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Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is a type of wireless network that is fast getting a lot of attention in scientific and industrial applications, and it is a network of decentralized autonomous standalone sensor devices. However, WSN is easily prone to malicious attacks as anyone can access the server through the node without a proper security authentication. In this paper, we proposed a secure AODV based multi-factor authentication scheme for WSN to mitigate physical attack, offline guessing attack and replay attack. Our proposed scheme is preferred to keep the scheme lightweight while providing enough security that requires smart card, user identity, password, and OTP. Our proposed scheme has relatively lower computational cost with a total of 10Th than the other compared schemes except for Adil et al.’s scheme. However, we have around 8288 bits of authentication overhead due to the nature of packet and the addition of factors. Hence, our scheme is outperformed from computational cost perspective, but the scheme is slightly higher on authentication overhead perspective. In the future, multiple device authentication, implementation of biometric feature can be added to improve the scheme.

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are playing an increasingly important role in ocean exploration. In some applications, an AUV can be tethered by a communication cable, such as an optical fiber, for real-time surveillance. This article focuses on the motion analysis of the AUV and cable coupling system to investigate the interaction between AUV and cable dynamic behaviors, especially under the current disturbance in the dynamic ocean environment. The dynamic equations of the coupled AUV and cable are derived using the well-known finite difference method and solved using the advanced trust-region method in MATLAB. The model-based simulation scheme is presented and further verified by comparing the simulation results with the validated ones published in the existing literature. The motion cases when the tethered vehicle maneuvers in a variety of motion modes and current scenarios are studied to conduct a systematic motion analysis. Both the variation in the cable tension at the towpoint and the configuration of the cable in the water are investigated. Based on the understanding of the cable and current effects on AUV motion, this article further explores the antitwining maneuvering strategy for the cable-tethered AUV moving in currents. The findings in this work can provide theoretical guidance for the safe operation of the AUV and cable coupling system in the field.

Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) are potential targets for several diseases. Previous studies have reported that concomitant selective inhibition of sEH and FAAH produced antinociception effects in an animal model of pain. However, the co-administration of a selective sEH inhibitor and a selective FAAH inhibitor might produce serious side effects due to drug-drug interactions that could complicate drug development in the long term. Thus, discovering dual sEH/FAAH inhibitors, single small molecules that can simultaneously inhibit both sEH and FAAH, would be a significant accomplishment in the medicinal chemistry field. Herein, we report the synthesis and biological evaluation of benzothiazole-phenyl-based analogs as potential dual sEH/FAAH inhibitors. This work represents a follow-up structure-activity relationship (SAR) and metabolic-stability studies of our best dual sEH/FAAH inhibitor identified previously, as well as in vivo evaluation of its effects on voluntary locomotor behavior in rats. Our SAR study indicates that trifluoromethyl groups on the aromatic rings are well tolerated by the targeted enzymes when placed at the ortho and para positions; however, they, surprisingly, did not improve metabolic stability in liver microsomes. Our behavioral studies indicate that doses of dual sEH/FAAH inhibitors that alleviate pain do not depress voluntary behavior in naïve rats, which is a common side effect of currently available analgesic drugs (e.g., opioids). Thus, dual sEH/FAAH inhibitors may be a safe and effective approach to treat pain.

Sub-optimal sensitivity and specificity in current allograft monitoring methodologies underscore the need for more accurate and reflexive immunosurveillance to uncover the flux in alloimmunity between allograft health and the onset and progression of rejection. QSant—a urine based multi-analyte diagnostic test—was developed to profile renal transplant health and prognosticate injury, risk of evolution, and resolution of acute rejection. Q-Score—the composite score, across measurements of DNA, protein and metabolic biomarkers in the QSant assay—enables this risk prognostication. The domain of immune quiescence—below a Q-Score threshold of 32—is well established, based on published AUC of 98% for QSant. However, the trajectory of rejection is variable, given that causality is multi-factorial. Injury and subtypes of rejection are captured by the progression of Q-Score. This publication explores the clinical utility of QSant across the alloimmunity gradient of 32–100 for the early diagnosis of allograft injury and rejection.

This paper presents an online AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle) path planner that employs path replanning approach and the SDEQPSO (selective differential evolution-hybridized quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization) algorithm to optimize an AUV mission conducted in an unknown, dynamic and cluttered ocean environment. The proposed path replanner considered the effect of ocean currents in path optimization to generate a Pareto-optimal path that guides the AUV to its target within minimum time. The optimization was based on the onboard sensor data measured from the environment, which consists of a priori unknown dynamic obstacles and spatiotemporal currents. Different sensor arrangements for the forward-looking sonar and horizontal acoustic Doppler current profiler (H-ADCP) were considered in 2D and 3D simulations. Based on the simulation results, the SDEQPSO path replanner was found to be capable of generating a time-optimal path that offered up to 13% reduction in travel time compared to the situation where the vehicle simply followed a path with the shortest distance. The proposed replanning technique also showed consistently better performance over a reactive path planner in terms of solution quality, stability, and computational efficiency. Robustness of the replanner was verified under stochastic process using the Monte Carlo method. The generated path fulfilled the vehicle’s safety and physical constraints, while intelligently exploiting ocean currents to improve the vehicle’s efficiency.

Replenishment at Sea (RAS) is used extensively for transferring fuel and supplies while two ships are underway. It is crucial for naval vessels that require prolonged endurance while minimising the weight of the vessels. It eliminates the need of returning to ports for refilling. When the ships are to manoeuvre adjacent to each other towards the same direction at constant speed, hydrodynamic forces will form in between the ships due to the close proximity and thus affect the manoeuvring capability of the vessels. The ships may experience a force which attracts them towards or repels them away from each other. This increases the risk of collision or capsize if care is not taken during the operation. Therefore, it is important to investigate ship to ship interactions in order to develop an applicable solution for safe operations.

This investigation focuses on the modelling of a floating oscillating water column (FOWC) wave energy converter with a numerical code (ANSYS AQWA) based on potential flow theory. Free-floating motions predicted by the numerical model were validated against experimental data extrapolated from a 1:36 scale model device in regular and irregular sea states. Upon validation, an assessment of the device’s motions when dynamically coupled with a four-line catenary mooring arrangement was conducted at different incident wave angles and sea states ranging from operational to survivable conditions, including the simulation of the failure of a single mooring line. The lack of viscosity in the numerical modelling led to overpredicted motions in the vicinity of the resonant frequencies, however, the addition of an external linear damping coefficient was shown to be an acceptable method of mitigating these discrepancies. The incident wave angle was found to have a limited influence on the magnitudes of heave, pitch, and surge motions. Furthermore, the obtained results indicated that the mooring restoring force is controlled by the forward mooring lines under the tested conditions.

Purpose: The preoperative medical clearance process is well established to screen for medical comorbidities and therefore must be thorough. However, screening for potential cervical spine disease is often overlooked. In older surgical candidates, the presence of cervical spondylosis can increase risk of iatrogenic cervical spine injury during prolonged neck extension in non-spinal surgeries. We present a standard protocol for cervical spine clearance and a novel sustained neck extension maneuver through a retrospective case series. Methods: Sixty-three consecutive cases that underwent preoperative cervical clearance between April 2012 and December 2019 were reviewed. Referral for clearance occurred through the department of anesthesiology after concerning radiographic or physical exam findings were noted. A standard preoperative screening protocol with a sustained one-minute neck extension maneuver was implemented. Recommendations were made for standard neck precautions with or without neuromonitoring or for cervical spine decompression surgery prior to the planned procedure. Results: There were 25 patients with symptoms of myelopathy, 11 with radiculopathy and 13 with neck pain at baseline. Cervical spondylosis was observed in 51 patients, cervical canal stenosis in 29 and cervical myelomalacia in six. Fifty-seven patients underwent neck extension exam and 25 exhibited new or worsening symptoms. Myelopathic symptoms and radicular pain at baseline and positive Hoffman’s and Spurling’s sign, independently, were significantly associated with a positive neck extension exam (p

BACKGROUND: Multiple Myeloma (MM) is characterized by the presence of clonal plasma cells. These often result in complications including bone destruction, hypercalcemia, renal insufficiency, and anaemia. Induction with a triplet or quadruplet regimen followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has been the standard of care for transplant eligible patients to achieve durable remission. PURPOSE: This is a retrospective analytical study to determine the outcome of Multiple Myeloma patients who underwent ASCT in Ampang Hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included a 5-year cohort of patients transplanted from 1st July 2014 to 30th June 2019. Data were obtained through electronic medical records. Prognostic factors for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using simple and multiple Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. All analyses were done using software R version 3.6.2 with validated statistical packages. RESULTS: 139 patients were analyzed. The median age at transplant was 56 years old and 56.1% are males (n＝78). The most common subtype is IgG Kappa (n＝67, 48.2%). Only 93 patients in which the International Staging System (ISS) could be determined, and among them, 33.3% of patients (n＝31) have advanced stage Ⅲ disease. The most common induction received before ASCT was a bortezomib based regimen and/or an immunomodulatory (IMiD) based regimen. 63.3% of patients achieved at least a very good partial response (VGPR) before ASCT. Most patients received myeloablative conditioning (MAC) (n＝119, 85.6%). The mean cell dose is 3.68×10(6)/kg. The median time to engraftment was 11 days for both platelet and absolute neutrophil count (ANC). With the median follow-up of 17.3 (range, 6.2-33.4) months, the median OS and PFS were not reached. The 1-year and 2-year PFS were 75% (95% CI 66-82%) and 52% (95% CI 42-62%), respectively. The 1-year and 2-year OS were 82% (95% CI 74-88%) and 70% (95% CI 60-78%), respectively. 6 patients (4.3%) had transplant-related mortality (TRM). IgA subtype was found to adversely affect PFS. Maintenance therapy and the absence of renal impairment was associated with better PFS and OS. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that ASCT following induction treatment is safe and beneficial to achieve a deeper remission status. In our study, the addition of maintenance therapy is associated with an improved outcome in PFS and OS.

This paper presents an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) path planning scenario as an optimization problem constrained by the combination of hard constraints and soft constraints. The path planner aims to generate the optimum path that safely guides an AUV through an ocean environment with priori known obstacles and non-uniform currents in both 2D and 3D. The path planner uses 2 variants of particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms, which are the selectively Differential Evolution (DE)-hybridized Quantum PSO (SDEQPSO) and Adaptive PSO (SDEAPSO). The performances of the path planners using different constraints are analyzed in a series of extensive Monte Carlo simulations and ANOVA (analysis of variance) procedures based on their respective solution qualities, stabilities and computational efficiencies. Based on the simulation results, the SDEQPSO path planner with the setting of hard constraint for boundary condition and soft constraint for obstacle avoidance was found to be able to generate smooth and feasible AUV path with higher efficiency than other algorithms, as indicated by its relatively low computational requirement and excellent solution quality.

The paper presents predictions on the hydrodynamics of a conceptual floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier in regular head and oblique sea waves using an unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) solver. Initially, a verification and validation study is performed on estimating the numerical uncertainties in the presented URANS simulations. Using the verified numerical setup, ship hydrodynamic properties including wave induced loads as well as ship motion responses are investigated for different wave conditions. The computed time history results are decomposed by Fourier Series to estimate the wave load and ship motion transfer functions. These results show good correlation with predictions from model tests and potential flow calculations. From the computations, it is observed when increasing the wave length, wave diffraction around the ship becomes less profound and the water depth starts to influence the transfer functions. Full scale computations in head and oblique sea waves are also presented and compared with model scale predictions for investigating possible scale effects. The differences are found to be close to the numerical uncertainties, indicating minor influences of scale effects on the prediction of wave loads and ship motion responses for the tested cases.

Research and development in the field of risk-based maintenance of offshore structures has recently attracted large attention due to the significant level of accident risk and the cost associated with maintenance in such remote facilities. The uncertainties associated with the deterioration of these facilities require a sound decision making methodology for maintenance planning. This paper presents a dynamic risk-based methodology for maintenance scheduling of subsea pipelines subjected to fatigue cracks. The developed method can assist the asset managers to select the optimum approach for mitigating the consequences of failure while minimizing the maintenance costs. A Bayesian network is developed to model the probabilistic deterioration process and then it is extended to an influence diagram for estimating the expected utility of each decision alternative. Observation of damage state is included in the model to enhance decision making capacity. To demonstrate the applicability of the methodology, three cases with different fatigue crack incidents on a pipeline are considered. Based on the monitoring results, the model is able to determine whether the maintenance should be performed or not. The economic risk associated with maintenance is also minimized by suggesting the optimum maintenance technique among multiple possible methods such as welding or major repair.

A central challenge in oncology is how to kill tumors containing heterogeneous cell populations defined by different combinations of mutated genes. Identifying these mutated genes and understanding how they cooperate requires single-cell analysis, but current single-cell analytic methods, such as PCR-based strategies or whole-exome sequencing, are biased, lack sequencing depth or are cost prohibitive. Transposon-based mutagenesis allows the identification of early cancer drivers, but current sequencing methods have limitations that prevent single-cell analysis. We report a liquid-phase, capture-based sequencing and bioinformatics pipeline, Sleeping Beauty (SB) capture hybridization sequencing (SBCapSeq), that facilitates sequencing of transposon insertion sites from single tumor cells in a SB mouse model of myeloid leukemia (ML). SBCapSeq analysis of just 26 cells from one tumor revealed the tumor’s major clonal subpopulations, enabled detection of clonal insertion events not detected by other sequencing methods and led to the identification of dominant subclones, each containing a unique pair of interacting gene drivers along with three to six cooperating cancer genes with SB-driven expression changes.

Particle swarm optimization (PSO)-based algorithms are suitable for path planning of the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) due to their high computational efficiency. However, such algorithms may produce sub-optimal paths or require higher computational load to produce an optimal path. This paper proposed a new approach that improves the ability of PSO-based algorithms to search for the optimal path while maintaining a low computational requirement. By hybridizing with differential evolution (DE), the proposed algorithms carry out the DE operator selectively to improve the search ability. The algorithms were applied in an offline AUV path planner to generate a near-optimal path that safely guides the AUV through an environment with a priori known obstacles and time-invariant non-uniform currents. The algorithm performances were benchmarked against other algorithms in an offline path planner because if the proposed algorithms can provide better computational efficiency to demonstrate the minimum capability of a path planner, then they will outperform the tested algorithms in a realistic scenario. Through Monte Carlo simulations and Kruskal-Wallis test, SDEAPSO (selective DE-hybridized PSO with adaptive factor) and SDEQPSO (selective DE-hybridized Quantum-behaved PSO) were found to be capable of generating feasible AUV path with higher efficiency than other algorithms tested, as indicated by their lower computational requirement and excellent path quality.

Foldable containers have the potential to enhance the cost efficiency of the logistics industry and improve the problem of space allocation at seaports. Using primary and secondary data sources the pros and cons of using foldable containers as compared to standard containers are identified, and it is shown that a port can gain cost efficiencies by using foldable containers. A simulation for the Port of Melbourne (Australia) demonstrates that using foldable containers would reduce the projected total number of containers handled by the port in 2035 from 7.057 million to 5.817 million, with an 80% decrease in the number of empty containers. Foldable containers can therefore have a significant impact on the reformation of the transport and logistics systems.

This interdisciplinary study investigated the transformative role of Echo360 lecture capture software on student learning behaviours within the disciplines of nursing, maritime management and engineering at an Australian university. The aim of this study was to examine how students used the system to enhance their learning. A comparison of class attendance and use of Echo360 generated materials revealed limited differences between different disciplines, even though the cohorts were quite diverse. The implications for learning and teaching show the need to be cognisant of generational difference and level of information communication technology skills when developing curriculum.

Part 1: Futures of Technology for Learning and Education; International audience; This report describes two computer-based interventions in Year 6 (age 11–12 years) classrooms. The interventions positioned sophisticated software alongside multimedia learning materials to teach topics from curriculum objectives many years ahead of these students’ chronological ages. These were transformative interventions (Fluck, 2003), changing what and how students learn when using computers. Students solved real world problems using integral calculus (Calculus for Kids) and studied both special relativity and quantum mechanics (Science-ercise). Calculus for Kids was conducted with 478 students in 26 schools from five Australian states; and Science-ercise was conducted with 187 students in five Tasmanian schools. Student learning achievement was measured using calibrated items in a post-test, with the students able to use the sophisticated software during the test. The results showed a majority of students exhibited learning achievements 4–6 years above their chronological age when using suitable computer tools. The studies bring into question the correct way to calculate effect sizes for such high impact interventions. Relying on Glass et al. (1981), we estimate this transformative use of computers in education achieved an effect size >4.0, well above Hattie’s (2007) hinge point of 0.4 for a significant innovation. This approach offers a pathway to shorten the time between knowledge generation and its incorporation in school curricula.

Caspofungin was the first member of a new class of antifungals called echinocandins to be approved by a drug regulatory authority. Like the other echinocandins, caspofungin blocks the synthesis of β(1,3)-D-glucan of the fungal cell wall by inhibiting the enzyme, β(1,3)-D-glucan synthase. Loss of β(1,3)-D-glucan leads to osmotic instability and cell death. However, the precise mechanism of cell death associated with the cytotoxicity of caspofungin was unclear. We now provide evidence that Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells cultured in media containing caspofungin manifest the classical hallmarks of programmed cell death (PCD) in yeast, including the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the fragmentation of mitochondria, and the production of DNA strand breaks. Our data also suggests that deleting AIF1 but not YCA1/MCA1 protects S. cerevisiae and Candida albicans from caspofungin-induced cell death. This is not only the first time that AIF1 has been specifically tied to cell death in Candida but also the first time that caspofungin resistance has been linked to the cell death machinery in yeast.

Aim: Rubiaceae is one of the largest families of plants and it includes the Jamaican genus Portlandia. This family has been used in several ethnomedicinal practices. Thus, in this study we investigated whether extracts of two species of Portlandia affect In vitro proliferation of breast cancer cells. Study Design: Metastatic (MDA-MB-231 and HeLa) cells were incubated in the absence or in the presence of Portlandia extracts. A human non-metastatic (MCF-10A) and normal (ATCC PCS-600-010) epithelial cell lines were used as control. Methodology: At the end of the study all cell lines were incubated with Portlandia extracts (-and its subfractions-) and then analyzed on proliferation, thymidine incorporation and mitogenic and survival signaling pathways on metastatic and non-metastatic cells. Results: It was found that Portlandia methanol extract inhibited proliferation of MDA-MB231 in a dose-dependent manner attenuating the phosphorylation of Erk1/2 and Akt1 Original Research Article European Journal of Medicinal Plants, 4(10): 1186-1199, 2014 1187 without affecting the proliferation of MCF-10A cells. [H] thymidine incorporation was also decreased by Portlandia methanol extract. This study suggests that Portlandia extracts selectively affected the proliferation of metastatic breast cancer cells through the modulation of Erk1/2 and Akt1 activities that play a critical role during cell survival and proliferation. Conclusion: Portlandia leaf extracts contain active compounds, which strongly repress cancer cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner and selectively down-regulate phosphorylation of both Erk1/2 and Akt1 activities.