Nanoparticle communications : from chemical signals in nature to wireless sensor networks

The need to convey information has always existed in both the animal and human kingdoms. The article offers a review of the latest developments in transporting information using nanosized particles. It begins by examining chemical signalling in nature, and goes on to discuss recent advances in mimicking this in bio-inspired engineering. It then points out the important difference between signalling and general communication, and explains why the latter is a more challenging problem. The existing research on mimicking chemical signalling in nature is a precurser to research into general chemical communication. A review of the latest theoretical research in general chemical communications is presented, along with the practical developments of the world’s first nanoparticle communications test-bed. In the parts of the article, the authors discuss the potential research challenges and identify three important areas for future development: robustness, miniaturization, and scalability

PASA: A Priori Adaptive Splitting Algorithm for the Split Delivery Vehicle Routing Problem

The split delivery vehicle routing problem (SDVRP) is a relaxed variant of the capacitated vehicle routing problem (CVRP) where the restriction that each customer is visited precisely once is removed. Compared with CVRP, the SDVRP allows a reduction in the cost of the routes traveled by vehicles. The exact methods to solve the SDVRP are computationally expensive. Moreover, the complexity and difficult implementation of the state-of-the-art heuristic approaches hinder their application in real-life scenarios of the SDVRP. In this paper, we propose an easily understandable and effective approach to solve the SDVPR based on an a priori adaptive splitting algorithm (PASA). The idea of a priori split strategy was first introduced in Chen et al. (2017). In this approach, the demand of the customers is split into smaller values using a fixed splitting rule in advance. Consequently, the original SDVRP instance is converted to a CVRP instance which is solved using an existing CVRP solver. While the proposed a priori splitting rule in Chen et al. (2017) is fixed for all customers regardless of their demand and location, we suggest an adaptive splitting rule that takes into account the distance of the customers to the depot and their demand values. Our experiments show that PASA can generate solutions comparable to the state-of-the-art but much faster. Furthermore, our algorithm outperforms the fixed a priori splitting rule proposed by Chen et al. (2017)

Joint Satellite Gateway Placement and Routing for Integrated Satellite-Terrestrial Networks

With the increasing attention to the integrated satellite-terrestrial networks (ISTNs), the satellite gateway placement problem becomes of paramount importance. The resulting network performance may vary depending on the different design strategies. In this paper, a joint satellite gateway placement and routing strategy for the terrestrial network is proposed to minimize the overall cost of gateway deployment and traffic routing, while adhering to the average delay requirement for traffic demands. Although traffic routing and gateway placement can be solved independently, the dependence between the routing decisions for different demands makes it more realistic to solve an aggregated model instead. We develop a mixed-integer linear program (MILP) formulation for the problem. We relax the integrality constraints to achieve a linear program (LP) which reduces time-complexity at the expense of a sub-optimal solution. We further propose a variant of the proposed model to balance the load between the selected gateways.Comment: 6 pages, In Proceedings of IEEE ICC 2020. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9149175 N. Torkzaban, A. Gholami, J. S. Baras and C. Papagianni, "Joint Satellite Gateway Placement and Routing for Integrated Satellite-Terrestrial Networks," ICC 2020 - 2020 IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC), Dublin, Ireland, 2020, pp. 1-6. doi: 10.1109/ICC40277.2020.914917

Integrating genetic maps in bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L) Verdc.] and their syntenic relationships among closely related legumes

Background Bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L) Verdc.] is an indigenous legume crop grown mainly in subsistence and small-scale agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa for its nutritious seeds and its tolerance to drought and poor soils. Given that the lack of ex ante sequence is often a bottleneck in marker-assisted crop breeding for minor and underutilised crops, we demonstrate the use of limited genetic information and resources developed within species, but linked to the well characterised common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) genome sequence and the partially annotated closely related species; adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) and mung bean (Vigna radiata). From these comparisons we identify conserved synteny blocks corresponding to the Linkage Groups (LGs) in bambara groundnut genetic maps and evaluate the potential to identify genes in conserved syntenic locations in a sequenced genome that underlie a QTL position in the underutilised crop genome. Results Two individual intraspecific linkage maps consisting of DArTseq markers were constructed in two bambara groundnut (2n = 2x = 22) segregating populations: 1) The genetic map of Population IA was derived from F2 lines (n = 263; IITA686 x Ankpa4) and covered 1,395.2 cM across 11 linkage groups; 2) The genetic map of Population TD was derived from F3 lines (n = 71; Tiga Nicuru x DipC) and covered 1,376.7 cM across 11 linkage groups. A total of 96 DArTseq markers from an initial pool of 142 pre-selected common markers were used. These were not only polymorphic in both populations but also each marker could be located using the unique sequence tag (at selected stringency) onto the common bean, adzuki bean and mung bean genomes, thus allowing the sequenced genomes to be used as an initial ‘pseudo’ physical map for bambara groundnut. A good correspondence was observed at the macro synteny level, particularly to the common bean genome. A test using the QTL location of an agronomic trait in one of the bambara groundnut maps allowed the corresponding flanking positions to be identified in common bean, mung bean and adzuki bean, demonstrating the possibility of identifying potential candidate genes underlying traits of interest through the conserved syntenic physical location of QTL in the well annotated genomes of closely related species. Conclusions The approach of adding pre-selected common markers in both populations before genetic map construction has provided a translational framework for potential identification of candidate genes underlying a QTL of trait of interest in bambara groundnut by linking the positions of known genetic effects within the underutilised species to the physical maps of other well-annotated legume species, without the need for an existing whole genome sequence of the study species. Identifying the conserved synteny between underutilised species without complete genome sequences and the genomes of major crops and model species with genetic and trait data is an important step in the translation of resources and information from major crop and model species into the minor crop species. Such minor crops will be required to play an important role in future agriculture under the effects of climate change

Investigating the relationship between mother-child bonding and maternal mental health

Background: Mother-child bonding is rooted in the affective relationship between mother and child that is shaped during pregnancy and leads to the mental growth of infants. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the relationship between mother-child bonding and maternal mental health in Ilam. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 300 mothers in Ilam were selected using a two-stage cluster sampling method. The demographic characteristics questionnaire, the mother-infant bonding scale, Spielberger anxiety inventory, and edinburgh postnatal depression scale constituted the data collection instruments in this study, which were completed in the eighth to tenth postnatal week. Data were analyzed in SPSS via descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) and inferential tests (t tests and ANOVA). Results: The results of this study revealed that the mean and standard deviation of the obtained mother-child bonding scores were 38.48±12.86. Weakened mother-child bonding and risk of child abuse comprised the highest and lowest frequencies, respectively. Mother-child bonding had a statistically significant association with mothers' state anxiety, trait anxiety, and depression, and these variables affected mother-child bonding (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Considering the relationship between mother-child bonding and maternal mental health, proper screening is required to pursue secondary prevention in pregnant mothers. In addition, it is essential to perform necessary interventions to improve maternal mental health to facilitate better mother-child bonding. © 2018, Journal of Comprehensive Pediatrics

BIOLOGICAL YIELD CONTENT CORRELATED WITH YIELD COMPONENTS IN BARLEY (Hordeum vulgare L.) UNDER RAINFED CONDITIONS OF KURDISTAN- IRAQ

Barley is the second cereal crop grown after wheat in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Low rainfall and high-temperature impact barley yields. A study investigating an F3 population of 100 segregated lines derived from a cross between Clipper, an Australian cultivar known for its high yield, and Local black, a cultivar recognized for its stress tolerance. The segregated F3 lines were assessed under two different environmental conditions at the Grdarash research station in Erbil and the Qlyasan research station in Sulaimani. The field trial data for the F3 population experienced analysis of variance and normality tests. Direct selection of high-yielding genotypes is challenging due to the complexity of the trait. Despite significant differences in yield among genotypes from various sources, genotypes showed no significant differences in harvest index (HI%). Location had a greater impact on yield-related traits of the segregated individuals, with temperature being a major influencing factor In Erbil, biological yield (BY) was significantly correlated with yield and its components, except for 1000-grain weight. In Sulaimani, BY was also significantly associated with yield and components, negatively correlated to HI%. Genetic effects were significant for BY but not HI%, with a negative genetic correlation between BY and HI% in Sulaimani. Significant impacts were observed on all attributes using regression analysis. except for 1000-grain weight, which had no significant correlation with BY or other traits. Biplot analysis indicated significant positive correlations between BY and yield-related traits, except for a negative %HI but insignificant correlation with 1000-grain weight

Investigating the relationship between mother-child bonding and maternal mental health

Background: Mother-child bonding is rooted in the affective relationship between mother and child that is shaped during pregnancy and leads to the mental growth of infants. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the relationship between mother-child bonding and maternal mental health in Ilam. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 300 mothers in Ilam were selected using a two-stage cluster sampling method. The demographic characteristics questionnaire, the mother-infant bonding scale, Spielberger anxiety inventory, and edinburgh postnatal depression scale constituted the data collection instruments in this study, which were completed in the eighth to tenth postnatal week. Data were analyzed in SPSS via descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) and inferential tests (t tests and ANOVA). Results: The results of this study revealed that the mean and standard deviation of the obtained mother-child bonding scores were 38.48±12.86. Weakened mother-child bonding and risk of child abuse comprised the highest and lowest frequencies, respectively. Mother-child bonding had a statistically significant association with mothers' state anxiety, trait anxiety, and depression, and these variables affected mother-child bonding (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Considering the relationship between mother-child bonding and maternal mental health, proper screening is required to pursue secondary prevention in pregnant mothers. In addition, it is essential to perform necessary interventions to improve maternal mental health to facilitate better mother-child bonding. © 2018, Journal of Comprehensive Pediatrics

Relationship between knowledge-skill and importance of physical examination for children admitted to infectious wards: Examining nurses' points of view

Background: A careful, timely, and accurate examination of patients by nurses provides grounds for maintaining and improving patients' safety in hospitals. Proper examination of the health status of children and, consequently, an accurate nursing diagnosis can accelerate their recovery and can have positive effects on the family. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the relationship between knowledge-skill and the importance of physical examination of children admitted to infectious wards from the perspective of nurses working in Ilam hospitals in 2017. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 150 nurses were selected using purposive sampling. To collect data, the demographic information questionnaire, physical examination knowledge-skill scale, and physical examination importance questionnaire were employed. Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 18. In addition, descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage) and inferential tests (independent and paired sample t-tests) were used. Results: The findings revealed that the acquired knowledge-skill mean score was 100.86 out of 200. The nurses exhibited higher levels of knowledge-skill with regard to controlling vital signs, assessment of respiratory effort, observation of skin color, and touching the extremities to check the body temperature. In contrast, they exhibited lower levels of knowledge-skill in terms of examination of the breast to assess lumps, examination of the spine, assessing how the patient is talking, and listening to lung sounds. Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation between knowledge-skill and the importance of pediatric physical examinations (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Considering that the mean score of nurses in terms of the knowledge-skill required for conducting pediatric physical examination was low, appropriate interventions should be planned by nursing managers to improve the status of nurses' knowledge-skill in this field, in order to ensure the use of the necessary procedures for effective nursing practice. © 2018, Journal of Comprehensive Pediatrics