Node Status Algorithm for Load Balancing in Distributed Service Architectures at Paperless Medical Institutions

Service architectures are necessary for providing value-added services in telecommunications networks, including those in medical institutions. Separation of service logic and control from the actual call switching is the main idea of these service architectures, examples include Intelligent Network (IN), Telecommunications Information Network Architectures (TINA), and Open Service Access (OSA). In the Distributed Service Architectures (DSA), instances of the same object type can be placed on different physical nodes. Hence, the network performance can be enhanced by introducing load balancing algorithms to efficiently distribute the traffic between object instances, such that the overall throughput and network performance can be optimised. In this paper, we propose a new load balancing algorithm called “Node Status Algorithm” for DSA infrastructure applicable to electronic-based medical institutions. The simulation results illustrate that this proposed algorithm is able to outperform the benchmark load balancing algorithms—Random Algorithm and Shortest Queue Algorithm, especially under medium and heavily loaded network conditions, which are typical of the increasing bandwidth utilization and processing requirements at paperless hospitals and in the telemedicine environment.     

The differentiation of visually guided and anticipatory saccades in gap and overlap paradigms

Summary Saslow and others have shown that the latency of foveating saccades can be altered by changing the offset time of the current fixation point relative to the onset of the peripheral target. Whether anticipatory saccades contributed to these results was not known. By the criteria of direction error and amplitude error the minimum latency for visually guided saccades is 110–130 ms for three subjects and 160 ms for a longer latency subject. Excluding anticipatory responses did not eliminate offset-onset effects. The genesis of express saccades and the role of higher neural levels is discussed.     

Age-related changes in junctional and non-junctional conductances in two electrically coupled peptidergic neurons of the mollusc Lymnaea stagnalis

Age-related changes in electrotonic coupling ratio of two identified neurons in Lymnaea stagnalis were studied together with the underlying changes in the steady-state conductance properties of the network. Two phases were distinguished in the development of coupling ratio across lifespan. During the first phase (age of 3-13 months), coupling ratio decreased from decreased from 60% to 30%. The second phase (age 13-20 months) was characterized by an increase in coupling ratio. Values of up to 60% were reached again in the oldest animals. Voltage clamp measurements showed that the biphasic trend of the age-related changes in coupling ratio is paralleled by changes in conductance properties of the junction between VD1 and RPD2. During the first phase junctional conductance decreased, whereas during the second phase junctional conductance increased. In addition to the decrease in junctional conductance, a growth-related increase in non-junctional conductance of VD1 and RPD2 contributed to the decrease in coupling ratio observed during the first phase. Thus our results indicate that in Lymnaea junctional connections between neurons may undergo considerable and discontinuous changes after sexual maturation. In addition to these changes in steady-state electrical properties, indications were obtained that age-related changes of kinetically slower conductance(s) may occur in the non-junctional membrane of VD1 and RPD2.     

高血压大鼠心脏中缝管连接蛋白的表达及连接结构观察

目的　为临床高血压心脏病的相关研究提供形态学依据。方法　 Dahl盐敏感高血压大鼠于生后 5w开始喂 8%高盐饲料 ,分别于 9、1 1、1 3周龄处死 ,采用透射电镜及免疫组化方法对大鼠心肌细胞的连接结构及缝管连接蛋白 Cx43、Cx40的含量进行研究。结果　心肌细胞的连接结构闰盘似山峰样 ,台阶消失 ,缝管连接位于突起之间 ;实验组 Cx43含量较相应对照组显著减少 (9周龄 P<0 .0 5;1 1、1 3周龄 P<0 .0 1 ) ,分布紊乱 ;Cx40含量在早期 (9周龄 )时显著减少 (P<0 .0 1 ) ,随后显著增加 (P<0 .0 1 )。结论　缝管连接分布的紊乱及 Cx43含量的下降可能在高血压心脏病心律失常的发生上起了重要作用 ,而 Cx40含量增加可能是增加传导速度的一个补偿机制。     

Sensitivity analyses for average treatment effects when outcome is censored by death in instrumental variable models

Two problems that arise in making causal inferences for nonmortality outcomes such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) are unmeasured confounding and censoring by death, ie, the outcome is observed only when subjects survive. In randomized experiments with noncompliance and no censoring by death, instrumental variable (IV) methods can be used to control for the unmeasured confounding. But, when there is censoring by death, the average causal treatment effect cannot be identified under usual assumptions but can be studied for a specific subpopulation by using sensitivity analysis with additional assumptions. However, evaluating the local average treatment effect (LATE) in observational studies with censoring by death problems while controlling for unmeasured confounding is not well studied. We develop a novel sensitivity analysis method based on IV models for studying the LATE. Specifically, we present the identification results under an additional assumption and propose a three-step procedure for the LATE estimation. Also, we propose an improved two-step procedure by simultaneously estimating the instrument propensity score (ie, the probability of instrument given covariates) and the parameters induced by the assumption. We show with simulation studies that the two-step procedure can be more robust and efficient than the three-step procedure. Finally, we apply our sensitivity analysis methods to a study on the effect of delivery at high-level neonatal intensive care units on the risk of BPD.     

微泡在肿瘤进展的作用及其临床应用

微泡(microvesicles)能运载多种特异性蛋白、微小RNA及DNA片段,其为细胞间信号交流提供了新的途径。肿瘤细胞分泌微泡(tumor-derived membrane microvesicles,TMV),而微泡参与肿瘤进展的多个方面,TMV向周围的普通细胞传递肿瘤特异性蛋白改变细胞功能,传递microRNA改变细胞表型,增加逆转录干扰基因的稳定性,从而建立肿瘤微环境;同时,其可促进血管新生、破坏细胞基质,从而增强肿瘤细胞的侵袭性;其还可通过强化抑制性免疫T细胞的功能和诱导抗肿瘤T细胞的凋亡,参与肿瘤对机体免疫监视的逃避。另外,微泡作为肿瘤抗原递呈载体,可扩大机体的抗肿瘤免疫,而由此研制的新型肿瘤疫苗,目前已处于临床试用早期阶段。循环系统中微泡运载microRNA及DNA片段的发现,为研究无创性肿瘤标志物提供新思路。然而,微泡的分离技术有待提高,这对微泡的鉴别和亚型分类有重要意义。     

胆红素和内毒素联合作用对NRK52E细胞缝隙连接功能的影响

目的: 观察胆红素(BR)和内毒素(LPS)联合作用对肾小管上皮细胞(NRK52E)生长及细胞间缝隙连接(GJ)的影响。方法: 体外培养NRK52E细胞,不同浓度的BR和LPS联合干预,用MTT测量细胞生长;观察它们对生长融合细胞(有GJ形成)和生长未融合细胞(无GJ形成)集落形成的影响;采用细胞荧光免疫示踪法分析细胞间GJ的功能。结果: BR 从17.1 μmol/L增加至 513 μmol/L,可浓度依赖性地增加细胞生长;当BR浓度继续增加时,细胞生长逐渐降低。LPS(10-1 000 μg/L)能浓度依赖性地降低NRK52E细胞生长。 BR和LPS 联合作用下,513 μmol/L BR增加100 μg/L LPS作用下的细胞生长(P<0.05),而684 μmol/L BR降低100 μg/L LPS的细胞生长(P<0.05);513 μmol/L BR能增加100 μg/L LPS作用下GJ传递数目(P<0.05),684 μmol/L BR降低100 μg/L LPS作用下的GJ传递数目。 结论: BR和LPS联合作用时,513 μmol/L BR降低LPS的细胞毒性,684 μmol/L BR增加LPS的细胞毒性,其改变可能是通过细胞间缝隙连接发挥作用的。