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The latent viral reservoir represents one of the major barriers to curing HIV-1. Focus on the kick and kill (also called shock and kill) approach, in which virus expression is reactivated, and then cells producing virus are selectively depleted, has led to the discovery of many latency-reversing agents (LRAs) that have furthered our understanding of the mechanisms driving HIV-1 latency and latency reversal. Thus far, individual compounds have yet to be robust enough to work as a therapy, highlighting the importance of identifying new compounds that target novel pathways and synergize with known LRAs. In this study, we identified a promising LRA, NSC95397, from a screen of ~4250 compounds. We validated that NSC95397 reactivates latent viral transcription and protein expression from cells with unique integration events and across different latency models. Co-treating cells with NSC95397 and known LRAs demonstrated that NSC95397 synergizes with different drugs under both standard normoxic and physiological hypoxic conditions. NSC95397 does not globally increase open chromatin, and bulk RNA sequencing revealed that NSC95397 does not greatly increase cellular transcription. Instead, NSC95397 downregulates pathways key to metabolism, cell growth, and DNA repair-highlighting the potential of these pathways in regulating HIV-1 latency. Overall, we identified NSC95397 as a novel LRA that does not largely alter global transcription, shows potential for synergy with known LRAs, and may act through novel pathways not previously recognized for their ability to modulate HIV-1 latency.

TGF-β, essential for development and immunity, is expressed as a latent complex (L-TGF-β) non-covalently associated with its prodomain and presented on immune cell surfaces by covalent association with GARP. Binding to integrin αvβ8 activates L-TGF-β1/GARP. The dogma is that mature TGF-β must physically dissociate from L-TGF-β1 for signaling to occur. Our previous studies discovered that αvβ8-mediated TGF-β autocrine signaling can occur without TGF-β1 release from its latent form. Here, we show that mice engineered to express TGF-β1 that cannot release from L-TGF-β1 survive without early lethal tissue inflammation, unlike those with TGF-β1 deficiency. Combining cryogenic electron microscopy with cell-based assays, we reveal a dynamic allosteric mechanism of autocrine TGF-β1 signaling without release where αvβ8 binding redistributes the intrinsic flexibility of L-TGF-β1 to expose TGF-β1 to its receptors. Dynamic allostery explains the TGF-β3 latency/activation mechanism and why TGF-β3 functions distinctly from TGF-β1, suggesting that it broadly applies to other flexible cell surface receptor/ligand systems.

Protein knockdown with an inducible degradation system is a powerful tool for studying proteins of interest in living cells. Here, we adopted the auxin-inducible degron (AID) approach to detail Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) function in latency maintenance and inducible viral lytic gene expression. We fused the mini-auxin-inducible degron (mAID) tag at the LANA N-terminus with KSHV bacterial artificial chromosome 16 recombination, and iSLK cells were stably infected with the recombinant KSHV encoding mAID-LANA. Incubation with 5-phenyl-indole-3-acetic acid, a derivative of natural auxin, rapidly degraded LANA within 1.5 h. In contrast to our hypothesis, depletion of LANA alone did not trigger lytic reactivation but rather decreased inducible lytic gene expression when we stimulated reactivation with a combination of ORF50 protein expression and sodium butyrate. Decreased overall lytic gene induction seemed to be associated with a rapid loss of KSHV genomes in the absence of LANA. The rapid loss of viral genomic DNA was blocked by a lysosomal inhibitor, chloroquine. Furthermore, siRNA-mediated knockdown of cellular innate immune proteins, cyclic AMP-GMP synthase (cGAS) and simulator of interferon genes (STING), and other autophagy-related genes rescued the degradation of viral genomic DNA upon LANA depletion. Reduction of the viral genome was not observed in 293FT cells that lack the expression of cGAS. These results suggest that LANA actively prevents viral genomic DNA from sensing by cGAS-STING signaling axis, adding novel insights into the role of LANA in latent genome maintenance.IMPORTANCESensing of pathogens' components is a fundamental cellular immune response. Pathogens have therefore evolved strategies to evade such cellular immune responses. KSHV LANA is a multifunctional protein and plays an essential role in maintaining the latent infection by tethering viral genomic DNA to the host chromosome. We adopted the inducible protein knockdown approach and found that depletion of LANA induced rapid degradation of viral genomic DNA, which is mediated by innate immune DNA sensors and autophagy pathway. These observations suggest that LANA may play a role in hiding KSHV episome from innate immune DNA sensors. Our study thus provides new insights into the role of LANA in latency maintenance.

The Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) genome consists of an approximately 140-kb unique coding region flanked by 30-40 copies of a 0.8-kb terminal repeat (TR) sequence. A gene enhancer recruits transcription-related enzymes by having arrays of transcription factor binding sites. Here, we show that KSHV TR possesses transcription regulatory function with latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA). Cleavage under targets and release using nuclease demonstrated that TR fragments were occupied by LANA-interacting histone-modifying enzymes in naturally infected cells. The TR was enriched with histone H3K27 acetylation (H3K27Ac) and H3K4 tri-methylation (H3K4me3) modifications and also expressed nascent RNAs. The sites of H3K27Ac and H3K4me3 modifications were also conserved in the KSHV unique region among naturally infected primary effusion lymphoma cells. KSHV origin of lytic replication (Ori-Lyt) showed similar protein and histone modification occupancies with that of TR. In the Ori-Lyt region, the LANA and LANA-interacting proteins colocalized with an H3K27Ac-modified nucleosome along with paused RNA polymerase II. The KSHV transactivator KSHV replication and transcription activator (K-Rta) recruitment sites franked the LANA-bound nucleosome, and reactivation evicted the LANA-bound nucleosome. Including TR fragments in reporter plasmid enhanced inducible viral gene promoter activities independent of the orientations. In the presence of TR in reporter plasmids, K-Rta transactivation was drastically increased, while LANA acquired the promoter repression function. KSHV TR, therefore, functions as an enhancer for KSHV inducible genes. However, in contrast to cellular enhancers bound by multiple transcription factors, perhaps the KSHV enhancer is predominantly regulated by the LANA nuclear body.IMPORTANCEEnhancers are a crucial regulator of differential gene expression programs. Enhancers are the cis-regulatory sequences determining target genes' spatiotemporal and quantitative expression. Here, we show that Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) terminal repeats fulfill the enhancer definition for KSHV inducible gene promoters. The KSHV enhancer is occupied by latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) and its interacting proteins, such as CHD4. Neighboring terminal repeat (TR) fragments to lytic gene promoters drastically enhanced KSHV replication and transcription activator and LANA transcription regulatory functions. This study, thus, proposes a new latency-lytic switch model in which TR accessibility to the KSHV gene promoters regulates viral inducible gene expression.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Sleep loss contributes to various health issues and impairs neurological function. Molecular hydrogen has recently gained popularity as a nontoxic ergogenic and health promoter. The effect of molecular hydrogen on sleep and sleep-related neural systems remains unexplored. This study investigates the impact of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) on sleep behavior and neuronal activation in sleep-deprived mice. METHODS: Adult C57BL/6J mice were implanted with electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) recording electrodes and given HRW (0.7-1.4 mM) or regular water for 7 days ad libitum. Sleep-wake cycles were recorded under baseline conditions and after acute sleep loss. Neuronal activation in sleep- and wake-related regions was assessed using cFos immunostaining. RESULTS: HRW increased sleep consolidation in undisturbed mice and increased non-rapid-eye movement and rapid-eye-movement sleep amount in sleep-deprived mice. HRW also decreased the average amount of time for mice to fall asleep after light onset. Neuronal activation in the lateral septum, medial septum, ventrolateral preoptic area, and median preoptic area was significantly altered in all mice treated with HRW. CONCLUSIONS: HRW improves sleep consolidation and increases neuronal activation in sleep-related brain regions. It may serve as a simple, effective treatment to improve recovery after sleep loss.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has become a pervasive phenomenon, with applications in a multitude of sectors, including healthcare, smart agriculture, smart cities, transportation, and water management. This has led to a significant generation of Big Data. In order to process this substantial volume of data efficiently, there is a pressing need for a platform capable of handling large quantities. However, real-time applications face challenges in cloud processing due to high latency. As a complementary infrastructure to the cloud, fog computing emerges as a viable solution by facilitating task processing, networking, and data storage in cloud data centers accessible to mobile users. The offloading of tasks represents a promising solution to the resource constraints inherent in IoT applications, particularly within the context of fog computing. This process entails the execution of particular components of mobile applications within a fog–cloud environment, to reduce execution time and energy consumption. The objective of our research is to optimize task offloading in IoT within heterogeneous environments, taking into account conflicting constraints. This optimization challenge is formulated as a multi-objective problem, with a particular focus on energy consumption and latency, as well as quality of service metrics. The proposed solution, TOF-NSGAII, is designed to respect the finite resources of fog computing, balancing workloads to meet the latency requirements of IoT tasks. The widely employed meta-heuristic, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), has been adapted to generate a set of non-dominated multi-objective task offloading optimization solutions, considering both energy consumption and latency. The experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of TOF-NSGAII in generating task offloading solutions that distribute executed tasks between fog and cloud computing environments in a judicious manner, based on their specific requirements. Furthermore, the generated non-dominated solutions demonstrate optimality in terms of energy consumption, with an average reduction of 12.18% compared to alternative approaches. It is noteworthy that our approach introduces only a marginal increase in latency, amounting to 0.38%, which can be considered negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is usually acquired during infancy as an asymptomatic infection and persists throughout life in a latent state under the control of the host immune system. However, EBV is associated with various malignant diseases that preferentially develop in immunodeficient individuals. Accumulating evidence suggests an important role for NK cells, though the mechanisms by which EBV evades or triggers NK cell responses are poorly understood. Here, we generated EBV-immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines stably expressing an inducible form of the BZLF1 early lytic viral protein (LCL-Z) to challenge primary NK cells with EBV+ targets in either the latent or lytic phase of infection. We show that entry into the lytic phase results in drastic downregulation of HLA-E but not HLA-A, -B, and -C molecules and in increased expression of ligands for the activating NKG2D receptor, with MICB being upregulated at the cell membrane and released in a soluble form while ULBP2 and ULBP4 accumulate intracellularly. Furthermore, LCL-Z cells are killed by NK cells in an NKG2D-dependent manner and to a much higher extent during the lytic phase, but HLA-class I molecules constrain killing throughout the viral life cycle; unexpectedly, the antibody-mediated block of the inhibitory NKG2A receptor results in reduced lysis of lytic LCL-Z cells that are nearly devoid of the cognate HLA-E ligand. Accordingly, we show that NKG2A+ NK cell subsets, specifically CD56bright and NKG2A+KIR+CD56dim cells, are those that preferentially respond against cells with lytic EBV replication. Overall, these results shed light on NK/EBV+ cell interactions providing new information for improving NK cell-based immunotherapies to treat EBV-induced diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Abnormal reactive saccade, with reduced saccadic gain, impaired smooth pursuit, and unwarranted reactions are clinically used to assess people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD). However, there are inconsistent findings related to other saccade parameters such as latency and transition times. This study aimed to identify differences in the reflexive saccade parameters of early stage PwPD and aged-matched control (AMC). Methods: In this observational study, the reactive eye-gaze was recorded for 70 participants (42 PwPD) and parameters of reflexive saccades and eye-gaze fluctuations were extracted. These parameters were then statistically analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U -test. Results: Results showed that PwPD had significantly shorter latency than AMC for reflexive saccadic movement away from the center of the screen. The overshoot as a fraction of the screen width, a measure of the inaccuracy in reaching the target, was also significantly higher for PwPD. PwPD had greater horizontal and vertical eye gaze fluctuation with a steady target. The numbers of invalid saccades, i.e., when the gaze goes in the opposite direction from the target movement or is considered anticipatory, were similar for both groups; PwPD with 33.43% and AMC with 25.71%. Discussion: This study shows that there are significant differences in the reflexive saccade of PwPD and AMC measured using an inexpensive eye-tracking device. The presence of invalid saccade trials, and differences between towards and away from screen center, both of which were not considered in earlier studies, may explain the discrepancies between earlier studies. The outcome of this study has the potential to be made a device that would assist neurologists in the assessment of PwPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines in detail the historical evolution of the problem of domestic violence in Ukraine, starting from the times of Kyivan Rus and up to the present day. The authors analyze how patriarchal norms and social traditions of different eras shaped the attitude to violence in the family, reflecting this in the legal systems of different historical periods: from the norms of «Ruska Pravda», through the legislation of the Hetmanship and the Russian Empire, to Soviet legislation. The work emphasizes that in a patriarchal society, physical violence against women and children was considered an acceptable form of discipline for a long time, and the intervention of state au thorities in family conflicts was minimal. Particular attention is paid to the period of the Soviet era, when the problem of domestic violence was officially silenced, and conflicts in the family were considered a private matter. The scientific work also analyzes the social consequences after the independence of Ukraine in 1991, when economic difficulties and changes in society led to the aggravation of the problem of domestic violence. Particular attention is paid to the modern legislation of Ukraine in the field of domestic violence prevention, in particular the adoption of the Law of Ukraine «On Prevention and Combating Domestic Violence» in 2018, which expanded the legal mechanisms for the protection of victims, as well as the ratification of the Istanbul Convention in 2022, which became an important step in the fight with violence. The authors analyze not only legal instruments, but also the role of civil society and international organizations in drawing attention to the problem and protecting victims. The article also highlights the main challenges facing Ukrainian society in overcoming domestic violence: social stereotypes, insufficient state resources to support victims, and a low level of legal culture. The authors conclude that the fight against domestic violence requires not only the improvement of legislation, but also deep socio-cultural changes in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blockchain technology has revolutionized the management of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) networks by enhancing security, enabling decentralized control, and improving operational efficiency. This study assesses the efficiency of private blockchain architectures in UAV networks, specifically examining important performance metrics such as throughput, latency, scalability, and packet size. Furthermore, we evaluate the effectiveness of UAV networks when integrating private blockchain technologies, focusing particularly on key performance indicators such as area, altitude, and data rate. The scope of our work includes extensive simulations that employ a private blockchain to assess its impact on UAV operations. In the blockchain network, throughput decreased as the number of UAVs and transactions increased, while delay remained constant up to a certain point. In contrast, the UAV network saw improved throughput but increased delay with more UAVs and transactions. Changes in area and altitude had little impact on the blockchain network but increased delays in the UAV network. Higher data rates enhanced the UAV network by reducing latency and improving throughput, though this effect was less pronounced in the blockchain network. The aforementioned results highlight the potential and limitations of private blockchains in enhancing the durability and efficiency of UAV networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An attractive feature of PPP-RTK is the possibility of reducing the amount of data that needs to be transferred to users. By leveraging the state-space Representation (SSR) of the corrections, the correction provider (i.e., a GNSS network) can consider distinct transfer rates for each of the individual corrections according to their temporal characteristics. Reducing the transfer rates comes at the cost of delivering time-delayed corrections, urging the user to time predict the corrections to bridge the gap between the corrections’ generation time and the positioning time. Consequently, the user Kalman filter needs to be equipped with a strategy to account for the errors caused by such predictions, minimizing the precision loss of the user parameter solutions. In this contribution, we apply a processing strategy for both the network and user filters to handle the latency of corrections. This enables the network to update corrections over longer time-intervals. To have the strategy applicable to regional networks, an ionosphere-weighted model is adopted for the corresponding observations, delivering minimum-variance spatially predicted ionospheric corrections to users. It is shown that certain components of the network filter’s dynamic model are duplicated and should be excluded from processing. To illustrate the performance of the strategy at work, three globally distributed regional networks are employed, and maximum correction latencies to meet different positioning criteria are evaluated. In terms of both the positioning precision and time-to-first-fix (TTFF), the strategy is numerically shown to outperform the user processing case in which the uncertainty of corrections is discarded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epigenetic silencing of lytic phase viral genes is central to the persistence of herpesviruses. The role of the transcriptional corepressor KAP1 in silencing both 'self' endogenous retroviral elements and foreign herpesvirus genomes is an evolving field. Apart from its antiviral role in maintaining latency, following disruption of latency, KAP1 propels the lytic phase by amplifying expression of lytic genes and enables transition from transcription to replication of herpesvirus genomes. Selective disruption of KAP1's dual roles in latency and lytic phases provides attractive approaches to thwart herpesvirus-related diseases that can arise from one or the other phase of the viral life cycle. Dysregulation of the constitutive heterochromatin machinery (HCM) that silences pericentromeric regions and endogenous retroviral elements in the human genome has consequences for aging and cancer. By recruiting epigenetic regulators, Krüppel-associated box (KRAB)-associated protein 1 (KAP1/TRIM28/TIF1β) is integral to the function of the HCM. Epigenetically silencing DNA genomes of incoming herpesviruses to enforce latency, KAP1 and HCM also serve in an antiviral capacity. In addition to gene silencing, newer reports highlight KAP1's ability to directly activate cellular gene transcription. Here, we discuss the many facets of KAP1, including recent findings that unexpectedly connect KAP1 to the inflammasome, reveal KAP1 cleavage as a novel mode of regulation, and argue for a pro-herpesviral KAP1 function that ensures transition from transcription to replication of the herpesvirus genome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article brings together two disparate and so far largely disconnected bodies of research: the critical analysis of cryopreservation technologies and the debate on modes of anticipation. It starts with a short review of the state of the research on the concept of cryopolitics. In the next part I will suggest two revisions. I will problematize the idea of latent life and the focus on potentialities that have been central to the research on cryopolitics so far, proposing to shift the analytic frame to suspended life on the one hand and to modes of anticipation on the other. I argue that cryopreservation practices are part of contemporary technologies of anticipation. They are linked to a politics of suspension by mobilizing a liminal biological state in which frozen organisms or biological material are neither fully alive nor ultimately dead. This seeks to avert and/or enable distinctive futures by extending temporal horizons and keeping vital processes in limbo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design. A retrospective case-control study. Objective. To characterize the motor evoked potential (MEP) when the epiconus or conus medullaris is compressed by a fracture of the T12 or L1 vertebra. Summary of Background Data. Although the characteristics of compressive cervical and thoracic myelopathy with transcranial magnetic stimulation MEP have been reported, the MEP parameters in compressive disorders of the epiconus and conus medullaris have not yet been characterized. Methods. Twenty patients with T12 or L1 vertebral fractures who had lower extremity symptoms due to compression of the epiconus or conus medullaris were included. These patients were compared with 28 healthy controls and 32 patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR) without spinal cord compression. MEPs of abductor hallucis muscles were recorded using transcranial magnetic stimulation and electrical stimulation of the tibial nerve. MEP latency, central motor conduction time (CMCT), and peripheral conduction time (PCT) were evaluated. Results. MEP latency, CMCT, and PCT were significantly longer in patients with fractures than in healthy controls and patients with CSR. MEP latency was most accurate for differentiating patients with fracture from healthy controls (cutoff value, 40.0 ms, sensitivity, 95.0%; specificity, 100%), and CMCT was most accurate for comparing patients with fracture and CSR (cutoff value, 15.5 ms, sensitivity, 80.0%; specificity, 93.8%). In the distinction between patients with fracture and CSR, 16 of the 20 patients with fracture exceeded the cutoff values for any of the parameters, and 12 of them exceeded the cutoff values for all parameters. There was no significant correlation between the linear distance from the most inferior end of the spinal cord to the site of compression and any of the MEP parameters. Conclusion. Both CMCT and PCT are often prolonged in compressive lesions of the epiconus and conus medullaris, and MEP latency and CMCT are useful in the diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Despite the existence of antivirals that potently and efficiently inhibit the replication of herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 (HSV-1, −2), their ability to establish and maintain, and reactivate from, latency has precluded the development of curative therapies. Several groups are exploring the opportunities of targeting epigenetic regulation to permanently silence latent HSV genomes or induce their simultaneous reactivation in the presence of antivirals to flush the latent reservoirs, as has been explored for HIV. Areas Covered: This review covers the basic principles of epigenetic regulation with an emphasis on those mechanisms relevant to the regulation of herpes simplex viruses, as well as the current knowledge on the regulation of lytic infections and the establishment and maintenance of, and reactivation from, latency, with an emphasis on epigenetic regulation. The differences with the epigenetic regulation of viral and cellular gene expression are highlighted as are the effects of known epigenetic regulators on herpes simplex viruses. The major limitations of current models to the development of novel antiviral strategies targeting latency are highlighted. Expert Opinion: We provide an update on the epigenetic regulation during lytic and latent HSV-1 infection, highlighting the commonalities and differences with cellular gene expression and the potential of epigenetic drugs as antivirals, including the opportunities, challenges, and potential future directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid advancement in technology, numerous advanced vehicular applications have emerged that generate large volumes of data that need to be processed on the fly. The vehicles' computing resources are limited and constrained in processing the huge amount of data generated by these applications. Cloud data centers, which are large and capable of processing the generated data, tend to be far away from the vehicles. The long distance between the cloud and the vehicles results in large transmission delays, making the cloud less suitable for executing such data. To address the long-standing issue of huge transmission delays in the cloud, edge computing, which deploys computing servers at the edge of the network, was introduced. The edge computing network shortens the communication distance between the vehicles and the processing resources and also provides more powerful computation compared to the vehicles' computing resources. The advantages offered by the vehicular edge network can only be fully realized with robust and efficient resource allocation. Poor allocation of these resources can lead to a worse situation than the cloud. In this paper, a hybrid Marine Predatory and Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm (MPA–PSO) is proposed for optimal resource allocation. The MPA–PSO algorithm takes advantage of the effectiveness and reliability of the global and local search abilities of the Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm (PSO) to improve the suboptimal global search ability of the MPA. This enhances the other steps in the MPA to ensure an optimal solution. The proposed MPA–PSO algorithm was implemented using MATLAB alongside the conventional PSO and MPA, and the proposed MPA–PSO recorded a significant improvement over the PSO and MPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This manuscript investigates the relationships among various performance metrics in a virtual reality (VR), namely frames per second (FPS), latency, batches, and the number of triangles (tris) and vertices (verts). The study aims to uncover correlations and directional associations between these metrics, shedding light on their impact on VR performance. The findings reveal a significant correlation between FPS and latency, albeit in opposite directions. Higher FPS values are associated with reduced latency, indicating that a smoother visual experience is accompanied by shorter delays in the VR. Conversely, lower FPS values are linked to increased latency, suggesting a potential degradation in overall system responsiveness. Additionally, a strong correlation is observed between latency and batches processed. This finding implies that latency has a direct impact on the system's ability to efficiently process and render objects within VR. Furthermore, a positive correlation is identified between the number of batches and the values of tris and verts. This relationship suggests that higher batch counts are associated with larger quantities of triangles and vertices, reflecting a more complex scene rendering process. Consequently, the performance of VR may be influenced by the density and intricacy of the virtual environments, as indicated by these metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a reconfigurable image confusion scheme, which uses Linear Congruential Generators (LCGs)-based Pseudorandom Bits Generator (PRBG). The PRBG is based on the variable input-coupled LCG with a reconfigurable clock divider. The proposed algorithm encrypts the input image up to four times successively using different random sequences in every attempt. This new scheme aims to efficiently extract statistically strong pseudorandom sequences from a proposed PRBG with a large keyspace and simultaneously increase the security level of the encrypted image. This PRBG was initially designed on Virtex-5 (XC5VLX110T), Virtex-7 (XC7VX330T) and Artix-7 (XC7A100T) Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). The statistical properties of the proposed PRBG for four different configurations are verified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) tests. Thereafter, a reconfigurable encryption/decryption algorithm that uses the proposed PRBG is developed for secure image encryption. The encryption process was accomplished using the MATLAB tool after obtaining the PRBG keys from the FPGA. To show the quality and strength of the encryption process, security analysis [correlations and Number of Pixels Change Rate (NPCR)] is performed. Security analysis results are compared with the conventional encryption algorithm to show that the developed reconfigurable encryption scheme provides better results in security tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-precision Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite clocks are essential for LEO-augmented Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services. Nowadays, high-precision LEO satellite clocks can be determined in real-time using a Kalman filter either onboard or on the ground, as long as the GNSS observations collected onboard LEO satellites can be transmitted to the ground in real-time. While various real-time and high-precision GNSS products are available nowadays in the latter case, their continuity and latencies in engineering reality are not as perfect as expected and will lead to unignorable impacts on the precision of the real-time LEO satellite clocks. In this study, based on real observations of Sentinel-3B, the impacts of different latencies and continuity of the real-time GNSS products on LEO real-time clocks are determined and discussed for two scenarios, namely the "epoch estimation" and "arc estimation" scenarios. The former case refers to the traditional filter-based processing epoch-by-epoch, and the latter case connects LEO satellite clocks from different rounds of filter-based processing under a certain arc length. The two scenarios lead to the "end-loss" and "mid-gap" situations. Latencies of the real-time GNSS products are discussed for the cases of orbit-only latency, clock-only latency, and combined forms, and different handling methods for the missing GNSS satellite clocks are discussed and compared. Results show that the real-time LEO satellite clock precision is very sensitive to the precision of real-time GNSS satellite clocks, and prediction of the latter becomes essential in case of their latencies. For the "end-loss" situation, with a latency of 30 to 120 s for the GNSS real-time clocks, the LEO satellite clock precision is reduced from about 0.2 to 0.28–0.57 ns. Waiting for the GNSS products in case of their short latencies and predicting the LEO satellite clocks instead could be a better option. For "arc-estimation", when the gap of GNSS real-time products increases from 5 to 60 min, the real-time LEO clock precision decreases from 0.26 to 0.32 ns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: These results demonstrate that a BLE wireless sensor system can meet the latency, network size and power requirements for a wearable, wireless prosthesis/orthosis controller. Concomitant improvements in wireless communication and sensor technologies have increased capabilities of wearable biosensors. These improvements have not transferred to wireless prosthesis/orthosis controllers, in part due to strict latency and power consumption requirements. We used a Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3 (BLE) network to study the influence of the connection interval (10–100 ms) and event length (2500–7500 μs), ranges appropriate for real-time myoelectric prosthesis/orthosis control on the maximum network size, power consumption, and latency. The number of connections increased from 4 to 12 as the connection interval increased from 10 to 50 ms (event length of 2500 μs). For connection intervals ≤50 ms, the number of connections reduced by ≥50% with the increasing event length. At a connection interval of 100 ms, little change was observed in the number of connections vs. event length. Across event lengths, increasing the connection interval from 10 to 100 ms decreased the average power consumed by approximately 16%. Latency measurements showed that an average of one connection interval (maximum of just over two) elapses between the application of the signal at the peripheral node ADC input and its detection on the central node. Overall, reducing the latency using shorter connection intervals reduces the maximum number of connections and increases power consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights the issue of the increase in the number of cases of domestic violence known to law enforcement agencies. Factors affecting the increase of legal awareness of citizens and encouraging them to take decisive actions for zero tolerance to various types of violence in families are analyzed in detail. We analyzed the changes in the legislation of Ukraine, which became the driving force for the fight against domestic violence, the protection of victims and the punishment of offenders. An important step for this was the introduction of amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine and the addition of Article 126-1 "Domestic violence". At the same time, an important factor in the formation of public awareness of the inadmissibility of domestic violence is the activity of public organizations, public figures, the media community, and mass media. The trend of increasing the level of legal culture of the individual in terms of zero tolerance for the actions of offenders is being followed. Society increasingly does not tolerate violence and strives for justice. It also shows that the legal culture of the individual is growing, people respect the law more and more and understand the importance of human rights. The connection is investigated, according to which increasing the level of awareness of citizens about their rights and about the possibilities of protection against violence leads to an increase in the number of appeals to the police and restoration of their rights by legal means. It has been proven that people seek help more and more often, knowing that they have su pport from the state. The number of sentences contained in the Unified State Register of Court Decisions for domestic violence in the period 2020-2024 is analyzed. It has been studied that the increase in the number of sentences for committing domestic violence is directly proportional to the increase in the level of legal culture of the individual and society. This fact confirms the opinion, however, that domestic violence is gradually leaving the category of latent crimes and victims are no longer ready to put up with violence in fami lies. It was concluded that the development of legal culture in this context means that people not only know about the inadmissibility of violence, but also realize the importance of observing laws and actively participating in the fight against this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is a significant pathogen that establishes lifelong latent infections with intermittent episodes of resumed disease. In mouse models of HSV infection, sporadic low-level lytic gene expression has been detected during latency in the absence of reactivation events that lead to production of new viruses. This viral activity during latency has been reported using a sensitive Cre-marking model for several lytic gene promoters placed in one location in the HSV-1 genome. Here, we extend these findings in the same model by examining first, the activity of an ectopic lytic gene promoter in several places in the genome and second, whether any promoters might be active in their natural context. We found that Cre expression was detected during latency from ectopic and native promoters, but only in locations near the ends of the unique long genome segment. This location is significant because it is in close proximity to the region from which latency-associated transcripts (LATs) are derived. These results show that native HSV-1 lytic gene promoters can produce protein products during latency, but that this activity is only detectable when they are located close to the LAT locus. IMPORTANCE HSV is a significant human pathogen and the best studied model of mammalian virus latency. Traditionally, the active (lytic) and inactive (latent) phases of infection were considered to be distinct, but the notion of latency being entirely quiescent is evolving due to the detection of some lytic gene expression during latency. Here, we add to this literature by finding that the activity can be found for native lytic gene promoters as well as for constructs placed ectopically in the HSV genome. However, this activity was only detectable when these promoters were located close by a region known to be transcriptionally active during latency. These data have implications for our understanding of HSV gene regulation during latency and the extent to which transcriptionally active regions are insulated from adjacent parts of the viral genome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software-defined networking (SDN) is a new way of designing and managing networks. The central SDN controller serves as the network's brain in the control plane. This paper compares the performance of OpenDayLight (ODL) and Ryu SDN controllers by installing the most stable version of the controllers on a realistic test environment, Mininet, on which several other SDN controllers are built. The sFlow and snort tools have been used to compare the performance of the two controllers for a variety of different workloads. Tests were carried out by launching Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks on the host, stopping them, and then examining the outcomes. Experimental results show that the ODL controller is more effective than the Ryu controller in dealing with DDoS attacks on the SDN network. DDoS attacks are detected using Mininet analysis and the tools Snort and sFlow. The results also show that both controllers perform better in terms of flow setup latency and load shedding performance compared to the Ryu controller. The ODL controller exceeds the Ryu controller in levels of jitter, and its computational complexity outperforms the Ryu controller in terms of processing power. Based on these test findings, it can be concluded that both controllers perform equally well in terms of jitter and ODL is more reliable than Ryu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a Wi-Fi system with a tethered balloon is proposed for the teleoperation of vehicular forestry machines. This system was developed to establish a Wi-Fi communication for stable teleoperation in a timber harvesting site. This system consisted of a helium balloon, Wi-Fi nodes, a measurement system, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) antenna, and a wind speed sensor. The measurement system included a GNSS module, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a data logger, and an altitude sensor. While the helium balloon with the Wi-Fi system was 60 m in the air, the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) was measured by moving a Wi-Fi receiver on the ground. Another GNSS set was also utilized to collect the latitude and longitude data from the Wi-Fi receiver as it traveled. The developed Wi-Fi system with a tethered balloon can create a Wi-Fi zone of up to 1.9 ha within an average wind speed range of 2.2 m/s. It is also capable of performing the teleoperation of vehicular forestry machines with a maximum latency of 185.7 ms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many drones work together in an ad hoc manner to form flying ad hoc networks. While these networks have opened up new possibilities for a wide range of applications like the commercial, and residential, they have also presented several problems, including high-speed nodes, limited density, and abrupt dynamic topology. Therefore, routing is a complex problem in such networks. The optimized link state routing protocol served as an inspiration for this plan. This article proposes a delay-conscious routing protocol for flying ad hoc networks and offers a new method for calculating the link lifespan among two unmanned aerial vehicles based on factors such as their distance apart, relative speed, and the direction in which they travel. An approach is presented in which the emperor penguin colony algorithm is used to select multi-point relay nodes. A node's ability to serve as a multi-point relay node is based on its remaining energy, link lifespan, neighboring degree, and eagerness. In sum up, the suggested approach generates paths between nodes taking energy and lifespan into account. The performance evaluation of the proposed routing is done against ML-OLSR and MP-OLSR. At a minimum, a 15% and 32% increase in latency and energy consumption were achieved by implementing the proposed technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software-Defined Networking (SDN), with segregated data and control planes, provides faster data routing, stability, and enhanced quality metrics, such as throughput (Th), maximum available bandwidth (Bd(max)), data transfer (DTransfer), and reduction in end-to-end delay (D(E-E)). This paper explores the critical work of deploying SDN in large-scale Data Center Networks (DCNs) to enhance its Quality of Service (QoS) parameters, using logically distributed control configurations. There is a noticeable increase in Delay(E-E) when adopting SDN with a unified (single) control structure in big DCNs to handle Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests causing a reduction in network quality parameters (Bd(max), Th, DTransfer, D(E-E), etc.). This article examines the network performance in terms of quality matrices (bandwidth, throughput, data transfer, etc.), by establishing a large–scale SDN-based virtual network in the Mininet environment. The SDN network is simulated in three stages: (1) An SDN network with unitary controller-POX to manage the data traffic flow of the network without the server load management algorithm. (2) An SDN network with only one controller to manage the data traffic flow of the network with a server load management algorithm. (3) Deployment of SDN in proposed control arrangement (logically distributed controlled framework) with multiple controllers managing data traffic flow under the proposed Intelligent Sensing Server Load Management (ISSLM) algorithm. As a result of this approach, the network quality parameters in large-scale networks are enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Belügyi Szemle / Academic Journal of Internal Affairs is the property of Ministry of Interior of Hungary and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Data transmission of Virtual Reality (VR) plays an important role in delivering a powerful VR experience. This increasing demand on both high bandwidth and low latency. 6G emerging technologies like Software Defined Network (SDN) and resource slicing are acting as promising technologies for addressing the transmission requirements of VR users. Efficient resource management becomes dominant to ensure a satisfactory user experience. The integration of Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) allows for dynamic network resource balancing, minimizing communication latency and maximizing data transmission rates wirelessly. Employing slicing techniques further aids in managing distributed resources across the network for different services as enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) and Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC). The proposed VR-based SDN system model for 6G cellular networks facilitates centralized administration of resources, enhancing communication between VR users. This innovative solution seeks to contribute to the effective and streamlined resource management essential for VR video transmission in 6G cellular networks. The utilization of Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) approaches, is presented as an alternative solution, showcasing significant performance and feature distinctions through comparative results. Our results show that implementing strategies based on DRL leads to a considerable improvement in the resource management process as well as in the achievable data rate and a reduction in the necessary latency in dynamic and large scale networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hearing loss sufferers might struggle in noisy environments. A new hearing aid system with noise-reducing filters can improve communication even in a noisy environment. However, current filters drain battery life, have matching errors, and are computationally expensive. Additionally, traditional filter banks have limitations. This paper proposes a novel Wolf-based Fractional Delay Variable Bandwidth Filter (W-FDVBF) to address these issues. The W-FDVBF aims to suppress background noise while optimizing factors like power consumption and computational complexity for a better user experience. Wolf optimization function helps to adjust filter parameters for robust noise reduction, leading to lower power usage, reduced matching errors, and less computational burden. The performance of the designed filter bank is tested in MATLAB and Xilinx software with the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) accelerator. Finally, the obtained results are compared with other existing approaches and have gained better outcomes by attaining less power and matching error. The model achieved a 1.76 matching error and 1.4W power consumption, which is lower than other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software Defined Network (SDN) is an emerging technology that centralizes network control and automates network management by separating the data plane from the control plane. The control plane is a set of controllers that manage the network switches. The crucial problem of positioning these controllers is known as the Controller Placement Problem (CPP). The optimal controllers positioning is very constrained and affects the different network performance parameters, such as, controller-to-switch latency, inter-controller latency, number of hops between controller and switch and inter-controller. In this paper, we study the impact of optimizing some parameters on the others, we have developed different approaches, and each considers one or two parameters. Moreover, we propose a balanced optimization approach that considers the various network performance parameters. We formulate the problem as an Integer Linear Programming model that considers all parameters using the Lexicographic Multi-objective optimization method. By ensuring a balance between all parameters, network performance is significantly improved. The obtained results reveal that our approach is more inclusive and provides very interesting results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in computer vision and deep learning algorithms have yielded intriguing results. It can perform tasks previously requiring human eyes and brains. Semantic video segmentation for autonomous cars is difficult due to the high cost, low latency, and performance requirements of convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Deep learning architectures like SegNet and FlowNet 2.0 on the Cambridge-driving labeled video database (CamVid) dataset enable low-latency pixel-wise semantic segmentation of video features. Because it uses SegNet and FlowNet topologies, it is ideal for practical applications. The decision network chooses an optical flow or segmentation network for an image frame based on the expected confidence score. Combining this decision-making method with adaptive scheduling of the key frame approach can speed up the process. ResNet50 SegNet has a “54.27%” mean intersection over union (MIoU) and a “19.57” average FPS. In addition to decision network and adaptive key frame sequencing, FlowNet2.0 increased graphics processing unit (GPU) frame processing per second to “30.19” with a MIoU of “47.65%”. The GPU is used “47.65%” of the time. This performance gain illustrates that the video semantic segmentation network is faster without sacrificing quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV establishes long-term latent infection in memory CD4+ T cells and also establishes sustained long-term productive infection in macrophages, especially in the central nervous system (CNS). To better understand how HIV sustains infection in macrophages, we performed RNAseq analysis after infection of human monocytederived macrophages (MDMs) with the brain-derived HIV-1 strain YU2 and compared this with acute infection of CD4+ T cells. HIV infection in MDM and CD4+ T cells altered many gene transcripts, but with few overlaps between these different cell types. We found interferon pathways upregulated in both MDM and CD4+ T cells, but with different gene signatures. The interferon-stimulated gene RSAD2/Viperin was among the most upregulated genes following HIV infection in MDMs, but not in CD4+ T cells. RSAD2/Viperin was induced early after infection with various HIV strains, was sustained over time, and remained elevated in established MDM infection even if new rounds of infection were blocked by antiretroviral treatment. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that RSAD2/Viperin was induced in HIV-infected cells, as well as in some uninfected neighboring cells. Knockdown of RSAD2/Viperin following the establishment of infection in MDMs reduced the production of HIV transcripts and viral p24 antigen. This correlated with the reduction in the number of multinucleated giant cells, and changes in the HIV DNA and chromatin structure, including an increased DNA copy number and loss of nucleosomes and histone modifications at the long terminal repeat (LTR). RNAseq transcriptomic analysis of RSAD2/Viperin knockdown during HIV infection of MDMs revealed the activation of interferon alpha/beta and gamma pathways and the inactivation of Rho GTPase pathways. Taken together, these results suggest that RSAD2/Viperin supports the sustained infection in macrophages, potentially through mechanisms involving the alteration of the LTR chromatin structure and the interferon response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A competing stimulus assessment is used to identify stimuli that are associated with a low level of challenging behavior and a high level of engagement. These stimuli are often used as a treatment component for challenging behavior that is maintained by automatic reinforcement. One limitation of implementing competing stimulus assessments is that they may be time consuming. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy and efficiency of a latency‐based competing stimulus assessment. During the asssessment, a therapist presented potential competing stimuli to the participants and contingent on the first occurrence of challenging behavior, the trial was terminated. The results of a brief treatment evaluation indicated that stimuli that were associated with the longest latency to challenging behavior were more effective in competing with challenging behavior relative to stimuli that were associated with shorter latencies. However, procedural modifications were necessary for one participant. The use of latency‐based measures improved the efficiency of conducting a competing stimulus assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Massive data shoving can reach the greatest throughput, which is necessary for distributed streaming storage to function at its best. The comparison of the distributed streaming storage systems Pulsar and Pravega for a given number of producers and data packet size is covered in detail in this study. This analysis' benchmark tool accommodates several producers and consumers. When connection pooling is enabled and 0.5 million records are thrust at a 10 Mbps data rate, both streaming storages are assessed for latency percentile comparison. A novel idea called sbk-charts is introduced in the current study, which can create practical charts from CSV files. Multiple CSV files can be joined by sbk-charts to construct a single combined xlsx file with helpful charts. The outcomes of the experiment are then evaluated for performance comparison in a number of dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After primary infection, human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) establishes lifelong persistence, underpinned by latent carriage of the virus with spontaneous reactivation events. In the immune-competent, primary infection or reactivation from latency rarely causes disease. However, HCMV can cause significant disease in immune-compromised individuals such as immune-suppressed transplant patients. Latency, where the viral genome is carried in the absence of the production of infectious virions, can be established in undifferentiated cells of the myeloid lineage. A number of stimuli can cause virus reactivation from latency to occur, beginning with the induction of viral immediate-early (IE) lytic gene expression. The suppression of viral IE gene expression to establish and maintain latent infection is known to result from a balance of viral and cellular factors. One key viral factor involved in this is the G protein-coupled receptor US28. Recently, we have shown that US28 is targeted for degradation by a modified nanobody (PCTD-Vun100bv) based on the novel PACTAC (PCSK9-antibody clearance-targeting chimeras) approach for targeted protein degradation. Furthermore, we have shown that this PCTD-Vun100bv-induced degradation of US28 results in IE gene expression in experimentally latently infected CD14+ monocytes. However, HCMV also establishes latency in CD34+ bone marrow cells, the progenitors of CD14+ cells. Here, we show that PCTD-Vun100bv also causes US28 degradation in these CD34+ primary cells, again resulting in the induction of viral IE gene expression. Additionally, we show that PCTD-Vun100bv can target US28 in naturally latently infected CD14+ monocytes from an HCMV-seropositive donor, allowing these latently infected cells to be killed by HCMV-specific cytotoxic T cells from that same donor. These observations support the view that targeting US28 for degradation during natural latency could be a tractable 'shock-and-kill' strategy to target the latent HCMV reservoir in myeloid cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Chongqing University of Posts & Telecommunications (Natural Science Edition) is the property of Chongqing University of Posts & Telecommunications and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

As the number of electronic control units (ECUs) in vehicles continues to grow, exchanging physical components between original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and ECU suppliers presents logistical challenges, impeding the pace of development and leading to accumulation of costs. In this work, we introduce a conceptual framework that enables remote testing of geographically dispersed ECUs over the Internet. Pertinent to the Internet of Things (IoT) sphere, where interconnection of distributed components is hampered by the inherent challenges of latency, we propose a hybrid synchronous methodology that combines asynchronous test management with time synchronization mechanisms to mitigate the delay impact within the distributed environment. Additionally, we discuss challenges and prospects associated with this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The visual evoked potential (VEP) is a form of an electrical signal. VEP originates from the visual cortex which is located in Brodman areas 17 and 18 of the occipital lobe. VEP is generated in response to stimulation of the retina by light flashes or pattern stimuli. The advent of VEPs in the 1970s first allowed clinicians to assess neural conduction in the optic nerve. There are many factors that affect VEP such as age and gender; one among them is the hormonal factor. Ovarian and thyroid hormones are vital factors in the generation of olfactory, taste, visual, and auditory neuronal activity. The ovarian hormones progesterone and estrogen play a major role in the conduction of the optic nerve. Aims and Objectives: The aims and objectives of the study are to evaluate the influence of ovarian hormones in the VEPs. Materials and Methods: Among the 1st year medical students, 26 young females (18-20 years of age) were randomly selected. Informed consent was obtained from them and the institutional ethical committee approved the study. Students having regular menstrual periods for the past 6 months with normal visual acuity were included. Those with a history of polycystic ovarian disease, having irregular periods, under hormonal treatment were excluded from the study. Detailed history helps in identifying the proliferative and secretory phases of the menstrual cycle. The P100 wave latency of VEPs was recorded during these two different phases. Results: An unpaired t-test was used for analyzing the data. While comparing the proliferative and secretory phases, P100 wave latency was significantly reduced in the proliferative phase (101±3.6 vs. 97.9 ± 1.43 ms; P < 0.0001). Conclusion: The receptor sensitivity in the visual pathways to dopamine is increased by estrogen which in turn leads to a decrease in the time taken by the visual impulses to reach the visual cortex. Progesterone antagonizes estrogen activity in the central nervous system. Therefore, estrogen is responsible for the reduction in latency during the proliferative phase and progesterone is responsible for the prolonged VEP latency in the secretory phase. Thus, the excitability of the visual system is influenced by the ovarian hormones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human T‐cell Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 (HTLV‐1) is traditionally linked to severe conditions such as adult T‐cell leukemia/lymphoma, HTLV‐1‐associated myelopathy, and HTLV‐1 uveitis, with vertical transmission, particularly mother to child thorough breastfeeding, considered the primary route. Despite efforts to reduce vertical transmission through antenatal screening in Japan, horizontal transmission has contributed to the rising prevalence of HTLV‐1 in metropolitan areas. This case reports the youngest documented instance of HTLV‐1 uveitis resulting from horizontal transmission through sexual contact in an 18‐year‐old woman. The patient presented with blurred vision in her right eye, and a comprehensive ophthalmologic examination identified vitreous opacity and retinal vasculitis. Serological tests confirmed HTLV‐1 infection, with a proviral load of 2.66 copies per 100 peripheral blood mononuclear cells, measured by real‐time PCR. A differential diagnosis confirmed HTLV‐1 uveitis. Further family and partner investigations confirmed horizontal transmission, most likely through sexual contact. Over 6 years of follow‐up, the patient experienced multiple recurrences of HTLV‐1 uveitis and developed HTLV‐1‐associated keratopathy. This case highlights the potential for rapid disease progression with relatively low proviral loads and short latency, emphasizing the need for updated public health strategies for sexually active young populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applying the concept of “Irreversible Nuclear Disarmament” (IND) to the Middle East presents several challenges. Conceptually, the key frameworks for addressing the nuclear challenge in the region – namely the establishment of a zone free from all weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East (MEWMDFZ) – lacks a robust disarmament pillar to anchor IND. A further challenge is structural and relates to the markedly different nuclear context prevailing in the Middle East to that which governed the evolution of the IND concept. Although still at a nascent stage, the conceptual and political frameworks underpinning irreversibility at the global level have evolved within the relatively stable context of strategic interactions between the Nuclear Weapons States and a well-defined global discourse regarding nuclear arms control and disarmament. Attempting to transpose frameworks of irreversibility as they have developed in this relatively stable context to the more complex, unstable and fluid regional setting of the Middle East is fraught with difficulty. This paper presents a “first-cut” attempt to address these challenges. It argues that the most viable approach for applying IND to the Middle East is through a regional multilateral framework embedded in the MEWMDFZ. However, the zone framework as it has been formulated thus far, requires further development. Specifically, there is a need to incorporate a viable disarmament pillar, as well as provisions aimed at mitigating regional nuclear hedging and latency dynamics in order to provide for a more conducive regional nuclear environment to achieve high levels of irreversibility.

Background: The fast expansion of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) needs robust, efficient, and dependable communication platforms that can match the capabilities of the most recent technological breakthroughs, such as 5G networks. The launch of the Arduino Zero, a 32-bit microcontroller, provides a viable answer for meeting these expectations in drone operations. Objective: The study aims to investigate using the Arduino Zero to facilitate drone communications in 5G networks, emphasizing improving data transmission rates, lowering latency, and assuring compatibility with 5G's new radio bands. Methodology: Experimental setups were created to replicate drone-to-drone and drone-to-ground communications using the Arduino Zero board with 5G communication modules. These tests were designed to analyze the microcontroller's ability to handle high-speed data transfers and its efficiency in multi-threaded processing, both of which are crucial for real-time drone operations. Results: The data show that the Arduino Zero beats standard communication technologies regarding speed and latency. The board proved its ability to manage sophisticated, real-time operations required for large-scale drone applications while being power-efficient and cost-effective. Conclusion: The Arduino Zero is a realistic and affordable option for allowing enhanced drone communication in 5G networks. Its performance in experimental testing points to significant benefits for its use in smart city efforts, public safety, and agricultural automation, underlining its potential for widespread use in future 5G and developing communication settings. Further study might improve Arduino Zero's adaptability to new technology advances and operating efficiency.

The advent of 5G and blockchain technologies has signified rapid growth in the digital space. Their unique capabilities have already redefined communication and decentralized networks; however, their possible combined role is the subject of this research article. Objective: The article investigates the implications of 5G technology being used for integration with blockchain and how its disruptive nature would affect Binance's cryptocurrency trading platform. A mixed-methods research strategy was followed that draws upon data analytics, in-depth case study investigations and expert consultations. The key point was finding out how unparalleled low latencies and high-throughput capacities from 5G would be a procedures-changer for blockchain operations. The results indicate that the network capabilities of 5G can compensate for some blockchain major difficulties, including scalability and energy consumption. Quicker data transfer speeds up validation processes which leads to faster blockchain transaction times. This combination of advantages makes it possible to use microtransactions and facilitates scaling in terms of volume per transaction while retaining good levels of security and decentralization. Furthermore, with opportunities such as rapid cross-border payments and extensive smart contract capabilities available too — Binance certainly seems well-positioned to lead the charge in leveraging this convergence. But then again, the integration is accompanied by other challenges as well – mainly regulatory and technological challenges of innovation brought along by two cutting-edge technologies. The integration of 5th-generation mobile networks and blockchain has massive potential for cryptocurrency projects such as Binance. This partnership is poised to transform the existing blockchain landscape, ushering in a whole new era of fintech experience with an increased capability for speed and operational efficiency along safety systems.

Departing from multimedia services among multiple access networks, the Integrated Multimedia Subsystems (IMS) technology is required to enhance communication flexibility and efficiency. However, the growing need for secure, auditable and non-modifiable systems has made clear the shortcomings of conventional IMS in particular when it comes to security and privacy control. The article is trying to solve the security issues in IMS by using blockchain technology and propose a novel architecture which reduces data integrity, authentication and access control in telecom networks without the direct or indirect involvement of a third party. The study designed a hybrid architecture through integrating IMS and the blockchain platform. We tested the new system with a range of simulations, and we tested some primary KPIs like latency, scalability, security resilience. Assessments were based on expert interviews and comparison studies against existing models in circulation. The integrated blockchain-IMS approach leaded to substantial enhancement in security measures, resulting in 40% decrease in identity theft occurrences and 30% fall in unauthorized data access attempts. It means the system maintains acceptable (not so low, around 2ms base latency but smooth) latency and scales good with increasing networking traffic. The possible solution for enhanced communication network security could be an integration of IMS and Blockchain technology. This architecture guarantees data integrity and privacy and gives a feasible, scalable solution for network management. In the future, blockchain integration should be further optimized to reduce Response-time and guarantee user transparency.

Background: IoT devices are widely used in numerous fields, requiring strong and effective communication solutions. 5G networks promise high data speeds and minimal latency, but they may need help to provide cost-effective, energy-efficient connections across large regions. However, Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) like LoRaWAN are efficient for low-power, long-range communications but suffer from data rate restrictions and network congestion in dense installations. Objective: This study investigates the feasibility and practicality of a hybrid 5G and LoRaWAN solution to increase IoT connection. It uses its complimentary capabilities to improve data throughput, energy efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Methods: A prototype hybrid network using 5G and LoRaWAN technologies was tested and compared. The assessment approach included data throughput, latency, energy usage, and cost. The network combined low-power sensors and high-throughput IoT devices to simulate circumstances. Results: By dynamically choosing the best communication method depending on device needs and network state, the hybrid approach improved support for diverse IoT use cases. 5G handled high-speed, low-latency traffic, whereas LoRaWAN handled low-speed, delay-tolerant data. In addition, adaptive switching was used to optimize both network technologies. Conclusion: The hybrid strategy combining 5G and LoRaWAN effectively combines 5G's high data rates with LoRaWAN's energy and cost efficiency, creating a flexible and scalable IoT solution. Future studies will optimize the adaptive switching algorithm and investigate wide-scale applications to progress and maintain IoT connection paradigms.

Abstract Data transmission of Virtual Reality (VR) plays an important role in delivering a powerful VR experience. This increasing demand on both high bandwidth and low latency. 6G emerging technologies like Software Defined Network (SDN) and resource slicing are acting as promising technologies for addressing the transmission requirements of VR users. Efficient resource management becomes dominant to ensure a satisfactory user experience. The integration of Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) allows for dynamic network resource balancing, minimizing communication latency and maximizing data transmission rates wirelessly. Employing slicing techniques further aids in managing distributed resources across the network for different services as enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) and Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC). The proposed VR-based SDN system model for 6G cellular networks facilitates centralized administration of resources, enhancing communication between VR users. This innovative solution seeks to contribute to the effective and streamlined resource management essential for VR video transmission in 6G cellular networks. The utilization of Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) approaches, is presented as an alternative solution, showcasing significant performance and feature distinctions through comparative results. Our results show that implementing strategies based on DRL leads to a considerable improvement in the resource management process as well as in the achievable data rate and a reduction in the necessary latency in dynamic and large scale networks.

Alpha herpesvirus infections (α-HVs) are widespread, affecting more than 70% of the adult human population. Typically, the infections start in the mucosal epithelia, from which the viral particles invade the axons of the peripheral nervous system. In the nuclei of the peripheral ganglia, α-HVs establish a lifelong latency and eventually undergo multiple reactivation cycles. Upon reactivation, viral progeny can move into the nerves, back out toward the periphery where they entered the organism, or they can move toward the central nervous system (CNS). This latency-reactivation cycle is remarkably well controlled by the intricate actions of the intrinsic and innate immune responses of the host, and finely counteracted by the viral proteins in an effort to co-exist in the population. If this yin-yang- or Nash-equilibrium-like balance state is broken due to immune suppression or genetic mutations in the host response factors particularly in the CNS, or the presence of other pathogenic stimuli, α-HV reactivations might lead to life-threatening pathologies. In this review, we will summarize the molecular virus-host interactions starting from mucosal epithelia infections leading to the establishment of latency in the PNS and to possible CNS invasion by α-HVs, highlighting the pathologies associated with uncontrolled virus replication in the NS.

ImportanceThe classical depiction of the Toxoplasma lifecycle is bradyzoite excystation conversion to tachyzoites, cell lysis, and immune control, followed by the reestablishment of bradyzoites and cysts. In contrast, we show that tachyzoite growth slows independent of the host immune response at a predictable time point following excystation. Furthermore, we demonstrate a host cell-dependent pathway of continuous amplification of the cyst-forming bradyzoite population. The developmental plasticity of the excysted bradyzoites further underlines the critical role the cyst plays in the flexibility of the lifecycle of this ubiquitous parasite. This revised model of Toxoplasma recrudescence uncovers previously unknown complexity in the clinically important bradyzoite stage of the parasite, which opens the door to further study these novel developmental features of the Toxoplasma intermediate life cycle.

Despite remarkable progress, a cure for HIV-1 infection remains elusive. Rebound competent latent and transcriptionally active reservoir cells persevere despite antiretroviral therapy and rekindle infection due to inefficient proviral silencing. We propose a novel block-lock-stop approach, entailing long term durable silencing of viral expression towards an irreversible transcriptionally inactive latent provirus to achieve long term antiretroviral free control of the virus. A graded transformation of remnant HIV-1 in PLWH from persistent into silent to permanently defective proviruses is proposed, emulating and accelerating the natural path that human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) take over millions of years. This hypothesis was based on research into delineating the mechanisms of HIV-1 latency, lessons from latency reversing agents and advances of Tat inhibitors, as well as expertise in the biology of HERVs. Insights from elite controllers and the availability of advanced genome engineering technologies for the direct excision of remnant virus set the stage for a rapid path to an HIV-1 cure.

In the rapidly advancing artificial intelligence (AI) era, optimizing language models such as Chatbot Generative Pretrained Transformer (ChatGPT) for specialised tasks like computer programming remains a mystery. There are numerous inconsistencies in the quality and correctness of code generated by ChatGPT in programming. This study aims to analyse how the different prompting strategies; text-to-code and code-to-code, impact the output of ChatGPT's responses in programming tasks. The study adopted an experimental design that presented ChatGPT with a diverse set of programming tasks and prompts, spanning various programming languages, difficulty levels, and problem domains. The generated outputs were rigorously tested and evaluated for accuracy, latency, and qualitative aspects. The findings indicated that code-to-code prompting significantly improved accuracy, achieving a 93.55% success rate compared to 29.03% for text-to-code. Code-to-code prompts were particularly effective across all difficulty levels, while text-to-code struggled, especially with harder tasks. Based on these findings, computer programming students need to appreciate and comprehend that ChatGPT prompting is essential for getting the desired output. Using optimised prompting methods, students can achieve more accurate and efficient code generation, enhancing the quality of their code. Future research should explore the balance between prompt specificity and code efficiency, investigate additional prompting strategies, and develop best practices for prompt design to optimize the use of AI in software development.