Performance Analysis of Cooperative V2V and V2I Communications under Correlated Fading

Cooperative vehicular networks will play a vital role in the coming years to implement various intelligent transportation-related applications. Both vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications will be needed to reliably disseminate information in a vehicular network. In this regard, a roadside unit (RSU) equipped with multiple antennas can improve the network capacity. While the traditional approaches assume antennas to experience independent fading, we consider a more practical uplink scenario where antennas at the RSU experience correlated fading. In particular, we evaluate the packet error probability for two renowned antenna correlation models, i.e., constant correlation (CC) and exponential correlation (EC). We also consider intermediate cooperative vehicles for reliable communication between the source vehicle and the RSU. Here, we derive closed-form expressions for packet error probability which help quantify the performance variations due to fading parameter, correlation coefficients and the number of intermediate helper vehicles. To evaluate the optimal transmit power in this network scenario, we formulate a Stackelberg game, wherein, the source vehicle is treated as a buyer and the helper vehicles are the sellers. The optimal solutions for the asking price and the transmit power are devised which maximize the utility functions of helper vehicles and the source vehicle, respectively. We verify our mathematical derivations by extensive simulations in MATLAB.Comment: Internet of Vehicles (IoV), Vehicular communication, Antenna correlation, Stackelberg game, Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), Game theory, Cooperative vehicular network

Chemical Characterization and Detection of Adulteration in Olea Europaea Linn. Oil by ATR-FTIR Method

Olea europaea Linn. (Olive; Oleaceae) commonly known as Zaytoon in the Mediterranean region. Olive oil and fruits are an important component of the Mediterranean diet as cooking oil and as a salad. Adulteration in Olive oil is very common with cheap edible oils. Thorough literature shows that there is no study conducted to check adulteration in Olive oil produced in Iraqi Kurdistan. The aim of the present study is to screen genuine Olive oil samples and also develop a method for the detection of adulteration by ATR-FTIR. The detection of adulteration in O. europaea oil was performed by the ATR-FTIR method. The sesame oil (SO), coconut oil (CO), sunflower oil (SFO), and refined olive oil (ROO) were selected as adulterants. For detection of adulteration in O. europaea oil, different binary-mixtures of various concentrations of O. europaea oil with sesame oil (SO), coconut oil (CO), sunflower oil (SFO), and refined olive oil (ROO) (0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 100% v/v) were prepared and FTIR spectra of each concentration were recorded. FTIR results of binary-mixtures were quite difficult to find out adulteration. Hence, on the basis of IR spectra’s only it is very difficult to check adulteration in Olive oil. So, we proposed an alternate way and easily to check adulteration in Olive oil. For that, we searched each binary-mixtures in the library of ATR-FTIR (IRAffinity-1S, Shimadzu, Japan), and results are presented in terms of FTIR search score. This method was found fast, easy, and reliable for the detection of cheap edible oils in pure Olive oils

Ulnar dimelia variant: a case report

We report a case of ulnar dimelia, commonly called mirror hand, in a 2-month-old female child who had restriction of elbow flexion and forearm rotation. There was no facial or other internal organ malformation. Radiographs revealed seven triphalangeal digits with double ulnae (one following the other) and absent radius. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of this mirror hand deformity in which fingers are symmetrical while duplicated ulnae are not

Chemical Characterization and Detection of Adulteration in Essential Oil of Lavandula Angustifolia Linn. by ATR-FTIR

Lavandula angustifolia Linn. (Lavender) is an important source of high-quality fragrance and possesses several pharmacological activities such as antianxiety, antidepressant and hypnotic. Because of its high market price and medicinal values, adulteration is very common with L. angustifolia essential oil. The aim of present study is to characterize essential oil and detect adulteration in it by ATR-FTIR method. L. angustifolia essential oil was isolated by the hydrodistillation method and characterized by GC/MS and FTIR. The authentic isolated essential oil of L. angustifolia was further adulterated by sesame oil (0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 100% v/v) and analyzed by FTIR. The GC/MS analysis of essential oil of L. angustifolia yielded 74 compounds and linalyl acetate (39.28%), linalool (26.76%), and trans--caryophyllene (4.77%) were found as major chemical compounds. The ATR-FTIR results of isolated pure essential oil of L. angustifolia showed characteristic peaks of linalool and linalyl acetate, the major chemical components present in it. For detection of adulteration in L. angustifolia essential oil, different binary-mixtures of L. angustifolia essential oil with sesame oil (0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 100% v/v) were analyzed, and the results of FTIR analysis shows very strong peaks in the range of 2800 to 3000 cm-1 and at 1739.31 cm-1 in case of adulterated mixtures compared to the pure essential oil of L. angustifolia. The proposed method was found a simple, economic, quick, reliable, and reproducible for the detection of adulteration in L. angustifolia essential oil

Pyothorax in a cat due to Acinetobacter spp. infection : a case report

A 3-month-old kitten weighing 1.05 kg was presented to the University veterinary hospital at Kokkalai in Thrissur district of Kerala, India, with the complaint of open-mouth breathing, lethargy and complete anorexia for the past three days, and weight loss. Detailed clinical examination revealed inspiratory dyspnoea without stridor, tachypnoea, muffled lung and heart sounds on auscultation, pale mucous membrane, and weak pulse. Haematology revealed leukocytosis with granulocytosis and monocytosis. Thoracic radiography, ultrasonography and thoracocentesis confirmed pyothorax. Microbial culture of thoracic aspirate revealed heavy growth of Acinetobacte spp. The cat responded to parenteral therapy with ceftiofur followed by cefixime orally for 21 days. Doxycycline was prescribed for concurrent mycoplasmosis. Thoracic radiograph 10 days later revealed a significant reduction in pleural fluid. A review of the case two months later found that the kitten recovered uneventfully. A rare case of Acinetobacter spp. associated pyothorax and its medical management in a cat is reported. The clinical manifestations, radiographic changes and ultrasonographic findings were discussed

Learning-based Resource Allocation for Backscatter-aided Vehicular Networks

Heterogeneous backscatter networks are emerging as a promising solution to address the proliferating coverage and capacity demands of next-generation vehicular networks. However, despite its rapid evolution and significance, the optimization aspect of such networks has been overlooked due to their complexity and scale. Motivated by this discrepancy in the literature, this work sheds light on a novel learning-based optimization framework for heterogeneous backscatter vehicular networks. More specifically, the article presents a resource allocation and user association scheme for large-scale heterogeneous backscatter vehicular networks by considering a collaboration centric spectrum sharing mechanism. In the considered network setup, multiple network service providers (NSPs) own the resources to serve several legacy and backscatter vehicular users in the network. For each NSP, the legacy vehicle user operates under the macro cell, whereas, the backscatter vehicle user operates under small private cells using leased spectrum resources. A joint power allocation, user association, and spectrum sharing problem has been formulated with an objective to maximize the utility of NSPs. In order to overcome challenges of high dimensionality and non-convexity, the problem is divided into two subproblems. Subsequently, a reinforcement learning and a supervised deep learning approach have been used to solve both subproblems in an efficient and effective manner. To evaluate the benefits of the proposed scheme, extensive simulation studies are conducted and a comparison is provided with benchmark techniques. The performance evaluation demonstrates the utility of the presented system architecture and learning-based optimization framework

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

Computer Literacy on American College Campuses: An Analysis and Evaluation

This study was initiated as a requirement for a graduate level course in the MBA program at the Fontbonne College. The major problem faced by the faculty and the administration at American schools and Colleges is to find out if students are getting enough exposure to computers. This study helps solve that problem by using surveys and statistical models. A telephone survey was done to gather the data. The data gathered was analyzed by the computer program written in SPSS. Some of the major things discussed in the study are relationships of student\u27s status, major, GPA, age, home town population, family income and family occupation with the student\u27s interest in computers. The results of this study showed that student\u27s status, major, GPA, age, population of home town and family income does have an effect on the student\u27s interest in computers. The results also showed that students\u27 family income has no effect on student\u27s interest in computers. It was also concluded that the degree requirements at American College Campuses are sufficient to expose students to computers, and the students are computer literate and well prepared to meet the demands of the future