Passively Mobile Communicating Logarithmic Space Machines

We propose a new theoretical model for passively mobile Wireless Sensor Networks. We call it the PALOMA model, standing for PAssively mobile LOgarithmic space MAchines. The main modification w.r.t. the Population Protocol model is that agents now, instead of being automata, are Turing Machines whose memory is logarithmic in the population size n. Note that the new model is still easily implementable with current technology. We focus on complete communication graphs. We define the complexity class PLM, consisting of all symmetric predicates on input assignments that are stably computable by the PALOMA model. We assume that the agents are initially identical. Surprisingly, it turns out that the PALOMA model can assign unique consecutive ids to the agents and inform them of the population size! This allows us to give a direct simulation of a Deterministic Turing Machine of O(nlogn) space, thus, establishing that any symmetric predicate in SPACE(nlogn) also belongs to PLM. We next prove that the PALOMA model can simulate the Community Protocol model, thus, improving the previous lower bound to all symmetric predicates in NSPACE(nlogn). Going one step further, we generalize the simulation of the deterministic TM to prove that the PALOMA model can simulate a Nondeterministic TM of O(nlogn) space. Although providing the same lower bound, the important remark here is that the bound is now obtained in a direct manner, in the sense that it does not depend on the simulation of a TM by a Pointer Machine. Finally, by showing that a Nondeterministic TM of O(nlogn) space decides any language stably computable by the PALOMA model, we end up with an exact characterization for PLM: it is precisely the class of all symmetric predicates in NSPACE(nlogn).Comment: 22 page

Feasibility of low-dose digital pulsed video-fluoroscopic swallow exams (VFSE): effects on radiation dose and image quality

Background: Fluoroscopy is a frequently used examination in clinical routine without appropriate research evaluation latest hardware and software equipment. Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of low-dose pulsed video-fluoroscopic swallowing exams (pVFSE) to reduce dose exposure in patients with swallowing disorders compared to high-resolution radiograph examinations (hrVFSE) serving as standard of reference. Material and Methods: A phantom study (Alderson-Rando Phantom, 60 thermoluminescent dosimeters [TLD]) was performed for dose measurements. Acquisition parameters were as follows: (i) pVFSE: 76.7 kV, 57 mA, 0.9 Cu mm, pulse rate/s 30;(ii) hrVFSE: 68.0 kV, 362 mA, 0.2 Cu mm, pictures 30/s. The dose area product (DAP) indicated by the detector system and the radiation dose derived from the TLD measurements were analyzed. In a patient study, image quality was assessed qualitatively (5-point Likert scale, 5 = hrVFSE;two independent readers) and quantitatively (SNR) in 35 patients who subsequently underwent contrast-enhanced pVFSE and hrVFSE. Results: Phantom measurements showed a dose reduction per picture of factor 25 for pVFSE versus hrVFSE images (0.0025 mGy versus 0.062 mGy). The DAP (mu Gym 2) was 28.0 versus 810.5 (pVFSE versus hrVFSE) for an average examination time of 30 s. Direct and scattered organ doses were significantly lower for pVFSE as compared to hrVFSE (P< 0.05). Image quality was rated 3.9 +/- 0.5 for pVFSE versus the hrVFSE standard;depiction of the contrast agent 4.8 +/- 0.3;noise 3.6 +/- 0.5 (P< 0.05);SNR calculations revealed a relative decreased of 43.9% for pVFSE as compared to hrVFSE. Conclusion: Pulsed VFSE is feasible, providing diagnostic image quality at a significant dose reduction as compared to hrVFSE

VeSTIS: A Versatile Semi- Automatic Taxon Identification System from Digital Images

In this work we present a flexible Open Source software platform for training classifiers capable of identifying the taxonomy of a specimen from digital images. We demonstrate the performance of our system in a pilot study, building a feed-forward artificial neural network to effectively classify five different species of marine annelid worms of the class Polychaeta. We also discuss on the extensibility of the system, and its potential uses either as a research tool or in assisting routine taxon identification procedures

High-dimensional single cell mass cytometry analysis of the murine hematopoietic system reveals signatures induced by ageing and physiological pathogen challenges

Background: Immune ageing is a result of repetitive microbial challenges along with cell intrinsic or systemic changes occurring during ageing. Mice under 'specific-pathogen-free' (SPF) conditions are frequently used to assess immune ageing in long-term experiments. However, physiological pathogenic challenges are reduced in SPF mice. The question arises to what extent murine experiments performed under SPF conditions are suited to analyze immune ageing in mice and serve as models for human immune ageing. Our previous comparisons of same aged mice with different microbial exposures, unambiguously identified distinct clusters of immune cells characteristic for numerous previous pathogen encounters in particular in pet shop mice. Results: We here performed single cell mass cytometry assessing splenic as secondary and bone marrow as primary lymphoid organ-derived leukocytes isolated from young versus aged SPF mice in order to delineate alterations of the murine hematopoietic system induced during ageing. We then compared immune clusters from young and aged SPF mice to pet shop mice in order to delineate alterations of the murine hematopoietic system induced by physiological pathogenic challenges and those caused by cell intrinsic or systemic changes during ageing. Notably, distinct immune signatures were similarly altered in both pet shop and aged SPF mice in comparison to young SPF mice, including increased frequencies of memory T lymphocytes, effector-cytokine producing T cells, plasma cells and mature NK cells. However, elevated frequencies of CD4(+) T cells, total NK cells, granulocytes, pDCs, cDCs and decreased frequencies of naive B cells were specifically identified only in pet shop mice. In aged SPF mice specifically the frequencies of splenic IgM(+) plasma cells, CD8(+) T cells and CD4(+) CD25(+) Treg were increased as compared to pet shop mice and young mice. Conclusions: Our study dissects firstly how ageing impacts both innate and adaptive immune cells in primary and secondary lymphoid organs. Secondly, it partly distinguishes murine intrinsic immune ageing alterations from those induced by physiological pathogen challenges highlighting the importance of designing mouse models for their use in preclinical research including vaccines and immunotherapies

GABRB1 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Associated with Altered Brain Responses (but not Performance) during Measures of Impulsivity and Reward Sensitivity in Human Adolescents

Variations in genes encoding several GABAA receptors have been associated with human drug and alcohol abuse. Among these, a number of human studies have suggested an association between GABRB1, the gene encoding GABAA receptor β1 subunits, with Alcohol dependence (AD), both on its own and comorbid with other substance dependence and psychiatric illnesses. In the present study, we hypothesized that the GABRB1 genetically-associated increased risk for developing alcoholism may be associated with impaired behavioral control and altered sensitivity to reward, as a consequence of altered brain function. Exploiting the IMAGEN database (Schumann et al., 2010), we explored in a human adolescent population whether possession of the minor (T) variant of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2044081 is associated with performance of tasks measuring aspects of impulsivity, and reward sensitivity that are implicated in drug and alcohol abuse. Allelic variation did not associate with altered performance in either a stop-signal task (SST), measuring one aspect of impulsivity, or a monetary incentive delay (MID) task assessing reward anticipation. However, increased functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) response in the right hemisphere inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), left hemisphere caudate/insula and left hemisphere inferior temporal gyrus (ITG) during MID performance was higher in the minor (T) allelic group. In contrast, during SST performance, the BOLD response found in the right hemisphere supramarginal gyrus, right hemisphere lingual and left hemisphere inferior parietal gyrus indicated reduced responses in the minor genotype. We suggest that β1-containing GABAA receptors may play a role in excitability of brain regions important in controlling reward-related behavior, which may contribute to susceptibility to addictive behavior

Seroprevalence of anti-Yersinia antibodies in meat juice samples of pigs

This investigation was intended to provide actual data on the seroprevalence of Yersinia antibodies in German slaughtering pigs. The recomB lot western blot assay based on five recombinantly produced Yersinia Outer Proteins (Yap) is well evaluated for human Yersiniosis and proved to be also valuable for the detection of porcine anti-Yap antibodies. 970 out of 1014 meat juice samples collected in 145 Bavarian pig farms contained anti-Yap antibodies. As other animal pathogens like Salmonella express the proteins of secretion apparatus III as well, we propose that only blots with three and more detectable signals should be considered as positive. This means that at least 45.2% of the pigs and 82% of the pig farms respectively had a previous history of Yersinia infection. Yersinia infection in pigs is still a severe hygienical problem. Furtheron, pigs may not only be asymptomatic carriers but may also suffer from disease leading to economical losses

Comparison of symptomatic and asymptomatic atherosclerotic carotid plaques using parallel imaging and 3 T black-blood in vivo CMR

Background: To determine if black-blood 3 T cardiovascular magnetic resonance (bb-CMR) can depict differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid atherosclerotic plaques in acute ischemic stroke patients. Methods: In this prospective monocentric observational study 34 patients (24 males; 70 +/- 9.3 years) with symptomatic carotid disease defined as ischemic brain lesions in one internal carotid artery territory on diffusion weighted images underwent a carotid bb-CMR at 3 T with fat-saturated pre- and post-contrast T1w-, PDw-, T2w- and TOF images using surface coils and Parallel Imaging techniques (PAT factor = 2) within 10 days after symptom onset. All patients underwent extensive clinical workup (lab, brain MR, duplex sonography, 24-hour ECG, transesophageal echocardiography) to exclude other causes of ischemic stroke. Prevalence of American Heart Association lesion type VI (AHA-LT6), status of the fibrous cap, presence of hemorrhage/thrombus and area measurements of calcification, necrotic core and hemorrhage were determined in both carotid arteries in consensus by two reviewers who were blinded to clinical information. McNemar and Wilcoxon's signed rank tests were use for statistical comparison. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Symptomatic plaques showed a higher prevalence of AHA-LT6 (67.7% vs. 11.8%; p < 0.001; odds ratio = 12.5), ruptured fibrous caps (44.1% vs. 2.9%; p < 0.001; odds ratio = 15.0), juxtaluminal thrombus (26.5 vs. 0%; < 0.01; odds ratio = 7.3) and intraplaque hemorrhage (58.6% vs. 11.8%; p = 0.01; odds ratio = 3.8). Necrotic core and hemorrhage areas were greater in symptomatic plaques (14.1 mm(2) vs. 5.5 mm(2) and 13.6 mm(2) vs. 5.3 mm(2); p < 0.01, respectively). Conclusion: 3 T bb-CMR is able to differentiate between symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid plaques, demonstrating the potential of bb-CMR to differentiate between stable and vulnerable lesions and ultimately to identify patients with low versus high risk for cardiovascular complications. Best predictors of the symptomatic side were a ruptured fibrous cap, AHA-LT 6, juxtaluminal hemorrhage/thrombus, and intraplaque hemorrhage