SRA: a Salmon-like Approach to MANET Routing,

Wireless mobile ad-hoc networks are characterized by the lack of physical connections. Due to the mobility of nodes, interferences, multipath propagations and path losses, they do not exhibit a fixed topology; hence, dynamic routing protocols are required. In recent years, new approaches inspired by nature have been tried: among them, particular interest has been raised by ants and bees colonies. The characteristics inherited by the collective behaviors of social insects empower algorithms with features such autonomy, self-organization, adaptivity, robustness, and scalability. Here, we propose a salmon-based approach, that, although different since salmons do not show evidence of social behaviors, suggests interesting cues to solve the routing problem when observing salmons in their way from the birth river to the sea, and back at the spawning time

Immunoglobulin G subclass profile of anticitrullinated peptide antibodies specific for Epstein Barr virus-derived and histone-derived citrullinated peptides.

To the Editor: Studies have shown that the anticitrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPA) response is highly polyclonal, in terms of epitope specificity, V genes, and isotype usage1,2. Longitudinal studies of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have documented epitope spreading, and ACPA, specific for distinct citrullinated epitopes, have been described. By using different citrullinated antigens, ACPA from immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgA, and IgM isotype have been detected3. ACPA are polyclonal in the usage of different IgG subclasses, but in this case the pattern is more heterogeneous. So far the studies conducted indicate the dominance of IgG1 and IgG4, while IgG3 have been detected with cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) and vimentin, but not with fibrinogen4,5. The production of specific IgG subclasses might help in deciphering the mechanisms eliciting B cell expansion in response to different antigens. Thus, it is of interest to explore the profile of IgG subclasses of antibodies reactive with novel citrullinated substrates, already known to be tools for ACPA detection. Ninety-three patients with RA, 25 with psoriatic arthritis, 15 with ankylosing spondylitis, and … Address correspondence to Professor P. Migliorini, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56126 – Pisa, Italy. E-mail: paola.migliorini{at}med.unipi.i

Finite element modeling and simulation of a robotic finger actuated by Ni-Ti shape memory alloy wires

In this paper, a dynamic model for an artificial finger driven by Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wires is presented. Due to their high energy density, these alloys permit the realization of highly compact actuation solutions with potential applications in many areas of robotics, ranging from industrial to biomedical ones. Despite many advantages, SMAs exhibit a highly nonlinear and hysteretic behavior which complicates system design, modeling, and control. In case SMA wires are used to activate complex robotic systems, the further kinematic nonlinearities and contact problems make the modeling significantly more challenging. In this paper, we present a finite element model for a finger prototype actuated by a bundle of SMA wires. The commercially available software COMSOL is used to couple the finger structure with the SMA material, described via the Muller-Achenbach-Seelecke model. By means of several experiments, it is demonstrated how the model reproduces the finger response for different control inputs and actuator geometries

Palaeo-Shoreline Configuration of the Adventure Plateau (Sicilian Channel) at the Last Glacial Maximum

The Adventure Plateau, located in the NW sector of the Sicilian Channel, experienced several episodes of exposure/erosion and subsequent drowning, with the most recent occurring after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Unlike other parts of the Sicilian Channel, the Adventure Plateau is relatively tectonically stable and is therefore best suitable for reconstructing its coastal configuration before the post-LGM marine transgression. Here, we use high-resolution seismic data to identify and map the palaeo-coastline at the LGM on the basis of the internal architecture of the prograding wedges (i.e., the location of the subaqueous clinoform rollover point) and the erosional markers such as the subaerial unconformities and the wave ravinement surfaces. These data, which show an extreme variability in the palaeo-morphology of the coastal margins of the Adventure Plateau, have been complemented with vintage seismic profiles in order to entirely cover its perimeter. The mapped LGM coastline has then been compared to predictions from glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) modeling, which considers the horizontal migration of the shorelines in response to sea level rise and to Earth's rotational and deformational effects associated with deglaciation. The two shorelines (i.e., the coastline derived from the marine data interpretation and the one derived from the GIA model) are in good agreement at 21 kyears BP, although some discrepancies occur in the southern part of the plateau, where the seabed slope is extremely gentle, which makes the clinoform rollover points and the buried erosional unconformities difficult to detect. After 20 kyears BP, an acceleration in the rate of the sea level rise occurred. The results of this study indicate the importance of comparing experimental data with model predictions in order to refine and calibrate boundary parameters and to gain a better picture of the evolution of sea level rise over various time scales

A Conway–Maxwell–Poisson (CMP) model to address data dispersion on positron emission tomography

Positron emission tomography (PET) in medicine exploits the properties of positron-emitting unstable nuclei. The pairs of γ- rays emitted after annihilation are revealed by coincidence detectors and stored as projections in a sinogram. It is well known that radioactive decay follows a Poisson distribution; however, deviation from Poisson statistics occurs on PET projection data prior to reconstruction due to physical effects, measurement errors, correction of deadtime, scatter, and random coincidences. A model that describes the statistical behavior of measured and corrected PET data can aid in understanding the statistical nature of the data: it is a prerequisite to develop efficient reconstruction and processing methods and to reduce noise. The deviation from Poisson statistics in PET data could be described by the Conway-Maxwell-Poisson (CMP) distribution model, which is characterized by the centring parameter λ and the dispersion parameter ν, the latter quantifying the deviation from a Poisson distribution model. In particular, the parameter ν allows quantifying over-dispersion (ν<1) or under-dispersion (ν>1) of data. A simple and efficient method for λ and ν parameters estimation is introduced and assessed using Monte Carlo simulation for a wide range of activity values. The application of the method to simulated and experimental PET phantom data demonstrated that the CMP distribution parameters could detect deviation from the Poisson distribution both in raw and corrected PET data. It may be usefully implemented in image reconstruction algorithms and quantitative PET data analysis, especially in low counting emission data, as in dynamic PET data, where the method demonstrated the best accuracy

Old Age and Women’s Identity

Female identity is a dynamic concept, and it has been a very discussed issue by contemporary cultural critic. How does old age affect identity construction and perception in elderly woman? Has feminine gender an impact in subjective well-being? Psychological changes of midlife women have been as conflicting as the idea that society has about them. Personality changes after young adulthood in women is a controversial matter. Erikson proposed that women might not develop identities in early adulthood as men do. In fact, he argued that women develop them later, in the context of an intimate relationship. Moreover, identity development appears to have important consequences for midlife well-being. For example, Vandewater et al. found that women’s midlife well-being was facilitated by earlier attainment of a well-articulated identity. In these situations accomplishment of developmentally earlier tasks (identity formation) sets the stage for later psychological health. Our work sheds additional light on how women live this period of life in terms of happiness and purpose of life

Endocannabinoid signalling in the blood of patients with schizophrenia

AIM: To test the hypothesis that schizophrenia might be associated with alterations of the endogenous cannabinoid system in human blood. RESULTS: Blood from 20 healthy volunteers and 12 patients with schizophrenia, 5 of which both before and after a successful antipsychotic treatment, was analysed for: 1) the amounts of the endocannabinoid anandamide; 2) the levels of cannabinoid CB(1 )and CB(2 )receptor mRNAs, and 3) the levels of the mRNA encoding the enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), responsible for anandamide degradation. The amounts of anandamide were significantly higher in the blood of patients with acute schizophrenia than in healthy volunteers (7.79 ± 0.50 vs. 2.58 ± 0.28 pmol/ml). Clinical remission was accompanied by a significant decrease of the levels of anandamide (3.88 ± 0.72 pmol/ml) and of the mRNA transcripts for CB(2 )receptors and FAAH. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that endocannabinoid signalling might be altered during the acute phase of schizophrenia not only in the central nervous system but also in the blood. These changes might be related to the several immunological alterations described in schizophrenia

Forecasting Model Validation of Particulate Air Pollution by Low Cost Sensors Data

Environmental pollution in urban areas may be mainly attributed to the rapid industrialization and increased growth of vehicular traffic. As a consequence of air quality deterioration, the health and welfare of human beings are compromised. Air quality monitoring networks usually are used not only to assess the pollutant trend but also in the effective set-up of preventive measures of atmospheric pollution. In this context, monitoring can be a valid action to evaluate different emission control scenarios; however, installing a high space-time resolution monitoring network is still expensive. Merge of observations data from low-cost air quality monitoring networks with forecasting models can contribute to improving significantly emission control scenarios. In this work, a validation algorithm of the forecasting model for the concentration of small particulates (PM10 and PM2.5) is proposed. Results showed a satisfactory agreement between the PM concentration forecast values and the measured data from 3 air quality monitoring stations. Final average RMSE values for all monitoring stations are equal to about 4.5 µg/m3

Increased Carotid Thickness in Subjects with Recently-Diagnosed Diabetes from Rural Cameroon

PMCID: PMC3423396This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited