Benchmarking Blockchains: The case of XRP Ledger and Beyond

Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies appear to be at a worldwide threshold of acceptance and adoption. Since their inception, several innovative projects have been proposing solutions to the blockchain trilemma, improving blockchain features and its technical limitations. However, the adoption of blockchain as a technology requires a comprehensive understanding and characterization of its technical aspects. The latter introduces an uncertainty for an organization to decide which blockchain protocol best meets its needs and demands. In general, there is a lack of proper testing and software engineering practices for assessing the usage of different blockchain protocols and understanding their performance. Toward that direction, this paper presents an architecture for a blockchain benchmarking framework that aims at the deployment and evaluation of different blockchain protocols. Moreover, we introduce a set of modules for testing and evaluating their behavior under different test-cases and scenarios. To illustrate the usefulness of the proposed architecture we demonstrate an instantiation with the deployment of a private XRPL Network. The experiments conducted in this work were focused on how XRPL behaves under heavy load

Primary Ewing sarcoma of the axis-C2: A case report and the review of the literature

Introduction Neck pain and torticollis are common symptoms in the pediatric population that rarely requires further investigation. However, in case symptoms persist, then a more meticulously approach should be considered. Underlying conditions such as infections, neck injury, autoimmune disorders or even cervical spine cancer should be excluded from diagnosis. Cervical spine cancer is a rare neurosurgical entity in the pediatric population and even rarer is atlantoaxial Ewing's sarcoma. In this report, we present a rare case of primary Ewing's sarcoma of the axis. Case report A 3.5-year-old female with progressive neck pain and intermittent episodes of torticollis was referred to our outpatient clinic. Imaging studies revealed a malignant tumor located on C2 vertebra. Diagnosis of Ewing's Sarcoma was confirmed via open biopsy and the patient was treated with Euro-EWING 99 chemotherapy. Conclusion Pediatric neck pain and/or torticollis should raise high suspicion for malignancy of cervical spine. Modern diagnostic means and techniques can assist in the screening and diagnosis of these tumors

Differential and Common Signatures of miRNA Expression and Methylation in Childhood Central Nervous System Malignancies: An Experimental and Computational Approach

© 2021 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Epigenetic modifications are considered of utmost significance for tumor ontogenesis and progression. Especially, it has been found that miRNA expression, as well as DNA methylation plays a significant role in central nervous system tumors during childhood. A total of 49 resected brain tumors from children were used for further analysis. DNA methylation was identified with methylation-specific MLPA and, in particular, for the tumor suppressor genes CASP8, RASSF1, MGMT, MSH6, GATA5, ATM1, TP53, and CADM1. miRNAs were identified with microarray screening, as well as selected samples, were tested for their mRNA expression levels. CASP8, RASSF1 were the most frequently methylated genes in all tumor samples. Simultaneous methylation of genes manifested significant results with respect to tumor staging, tumor type, and the differentiation of tumor and control samples. There was no significant dependence observed with the methylation of one gene promoter, rather with the simultaneous presence of all detected methylated genes’ promoters. miRNA expression was found to be correlated to gene methylation. Epigenetic regulation appears to be of major importance in tumor progression and pathophysiology, making it an imperative field of study.Peer reviewe

Malignant neuroleptic syndrome following deep brain stimulation surgery: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The neuroleptic malignant syndrome is an uncommon but dangerous complication characterized by hyperthermia, autonomic dysfunction, altered mental state, hemodynamic dysregulation, elevated serum creatine kinase, and rigor. It is most often caused by an adverse reaction to anti-psychotic drugs or abrupt discontinuation of neuroleptic or anti-parkinsonian agents. To the best of our knowledge, it has never been reported following the common practice of discontinuation of anti-parkinsonian drugs during the pre-operative preparation for deep brain stimulation surgery for Parkinson's disease.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present the first case of neuroleptic malignant syndrome associated with discontinuation of anti-parkinsonian medication prior to deep brain stimulation surgery in a 54-year-old Caucasian man.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The characteristic neuroleptic malignant syndrome symptoms can be attributed to other, more common causes associated with deep brain stimulation treatment for Parkinson's disease, thus requiring a high index of clinical suspicion to timely establish the correct diagnosis. As more centers become eligible to perform deep brain stimulation, neurologists and neurosurgeons alike should be aware of this potentially fatal complication. Timely activation of the deep brain stimulation system may be important in accelerating the patient's recovery.</p

D7.1 Report on the ECoE research clusters and research groups: management, function and technical capacity

This deliverable focuses on the formation of the Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence thematic research clusters of Environment & Climate, the Resilient Society and Big Earth Data Analytics in terms of the operations, research collaborations, tools to facilitate research, agreeing internal structures and allocating staff responsibilities. This deliverable will focus on the integration of recruited research personnel, research equipment and the Strategic Partners’ expertise to meet the needs of the research groups

The Establishment of the EXcellence Research Centre for Earth Surveillance and Space-Based Monitoring of the Environment (EXCELSIOR) for the Eastern Mediterranean Region

The aim of this paper is to present our vision to upgrade the existing ERATOSTHENES Research Centre (ERC) established within the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) into a sustainable, viable and autonomous Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Earth Surveillance and Space-Based Monitoring of the Environment (EXCELSIOR), which will provide the highest quality of related services on the National, European and International levels. The implementation of the vision will be addressed through a robust Business Plan that will be developed with in Phase 1 of EXCELSIOR project and will establish the foundations for the development of a competitive and high competence profile to expand the Centre’s visibility beyond the national level and develop transnational regional cooperation. The Business Plan is key to ensure the sustainability of the CoE and will also provide the necessary guarantees for a self-sustained operation. The long term aim of the upgraded Centre is to create new opportunities for conducting basic and applied research and innovation (R&I) in the areas of the integrated use of remote sensing and space-based techniques for monitoring the environment

D6.10 Mass media material

The specific deliverable summarizes the material related to the form of interviews and articles in newspapers and magazines of the project. Radio, journals and newspapers are also used as means to promote and advertise some of the dissemination events of the project. Mass media promotions at a national level as well in the European Research Media Centre are organized to promote and raise awareness. Guest appearances on TV and radio shows and national newspapers are used to ensure the access to the widest community

D4.7 Material from 4th workshop - ATHENA: Remote Sensing and archaeology: future and expectations

The specific deliverable summarizes the material related to the fourth workshop of the ATHENA project entitled as “ATHENA: Remote Sensing and archaeology: future and expectations”. The deliverable includes the overall agenda, the list of participants as well as the presentations carried out during the event. The minutes and the main outcomes of the workshop are also included in this report

D6.9 ATHENA’s printed brochure

The specific deliverable displays the brochures of the ATHENA project which have been created, printed and distributed throughout the project, for dissemination purposes