Let Cognitive Radios Imitate: Imitation-based Spectrum Access for Cognitive Radio Networks

In this paper, we tackle the problem of opportunistic spectrum access in large-scale cognitive radio networks, where the unlicensed Secondary Users (SU) access the frequency channels partially occupied by the licensed Primary Users (PU). Each channel is characterized by an availability probability unknown to the SUs. We apply evolutionary game theory to model the spectrum access problem and develop distributed spectrum access policies based on imitation, a behavior rule widely applied in human societies consisting of imitating successful behavior. We first develop two imitation-based spectrum access policies based on the basic Proportional Imitation (PI) rule and the more advanced Double Imitation (DI) rule given that a SU can imitate any other SUs. We then adapt the proposed policies to a more practical scenario where a SU can only imitate the other SUs operating on the same channel. A systematic theoretical analysis is presented for both scenarios on the induced imitation dynamics and the convergence properties of the proposed policies to an imitation-stable equilibrium, which is also the $\epsilon$-optimum of the system. Simple, natural and incentive-compatible, the proposed imitation-based spectrum access policies can be implemented distributedly based on solely local interactions and thus is especially suited in decentralized adaptive learning environments as cognitive radio networks

Investing in breastfeeding – the world breastfeeding costing initiative

BACKGROUND Despite scientific evidence substantiating the importance of breastfeeding in child survival and development and its economic benefits, assessments show gaps in many countries' implementation of the 2003 WHO and UNICEF Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding (Global Strategy). Optimal breastfeeding is a particular example: initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months; and continued breastfeeding for two years or more, together with safe, adequate, appropriate, responsive complementary feeding starting in the sixth month. While the understanding of "optimal" may vary among countries, there is a need for governments to facilitate an enabling environment for women to achieve optimal breastfeeding. Lack of financial resources for key programs is a major impediment, making economic perspectives important for implementation. Globally, while achieving optimal breastfeeding could prevent more than 800,000 under five deaths annually, in 2013, US$58 billion was spent on commercial baby food including milk formula. Support for improved breastfeeding is inadequately prioritized by policy and practice internationally. METHODS The World Breastfeeding Costing Initiative (WBCi) launched in 2013, attempts to determine the financial investment that is necessary to implement the Global Strategy, and to introduce a tool to estimate the costs for individual countries. The article presents detailed cost estimates for implementing the Global Strategy, and outlines the WBCi Financial Planning Tool. Estimates use demographic data from UNICEF's State of the World's Children 2013. RESULTS The WBCi takes a programmatic approach to scaling up interventions, including policy and planning, health and nutrition care systems, community services and mother support, media promotion, maternity protection, WHO International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes implementation, monitoring and research, for optimal breastfeeding practices. The financial cost of a program to implement the Global Strategy in 214 countries is estimated at US$17.5 billion ($130 per live birth). The major recurring cost is maternity entitlements. CONCLUSIONS WBCi is a policy advocacy initiative to encourage integrated actions that enable breastfeeding. WBCi will help countries plan and prioritize actions and budget them accurately. International agencies and donors can also use the tool to calculate or track investments in breastfeeding.The project was possible through financial support from SAFANSI (South Asia Food and Nutrition Security Initiative) project and a contribution by DFID (Department for International Development) and AusAID (Australian Agency for International Development)

Wet nursing and donor human milk sharing in emergencies and disasters: A review

During emergencies and disasters infant survival can depend on their access to breastfeeding or human milk. Wet nursing and donor human milk sharing are options endorsed by the World Health Assembly (WHA). This study looks at regulatory environments for wet nursing and donor human milk sharing and considers the wider food security and resilience implications. Legislation and policies relating to wet nursing, donor human milk sharing and milk banking can support appropriate infant and young child feeding in emergencies responses (IYCF-E). However, in many countries there is a lack of legislative and regulatory clarity on protecting and supporting breastfeeding practices in these situations. This is true for all income country settings and geographic regions. High breastfeeding prevalence in a country can reduce exposure to food insecurity and risk for mothers and their children during emergencies. Regulatory clarity is also needed to protect safe wet nursing and donor human milk sharing, being an important step in developing protocols and plans for emergency preparedness and response. With human milk products becoming more available, there is also an urgent need to ensure full implementation of the IYCF-E Operational Guidance and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant WHA Resolutions.JPS held an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT140101260) which helped fund study design and data collection for this research

Exploring the interplay between metabolic power and equivalent distance in training games and official matches in soccer: a machine learning approach.

Introduction: This study aimed to explore the interplay between metabolic power (MP) and equivalent distance (ED) and their respective roles in training games (TGs) and official soccer matches. Furthermore, the secondary objective was to investigate the connection between external training load (ETL), determined by the interplay of metabolic power and equivalent distance, and internal training load (ITL) assessed through HR-based methods, serving as a measure of criterion validity. Methods: Twenty-one elite professional male soccer players participated in the study. Players were monitored during 11 months of full training and overall official matches. The study used a dataset of 4269 training games and 380 official matches split into training and test sets. In terms of machine learning methods, the study applied several techniques, including K-Nearest Neighbors, Decision Tree, Random Forest, and Support-Vector Machine classifiers. The dataset was divided into two subsets: a training set used for model training and a test set used for evaluation. Results: Based on metabolic power and equivalent distance, the study successfully employed four machine learning methods to accurately distinguish between the two types of soccer activities: TGs and official matches. The area under the curve (AUC) values ranged from 0.90 to 0.96, demonstrating high discriminatory power, with accuracy levels ranging from 0.89 to 0.98. Furthermore, the significant correlations observed between Edwards' training load (TL) and TL calculated from metabolic power metrics confirm the validity of these variables in assessing external training load in soccer. The correlation coefficients (r values) ranged from 0.59 to 0.87, all reaching statistical significance at p < 0.001. Discussion: These results underscore the critical importance of investigating the interaction between metabolic power and equivalent distance in soccer. While the overall intensity may appear similar between TGs and official matches, it is evident that underlying factors contributing to this intensity differ significantly. This highlights the necessity for more comprehensive analyses of the specific elements influencing physical effort during these activities. By addressing this fundamental aspect, this study contributes valuable insights to the field of sports science, aiding in the development of tailored training programs and strategies that can optimize player performance and reduce the risk of injuries in elite soccer

Telemonitoring for the Management of Patients with Heart Failure

Advances in technology now make it possible to manage heart failure (HF) from a remote to a telemonitoring approach using either noninvasive solutions or implantable devices. Nowadays, it is possible to monitor at-home parameters that can be recorded, stored and remotely transmitted to physicians, allowing them to make decisions for therapeutic modification, hospitalization or access to the emergency room. Standalone systems are available that are equipped with self-intelligence and are able to acquire and elaborate data that can inform the remote physician of impending decompensation before it results in additional complications. The development of miniature implantable devices, which could measure haemodynamic variables and transmit them to a monitor outside the body, offers the possibility for the physician to obtain more frequent evaluations of HF patients and the opportunity to take these data into account in management decisions. At present, several telemonitoring devices are available, but the only Food and Drug Administration-approved system is the cardio-microelectromechanical system, which is an implantable pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) monitoring device that allows a direct monitoring of the PAP via a sensor implanted in the pulmonary artery. This information is then uploaded to a web-based interface from which healthcare providers can track the results and manage patients. At present, the challenge point for telemedicine management of HF is to find the more relevant biological parameter to monitor the clinical status

LA CORRETTA VALORIZZAZIONE DEI RIFIUTI AGRICOLI ED AGROINDUSTRIALI

Farming and agro-industrial waste can represent a resource when destined to energy production and they can contribute to reduce greenhouse gas emission, to improve energetic efficiency and increase renewable energies. 6 stations are already working in Calabria for agro-zootechnical biomasses and agro-industrial waste transformation, in compliance with 91/676/CEE, Nitrates Directive, thenD.L. 152/99 and D.M. 7 April 2006, redefined by D.M. 6-7-2012 It reduced incentives, with the aim of implementing small sized stations powered by recyclable byproducts, which are easier to manage especially in the form of consortium by medium and small sized companies that would otherwise be excluded from the market. An appropriate use of pruning waste would also mean turning a problem into an opportunity if, instead of burning it and producing high levels of CO2 (as forbidden by D.L. “terra dei fuochi”) itcould be destined to produce a new kind of power source, biochar, with a carbon negative function. Concerning the market of carbon credits derivable from pruning waste and from the production of more than 130.000 t of biochar (which, differently from the forestry sector, hasn’t been accepted in farming yet), the potential wealth on the regional territory could vary from 5 to 11 million € according to the set price. Establishing a more competitive and sustainable source of energy is one of the most important challenges that ourCountry has to face today. This sector plays a key role in the economic development of the Country, not only as a distinctive feature of low cost energy production, limited impact on environment and high utilization, but also as an element of growth per se, with a boost in ecologic economy thanks to a predominant use of renewable resources, recycling and curbing domestic or industrial waste, according to Green Economy parameters.DOI: http://dx.medra.org/10.19254/LaborEst.09.2

A Correct Valorisation of Farming and Agro-Industrial Waste

Farming and agro-industrial waste can represent a resource when destined to energy production and they can contribute to reduce greenhouse gas emission, to improve energetic efficiency and increase renewable energies. 6 stations are already working in Calabria for agro-zootechnical biomasses and agro-industrial waste transformation, in compliance with 91/676/CEE, Nitrates Directive, then D.L. 152/99 and D.M. 7 April 2006, redefined by D.M. 6-7-2012 It reduced incentives, with the aim of implementing small sized stations powered by recyclable byproducts, which are easier to manage especially in the form of consortium by medium and small sized companies that would otherwise be excluded from the market. An appropriate use of pruning waste would also mean turning a problem into an opportunity if, instead of burning it and producing high levels of CO2 (as forbidden by D.L. "terra dei fuochi") it could be destined to produce a new kind of power source, biochar, with a carbon negative function. Concerning the market of carbon credits derivable from pruning waste and from the production of more than 130.000 t of biochar (which, differently from the forestry sector, hasn't been accepted in farming yet), the potential wealth on the regional territory could vary from 5 to 11 million € according to the set price. Establishing a more competitive and sustainable source of energy is one of the most important challenges that our Country has to face today. This sector plays a key role in the economic development of the Country, not only as a distinctive feature of low cost energy production, limited impact on environment and high utilization, but also as an element of growth per se, with a boost in ecologic economy thanks to a predominant use of renewable resources, recycling and curbing domestic or industrial waste, according to Green Economy parameters

Testosterone Therapy in Women With Chronic Heart Failure A Pilot Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study

ObjectivesThe primary objective of this study was to assess the effect of a 6-month testosterone supplementation therapy on functional capacity and insulin resistance in female patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).BackgroundPatients with CHF show decreased exercise capacity and insulin sensitivity. Testosterone supplementation improves these variables in men with CHF. No study has evaluated the effects of testosterone supplementation on female patients with CHF.MethodsThirty-six elderly female patients with stable CHF, (ejection fraction 32.9 ± 6) were randomly assigned (2:1 ratio) to receive testosterone transdermal patch (T group, n = 24) or placebo (P group, n = 12), both on top of optimal medical therapy. At baseline and after 6 months, patients underwent 6-min walking test (6MWT), cardiopulmonary exercise test, echocardiogram, quadriceps maximal isometric voluntary contraction, dynamic quadriceps isokinetic strength (peak torque), and insulin resistance assessment by homeostasis model.ResultsDistance walked at 6MWT as well as peak oxygen consumption significantly improved in the T group, whereas they were unchanged in the P group (p < 0.05 for all comparisons). The homeostasis model was significantly reduced in the T group in comparison with the P group (−16.5% vs. +5%, respectively; p < 0.05). Maximal voluntary contraction and peak torque increased significantly in the T group but did not change in the P group. Increase in distance walked at 6MWT was related to the increase in free testosterone levels (r = 0.593, p = 0.01). No significant changes in echocardiographic parameters were observed in either group. No side effects requiring discontinuation of T were detected.ConclusionsTestosterone supplementation improves functional capacity, insulin resistance, and muscle strength in women with advanced CHF. Testosterone seems to be an effective and safe therapy for elderly women with CHF

Relationship between aerobic fitness and metabolic power metrics in elite male soccer players

The aim was to assess the relationship between aerobic fitness and metabolic power metrics in elite male soccer players, and the possible differences that playing positions might impose during match play over new metabolic power metrics. Sixty-two elite professional male soccer players (13 central backs, 13 side backs, 22 midfielders, and 14 forwards) took part in the study. Players were monitored during eleven months of full training (including pre-season and in-season) and over all official matches (Serie A matches, Italy Cup matches). Aerobic fitness tests were conducted one week after the start of the preseason, and 8, 24 and 36 weeks after the beginning of the Championship. Players' aerobic fitness and metabolic power metrics were considered as the mean of all seasonal testing and of pooling data of 38 championship matches and 3 or 6 Italy Cup matches for all the calculations respectively. The velocity at 4 mmol·L-1 (VL4) was significantly related to metabolic power metrics match variables with correlation ranging from trivial to very large (r = 0.32 to r = 0.89). Receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that speed at VL4 was sensitive in detecting high metabolic power distance (HMPD) changes in all but central back players as revealed by area under the curve (central back .78, 95%CI .47 to .95; full back .93, 95%CI .64 to 0.99; midfielder .88, 95%CI .67 to 0.98; forward .90, 95%CI .62 to 0.99). This study's findings provide further evidence for the ecological validity of aerobic fitness in elite male soccer players. Players having a HMPD cut-off equal to or higher than &gt; 1450 m for central backs, &gt; 1990 m for full backs, &gt; 2170 m for midfielders and &gt; 1670 m for forwards may be considered as possessing superior aerobic fitness status. In light of this study's findings, the VL4 test may be considered a valid test to evaluate meaningful information for direct generic aerobic training in soccer players