A Non-Cooperative Game Theoretical Approach For Power Control In Virtual MIMO Wireless Sensor Network

Power management is one of the vital issue in wireless sensor networks, where the lifetime of the network relies on battery powered nodes. Transmitting at high power reduces the lifetime of both the nodes and the network. One efficient way of power management is to control the power at which the nodes transmit. In this paper, a virtual multiple input multiple output wireless sensor network (VMIMO-WSN)communication architecture is considered and the power control of sensor nodes based on the approach of game theory is formulated. The use of game theory has proliferated, with a broad range of applications in wireless sensor networking. Approaches from game theory can be used to optimize node level as well as network wide performance. The game here is categorized as an incomplete information game, in which the nodes do not have complete information about the strategies taken by other nodes. For virtual multiple input multiple output wireless sensor network architecture considered, the Nash equilibrium is used to decide the optimal power level at which a node needs to transmit, to maximize its utility. Outcome shows that the game theoretic approach considered for VMIMO-WSN architecture achieves the best utility, by consuming less power.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure

Estimation of the methane emission factor for the Italian Mediterranean buffalo

In order to contribute to the improvement of the national greenhouse gas emission inventory, this work aimed at estimating a country-specific enteric methane (CH4) emission factor for the Italian Mediterranean buffalo. For this purpose, national agriculture statistics, and information on animal production and farming conditions were analysed, and the emission factor was estimated using the Tier 2 model of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Country-specific CH4 emission factors for buffalo cows (630 kg body weight, BW) and other buffalo (313 kg BW) categories were estimated for the period 1990–2004. In 2004, the estimated enteric CH4 emission factor for the buffalo cows was 73 kg/head per year, whereas that for other buffalo categories it was 56 kg/head per year. Research in order to determine specific CH4 conversion rates at the predominant production system is suggested

Trust Based Participant Driven Privacy Control in Participatory Sensing

Widespread use of sensors and multisensory personal devices generate a lot of personal information. Sharing this information with others could help in various ways. However, this information may be misused when shared with all. Sharing of information between trusted parties overcomes this problem. This paper describes a model to share information based on interactions and opinions to build trust among peers. It also considers institutional and other controls, which influence the behaviour of the peers. The trust and control build confidence. The computed confidence bespeaks whether to reveal information or not thereby increasing trusted cooperation among peers.Comment: 14 page

PIXE and ToF-SIMS analysis of streaker samplers filters

This paper presents methodological innovations introduced in the characterisation of urban aerosol collected in Italy in a recent campaign. Two complementary ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques were used to analyse Nuclepore filters used in continuous streaker samplers to collect airborne particles in four Italian towns. Na to Pb elemental concentrations were obtained by particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE), while time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) produced, on the same samples, time trends for several elements and molecular fragments. In addition, light attenuation measurements were used as a tracer for black carbon. The data produced by these three techniques was merged into a unique data set to address the characterisation of particulate matter sources. Correlations between elemental concentration trends (PIXE) and relative trends for molecular fragments (ToF-SIMS) and black carbon (light attenuation) have been studied by cluster and principal component analysis

A TGA/FT-IR study for OC and EC quantification applied to carbonaceous aerosol collected in Milan (Italy)

International audienceCarbon analysis consists in the evaluation of the carbonaceous content of the aerosol (TC) but, more importantly, of its distribution between the two components EC (Elemental Carbon) and OC (Organic Carbon) that are characterized by different physical-chemical properties. In spite of the numerous studies focused on this topic, nowadays, a universal methodology for the determination of the two components EC and OC is not available. In fact OC and EC (also known as black carbon or soot) are operationally defined by the method of analysis and, as a consequence, different methods can produce different results. In this paper we present results on the application of TGA/FT-IR (Thermogravimetric Analysis/Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy) to the characterization of carbonaceous aerosols. The analytical methodology was applied to PM10 four-hour time resolution samples collected in Milan urban area. The method is a two-steps thermal one and bases itself on the different thermal behaviour of OC and EC. It has been set up analyzing suitable standards containing both organic and elemental carbon. Carbon quantification is achieved by on-line, continuous monitoring of CO2 infrared absorption at 2361 cm?1. A good separation between OC and EC on particulate matter samples has been obtained. Ranges and average values were respectively 12?70 µg/m3 and 20 µg/m3 for OC and 0.2?6 µg/m3 and 2 µg/m3 for EC. On average OC and EC made up respectively 29.3 (±12.8) % and 2.5 (±1.8) % of PM10 fraction. The method reliability has been verified by comparison with TOT (Thermal Optical Transmission) technique. OC and EC values determined for ambient samples of PM10 were also correlated with meteorological parameters as well as with Radon concentrations

Echocardiography combined with cardiopulmonary exercise testing for the prediction of outcome in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension

BACKGROUND: Right ventricular (RV) function is a major determinant of exercise intolerance and outcome in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). The aim of the study was to evaluate the incremental prognostic value of echocardiography of the RV and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) on long-term prognosis in these patients. METHODS: One hundred-thirty treatment-naïve IPAH patients were enrolled and prospectively followed. Clinical worsening (CW) was defined by a reduction in 6-minute walk distance plus an increase in functional class, or non elective hospitalization for PAH, or death. Baseline evaluation included clinical, hemodynamic, echocardiographic and CPET variables. Cox regression modeling with c-statistic and bootstrapping validation methods were done. RESULTS: During a mean period of 528 ± 304 days, 54 patients experienced CW (53%). Among demographic, clinical and hemodynamic variables at catheterization, functional class and cardiac index were independent predictors of CW (Model-1). With addition of echocardiographic and CPET variables (Model-2), peak O2 pulse (peak VO2/heart rate) and RV fractional area change (RVFAC) independently improved the power of the prognostic model (AUC: 0.81 vs 0.66, respectively; p=0.005). Patients with low RVFAC and low O2 pulse (low RVFAC + low O2 pulse) and high RVFAC+low O2 pulse showed 99.8 and 29.4 increase in the hazard ratio, respectively (relative risk -RR- of 41.1 and 25.3, respectively), compared with high RVFAC+high O2 pulse (p=0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Echocardiography combined with CPET provides relevant clinical and prognostic information. A combination of low RVFAC and low O2 pulse identifies patients at a particularly high risk of clinical deterioration

Exchanging demands: Weaknesses in SSL implementations for mobile platforms

The ActiveSync protocol’s implementation on some embedded devices leaves clients vulnerable to unauthorised remote policy enforcement. This paper discusses a proof of concept attack against the implementation of ActiveSync in common Smart phones including Android devices and iOS devices. A two‐phase approach to exploiting the ActiveSync protocol is introduced. Phase 1 details the usage of a man‐in‐the‐middle attack to gain a vantage point over the client device, whilst Phase 2 involves spoofing the server‐side ActiveSync responses to initiate the unauthorised policy enforcement. These vulnerabilities are demonstrated by experiment, highlighting how the system can be exploited to perform a remote factory reset upon an Exchange‐integrated Smart phone

Canopy uptake dominates nighttime carbonyl sulfide fluxes in a boreal forest

Nighttime vegetative uptake of carbonyl sulfide (COS) can exist due to the incomplete closure of stomata and the light independence of the enzyme carbonic anhydrase, which complicates the use of COS as a tracer for gross primary productivity (GPP). In this study we derived nighttime COS fluxes in a boreal forest (the SMEAR II station in Hyytiälä, Finland; 61°51′ N, 24°17′ E; 181 m a.s.l.) from June to November 2015 using two different methods: eddy-covariance (EC) measurements (FCOS-EC) and the radon-tracer method (FCOS-Rn). The total nighttime COS fluxes averaged over the whole measurement period were −6.8 ± 2.2 and −7.9 ± 3.8 pmol m−2 s−1 for FCOS-Rn and FCOS-EC, respectively, which is 33–38 % of the average daytime fluxes and 21 % of the total daily COS uptake. The correlation of 222Rn (of which the source is the soil) with COS (average R2  =  0.58) was lower than with CO2 (0.70), suggesting that the main sink of COS is not located at the ground. These observations are supported by soil chamber measurements that show that soil contributes to only 34–40 % of the total nighttime COS uptake. We found a decrease in COS uptake with decreasing nighttime stomatal conductance and increasing vapor-pressure deficit and air temperature, driven by stomatal closure in response to a warm and dry period in August. We also discuss the effect that canopy layer mixing can have on the radon-tracer method and the sensitivity of (FCOS-EC) to atmospheric turbulence. Our results suggest that the nighttime uptake of COS is mainly driven by the tree foliage and is significant in a boreal forest, such that it needs to be taken into account when using COS as a tracer for GPP

Clonal Chromosome Anomalies Affecting Fli1 Mimic Inherited Thrombocytopenia Of The Paris-Trousseau Type

Introduction: The thrombocytopenia of the Paris-Trousseau (TCPT) type is a contiguous gene syndrome characterized by mild bleeding tendency, variable thrombocytopenia (THC), abnormal giant alpha-granules in platelets and dysmegakaryopoiesis: it derives from a constitutional deletion of chromosome 11 leading to the loss of FLI1, a transcription factor involved in megakaryocyte differentiation and maturation. Case report: A women with an acquired, isolated THC developing over 10 yr showed morphological features typical of TCPT in platelets and bone marrow (BM). Twenty years after the onset of THC, the other hematological parameters are still normal and the patient is well. Results: Clonal hemopoiesis was shown and chromosome analyses performed on BM revealed a clone with 45 chromosomes and a complex unbalanced translocation involving chromosomes 2, 3, and 11. The anomaly was present in the majority of bone marrow cells but only in a few peripheral blood elements. A microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization defined the deleted region of chromosome 11 including the FLI1 locus that was missing. Conclusion: Although our patient presented with nearly all the characteristics of TCPT, her illness was acquired instead of being inherited and the most appropriate diagnosis is that of the unilineage dysplasia 'refractory THC.' This observation suggests that appropriate cytogenetic investigations should be always considered in patients with acquired THC of unknown origin

Comparative genomic hybridization on microarray (a-CGH) in constitutional and acquired mosaicism may detect as low as 8% abnormal cells

Abstract. Background: The results of cytogenetic investigations on unbalanced chromosome anomalies, both constitutional and acquired, were largely improved by comparative genomic hybridization on microarray (a-CGH), but in mosaicism the ability of a-CGH to reliably detect imbalances is not yet well established. This problem of sensitivity is even more relevant in acquired mosaicism in neoplastic diseases, where cells carrying acquired imbalances coexist with normal cells, in particular when the proportion of abnormal cells may be low. We constructed a synthetic mosaicism by mixing the DNA of three patients carrying altogether seven chromosome imbalances with normal sex-matched DNA. Dilutions were prepared mimicking 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 10% and 15% levels of mosaicism. Oligomer-based a-CGH (244 K whole-genome system) was applied on the patients' DNA and customized slides designed around the regions of imbalance were used for the synthetic mosaics. Results and conclusions. The a-CGH on the synthetic mosaics proved to be able to detect as low as 8% abnormal cells in the tissue examined. Although in our experiment some regions of imbalances escaped to be revealed at this level, and were detected only at 10-15% level, it should be remarked that these ones were the smallest analyzed, and that the imbalances recurrent as clonal anomalies in cancer and leukaemia are similar in size to those revealed at 8% level