Parallel Opportunistic Routing in Wireless Networks

We study benefits of opportunistic routing in a large wireless ad hoc network by examining how the power, delay, and total throughput scale as the number of source- destination pairs increases up to the operating maximum. Our opportunistic routing is novel in a sense that it is massively parallel, i.e., it is performed by many nodes simultaneously to maximize the opportunistic gain while controlling the inter-user interference. The scaling behavior of conventional multi-hop transmission that does not employ opportunistic routing is also examined for comparison. Our results indicate that our opportunistic routing can exhibit a net improvement in overall power--delay trade-off over the conventional routing by providing up to a logarithmic boost in the scaling law. Such a gain is possible since the receivers can tolerate more interference due to the increased received signal power provided by the multi-user diversity gain, which means that having more simultaneous transmissions is possible.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, Under Review for Possible Publication in IEEE Transactions on Information Theor

Tailoring Low-field Strain Properties of [0.97Bi1/2(Na0.78K0.22)1/2TiO3-0.03LaFeO3]-Bi1/2(Na0.82K0.18)1/2TiO3 Lead-Free Relaxor/Ferroelectric Composites

We investigated the effect of Bi1/2(Na0.82K0.18)1/2TiO3 (BNKT) modification on the ferroelectric and electric-field-induced strain (EFIS) properties of lead-free 0.97Bi1/2(Na0.82K0.18)1/2TiO3-0.03LaFeO3 (BNKTLF) ceramics as a function of BNKT content (x= 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, and 1). BNKT-modified BNKTLF powders were synthesized using a conventional solid-state reaction method. As the BNKT content x increased from 0 to 1 the normalized electric-field-induced strain (Smax/Emax) was observed to increase at relatively low fields, i.e., below the poling field. Moreover, BNKTLF-30BNKT showed about 460 pm/V as low as at 3 kV/mm, which is a considerably high value among the lead-free systems reported so far. Consequently, it was confirmed that ceramic-ceramic composite, a mixture of an ergodic relaxor matrix and embedded ferroelectric seeds, is a salient way to make lead-free piezoelectrics practical with enhanced EFIS at low field as well as less hysterical.ope

Evaluation of Direct Immunofluorescence Test with PCR for Detection of Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus during 2009 Pandemic

During the 2009 novel influenza (H1N1) pandemic, the sensitivity of direct immunofluorescence assay (DFA) for H1N1 infection was 62% (266/429) of that of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. The sensitivity of the DFA differed significantly with the age of patients: the sensitivity was the highest (71.8%) for patients aged <10 years and the lowest for patients aged ≥30 years. The sensitivity of DFA in patients aged ≥30 years was 40.7%. Furthermore, the sensitivity (67.3%, 171/254) of DFA was higher for patients who had a high temperature at admission. An increase in the incidence of H1N1 infection did not influence the sensitivity of DFA (62.1% vs. 62%; p=0.984) test, but resulted in a decrease in the negative predictive value, from 92.4% (700/757) to 69.6% (247/355). PCR may be useful as the initial test for diagnosing H1N1 infection in patients aged ≥30 years with a normal temperature at presentation

The ancient phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling system is a master regulator of energy and carbon metabolism in algae

Algae undergo a complete metabolic transformation under stress by arresting cell growth, inducing autophagy and hyperaccumulating biofuel precursors such as triacylglycerols and starch. However, the regulatory mechanisms behind this stress-induced transformation are still unclear. Here, we use biochemical, mutational, and “omics” approaches to demonstrate that PI3K signaling mediates the homeostasis of energy molecules and influences carbon metabolism in algae. In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the inhibition and knockdown (KD) of algal class III PI3K led to significantly decreased cell growth, altered cell morphology, and higher lipid and starch contents. Lipid profiling of wild-type and PI3K KD lines showed significantly reduced membrane lipid breakdown under nitrogen starvation (-N) in the KD. RNA-seq and network analyses showed that under -N conditions, the KD line carried out lipogenesis rather than lipid hydrolysis by initiating de novo fatty acid biosynthesis, which was supported by tricarboxylic acid cycle down-regulation and via acetyl-CoA synthesis from glycolysis. Remarkably, autophagic responses did not have primacy over inositide signaling in algae, unlike in mammals and vascular plants. The mutant displayed a fundamental shift in intracellular energy flux, analogous to that in tumor cells. The high free fatty acid levels and reduced mitochondrial ATP generation led to decreased cell viability. These results indicate that the PI3K signal transduction pathway is the metabolic gatekeeper restraining biofuel yields, thus maintaining fitness and viability under stress in algae. This study demonstrates the existence of homeostasis between starch and lipid synthesis controlled by lipid signaling in algae and expands our understanding of such processes, with biotechnological and evolutionary implications.Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning 2015M3A6A2065697Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries 2015018

Three-way Translocation of MLL/MLLT3, t(1;9;11)(p34.2;p22;q23), in a Pediatric Case of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

The chromosome band 11q23 is a common target region of chromosomal translocation in different types of leukemia, including infantile leukemia and therapy-related leukemia. The target gene at 11q23, MLL, is disrupted by the translocation and becomes fused to various translocation partners. We report a case of AML with a rare 3-way translocation involving chromosomes 1, 9, and 11: t(1;9;11)(p34.2;p22;q23). A 3-yr-old Korean girl presented with a 5-day history of fever. A diagnosis of AML was made on the basis of the morphological evaluation and immunophenotyping of bone marrow specimens. Flow cytometric immunophenotyping showed blasts positive for myeloid lineage markers and aberrant CD19 expression. Karyotypic analysis showed 46,XX,t(1;9;11)(p34.2;p22;q23) in 19 of the 20 cells analyzed. This abnormality was involved in MLL/MLLT3 rearrangement, which was confirmed by qualitative multiplex reverse transcription-PCR and interphase FISH. She achieved morphological and cytogenetic remission after 1 month of chemotherapy and remained event-free for 6 months. Four cases of t(1;9;11)(v;p22;q23) have been reported previously in a series that included cases with other 11q23 abnormalities, making it difficult to determine the distinctive clinical features associated with this abnormality. To our knowledge, this is the first description of t(1;9;11) with clinical and laboratory data, including the data for the involved genes, MLL/MLLT3

Soshiho-Tang Aqueous Extract Exerts Antiobesity Effects in High Fat Diet-Fed Mice and Inhibits Adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

Soshiho-tang (SST; sho-saiko-to in Japanese; xiaochaihu-tang in Chinese) has generally been used to improve liver fibrosis- and cirrhosis-related symptoms in traditional Korean medicine. Although many studies have investigated the pharmacological properties of SST, its antiobesity effect has not been elucidated. Thus, our present study was carried out to evaluate the antiobesity effect of SST using a high fat diet- (HFD) induced obese mouse model and 3T3-L1 adipose cells. C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into four groups (n=6/group), normal diet (ND), HFD-fed group, and HFD- and SST-fed groups (S200: 200 mg/kg of SST; S600: 600 mg/kg of SST) and given HFD with or without SST extract for 8 weeks. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were differentiated into adipocytes for 8 days with or without SST. In the HFD-fed obese mice, body weight and fat accumulation in adipose tissue were significantly reduced by SST administration. Compared with control-differentiated adipocytes, SST significantly inhibited lipid accumulation by decreasing the triglyceride (TG) content and leptin concentration in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. SST also decreased the expression of adipogenesis-related genes including lipoprotein lipase (LPL), fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-alpha (C/EBP-α), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ). Our findings suggest that SST has potential as a nontoxic antiobesity medication

Men's Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Are Also Mental and Physical Sufferings for Their Spouses

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men may have an adverse effect on spouse health-related quality of life (HRQL), and these effects are probably influenced by cultural and perceptional differences. This study was conducted to explore the impact of LUTS in Korean men on their spousal HRQL in relation to symptom severities and other demographic parameters. A total of 130 spouses, whose husbands had a nocturia, frequency of greater than once per night, who shared a bed with their husbands, and accompanied husbands at consultation, were subsequently enrolled and asked to complete a structured questionnaire. Almost all spouses (98%) suffered one or more inconveniences that affected HRQL to some degree. Sleep disturbance was rated to be most inconvenient. The sleep disturbances were significantly correlated with nocturia frequency and husband co-morbidity. Husband's LUTS caused partners to feel fatigued (62%), embarrassed (79%), concerned about the possibilities of cancer (69%) and surgery (81%), sexual life deteriorated (58%), and dissatisfied, unhappy, or terrible (36%). Spouse's perception on HRQL was found to be well correlated with husband's quality of life. Men with LUTS need to understand that their LUTS is also mental and physical sufferings for their spouses

Ring-Type Rotary Ultrasonic Motor Using Lead-free Ceramics

Ultrasonic motors provide high torques and quick responses compared to their magnetic counterparts; therefore, they are widely used in small-scale applications such as mobile phones, microrobots, and auto-focusing modules in digital cameras. To determine the feasibility of lead-free piezoceramics for ultrasonic motor applications, we fabricated a ring-type piezoceramic with a KNN-based lead-free piezoceramic (referred to as CZ5), intended for use in an auto-focusing module of a digital camera. The vibration of the lead-free stator was observed at 45.1kHz. It is noteworthy that the fully assembled lead-free ultrasonic motor exhibited a revolution speed of 5-7 rpm, even though impedance matching with neighboring components was not considered. This result suggests that the tested KNN-based piezoceramic has great potential for use in ultrasonic motor applications, requiring minimal modifications to existing lead-based systems.ope