Operation and Performance of Vehicular Ad-Hoc Routing Protocols in Realistic Environments

Abstract—Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure wireless communications are currently under development to improve traffic efficiency and safety. Routing protocols enabling multi-hop communications represent a major technology for information dissemination within vehicular ad-hoc networks. The high node’s mobility and propagation conditions experienced by vehicle-to-vehicle communications require a careful routing protocol design to ensure its successful operation and performance under realistic environments. To this aim, this paper analyses the impact and importance of adequately considering physical layer effects to correctly quantify a routing protocol’s performance, and understand its networking operation

A fully automated home cage for long-term continuous phenotyping of mouse cognition and behavior

Automated home-cage monitoring systems present a valuable tool for comprehensive phenotyping of natural behaviors. However, current systems often involve complex training routines, water or food restriction, and probe a limited range of behaviors. Here, we present a fully automated home-cage monitoring system for cognitive and behavioral phenotyping in mice. The system incorporates T-maze alternation, novel object recognition, and object-in-place recognition tests combined with monitoring of locomotion, drinking, and quiescence patterns, all carried out over long periods. Mice learn the tasks rapidly without any need for water or food restrictions. Behavioral characterization employs a deep convolutional neural network image analysis. We show that combined statistical properties of multiple behaviors can be used to discriminate between mice with hippocampal, medial entorhinal, and sham lesions and predict the genotype of an Alzheimer's disease mouse model with high accuracy. This technology may enable large-scale behavioral screening for genes and neural circuits underlying spatial memory and other cognitive processes

Metal-organic and supramolecular lead(II) networks assembled from isomeric nicotinoylhydrazone blocks : the effects of ligand geometry and counter-ion on topology and supramolecular assembly

A new series of six structurally diverse lead(II) coordination compounds was assembled from two isomeric nicotinoylhydrazones as neutral ligands and three Pb(II) salts with different monoanions (chloride, nitrate and thiocyanate) as starting materials. The products were isolated in good yields and were fully characterized, including by single-crystal Xray diffraction and theoretical methods. Within the six compounds, three feature 2D metal-organic networks, two are 1D coordination polymers, and another one comprises discrete 0D dimeric units. The structures of the latter low dimensional compounds are extendable into 2D supramolecular networks. The topology of the coordination or supramolecular networks is primarily dictated by the geometry of the nicotinoylhydrazone used as a main building block. In contrast, supramolecular interactions are greatly influenced by the choice of the anion in the starting lead(II) salt, which is demonstrated by Hirshfeld surface analysis. In fact, the topological analysis and classification of metal-organic or supramolecular underlying networks in the obtained compounds was performed, disclosing the hcb, 2C1, gek1, SP 1-periodic net (4,4)(0,2) and 3,4L83 topological types; the latter topology was docummented for three compounds, including both coordination and supramolecular networks. In two compounds containing thiocyanate moieties there are supramolecular contacts between thiocyanate anions and lead centres. These were shown by DFT calculations to be strong tetrel bonds (–15.3 and –16.7 kcal/mol) between the σ-hole of the lead atom and the π-system of the thiocyanate S–C bond

Modelización de fenómenos físicos en aplicaciones de computación gráfica en tiempo real

Cuando se desarrollan aplicaciones de realidad virtual, uno de los principales desafíos es lograr realismo e inmersión a un costo computacional aceptable. Con las placas gráficas actuales es posible obtener imágenes muy cercanas a la realidad, aunque también se debe incluir comportamiento físico para lograr escenas que brinden una verdadera inmersión. Para cumplir este objetivo, se han desarrollado en los últimos años varios motores físicos implementados en forma de bibliotecas (ODE, NGD, TPE, BPL1) o en placas dedicadas a la simulación de modelos físicos (por ejemplo, el producto de nVIDIA® denominado PhysX); los cuales permiten agregar comportamiento físico a escenas tridimensionales. Es posible que los usuarios deseen realizar pruebas de rendimiento y/o precisión a cada motor físico para determinar cual de ellos se ajusta mejor a sus necesidades; o utilizar distintas funcionalidades de cada uno en una misma aplicación, pero ocurre que cada uno de estos motores necesita una configuración distinta de inicialización y muchas veces la funcionalidad implementada difiere entre uno y otro, haciendo que el código implementado sea obsoleto, requiriendo de un esfuerzo considerable para portar la aplicación a otro motor. Para solucionar dichos problemas, el presente trabajo se centra principalmente en crear una capa de abstracción o PAL (del inglés, Physics Abstraction Layer) que sea utilizada por un motor gráfico, la cual brinde una comunicación fluida con diversos motores físicos maximizando la reutilización de código y permita cambiar el uso entre ellos.Eje: Computación gráfica, Imágenes y VisualizaciónRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Modelización de fenómenos físicos en aplicaciones de computación gráfica en tiempo real

Cuando se desarrollan aplicaciones de realidad virtual, uno de los principales desafíos es lograr realismo e inmersión a un costo computacional aceptable. Con las placas gráficas actuales es posible obtener imágenes muy cercanas a la realidad, aunque también se debe incluir comportamiento físico para lograr escenas que brinden una verdadera inmersión. Para cumplir este objetivo, se han desarrollado en los últimos años varios motores físicos implementados en forma de bibliotecas (ODE, NGD, TPE, BPL1) o en placas dedicadas a la simulación de modelos físicos (por ejemplo, el producto de nVIDIA® denominado PhysX); los cuales permiten agregar comportamiento físico a escenas tridimensionales. Es posible que los usuarios deseen realizar pruebas de rendimiento y/o precisión a cada motor físico para determinar cual de ellos se ajusta mejor a sus necesidades; o utilizar distintas funcionalidades de cada uno en una misma aplicación, pero ocurre que cada uno de estos motores necesita una configuración distinta de inicialización y muchas veces la funcionalidad implementada difiere entre uno y otro, haciendo que el código implementado sea obsoleto, requiriendo de un esfuerzo considerable para portar la aplicación a otro motor. Para solucionar dichos problemas, el presente trabajo se centra principalmente en crear una capa de abstracción o PAL (del inglés, Physics Abstraction Layer) que sea utilizada por un motor gráfico, la cual brinde una comunicación fluida con diversos motores físicos maximizando la reutilización de código y permita cambiar el uso entre ellos.Eje: Computación gráfica, Imágenes y VisualizaciónRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Local transformations of the hippocampal cognitive map

Grid cells are neurons active in multiple fields arranged in a hexagonal lattice and are thought to represent the “universal metric for space.” However, they become nonhomogeneously distorted in polarized enclosures, which challenges this view. We found that local changes to the configuration of the enclosure induce individual grid fields to shift in a manner inversely related to their distance from the reconfigured boundary. The grid remained primarily anchored to the unchanged stable walls and showed a nonuniform rescaling. Shifts in simultaneously recorded colocalized grid fields were strongly correlated, which suggests that the readout of the animal’s position might still be intact. Similar field shifts were also observed in place and boundary cells—albeit of greater magnitude and more pronounced closer to the reconfigured boundary—which suggests that there is no simple one-to-one relationship between these three different cell types

A study of cadmium yellow paints from Joan Miró’s paintings and studio materials preserved at the Fundació Miró Mallorca

The deterioration of cadmium yellow paints in artworks by Joan Miró (1893–1983) and in painting materials from his studios in Mallorca (Spain) was investigated. Analysis of samples from Miró’s paintings and from paint tubes and palettes showed that degraded paints are composed of poorly crystalline cadmium sulfide/zinc cadmium sulfide (CdS/Cd1−xZnxS) with a low percentage of zinc, in an oil binding medium. Cadmium sulfates were identified as the main deterioration products, forming superficial white crusts detected using SR μXANES and μXRD techniques. Time-resolved photoluminescence measurements demonstrated that highly degraded samples display a pink/orange emission from the paint surface with a microsecond lifetime, a phenomenon observed in other degraded cadmium yellow paints. In agreement with recent studies on altered cadmium paints, these results suggest that the stability of the paint is related to its manufacturing method, which affects the degree of crystallinity of the resulting pigment. This, together with the environmental conditions in which artworks have been exposed, have induced the degradation of yellow paints in Miró’s artworks. It was finally noted that the paints exhibiting alteration in the analysed Miró artworks have a chemical composition that is very similar to the tube paint ‘Cadmium Yellow Lemon No. 1’ produced by Lucien Lefebvre-Foinet. Indeed, paint tubes from this brand were found in the studio, linking the use of this product with Miro’s degraded artworks

AMBRA1 is able to induce mitophagy via LC3 binding, regardless of PARKIN and p62/SQSTM1

Damaged mitochondria are eliminated by mitophagy, a selective form of autophagy whose dysfunction associates with neurodegenerative diseases. PINK1, PARKIN and p62/SQTMS1 have been shown to regulate mitophagy, leaving hitherto ill-defined the contribution by key players in 'general' autophagy. In basal conditions, a pool of AMBRA1 - an upstream autophagy regulator and a PARKIN interactor - is present at the mitochondria, where its pro-autophagic activity is inhibited by Bcl-2. Here we show that, upon mitophagy induction, AMBRA1 binds the autophagosome adapter LC3 through a LIR (LC3 interacting region) motif, this interaction being crucial for regulating both canonical PARKIN-dependent and -independent mitochondrial clearance. Moreover, forcing AMBRA1 localization to the outer mitochondrial membrane unleashes a massive PARKIN- and p62-independent but LC3-dependent mitophagy. These results highlight a novel role for AMBRA1 as a powerful mitophagy regulator, through both canonical or noncanonical pathways

Simultaneous analysis of free amino acids and biogenic amines in honey and wine samples using in loop orthophthalaldeyde derivatization procedure

This work presents a RP-HPLC method for the simultaneous quantification of free amino acids and biogenic amines in liquid food matrices and the results of the application to honey and wine samples obtained from different production processes and geographic origins. The developed methodology is based on a pre-column derivatization with o-phthaldialdehyde carried out in the sample injection loop. The compounds were separated in a Nova-Pack RP-C18 column (150 mm × 3.9 mm, 4 μm) at 35 °C. The mobile phase used was a mixture of phase A: 10 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.3), methanol and tetrahydrofuran (91:8:1); and phase B: methanol and phosphate buffer (80:20), with a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. Fluorescence detection was used at an excitation wavelength of 335 nm and an emission wavelength of 440 nm. The separation and quantification of 19 amino acids and 6 amines was carried out in a single run as their OPA/MCE derivatives elute within 80 min, ensuring a reproducible quantification. The method showed to be adequate for the purpose, with an average RSD of 2% for the different amino acids; detection limits varying between 0.71 mg/l (Asn) and 8.26 mg/l (Lys) and recovery rates between 63.0% (Cad) and 98.0% (Asp). The amino acids present at the highest concentration in honey and wine samples were phenylalanine and arginine, respectively. Only residual levels of biogenic amines were detected in the analysed samples

Successful treatment of granulomatous reactions secondary to injection of esthetic implants

In recent years, various injectable materials have come into use to improve esthetic appearance. OBJECTIVE: We describe the clinical and histopathologic aspects of two patients who received intradermal injections of an unknown dermal filler and the different diagnostic tools used to identify the unknown injected material (reflexion electron microscopy, electron dispersing x-ray) and discuss the possibility of a metastatic granulomatous reaction in one patient. We also describe two treatments for this complication and evaluate the legal considerations of the use of materials that have been adulterated and/or whose composition is unknown to the patient. METHODS: We present two patients who developed a granulomatous foreign-body reaction after the subcutaneous injection of an esthetic implant. We treated patient 1 with isotretinoin and 2 months later with doxycycline. We administered isotretinoin to patient 2. RESULTS: We observed a partial improvement in patient 1 after isotretinoin treatment and a remarkable improvement after administration of doxycycline. In patient 2, we observed an excellent response to isotretinoin. CONCLUSION: Isotretinoin and doxycycline, when administered separately, seem to offer effective treatment for reactions resulting from silicone implants. However, further studies that include a larger number of patients and those with reactions secondary to other fillers are clearly needed before the effectiveness of this treatment can be confirmed