PURPOSE To determine if the patterns uncovered with variational Bayesian-independent component analysis-mixture model (VIM) applied to a large set of normal and glaucomatous fields obtained with the Swedish Interactive Thresholding Algorithm (SITA) are distinct, recognizable, and useful for modeling the severity of the field loss. METHODS SITA fields were obtained with the Humphrey Visual Fie...

We analyze the performance of Size Interval Task Assignment (SITA) policies, for multi-host assignment in a non-preemptive environment. Assuming Poisson arrivals, we provide general bounds on the average waiting time independent of the job size distribution. We establish a general duality theory for the performance of SITA policies. We provide a detailed analysis of the performance of SITA syst...

The Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is a leading cause of canine bacterial pyoderma, resulting in worldwide morbidity in dogs. S. pseudintermedius also causes life-threatening human infections. Furthermore, methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius is emerging, resembling the human health threat of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore it is increasingly...

We examine the question of whether to employ the rst-comerst-served (FCFS) discipline or the processor-sharing (PS) discipline at the hosts in a distributed server system. We are interested in the case in which service times are drawn from a heavy-tailed distribution, and so have very high variability. Traditional wisdom when task sizes are highly variable would prefer the PS discipline, becaus...

PURPOSE To describe an approach for the evaluation of covariate effects on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and to apply this methodology to the investigation of the effects of disease severity and age on the diagnostic performance of frequency doubling technology (FDT) and standard automated perimetry (SAP) visual function tests for glaucoma detection. METHODS The study include...

This paper considers the ecological residues of pastoralist occupation at the site of Maili Sita in Laikipia, central Kenya, drawing links with the archaeological record so as to contribute a fresh approach to the ephemeral settlement sites of mobile herding communities, a methodological aspect of African archaeology that remains problematic. Variations in the geochemical and micromorphological...

A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was: 'Does the use of bilateral mammary artery grafts compared with the use of a single mammary artery graft offer a long-term survival benefit in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery?' Altogether 214 papers were found using the reported search, of which 13 represented t...

AIMS To clarify the efficacy and safety of adding sitagliptin to insulin therapy in Japanese patients with suboptimally controlled type 2 diabetes (T2DM). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS This was a 24-week, prospective, randomized, open-labeled, controlled trial. Patients with T2DM who were suboptimally controlled despite receiving at least twice daily injection of insulin were enrolled in the study...

Objective Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease related to a significant impact in both epidemiologic and economic terms. In Italy, around 3.6 million people are affected by diabetes and this number is expected to increase significantly in the next few years. As recommended by current national and international guidelines, metformin (Met) is prescribed as first-line pharmacological treatment, ...

?-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) improve rodent ?-cell survival function. In human ?-cells, GABA exerts stimulatory effects on proliferation anti-apoptotic effects, whereas GLP-1RA drugs have only limited proliferation. We previously demonstrated that sitagliptin (Sita), a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor which increases endogenous GLP-1 levels, ...