Exposing radio network information in a MEC-in-NFV environment: the RNISaaS concept

IEEE Conference on Network Softwarization (2019)The Radio Network Information Service (RNIS) is one of the key services provided by a Multi-access Edge Computing Platform (MEP), as specified in the relevant ETSI MEC standards. It is responsible for interacting with the Radio Access Network (RAN), collecting RAN-level information about User Equipment (UE) and exposing it to mobile edge applications, which can in turn utilize it to dynamically adjust their behavior to optimally match the RAN conditions. Putting the provision of RNIS in the context of the emerging MEC-in-NFV environment, where the components and services of the MEC architecture, including the MEP itself, are integrated in an NFV environment and are delivered on top of a virtualized infrastructure, we present our standards-compliant RNIS implementation based on OpenAirInterface and study critical performance aspects for its provision as a virtual function. Since the RNIS design and operation follows the publish-subscribe model, we provide alternative implementations using different message brokering technologies (RabbitMQ and Apache Kafka), and compare their use and performance in an effort to evaluate their suitability for providing RNIS in an as-a-service manner.This work has been partially funded by the EC H2020 5G-Transformer Project (grant no. 761536)

Diversity in Fashion Recommendation using Semantic Parsing

Developing recommendation system for fashion images is challenging due to the inherent ambiguity associated with what criterion a user is looking at. Suggesting multiple images where each output image is similar to the query image on the basis of a different feature or part is one way to mitigate the problem. Existing works for fashion recommendation have used Siamese or Triplet network to learn features between a similar pair and a similar-dissimilar triplet respectively. However, these methods do not provide basic information such as, how two clothing images are similar, or which parts present in the two images make them similar. In this paper, we propose to recommend images by explicitly learning and exploiting part based similarity. We propose a novel approach of learning discriminative features from weakly-supervised data by using visual attention over the parts and a texture encoding network. We show that the learned features surpass the state-of-the-art in retrieval task on DeepFashion dataset. We then use the proposed model to recommend fashion images having an explicit variation with respect to similarity of any of the parts.Comment: 5 pages, ICIP2018, code: https://github.com/sagarverma/fashion_recommendation_stlst

A case series of IPOM-AS – intraperitoneal mesh fixation technique for ventral hernia using straight needle suture nylon 2–0

Intraperitoneal onlay mesh (IPOM) technique of mesh fixation using tackers for ventral hernia is widely done. But using tackers is costly (266.29 USD) and causes early and late post-operative pain. The aim of the study was to choose the better method of surgery for ventral hernia using composite mesh and straight needle suture nylon 2–0 for intraperitoneal mesh fixation (IPOM-AS) and will compare it with conventional IPOM technique in which Fixation of mesh is done by Tacker. Ten patients who were diagnosed with ventral hernia between November 2022 and December 2022 in the Department of Surgery, MGM Medical College and MY Hospital, Indore were taken in our study and IPOM-AS technique was performed using three ports on the left side of the abdomen, after reducing the contents of hernia, the axis for internal attachment of composite mesh is identified and marked with pair of sutures (vicryl and rapid vicryl) and intraperitoneal transabdominal fixation of mesh is done using straight needle suture nylon 2–0 with the help of suture passer. This technique was taken in our study and was assessed for cost-effectiveness, early and late post-operative pain, learning curve, early mobilization, early discharge, early return to work, and long-term complications. All the patients had less early and late post-operative pain according to VAS score (mean VAS score 2 on post-operative 1 and 1 on post-operative 2, no pain during the follow-up period), patients were discharged earlier (mostly on post-operative 1) and early return to work was possible and this technique of intraperitoneal mesh fixation using straight needle suture (2.03 USD) is more cost-effective when we compared these patients with those in whom conventional IPOM was done with the help of a tacker (266.29 USD). Good patient compliance was seen. IPOM using composite mesh and straight needle suture (IPOM-AS) for intraperitoneal mesh fixation in ventral hernia is better accepted by patients than the conventional IPOM using tacker for mesh fixation

Early Intervention with Repurposed Drugs to Treat COVID-19

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a single-stranded RNA virus responsible for the Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. A hallmark of the virus is its spike protein, which interacts with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) receptor to invade the cell. After entry, SARS-Cov-2 hijacks existing cellular machinery to self-replicate. The virus binds to the ACE-2 receptors and activates bradykinin production. Early symptoms of COVID-19 include dry cough, sore throat, fever, chills, muscle aches, diarrhea, abdominal pain, shortness of breath, and loss of taste and smell. Repurposed drugs were used to treat COVID-19 early, preventing complications of a deadly cytokine storm that starts around day 10. This study evaluates the effectiveness of these repurposed drugs. Methods: A retrospective observational study to review the efficacy of treatment by measuring symptom resolution. Quantitative symptomatic data was observed for 26 patients (9 patients were 55+) with a lab-confirmed, positive SARS-CoV-2 test. Patients' symptoms improved rapidly in the first ten days. Symptom plot analysis over time with correlation coefficient for each medicine was examined. The medicines were lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra), bamlanvimab (monoclonal antibody), glycopyrrolate-formoterol (Bevespi), ciclesonide (Alvesco), famotidine (Pepcid), and diphenhydramine(Benadryl). How each medication works on Covid pathways is shown. Results: Out of 26 patients, eight (30.8%) were treated with lopinavir/ritonavir, bamlanvimab, glycopyrrolate-formoterol, ciclesonide, and diphenhydramine. Patients experienced a rapid improvement in COVID-19 symptoms within 3 - 5 days. The correlation coefficients for each medicine and the number of symptoms were determined. The more negative the faster the resolution of symptoms: Correlation coefficient for Kaletra -0.1407, Bevespi -0.227, Alvesco -0.2191, famotidine -0.1554 Conclusion: Early treatment, with a combination of the repurposed drugs Kaletra, Bevespi (glycopyrrolate-formoterol), Alvesco (ciclesonide), Benadryl (diphenhydramine), Monoclonal Antibodies (bamlanvimab), and Pepcid (famotidine)] interrupts the viral life cycle and prevents the progression into a cytokine storm

Modulation of frustration in folding by sequence permutation

Folding of globular proteins can be envisioned as the contraction of a random coil unfolded state toward the native state on an energy surface rough with local minima trapping frustrated species. These substructures impede productive folding and can serve as nucleation sites for aggregation reactions. However, little is known about the relationship between frustration and its underlying sequence determinants. Chemotaxis response regulator Y (CheY), a 129-amino acid bacterial protein, has been shown previously to populate an off-pathway kinetic trap in the microsecond time range. The frustration has been ascribed to premature docking of the N- and C-terminal subdomains or, alternatively, to the formation of an unproductive local-in-sequence cluster of branched aliphatic side chains, isoleucine, leucine, and valine (ILV). The roles of the subdomains and ILV clusters in frustration were tested by altering the sequence connectivity using circular permutations. Surprisingly, the stability and buried surface area of the intermediate could be increased or decreased depending on the location of the termini. Comparison with the results of small-angle X-ray-scattering experiments and simulations points to the accelerated formation of a more compact, on-pathway species for the more stable intermediate. The effect of chain connectivity in modulating the structures and stabilities of the early kinetic traps in CheY is better understood in terms of the ILV cluster model. However, the subdomain model captures the requirement for an intact N-terminal domain to access the native conformation. Chain entropy and aliphatic-rich sequences play crucial roles in biasing the early events leading to frustration in the folding of CheY

Hypoglycaemia Among Insulin-Treated Patients with Diabetes: Evaluation of the United Arab Emirates cohort of the International Operations-Hypoglycaemia Assessment Tool study

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of hypoglycaemia among insulin-treated patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) cohort of the non-interventional International Operations-Hypoglycaemia Assessment Tool study. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study took place at 25 patient care centres in the UAE from October 2014 to May 2015. All adult patients with T1DM or T2DM who had been treated with insulin for >12 months were included. Self-assessment questionnaires and patient diaries were used to determine the incidence of documented hypoglycaemia both prospectively (four weeks after baseline) and retrospectively (six months and four weeks before baseline for severe and non-severe hypoglycaemic events, respectively). Results: A total of 325 patients were enrolled in the study, of which 82 (25.2%) had T1DM and 243 (74.8%) had T2DM. Among patients with T1DM, 71.4% reported hypoglycaemic events retrospectively, with an incidence rate (IR) of 102.8 events per patient-year (PY), while 95% reported hypoglycaemic events prospectively, with an IR of 63.1 events per PY. Additionally, 56.3% of patients with T2DM reported hypoglycaemic events retrospectively, with an IR of 42.2 events per PY, while 91.9% reported hypoglycaemic events prospectively, with an IR of 33.3 events per PY. Conclusion: The prevalence and incidence of hypoglycaemia were high among insulin-treated patients with T1DM and T2DM in the UAE. Individualised glycaemic goals, patient education and blood glucose monitoring may help to reduce the incidence of hypoglycaemia in this population. Keywords: Hypoglycemia; Insulin; Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus; Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus; United Arab Emirates

Podophyllum hexandrum Offers Radioprotection by Modulating Free Radical Flux: Role of Aryl-Tetralin Lignans

We have evaluated the effect of variation in aryl-tetralin lignans on the radioprotective properties of Podophyllum hexandrum. Two fractionated fractions of P. hexandrum [methanolic (S1) and chloroform fractions (S2)], with varying aryl-tetralin lignan content were utilized for the present study. The peroxyl ion scavenging potentials of S1 and S2 were found to be comparable [i.e. 45.88% (S1) and 41% (S2)] after a 48 h interval in a time-dependent study, whereas in a 2 h study, S2 exhibited significant (P < 0.05) antioxidant activity in different metal ion + flux states. In the aqueous phase, S2 exhibited non-site-specific reactive oxygen species scavenging activity, i.e. 73.12% inhibition at 500 μg ml(−1). S1 exhibited 58.40 ± 0.8% inhibition (at 0.025 μg ml(−1)) of the formation of reactive nitrite radicals, comparable to S2 (52.45 ± 0.825%), and also showed 45.01% site-specific activity (1000 μg ml(−1)), along with significant (P < 0.05) electron donation potential (50–2000 μg ml(−1)) compared to S2. Such activities of S1 could be attributed to the significantly (P < 0.05) higher levels of podophyllotoxin β-d-glucopyranoside (16.5 times) and demethyl podophyllotoxin glucoside (2.9 times) compared with S2. Together, these findings clearly prove that aryl-tetralin lignan content influences the radiation protective potential of the Podophyllum fractions to a great extent