higher in burnt areas compared to unburnt areas after a fire event, particularly during the pre-monsoon season immediately after a fire. Rapid growth by juveniles soon after a fire may be due to lowered competition from other vegetative forms such as grasses, possibly aided by the availability of resources stored belowground. Such an adaptation would allow a juvenile bank to be retained in the understory of a dry forest, from where individuals can grow to a possible fire-tolerant size during favorable conditions

Characterising weather patterns associated with fire in a seasonally dry tropical forest in southern India

Anthropogenic fires in seasonally dry tropical forests are a regular occurrence during the dry season. Forest managers in India, who presently follow a fire suppression policy in such forests, would benefit from a system of assessing the potential risk to fire on a particular day. We examined the relationship between weather variables (seasonal rainfall, relative humidity, temperature) and days of fire during the dry seasons of 2004-2010, based on MODIS fire incident data in the seasonally dry tropical forests of Mudumalai in the Western Ghats, southern India. Logistic regression analysis showed that high probabilities of a fire day, indicating successful ignition of litter and grass fuel on the forest floor, were associated with low levels of early dry season rainfall, low daily average relative humidity and high daily average temperatures. These weather conditions are representative of low moisture levels of fine fuels, suggesting that the occurrence of fire is moderated by environmental conditions that reduce the flammability of fine fuels in the dry tropics. We propose a quantitative framework for assessing risk of a fire day to assist forest managers in anticipating fire occurrences in this seasonally dry tropical forest, and possibly for those across South Asia