Adaptive management of emerging battlefield network

The management of the battlefield network takes place in a Network Operations Center (NOC). The manager, based on the importance of the managed network, is sometimes required to be present all the time within the physical installations of the NOC. The decisions regard a wide spectrum of network configurations, fault detection and repair, and network performance improvement. Especially in the case of the battlefield network operations these decisions are sometimes so important that can be characterized as critical to the success of the whole military operation. Most of the times, the response time is so restricted that exceeds the mean physical human response limits. An automated response that also carries the characteristics of human intelligence is needed to overcome the restrictions the human nature of an administrator imposes. The research will establish the proper computer network management architecture for an adaptive network. This architecture will enhance the capabilities of network management and in terms of cost and efficiency.http://archive.org/details/adaptivemanageme109451678Lieutenant Commander, Hellenic NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Homotopy Structure of 5d Vacua

It is shown that flat zero-energy solutions (vacua) of the 5d Kaluza-Klein theory admit a non-trivial homotopy structure generated by certain Kaluza-Klein excitations. These vacua consist of an infinite set of homotopically different spacetimes denoted by $\mathcal{M}^{(n)}_5$, among which $\mathcal{M}^{(0)}_5$ and $\mathcal{M}^{(1)}_5$ are especially identified as $M_{4} \times S^{1}$ and $M_5$, the ground states of the 5d Kaluza-Klein theory and the 5d general relativity, respectively (where $M_k$ represents the $k$-dimensional Minkowski space).Comment: 8 page

Comparative study on the in vitro and in vivo properties of two bovine herpesvirus-5 reference strains

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bovine herpesvirus 5 (BoHV-5) is an alphaherpesvirus responsible for meningoencephalitis in young cattle and it is antigenically and genetically related to bovine herpesvirus 1. BoHV-5 outbreaks are sporadic and restricted in their geographical distribution, being mostly detected in the Southern hemisphere. The N569 and A663 strains are prototypes of the "a" and "b" subtypes of BoHV-5, however, scarce information about their <it>in vitro </it>and <it>in vivo </it>properties is currently available.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>For the <it>in vitro </it>comparison between BoHV-5 A663 and N569 strains, viral growth kinetics, lysis and infection plaque size assays were performed. Additionally, an experimental infection of cattle with BoHV-5 A663 and N569 strains was carried out. Viral excretion, development of neurological signs, presence of specific antibodies in serum and nasal swabs and presence of latent BoHV-5 DNA in trigeminal ganglion, were analyzed. Histopathological examination of samples belonging to inoculated animals was also performed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The lytic capacity and the cell-to-cell spread was lower for the A663 strain compared to the N569 strain, however, the production of total infectious viral particles was similar between both strains. Concerning the <it>in vivo </it>properties, the A663 and N569 strains are able to induce similar degrees of pathogenicity in cattle.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results show that the A663 strain used in this study is less adapted to <it>in vitro </it>replication in MDBK cells than the N569 strain and, although slight differences were observed, both strains are able to induce a similar degree of virulence in the natural host.</p

Eye enucleation and exenteration in -cattle: a retrospective study of 38 cases (2013-2020).

INTRODUCTION The study aimed to describe clinical indications for eye enucleation and exenteration, the occurrence of complications and long-term outcome in cattle, and examine owners' attitude towards enucleation and exenteration and their satisfaction with the surgical outcome. Medical records from the two veterinary teaching hospitals in Switzerland were reviewed to identify cattle that underwent unilateral enucleation or exenteration between January 2013 and December 2020. Data extracted included medical history, ocular examination, clinical diagnosis, surgical procedure including anesthesia, suture material and pattern used, complications, and treatment thereof. Long-term follow-up was evaluated via national animal database inquiries to determine survival time and via owners' interviews with the use of a standardized questionnaire that included questions regarding the occurrence of complications and reason for culling, production performances and perceived quality of life after surgery, concerns, factors affecting the decision to proceed with surgery, and general satisfaction with the outcome. Descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact tests and unpaired t-test were used to summarize the data and assess association between variables. Association was considered significant if p < 0,05. Thirty-eight cases were identified, with a median age of 5 years. More than half of the cases (55,3 %) were diagnosed with non-neoplastic ocular lesions represented by severe trauma with loss of globe content, globe rupture with history of infectious keratoconjunctivitis or hypopyon, or congenital malformations. The remaining cases were diagnosed with neoplastic lesions, including ocular squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), melanoma, or sarcoma. Complications following surgery were reported in 29 % of cases and included postoperative infection and recurrence of OSCC. There was no significant association between ocular diagnosis and the occurrence of postoperative complications or survival time. Surgery did not seem to influence the animals' postoperative production performance or the perceived quality of life. Most owners (92 %) were satisfied with the surgical outcome. The occurrence of postoperative complications leading to increased overall costs and culling was the main reason for lower owner satisfaction

In vitro-generated interspecific recombinants between bovine herpesviruses 1 and 5 show attenuated replication characteristics and establish latency in the natural host

peer reviewe

An Enduring Platform for Public and Cooperative Economics Research: a Centennial Perspective

We introduce the special centennial issue of Annals of Public and Cooperative Economic

EOL-OS, Software dedicated to the optimisation of the support structure of offshore wind turbines

peer reviewedSteel is currently the most common material used in the construction of offshore wind turbines. With towers reaching new heights of over 100 m, and with production assembly and transportations constraints being more and more heavier, it became obvious that for an offshore wind turbine to become cost effective, the total amount of steel used needed to be minimal. The main objective of EOL-OS is to provide a competitive analysis tool and to perform structural optimizations of the tower of a fixed offshore and onshore wind turbine, in order to obtain either the least cost or the least weight. Thru the use of EOL-OS a wind turbine designer or steel manufacturer can determine what is the best solution in terms of cost or weight, in order yield the maximum benefit from a wind turbine

Characterization of BoHV-5 field strains circulation and report of transient specific subtype of bovine herpesvirus 5 in Argentina

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bovine herpesvirus 5 (BoHV-5) is a member of the subfamily <it>Alphaherpesvirinae </it>responsible for meningo-encephalitis in young cattle. The first case of bovine meningo-encephalitis associated with a herpesvirus infection was reported in Australia. The current geographical distribution of BoHV-5 infection is mainly restricted to South America, especially Brazil and Argentina. Outbreaks of BoHV-5 are regularly observed in Argentina suggesting the circulation of the virus in the bovine population.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seventeen field strains of BoHV-5 isolated from 1984 to now were confirmed by differential PCR and subjected to restriction endonuclease analysis (REA). Viral DNA was cleaved with BstEII which allows the differentiation among subtypes a, b and non a, non b. According to the REA with BstEII, only one field strain showed a pattern similar to the Argentinean A663 strain (prototype of BoHV-5b). All other isolates showed a clear pattern similar to the Australian N569 strain (prototype of BoHV-5a) consistent with the subtypes observed in Brazil, the other South-American country where BoHV-5 is known to be prevalent. The genomic region of subtype b responsible for the distinct pattern was determined and amplified by PCR; specifically a point mutation was identified in glycoprotein B gene, on the BstEII restriction site, which generates the profile specific of BoHV-5b.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This is the first report of circulation of BoHV-5a in Argentina as the prevailing subtype. Therefore the circulation of BoHV-5b was restricted to a few years in Argentina, speculating that this subtype was not able to be maintained in the bovine population. The mutation in the gB gene is associated with the difference in the restriction patterns between subtypes "a" and "b".</p