Improving IA-RWA algorithms in translucent networks by regenerator allocation

In this paper we present the impact of considering regenerator allocation when selecting routes and wavelengths in translucent networks. In the regular operation of translucent networks, i.e. with dynamic traffic, we assume that a certain number of 3R regenerators are installed in some nodes of the network. These regenerators break the optical transparency of the lightpaths, but allow establishing the optical connections with the required optical signal quality. We show the performance improvement of the MINCOD-Q IA-RWA algorithm when an efficient regenerator allocation policy is employed (optical regeneration is only performed when the signal quality goes bellow a pre-established threshold). Under this policy, the (extended) MINCOD-Q algorithm performs slightly better in terms of blocking probability, but and most important, this figure is obtained with a significant reduction of the number of 3R regenerators installed in the network.Postprint (published version

The case of 'A Rhino Horn': case report and proposal for modification to the Hetsroni and Kelly classification.

Subspine impingement syndrome by definition involves a prominent antero-inferior iliac spine (AIIS) which can lead to impingement on the femoral neck thereby causing symptoms. We present the case of a 22-year-old semi-professional athlete who presented with a Type III AIIS morphology leading to subspine impingement syndrome and was managed via a mini open anterior approach. Radiological examination revealed a fairly prominent left AIIS resembling the 'horn of a rhino' extending to the trochanteric region anteriorly. A mini-anterior surgical approach was utilized for the resection of the 'rhino horn' and the rectus femoris was reattached. The patient remained asymptomatic at the one-year follow-up and had resumed weightlifting. Following this case, we propose a new classification of the type III AIIS morphology in view of the clinical presentation. The AIIS type III-Standard represents an extension from the acetabular rim to less than 1 cm (type III-S) and type III-Large, with an extension from the acetabular rim beyond 1 cm (type III-L). The type III-L will further be divided into two groups based on its relation to the ilium, type III-Lr ('rib shape') and type III-Lrh ('rhino horn')

Retinal blood vessels extraction using probabilistic modelling

© 2014 Kaba et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.The analysis of retinal blood vessels plays an important role in detecting and treating retinal diseases. In this review, we present an automated method to segment blood vessels of fundus retinal image. The proposed method could be used to support a non-intrusive diagnosis in modern ophthalmology for early detection of retinal diseases, treatment evaluation or clinical study. This study combines the bias correction and an adaptive histogram equalisation to enhance the appearance of the blood vessels. Then the blood vessels are extracted using probabilistic modelling that is optimised by the expectation maximisation algorithm. The method is evaluated on fundus retinal images of STARE and DRIVE datasets. The experimental results are compared with some recently published methods of retinal blood vessels segmentation. The experimental results show that our method achieved the best overall performance and it is comparable to the performance of human experts.The Department of Information Systems, Computing and Mathematics, Brunel University

An ultra-compact particle size analyser using a CMOS image sensor and machine learning

Light scattering is a fundamental property that can be exploited to create essential devices such as particle analysers. The most common particle size analyser relies on measuring the angle-dependent diffracted light from a sample illuminated by a laser beam. Compared to other non-light-based counterparts, such a laser diffraction scheme offers precision, but it does so at the expense of size, complexity and cost. In this paper, we introduce the concept of a new particle size analyser in a collimated beam configuration using a consumer electronic camera and machine learning. The key novelty is a small form factor angular spatial filter that allows for the collection of light scattered by the particles up to predefined discrete angles. The filter is combined with a light-emitting diode and a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor image sensor array to acquire angularly resolved scattering images. From these images, a machine learning model predicts the volume median diameter of the particles. To validate the proposed device, glass beads with diameters ranging from 13 to 125 µm were measured in suspension at several concentrations. We were able to correct for multiple scattering effects and predict the particle size with mean absolute percentage errors of 5.09% and 2.5% for the cases without and with concentration as an input parameter, respectively. When only spherical particles were analysed, the former error was significantly reduced (0.72%). Given that it is compact (on the order of ten cm) and built with low-cost consumer electronics, the newly designed particle size analyser has significant potential for use outside a standard laboratory, for example, in online and in-line industrial process monitoring

Stellar populations of galaxies in the ALHAMBRA survey up to z∼1z \sim 1. I. MUFFIT: A Multi-Filter Fitting code for stellar population diagnostics

We present MUFFIT, a new generic code optimized to retrieve the main stellar population parameters of galaxies in photometric multi-filter surveys, and we check its reliability and feasibility with real galaxy data from the ALHAMBRA survey. Making use of an error-weighted $\chi^2$-test, we compare the multi-filter fluxes of galaxies with the synthetic photometry of mixtures of two single stellar populations at different redshifts and extinctions, to provide through a Monte Carlo method the most likely range of stellar population parameters (mainly ages and metallicities), extinctions, redshifts, and stellar masses. To improve the diagnostic reliability, MUFFIT identifies and removes from the analysis those bands that are significantly affected by emission lines. We highlight that the retrieved age-metallicity locus for a sample of $z \le 0.22$ early-type galaxies in ALHAMBRA at different stellar mass bins are in very good agreement with the ones from SDSS spectroscopic diagnostics. Moreover, a one-to-one comparison between the redshifts, ages, metallicities, and stellar masses derived spectroscopically for SDSS and by MUFFIT for ALHAMBRA reveals good qualitative agreements in all the parameters. In addition, and using as input the results from photometric-redshift codes, MUFFIT improves the photometric-redshift accuracy by $\sim 10$-$20\%$, and it also detects nebular emissions in galaxies, providing physical information about their strengths. Our results show the potential of multi-filter galaxy data to conduct reliable stellar population studies with the appropiate analysis techniques, as MUFFIT.Comment: 31 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication in A&

May Measurement Month 2019: An analysis of blood pressure screening results from Argentina

The Argentinean Society of Hypertension, in agreement with the May Measurement Month (MMM) initiative of the International Society of Hypertension, implemented for the third consecutive year a hypertension screening campaign. A volunteer cross-sectional survey was carried out in public spaces and health centres during the month of May 2019 across 33 cities in Argentina. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (BP) ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg based on the mean of the second and third BP measurements, or in those on treatment for high BP. A total of 94 523 individuals (53.9 ± 17.8 years old, 55 231women and 39 292 men), were evaluated. The age and sex standardized mean BP was 124.7/77.2 mmHg. Among participants, 34.7% were overweight (25-29.9 m/kg2) and 28.7% had obesity (≥30 m/kg2). Individuals identified as being overweight had BP 3/2 mmHg higher and individuals with obesity 6/4 mmHg higher than those with normal weight. The prevalence of hypertension was 52.5%. Although 81.1% were aware and 77.7% were on antihypertensive treatment, only 46.0% of all individuals with hypertension had their BP controlled. Moreover, 19.8% of those not on any antihypertensive medication were found with raised BP. The low level of control of hypertension generates the critical need for the development of community-based prevention strategies reinforcing strategies to increase the awareness and control of hypertension.Fil: Salazar, Martin Rogelio Enrique. Sociedad Argentina de Hipertensión Arterial; ArgentinaFil: Garcia Vazquez, Fortunato. Sociedad Argentina de Hipertensión Arterial; ArgentinaFil: Espeche, Walter. Sociedad Argentina de Hipertensión Arterial; ArgentinaFil: Marquez, Diego. Sociedad Argentina de Hipertensión Arterial; ArgentinaFil: Becerra, Pedro. Sociedad Argentina de Hipertensión Arterial; ArgentinaFil: Martinez Marissi, Evangelina. Sociedad Argentina de Hipertensión Arterial; ArgentinaFil: Sorasio, Viviana B.. Sociedad Argentina de Hipertensión Arterial; ArgentinaFil: Staffieri, Gustavo J.. Sociedad Argentina de Hipertensión Arterial; ArgentinaFil: Kalbermatter, Arnoldo. Sociedad Argentina de Hipertensión Arterial; ArgentinaFil: De Cerchio, Alejandro E.. Sociedad Argentina de Hipertensión Arterial; ArgentinaFil: Beaney, Thomas. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Partington, Giles. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Poulter, Neil R.. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Marín, Marcos. Sociedad Argentina de Hipertensión Arterial; ArgentinaFil: Ennis, Irene Lucia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; Argentina. Sociedad Argentina de Hipertensión Arterial; Argentin

Improved constraints on the expansion rate of the Universe up to z~1.1 from the spectroscopic evolution of cosmic chronometers

We present new improved constraints on the Hubble parameter H(z) in the redshift range 0.15 < z < 1.1, obtained from the differential spectroscopic evolution of early-type galaxies as a function of redshift. We extract a large sample of early-type galaxies (\sim11000) from several spectroscopic surveys, spanning almost 8 billion years of cosmic lookback time (0.15 < z < 1.42). We select the most massive, red elliptical galaxies, passively evolving and without signature of ongoing star formation. Those galaxies can be used as standard cosmic chronometers, as firstly proposed by Jimenez & Loeb (2002), whose differential age evolution as a function of cosmic time directly probes H(z). We analyze the 4000 {\AA} break (D4000) as a function of redshift, use stellar population synthesis models to theoretically calibrate the dependence of the differential age evolution on the differential D4000, and estimate the Hubble parameter taking into account both statistical and systematical errors. We provide 8 new measurements of H(z) (see Tab. 4), and determine its change in H(z) to a precision of 5-12% mapping homogeneously the redshift range up to z \sim 1.1; for the first time, we place a constraint on H(z) at z \neq 0 with a precision comparable with the one achieved for the Hubble constant (about 5-6% at z \sim 0.2), and covered a redshift range (0.5 < z < 0.8) which is crucial to distinguish many different quintessence cosmologies. These measurements have been tested to best match a \Lambda CDM model, clearly providing a statistically robust indication that the Universe is undergoing an accelerated expansion. This method shows the potentiality to open a new avenue in constrain a variety of alternative cosmologies, especially when future surveys (e.g. Euclid) will open the possibility to extend it up to z \sim 2.Comment: 34 pages, 15 figures, 6 tables, published in JCAP. It is a companion to Moresco et al. (2012b, http://arxiv.org/abs/1201.6658) and Jimenez et al. (2012, http://arxiv.org/abs/1201.3608). The H(z) data can be downloaded at http://www.physics-astronomy.unibo.it/en/research/areas/astrophysics/cosmology-with-cosmic-chronometer

miR-146a rs2431697 identifies myeloproliferative neoplasm patients with higher secondary myelofibrosis progression risk

Myelofibrosis (MF) occurs as part of the natural history of polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET), and remarkably shortens survival. Although JAK2V617F and CALR allele burden are the main transformation risk factors, inflammation plays a critical role by driving clonal expansion toward end-stage disease. NF-κB is a key mediator of inflammation-induced carcinogenesis. Here, we explored the involvement of miR-146a, a brake in NF-κB signaling, in MPN susceptibility and progression. rs2910164 and rs2431697, that affect miR-146a expression, were analyzed in 967 MPN (320 PV/333 ET/314 MF) patients and 600 controls. We found that rs2431697 TT genotype was associated with MF, particularly with post-PV/ET MF (HR = 1.5; p < 0.05). Among 232 PV/ET patients (follow-up time=8.5 years), 18 (7.8%) progressed to MF, being MF-free-survival shorter for rs2431697 TT than CC + CT patients (p = 0.01). Multivariate analysis identified TT genotype as independent predictor of MF progression. In addition, TT (vs. CC + CT) patients showed increased plasma inflammatory cytokines. Finally, miR-146a−/− mice showed significantly higher Stat3 activity with aging, parallel to the development of the MF-like phenotype. In conclusion, we demonstrated that rs2431697 TT genotype is an early predictor of MF progression independent of the JAK2V617F allele burden. Low levels of miR-146a contribute to the MF phenotype by increasing Stat3 signaling

A note on comonotonicity and positivity of the control components of decoupled quadratic FBSDE

In this small note we are concerned with the solution of Forward-Backward Stochastic Differential Equations (FBSDE) with drivers that grow quadratically in the control component (quadratic growth FBSDE or qgFBSDE). The main theorem is a comparison result that allows comparing componentwise the signs of the control processes of two different qgFBSDE. As a byproduct one obtains conditions that allow establishing the positivity of the control process.Comment: accepted for publicatio