An online packing heuristic for the three-dimensional container loading problem in dynamic environments and the Physical Internet

In this paper, we consider the online three-dimensional container loading problem. We develop a novel online packing algorithm to solve the three-dimensional bin packing problem in the online case where items are not know well in advance and they have to be packed in real-time when they ar-rive. This is relevant in many real-world scenarios such as automated cargo loading in warehouses. This is also relevant in the new logistics model of Physical Internet. The effectiveness of the online packing heuristic is evalu-ated on a set of generated data. The experimental results show that the algo-rithm could solve the 3D container loading problems in online fashion and is competitive against other algorithms both in the terms of running time, space utilization and number of bins

Distributed resource distribution and offloading for resource-agnostic microservices in industrial IoT

Due to increase in real-time mobile applications and Industrial Internet-of-Things (IIoT) devices, the edge computing paradigm provides a systematic and eccentric platform for real-time Internet-of-Things applications. Though the paradigm provides an effective infrastructure, however the resource requirements of IIoT devices change radically with time, which is described as a resource-agnostic property. Therefore, the estimation of resource requirements of IIoT devices is a critical and resilient assignment. In addition, it requires an extensive amount of resources to process the data traffic flows and microservice offloading. Hence, we present RAISE, a novel resource-agnostic microservice offloading scheme for mobile IIoT devices. RAISE efficiently estimates the resource-agnostic nature of IIoT devices to maximize their resource utilization in the network. Based on the estimated resource requirement, we propose a resource-agnostic microservice offloading scheme to maximize the success rate. Extensive experiments show that RAISE provides better performance in terms of network throughput and Quality-of-Service (QoS) than the other existing methods, SDTO and DTOS, in terms of cost and reliability

Oseltamivir resistance during treatment of influenza A (H5N1) infection

Influenza A (H5N1) virus with an amino acid substitution in neuraminidase conferring high-level resistance to oseltamivir was isolated from two of eight Vietnamese patients during oseltamivir treatment. Both patients died of influenza A (H5N1) virus infection, despite early initiation of treatment in one patient. Surviving patients had rapid declines in the viral load to undetectable levels during treatment. These observations suggest that resistance can emerge during the currently recommended regimen of oseltamivir therapy and may be associated with clinical deterioration and that the strategy for the treatment of influenza A (H5N1) virus infection should include additional antiviral agents. Copyright © 2005 Massachusetts Medical Society.published_or_final_versio

Shunting of recurrent post-traumatic syringomyelia into the fourth ventricle: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Post-traumatic syringomyelia is a progressive degenerative disorder that is a well-recognized sequela of spinal cord injury. There is currently no optimal intervention capable of producing satisfactory long-term clinical results.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>In this report, we present a 55-year-old Asian man with recurrent syringomyelia after shunt treatment. The syrinx extended from the thoracic cord into the medulla. We used a silicone tube to create a channel connecting the syrinx cavity directly to the fourth ventricle. The patient made a good recovery and follow-up magnetic resonance imaging revealed a considerable diminution in the size of the syrinx.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We present a new approach that has the potential to improve the outcome of patients with recurrent post-traumatic syringomyelia, who cannot be treated by conventional methods.</p

High rate nitrogen removal by ANAMMOX internal circulation reactor (IC) for old landfill leachate treatment

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd This study aimed to evaluate the performance of a high rate nitrogen removal lab-scale ANAMMOX reactor, namely Internal Circulation (IC) reactor, for old landfill leachate treatment. The reactor was operated with pre-treated leachate from a pilot Partial Nitritation Reactor (PNR) using a high nitrogen loading rate ranging from 2 to 10 kg N m−3 d−1. High rate removal of nitrogen (9.52 ± 1.11 kg N m−3 d−1) was observed at an influent nitrogen concentration of 1500 mg N L−1. The specific ANAMMOX activity was found to be 0.598 ± 0.026 gN2-N gVSS−1 d−1. Analysis of ANAMMOX granules suggested that 0.5–1.0 mm size granular sludge was the dominant group. The results of DNA analysis revealed that Candidatus Kueneniastuttgartiensis was the dominant species (37.45%) in the IC reactor, whereas other species like uncultured Bacteroidetes bacterium only constituted 5.37% in the system, but they were still responsible for removing recalcitrant organic matter

Phosphate Adsorption by Silver Nanoparticles-Loaded Activated Carbon derived from Tea Residue.

This study presents the removal of phosphate from aqueous solution using a new silver nanoparticles-loaded tea activated carbon (AgNPs-TAC) material. In order to reduce costs, the tea activated carbon was produced from tea residue. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of impregnation ratio of AgNPs and TAC, pH solution, contact time, initial phosphate concentration and dose of AgNPs-AC on removing phosphate from aqueous solution. Results show that the best conditions for phosphate adsorption occurred at the impregnation ratio AgNPs/TAC of 3% w/w, pH 3, and contact time lasting 150 min. The maximum adsorption capacity of phosphate on AgNPs-TAC determined by the Langmuir model was 13.62 mg/g at an initial phosphate concentration of 30 mg/L. The adsorption isotherm of phosphate on AgNPs-TAC fits well with both the Langmuir and Sips models. The adsorption kinetics data were also described well by the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models with high correlation coefficients of 0.978 and 0.966, respectively. The adsorption process was controlled by chemisorption through complexes and ligand exchange mechanisms. This study suggests that AgNPs-TAC is a promising, low cost adsorbent for phosphate removal from aqueous solution

Genomic and vaccine preclinical studies reveal a novel mouse-adapted Helicobacter pylori model for the hpEastAsia genotype in Southeast Asia

\ua9 2024 Crown Copyright.Introduction. Helicobacter pylori infection is a major global health concern, linked to the development of various gastrointestinal diseases, including gastric cancer. To study the pathogenesis of H. pylori and develop effective intervention strategies, appropriate animal pathogen models that closely mimic human infection are essential. Gap statement. This study focuses on the understudied hpEastAsia genotype in Southeast Asia, a region marked by a high H. pylori infection rate. No mouse-adapted model strains has been reported previously. Moreover, it recognizes the urgent requirement for vaccines in developing countries, where overuse of antimicrobials is fuelling the emergence of resistance. Aim. This study aims to establish a novel mouse-adapted H. pylori model specific to the hpEastAsia genotype prevalent in Southeast Asia, focusing on comparative genomic and histopathological analysis of pathogens coupled with vaccine preclinical studies. Methodology. We collected and sequenced the whole genome of clinical strains of H. pylori from infected patients in Vietnam and performed comparative genomic analyses of H. pylori strains in Southeast Asia. In parallel, we conducted preclinical studies to assess the pathogenicity of the mouse-adapted H. pylori strain and the protective effect of a new spore-vectored vaccine candidate on male Mlac:ICR mice and the host immune response in a female C57BL/6 mouse model. Results. Genome sequencing and comparison revealed unique and common genetic signatures, antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence factors in strains HP22 and HP34; and supported clarithromycin-resistant HP34 as a representation of the hpEastAsia genotype in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. HP34-infected mice exhibited gastric inflammation, epithelial erosion and dysplastic changes that closely resembled the pathology observed in human H. pylori infection. Furthermore, comprehensive immunological characterization demonstrated a robust host immune response, including both mucosal and systemic immune responses. Oral vaccination with candidate vaccine formulations elicited a significant reduction in bacterial colonization in the model. Conclusion. Our findings demonstrate the successful development of a novel mouse-adapted H. pylori model for the hpEastAsia genotype in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Our research highlights the distinctive genotype and pathogenicity of clinical H. pylori strains in the region, laying the foundation for targeted interventions to address this global health burden

Declarative Choreographies and Liveness

Part 1: Full PapersInternational audienceWe provide the first formal model for declarative choreographies, which is able to express general omega-regular liveness properties. We use the Dynamic Condition Response (DCR) graphs notation for both choreographies and end-points. We define end-point projection as a restriction of DCR graphs and derive the condition for end-point projectability from the causal relationships of the graph. We illustrate the results with a running example of a Buyer-Seller-Shipper protocol. All the examples are available for simulation in the online DCR workbench at http://dcr.tools/forte19

A giant comet-like cloud of hydrogen escaping the warm Neptune-mass exoplanet GJ 436b

Exoplanets orbiting close to their parent stars could lose some fraction of their atmospheres because of the extreme irradiation. Atmospheric mass loss primarily affects low-mass exoplanets, leading to suggest that hot rocky planets might have begun as Neptune-like, but subsequently lost all of their atmospheres; however, no confident measurements have hitherto been available. The signature of this loss could be observed in the ultraviolet spectrum, when the planet and its escaping atmosphere transit the star, giving rise to deeper and longer transit signatures than in the optical spectrum. Here we report that in the ultraviolet the Neptune-mass exoplanet GJ 436b (also known as Gliese 436b) has transit depths of 56.3 +/- 3.5% (1 sigma), far beyond the 0.69% optical transit depth. The ultraviolet transits repeatedly start ~2 h before, and end >3 h after the ~1 h optical transit, which is substantially different from one previous claim (based on an inaccurate ephemeris). We infer from this that the planet is surrounded and trailed by a large exospheric cloud composed mainly of hydrogen atoms. We estimate a mass-loss rate in the range of ~10^8-10^9 g/s, which today is far too small to deplete the atmosphere of a Neptune-like planet in the lifetime of the parent star, but would have been much greater in the past.Comment: Published in Nature on 25 June 2015. Preprint is 28 pages, 12 figures, 2 table

Endothelial nitric oxide pathways in the pathophysiology of dengue: a prospective observational study.

Background: Dengue can cause increased vascular permeability that may lead to hypovolemic shock. Endothelial dysfunction may underlie this; however the association of endothelial nitric oxide pathways with disease severity is unknown. Methods: We performed a prospective observational study in two Vietnamese hospitals, assessing patients presenting early (<72 hours fever) and patients hospitalized with warning signs or severe dengue. The reactive hyperaemic index (RHI), which measures endothelium-dependent vasodilation and is a surrogate marker of endothelial function and NO bioavailability was evaluated using peripheral artery tonometry (EndoPAT) and plasma levels of L-arginine, Arginase-1 and ADMA were measured at serial time-points. The main outcome of interest was plasma leakage severity. Results: 314 patients were enrolled, median age of the participants was 21 (IQR 13-30) years. No difference was found in the endothelial parameters between dengue and other febrile illness (OFI). Considering dengue patients, the RHI was significantly lower for patients with severe plasma leakage compared to those with no leakage (1.46 vs. 2.00, P<0.001), over acute time-points, apparent already in the early febrile phase (1.29 vs. 1.75, P=0.012). RHI correlated negatively with arginase-1, and positively with L-arginine (P=0.001). Endothelial dysfunction/NO bioavailability is associated with worse plasma leakage, occurs early in dengue illness and correlates with hypoargininaemia and high arginase-1 levels