Test bench to test protocols and algorithms for multimedia delivery

Nowadays, the study of Quality of Service (QoS) in multimedia streaming is generally carried out by simulators. However, the results of these tests are not quite real. This forces researchers to work with approximations. In this paper, we implement a test bench to test the performance and assess the protocols and algorithms for multimedia delivery. This test bench let us evaluate the network parameters performance, by manipulating the devices under controlled conditions, and allow us to identify different application cases. We can confirm that the designed test bench gives us more real measures than a simulators, which allows us to do many types of tests with low cost.Jimenez, JM.; Lloret, J.; Díaz Santos, JR.; Lacuesta Gilaberte, R. (2017). Test bench to test protocols and algorithms for multimedia delivery. En Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering. Springer Verlag. 124-134. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-49580-4_12S124134Lloret, J., Garcia, M., Atenas, M., Canovas, A.: A QoE management system to improve the IPTV network. Int. J. Commun Syst 24(1), 118–138 (2011)Garcia, M., Canovas, A., Edo, M., Lloret, J.: A QoE management system for ubiquitous IPTV devices. In: The Third International Conference on Mobile Ubiquitous Computing, Systems, Services and Technologies, UBICOMM 2009, Sliema, Malta, 11–16 October 2009Álvarez, A., Pozueco, L., Cabrero, S., García Pañeda, X., García, R., Melendi, D., Díaz Orueta, G.: Adaptive streaming: a subjective catalog to assess the performance of objective QoE metrics. Netw. Protoc. Algorithms 6(2), 123–136 (2014)Jimenez, J.M., Romero, O., Rego, A., Dilendra, A., Lloret, J.: Study of multimedia delivery over software defined networks. Netw. Protoc. Algorithms 7(4), 37–62 (2015)Recomendation UIT/T G.1010: End-user multimedia QoS categories (2001). https://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-G.1010-200111-I/enRecomendation UIT‑R M.1079-2: Performance and quality of service requirements for International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) access networks. https://www.itu.int/dms_pubrec/itu-r/rec/m/R-REC-M.1079-2-200306-I!!PDF-E.pdfGarcia, M., Lloret, J., Edo, M., Lacuesta, R.: IPTV distribution network access system using WiMAX and WLAN technologies. In: Proceedings of the 4th Edition of the UPGRADE-CN Workshop on Use of P2P GRID and Agents for the Development of Content Networks, Munich, Germany, 11–13 June 2009Atenas, M., Sendra, S., Garcia, M., Lloret, J.: IPTV performance in IEEE 802.11 n WLANs. In: IEEE GLOBECOM Workshops 2010, Miami, USA, pp. 929–933, December 2010Cisco Systems Inc. Cisco’s Visual Networking Index Forecast Projects Nearly Half the World’s Population Will Be Connected to the Internet by 2017. http://newsroom.cisco.com/press-release-content?articleId=1197391Lu, X., Tao, S., El Zarki, M., Guérin, R.: Quality based Adaptive Video Over the Internet. Department of ESE, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (2003)Lee, T.K., Chai, T.Y., Ngoh, L.H., Shao, X., Teo, J.C.M., Zhou, L.: An IMS-based testbed for real-time services integration and orchestration. In: IEEE Asia-Pacific Services Computing Conference (APSCC 2009), Singapore, 7–11 December 2009Mu, M., Mauthe, A., Casson, J., Tyson, G., Garcia, F.: LA1 TestBed: evaluation testbed to assess the impact of network impairments on video quality. In: 5th International Conference on Testbeds and Research Infrastructures for the Development of Networks & Communities and Workshops (TridentCom 2009), Washington, DC, 6–8 April 2009Kuwadekar, A., Al-Begain, K.: User centric quality of experience testing for video on demand over IMS. In: First International Conference on Computational Intelligence, Communication Systems and Networks (CICSYN 2009), Indore, India, 23–25 July 2009Downline Guide, Big Buck Bunny, Sunflower version. http://bbb3d.renderfarming.net/download.htmlFFmpeg. http://www.ffmpeg.org/about.htmlSullivan, G.J., Wiegand, T.: Video compression - from concepts to the H.264/AVC standard. Proc. IEEE 93(1), 18–31 (2005)Estepa, A.J., Estepa, R., Vozmediano, J., Carrillo, P.: Dynamic VoIP codec selection on smartphones. Netw. Protoc. Algorithms 6(2), 22–37 (2014

MHCP: Multimedia Hybrid Cloud Computing Protocol and Architecture for Mobile Devices

[EN] Multimedia cloud computing has appeared as a very attractive environment for the business world in terms of providing cost-effective services with a minimum of entry costs and infrastructure requirements. There are some architecture proposals in the related literature, but there is no multimedia cloud computing architecture with hybrid features specifically designed for mobile devices. In this article, we propose a new multimedia hybrid cloud computing architecture and protocol. It merges existing private and public clouds and combines IaaS, SaaS and SECaaS cloud computing models in order to find a common platform to deliver real time traffic from heterogeneous multimedia and social networks for mobile users. The developed protocol provides suitable levels of QoS, while providing a secure and trusted cloud environment.Jimenez, JM.; Díaz Santos, JR.; Lloret, J.; Romero Martínez, JO. (2019). MHCP: Multimedia Hybrid Cloud Computing Protocol and Architecture for Mobile Devices. IEEE Network. 33(1):106-112. https://doi.org/10.1109/MNET.2018.1300246S10611233

Energy Savings Consumption on Public Wireless Networks by SDN Management

[EN] In order to use the energy more efficiently, network algorithms and protocols must incorporate in their decision mechanisms some functions focused on saving energy. In this paper we have studied different features and parameters of wireless networks to establish their relationship with the power consumption. First, we have analyzed the variation of power consumption of access points (APs) in function of the antenna transmission power. Second, we have collected user information from real public wireless network to determine the real requirements of network resources in real time basis. Based on this information, a new extension for Openflow protocol over Software-Defined Networking (SDN) networks will be proposed to manage the wireless network, with the aim to keep the optimal network performance with minimal power consumption. This extension introduces new Openflow messages and a new function to be incorporated in SDN controllers and Openflow enabled devices. The proposal will be validated by appropriated simulations based on real scenarios: a shopping center and a municipal wireless network.This work has been supported by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad , through the Convocatoria 2014. Proyectos I + D - Programa Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica de Excelencia in the Subprograma Estatal de Generación de Conocimiento , Project TIN2014-57991-C3-1-P and the Programa para la Formación de Personal Investigador (FPI-2015-S2-884) by the Universitat Politècnica de València .Jimenez, JM.; Romero Martínez, JO.; Lloret, J.; Díaz Santos, JR. (2019). Energy Savings Consumption on Public Wireless Networks by SDN Management. Mobile Networks and Applications. 24(2):667-677. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11036-016-0784-7S667677242Khoa Nguyen K, Jaumard B (2009) Routing engine architecture for next generation routers: evolutional trends. Network Protocols and Algorithms 1(1):62–85. doi: 10.5296/npa.v1i1.151Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2015–2020 White Paper (2016). Available at: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/visual-networking-index-vni/mobile-white-paper-c11-520862.html . Accessed 3 Nov 2016Recommended Power Management Settings (2016). Available at https://web.archive.org/web/20071125104605/http://www.climatesaverscomputing.org/tools/pwr_mgmt.html . Accessed 3 Nov 2016WWF International website (2016). Available at http://wwf.panda.org /. Accessed 3 Nov 2016ENERGY STAR (2016). The simple choice for energy efficiency. Available at https://www.energystar.gov /. 3 Nov 2016Definition WHAT IS SDN? (2016). Available at https://www.opennetworking.org/sdn-resources/sdn-definition . Accessed 3 Nov 2016OpenFlow (2016). Available at: https://www.opennetworking.org/sdn-resources/openflow . Accessed 3 Nov 2016McKeown N, Anderson T, Balakrishnan H, Parulkar G, Peterson L, Rexford J, Shenker S, Turner J (2008) OpenFlow: enabling innovation in campus networks. ACM SIGCOMM Comput Commun Rev 38(2):69–74Dely P, Kassler A, Bayer N (2011) OpenFlow for wireless mesh networks. In 2011 proceedings of 20th international conference on computer communications and networks (ICCCN), July 31-Aug 4 2011, pp 1–6. doi: 10.1109/ICCCN.2011.6006100Guidance document_Lot 26_networked standby_clean FIN.pdf. Available at https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/Guidance%20document_Lot%2026_Networked%20Standby_clean%20FIN.pdf . Accessed 3 Nov 2016Yang H, Zhang J, Zhao Y, Ji Y, Han J, Lin Y, Qiu YL (2014) Time-aware software defined networking for OpenFlow-based datacenter optical networks. Netw Protocol Algorithm 6(4):77–91Jimenez JM, Romero O, Rego A, Dilendra A, Lloret J (2015) Study of multimedia delivery over software defined networks. Netw Protocol Algorithm 7(4):37–62Jimenez JM, Romero O, Rego A, Dilendra A, Lloret J (2016) Performance study of a software defined network emulator. The twelfth advanced international conference on telecommunications (AICT 2016), May 22–26, 2016, Valencia, SpainMininet An Instant Virtual Network on your Laptop (or other PC) (2016). Available at http://mininet.org /. Accessed 3 Nov 2016Nedevschi S, Popa L, Iannaccone G, Ratnasamy S, Wetherall D (2008) Reducing network energy consumption via sleeping and rate-adaptation. Proceeding NSDI’08 proceedings of the 5th USENIX symposium on networked systems design and implementation, April 16–18, 2008, San Francisco (USA), pp 323–336Feeney LM, Nilsson M (2001) Investigating the energy consumption of a wireless network interface in an Ad Hoc networking environment. In: proceedings of the twentieth annual joint conference of the IEEE computer and communications societies, INFOCOM 2001, vol 3, Anchorage, Alaska, April 22–26, pp. 1548–1557. IEEE (2001)Andrade-Morelli S, Ruiz-Sanchez E, Granell E, Lloret J (2012) Energy consumption of wireless network access points. In second international conference, Gree Nets 2012, Gandia, Spain, October 25–26, 2012, pp 81–91. doi: 10.1007/978–3–642-37977-2_8Chen T, Yang Y, Zhang H, Haesik K, Horneman K (2011) Network energy saving technologies for green wireless access networks. IEEE Wirel Commun 18(5):30–38Tapia A, Maitland C, Stone M (2006) Making IT work for municipalities: Buildingmunicipal wireless networks. Gov Inf Q 23(3):359–380van Drunen R, Koolhaas J, Schuurmans H, Vijn M (2003) Building a wireless community network in the netherland. In: USENIX 2003/Freenix Annual technical conference proceedings, San Antonio, Texas, USA, June 9–14, pp 219–230Vu TH, Nam PN, Thanh T, Hung LT, Van LA, Linh ND, Thien TD, Thanh NH (2012) Power aware OpenFlow switch extension for energy saving in data centers. In international conference on advanced technologies for communications, ATC 2012, IEEE, Hanoi, Vietnam, 10–12 Oct 2012, pp 309–313. doi: 10.1109/ATC.2012.6404282Kaup F, Melnikowitsch S, Hausheer D (2014) Measuring and modeling the power consumption of OpenFlow switches. In IEEE international conference on network and service management (CNSM), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 17–21 Nov 2014, pp 181–186DATA SHEET. ARUBA 103 SERIES ACCESS POINTS (2016). Available at: http://www.arubanetworks.com/assets/ds/DS_AP103Series.pdf . Accessed 3 Nov 2016DATA SHEET. ARUBA RAP-100 SERIES REMOTE ACCESS POINTS (2016). Available at: http://www.arubanetworks.com/assets/ds/DS_RAP-100.pdf . Accessed 3 Nov 2016Cisco Aironet 1240AG Series 802.11A/B/G Access Point Data Sheet (2016). Available at: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/collaboration-endpoints/unified-ip-phone-7900-series/product_data_sheet0900aecd8031c844.html . Accessed 3 Nov 2016Cisco Aironet 1230AG Series 802.11A/B/G Access Point Data Sheet (2016). Available at: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/wireless/aironet-1230-ag-series/product_data_sheet0900aecd801b9068.html . Accessed 3 Nov 2016Cisco Aironet 1130AG IEEE 802.11 A/B/G Access Point (2016). Available at: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/collaboration-endpoints/unified-ip-phone-7900-series/product_data_sheet0900aecd8031c844.html . Accessed 3 Nov 2016Aerohive AP121 (2016). Available at: http://media.aerohive.com/documents/Aerohive_Datasheet_AP121 . Accessed 3 Nov 2016Aerohive AP230 (2016). Available at: http://media.aerohive.com/documents/Aerohive_Datasheet_AP230.pdf . Accessed 3 Nov 2016Aerohive AP330 (2016). Available at: http://media.aerohive.com/documents/Aerohive_Datasheet_AP330.pdf . Accessed 3 Nov 201

MWAHCA: A Multimedia Wireless Ad Hoc Cluster Architecture

Wireless Ad hoc networks provide a flexible and adaptable infrastructure to transport data over a great variety of environments. Recently, real-time audio and video data transmission has been increased due to the appearance of many multimedia applications. One of the major challenges is to ensure the quality of multimedia streams when they have passed through a wireless ad hoc network. It requires adapting the network architecture to the multimedia QoS requirements. In this paper we propose a new architecture to organize and manage cluster-based ad hoc networks in order to provide multimedia streams. Proposed architecture adapts the network wireless topology in order to improve the quality of audio and video transmissions. In order to achieve this goal, the architecture uses some information such as each node's capacity and the QoS parameters (bandwidth, delay, jitter, and packet loss). The architecture splits the network into clusters which are specialized in specific multimedia traffic. The real system performance study provided at the end of the paper will demonstrate the feasibility of the proposal.Díaz Santos, JR.; Lloret, J.; Jimenez, JM.; Sendra, S. (2014). MWAHCA: A Multimedia Wireless Ad Hoc Cluster Architecture. Scientific World Journal. 2014. doi:10.1155/2014/913046S2014Lacuesta, R., Lloret, J., Garcia, M., & Peñalver, L. (2010). A Spontaneous Ad Hoc Network to Share WWW Access. EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking, 2010(1). doi:10.1155/2010/232083Lloret, J., Garcia, M., Tomás, J., & Boronat, F. (2008). GBP-WAHSN: A Group-Based Protocol for Large Wireless Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks. Journal of Computer Science and Technology, 23(3), 461-480. doi:10.1007/s11390-008-9147-6Yu, J. Y., & Chong, P. H. J. (2005). A survey of clustering schemes for mobile ad hoc networks. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 7(1), 32-48. doi:10.1109/comst.2005.1423333Lloret, J., Garcia, M., Bri, D., & Diaz, J. (2009). A Cluster-Based Architecture to Structure the Topology of Parallel Wireless Sensor Networks. Sensors, 9(12), 10513-10544. doi:10.3390/s91210513LEHSAINI, M., GUYENNET, H., & FEHAM, M. (2010). Cluster-based Energy-efficient k-Coverage for Wireless Sensor Networks. Network Protocols and Algorithms, 2(2). doi:10.5296/npa.v2i2.325Zhou, C., & Maxemchuk, N. (2011). Distributed Bottleneck Flow Control in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks. Network Protocols and Algorithms, 3(1). doi:10.5296/npa.v3i1.576Zhang, R., Cai, L., Pan, J., & Shen, X. (Sherman). (2011). Resource management for video streaming in ad hoc networks. Ad Hoc Networks, 9(4), 623-634. doi:10.1016/j.adhoc.2010.08.012Tarique, M. (2010). ISSUES OF LONG-HOP AND SHORT-HOP ROUTING IN MOBILE AD HOC NETWORKS: A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY. Network Protocols and Algorithms, 2(2). doi:10.5296/npa.v2i2.430Abdrabou, A., & Zhuang, W. (2009). Statistical QoS routing for IEEE 802.11 multihop ad hoc networks. IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, 8(3), 1542-1552. doi:10.1109/twc.2008.080573Kandris, D., Tsagkaropoulos, M., Politis, I., Tzes, A., & Kotsopoulos, S. (2011). Energy efficient and perceived QoS aware video routing over Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks. Ad Hoc Networks, 9(4), 591-607. doi:10.1016/j.adhoc.2010.09.00

Comparison of oxidative stress markers in HIV-infected patients on efavirenz or atazanavir/ritonavir-based therapy

INTRODUCTION: Chronic low-grade inflammation and immune activation may persist in HIV patients despite effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). These abnormalities are associated with increased oxidative stress (OS). Bilirubin (BR) may have a beneficial role in counteracting OS. Atazanavir (ATV) inhibits UGT1A1, thus increasing unconjugated BR levels, a distinctive feature of this drug. We compared changes in OS markers in HIV patients on ATV/r versus efavirenz (EFV)-based first-line therapies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cohort of the Spanish Research Network (CoRIS) is a multicentre, open, prospective cohort of HIV-infected patients naïve to ART at entry and linked to a biobank. We identified hepatitis C virus/hepatitis B virus (HCV/HBV) negative patients who started first-line ART with either ATV/r or EFV, had a baseline biobank sample and a follow-up sample after at least nine months of ART while maintaining initial regimen and being virologically suppressed. Lipoprotein-associated Phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), Myeloperoxidase (MPO) and Oxidized LDL (OxLDL) were measured in paired samples. Marker values at one year were interpolated from available data. Multiple imputations using chained equations were used to deal with missing values. Change in the OS markers was modelled using multiple linear regressions adjusting for baseline marker values and baseline confounders. Correlations between continuous variables were explored using Pearson's correlation tests. RESULTS: 145 patients (97 EFV; 48 ATV/r) were studied. Mean (SD) baseline values for OS markers in EFV and ATV/r groups were: Lp-PLA2 [142.2 (72.8) and 150.1 (92.8) ng/mL], MPO [74.3 (48.2) and 93.9 (64.3) µg/L] and OxLDL [76.3 (52.3) and 82.2 (54.4) µg/L]. After adjustment for baseline variables patients on ATV/r had a significant decrease in Lp-PLA2 (estimated difference -16.3 [CI 95%: -31.4, -1.25; p=0.03]) and a significantly lower increase in OxLDL (estimated difference -21.8 [-38.0, -5.6; p<0.01] relative to those on EFV, whereas no differences in MPO were found. Adjusted changes in BR were significantly higher for the ATV/r group (estimated difference 1.33 [1.03, 1.52; p<0.01]). Changes in BR and changes in OS markers were significantly correlated. CONCLUSIONS: In virologically suppressed patients on stable ART, OS was lower in ATV/r-based regimens compared to EFV. We hypothesize these changes could be in part attributable to increased BR plasma levels.S

The Federated Practice of Soccer Influences Hamstring Flexibility in Healthy Adolescents: Role of Age and Weight Status

The aim of this study was to compare the hamstring flexibility between federated soccer and non-federated adolescents, and also to evaluate the effect of age and weight status on hamstring flexibility. The participants were 234 students (11-18 years old) divided into: (i) G1: non-federated (n = 127), and (ii) G2: federated in soccer (n = 107). The deep flexion of the trunk (DF) test and the sit and reach test (SRT) were performed. G2 showed higher values for the DF and SRT compared to G1 (p < 0.05). Both flexibility tests correlated positively (r = 0.4, p < 0.001). Body mass index (BMI) was negatively correlated with the DF test (r = -0.3, p < 0.001), but not with the SRT. Divided by BMI, the underweight and normal weight groups had higher scores in the DF test compared with the overweight and obese groups (p < 0.001). BMI was negatively correlated with hamstring flexibility. Federated soccer students present higher scores of hamstring flexibility

Revisiting the impact of perceived social value on consumer behavior toward luxury brands

In recent years, the luxury market has come to face important structural changes, such as the entry of new segments into the market and the use of the Internet as a sales channel. In this context, luxury brands must understand their young consumers' perception of social value while adapting to environmental changes. This study aims to validate an up-to-date model to determine the impact of perceived value of luxury brands on consumer behavior. To validate the model, we analyze attributes of luxury brands and the value assigned to those attributes. We collect the data from a survey (n = 225) and analyze the results with partial least squares-structural equation modeling. The results show that in our up-to-date model of perceived social value of luxury brands, the social component, as the only antecedent, has a major influence on consumer behavior; the results, however, fail to support our expectations of the impact of financial and functional brand perceptions. Furthermore, we find a relationship between overall luxury brand perception and behavioral and emotional outcomes for young consumers such that companies might consequently tailor their business strategies.2021-2

Fault tolerant mechanism for multimedia flows in wireless ad hoc networks based on fast switching paths

Multimedia traffic can be forwarded through a wireless ad hoc network using the available resources of the nodes. Several models and protocols have been designed in order to organize and arrange the nodes to improve transmissions along the network. We use a cluster-based framework, called MWAHCA architecture, which optimizes multimedia transmissions over a wireless ad hoc network. It was proposed by us in a previous research work. This architecture is focused on decreasing quality of service (QoS) parameters like latency, jitter, and packet loss, but other network features were not developed, like load balance or fault tolerance. In this paper, we propose a new fault tolerance mechanism, using as a base the MWAHCA architecture, in order to recover any multimedia flow crossing the wireless ad hoc network when there is a node failure. The algorithm can run independently for each multimedia flow. The main objective is to keep the QoS parameters as low as possible. To achieve this goal, the convergence time must be controlled and reduced. This paper provides the designed protocol, the analytical model of the algorithm, and a software application developed to test its performance in a real laboratory.This work has been partially supported by Instituto de Telecomunicacoes, Next Generation Networks and Applications Group (NetGNA), Covilha Delegation, and by National Funding from the FCT-Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia through the Pest-OE/EEI/LA0008/2013 Project.Díaz Santos, JR.; Lloret, J.; Jimenez, JM.; Sendra, S.; Rodrigues, JJPC. (2014). Fault tolerant mechanism for multimedia flows in wireless ad hoc networks based on fast switching paths. Mathematical Problems in Engineering. 2014:1-12. doi:10.1155/2014/361543S1122014Sendra, S., Lloret, J., Garcia, M., & Toledo, J. F. (2011). Power Saving and Energy Optimization Techniques for Wireless Sensor Neworks (Invited Paper). Journal of Communications, 6(6). doi:10.4304/jcm.6.6.439-459Lloret, J., Garcia, M., Bri, D., & Sendra, S. (2009). A Wireless Sensor Network Deployment for Rural and Forest Fire Detection and Verification. Sensors, 9(11), 8722-8747. doi:10.3390/s91108722Lloret, J., Bosch, I., Sendra, S., & Serrano, A. (2011). A Wireless Sensor Network for Vineyard Monitoring That Uses Image Processing. Sensors, 11(6), 6165-6196. doi:10.3390/s110606165Akyildiz, I., Melodia, T., & Chowdury, K. (2007). Wireless multimedia sensor networks: A survey. IEEE Wireless Communications, 14(6), 32-39. doi:10.1109/mwc.2007.4407225Lloret, J., Garcia, M., Bri, D., & Diaz, J. (2009). A Cluster-Based Architecture to Structure the Topology of Parallel Wireless Sensor Networks. Sensors, 9(12), 10513-10544. doi:10.3390/s91210513Diaz, J. R., Lloret, J., Jimenez, J. M., & Rodrigues, J. J. P. C. (2014). A QoS-Based Wireless Multimedia Sensor Cluster Protocol. International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks, 10(5), 480372. doi:10.1155/2014/480372Diaz, J. R., Lloret, J., Jimenez, J. M., & Sendra, S. (2014). MWAHCA: A Multimedia Wireless Ad Hoc Cluster Architecture. The Scientific World Journal, 2014, 1-14. doi:10.1155/2014/913046Sadiq, A. S., Bakar, K. A., Ghafoor, K. Z., Lloret, J., & Khokhar, R. (2013). An Intelligent Vertical Handover Scheme for Audio and Video Streaming in Heterogeneous Vehicular Networks. Mobile Networks and Applications, 18(6), 879-895. doi:10.1007/s11036-013-0465-8Diaz, J. R., Lloret, J., Jiménez, J. M., & Hammoumi, M. (2014). A new multimedia-oriented architecture and protocol for wireless ad hoc networks. International Journal of Ad Hoc and Ubiquitous Computing, 16(1), 14. doi:10.1504/ijahuc.2014.062486Pagani, E., & Rossi, G. P. (1999). Mobile Networks and Applications, 4(3), 175-192. doi:10.1023/a:1019198815518Xue, Y., & Nahrstedt, K. (2004). Providing Fault-Tolerant Ad hoc Routing Service in Adversarial Environments. Wireless Personal Communications, 29(3/4), 367-388. doi:10.1023/b:wire.0000047071.75971.cdBoukerche, A., Werner Nelem Pazzi, R., & Borges Araujo, R. (2006). Fault-tolerant wireless sensor network routing protocols for the supervision of context-aware physical environments. Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computing, 66(4), 586-599. doi:10.1016/j.jpdc.2005.12.007Bheemarjuna Reddy, T., Sriram, S., Manoj, B. S., & Siva Ram Murthy, C. (2006). MuSeQoR: Multi-path failure-tolerant security-aware QoS routing in Ad hoc wireless networks. Computer Networks, 50(9), 1349-1383. doi:10.1016/j.comnet.2005.05.035Chao, H. L., & Chang, C. L. (2008). A fault-tolerant routing protocol in wireless sensor networks. International Journal of Sensor Networks, 3(1), 66. doi:10.1504/ijsnet.2008.016463Melamed, R., Keidar, I., & Barel, Y. (2007). Octopus: A fault-tolerant and efficient ad-hoc routing protocol. Wireless Networks, 14(6), 777-793. doi:10.1007/s11276-006-0013-6Lopes, P., Salvador, P., & Nogueira, A. (2013). Methodologies for Network Topology Discovery and Detection of MAC and IP Spoofing Attacks. Network Protocols and Algorithms, 5(3), 153. doi:10.5296/npa.v5i3.431

Reproductive desire in women with HIV infection in Spain, associated factors and motivations: A mixed-method study

Background: Antiretroviral therapy has created new expectations in the possibilities of procreation for persons living with HIV. Our objectives were to evaluate reproductive desire and to analyze the associated sociodemographic and clinical factors in HIV-infected women in the Spanish AIDS Research Network Cohort (CoRIS).Methods: A mixed qualitative-quantitative approach was designed. Women of reproductive age (18-45) included in CoRIS were interviewed by phone, and data were collected between November 2010 and June 2012 using a specifically designed questionnaire. Reproductive desire was defined as having a desire to be pregnant at present or having unprotected sex with the purpose of having children or wanting to have children in the near future.Results: Overall, 134 women were interviewed. Median age was 36 years (IQR 31-41), 55% were Spanish, and 35% were unemployed. 84% had been infected with HIV through unprotected sex, with a median time since diagnosis of 4.5 years (IQR 2.9-6.9). Reproductive desire was found in 49% of women and was associated with: 1) Age (women under 30 had higher reproductive desire than those aged 30-39; OR = 4.5, 95% CI 1.4-14.3); 2) having no children vs. already having children (OR = 3.2; 1.3-7.7 3); Being an immigrant (OR = 2.2; 1.0-5.0); and 4) Not receiving antiretroviral treatment (OR = 3.6; 1.1-12.1). The main reasons for wanting children were related to liking children and wanting to form a family. Reasons for not having children were HIV infection, older age and having children already. Half of the women had sought or received information about how to have a safe pregnancy, 87% had disclosed their serostatus to their family circle, and 39% reported having experienced discrimination due to HIV infection.Conclusions: The HIV-infected women interviewed in CoRIS have a high desire for children, and the factors associated with this desire are not fundamentally different from those of women in the general population. Maternity may even help them face a situation they still consider stigmatized and prefer not to disclose. Health-care protocols for handling HIV-positive women should incorporate specific interventions on sexual and reproductive health to help them fulfill their procreation desire and experience safe pregnanciesThe RIS cohort (CoRIS) is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III through the Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Sida (RIS C03/173

Huntington's disease-specific mis-splicing unveils key effector genes and altered splicing factors

Correction of mis-splicing events is a growing therapeutic approach for neurological diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy or neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis 7, which are caused by splicing-affecting mutations. Mis-spliced effector genes that do not harbour mutations are also good candidate therapeutic targets in diseases with more complex aetiologies such as cancer, autism, muscular dystrophies or neurodegenerative diseases. Next-generation RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has boosted investigation of global mis-splicing in diseased tissue to identify such key pathogenic mis-spliced genes. Nevertheless, while analysis of tumour or dystrophic muscle biopsies can be informative on early stage pathogenic mis-splicing, for neurodegenerative diseases, these analyses are intrinsically hampered by neuronal loss and neuroinflammation in post-mortem brains. To infer splicing alterations relevant to Huntington's disease pathogenesis, here we performed intersect-RNA-seq analyses of human post-mortem striatal tissue and of an early symptomatic mouse model in which neuronal loss and gliosis are not yet present. Together with a human/mouse parallel motif scan analysis, this approach allowed us to identify the shared mis-splicing signature triggered by the Huntington's disease-causing mutation in both species and to infer upstream deregulated splicing factors. Moreover, we identified a plethora of downstream neurodegeneration-linked mis-spliced effector genes that-together with the deregulated splicing factors-become new possible therapeutic targets. In summary, here we report pathogenic global mis-splicing in Huntington's disease striatum captured by our new intersect-RNA-seq approach that can be readily applied to other neurodegenerative diseases for which bona fide animal models are available.Extremadura Research Centre for Advanced Technologies (CETA-CIEMAT), funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). CETA-CIEMAT belongs to CIEMAT and the Government of Spai