Adaptive Error Control Schemes For Supporting Quality Of Service In Wireless Atm Networks

This thesis deals with the error control problems, which is one of the major issues for supporting quality of service (QoS) in wireless ATM (W A TM). Generally in wireless communication, error is induced by impairment prone wireless links. As a method of quality of service based error control, the design and performance evaluation of a retransmission based error control scheme is proposed to overcome wireless channel impairments for multimedia traffic support over wireless A TM networks. The purpose of the proposed error control scheme is to provide error-free services to the higher layers by either correcting the errors in a packet or recovering corrupted packets by retransmission in a wireless link. From the perspective of error control, multimedia traffic can be divided into two types: loss-sensitive traffic and delay-sensitive traffic. To support all these traffic over W ATM networks, we propose two approaches for error control. One approach is to utilize the reliable AAL protocol, which are referd to as AALXl and AALX2, as the end-to-end error control, based on our knowledge-based selectivereject automatic repeat request (KSRARQ) scheme, and adaptive header protection with KSRARQ scheme for loss-sensitive and delay-sensitive traffic, respectively

Extrapulmonary tuberculosis in Pakistan: Challenges in diagnosis and detection of drug resistance

Bakgrunn: Pakistan er blant de fem landene med høyest forekomst av tuberkulose (TB) og legemiddelresistent TB. Ekstrapulmonær TB (EPTB) utgjør 20% av alle registrerte TB-pasienter, men det er lite informasjon om sykdomsmanifestasjon, bakteriologiske diagnoser og forekomst av legemiddelresistens i EPTB. Mål: Det overordnede målet var å studere EPTB i Pakistan og evaluere nytten av konvensjonelle og nye diagnostiske verktøy for å diagnostisere og oppdage legemiddelresistens hos pasienter med EPTB. Hovedmålet med den første studien var å beskrive sykdomstegnene blant pasienter med EPTB. Målet med den andre studien var å vurdere den diagnostiske ytelsen av en rask molekylær analyse, Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert), og histologisk undersøkelse for tuberkuløs lymfadenitt. Målet med den tredje studien var å studere forekomsten av rifampicin og annen legemiddelresistens mot TB hos nye pasienter med EPTB, og den fjerde studien hadde som mål å vurdere forekomsten og den genetiske profilen til isoniazidresistens samt tilhørende resistens mot fluorokinolon og pyrazinamid. Materiale og metoder: I studie 1 ble det utført deskriptiv analyse av en retrospektiv kohort av TB-pasienter registrert nasjonalt i 2016. Studie 2 og 3 ble utført på en prospektiv kohort av pasienter med antatt EPTB ved et tertiært sykehus. I studie 2 ble personer som ikke hadde fått TB-behandling og hadde forstørrede lymfeknuter inkludert, og vevsprøver fra eksisjonsbiopsier ble undersøkt med histologi, Xpert og dyrkning. I studie 3 ble pasienter med pleural effusjon i tillegg til personene i studie 2 med forstørrede lymfeknuter, inkludert. Pleuravæske ble undersøkt for syrefastestaver (AFB)-mikroskopi, Xpert MTB/RIF og dyrkning. Fenotypisk legemiddelsusceptibilitetstesting (DST) ble utført ved bruk av automatisert flytende DST (MGIT 960), og genotypisk DST ble utført ved hjelp av line-probe-undersøkelser (LPA). I studie 4 ble et fem års retrospektiv DST-datasett analysert for pasienter som ble testet ved det nasjonale TB-referanselaboratoriet ved hjelp av både fenotypiske og genotypiske DST-metoder. Resultater: I studie 1 ble individuelle pasientdata samlet inn fra 54 092 registrerte TB-tilfeller i 2016. Blant disse hadde 15 790 pasienter EPTB. De tre vanligste formene for EPTB var pleural (29,6 %), lymfatisk (22,7%) og abdominal TB (21,0%). Pleural TB var den vanligste blant voksne (34,2%), mens abdominal TB var mest utbredt blant barn (38,4%). Sannsynligheten for å ha EPTB var 1,1 ganger høyere for kvinner, 2,0 ganger høyere for barn og 3,3 ganger høyere for innbyggere i provinsene nordvest i landet. Behandlingssuksessraten for alle typer EPTB som var inkludert i studien, var høy, bortsett fra for TB-meningitt. I studie 2 ble ytelsen til diagnostiske verktøy analysert i en kohort på 390 pasienter med forstørrede lymfeknuter. Blant disse var 11 (2,8%) positive ved AFB-mikroskopi, 124 (31,8%) ved Xpert, 137 (35,1%) ved dyrkning, og histopatologi viste TB hos 208 (53,3%). Ved bruk av kombinerte resultater ble lymfeknutetuberkulose diagnostisert hos 228 pasienter, hvorav 78% ble bekreftet ved bakteriologiske tester. Sammenlignet med Xpert hadde histopatologi høyere sensitivitet (93% mot 62%), men lavere spesifisitet (68% mot 83%), og i undergruppeanalyser var sensitiviteten til Xpert høyere hos pasienter med kort klinisk historie. I studie 3 ble bakteriologisk diagnose og forekomst av legemiddelresistens analysert hos 671 studiepersoner. TB ble bekreftet bakteriologisk hos 255, og DST-resultater var tilgjengelige for 72,5% (n = 185) av pasientene med EPTB. Multidrug resistant -TB ble rapportert hos 2,2% (95% CI, 0,6–5,4), resistens mot rifampicin hos 2,7% (95% CI, 0,9–6,2), isoniazid hos 7,6% (95% CI, 4,1–12,4), ethambutol hos 1,1% (95% CI, 0,1–3,9), pyrazinamid hos 2,2% (95% CI, 0,9–5,5) og fluorokinoloner hos 6,0% (95% CI, 3,0–10,4). Sensitiviteten og spesifisiteten til LPA-DST var henholdsvis 100% og 98,8% for rifampicin, isoniazid og fluorokinolon. DST-resultater for rifampicin var tilgjengelige for 82 pasienter ved alle tre metoder og av disse ble fem rapportert som rifampicinresistente ved Xpert, men bare én ble bekreftet ved LPA, og ingen ble bekreftet ved fenotypisk DST. I studie 4 ble et retrospektivt DST-datasett med 11 045 TB-pasienter analysert. Både fenotypiske og genotypiske DST-resultater var tilgjengelige for 80 % av tilfellene. Det ble rapportert en betydelig forskjell mellom resistens som ble påvist ved fenotypisk og genotypisk DST-metoder, med en uoverensstemmelse på 16% for rifampicin og isoniazid. Blant nye EPTB-pasienter med rifampicinsensitivitet ble isoniazidresistens påvist hos 6,8%, sammenlignet med 9,8% hos pasienter med PTB. Den genetiske profilen for isoniazidresistens var lik for PTB og EPTB, men forskjellen var statistisk signifikant mellom rifampicinresistente og rifampicinsensitive populasjoner når det gjaldt påviste mutasjoner knyttet til isoniazidresistens, med 87% mot 71,6% og forekomsten av katG-mutasjoner på 76,1% mot 41,2% og inhA-mutasjoner på 7,6% mot 30,2%, henholdsvis. Det ble observert en signifikant høyere forekomst av levofloxacinresistens i forbindelse med isoniazidresistens. Konklusjoner: Pleural- og lymfatisk TB utgjorde til sammen 50% av alle registrerte tilfeller av EPTB. TB ble diagnostisert ved kun hjelp av Xpert i 54% av tilfellene, mens kombinasjonen av Xpert og histopatologi bekreftet diagnosen i over 95% av alle tilfeller med TB i lymfeknuter. Forekomsten av rifampicin- og isoniazidresistens var lavere blant nye EPTB-pasienter sammenlignet med PTB, men forskjellen var ikke statistisk signifikant. Den genetiske profilen for isoniazidresistens og tilhørende resistens mot fluorokinolon og pyrazinamid var sammenlignbar mellom EPTB og PTB.Background: Pakistan is among the top five high-burden countries for tuberculosis (TB) and drug-resistant TB. Extrapulmonary TB (EPTB) accounts for 20% of all notified TB patients but there is little information on disease manifestations, bacteriological diagnoses, and prevalence of anti-TB drug resistance in EPTB. Objective: The overall objective was to study EPTB in Pakistan, and evaluate the usefulness of conventional and new diagnostic tools in diagnosing and detecting drug resistance in EPTB patients. The first study primarily aimed to describe the disease manifestations among EPTB patients notified in Pakistan. The second study aimed to assess the performance of a rapid molecular assay, Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert), and histological examination in the diagnoses of tuberculous lymphadenitis. The third study aimed to determine the prevalence of rifampicin and other anti-TB drug resistance in new EPTB patients and the fourth study aimed to assess the prevalence and genetic profile of isoniazid resistance and associated resistance to fluoroquinolone and pyrazinamide. Material and Methods: In study-1, descriptive analysis was performed on a retrospective cohort of TB patients notified nationwide in 2016. Studies 2 and 3 were performed on a prospective cohort of patients presumed to have EPTB in a tertiary care hospital. In study-2, TB treatment naïve people with enlarged lymph nodes were included and excision biopsy specimens were tested by histology, Xpert, and culture. In study-3, patients with pleural effusion in addition to people in study-2 with enlarged lymph nodes were included. Pleural fluid sediments were tested for smear, Xpert MTB/RIF, and culture. Phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST) was performed using automated liquid DST (MGIT 960) and genotypic DST by line-probe assays (LPA). For study-4, a five-year retrospective DST data set was analyzed of TB patients tested in the National TB reference laboratory by phenotypic and/or genotypic DST methods. Results: In study-1, individual patient data was collected of 54092 TB cases notified in 2016. Among 15790 EPTB patients included, the three most common forms of EPTB were pleural (29.6%), lymphatic (22.7%), and abdominal TB (21.0%). Pleural TB was the most common among adults (34.2%) and abdominal TB in children (38.4%). The likelihood of having EPTB, was 1.1 times high for females, 2.0 times for children, and 3.3 times for residents of provinces in the Northwest. The treatment success rate for all types of EPTB included in the study was high except for TB meningitis. In study-2, the performance of diagnostic tools in a cohort of 390 patients with enlarged lymph nodes was analyzed and among these 11 (2.8%) were positive by AFB microscopy, 124 (31.8%) by Xpert, 137 (35.1%) by culture, and histopathology was consistent with TB in 208 (53.3%). Using composite results, lymph node TB was diagnosed in 228 of which 78% were bacteriologically confirmed. Histopathology compared to Xpert had higher sensitivity (93 vs. 62%) but lower specificity (68 vs.83%) and in sub-group analysis, the sensitivity of Xpert was higher in patients with short clinical history. In study-3, bacteriological diagnosis and prevalence of drug resistance was analyzed in 671 study participants. Bacteriologically confirmed TB was diagnosed in 255 and DST results were available for 72.5% (n=185) of EPTB patients. MDR-TB was reported in 2.2% (95% CI, 0.6–5.4)., resistance to rifampicin in 2.7% (95% CI, 0.9–6.2), isoniazid in 7.6% (95% CI, 4.1–12.4), ethambutol in 1.1% (95% CI, 0.1–3.9), pyrazinamide in 2.2% (95%CI, 0.9–5.5) and fluoroquinolones in 6.0% (95% CI, 3.0–10.4). The sensitivity and specificity of LPA-DST was 100% and 98.8% respectively for rifampicin, isoniazid, and fluoroquinolone. Rifampicin results were available by all three methods for 82 patients and of these five were reported rifampicin resistant by Xpert and only one was confirmed by LPA and none by phenotypic DST. In study-4, a retrospective DST data set of 11045 TB patients was analyzed. Both phenotypic and genotypic DST results were available for 80% of cases. A significant difference was reported between resistance detected by phenotypic and genotypic DST methods with 16% discordance in rifampicin and isoniazid. Among rifampicin-sensitive new EPTB, isoniazid resistance was 6.8% compared to 9.8% in PTB. The genetic profile of isoniazid resistance was similar in PTB and EPTB but the difference was statistically significant between rifampicin-resistant and sensitive populations for isoniazid-resistant conferring mutations detected in 87% vs 71.6%, the prevalence of katG mutations in 76.1% vs 41.2% and inhA in 7.6% vs 30.2% respectively. A significantly higher levofloxacin resistance was seen associated with isoniazid resistance. Conclusions: Pleural and lymphatic TB collectively comprised 50% of all notified EPTB cases. TB was diagnosed by Xpert alone in 54%, while in combination with histopathology in more than 95% of all TB lymph node cases. Rifampicin and isoniazid resistance was lower in the new EPTB compared to PTB; the difference was not statistically significant. The genetic profile of isoniazid resistance and associated fluoroquinolone and pyrazinamide resistance in EPTB was comparable with PTB.Doktorgradsavhandlin

Gathering dog’s tooth violet (Erythronium sibiricum) in Siberia

Siberian dog’s tooth violet (Erythronium sibiricum) was utilised as food by several ethnic groups in southern Siberia in the eighteenth century. It was an important vegetable supplement for groups that subsisted on hunting and fishing. E. sibiricum was gathered especially during the spring, but also rodent burrows were plundered by humans during the colder seasons. The plant was used as medicine and it was of local commercial importance. This ethnobiological article analyses the gathering, processing, conservation, preparation, consumption and nutritional significance of E. sibiricum on the basis of historical data. Questions of ethnographic, linguistic and other contacts between groups that can be identified from the use of this plant are raised, and, for comparative purposes, the use of other Erythronium species in Japan and North America is discussed

Folk Knowledge in Southern Siberia in the 1770s: Johan Peter Falck’s Ethnobiological Observations

The southern Siberian Turkic groups were mostly unknown to outsiders when the Swedish scientist Johan Peter Falck (1732–1774) visited their settlements in the early 1770s. Falck led one of the expeditions dispatched between 1768 and 1774 by the Russian Academy of Sciences to different parts of the Russian Empire. As a botanist, zoologist, ethnographer and linguist, during his jour­neys he recorded information not only about the environment but also about the peoples he met and their political and social organisation, as well as ethnographic data. Falck’s rich and detailed travelogue was published posthumously and soon forgotten, while the rich data remained unat­tended for almost two centuries. In recent years, mainly biologists have rediscovered the materials, yet ethnobiological data is also plentiful. Knowledge about the environment is crucial for survival, and the complex relationship between humans and their environment is often reflected in names given to living organisms and places or in perceptions of the surroundings. This article focuses on Siberian Turkic folk knowledge among the Chulym Tatars, Kacha, Soyan, and Teleut, based on the observations by Johan Peter Falck in the 1770s. Ethnobiological and linguistic materials are used in an effort to at least partly reconstruct the cognitive world in which these peoples lived and created their concepts of the environment. The article is a preliminary contribution to the study of historical ethnoecology and ethnobiology

Application of High Content of Volcanic Ash in High Strength Concretes

In this research, CEM II/A-P 42.5R cement was replaced by 20% of local volcanic ash with different Blaine values and fly ash from Turkey, and C40/50 flowing concretes were prepared. Target initial flow diameter of concretes was kept at 63±2cm. Slump-flow retention was measured after 30, 60 and 90 minutes. Complex Performance Testing System (CPTS) mortar mixer was used to determine the water demand of mortar phase of the C40/50 concretes. Hydration heat of each mortar phase was measured with the semi-adiabatic container. Heat development was observed up to 48 hours and maximum temperature, time to maximum temperature, duration of maximum temperature was compared. Finally, high content of local volcanic ash can be used in high strength flowing concrete production, and at least 11% heat reduction with VA replacement could be an advantage in mass concretes

Osnovne aktivnosti za dodjelu CE znaka za proizvode definirane standardima serije EN 286

The series of harmonized standards EN 286 – Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 which support Directive 87/404/EEC – Simple pressure vessels, is related to tanks of air braking systems for motor and rail vehicles of different shapes, materials, dimensions and operational parameters, which determine their diverse application. However, as vessels under pressure they also present a potential hazard, either when active or when idle. In order to allow the placement of these products and their use on the European market without any limitations, certain activities have to be undertaken on CE marking of these products, meaning the criteria for awarding of the CE mark must be fulfilled. The course of the awarding of the CE mark is determined by the function of value, meaning the products of pressure and volume of vessel, pursuant to which the manufacturer selects an adequate modular approach.Serija harmoniziranih standarda EN 286 – Dijelovi 1, 2, 3 i 4, koji podržavaju Direktivu 87/404/EEC – Simple pressure vessels (Jednostavne posude pod pritiskom), odnosi se na rezervoare zračnih kočnih sistema motornih i šinskih vozila.različitih oblika, materijala, dimenzija i radnih parametara, što determinira njihovu raznovrsnu primjenu.. Međutim, kao posude pod pritiskom predstavljaju i potencijalnu opasnost, kako u aktivnom stanju, tako i u stanju mirovanja. Da bi se ovim proizvodima omogućilo plasiranje i upotreba na evropskom tržištu bez ikakvih ograničenja, moraju se sprovesti određene aktivnosti za EC označavanje ovih proizvoda, odnosno zadovoljiti kriteriji za dodjelu CE znaka. Tok dodjele CE znaka određuje funkcija vrijednosti, odnosno proizvod pritiska i zapremine posude, prema kojoj proizvođač bira odgovarajući modularni pristup

Foreword: Tatars in Finland in the Transnational Context of the Baltic Sea Region

The Tatar diaspora in Finland has attracted researchers for over a century, but studies traditionally focus on topics such as origins and general Tatar history, religion, identity or language. One of the most important aspects of research on Tatars both historically and today, however, is the transnational context. Migrating from villages in Nizhny Novgorod province, often via the Russian capitalSaint Petersburg at the end of the nineteenth century, the forming Tatar diaspora communities in the Baltic Sea region maintained, developed and extended their previous networks and also created new connections over national borders despite periods of political difficulties. New research about Tatars in the Baltic Sea region – with the focal point of the Tatars in Finland and their connectionschiefly in Estonia, Russia and Sweden – was presented during a seminar called Tatars in Finland in the Transnational Context of the Baltic Sea Region at the University of Helsinki in October 2018. Scholars from Finland, Sweden, Russia, Estonia and Hungary spoke about the past and present of the diaspora. A result of the seminar, this special issue of Studia Orientalia Electronica is dedicated to new research on Tatars in a transnational context

Conformity Assessment of Tanks for Air Braking Systems of Motor Vehicles in Accordance with EN 286-2

Barning in mind that the internal European market must be protected against unsafe and dangerous products in all fields, including the field of motor vehicles, this paper presents the basic principles of the European standard 286-2, which deals with tanks for air braking systems of motor vehicles and their trailers. This harmonized standard supports the Directive 87/404/EEC, which deals with simple pressure vessels. Since the tank for air braking system of motor vehicles, as a vessel under pressure, poses a security risk in the state of rest as well as during exploitation, this paper, through an example of modern pneumatic brake system in vehicles, provides a methodology for conformity assessment of the tanks of air braking system for motor vehicles and their trailers, in accordance with the EN 286-2 standard. The application of the described procedure defines the conditions that remove technical barriers in trade, protect the market from unsafe products, and thus increases traffic security