Supporting development and management of smart office applications: a DYAMAND case study

To realize the Internet of Things (IoT) vision, tools are needed to ease the development and deployment of practical applications. Several standard bodies, companies, and ad-hoc consortia are proposing their own solution for inter-device communication. In this context, DYnamic, Adaptive MAnagement of Networks and Devices (DYAMAND) was presented in a previous publication to solve the interoperability issues introduced by the multitude of available technologies. In this paper a DYAMAND case study is presented: in cooperation with a large company, a monitoring application was developed for flexible office spaces in order to reliably reorganize an office environment and give real-time feedback on the usage of meeting rooms. Three wireless sensor technologies were investigated to be used in the pilot. The solution was deployed in a "friendly user" setting at a research institute (iMinds) prior to deployment at the large company's premises. Based on the findings of both installations, requirements for an application platform supporting development and management of smart (office) applications were listed. DYAMAND was used as the basis of the implementation. Although the local management of networked devices as provided by DYAMAND enables easier development of intelligent applications, a number of remote services discussed in this paper are needed to enable reliable and up-to-date support (of new technologies)

Formulasi Biskuit Padat Siap-santap untuk Makanan Darurat (Ready-to-eat-biscuit Bars Formulation For Disaster-related Emergency Situation)

In situation when the disaster occurres, people can be panic and can not manage appropriate food for the whole family. Therefore, it is required food supply from the authority to fulfill the nutrition need during emergency. For infants, there were milk and food products available in the market that can be given in such situation. However, for children and adults, there are no emergency food available in the market. Some post-disaster surveys indicates that food aid distributed during emergency situation only provides energy source rather than a complete nutrition. Furthermore, these foods still require processing before consumption. The aim of the study is to develop formulated ready-to-eat foods for children and adults that have a dense calories and protein that can be given in disaster-related emergency situation. The foods are produced in solid form, and has good acceptance by both panelist in laboratory and people in the field. In the early stages of research, six formulas in solid form are developed, three have savory taste and three are sweet. One formula that the most preferred by the panelist in the laboratory are chosen. The best formula is then given to field panelists in area of disaster to know their preference. Formula made from soy and sesame with sweet taste has the highest value compared with other types of formulas, and significantly different by Duncan's test from all formulas. In flavor and aroma attributes, this formula is not significantly different from others, however in crispiness; this formula has the best acceptance. The biscuits has energy 2.100 kcal per portion that 11.5 percent of the energy is from protein, 44.4 percent is from fat and the remaining 44 percent is from carbohydrates

Targeting danger molecules in tendinopathy: the HMGB1/TLR4 axis

Objectives: To seek evidence of the danger molecule, high-mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1) expression in human tendinopathy and thereafter, to explore mechanisms where HMGB1 may regulate inflammatory mediators and matrix regulation in human tendinopathy. Methods: Torn supraspinatus tendon (established pathology) and matched intact subscapularis tendon (representing ‘early pathology’) biopsies were collected from patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Control samples of subscapularis tendon were collected from patients undergoing arthroscopic stabilisation surgery. Markers of inflammation and HMGB1 were quantified by reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. Human tendon-derived primary cells were derived from hamstring tendon tissue obtained during hamstring tendon anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and used through passage 3. In vitro effects of recombinant HMGB1 on tenocyte matrix and inflammatory potential were measured using quantitative RT-PCR, ELISA and immunohistochemistry staining. Results: Tendinopathic tissues demonstrated significantly increased levels of the danger molecule HMGB1 compared with control tissues with early tendinopathy tissue showing the greatest expression. The addition of recombinant human HMGB1 to tenocytes led to significant increase in expression of a number of inflammatory mediators, including interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-33, CCL2 and CXCL12, in vitro. Further analysis demonstrated rhHMGB1 treatment resulted in increased expression of genes involved in matrix remodelling. Significant increases were observed in Col3, Tenascin-C and Decorin. Moreover, blocking HMGB1 signalling via toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) silencing reversed these key inflammatory and matrix changes. Conclusion: HMGB1 is present in human tendinopathy and can regulate inflammatory cytokines and matrix changes. We propose HMGB1 as a mediator driving the inflammatory/matrix crosstalk and manipulation of the HMGB1/TLR4 axis may offer novel therapeutic approaches targeting inflammatory mechanisms in the management of human tendon disorders

Liquid chromatographic determination of efficacy of incorporation of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in brine shrimp (<i>Artemia</i> spp.) used for prophylactic chemotherapy of fish

The brine shrimp Artemia , an excellent live food source in aquaculture, has been studied as a carrier to deliver selected chemotherapeutic agents to fish for prophylactic treatment of infectious diseases. To monitor the efficiency of incorporation of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in Artemia franciscana, a sensitive and specific analytical method was developed. It is based on homogenization of Artemia nauplii in methanol, extraction of lipids with hexane, solid-phase cleanup on C18 cartridges, and reversed-phase liquid chromatography with detection at 210 nm. The method is sensitive (detection limit, on the order of 3 µg/g with a sample quantity of 30 mg [dry weight]) and reproducible (coefficients of variation, 2.2 and 1.8% for trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole at levels of 79.6 and 257 µg/g of body weight, respectively). Preliminary quantitative data indicated excellent uptake and persistence of both therapeutic agents in A. franciscana, with levels of 115 µg/g for trimethoprim and 277 µg/g for sulfamethoxazole

Enhancement of stress resistance of the guppy <i>Poecilia reticulata</i> through feeding with vitamin C supplement

This study investigated the use of vitamin C supplement in formulated diets and live Artemia juveniles to enhance the stress resistance of the guppy Poecilia reticulata. To evaluate the stress resistance, fish were subjected to osmotic shock in pre-aerated water containing 35 ppt sodium chloride. Ascorbyl acid-poly phosphate and ascorbyl palmitate were used as vitamin C sources for formulated diets and live Artemia juveniles, respectively. Results showed that guppies fed moist formulated diets supplemented with ascorbic acid at 1,000 mg/kg or 2,000 mg/kg diet displayed significantly higher levels of stress resistance than fish fed control formulated diet for 13 d. The stress resistance of fish fed a lower dose (200 mg/kg diet), however, did not differ significantly from that of the control. On the other hand, the stress resistance of guppies fed Artemia juveniles bio-encapsulated with 10% or 20% ascorbyl palmitate did not show significant difference from that of fish fed control Artemia after 20 d. The stress resistance of these three groups of Artemia-fed fish, however, was significantly higher than that of fish fed the control formulated diet. Biochemical analyses showed that raising the ascorbic acid level in feeds resulted in a concomitant increase in the incorporated ascorbic acid level in the whole-body tissue of the guppy. The increased stress resistance of the guppy fed a vitamin C supplemented diet has also been demonstrated in four commercial farms. The potential application of the improved stress resistance in the ornamental fish industry was discussed

Neandertal introgression partitions the genetic landscape of neuropsychiatric disorders and associated behavioral phenotypes

Despite advances in identifying the genetic basis of psychiatric and neurological disorders, fundamental questions about their evolutionary origins remain elusive. Here, introgressed variants from archaic humans such as Neandertals can serve as an intriguing research paradigm. We compared the number of associations for Neandertal variants to the number of associations of frequency-matched non-archaic variants with regard to human CNS disorders (neurological and psychiatric), nervous system drug prescriptions (as a proxy for disease), and related, non-disease phenotypes in the UK biobank (UKBB). While no enrichment for Neandertal genetic variants were observed in the UKBB for psychiatric or neurological disease categories, we found significant associations with certain behavioral phenotypes including pain, chronotype/sleep, smoking and alcohol consumption. In some instances, the enrichment signal was driven by Neandertal variants that represented the strongest association genome-wide. SNPs within a Neandertal haplotype that was associated with smoking in the UKBB could be replicated in four independent genomics datasets

Genetic spectrum of hereditary neuropathies with onset in the first year of life

Early onset hereditary motor and sensory neuropathies are rare disorders encompassing congenital hypomyelinating neuropathy with disease onset in the direct post-natal period and Dejerine–Sottas neuropathy starting in infancy. The clinical spectrum, however, reaches beyond the boundaries of these two historically defined disease entities. De novo dominant mutations in PMP22, MPZ and EGR2 are known to be a typical cause of very early onset hereditary neuropathies. In addition, mutations in several other dominant and recessive genes for Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease may lead to similar phenotypes. To estimate mutation frequencies and to gain detailed insights into the genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of early onset hereditary neuropathies, we selected a heterogeneous cohort of 77 unrelated patients who presented with symptoms of peripheral neuropathy within the first year of life. The majority of these patients were isolated in their family. We performed systematic mutation screening by means of direct sequencing of the coding regions of 11 genes: MFN2, PMP22, MPZ, EGR2, GDAP1, NEFL, FGD4, MTMR2, PRX, SBF2 and SH3TC2. In addition, screening for the Charcot–Marie–Tooth type 1A duplication on chromosome 17p11.2-12 was performed. In 35 patients (45%), mutations were identified. Mutations in MPZ, PMP22 and EGR2 were found most frequently in patients presenting with early hypotonia and breathing difficulties. The recessive genes FGD4, PRX, MTMR2, SBF2, SH3TC2 and GDAP1 were mutated in patients presenting with early foot deformities and variable delay in motor milestones after an uneventful neonatal period. Several patients displaying congenital foot deformities but an otherwise normal early development carried the Charcot–Marie–Tooth type 1A duplication. This study clearly illustrates the genetic heterogeneity underlying hereditary neuropathies with infantile onset

An extensible framework for multicore response time analysis

In this paper, we introduce a multicore response time analysis (MRTA) framework, which decouples response time analysis from a reliance on context independent WCET values. Instead, the analysis formulates response times directly from the demands placed on different hardware resources. The MRTA framework is extensible to different multicore architectures, with a variety of arbitration policies for the common interconnects, and different types and arrangements of local memory. We instantiate the framework for single level local data and instruction memories (cache or scratchpads), for a variety of memory bus arbitration policies, including: Round-Robin, FIFO, Fixed-Priority, Processor-Priority, and TDMA, and account for DRAM refreshes. The MRTA framework provides a general approach to timing verification for multicore systems that is parametric in the hardware configuration and so can be used at the architectural design stage to compare the guaranteed levels of real-time performance that can be obtained with different hardware configurations. We use the framework in this way to evaluate the performance of multicore systems with a variety of different architectural components and policies. These results are then used to compose a predictable architecture, which is compared against a reference architecture designed for good average-case behaviour. This comparison shows that the predictable architecture has substantially better guaranteed real-time performance, with the precision of the analysis verified using cycle-accurate simulation

Theoretical Formulation of Principal Components Analysis to Detect and Correct for Population Stratification

The Eigenstrat method, based on principal components analysis (PCA), is commonly used both to quantify population relationships in population genetics and to correct for population stratification in genome-wide association studies. However, it can be difficult to make appropriate inference about population relationships from the principal component (PC) scatter plot. Here, to better understand the working mechanism of the Eigenstrat method, we consider its theoretical or “population” formulation. The eigen-equation for samples from an arbitrary number () of populations is reduced to that of a matrix of dimension , the elements of which are determined by the variance-covariance matrix for the random vector of the allele frequencies. Solving the reduced eigen-equation is numerically trivial and yields eigenvectors that are the axes of variation required for differentiating the populations. Using the reduced eigen-equation, we investigate the within-population fluctuations around the axes of variation on the PC scatter plot for simulated datasets. Specifically, we show that there exists an asymptotically stable pattern of the PC plot for large sample size. Our results provide theoretical guidance for interpreting the pattern of PC plot in terms of population relationships. For applications in genetic association tests, we demonstrate that, as a method of correcting for population stratification, regressing out the theoretical PCs corresponding to the axes of variation is equivalent to simply removing the population mean of allele counts and works as well as or better than the Eigenstrat method