Empirical Performance Models of MAC Protocols for Cooperative Platooning Applications

Vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANET) enable vehicles to exchange information on traffic conditions, dynamic status and localization, to enhance road safety and transportation efficiency. A typical VANET application is platooning, which can take advantage of exchanging information on speed, heading and position to allow shorter inter-vehicle distances without compromising safety. However, the platooning performance depends drastically on the quality of the communication channel, which in turn is highly influenced by the medium access control protocol (MAC). Currently, VANETs use the IEEE 802.11p MAC, which follows a carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) policy that is prone to collisions and degrades significantly with network load. This has led to recent proposals for a time-division multiple access (TDMA)-based MAC that synchronize vehicles’ beacons to prevent or reduce collisions. In this paper, we take CSMA/CA and two TDMA-based overlay protocols, i.e., deployed over CSMA/CA, namely PLEXE-slotted and RA-TDMAp, and carry out extensive simulations with varying platoon sizes, number of occupied lanes and transmit power to deduce empirical models that provide estimates of average number of collisions per second and average busy time ratio. In particular, we show that these estimates can be obtained from observing the number of radio-frequency (RF) neighbours, i.e., number of distinct sources of the packets received by each vehicle per time unit. These estimates can enhance the online adaptation of distributed applications, particularly platooning control, to varying conditions of the communication channel.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pancreatic Involvement in Hermansky–Pudlak Syndrome- A Case Report

Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome (HPS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder that presents with oculocutaneous albinism, bleeding disorders, and immunodeficiency. Granulomatous colitis and pulmonary fibrosis are two major complications of this syndrome. On rare instances, HPS can involve the heart and lungs. This report discusses a 32-year-old man who presented with oculocutaneous albinism and immunodeficiency along with renal, pulmonary, and pancreatic complications. Pancreatic atrophy is a unique finding in our patient, which has not been reported in the literature. The purpose of our case report is to bring into light unusual complications of HPS so that timely action could be taken to avoid the progression of complications.&nbsp

Innovative Strategies for the Control of Biofilm Formation in Clinical Settings

Biofilm formation in clinical settings is an increasingly important issue particularly due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains, as it resulted in increased mortality, which poses a considerable financial burden on healthcare systems. The bacterial biofilms are quite resistant to the routine antimicrobial-based therapies; therefore, the novel strategies are desired in addition to the conventional antibiotics for the effective control of infections caused by biofilm-forming microbes. So far, the approaches being proposed to control the biofilm formation in clinical practice settings include the use of biofilm inhibitors and the use of modified biomaterials for the development of medical devices to thwart the formation of biofilms. In this chapter, we have focused on the latest developments in the anti-biofilm strategies through the interruption of the quorum-sensing system, which is crucial for biofilm formation and have summarized the various classes of antibacterial compounds for the control of biofilm formation. This agrees with the recent approaches suggested by the National Institute of Health (NIH) that advocates the use of combinational therapies based on the conventional methods and complementary treatment to explore the potential utility and safety concerns of the natural products. The studies regarding these emerging strategies could possibly lead to the establishment of better therapeutic alternates compared to conventional treatments

Problem Management Plus (PM plus ) in the management of common mental disorders in a specialized mental healthcare facility in Pakistan; study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Additional file 1. Appendix A

Hyperglycemia-associated Alzheimer’s-like symptoms and other behavioral effects attenuated by Plumeria obtusa L. Extract in alloxan-induced diabetic rats

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic complaint with numerous short- and long-term complications that harm a person’s physical and psychological health. Plumeria obtusa L. is a traditional medicine used in the treatment of diabetes to reduce complications related to behavior. Plumeria is a genus with antipsychotic activities. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of a methanolic extract of Plumeria obtusa L. in the attenuation of diabetes, on symptoms of Alzheimer disease, and on other associated behavioral aspects. A single dose of alloxan was administered to an experimental group of rats to induce development of diabetes (150 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) and the rats were then administered selected doses of methanolic extract of Plumeria obtusa L. (Po.Cr) or glibenclamide (0.6 mg/kg) for 45 consecutive days. Behavioral effects were evaluated using three validated assays of anxiety-related behavior: the open field test, the light and dark test, and the elevated plus maze. Anti-depressant effects of Plumeria obtusa L. were evaluated using the forced swim test (FST) and memory and learning were assessed using the Morris water maze (MWM) task. Po.Cr was also evaluated for phytochemicals using total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and high-performance liquid chromatography assays, and antioxidant capability was assessed through assays of DPPH radical scavenging, total oxidation capacity, and total reducing capacity. In the alloxan-induced model of diabetes, the administration of Po.Cr and glibenclamide for 45 days produced a marked decrease (p < 0.001) in hyperglycemia compared to control animals. Po.Cr treatment also resulted in improvement in indicators, such as body weight and lipid profile (p < 0.05), as well as restoration of normal levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) (p < 0.001), a biomarker of liver function. Diabetic rats presented more Alzheimer-like symptoms, with greater impairment of memory and learning, and increased anxiety and depression compared to non-diabetic normal rats, whereas treated diabetic rats showed significant improvements in memory and behavioral outcomes. These results demonstrate that Po.Cr reversed alloxan-induced hyperglycemia and ameliorated Alzheimer-related behavioral changes, which supports additional study and assessment of conventional use of the plant to treat diabetes and associated behavioral complications

Actinobacteria: Potential Candidate as Plant Growth Promoters

Plant growth enhancement using plant beneficial bacteria has been viewed in the sustainable agriculture as an alternative to chemical fertilizers. Actinobacteria, among the group of important plant-associated bacteria, have been widely studied for its plant growth promotion activities. Actinobacteria are considered as a limelight among agriculturists for their beneficial aspects toward plants. They are naturally occurring spore-forming bacteria inhabiting the soil and known for their plant growth-promoting and biocontrol properties. The mechanisms behind these activities include nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, siderophore production, and other attributes such as antifungal production of metabolites, phytohormones, and volatile organic compound. All these activities not only enhance the plant growth but also provide resistance in plants to withstand unfavorable conditions of the environment. Hence, this chapter emphasizes on the plant growth traits of actinobacteria and how far it was studied for enhanced growth and bio-fortification