Incorporating Betweenness Centrality in Compressive Sensing for Congestion Detection

This paper presents a new Compressive Sensing (CS) scheme for detecting network congested links. We focus on decreasing the required number of measurements to detect all congested links in the context of network tomography. We have expanded the LASSO objective function by adding a new term corresponding to the prior knowledge based on the relationship between the congested links and the corresponding link Betweenness Centrality (BC). The accuracy of the proposed model is verified by simulations on two real datasets. The results demonstrate that our model outperformed the state-of-the-art CS based method with significant improvements in terms of F-Score

Spectral analysis perspective of why misinformation containment is still an unsolved problem

Misinformation is still a major societal problem. The arrival of ChatGPT only added to the problem. This paper analyzes misinformation in the form of text from a spectral analysis perspective to find the answer to why the problem is still unsolved despite multiple years of research and a plethora of solutions in the literature. A variety of embedding techniques are used to represent information for the purpose. The diverse spectral methods used on these embeddings include t-distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (t-SNE) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The analysis shows that misinformation is quite closely intertwined with genuine information and the machine learning algorithms are not as effective in separating the two despite the claims in the literature

Comparison of Antimicrobial Effects of Stevia Rebaudiana Extract and Xylitol on Dental Biofilm: An In Vitro Study

Objectives This study aimed to assess the antibacterial effects of xylitol and Stevia rebaudiana (S. rebaudiana) ethanolic extract on oral biofilm. Methods A total of 96 acrylic discs were divided into two main groups for inoculation with Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Streptococcus sobrinus (S. sobrinus). Each group consisted of 6 subgroups including a positive control subgroup and 5 subgroups of discs immersed in 1% or 3% xylitol solutions, 2 or 4 mg/mL S. rebaudiana, or a combination of 3% xylitol and 4 mg/mL S. rebaudiana. After incubation, the discs were rinsed and transferred to fluid universal medium. The solutions were cultured on specific culture media and incubated. The colony-forming units (CFUs) were counted for each disc. The structure of biofilm in each group was evaluated under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results ANOVA revealed significant differences between the subgroups in both S. mutans and S. sobrinus groups (P=0.03 and P=0.01, respectively). In S. mutans group, the logarithmic mean of colony count in the positive control subgroup was 6.75 while this value was significantly lower in 2 mg/mL (5.81) and 4mg/mL (5.92) S. rebaudiana subgroups using the post hoc Dunnett's test (P=0.01 and P=0.04, respectively). The three other subgroups did not show significant differences. In S. sobrinus group, all five experimental subgroups demonstrated significantly lower colony count than the positive control group (P<0.05).  Conclusion S. rebaudiana extract appears to be more potent than xylitol against dental biofilm

Bacteria Isolated from Urinary Tract Infection among Patients and Determination of the Antibiotic Susceptibility Patterns of the Gram Negative Bacteria in Iran

Background: Escherichia coli (E. coli) is the most frequent infecting organism in acute infection. So, knowledge about the frequency and distribution of urinary tract infection (UTI) is important to improve infection control measures. The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence of bacteria isolated from urinary tract infection (UTI) in patients and determination of the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the gram negative bacteria.Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was performed in Imam Reza hospital, Tabriz (northwest of Iran) during March 2012 to February 2013. We surveyed 8153 patients, who had clinical manifestations of UTI. 5093 (62.47%) of them were female and 3060 (37.53%) of them male. Urine specimens were cultured for isolation of the microbial agents of UTI. The isolated bacteria were identified using biochemical tests. Disk diffusion susceptibility test was used to determine antimicrobial susceptibility.Results: E. coli (55.38%) was the most common isolated pathogen, followed by Enterobacter spp. (29.61%), Pseudomonas spp. (4.9%), S. aureus (3.21%), Enterococcus spp. (2.3%),  fungi (1.5%) and Klebsiella (0.48%). The sensitivity rates of isolated gram negative bacteria were for Amikacin (95.7%), Nitrofurantoin (91.5%), Gentamicin (64.1%), Ceftizoxim (56.8%), Ciprofloxacin (37.6%), Cotrimoxazole (31.4%) and Nalidixic acid (23.5%).Conclusion: This study showed that the frequency of E. coli and  Enterobacter spp. increases the probability of urinary tract infection. Also this survey indicates the emergence of antibiotic resistant infections in the studied hospital. So, there is a need to improve the effectiveness of integrated infection control programs to control and manage nosocomial infections caused by highly resistant organisms

Bond Strength of Fiber Posts to Composite Core: Effect of Surface Treatment With Er,Cr:YSGG Laser and Thermocycling

Introduction: This study aimed to determine the bond strength of fiber post to composite core following surface treatment with Er,Cr:YSGG laser at different powers and sandblasting with and without thermocycling.Methods: In this experimental study, 30 fiber posts (Glassix, Nordin, Switzerland) were randomly divided into 5 groups of sandblasting, no treatment and laser irradiation at 1, 1.5 and 2 W powers. Following composite filling and mounting, 1-mm thick sections were made for push-out bond strength testing. Half of the samples in each group were subjected to thermocycling (n=15). Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the bond strength values. Pairwise comparisons were made using Tukey test (P < 0.05).Results: Effect of treatment method on push-out bond strength of fiber post to composite core was significant (P = 0.017), while thermocycling had no significant effect on bond strength (P = 0.964). Pairwise comparison of surface treatment methods revealed no significant difference in groups with and without thermocycling (P > 0.05), but Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation with 1 W power yielded significantly higher bond strength than the control group (P =0.01).Conclusion: Irradiation of Er,Cr:YSGG laser at 1 W power increased the bond strength of fiber post to composite core. Thermocycling slightly decreased the bond strength at the fiber post-core interface

Sars coronavirus 2, severe acute respiratory syndrome, and middle east respiratory syndrome in children: A review on epidemiology, clinical presentation, and diagnosis

Context: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused irreparable damage to society. The pediatric population may be asymptomatic but has positive viral nucleic acid test results and plays an important role in spreading the infection in populations. However, there is a substantial information gap on the epidemiology, pathology, and clinical presentations of COVID-19 in pediatric patients. Evidence Acquisition: English research articles published before April 18, 2020, were reviewed to understand the clinical characteristics of SARS coronavirus 2, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in children. The WHO (https://www.who. int/) and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/) websites were also reviewed to find eligible studies, besides articles extracted from PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Results: In comparison with SARS and MERS, COVID-19 seems to have wider clinical symptoms and routes of transmission. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome is a unique clinical feature of this novel virus. The low prevalence of COVID-19 in children may be due to lower contacts or incomplete identification rather than resistance to the virus. Conclusions: As this virus is novel, we believe that lessons learned from SARS and MERS outbreaks are very valuable in handling the current pandemic. The aim of this paper was to provide the updated summary of clinical manifestation, diagnostic, molecular, and genetic aspects of the novel coronavirus in comparison with SARS and MERS coronaviruses in children. © 2020, Author(s)

Interventions for treating hyperemesis gravidarum.

BACKGROUND: Hyperemesis gravidarum is a severe form of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy affecting 0.3% to 1.0% of pregnancies, and is one of the most common indications for hospitalization during pregnancy. While a previous Cochrane review examined interventions for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, there has not yet been a review examining the interventions for the more severe condition of hyperemesis gravidarum. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness and safety, of all interventions for hyperemesis gravidarum in pregnancy up to 20 weeks\u27 gestation. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group\u27s Trials Register and the Cochrane Complementary Medicine Field\u27s Trials Register (20 December 2015) and reference lists of retrieved studies. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials of any intervention for hyperemesis gravidarum. Quasi-randomized trials and trials using a cross-over design were not eligible for inclusion.We excluded trials on nausea and vomiting of pregnancy that were not specifically studying the more severe condition of hyperemesis gravidarum. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently reviewed the eligibility of trials, extracted data and evaluated the risk of bias. Data were checked for accuracy. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-five trials (involving 2052 women) met the inclusion criteria but the majority of 18 different comparisons described in the review include data from single studies with small numbers of participants. The comparisons covered a range of interventions including acupressure/acupuncture, outpatient care, intravenous fluids, and various pharmaceutical interventions. The methodological quality of included studies was mixed. For selected important comparisons and outcomes, we graded the quality of the evidence and created \u27Summary of findings\u27 tables. For most outcomes the evidence was graded as low or very low quality mainly due to the imprecision of effect estimates. Comparisons included in the \u27Summary of findings\u27 tables are described below, the remaining comparisons are described in detail in the main text.No primary outcome data were available when acupuncture was compared with placebo, There was no clear evidence of differences between groups for anxiodepressive symptoms (risk ratio (RR) 1.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.73 to 1.40; one study, 36 women, very low-quality evidence), spontaneous abortion (RR 0.48, 95% CI 0.05 to 5.03; one study, 57 women, low-quality evidence), preterm birth (RR 0.12, 95% CI 0.01 to 2.26; one study, 36 women, low-quality evidence), or perinatal death (RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.04 to 8.30; one study, 36 women, low-quality evidence).There was insufficient evidence to identify clear differences between acupuncture and metoclopramide in a study with 81 participants regarding reduction/cessation in nausea or vomiting (RR 1.40, 95% CI 0.79 to 2.49 and RR 1.51, 95% CI 0.92 to 2.48, respectively; very low-quality evidence).In a study with 92 participants, women taking vitamin B6 had a slightly longer hospital stay compared with placebo (mean difference (MD) 0.80 days, 95% CI 0.08 to 1.52, moderate-quality evidence). There was insufficient evidence to demonstrate a difference in other outcomes including mean number of episodes of emesis (MD 0.50, 95% CI -0.40 to 1.40, low-quality evidence) or side effects.A comparison between metoclopramide and ondansetron identified no clear difference in the severity of nausea or vomiting (MD 1.70, 95% CI -0.15 to 3.55, and MD -0.10, 95% CI -1.63 to 1.43; one study, 83 women, respectively, very low-quality evidence). However, more women taking metoclopramide complained of drowsiness and dry mouth (RR 2.40, 95% CI 1.23 to 4.69, and RR 2.38, 95% CI 1.10 to 5.11, respectively; moderate-quality evidence). There were no clear differences between groups for other side effects.In a single study with 146 participants comparing metoclopramide with promethazine, more women taking promethazine reported drowsiness, dizziness, and dystonia (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.87, RR 0.48, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.69, and RR 0.31, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.90, respectively, moderate-quality evidence). There were no clear differences between groups for other important outcomes including quality of life and other side effects.In a single trial with 30 women, those receiving ondansetron had no difference in duration of hospital admission compared to those receiving promethazine (MD 0.00, 95% CI -1.39 to 1.39, very low-quality evidence), although there was increased sedation with promethazine (RR 0.06, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.94, low-quality evidence) .Regarding corticosteroids, in a study with 110 participants there was no difference in days of hospital admission compared to placebo (MD -0.30, 95% CI -0.70 to 0.10; very low-quality evidence), but there was a decreased readmission rate (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.94; four studies, 269 women). For other important outcomes including pregnancy complications, spontaneous abortion, stillbirth and congenital abnormalities, there was insufficient evidence to identify differences between groups (very low-quality evidence for all outcomes). In other single studies there were no clear differences between groups for preterm birth or side effects (very low-quality evidence).For hydrocortisone compared with metoclopramide, no data were available for primary outcomes and there was no difference in the readmission rate (RR 0.08, 95% CI 0.00 to 1.28;one study, 40 women).In a study with 80 women, compared to promethazine, those receiving prednisolone had increased nausea at 48 hours (RR 2.00, 95% CI 1.08 to 3.72; low-quality evidence), but not at 17 days (RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.58 to 1.15, very low-quality evidence). There was no clear difference in the number of episodes of emesis or subjective improvement in nausea/vomiting. There was insufficient evidence to identify differences between groups for stillbirth and neonatal death and preterm birth. AUTHORS\u27 CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of this review, there is little high-quality and consistent evidence supporting any one intervention, which should be taken into account when making management decisions. There was also very limited reporting on the economic impact of hyperemesis gravidarum and the impact that interventions may have.The limitations in interpreting the results of the included studies highlights the importance of consistency in the definition of hyperemesis gravidarum, the use of validated outcome measures, and the need for larger placebo-controlled trials

Removal of Congo red from textile wastewater by ozonation

Congo red, which has a complex molecular structure with various diazo aromatic groups, is widely used in textile industry as an anionic dye. The purpose of this study was to investigate the degradation of Congo red in laboratory solution which had the chemical properties of the rinse waters of textile manufacturing dye-houses and the samples with Congo red alone wastewater by ozonation and to optimize the reaction parameters such as pH and time which influence the efficiencies of total organic carbon, total kjeldahl nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand removal. Ozonation of Congo red dye were carried out in a semi-batch reactor with constant ozone flow rate and concentration of 23 mL/sec and 13.6 mg/L, respectively. Decolorization was complete within a few minutes of ozonation possibly due to the cleavage of chromophore groups. It was observed that its structural destruction occurs predominantly at higher pHs. The reduction of chemical oxygen demand and destruction of the dye was more than 60 % and 42 %, respectively. Total kjeldahl nitrogen removal was accompanied by slight changes in nitrogen oxides. It can be deduced from the experimental results that: (a) the mineralization is very weak; (b) the reaction follows the indirect mechanism; i.e., the interaction of hydroxyl radicals with the dye and (c) the nitrification is rather predominant. Biological oxygen demand is declined in simulated alkalic and neutral samples respectively. At 13.6 mg O3/L, the biological oxygen demand levels were significantly enhanced. This might be attributable to the enhancement of its biodegradation at alkaline pHs

Genetic Profiling of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates from Iranian Patients with Cystic Fibrosis Using RAPD-PCR and PFGE

Objective(s)Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most important cause of chronic lung infections and death in patients with cystic fibrosis. Determining the distribution of specific strains within patient populations is important in order to examine the epidemiology of the disease and the possibility of cross infection among patients. Materials and MethodsForty six Iranian patients with cystic fibrosis were studied for colonization with P. aeruginosa. Colony phenotype was recorded and antibiotic susceptibility to 11 antibiotics was determined using the disc diffusion method. Genetic fingerprinting was carried out by RAPD–PCR and by PFGE.ResultsForty five P. aeruginosa isolates were recovered from 31 patients including sequential cultures from 9 subjects. The rate of colonization increased with age. All isolates were susceptible to tobramycin and ciprofloxacin, 97.8% were sensitive to amikacin and piperacillin, 93.3% to gentamycin, 91.1% to ticarcillin, 86.7% to colistin, 80% to carbenicillin, 48.9% to cefotaxime, 26.7% to imipenem and 11.1% to ceftazidime. Genetic fingerprinting showed similar distribution profiles for RAPD-PCR and PFGE and the majority of the isolates had unique fingerprints. ConclusionNo relationship was observed between the obtained genotypes and antibiotic susceptibility profiles and common predominant virulent clones were not found among the isolates