TURN Servers Impacts Over WebRTC QoE in 4G Network

International audienceWebRTC is a new technology allowing web players to offer communication services to their customers. It optimizes the communications by privileging peer-to-peer connections.However, in restrictive networks, media relays (TURN servers) are mandatory for establishing the call. The location and behavior of these media relays can have an undesirable influence on the quality of real-time communication. The goal of this study is to compare the impact on the QoE depending on the TURN server used. The comparison is focused on audio calls over 4G networks. The paper describes a test environment and suggests a measurement methodology based on the Mouth to Ear delay criteria. It gives the assessment of the first results focusing on TURN server location

Methodology for the optimal design of an integrated sugarcane distillery and cogeneration process for ethanol and power production

The application of systematic methodologies for the optimal design of integrated processes has seen increased interest in literature, namely for bioprocesses. The development and application of such a methodology to ethanol and power production from sugarcane and leaves, in a combined distillery and cogeneration plant is investigated in this article. The methodology breaks down as follows: process simulation, heat integration and thermo-economic evaluation, bi-objective multi-variable evolutionary optimization, and process selection. The objective functions are exergy efficiency and capital cost, whereas the selection criterion is the maximization of the Net Present Value (NPV). This choice was motivated by the variation in process related market parameters and their impact on profitability. Optimization generated 31 optimal trade-off solutions with better results than literature. Exergy efficiency ranged between 37.6% and 41.7% and capital costs between 155 M$and 210 M$. Process selection led to a single configuration maximizing NPV for four economic scenarios. The configuration's exergy efficiency and capital costs were equal to 40.63% and 163 M$. This point presented an optimal compromise between heat integration and capital costs. This article provides a breakthrough in the application of this methodology, to the investigated process specifically. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

One‐year COVID ‐19 outcomes on the oncology care patient pathway: Results of a French descriptive, cross‐sectional comprehensive study (ONCOCARE‐COV)

International audienceBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a widely documented disruption in cancer care pathway. Since a resurgence of the pandemic was expected after the first lockdown in France, the global impact on the cancer care pathway over the year 2020 was investigated.Aims: This study aimed to describe the changes in the oncology care pathway for cancer screening, diagnosis, assessment, diagnosis annoucement procedure and treatment over a one-year period.Materials & Methods: The ONCOCARE-COV study was a comprehensive, retrospective, descriptive, and cross-sectional study comparing the years 2019 and 2020. All key indicators along the cancer care pathway assessing the oncological activity over four periods were described. This study was set in a high-volume, public, single tertiary care center divided in two complementary sites (Reims University Hospital and Godinot Cancer Institute, Reims, France) which was located in a high COVID-19 incidence area during both peaks of the outbreak.Results: A total of 26,566 patient's files were active during the year 2020. Breast screening (−19.5%), announcement dedicated consultations (−9.2%), Intravenous and Hyperthermic Intraoperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPECs) (−25%), and oncogeriatric evaluations (−14.8%) were heavily disrupted in regard to 2020 activity. We identified a clear second outbreak wave impact on medical announcement procedures (October, −14.4%), radiotherapy sessions (October, −16%), number of new health record discussed in multidisciplinary tumor board meeting (November, −14.6%) and HIPECs (November, −100%). Moreover, 2020 cancer care activity stagnated compared to 2019.Discussion: The oncological care pathway was heavily disrupted during the first and second peaks of the COVID-19 outbreak. Between lockdowns, we observed a remarkable but non-compensatory recovery as well as a lesser impact from the pandemic resurgence. However, in absence of an increase in activity, a backlog persisted.Conclusion: Public health efforts are needed to deal with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the oncology care pathway