Vehicular computation offloading is a well-received strategy to execute delay-sensitive and/or compute-intensive tasks of legacy vehicles. The response time of vehicular computation offloading can be ...shortened by using mobile edge computing that offers strong computing power, driving these computation tasks closer to end users. However, the quality of communication is hard to guarantee due to the obstruction of dense buildings or lack of infrastructure in some zones. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), therefore, have become one of the means to establish communication links for the two ends owing to its characteristics of ignoring terrain and flexible deployment. To make a sensible decision of computation offloading, nevertheless vehicles need to gather offloading-related global information, in which Software-Defined Networking (SDN) has shown its advances in data collection and centralized management. In this paper, thus, we propose an SDN-enabled UAV-assisted vehicular computation offloading optimization framework to minimize the system cost of vehicle computing tasks. In our framework, the UAV and the Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) server can work on behalf of the vehicle users to execute the delay-sensitive and compute-intensive tasks. The UAV, in a meanwhile, can also be deployed as a relay node to assist in forwarding computation tasks to the MEC server. We formulate the offloading decision-making problem as a multi-players computation offloading sequential game, and design the UAV-assisted Vehicular computation Cost Optimization (UVCO) algorithm to solve this problem. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed algorithm can make the offloading decision to minimize the Average System Cost (ASC).
Objective: The purpose of the present study is to revisit the export-led growth hypothesis in the wake of globalization. This will help in trade policy decisions and make it possible to standpoint ...whether the export promotion is a good idea to accelerate economic growth. Design: The ELG hypothesis is examined for 107 countries through panel data analysis using cointegration and panel regression tests from 1990 to 2018. The study finds strong support for the long-run relationship between exports and gross domestic product and the export-led growth hypothesis in a two-variable regression framework. Findings: It is evident from the long-run coefficient of dynamic ordinary least squared that a 1.0 percent increase in real exports increases the real gross domestic product by 0.53 percent. The long-run coefficient of real exports for the Global South (0.55) is found higher than that of the Global North (0.51), which indicates that in the wave of globalization, the evidence of export-led growth hypothesis is stronger for comparatively poor Global South than the richer Global North. Practical Implications: The results indicate implications for export promotion policy in the Global South countries to accelerate economic growth and increase real gross domestic product. Originality: The study is the first to explore the ELG hypothesis using a big pool of 107 countries, including the global north-south divide.
Liver cirrhosis is a common and growing public health problem globally.The diagnosis of cirrhosis portends an increased risk of morbidity and mortality.Liver biopsy is considered the gold standard ...for diagnosis of cirrhosis and staging of fibrosis.However,despite its universal use,liver biopsy is an invasive and inaccurate gold standard with numerous drawbacks.In order to overcome the limitations of liver biopsy,a number of non-invasive techniques have been investigated for the assessment of cirrhosis.This review will focus on currently available non-invasive markers of cirrhosis.The evidence behind the use of these markers will be highlighted,along with an assessment of diagnostic accuracy and performance characteristics of each test.Non-invasive markers of cirrhosis can be radiologic or serum-based.Radiologic techniques based on ultrasound,magnetic resonance imaging and elastography have been used to assess liver fibrosis.Serum-based biomarkers of cirrhosis have also been developed.These are broadly classified into indirect and direct markers.Indirect biomarkers reflect liver function,which may decline with the onset of cirrhosis.Direct biomarkers,reflect extracellular matrix turnover,and include molecules involved in hepatic fibrogenesis.On the whole,radiologic and serum markers of fibrosis correlate well with biopsy scores,especially when excluding cirrhosis or excluding fibrosis.This feature is certainly clinically useful,and avoids liver biopsy in many cases.
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•HCC incidence varies markedly by etiology of cirrhosis.•THRI is simple to use, has good predictive ability, and has been externally validated.•THRI may help to refine HCC ...surveillance guidelines for patients with cirrhosis.
Current guidelines recommend biannual surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in all patients with cirrhosis, regardless of etiology. However, HCC incidence is not well established for many causes of cirrhosis. We aimed to assess the disease-specific incidence of HCC in a large cohort of patients with cirrhosis and to develop a scoring system to predict HCC risk.
A derivation cohort of patients with cirrhosis diagnosed by biopsy or non-invasive measures was identified through retrospective chart review. The disease-specific incidence of HCC was calculated according to etiology of cirrhosis. Factors associated with HCC were identified through multivariable Cox regression and used to develop a scoring system to predict HCC risk. The scoring system was evaluated in an external cohort for validation.
Of 2,079 patients with cirrhosis and ≥6months follow-up, 226 (10.8%) developed HCC. The 10-year cumulative incidence of HCC varied by etiologic category from 22% in patients with viral hepatitis, to 16% in those with steatohepatitis and 5% in those with autoimmune liver disease (p<0.001). By multivariable Cox regression, age, sex, etiology and platelets were associated with HCC. Points were assigned in proportion to each hazard ratio to create the Toronto HCC Risk Index (THRI). The 10-year cumulative HCC incidence was 3%, 10% and 32% in the low-risk (<120points), medium-risk (120–240) and high-risk (>240) groups respectively, values that remained consistent after internal validation. External validation was performed on a cohort of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis, hepatitis B viral and hepatitis C viral cirrhosis (n=1,144), with similar predictive ability (Harrell’s c statistic 0.77) in the validation and derivation cohorts.
HCC incidence varies markedly by etiology of cirrhosis. The THRI, using readily available clinical and laboratory parameters, has good predictive ability for HCC in patients with cirrhosis, and has been validated in an external cohort. This risk score may help to guide recommendations regarding HCC surveillance among patients with cirrhosis.
HCC incidence varies markedly depending on the underlying cause of cirrhosis. Herein, using readily available clinical and laboratory parameters we describe a risk score, THRI, which has a good predictive ability for HCC in patients with cirrhosis, and has been validated in an external cohort. This risk score may help to guide recommendations regarding HCC surveillance among patients with cirrhosis.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Present research work on the Internet of Things and Fog computing has taken hype due to the low cost of building them by optimized sensors. Wireless sensor devices play a vital role in developing IoT ...sensing infrastructure. These devices are connected to form a network known as the WSN assisted IoT network. The number of things is verdant in IoT creates an immense energy need. So, efficient energy utilization is required to alter the green IoT environment. These sensor devices are having limited power and computational capabilities. We can use energy-efficient data routing protocols as data transferring with these low powered sensors is very challenging. One may use the sensors for more time in sensing the environment and sending the information. This proposed protocol deals with a reliable routing protocol for IoT sensing Infrastructure. Initially, a rendezvous region was created in the middle of the network area. Clustering and multipath technique are used because it reduces energy consumption and increases reliability. The proposed protocol is simulated within Castalia simulator for attaining the performance beneath different characteristics like packet delivery ratio, the average energy consumption, end to end delay, and network lifetime. It is observed that the suggested technique is useful in energy consumption and helps in boosting the IoT infrastructure network lifetime.
Renewable nanocellulose materials received increased attention owing to their small dimensions, high specific surface area, high mechanical characteristics, biocompatibility, and compostability. ...Nanocellulose coatings are among many interesting applications of these materials to functionalize different by composition and structure surfaces, including plastics, polymer coatings, and textiles with broader applications from food packaging to smart textiles. Variations in porosity and thickness of nanocellulose coatings are used to adjust a load of functional molecules and particles into the coatings, their permeability, and filtration properties. Mechanical stability of nanocellulose coatings in a wet and dry state are critical characteristics for many applications. In this work, nanofibrillated and nanocrystalline cellulose coatings deposited on the surface of polymer films and textiles made of cellulose, polyester, and nylon are studied using atomic force microscopy, ellipsometry, and T-peel adhesion tests. Methods to improve coatings' adhesion and stability using physical and chemical cross-linking with added polymers and polycarboxylic acids are analyzed in this study. The paper reports on the effect of the substrate structure and ability of nanocellulose particles to intercalate into the substrate on the coating adhesion.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Our objective of this study is to design and develop a polyethylene glycol (PEG2000)-modified multiwall carbon nanotube (PEGylated MWCNT) formulation for oral controlled metronomic chemotherapeutic ...drug delivery. Multiwall carbon nanotubes undergo various chemical modifications including oxidation with strong acids, conjugation of polyethylene glycol, and coating with cellulose acetate phthalate which resulted in the formation of aqueous dispersion and prevention of drug degradation in acidic environment. Advanced analytical procedure such as Fourier transform infra-red, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermal gravimetric analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering techniques were used to evaluate physicochemical characterization. We also performed in vitro cytotoxic study by MTT assay and results revealed that carboplatin-loaded PEGylated MWCNTs did not show significant detrimental effect on the viability of MDA-MB-231 (human breast cancer) cells. The maximum encapsulation and drug-loading capacity were determined to be 71.58 ± 0.04 and 39.62 ± 0.07%, respectively. The release of carboplatin from PEGylated MWCNTs was investigated at simulated intestinal fluid (SIF), pH 6.8, after optimizing at simulated gastric fluid (SGF), pH 1.2, by enteric coating. Enteric-coated PEGylated MWCNTs exhibit pH-responsive drug activity in a sustained manner especially at pH 6.8. This surface modification strongly suggests that PEGylated MWCNTs could be a potential carrier for metronomic chemotherapeutic agent for high drug resistance, drug with maximum adverse effect and poorly oral bioavailable drugs.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
The "Smart World" envisioned by technology will be achieved by the penetration of intelligence into ubiquitous things, including physical objects, cyber-entities, social-elements or individuals, and ...human thinking. The development of Smart World is enabled by diverse applications of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) into those components identified as things. Such a smart-world will have features controlled significantly by the location information. Control and Policy information of Smart World services, often addressed as location-based services (LBSs), are governed by location data. Localization thus becomes the key enabling technology for Smart World facilities. It is generally classified as active and passive techniques in nature. Active localization is a widely adopted localization scheme where the target is detected and tracked carries a tag or attached device. The other category, Passive methods, defines targets to be localized as free of carrying a tag or device, hence also referred to as device-free localization (DFL) or sensor-less localization. The passive approach is a well suited for the development of diverse smart world applications with ubiquitous localization. DFL schemes fall into a wide range of application scenarios within the Smart World ecosystem. A few notable examples are occupancy detection, identity definition, positioning, gesture detection, activity monitoring, pedestrian and vehicle-traffic flow surveillance, security safeguarding, ambient intelligence-based systems, emergency rescue operations, smart work-spaces and patient or elderly monitoring. In this paper, the revolution of DFL technologies have been reviewed and classified comprehensively. Further, the emergence of the Smart World paradigm is analyzed in the context of DFL principles. Moreover, the inherent challenges within the application domains have been extensively discussed and improvement strategies for multi-target localization and counting approach are discussed. Finally, current trends and future research directions have been presented.
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a ubiquitous molecule found within all cells, acting as a crucial coenzyme in numerous metabolic reactions. It plays a vital role in energy metabolism, ...cellular signaling, and DNA repair. Notably, NAD levels decline naturally with age, and this decline is associated with the development of various age-related diseases. Despite this established link, current genome-scale metabolic models, which offer powerful tools for understanding cellular metabolism, do not account for the dynamic changes in NAD concentration. This impedes our understanding of a fluctuating NAD level's impact on cellular metabolism and its contribution to age-related pathologies. To bridge this gap in our knowledge, we have devised a novel method that integrates altered NAD concentration into genome-scale models of human metabolism. This approach allows us to accurately reflect the changes in fatty acid metabolism, glycolysis, and oxidative phosphorylation observed experimentally in an engineered human cell line with a compromised level of subcellular NAD.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Hyperhomocysteinemia/Homocysteinuria is characterized by an increased level of toxic homocysteine in the plasma. The plasma concentration of homocysteine is 5-15 μmol/L in healthy individuals, while ...in hyperhomocysteinemic patients, it can be as high as 500 μmol/L. While increased homocysteine levels can cause symptoms such as osteoporosis and eye lens dislocation, high homocysteine levels are most closely associated with cardiovascular complications. Recent advances have shown that increased plasma Hcy is also a fundamental cause of neurodegenerative diseases (including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and dementia), diabetes, Down syndrome, and megaloblastic anemia, among others. In recent years, increased plasma homocysteine has also been shown to be closely related to cancer. In this review, we discuss the relation between elevated plasma Hcy levels and cancer, and we conclude that disturbed homocysteine metabolism is associated with cancer. Future clinical perspectives are also discussed.
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