An adaptive active queue management algorithm in Internet

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Mexican gray wolf courtship and mating : behavior & basic endocrinology during breeding season

Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina VeterináriaThe Mexican gray wolf is the rarest subspecies of gray wolf in North America. It is officially “endangered” and its survival relies on good captive management and breeding programs. The present study’s main purpose is behavior evaluation and hormonal profile assessment during proestrus and estrus, in this species. Behavioral data and feces were obtained during the breeding season at the Endangered Wolf Center, and analyzed at the Saint Louis Zoo. Several behaviors presented moderate correlations. Differences were found between the frequencies of some behaviors in the pre and post conception periods. The average number of days between first detected Mount and first Copulatory Tie was three. Most frequent behaviors were described as well. A progesterone peak, associated with the onset of estrus, often coincided with the occurrence of Mounts and Copulatory Ties. Our predictions for conception dates were mostly in agreement with the existing hormonal data. These observations can be a basis for future reproductive situations – they allow for a better estimate of the ideal timing for Artificial Insemination and they add knowledge on reproductive patterns that characterize the breeding season of this species.RESUMO - REPRODUÇÃO EM LOBOS MEXICANOS - COMPORTAMENTO & ENDOCRINOLOGIA BÁSICA DURANTE A ÉPOCA REPRODUTIVA - O lobo cinzento Mexicano é a subespécie mais rara de lobo cinzento na América do Norte. É oficialmente considerado "em perigo" e a sua sobrevivência depende de bons programas de gestão e reprodução em cativeiro. O principal objetivo deste estudo foi a avaliação do comportamento e perfis hormonais, durante o proestro e estro, nesta espécie. Os dados sobre comportamento e hormonas foram obtidos durante a época de reprodução, no Endangered Wolf Center, e analisadas no Jardim Zoológico de Saint Louis. Vários comportamentos apresentaram correlações moderadas. Também foram encontradas diferenças entre as frequências de alguns comportamentos nos períodos pré e pós-conceção. O número médio de dias entre a primeira “monta” e cópula detetadas foi três. Os comportamentos mais frequentes foram descritos. Um pico de progesterona, associado ao início do estro, coincidiu frequentemente com a ocorrência de montas e copulação. As previsões efetuadas das datas de conceção estiveram, geralmente, de acordo com os dados hormonais existentes. Estas observações podem vir a permitir uma melhor estimativa do momento ideal para Inseminação Artificial e acrescentam conhecimentos sobre os padrões reprodutivos que caracterizam a época reprodutiva desta espécie

A gentle transition from Java programming to Web Services using XML-RPC

Exposing students to leading edge vocational areas of relevance such as Web Services can be difficult. We show a lightweight approach by embedding a key component of Web Services within a Level 3 BSc module in Distributed Computing. We present a ready to use collection of lecture slides and student activities based on XML-RPC. In addition we show that this material addresses the central topics in the context of web services as identified by Draganova (2003)

3D computerized model for measuring strain and displacement of the brachial plexus following placement of reverse shoulder prosthesis

The aim of the present study was to develop a method for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of the brachial plexus to study its morphology and to calculate strain and displacement in relation to changed nerve position. The brachial plexus was finely dissected and injected with contrast medium and leaden markers were implanted into the nerves at predefined places. A reverse shoulder prosthesis was inserted in a cadaveric specimen what induced positional change in the upper limb nerves. Computed tomography (CT) was performed before and after this surgical intervention. The computer assisted image processing package Mimics (R) was used to reconstruct the pre- and postoperative brachial plexus in 3D. The results show that the current interactive model is a realistic and detailed representation of the specimen used, which allows 3D study of the brachial plexus in different configurations. The model estimated strains up to 15.3% and 19.3% for the lateral and the medial root of the median nerve as a consequence of placing a reverse shoulder prosthesis. Furthermore, the model succeeded in calculating the displacement of the brachial plexus by tracking each implanted lead marker. The presented brachial plexus 3D model currently can be used in vitro for cadaver biomechanical analyses of nerve movement to improve diagnosis and treatment of peripheral neuropathies. The model can also be applied to study the exact location of the plexus in unusual upper limb positions like during axillary radiation therapy and it is a potential tool to optimize the approaches of brachial plexus anesthetic blocks

Effects of a 12-Week Global Corrective Exercise Intervention on Sway Back Posture in Young Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Sway back posture (SBP) is a common postural deviation of sagittal alignment and is the most common postural deviation in 18 to 28-year-old individuals, but there is no standard exercise protocol for treating SBP. Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of the global corrective exercise intervention (GCEI) on spinal posture of healthy individuals 18-25 years of age with SBP. Methods: This study was a randomized controlled design with a parallel group, two-arm trial with 1:1 allocation ratio. Seventy participants (mean age 20.9±2.1 years) with SBP (⩾ 10°) were enrolled in the study for 12 weeks. The participants were randomly assigned to an exercise (n=35) or control group (n=35). The targeted global spine strengthening and stretching exercise intervention included core and postural training, delivered by a corrective exercise specialist in 2 groups of 20 and 15 participants 3 times a week for 12 weeks. Forward head angle and sway angle were measured using a digitized side-view photograph. Kyphosis index and llordosis index were measured using a flex curve ruler. Results: The 12-week intervention program resulted in significant within group differences in forward head, kyphosis, lordosis and postural sway angle (p<0.001). There was also a significant between group difference in the changes of all postural variables (p<0.001). Conclusions: The GCEI resulted in improved sway back posture in our sample of 18-25-year-old participants. This study supports the theoretical basis for clinical rehabilitation of postural deviations. Further studies are required to generalize these findings to other age and population groups. Key words: posture, sway back, corrective exercise, spinal alignmen

Effects of a 12-Week Global Corrective Exercise Intervention on Sway Back Posture in Young Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Sway back posture (SBP) is a common postural deviation of sagittal alignment and is the most common postural deviation in 18 to 28-year-old individuals, but there is no standard exercise protocol for treating SBP. Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of the global corrective exercise intervention (GCEI) on spinal posture of healthy individuals 18-25 years of age with SBP. Methods: This study was a randomized controlled design with a parallel group, two-arm trial with 1:1 allocation ratio. Seventy participants (mean age 20.9±2.1 years) with SBP (⩾ 10°) were enrolled in the study for 12 weeks. The participants were randomly assigned to an exercise (n=35) or control group (n=35). The targeted global spine strengthening and stretching exercise intervention included core and postural training, delivered by a corrective exercise specialist in 2 groups of 20 and 15 participants 3 times a week for 12 weeks. Forward head angle and sway angle were measured using a digitized side-view photograph. Kyphosis index and llordosis index were measured using a flex curve ruler. Results: The 12-week intervention program resulted in significant within group differences in forward head, kyphosis, lordosis and postural sway angle (p<0.001). There was also a significant between group difference in the changes of all postural variables (p<0.001). Conclusions: The GCEI resulted in improved sway back posture in our sample of 18-25-year-old participants. This study supports the theoretical basis for clinical rehabilitation of postural deviations. Further studies are required to generalize these findings to other age and population groups. Key words: posture, sway back, corrective exercise, spinal alignmen

Throughput and Delay on the Packet Switched Internet

The Internet has become a vital and essential part of modern everyday life. Services delivered by the Internet are used by people across the planet every moment of every day of the year. The Internet has proven a positive force for good improving the lives of billions of people worldwide. The power of the Internet to deliver this positive good to humanity relies on its ability to deliver life improving services. In my doctorate work culminating in this dissertation I have striven to sustain and increase the Internet's ability to deliver these services and to have a positive good effect upon humanity.The overarching purpose of this dissertation is to improve the Internet's ability to deliver life improving services. I have further divided this purpose into two goals. To improve the ability of applications operating in challenging network conditions to gain their fair share of the bandwidth resources and to reduce the delay with which these services are delivered. Every service delivered by the Internet consists of Internet objects that are delivered through communication paths across the Internet. The delivery of these objects is defined by the two characteristics; Throughput and delay. Throughput determines how much of an object can be delivered over a period of time and delay determines how long it takes to deliver an object.These two characteristics determine the Internet's ability to deliver objects across communication paths. Improving these two characteristics (bandwidth and delay) increase the ability of the Internet to deliver objects and thus improve the Internet's capability to deliver life improving services. To accomplish this goal I present projects along three areas of effort. These three areas of effort are: (1) Increase the ability of applications operating in challenging conditions to achieve their fair share of bandwidth. (2) Synthesize knowledge required to address the effort to reduce delay. (3) Develop protocols that reduce delay encountered in the communications paths of the Internet.In this dissertation I present projects along these three areas of effort that accomplish the two goals (increase bandwidth and reduce delay) to achieve the purpose of improving the Internet's ability to deliver essential and life improving services. These projects and their organization into areas of effort, goals and purpose are my contributions to the networking sciences

Reproductive performance, early progeny wastage, and cervix response using fixed-time intrauterine or transcervical insemination or natural service following synchronization of estrus and ovulation in goats

Scope and Method of Study:Assisted reproductive technologies provide necessary tools for improving farm revenue. Hormonal estrus and ovulation synchronization, while decreasing costs of production and allowing for economies of scale advantage, reduce reproductive efficiency. A randomized experimental prospective field and clinical trial using ultrasound imaging was conducted to determine the effect of estrus/ovulation synchronization protocol on goat reproductive performance, prenatal and perinatal losses, and cervix response of dairy, meat and fiber production phenotypes using fixed-time insemination by different breeding procedures.Findings and Conclusions:Compared to natural service most reproductive efficiency traits used to describe goat reproductive performance were negatively influenced by the assisted reproductive technologies implemented. When hormonal estrus/ovulation synchronization protocols are used in conjunction with fixed-time breeding initial acceptable conception rates are reduced by time of parturition, hence kidding rates are lower across breeds, ages, and parity categories. The decrease in reproductive performance is mainly due to short P4 exposure combined with fixed-time breeding rather than concurrent use of eCG and hCG, although the use of the chorionic gonadotropins resulted in high early progeny wastage particularly embryonic mortality. Goats displayed a pattern of early rather than late progeny loss. Prenatal losses were influenced by: breed, age and time of exposure to P4. Increased prenatal losses were influenced by breeding procedures particularly excessive manipulation during trans-cervical artificial insemination. Short P4 exposure increased breeding time investment, made less likely to traverse the cervix, and thus influenced the site of semen deposition. The use of real-time ultrasound imaging for pregnancy diagnosis at 45 days post-breeding resulted in high sensitivity, accuracy, and precision. However, the technology was not reliable to establish the number of embryos in non-tractable goat production phenotypes and/or parity categories under field conditions