Comparing MapReduce and pipeline implementations for counting triangles

A common method to define a parallel solution for a computational problem consists in finding a way to use the Divide and Conquer paradigm in order to have processors acting on its own data and scheduled in a parallel fashion. MapReduce is a programming model that follows this paradigm, and allows for the definition of efficient solutions by both decomposing a problem into steps on subsets of the input data and combining the results of each step to produce final results. Albeit used for the implementation of a wide variety of computational problems, MapReduce performance can be negatively affected whenever the replication factor grows or the size of the input is larger than the resources available at each processor. In this paper we show an alternative approach to implement the Divide and Conquer paradigm, named dynamic pipeline. The main features of dynamic pipelines are illustrated on a parallel implementation of the well-known problem of counting triangles in a graph. This problem is especially interesting either when the input graph does not fit in memory or is dynamically generated. To evaluate the properties of pipeline, a dynamic pipeline of processes and an ad-hoc version of MapReduce are implemented in the language Go, exploiting its ability to deal with channels and spawned processes. An empirical evaluation is conducted on graphs of different topologies, sizes, and densities. Observed results suggest that dynamic pipelines allows for an efficient implementation of the problem of counting triangles in a graph, particularly, in dense and large graphs, drastically reducing the execution time with respect to the MapReduce implementation.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

MapReduce vs. pipelining counting triangles

In this paper we follow an alternative approach named pipeline, to implement a parallel implementation of the well-known problem of counting triangles in a graph. This problem is especially interesting either when the input graph does not fit in memory or is dynamically generated. To be concrete, we implement a dynamic pipeline of processes and an ad-hoc MapReduce version using the language Go. We explote the ability of Go language to deal with channels and spawned processes. An empirical evaluation is conducted on graphs of different size and density. Observed results suggest that pipeline allows for the implementation of an efficient solution of the problem of counting triangles in a graph, particularly, in dense and large graphs, drastically reducing the execution time with respect to the MapReduce implementation.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Acaulospora flavopapillosa, a new fungus in the Glomeromycetes from a coffee plantation in Peru, with an updated key for the identification of Acaulosporaceae species

A new fungus of the arbuscular-mycorrhiza forming Glomeromycetes was found in a coffee plantation in Palestina, located in the Amazonian region of San Martín State in Peru. The fungus was propagated in bait cultures on Brachiaria brizantha, Medicago sativa and Sorghum vulgare as host plants. It forms typical acaulosporoid spores laterally on sporiferous saccule necks. The spores are brownish yellow to yellow brown, 125-160 μm in diam and are crowded with papillae on their surface. The papillae are approximately 1 μm wide as well as high. According to the color and surface structure of its spores, the fungus is here described under the epithet Acaulospora flavopapillosa. Phylogenetically, the new fungus clusters in a well-separated clade within a group that comprises A. fragilissima, A. saccata, A. papillosa, A. morrowiae, A. delicata, A. rugosa, A. dilatata and A. longula. Also A. excavata and A. dilatata were found by concomitant morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses in San Martín State during this study: A. excavata in another coffee plantation, and A. dilatata in an inka nut plantation. An identification key for all species in the family Acaulosporaceae is updated in this study

Clinical Recommendations to Manage Gastrointestinal Adverse Events in Patients Treated with Glp-1 Receptor Agonists: A Multidisciplinary Expert Consensus

Gastrointestinal adverse events; Obesity; Type 2 diabetesEsdeveniments adversos gastrointestinals; Obesitat; Diabetis tipus 2Eventos adversos gastrointestinales; Obesidad; Diabetes tipo 2Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are indicated in type 2 diabetes and obesity for their high efficacy in controlling glycaemia and inducing body weight loss, respectively. Patients may develop gastrointestinal adverse events (GI AEs), namely nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and/or constipation. To minimize their severity and duration, healthcare providers (HCPs) and patients must be aware of appropriate measures to follow while undergoing treatment. An expert panel comprising endocrinologists, nephrologists, primary care physicians, cardiologists, internists and diabetes nurse educators convened across virtual meetings to reach a consensus regarding these compelling recommendations. Firstly, specific guidelines are provided about how to reach the maintenance dose and how to proceed if GI AEs develop during dose-escalation. Secondly, specific directions are set about how to avoid/minimize nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation symptoms. Clinical scenarios representing common situations in daily practice, and infographics useful to guide both HCPs and patients, are included. These recommendations may prevent people with T2D and/or obesity from withdrawing from GLP-1 RAs treatment, thus benefitting from their superior effect on glycaemic control and weight loss.This work has been funded by Novo-Nordisk

The MIS 5 palaeoenvironmental record in the SE Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula (Río Antas, Almería, Spain)

Se realiza un estudio detallado del episodio cálido MIS 5 en la zona sureste de la Península Ibérica. Se realiza la reconstrucción paleoambiental a partir del estudio polínico y biomarcadores de un sondeo perforado en la costa de Almería. La cronología se estableció a partir del método de racemizaciónd e aminoácidos.Landwards of a MIS5 bar, a borehole core (SRA) was analyzed to establish the relationship between the lagoonal record and the raised beach deposits in the surroundings of the Antas river mouth and to reconstruct the Pleistocene palaeoenvironmental evolution 5 of the southern Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula. 63 samples were recovered for amino acid racemization dating, 86 samples for sedimentological and paleontological determination, 37 samples for pollen identification and 54 for biomarker analysis. AAR revealed that the borehole record contains MIS11, MIS6 and MIS5 deposits, the latter extensively represented. During the end of MIS6 and MIS5, a sand 10 barrier developed and created a shallow lagoon with alternating terrestrial inputs this process being common in other Mediterranean realms. Litho- and biofacies allowed the identification of distinct paleoenvironments through time, with the presence of a lagoonal environment alternating with alluvial fan progradation. Biomarkers indicated constant input from terrestrial plants, together with variable development of aquatic 15 macrophytes. The palynological content allowed the reconstruction of the paleoclimatological conditions during MIS6 and 5, with evidence of seven scenarios characterized by alternating arid and relatively humid condition

SAlBi educa (Tailored Nutrition App for Improving Dietary Habits): Initial Evaluation of Usability

In recent years, the use of applications to improve dietary habits has increased. Although numerous nutrition apps are available on the market, only few have been developed by health and nutrition professionals based on scientific evidence and subsequently tested to prove their usability. The main objective of this study was to design, develop, and evaluate the usability of a tailored nutrition application to be used to promote healthy eating habits. In order to decide app design and content, three focus groups took place with fifteen professionals from primary healthcare, nutrition, and food science and computer science, as well as expert users. For the general and feedback message design, a reference model based on the scientific literature was developed. To address the multi-perspective approach of users' and external healthcare professionals' feedback, a one-day pilot testing with potential users and healthcare professionals was conducted with four focus groups. To evaluate the relevance and potential usability of the app a 1-month pilot test was conducted in a real-life environment. A total of 42 volunteers participated in the one-day pilot testing, and 39 potential users participated in the 1-month pilot test. The SAlBi educa app developed includes an online dietary record, a self-monitoring tool to evaluate dietary patterns, general and feedback messages, and examples of traditional Mediterranean recipes. The usability study showed that volunteers think that SAlBi educa is pleasant (59%) and easy to learn to use (94%). Over 84% of the volunteers declared that the nutritional messages were clear and useful. Volunteers stated that general and tailored recommendations, as well as self-monitoring, were SAlBi educa's most motivating and useful features. SAlBi educa is an innovative, user-friendly nutritional education tool with the potential to engage and help individuals to follow dietary habits based on the Mediterranean model.Junta de Andalucía PIN-0050-201

Effect of Chronic L-Dopa or Melatonin Treatments after Dopamine Deafferentation in Rats: Dyskinesia, Motor Performance, and Cytological Analysis

The present study examines the ability of melatonin to protect striatal dopaminergic loss induced by 6-OHDA in a rat model of Parkinson's disease, comparing the results with L-DOPA-treated rats. The drugs were administered orally daily for a month, their therapeutic or dyskinetic effects were assessed by means of abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) and stepping ability. At the cellular level, the response was evaluated using tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity and striatal ultrastructural changes to compare between L-DOPA-induced AIMs and Melatonin-treated rats. Our findings demonstrated that chronic oral administration of Melatonin improved the alterations caused by the neurotoxin 6-OHDA. Melatonin-treated animals perform better in the motor tasks and had no dyskinetic alterations compared to L-DOPA-treated group. At the cellular level, we found that Melatonin-treated rats showed more TH-positive neurons and their striatal ultrastructure was well preserved. Thus, Melatonin is a useful treatment to delay the cellular and behavioral alterations observed in Parkinson's disease

Corrigendum : Influence of clinical and neurocognitive factors in psychosocial functioning after a first episode non-affective psychosis: differences between males and females

Deficits in psychosocial functioning are present in the early stages of psychosis. Several factors, such as premorbid adjustment, neurocognitive performance, and cognitive reserve (CR), potentially influence functionality. Sex differences are observed in individuals with psychosis in multiple domains. Nonetheless, few studies have explored the predictive factors of poor functioning according to sex in first-episode psychosis (FEP). This study aimed to explore sex differences, examine changes, and identify predictors of functioning according to sex after onset. The initial sample comprised 588 individuals. However, only adults with non-affective FEP (n = 247, 161 males and 86 females) and healthy controls (n = 224, 142 males and 82 females) were included. A comprehensive assessment including functional, neuropsychological, and clinical scales was performed at baseline and at 2-year follow-up. A linear regression model was used to determine the predictors of functioning at 2-year follow-up. FEP improved their functionality at follow-up (67.4% of both males and females). In males, longer duration of untreated psychosis (β = 0.328, p = 0.003) and worse premorbid adjustment (β = 0.256, p = 0.023) were associated with impaired functioning at 2-year follow-up, while in females processing speed (β = 0.403, p = 0.003), executive function (β = 0.299, p = 0.020) and CR (β = −0.307, p = 0.012) were significantly associated with functioning. Our data indicate that predictors of functioning at 2-year follow-up in the FEP group differ according to sex. Therefore, treatment and preventative efforts may be adjusted taking sex into account. Males may benefit from functional remediation at early stages. Conversely, in females, early interventions centered on CR enhancement and cognitive rehabilitation may be recommended

Frequency and prognostic impact of blood-circulating tumor mast cells in mastocytosis

Circulating tumor mast cells (CTMCs) have been identified in the blood of a small number of patients with advanced systemic mastocytosis (SM). However, data are limited about their frequency and prognostic impact in patients with MC activation syndrome (MCAS), cutaneous mastocytosis (CM) and nonadvanced SM. We investigated the presence of CTMCs and MC-committed CD34+ precursors in the blood of 214 patients with MCAS, CM, or SM using highly sensitive next-generation flow cytometry. CTMCs were detected at progressively lower counts in almost all patients with advanced SM (96%) and smoldering SM (SSM; 100%), nearly half of the patients (45%) with indolent SM (ISM), and a few patients (7%) with bone marrow (BM) mastocytosis but were systematically absent in patients with CM and MCAS (P < .0001). In contrast to CTMC counts, the number of MC-committed CD34+ precursors progressively decreased from MCAS, CM, and BM mastocytosis to ISM, SSM, and advanced SM (P < .0001). Clinically, the presence (and number) of CTMCs in blood of patients with SM in general and nonadvanced SM (ISM and BM mastocytosis) in particular was associated with more adverse features of the disease, poorer-risk prognostic subgroups as defined by the International Prognostic Scoring System for advanced SM (P < .0001) and the Global Prognostic Score for mastocytosis (P < .0001), and a significantly shortened progression-free survival (P < .0001) and overall survival (P = .01). On the basis of our results, CTMCs emerge as a novel candidate biomarker of disseminated disease in SM that is strongly associated with advanced SM and poorer prognosis in patients with ISM

Detection of Serum-Specific IgE by Fluoro-Enzyme Immunoassay for Diagnosing Type I Hypersensitivity Reactions to Penicillins

Diagnosis of type I hypersensitivity reactions (IgE-mediated reactions) to penicillins is based on clinical history, skin tests (STs), and drug provocation tests (DPTs). Among in vitro complementary tests, the fluoro-enzyme immunoassay (FEIA) ImmunoCAP® (Thermo-Fisher, Waltham, MA, USA) is the most widely used commercial method for detecting drug-specific IgE (sIgE). In this study, we aimed to analyze the utility of ImmunoCAP® for detecting sIgE to penicillin G (PG) and amoxicillin (AX) in patients with confirmed penicillin allergy. The study includes 139 and 250 patients evaluated in Spain and Italy, respectively. All had experienced type I hypersensitivity reactions to penicillins confirmed by positive STs. Additionally, selective or cross-reactive reactions were confirmed by DPTs in a subgroup of patients for further analysis. Positive ImmunoCAP® results were 39.6% for PG and/or AX in Spanish subjects and 52.4% in Italian subjects. When only PG or AX sIgE where analyzed, the percentages were 15.1% and 30.4%, respectively, in Spanish patients; and 38.9% and 46% in Italian ones. The analysis of positive STs showed a statistically significant higher percentage of positive STs to PG determinants in Italian patients. False-positive results to PG (16%) were detected in selective AX patients with confirmed PG tolerance. Low and variable sensitivity values observed in a well-defined population with confirmed allergy diagnosis, as well as false-positive results to PG, suggest that ImmunoCAP® is a diagnostic tool with relevant limitations in the evaluation of subjects with type I hypersensitivity reactions to penicillinsThis research was funded by the Institute of Health ‘Carlos III’ (ISCIII) of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) (grants cofunded by European Regional Development Fund: PI15/01206, PI17/01237, PI18/00095, RETICS ARADYAL RD16/0006/0001). Andalusian Regional Ministry of Health (grants PE-0172-2018, PI-0127-2020). DrNanoDall project by ISCIII thorough AES 2019 within the ERANET-EuroNanoMed-III framework (AC19/00082). AA holds a Senior Postdoctoral Contract (RH-0099-2020) with the Andalusian Regional Ministry of Health (cofunded by European Social Fund (ESF): “Andalucía se mueve con Europa”). ML holds a “Rio Hortega” contract (CM20/00210), GB and N.P.-S. hold a “Juan Rodés” (JR18/00054 and JR21/00024, respectively) with ISCIII of MINECO (cofunded by ESF). CM holds a ‘Nicolas Monardes’ research contract with the Andalusian Regional Ministry Health (RC-0004-2021). Partial funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málag