The Global Burden of Disease Study 2010: Interpretation and Implications for the Neglected Tropical Diseases

This article analyzes the "Global Burden of Disease Study 2010" and examines the study's implications for neglected tropical diseases

accepted on the recommendation of

ii Today’s best-effort Internet infrastructure is well-known for its heterogeneity (both in endsystem capabilities and connectivity) and the significant fluctuations in service quality that can be observed. These two properties are often problematic from the viewpoint of a networked application, because they often result in unpredictable application behavior. Network-aware applications provide an approach to mitigate these problems: they dynamically adapt their demands to match the varying supply of network resources, e.g., with the goal to achieve predictable response times. Such network-aware applications must often trade network resources for some measure of quality of the data delivered. This dissertation puts forth the claim that dynamic adaptation is an attractive and often necessary means to achieve the goal on predictable service quality. Unfortunately, network-aware applications are notoriously difficult to construct and evaluate. Two recurring issues need to be addressed when constructing such applications: how to find out about network resource availability and dynamic changes thereof, and how to adapt application behavior (to such dynami

accepted on the recommendation of

ii Today’s best-effort Internet infrastructure is well-known for its heterogeneity (both in endsystem capabilities and connectivity) and the significant fluctuations in service quality that can be observed. These two properties are often problematic from the viewpoint of a networked application, because they often result in unpredictable application behavior. Network-aware applications provide an approach to mitigate these problems: they dynamically adapt their demands to match the varying supply of network resources, e.g., with the goal to achieve predictable response times. Such network-aware applications must often trade network resources for some measure of quality of the data delivered. This dissertation puts forth the claim that dynamic adaptation is an attractive and often necessary means to achieve the goal on predictable service quality. Unfortunately, network-aware applications are notoriously difficult to construct and evaluate. Two recurring issues need to be addressed when constructing such applications: how to find out about network resource availability and dynamic changes thereof, and how to adapt application behavior (to such dynami

First report of nodular skin lesions caused by in a 9-year-old cat

Case summary A 9-year-old cat was referred with multiple, raised, ulcerative skin nodules in the region of the neck and dorsal head. Histopathological findings of a biopsied nodule were granulomatous dermatitis and panniculitis without multinucleated giant cells or caseous necrosis. In addition, by Ziehl–Neelsen staining numerous acid-fast intracellular bacilli were observed within the lesions. Mycobacterial culture showed growth of rough scotochromogenic colonies after 3 weeks of incubation. Molecular characterisation of the isolate identified Mycobacterium nebraskense as the cause of the infection. No phenotypic resistance was detected for the antimycobacterial agents tested. The cat was successfully treated with a combination of surgical excision and a 12 week course of antimicrobial therapy, including rifampicin combined with clarithromycin. Relevance and novel information To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of mycobacterial granulomatous dermatitis and panniculitis due to M nebraskense infection in a cat. The successful surgical and antimycobacterial treatment regimen is described

A new magnetostratigraphic framework for the Lower Miocene (Burdigalian/Ottnangian, Karpatian) in the North Alpine Foreland Basin

Oligocene–Miocene chronostratigraphic correlations within the Paratethys domain are still highly controversial. This study focuses on the late Early Miocene of the Swiss and S-German Molasse Basin (Late Burdigalian, Ottnangian–Karpatian). Previous studies have published different chronologies for this time interval that is represented by the biostratigraphically well constrained Upper Marine Molasse (OMM, lower and middle Ottnangian), Upper Brackish Molasse (OBM, Grimmelfingen and Kirchberg Formations, middle and upper Ottnangian to lower Karpatian, MN 4a–MN 4b) and Upper Freshwater Molasse (OSM, Karpatian–Badenian, MN 5). Here, we suggest a new chronostratigraphic framework, based on integrated magneto-litho-biostratigraphic studies on four sections and three boreholes. Our data indicate that the OBM comprises chrons 5D.1r and 5Dn (Grimmelfingen Fm), chron 5Cr (lower Kirchberg Fm) and the oldest part of chron 5Cn.3n (upper Kirchberg Fm). The OSM begins during chron 5Cn.3n, continues through 5Cn, and includes a long reversed segment that can be correlated to chron 5Br. The OMM-OSM transition was completed at 16.0 Ma in the Swiss Molasse Basin, while the OBM-OSM changeover ended at 16.6 Ma in the S-German Molasse Basin. As the lower Kirchberg Fm represents a facies of the Ottnangian, our data suggest that the Ottnangian–Karpatian boundary in the Molasse Basin is approximately at 16.8 Ma, close to the 5Cr–5Cn.3n magnetic reversal, and thus 0.4 Myr younger than the inferred age of 17.2 Ma used in recent Paratethys time scales. Notably, this would not be problematic for the Paratethys stratigraphy, because chron 5Cr is mainly represented by a sedimentation gap in the Central Paratethys. We also realise, however, that additional data is still required to definitely solve the age debate concerning this intriguing time interval in the North Alpine Foreland Basin. We dedicate this work to our dear friend and colleague Jean-Pierre Berger (8 July 1956–18 January 2012)