Distortion-Memory Tradeoffs in Cache-Aided Wireless Video Delivery

Mobile network operators are considering caching as one of the strategies to keep up with the increasing demand for high-definition wireless video streaming. By prefetching popular content into memory at wireless access points or end user devices, requests can be served locally, relieving strain on expensive backhaul. In addition, using network coding allows the simultaneous serving of distinct cache misses via common coded multicast transmissions, resulting in significantly larger load reductions compared to those achieved with conventional delivery schemes. However, prior work does not exploit the properties of video and simply treats content as fixed-size files that users would like to fully download. Our work is motivated by the fact that video can be coded in a scalable fashion and that the decoded video quality depends on the number of layers a user is able to receive. Using a Gaussian source model, caching and coded delivery methods are designed to minimize the squared error distortion at end user devices. Our work is general enough to consider heterogeneous cache sizes and video popularity distributions.Comment: To appear in Allerton 2015 Proceedings of the 53rd annual Allerton conference on Communication, control, and computin

Multiparametric MRI and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography imaging is a potential prognostic imaging biomarker in recurrent glioblastoma

Purpose/objectivesMultiparametric advanced MR and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) imaging may be important biomarkers for prognosis as well for distinguishing recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) from treatment-related changes.Methods/materialsWe retrospectively evaluated 30 patients treated with chemoradiation for GBM and underwent advanced MR and FDG-PET for confirmation of tumor progression. Multiparametric MRI and FDG-PET imaging metrics were evaluated for their association with 6-month overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) based on pathological, radiographic, and clinical criteria.Results17 males and 13 females were treated between 2001 and 2014, and later underwent FDG-PET at suspected recurrence. Baseline FDG-PET and MRI imaging was obtained at a median of 7.5 months [interquartile range (IQR) 3.7–12.4] following completion of chemoradiation. Median follow-up after FDG-PET imaging was 10 months (IQR 7.2–13.0). Receiver-operator characteristic curve analysis identified that lesions characterized by a ratio of the SUVmax to the normal contralateral brain (SUVmax/NB index) >1.5 and mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value of ≤1,400 × 10−6 mm2/s correlated with worse 6-month OS and PFS. We defined three patient groups that predicted the probability of tumor progression: SUVmax/NB index >1.5 and ADC ≤1,400 × 10−6 mm2/s defined high-risk patients (n = 7), SUVmax/NB index ≤1.5 and ADC >1,400 × 10−6 mm2/s defined low-risk patients (n = 11), and intermediate-risk (n = 12) defined the remainder of the patients. Median OS following the time of the FDG-PET scan for the low, intermediate, and high-risk groups were 23.5, 10.5, and 3.8 months (p < 0.01). Median PFS were 10.0, 4.4, and 1.9 months (p = 0.03). Rates of progression at 6-months in the low, intermediate, and high-risk groups were 36, 67, and 86% (p = 0.04).ConclusionRecurrent GBM in the molecular era is associated with highly variable outcomes. Multiparametric MR and FDG-PET biomarkers may provide a clinically relevant, non-invasive and cost-effective method of predicting prognosis and improving clinical decision making in the treatment of patients with suspected tumor recurrence

Assessment of physical risk factors among artisans using occupational repetitive actions and Nordic questionnaire

Aims: The aims of present study is to determine the level of exposure to physical risk factors of work related repetitive movements in the upper limbs among the artisans in Isfahan, using occupational repetitive actions index and the Nordic Questionnaire. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the study population consisted of 94 males employed in Artisan production. The tools that be used for assessing physical ergonomic risk factors among artisans was Nordic Questionnaire and OCRA index. The different handicraft tasks and work activities included: Simple etching, embossing, reticular embossing, enameling, tiling, illumination, inlay, copper smithing and, miniature painting have been chosen for the study. The Study was carried out on the both left and right hands. The results were analyzed by statistical tests included Chi square, Kruskal Wallis and one-way variance analysis. Results: The highest OCRA index score was related to simple etching job, and the other tasks such as embossing, copper smithing, reticular embossing, tiling, miniature painting, and illumination were in lower risk category. Our finding showed that there are a significant difference between OCRA scores of the various jobs (P value < 0.001), and also the relationship between OCRA index and the type of jobs was statistically significant (P value < 0.001). Risk level in the right hand was significantly higher than the left hand (P value < 0.001). Moreover, in both right and left hands, OCRA index was different among several types of jobs (P value < 0.001). Conclusion: Our assessment showed that in overall there are different physical risk factors among artisans which make them susceptible to musculoskeletal disorders

Effects of energy drinks on blood pressure, heart rate, and electrocardiographic parameters: An experimental study on healthy young adults

Objective: To evaluate the effects of the consumption of energy drinks on cardiovascular parameters in a group of healthy young individuals. Methods: In a quasi-experimental study, 44 healthy adult participants aged between 15 and 30 years were evaluated. The blood pressure (BP) as well as electrocardiographic indices, including heart rate (HR), PR interval, QRS duration, corrected QT (QTc) interval, and ST-T changes were recorded before consumption of a caffeine-containing energy drink and at the specific time points over a 4-h test duration. Results: We found statistically significant HR decline (p=0.004) and more frequent ST-T changes (p=0.004) after the participants consumed the energy drink. However, readings for systolic BP (p=0.44), diastolic BP (p=0.26), PR interval (p=0.449), QRS duration (p=0.235), and QTc interval (p=0.953) showed no significant change post-consumption. Conclusion: In conclusion, we demonstrated that the consumption of energy drinks could contribute to HR decline and ST-T change in healthy young adults. © 2016 by Turkish Society of Cardiology

Hyperglycemia decreased medial amygdala projections to medial Preoptic area in experimental model of diabetes mellitus

In Wistar rats, reproductive behavior is controlled in a neural circuit of ventral forebrain including the medial amygdala (Me), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and medial preoptic area (MPOA) via perception of social odors. Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a widespread metabolic disease that affects many organs in a variety of levels. DM can cause central neuropathies such as neuronal apoptosis, dendritic atrophy, neurochemical alterations and also causes reproductive dysfunctions. So we hypothesized damage to the nuclei of this circuit can cause reproductive dysfunctions. Therefore in this project we assessed diabetic effect on these nuclei. For this purpose neuron tracing technique and TUNEL assay were used. We injected HRP in the MPOA and counted labeled cells in the Me and BNST to evaluate the reduction of neurons in diabetic animals. Also, coronal sections were analyzed with the TMB histochemistry method. Animals in this study were adult male Wistar rats (230 ± 8g) divided to control and 10-week streptozotocin-induced diabetic groups. After data analysis by SPSS 16 software, a significant reduction of HRP-labeled neurons was shown in both Me and BNST nuclei in the diabetic group. Moreover, apoptotic cells were significantly observed in diabetic animals in contrast to control the group. In conclusion, these alterations of the circuit as a result of diabetes might be one of the reasons for reproductive dysfunctions. © 2015 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Effects of Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy on Increased Life Expectancy of Male Patients with Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignancies in the world, which is classified as a multifactorial illness. Most canceric patients experience a period of stress. Since being patient and positive thinking play an effective role in coping with chronic diseases. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy group on being patient and positive thinking in gastric cancer patients. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 92 men with gastric cancer who were referred to the Tooba Medical Center in Sari who were randomly divided into two groups of 46 test and control groups. The two groups completed the standard questionnaire of positive thinking (150-30 points) and being patient (100-0 score) in the pre-test phase. The test group was trained of cognitive behavioral therapy for ten sessions of 90 minutes. The control group did not receive any special intervention. Then, both groups completed the questionnaires again in the post-test phase. FINDINGS: The mean score of positive thinking before the test in the test group was (88.71±24.21) and in the control group was (94.54±24.23). The mean score of being patient in the test group was (26.66±22.20) and in the control group was (30.45±22.42) that they were not significant. However, in the post-test phase, positive thinking (test group 106.33±28.16 vs. control group 94.43±24.71) (p<0.01) and in terms of being patient (the test group 23±23.5) /40 versus 30.91 ± 20.89 control group (p<0.01) had a significant difference. CONCLUSION: According to the results, -behavioral therapy group can increase being patient and positive thinking in patients with gastric cancer

1st International Workshop on Tabular Data Analysis (TaDA)

With the advent of data lakes and open data repositories containing heterogeneous collections of structured datasets, there is an increasing need for automated methods to analyze tabular data collections for a wide range of applications in data management, data science, and decision support. Our goal in this workshop was to bring together researchers and practitioners working on building such tabular data analysis solutions. TaDa workshop aimed to provide a venue for the growing number of researchers in data management, AI, and Semantic Web communities working on a wide range of problems relevant to tabular data analysis. The first edition of the workshop included two keynote talks, a research track comprising presentations and posters, and invited posters and virtual talks of the work done in these communities