Recent years have witnessed an explosion of multimedia traffic carried over the Internet. Video-on-demand and live streaming services are the most dominant services. To ensure growth, many streaming providers have invested considerable time and effort to keep pace with ever-increasing users' demand for better quality and stall abolition. HTTP adaptive streaming (HAS) algorithms are at the core of every major streaming provider service. Recent years have seen sustained development in HAS algorithms. Currently, to evaluate their proposed solutions, researchers need to create a framework and numerous state-of-the-art algorithms. Often, these frameworks lack flexibility and scalability, covering only a limited set of scenarios. To fill this gap, in this paper we propose DASHbed, a highly customizable real-time framework for testing HAS algorithms in a wireless environment. Due to its low memory requirement, DASHbed offers a means of running large-scale experiments with a hundred competing players. Finally, we supplement the proposed framework with a dataset consisting of results for five HAS algorithms tested in various evaluated scenarios. The dataset showcases the abilities of DASHbed and presents the adaptation metrics per segment in the generated content (such as switches, buffer-level, P. 1203.1 values, delivery rate, stall duration, etc.), which can be used as a baseline when researchers compare the output of their proposed algorithm against the state-of-the-art algorithms.

Background: Right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) is a well-known predictor of early death in patients with acute pulmonary embolism and thus early identification of RVD is critical in the risk stratification or management of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Aim of this study was to investigate a useful role of cardiac biomarker NTproBNP for predicting echocardiographic right ventricular dysfunction in patients with acute pulmonary embolism. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed in 195 consecutive adult patients with pulmonary embolism from the Serbian University Pulmonary Embolism Registry (SUPER 2015-2019) created by six university clinics: Military Medical Academy (Belgrade), Institute of Pulmonary Diseases (Sremska Kamenica), Clinical Center (Nis), University Clinic Zvezdara, Clinical Center (Kragujevac) and University Clinical Centre of Republic of Srpska (Banja Luka). All patients were divided into RVD group and non-RVD group according to whether there was increase in systolic pressure in right ventricle (>40mmHg) on echocardiography. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) assessing the risk factors for RVD were assessed by multivariate logistic regression. The ability of the NT proBNP in predicting the RVD was described by the Receiving Operating Curves analysis. Results: The mean age is a strong predictor of echocardiographic RVD in patients with PE. The simple measurements of this cardiac biomarker could be helpful in clinical decision-making or risk stratification in patients with PE.

Abstract Subjects (n=13) did 30 workouts with their left leg on an Inertial Exercise Trainer (IET), while their right leg served as an untreated control. Before and after the 30 workouts, they underwent isokinetic strength tests (knee and ankle extensors of both legs) whose peak torque (PT), time to PT (TTPT), and rate of torque development (RTD) values were each analyzed with 2(leg)×2(time)×3(velocity) analysis of variances (ANOVAs), with repeated measures per independent variable. Peak force (PF) and total work (TW) data were measured from each IET workout, and they represent time course strength changes produced by our exercise intervention. PF and TW values for the three IET exercises that comprised each workout were each analyzed with one-way ANOVAs with time as the independent variable. Results included significant ankle and knee extensor PT increases, whereby the left leg achieved higher values at posttesting, but there were no significant TTPT changes and a time effect for ankle extensor RTD. Our data show that PF and TW each had significant increases over time, with the latter exhibiting greater gains over the 30-workout intervention. Our results imply that the IET yields strength gains over time comparable to standard resistive exercise hardware.

Introduction: There are appreciable concerns among European health authorities with growing expenditure on cancer medicines and issues of sustainability. The enhanced use of low cost generics could help. Aims: Consequently, there is a need to comprehensively document current and future arrangements regarding the pricing of generic cancer medicines across Europe, and whether these are indication specific, as well as how this translates into actual prices to provide future direction. Methodology: Mixed method approach with qualitative research among senior health authority personnel and their advisers. Quantitative research via health authority databases to ascertain current prices for oral cancer medicines that had lost their patent and the influence of population size and economics on prices. Results: 25 European countries participated. Currently we see (a) variable approaches to the pricing of generic cancer medicines, which will continue; (b) no concerns with substitution for oral generic cancer medicines; (c) substantial price reductions versus originators for generic capecitabine (up to -93.1%), generic imatinib (up to -97.8%) and generic temozolomide (up to -80.7%). Prices for oncology medicines are not indication specific, and are not affected by population size although influenced by pricing approaches. There have also been price increases for some non-patented cancer medicines following manufacturer changes although now stabilising. Conclusion: The considerable price reductions seen for some generics means health authorities should further encourage the use of generic oncology medicines when they become available to fund increased volumes and new valued cancer medicines. Countries are also starting to address price increases for generics following changes in the manufacturer

BackgroundSevere mental illness (SMI) presents a major burden to societies worldwide. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) often do not have sufficient financial resources and qualified staff to provide extensive specialised services for outpatients with SMI. Our research therefore aims to explore and test low-cost interventions that use existing resources in routine patient-clinician meetings, families and communities.MethodsIn Bosnia-Herzegovina, Colombia and Uganda, three psychosocial interventions will be tested, i.e. making patient-clinician meetings therapeutically effective through DIALOG+, family involvement in multi-family group meetings, and support for patients in befriending schemes with volunteers. All interventions will be provided to patients with SMI, delivered over a six-month period and evaluated with assessments at baseline and after six and 12 months. We will conduct nine trials including non-controlled trials, non-randomised controlled trials and randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Core outcome criteria will be used across all studies. However, details of study delivery and additional outcome criteria vary to accommodate local contexts, interests and priorities. The studies will be analysed separately, but with the option to compare and combine findings.DiscussionThe approach provides the opportunity to learn from commonalities and differences in the results and experiences across the three resource-oriented approaches and the three countries. If successfully implemented the studies can lead to more extensive research and are expected to inform health policies and clinical practice of community care for patients with SMI in the three participating countries and other LMICs.Trial registrationAll RCTs were registered prospectively and non-randomised trials retrospectively within the ISRCTN Registry.DIALOG+ in Uganda: ISRCTN25146122 (Date of Registration: 20/11/2018, prospective); DIALOG+ in Colombia: ISRCTN83333181 (Date of Registration: 20/11/2018, prospective); DIALOG+ in Bosnia-Herzegovina: ISRCTN13347129 (Date of Registration: 20/11/2018, prospective); Volunteer Support in Uganda: ISRCTN86689958 (Date of Registration: 04/03/2019, retrospective); Volunteer Support in Colombia: ISRCTN72241383 (Date of Registration: 04/03/2019, retrospective);Volunteer Support in Bosnia-Herzegovina: ISRCTN51290984 (Date of Registration: 20/11/2018, prospective); Family Involvement in Uganda: ISRCTN78948497 (Date of Registration: 04/03/2019, retrospective); Family Involvement in Colombia: ISRCTN11440755 (Date of Registration: 04/03/2019, retrospective); Family Involvement in Bosnia-Herzegovina: ISRCTN13347355 (Date of Registration: 20/11/2018, prospective).

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of 23 different synthesized ionic liquids (ILs) on Fusarium culmorum and Fusarium oxysporum growth rate. The strategy of IL synthesis was a structural modification of ionic liquids through changing the polarity of imidazolium and pycolinium cations and replacing halide anions with well known antifungal anions (cinnamate, caffeate and mandelate). The findings clearly suggest that the type of alkyl chain on the cation is the most determining factor for IL toxicity. In order to examine how IL structure affects their toxicity towards Fusarium genus, lipophilic descriptor A log P is calculated from density functional theory and correlated with Fusarium growth rate. All these results demonstrate the high level of the interdependency of lipophilicity and toxicity for investigated ILs towards the Fusarium genus. The data collected in this research suggest that the inhibitory influence of ILs is more pronounced in the case of F. oxysporum.