Multiplexing regulated traffic streams: design and performance

The main network solutions for supporting QoS rely on traf- fic policing (conditioning, shaping). In particular, for IP networks the IETF has developed Intserv (individual flows regulated) and Diffserv (only ag- gregates regulated). The regulator proposed could be based on the (dual) leaky-bucket mechanism. This explains the interest in network element per- formance (loss, delay) for leaky-bucket regulated traffic. This paper describes a novel approach to the above problem. Explicitly using the correlation structure of the sources’ traffic, we derive approxi- mations for both small and large buffers. Importantly, for small (large) buffers the short-term (long-term) correlations are dominant. The large buffer result decomposes the traffic stream in a stream of constant rate and a periodic impulse stream, allowing direct application of the Brownian bridge approximation. Combining the small and large buffer results by a concave majorization, we propose a simple, fast and accurate technique to statistically multiplex homogeneous regulated sources. To address heterogeneous inputs, we present similarly efficient tech- niques to evaluate the performance of multiple classes of traffic, each with distinct characteristics and QoS requirements. These techniques, applica- ble under more general conditions, are based on optimal resource (band- width and buffer) partitioning. They can also be directly applied to set GPS (Generalized Processor Sharing) weights and buffer thresholds in a shared resource system

LineWalker: Line Search for Black Box Derivative-Free Optimization and Surrogate Model Construction

This paper describes a simple, but effective sampling method for optimizing and learning a discrete approximation (or surrogate) of a multi-dimensional function along a one-dimensional line segment of interest. The method does not rely on derivative information and the function to be learned can be a computationally-expensive ``black box'' function that must be queried via simulation or other means. It is assumed that the underlying function is noise-free and smooth, although the algorithm can still be effective when the underlying function is piecewise smooth. The method constructs a smooth surrogate on a set of equally-spaced grid points by evaluating the true function at a sparse set of judiciously chosen grid points. At each iteration, the surrogate's non-tabu local minima and maxima are identified as candidates for sampling. Tabu search constructs are also used to promote diversification. If no non-tabu extrema are identified, a simple exploration step is taken by sampling the midpoint of the largest unexplored interval. The algorithm continues until a user-defined function evaluation limit is reached. Numerous examples are shown to illustrate the algorithm's efficacy and superiority relative to state-of-the-art methods, including Bayesian optimization and NOMAD, on primarily nonconvex test functions.Comment: 58 pages, 7 main figures, 29 total figure

IN-VITRO RELEASE STUDY AND ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTY EVALUATION OF OFLOXACIN LOADED POLY (2-HYDROXYETHYL METHACRYLATE) / POLY (CAPROLACTONE) / POLY (ETHYLENE GLYCOL) HYDROGEL SYSTEM FOR BURN WOUND MANAGEMENT

Monomer 2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate containing small amounts of poly(caprolactone) and poly(ethylene glycol) incorporated with an antibiotic ofloxacin was polymerized by photopolymerization technique using 2,4,6 trimethyl benzoyl diphenyl phosphine oxide (TPO) as photoinitiator. Encapsulation efficiency and in vitro drug release was studied using UV-visible spectroscopy.  Swelling analysis was resorted to compare fluid uptake ability of hydrogel containing the drug with bare polymer. Zone of inhibition assay showed hydrogel containing 1% Ofloxacin to possess strong antimicrobial property Hemolysis assay demonstrated the hydrogel system to be non-hemolytic. Non-cytotoxic character of the hydrogel was confirmed using fibroblast cells. Cell adhesion studies showed non-attachment of fibroblasts to the polymer and improved cell proliferation simultaneously. Key words: Ofloxacin, Encapsulation efficiency, Hydrogel, AntimicrobialÂ

EFEKTIVITAS PENGARUH TERAPI OIL PULLING MENGGUNAKAN MINYAK BUNGA MATAHARI TERHADAP JUMLAH BAKTERI DALAM SALIVA: EFFECTIVITY OF OIL PULLING THERAPY USING SUNFLOWER OIL ON BACTERIA COUNT IN SALIVA

Oil pulling merupakan salah satu cara untuk menyingkirkan bakteri yang tersembunyi di rongga mulut. Terapi oil pulling adalah modifikasi berkumur dengan minyak yang berasal dari pengobatan Ayurveda ribuan tahun yang lalu. Terapi ini dilakukan dengan berkumur sejumlah minyak selama 5-8 menit dan dengan demikian minyak yang dikumur dapat menarik keluar bakteri-bakteri yang tersembunyi di celah gigi dan poket gingival. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui efektivitas terapi oil pulling dengan menggunakan minyak bunga matahari terhadap jumlah bakteri dalam saliva pada mahasiswa. Jenis penelitian yang digunakan adalah eksperimental klinis dengan rancangan pre-test dan post-test. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada 20 orang mahasiswa di Fakultas Kedokteran Gigi. Sampel secara random dibagi menjadi 2 kelompok yaitu kelompok perlakuan melakukan terapi oil pulling dan kontrol dengan berkumur akuades. Sebelum memulai penelitian sampel saliva dari kedua kelompok diperiksa kemudian kelompok perlakuan diberi sesendok makan minyak bunga matahari sedangkan kelompok kontrol diberi akuades. Kedua kelompok berkumur selama 5 menit dan kemudian sampel air kumur diambil. Sampel saliva bercampur air kumur kemudian dibawa ke laboratorium untuk diinkubasi dan dihitung jumlah bakteri. Data yang diperoleh dianalisis dengan uji Mann-Whitney dan uji Wilcoxon. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan ada perbedaan jumlah bakteri yang signifikan dalam saliva antara sebelum dan sesudah melakukan terapi oil pulling (p< 0,005), sedangkan pada kelompok kontrol menunjukkan tidak ada perbedaan jumlah bakteri yang signifikan dalam saliva sebelum dan sesudah berkumur akuades (p= 0,071). Sebagai kesimpulan, terapi oil pulling efektif dalam menarik bakteri dalam rongga mulut dan sekaligus menjaga kesehatan rongga mulut

Active compound, antioxidant, antiproliferative and effect on STZ induced zebrafish of various crude extracts from Boletus qriseipurpureus

Boletus qriseipurpureus (gelam mushroom) is a mushroom used by locals in Tok Bali, Kelantan, Malaysia to treat diabetes, cervical cancer and breast cancer. The active compounds in B. qriseipurpureus remain unidentified. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the potential medicinal properties of B. qriseipurpureus extracts (hot water, cold water and methanol extracts) by conducting preliminary phytochemical screening, in vitro antioxidant, in vitro antiproliferative and in vivo antidiabetic test. Biochemical assays were performed to detect the presence of alkaloids, anthraquinones, flavonoids, reducing sugars, saponins, steroids and tannins in B. qriseipurpureus extracts. 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was used to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of B. qriseipurpureus extracts, while MTT cell proliferation assay (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) was used to investigate the extracts antiproliferative activity. The effects of B. qriseipurpureus extracts on streptozotocin (STZ) induced zebrafish were examined at the concentration of 45 mg/mL, 90 mg/mL and 135 mg/mL. The effect of extracts were measured by the regenerative growth rate of the amputated caudal fin for fourteen days post transection. Screening of the mushroom extracts for active compounds revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins and tannins in all test extracts. Reducing sugars and anthraquinones are only detected in hot water and cold water of B. qriseipurpureus extracts. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of DPPH by hot water, cold water and methanol extract of B. qriseipurpureus are 1.79 mg/mL, 1.97 mg/mL and 3.98 mg/mL respectively. The MTT assay indicated that all extracts exhibited significant antiproliferative effects on MCF-7 cell line after 72 hours with IC50 of 7.7 mg/mL for hot water extract, 8.2 mg/ mL for cold water extract and 16.1 mg/mL for methanol extract but do not display any significant cytotoxic effect. The STZ induced zebrafish treated with 135 mg/mL of hot water B. qriseipurpureus extract for 14 days showed the highest regeneration growth rate of caudal fin (5.04 ± 0.43%) compared to fish treated with metformin (5.72 ± 0.64 %). In this study, we showed the potential of hot water B. qriseipurpureus extracts as a potent therapeutic agent for diabetes and as an alternative natural source of antioxidant

Cardiovascular diseases prediction by machine learning incorporation with deep learning

It is yet unknown what causes cardiovascular disease (CVD), but we do know that it is associated with a high risk of death, as well as severe morbidity and disability. There is an urgent need for AI-based technologies that are able to promptly and reliably predict the future outcomes of individuals who have cardiovascular disease. The Internet of Things (IoT) is serving as a driving force behind the development of CVD prediction. In order to analyse and make predictions based on the data that IoT devices receive, machine learning (ML) is used. Traditional machine learning algorithms are unable to take differences in the data into account and have a low level of accuracy in their model predictions. This research presents a collection of machine learning models that can be used to address this problem. These models take into account the data observation mechanisms and training procedures of a number of different algorithms. In order to verify the efficacy of our strategy, we combined the Heart Dataset with other classification models. The proposed method provides nearly 96 percent of accuracy result than other existing methods and the complete analysis over several metrics has been analysed and provided. Research in the field of deep learning will benefit from additional data from a large number of medical institutions, which may be used for the development of artificial neural network structures

Impact of dengue virus (serotype DENV-2) infection on liver of BALB/c mice: a histopathological analysis

In this research, we characterized the histopathological impact of dengue virus (serotype DENV-2) infection in livers of BALB/c mice. The mice were infected with different doses of DENV-2 via intraperitoneal injection and liver tissues were processed for histological analyses and variation was documented. In the BALB/c mouse model, typical liver tissues showed regular hepatocyte architecture, with normal endothelial cells surrounding sinusoid capillary. Based on histopathological observations, the liver sections of BALB/c mice infected by DENV-2 exhibited a loss of cell integrity, with a widening of the sinusoidal spaces. There were marked increases in the infiltration of mononuclear cells. The areas of hemorrhage and micro- and macrovesicular steatosis were noted. Necrosis and apoptosis were abundantly present. The hallmark of viral infection, i.e., cytopathic effects, included intracellular edema and vacuole formation, cumulatively led to sinusoidal and lobular collapse in the liver. The histopathological studies on autopsy specimens of fatal human DENV cases are important to shed light on tissue damage for preventive and treatment modalities, in order to manage future DENV infections. In this framework, the method present here on BALB/c mouse model may be used to study not only the effects of infections by other DENV serotypes, but also to investigate the effects of novel drugs, such as recently developed nano-formulations, and the relative recovery ability with intact immune functions of host

Hypothermia for moderate or severe neonatal encephalopathy in low-income and middle-income countries (HELIX): a randomised controlled trial in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh

Background: Although therapeutic hypothermia reduces death or disability after neonatal encephalopathy in high-income countries, its safety and efficacy in low-income and middle-income countries is unclear. We aimed to examine whether therapeutic hypothermia alongside optimal supportive intensive care reduces death or moderate or severe disability after neonatal encephalopathy in south Asia. Methods: We did a multicountry open-label, randomised controlled trial in seven tertiary neonatal intensive care units in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. We enrolled infants born at or after 36 weeks of gestation with moderate or severe neonatal encephalopathy and a need for continued resuscitation at 5 min of age or an Apgar score of less than 6 at 5 min of age (for babies born in a hospital), or both, or an absence of crying by 5 min of age (for babies born at home). Using a web-based randomisation system, we allocated infants into a group receiving whole body hypothermia (33·5°C) for 72 h using a servo-controlled cooling device, or to usual care (control group), within 6 h of birth. All recruiting sites had facilities for invasive ventilation, cardiovascular support, and access to 3 Tesla MRI scanners and spectroscopy. Masking of the intervention was not possible, but those involved in the magnetic resonance biomarker analysis and neurodevelopmental outcome assessments were masked to the allocation. The primary outcome was a combined endpoint of death or moderate or severe disability at 18–22 months, assessed by the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (third edition) and a detailed neurological examination. Analysis was by intention to treat. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02387385. Findings: We screened 2296 infants between Aug 15, 2015, and Feb 15, 2019, of whom 576 infants were eligible for inclusion. After exclusions, we recruited 408 eligible infants and we assigned 202 to the hypothermia group and 206 to the control group. Primary outcome data were available for 195 (97%) of the 202 infants in the hypothermia group and 199 (97%) of the 206 control group infants. 98 (50%) infants in the hypothermia group and 94 (47%) infants in the control group died or had a moderate or severe disability (risk ratio 1·06; 95% CI 0·87–1·30; p=0·55). 84 infants (42%) in the hypothermia group and 63 (31%; p=0·022) infants in the control group died, of whom 72 (36%) and 49 (24%; p=0·0087) died during neonatal hospitalisation. Five serious adverse events were reported: three in the hypothermia group (one hospital readmission relating to pneumonia, one septic arthritis, and one suspected venous thrombosis), and two in the control group (one related to desaturations during MRI and other because of endotracheal tube displacement during transport for MRI). No adverse events were considered causally related to the study intervention. Interpretation: Therapeutic hypothermia did not reduce the combined outcome of death or disability at 18 months after neonatal encephalopathy in low-income and middle-income countries, but significantly increased death alone. Therapeutic hypothermia should not be offered as treatment for neonatal encephalopathy in low-income and middle-income countries, even when tertiary neonatal intensive care facilities are available. Funding: National Institute for Health Research, Garfield Weston Foundation, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Translations: For the Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Singhalese, Tamil, Marathi and Bangla translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section