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Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) communication can help to prevent crashes between vehicles and pedestrians by extending the detection range of participants on collision course. This can be achieved by exploiting the inherent scanning and detecting features of the communication systems. However, there are several challenges to be solved if a communication-based approach is used to detect and actively prevent possible crashes. In this paper, we first discuss these challenges and then focus on communication aspects. More specifically, the focus is on the required reliability of the system that has to ensure the successful and timely delivery of crucial messages. Therefore, we evaluate the performance of V2P communication based on safety beaconing mechanisms in a typical intersection scenario in terms of delivery ratio and channel access. Both metrics describe the current networking situation and can have significant impact on the reliability of a crash prevention system. Our results show that the required beaconing intervals for early detection can add a significant load to the network and thus the delivery of crucial messages cannot be guaranteed with the default V2P setup due to increasing channel congestion. Finally, we discuss various options to limit the congestion.

The distinct feeling of wanting to act and thereby causing our own actions is crucial to our self-perception as free human agents. Disturbances of the link between intention and action occur in several disorders. Little is known, however, about the neural correlates of wanting or intending to act. To investigate these for simple voluntary movements, we used a paradigm involving hypnotic paralysis and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Eight healthy women were instructed to sequentially perform left and right hand movements during a normal condition, as well as during simulated weakness, simulated paralysis and hypnotic paralysis of the right hand. Right frontopolar cortex was selectively hypoactivated for attempted right hand movement during simulated paralysis while it was active in all other conditions. Since simulated paralysis was the only condition lacking an intention to move, the activation in frontopolar cortex might be related to the intention or volition to move.

In case of disasters, efficient and robust communication is essential. Hybrid network architectures combining traditional mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) and delay tolerant networks (DTNs) have been proposed to achieve both aspects. The combination is needed to handle intermittent connectivity. However, the DTN principles cause additional delay that should be minimized. Nodes that are deployed in addition to the devices carried by rescue workers are one option to enhance connectivity and thus limit the delay. These nodes could be placed at fixed positions or be mobile eventually with controllable mobility. In this paper, we first present a simulation model to enable the evaluation of such additional nodes and present their impact on the DTN routing protocol performance in a realistic disaster scenario. Our results show that additional nodes are able to provide better connectivity, but current DTN protocols are not able to utilize them efficiently.

Wi-Fi RSS Fingerprint based navigation has enjoyed increasing popularity as a solution for indoor navigation in the last decade. Recently, methods for interpolation of Wi-Fi databases have become the focus of research. This paper shows how common models for Wi-Fi signal propagation can be included into the interpolation method by using universal Kriging, a method that relies on mixed model containing both spatially stochastic and deterministic components. It is shown that, theoretically, it can achieve a very precise reproduction of the spatial distribution of Wi-Fi RSS. The major remaining challenge of this method, however, is to find a suitable representation of the spatial depedency in the variogram, which cannot be estimated properly from recorded Wi-Fi signals. Both the high potential and this vulnerability are highlighted using simulation and measurement results.

I Multi-criteria handover algorithms have been becoming a promising solution to increase the efficiency of wireless networks. However, their evaluation in a real system demands significant resources, therefore, the use of a simulation environment is desired. For this purpose, OMNeT++ was chosen for the implementation of the multi-criteria decision making algorithms. SAW, GRA, TOPSIS and VIKOR were implemented in OMNeT++. The results of handover decisions made by means of these algorithms were analyzed with the help of an evaluation method. Four simulation scenarios with different traffic types and load were defined. The results revealed that VIKOR and GRA outperform the others for given simulation conditions.

Anhedonia, the inability to experience pleasure, is associated with depression, schizophrenia and also anorexia nervosa (AN). However, it remains unanswered whether anhedonic symptoms in AN are undernutrition-dependent depressive symptoms or a core feature of AN. Therefore, we aim at investigating the trajectory of anhedonic and depressive symptoms over the course of the disorder. Self-reported symptoms were collected in 35 nonmedicated acutely ill, 33 long-term recovered patients and 62 healthy females. The majority of the acutely ill (n = 24) were followed up after15% weight restoration (short-term recovery). Anhedonia was found to be increased during the acute, short-term as well as long-term recovered state while depressive symptoms showed a reduction over time. Additionally, depressive symptoms were negatively associated with body mass index in acute patients. This provides evidence of anhedonia being a trait-characteristic of AN, relatively unrelated to undernutrition-dependent depressive symptoms. Results are discussed with regard to implications for treatment and prevention. Copyright © 2017 John WileySons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Contains fulltext : 169834.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Contains fulltext : 169834pos.pdf (Author’s version postprint ) (Open Access) BACKGROUND: Neuroimaging studies have shown structural alterations in several brain regions in children and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Through the formation of the international ENIGMA ADHD Working Group, we aimed to address weaknesses of previous imaging studies and meta-analyses, namely inadequate sample size and methodological heterogeneity. We aimed to investigate whether there are structural differences in children and adults with ADHD compared with those without this diagnosis. METHODS: In this cross-sectional mega-analysis, we used the data from the international ENIGMA Working Group collaboration, which in the present analysis was frozen at Feb 8, 2015. Individual sites analysed structural T1-weighted MRI brain scans with harmonised protocols of individuals with ADHD compared with those who do not have this diagnosis. Our primary outcome was to assess case-control differences in subcortical structures and intracranial volume through pooling of all individual data from all cohorts in this collaboration. For this analysis, p values were significant at the false discovery rate corrected threshold of p=0.0156. FINDINGS: Our sample comprised 1713 participants with ADHD and 1529 controls from 23 sites with a median age of 14 years (range 4-63 years). The volumes of the accumbens (Cohen's d=-0.15), amygdala (d=-0.19), caudate (d=-0.11), hippocampus (d=-0.11), putamen (d=-0.14), and intracranial volume (d=-0.10) were smaller in individuals with ADHD compared with controls in the mega-analysis. There was no difference in volume size in the pallidum (p=0.95) and thalamus (p=0.39) between people with ADHD and controls. Exploratory lifespan modelling suggested a delay of maturation and a delay of degeneration, as effect sizes were highest in most subgroups of children (21 years): in the accumbens (Cohen's d=-0.19 vs -0.10), amygdala (d=-0.18 vs -0.14), caudate (d=-0.13 vs -0.07), hippocampus (d=-0.12 vs -0.06), putamen (d=-0.18 vs -0.08), and intracranial volume (d=-0.14 vs 0.01). There was no difference between children and adults for the pallidum (p=0.79) or thalamus (p=0.89). Case-control differences in adults were non-significant (all p>0.03). Psychostimulant medication use (all p>0.15) or symptom scores (all p>0.02) did not influence results, nor did the presence of comorbid psychiatric disorders (all p>0.5). INTERPRETATION: With the largest dataset to date, we add new knowledge about bilateral amygdala, accumbens, and hippocampus reductions in ADHD. We extend the brain maturation delay theory for ADHD to include subcortical structures and refute medication effects on brain volume suggested by earlier meta-analyses. Lifespan analyses suggest that, in the absence of well powered longitudinal studies, the ENIGMA cross-sectional sample across six decades of ages provides a means to generate hypotheses about lifespan trajectories in brain phenotypes. FUNDING: National Institutes of Health. 10 p.

In the last decade, a rapid growth of mobile communication networks based on technologies like UMTS, LTE, WLAN, WiMAX resulted in a heterogeneous communication environment consisting of networks with overlapping coverage. Additionally, the variety and number of mobile multimedia applications having multiple requirements with respect to net-work characteristics have increased. These two factors boosted research activities in the area of multiple-criteria (MC) network selection during handover. The studies investigating this topic applied different techniques mostly like Multiple-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM), game theory, fuzzy logic and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). Proposed algorithms and approaches reveal following gaps with respect to the configuration of the decision phase: weak flexibility, poor application sensibility, lack of consideration of the perspectives of different actors like user and service provider. In this study, we propose a solution addressing these gaps we called Flexible Application-Sensitive Handover Decision (FLASHED) framework. This framework enables a comprehensive configuration of network selection in a structured and flexible way.

European child & adolescent psychiatry 26(9), 1031-1041 (2017). doi:10.1007/s00787-017-0945-7, Published by Steinkopff, Darmstadt

Fragestellung: Hämatologische Veränderungen sind ein häufiges Phänomen der akuten Anorexia nervosa (AN). Dennoch ist der Zusammenhang mit klinischen Parametern noch unzureichend untersucht. Methodik: Bei 88 Patientinnen mit AN nach DSM-IV wurden bei stationärer Aufnahme und nach Gewichtsrehabilitation die Konzentration der Leukozyten, Erythrozyten und Thrombozyten, der Hämoglobingehalt, der Hämatokrit und ein Differenzialblutbild bestimmt und ein Zusammenhang mit verschiedenen klinischen Parametern untersucht. Ergebnisse: Bei Aufnahme zeigten sich milde Veränderungen der Blutwerte, die zumeist mit der Gewichtsrehabilitation reversibel waren. Patientinnen mit einem großen Gewichtsverlust vor Aufnahme und einem niedrigen altersadjustierten BMI sowie diejenigen, die Psychopharmaka einnahmen, hatten ein größeres Risiko, hämatologische Veränderungen aufzuweisen. Schlussfolgerungen: Auch wenn die hämatologischen Veränderungen bei jugendlichen Patientinnen mit AN zumeist milde sind, sollte bei Patientinnen mit niedrigem altersadjustiertem BMI und/oder ausgeprägter Gewichtsabnahme oder begleitenden Psychopharmakotherapie, auf ein sorgfältiges Monitoring des Blutbildes geachtet werden. Eine Veränderung der leukozytenabhängigen Immunantwort scheint bei erwachsenen chronifizierten Patientinnen zu einer gesteigerten Infektionsgefahr und damit einer erhöhten Mortalität beizutragen.

Increasing complexity of the modern wireless networks forces researchers to use more sophisticated schemes for handover procedure. Performance evaluation of the schemes is one of the most important tasks, which must be resolved for the sake of proper selection of the decision-scheme. Known evaluation approaches were analyzed and verified, modular method for the evaluation of handover schemes and strategies was proposed. The proposed approach exploits the classification of evaluation criteria by field of application on sets (e.g. Handover, Quality of Service, Device). Hence, this allows us to retrieve individual non-distorted evaluation scores for each of the sets, that may be further aggregated. Moreover, the evaluation procedure is significantly simplified in comparison with existing methods. The superiority of the proposed evaluation method was shown through a case study.

An adequate network management is an essential part for each network permitting to keep the network performance at a suitable level. In this paper, we present our work focusing on an Ethernet network which is used as background interconnection technology for a smart home system in large buildings like tenements or an office block. In this case the network is larger and especially the applications are quite heterogeneous as compared to a private smart home system. Therefore, it is hard to supply a fair and quality of service aware network meeting all the demands. This is especially challenging in the case of an Ethernet network because this technology was intended to use it as a transparent connection system without the feature to support hard quality of service. We present how this problem could be solved by a middleware which best meets the special requirement of the mentioned use case. Finally, we discuss possible design improvements of this solution and present the recent Ethernet standards that could help solve this problem in an alternative way.

This paper demonstrates a novel approach for motion classification and analysis using pressure sensors worn by a person. The pressure signal is analysed to search for features corresponding to the motion states, and matched against typical human walking pattern. A prototype system is developed which provides motion classification results in real-time. The motion classification results consists of the number of steps taken by the participant together with the corresponding motion state. The system distinguishes the states associated with a person travelling on a lift, walking on stairs, walking on a flat ground and rest. Data from several participants are collected in a measurement campaign using pressure sensors only, which shows a precision rate of over 90% and a recall rate between 89% and 96%, for the states associated with the movement of participant.

In next generation networks (5G for example), seamless-soft handover is to be highly supported between wireless networks regardless of the underlying radio access technology. Each network differs and might be evaluated in terms of multiple attributes like coverage area, available bandwidth, cost, etc. In such environments, users might want to apply some preferences in the selection process to promote a desired usage plan. Selecting the best network can be seen as a multiple criteria decision making problem. In this paper, we compare the performance of several multi-criteria decision algorithms in a handover that includes the complete process starting from initiation, through decision making and till traffic is re-routed to the new location. Simulations were conducted using the discrete event network simulator OMNeT++.

Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANETs) are one possible solution for infrastructure-independent communication in disaster scenarios. In such scenarios, communication is essential to coordinate first responders and safe lives. But mobile nodes in large areas face several challenges related to connectivity, resulting in frequent partitions and intermittent connections. Protocols as well as network access technologies try to handle this. However, they are traditionally evaluated via simulations only. This might lead to wrong results if the assumptions do not reflect real-world characteristics. To avoid that and to validate the assumptions made during simulations, experiments on real hardware in the envisioned environment are required. In this paper, we present our testbed platform for outdoor evaluation of ad-hoc communication protocols with respect to disaster scenarios. It provides battery-powered, waterproof nodes equipped with multiple network access technologies to support different evaluation options. Furthermore, we present first results from a measurement campaign in forest areas as a typical search and rescue mission environment.

A wireless node might probably get assigned a new IP address when switching connectivity between different service providers through handover. For a running session with specific quality of service requirements, IP address resolution upon handover is a crucial factor that has impact on session continuity. This work focuses on handover from the addressing prospect without discussing the phases of handover initiation and decision making. The proposed solution leverages network address translation (NAT) to facilitate re-identification of the node and quickly route traffic to the new network. It requires installing additional servers in the Internet to achieve the task without affecting the infrastructure of the existing network. Service providers can participate to add a hierarchy of these servers to the design by enabling the solution on their gateways to the Internet. Based on the criteria of routing metrics and server load, an anchor point is selected by the mobile node every time it starts a session. The proposed design and simulations are achieved using the OMNeT++ network simulator.

Network selection has a crucial importance for scenarios with high-dense deployed mobile nodes. Multiple criteria during handover should be considered and this requires a sophisticated solution. Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is one of various techniques proposed to address this issue. There are three stages for resolving every MCDA problem - normalization, weighting and using of the decision algorithm. Algorithms for each of these stages are analyzed in this article in order to find the optimal combination. Different normalization techniques are reviewed and Enhanced Max-Min method is selected as most appropriate. Weighted Least Squares (WLS) algorithm as weighting technique is applied in handover-decision field for the first time. Also, a hybrid weighting approach is proposed. WLS and hybrid weighting methods are compared with the Eigenvector method, which is most widely used in literature. Additionally, SAW, GRA, TOPSIS and VIKOR algorithms are simulated in MATLAB and their performance is analyzed.

The coexistence and overlap of the different wireless networks available nowadays can be beneficial for mobile nodes. Whenever a better network/service provider is available, handover may be preferred. Wireless networks might differ in characteristics like IP network address, radio access type, supported services, coverage area, bit rate and cost. Users might like to apply certain preferences to handover decision polices in order to achieve a desired usage plan. Handover in such scenarios is challenging if quality of service is to be maintained. This work addresses the main objectives and presents a cross-layer solution to provide a seamless soft handover. It collects a variety of information, executes handover according to certain set of weighted parameters, and manages to maintain running sessions unbroken. The suggested modules and simulations are achieved using OMNeT++ network simulator.

In this work, we propose an adaptive congestion control and avoidance mechanism as an enhancement to our earlier proposed QoS-aware routing protocol. We utilize Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithms for adaptive multipath routing and use the monitoring feature of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) for QoS computation. So, merging these two methodologies we propose a powerful adaptive multipath QoS-aware routing protocol based on ACO (QoRA). The adaptive nature of QoRA signifies the support of multi-rate data transmission determined by the QoS constraints available on the path. The QoRA routing protocol firstly determines multiple routes based on the applications QoS requirements. Secondly, the congestion control mechanism of QoRA prevents the communication flow from entering into the congested node. QoRA performance is tested for real-time multimedia applications over realistic scenarios simulated using SUMO. The real-time video applications are simulated using H.264/SVC encoded video trace files. We provide an in-depth discussion of the operation of the QoRA routing protocol, which is implemented in the ns-3 simulator. The results obtained after simulation indicates that the enhanced QoRA approach shows better performance for delay and jitter constraints in urban scenarios for multimedia applications as compared to our earlier approach.

The rapid development and deployment of different mobile communication technologies like WLAN or WiMAX and cellular networks like UMTS or LTE in the last decades resulted in a broad network coverage and overlapping. According to the idea of Next Generation Networks, these technologies can be considered as transport media for different kinds of applications. This development has led to the situation where multiple alternative communication paths may exist between the user terminal and the application delivery entities, which raises the problem of defining and calculating the optimal communication path. Multiple different characteristics of the communication paths can be meaningfully used for the path selection decision. Multiple- Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) was proposed in several scientific papers to address this problem. In our research, we investigated the normalization phase of the MCDA process, and developed an enhanced multi-criteria path selection algorithm with a new way of handling criteria utility functions. The idea of our proposal is based on minimization of over-fitting some criteria by an upper boundary of optimization. We present our simulation tool and discuss simulation results demonstrating performance gains both for users and service providers.

Background Anorexia nervosa (AN) often begins in adolescence, however, the understanding of the underlying pathophysiology at this developmentally important age is scarce, impeding early interventions. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate microstructural white matter (WM) brain changes including an experimental longitudinal follow-up. Methods We acquired whole brain diffusion-weighted brain scans of 22 adolescent female hospitalized patients with AN at admission and nine patients longitudinally at discharge after weight rehabilitation. Patients (10–18 years) were compared to 21 typically developing controls (TD). Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) were applied to compare fractional anisotropy (FA) across groups and time points. Associations between average FA values of the global WM skeleton and weight as well as illness duration parameters were analyzed by multiple linear regression. Results We observed increased FA in bilateral frontal, parietal and temporal areas in AN patients at admission compared to TD. Higher FA of the global WM skeleton at admission was associated with faster weight loss prior to admission. Exploratory longitudinal analysis showed this FA increase to be partially normalized after weight rehabilitation. Conclusions Our findings reveal a markedly different pattern of WM microstructural changes in adolescent AN compared to most previous results in adult AN. This could signify a different susceptibility and reaction to semi-starvation in the still developing brain of adolescents or a time-dependent pathomechanism differing with extend of chronicity. Higher FA at admission in adolescents with AN could point to WM fibers being packed together more closely., Highlights • Semi-starvation in anorexia nervosa (AN) leads to dramatic neuroanatomical changes. • We investigated microstructural white matter brain changes in adolescents with AN. • Fractional anisotropy was increased, differing from previous results in adults. • This difference could be related to the developing brain or shorter illness duration. • Experimental longitudinal follow-up showed partial normalization upon weight gain.

A new report from the King’s Fund entitled Bringing Together Physical and Mental Health: a New Frontier for Integrated Care not only reviews the case for integration, but also provides real practical examples of how it has been achieved. Importantly, the report describes both the barriers to and facilitators of its successful implementation on the basis of interviews of those involved. The barriers are many and not all will be overcome simply by colocation of services (colocation is not integration). They include deeply ingrained cultural factors in the workforce that reinforce division and the separate organisational and payment systems for physical and mental health care. Key facilitators to achievement of integration include strong leadership for change at both clinical and board level and a willingness to innovate in the relevant organisations. Policy developments in various countries, including the new models of care introduced by the National Health Service Five Year Forward View in England and the growth of accountable care organisations in the USA have the exciting potential to facilitate integration of physical and mental health care. However, this integration will only happen if psychiatrists and other professionals now actively engage with these developments and use them as opportunities to advocate for and lead new forms of collaborative or even integrated working. The idea of so-called parity of esteem for patients’ mental and physical health care, which has been successfully championed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, has achieved considerable influence. Indeed, in England, the Health and Social Care Act 2012 created a new legal responsibility for the National Health Service to deliver parity of esteem between physical and mental health, something that the Government has pledged to achieve by 2020. However, interpretations of parity of esteem vary. One interpretation is simply for existing mental health services to be as well funded and provide as good care as existing physical health services. Although this interpretation is an important ambition, the report from the King’s Fund7 raises sights much higher than this ambition to a vision in which mental health care is not only as good as physical care is, but is also delivered as part of all health and care services. This challenge should be addressed and the opportunity seized if we are to repair the harm caused by 100 years of separation.

High levels of expressed emotions (EE) and depressive symptoms (DS) are often found in caregivers of patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). Both parameters are considered to influence AN symptoms of the patient.One hundred seventy adolescent women with AN and their caregivers were assessed at admission, discharge, at 1-year and 2.5-year follow up to evaluate AN symptoms of the patient and EE and DS of caregivers.The EE and DS were elevated at admission and decreased during treatment, criticism (as part of EE) exhibited again at the 2.5-year follow up. Caregivers of more severely ill patients reported significantly greater levels of EE and DS. Mothers were more affected than fathers. EE and DS were interrelated.Caregivers of adolescent AN patients suffer from elevated levels of EE and DS. Further studies are needed to examine whether therapeutic interventions to reduce caregivers' EE and DS might have a positive influence on treatment outcome. Copyright © 2016 John WileySons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Objectives: Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) suffer from neuropsychological deficits including memory impairments. Memory partially depends on 17β-oestradiol (E2), which is reduced in patients with AN. We assessed whether memory functions correlate with E2 plasma levels in the activity-based anorexia (ABA) rat model. Methods: Nine 4-week-old female Wistar rats were sacrificed directly after weight loss of 20–25% (acute starvation), whereas 17 animals had additional 2-week weight-holding (chronic starvation). E2 serum levels and novel object recognition tasks were tested before and after starvation and compared with 21 normally fed controls. Results: Starvation disrupted menstrual cycle and impaired memory function, which became statistically significant in the chronic state (oestrous cycle (P P = 0.011) and object recognition memory (P = 0.042) compared to controls). E2 reduction also correlated with the loss of memory in the chronic condition (r = 0.633, P = 0.020). Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that starvation reduces the E2 levels which are associated with memory deficits in ABA rats. These effects might explain reduced memory capacity in patients with AN as a consequence of E2 deficiency and the potentially limited effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions in the starved state. Future studies should examine whether E2 substitution could prevent cognitive deficits and aid in earlier readiness for therapy.

PLoS ONE 11(9), e0161329 (2016). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0161329, Published by PLoS, Lawrence, Kan.

In disaster scenarios, communication systems usually consist of heterogeneous nodes and partially damaged infrastructure. Communication is important for rescue teams and victims as well but a serious problem because normal network systems like wired or mobile radio Internet could be unreliable or simply not available. To deal with these problems, much effort has been spent on Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) and their specialties. Those networks are usually unsteady and highly mobile. Therefore, classical network services like the resolution of names to their corresponding local IP addresses is a big challenge. In this paper, we will compare different MANET-adapted name resolution approaches located in the Application and Network Layer by simulations using the Network Simulator 3 ( ns-3 ) and discuss their performance and fields of application.

Eating disorders and, in particular, anorexia nervosa (AN) have morbidity and mortality rates that are among the highest of any mental disorders and are associated with significant functional impairment. More than 25 years ago, several researchers hypothesised that the prerequisite for the development of AN was a family process characterised by an overprotective and conflict-avoiding parent-child interaction. Family studies, however, suggest that AN is a complex genetic disorder that is likely expressed primarily by temperament and specific traits during childhood, including inhibition, perfectionism and harm avoidance. Recent studies have described an impaired flexibility and deficits in social cognition that are independent of body weight and the current state of the eating disorder, providing further evidence for a genetic component of AN. The physiological and psychological alterations and the increasing societal demands that occur during puberty may trigger onset. The starvation process itself is associated with severe alterations of central and peripheral metabolism, especially neuroendocrine and neurotransmitter changes, which are thought to affect the adolescent brain during the vulnerable period of neural restructuring. Long-standing malnutrition during adolescence and young adulthood associated with hormonal and neuropeptide dysfunctions may produce "biological scars" that maintain and accelerate the disorder and likely result in chronic mental disorders in adulthood as well as poor social functioning.

Aim We assessed motor and intellectual outcome in triplets at school age and investigated the predictive value of perinatal and demographic factors. Methods Seventy-one live-born newborn infants (24 triplet pregnancies) were prospectively enrolled at birth. At the age of 6 years, 58 children (31 males, 27 females; mean gestational age 31.2wks [SD 2.2wks]; mean birthweight 1622g [SD 440g]) returned for a neurodevelopmental examination. A comparison group for triplets born before 32 gestational weeks comprising 26 gestational age-, birthweight-, and sex-matched singletons was also recruited (mean gestational age 30.1wk [SD 1.5wk]; mean birthweight 1142g [SD 210g]; 12 males, 14 females). The Zurich Neuromotor Assessment was used to examine motor performance, and intellectual abilities were assessed with the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC). Results Motor performance and movement quality in these individuals was significantly reduced compared with the test norms for all motor tasks (p

Learning to associate auditory information of speech sounds with visual information of letters is a first and critical step for becoming a skilled reader in alphabetic languages. Nevertheless, it remains largely unknown which brain areas subserve the learning and automation of such associations. Here, we employ functional magnetic resonance imaging to study letter-speech sound integration in children with and without developmental dyslexia. The results demonstrate that dyslexic children show reduced neural integration of letters and speech sounds in the planum temporale/Heschl sulcus and the superior temporal sulcus. While cortical responses to speech sounds in fluent readers were modulated by letter-speech sound congruency with strong suppression effects for incongruent letters, no such modulation was observed in the dyslexic readers. Whole-brain analyses of unisensory visual and auditory group differences additionally revealed reduced unisensory responses to letters in the fusiform gyrus in dyslexic children, as well as reduced activity for processing speech sounds in the anterior superior temporal gyrus, planum temporale/Heschl sulcus and superior temporal sulcus. Importantly, the neural integration of letters and speech sounds in the planum temporale/Heschl sulcus and the neural response to letters in the fusiform gyrus explained almost 40% of the variance in individual reading performance. These findings indicate that an interrelated network of visual, auditory and heteromodal brain areas contributes to the skilled use of letter-speech sound associations necessary for learning to read. By extending similar findings in adults, the data furthermore argue against the notion that reduced neural integration of letters and speech sounds in dyslexia reflect the consequence of a lifetime of reading struggle. Instead, they support the view that letter-speech sound integration is an emergent property of learning to read that develops inadequately in dyslexic readers, presumably as a result of a deviant interactive specialization of neural systems for processing auditory and visual linguistic inputs.

When considering disaster scenarios, reliable communication can save hundreds of lives. Due to destroyed infrastructure, Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) might be the only option for communication in such scenarios. However, such MANETs get partitioned frequently due to node movements resulting in intermittent connectivity. Delay Tolerant Networks (DTNs) are suitable to handle this. With the help of DTNs, rescue teams can exchange information including multicast messages to all team members. The major challenge is to ensure that all team members or intended recipients receive a DTN multicast message. Several problems need to be solved for that, among which we consider the identification of the recipients and the limited resources of the nodes. In this paper, we present an extension of our protocol that enhances our existing buffer management approach and combines it with a configurable delivery ratio which should be reached. This configurable ratio is used to prioritize multicast messages and thus enhance their delivery probability. Besides that, we added a mechanism to selectively deliver the messages based on group membership intervals. Our simulation results show that this approach can ensure a higher delivery ratio for multicast messages in disaster scenarios.

First responders show specific movement and traffic patterns that are closely related to their current task during a disaster relief mission. In order to develop efficient communication systems both aspects should be considered. This is important especially if Delay Tolerant Networks (DTN) are used, because they are exploiting the mobility of the nodes in order to deliver messages in scenarios with intermittent connectivity. In a disaster scenario, such a network is formed by the communication equipment of first responders.In this paper, we evaluate different mobility models and traffic generation options and show their impact on the performance of the epidemic routing protocol. Our results show that the correlation between traffic and mobility in disaster scenarios has a significant impact on the delivery ratio and experienced delay, respectively

Quality of service (QoS) routing in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) is a big challenge because of dynamically varying network topology and the limited availability of resources. Many techniques for solving the QoS routing problem in MANETs are available. Ant colony optimization is a promising solution that can be applied in wireless ad hoc networks. However, existing routing protocols that require additional control message exchange between neighbors to compute QoS parameters are too slow to react to fast topology change and increase network load and overhead. To decrease the overhead introduced to collect information from neighbor nodes and to obtain an accurate estimate of QoS parameters, we use the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to obtain these values locally. Artificial ants evaluate these values to find the paths that satisfy application QoS requirements. The simulation results implemented using the ns-3 network simulator show that QoS routing based on ant colony optimization (QoRA) is scalable and performs well.

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET) are, in conjunction with infrastructure-based communication systems, the main part for intelligent transportation systems (ITS). This technology can significantly alter individual mobility by changing the traditional human controlled car to an autonomous vehicle. Studies and simulations already investigated the high potential of ITS with respect to various use cases like collision avoidance or traffic optimization. The critical aspect for these and all other ITS applications is the efficient information exchange between the vehicles. Much effort has been spent on the design of broadcast protocols for a VANET permitting optimal information dissemination under different environmental conditions. We will give a short overview of these broadcast schemes leading us to the decision to develop a modified version. We determine parameters of the proposed message exchange process and verify its performance in an urban scenario with three different events of interests and regions in comparison to a simple broadcast scheme. Our evaluation shows that a single broadcasting scheme can hardly meet all demands of the communication process by balancing between good information dissemination and an efficient usage of the radio resources.

Stable and reliable communication is essential in disaster scenarios. Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) provide a network that is fast to setup and that works independently of possibly damaged infrastructure. This is important during disaster rescue and recovery missions. But single isolated MANETs are able to cover only a limited area. Therefore, it is necessary to interconnect these individual networks in order to provide communication throughout the whole disaster area. The resulting network is heterogeneous because each MANET might employ different routing protocols as well as other underlying network technologies. In this paper, we present an approach to couple such heterogeneous networks using multihomed border nodes. We show how network-wide route discovery and name resolution is achieved and also propose a solution to address possible collisions in such environments.

BMC Psychiatry 15, 140 (2015). doi:10.1186/s12888-015-0516-8, Published by BioMed Central, London

Vehicular communications have become very important in the recent years. Vehicles instantaneously form networks and utilize the available communication infrastructure. The vehicles' mobility is one of the major challenges in vehicular communications. In car-to-infrastructure communications, a vehicle is assigned an IP address through the network it is connected to, and thus mobility means a new IP address. In this work, we propose a NAT/Proxy-based solution to deal with the routing problem resulting from continuous changes of the IP address for vehicles while moving between different subnets.

During disaster relief missions, it is essential to provide reliable communication between the different rescue teams and to the victims as well. Since a disaster is likely toe Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) are the best choice to reestablish communication. However, this type of networks has a major drawback, it can only cover relatively small areas. In large disaster sites, this results in creating frequent partitions of the network as rescue teams spread over the area. In order to handle these disruptions, delay tolerant networks could be used by employing mobile nodes as data ferries between different partitions. These ferries provide the same functionality as border nodes interconnecting different MANETs. In this paper, we present our concept of delay tolerant border nodes and a realistic mechanism to resolve names in such disaster scenarios. This approach enables robust communication throughout the disaster area while supporting heterogeneous technologies and different organizational policies.

Summary Visfatin is a recently described protein that is thought to regulate the process of adipocyte differentiation. Findings suggest that visfatin may be actively involved in the control of weight regulatory networks. However, to what extent and which role it plays in eating disorders is still poorly understood, as mixed results have been reported. The aim of the current study was to investigate serum visfatin concentrations on a cross sectional sample between acute anorexia nervosa patients ( n = 44), weight recovered patients ( n = 13) and healthy controls ( n = 46) and a longitudinal sample of acute patients ( n = 57) during weight recovery at three different time-points. Results did not show significant differences in visfatin between the three groups; however, acute patients showed a higher visfatin/BMI-SDS ratio than controls and recovered patients. Longitudinal results revealed an increase of visfatin levels during therapy. Our results suggest that high ratios of visfatin/BMI-SDS could be a state marker in acute anorexia nervosa, displaying a compensatory mechanism of the individual to maintain normal visfatin levels under malnourished conditions.

Node mobility is one essential feature of mobile networks, especially for delay tolerant networks, where packet delivery is only possible through node movements. In mobile ad hoc networks, mobility adds new challenges to the protocol design. Therefore, realistic movement models are required to evaluate protocol performance. Usually, random node movement is considered for that but this kind of movement is not applicable for first responders in disaster scenarios. Their movements are driven by tactical mission requirements and highly depend on the type of disaster. In this paper, we analyze two different movement scenarios to derive common features as well as differences and present how to use these results to generate generic and at the same time realistic movements for first responders.

In urban environments GNSS signals can be either blocked by buildings, so that the number of satellites with direct line-of-sight (LOS) is reduced considerably, or reflected by surfaces, so that signals from the same satellite are received over multiple paths. Taking into account all available signals would typically result in a rather poor position estimate. It is therefore essential to distinguish LOS from non-LOS or multipath-contaminated signals and include this information in the GNSS process model. This is done using a classification algorithm based on code (pseudorange) and carrier phase observations. On the other hand, Wi-Fi fingerprinting is complementary to GNSS in the sense that this approach benefits from signal degradations caused by shadowing through obstacles and reflections leading to unique variations in the radio map and less ambiguity in the mapping of signal strength measurements to positions. The fusion of GNSS and Wi-Fi measurements is done with a particle filter, which uses the probabilistic measurement process models for GNSS and Wi-Fi as inputs. The advantage of the particle filter is its ability to work with non-linear dynamical models and non-Gaussian probability distributions. The evaluation was done with a modular ARM-processor based hardware platform (miniLOK) with Android as operating system, which provides an interface to the raw data of the GNSS receiver. The algorithms were implemented in Java on top of the awiloc® software framework, which is a positioning system including Wi-Fi fingerprinting developed at Fraunhofer IIS. The paper starts with the construction of measurement process models for GNSS and Wi-Fi and explains how these models are integrated into the particle filter framework. The experimental results are presented together with a description of the setup and equipment. The achieved positioning uncertainty in urban environments is discussed.

In disaster scenarios, a stable and reliable communication is essential for coordinating rescue operations. As the communication infrastructure could be hit, e.g. by earthquakes or hurricanes, mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) can be used for connection establishment. As such networks should be decentralized to increase robustness, some usual services are no longer available. In our previous publications, we presented our name resolution framework based on an adaptive routing system. In this paper, we show a service discovery mechanism based on this system.We show, how this mechanism can easily be improved with the use of location information, which is an important issue for service availability.

Acute anorexia nervosa (AN) leads to reduced gray (GM) and white matter (WM) volume in the brain, which however improves again upon restoration of weight. Yet little is known about the extent and clinical correlates of these brain changes, nor do we know much about the time-course and completeness of their recovery.We conducted a meta-analysis and a qualitative review of all magnetic resonance imaging studies involving volume analyses of the brain in both acute and recovered AN.We identified structural neuroimaging studies with a total of 214 acute AN patients and 177 weight-recovered AN patients. In acute AN, GM was reduced by 5.6% and WM by 3.8% compared to healthy controls (HC). Short-term weight recovery 2-5 months after admission resulted in restitution of about half of the GM aberrations and almost full WM recovery. After 2-8 years of remission GM and WM were nearly normalized, and differences to HC (GM: -1.0%, WM: -0.7%) were no longer significant, although small residual changes could not be ruled out. In the qualitative review some studies found GM volume loss to be associated with cognitive deficits and clinical prognosis.GM and WM were strongly reduced in acute AN. The completeness of brain volume rehabilitation remained equivocal.Fragestellung: Patientinnen mit Anorexia Nervosa (AN) zeigen eine Reduktion cerebraler grauer (GS) und weißer Substanz (WS), die sich bei Gewichtsrehabilitation wieder bessert. Sowohl das Ausmaß der Reduktion und ihre klinische Bedeutung, als auch der zeitliche Verlauf und die Vollständigkeit der Erholung wurden bisher noch nicht systematisch erforscht. Methodik: Wir führten eine Meta-Analyse und einen qualitativen Review von allen Bildgebungsstudien mit Magnetresonanztomographie zu Volumenänderungen bei akuten und gewichtsrehabilitierten Patienten mit AN durch. Ergebnisse: Es konnten Studien mit insgesamt 214 akuten und 177 gewichts-rehabilitierten Patientinnen in die Analyse eingeschlossen werden. Die GS der Patientinnen mit akuter AN war gegenüber gesunden Kontrollen um 5.6% reduziert, die WS um 3.8%. Eine kurzzeitige Gewichts-Normalisierung von 2–5 Monaten war mit einem Rückgang von etwa der Hälfte der GS-Reduktion verbunden, während die WS schon fast vollständig normalisiert erschien. 2–8 Jahre nach Remission waren GS und WS weitgehend rehabilitiert und nicht mehr signifikant gegenüber gesunden Kontrollen reduziert (GS: –1.0% bzw. WS: –0.7%). Kleine Residualveränderungen konnten damit aber nicht ausgeschlossen werden. Im qualitativen Review zeigten einige Studien, dass GS-Reduktion mit kognitiven Defiziten und schlechterer klinischer Prognose assoziiert war. Schlussfolgerungen: GS und WS waren bei Patientinnen mit akuter AN stark reduziert. Die Vollständigkeit der Erholung des Gehirns blieb weiter ungeklärt.

Hematological changes often occur in patients with acute anorexia nervosa (AN). However, the relationship between these disturbances and other clinical parameters remains unclear.Leucocyte, erythrocyte, and thrombocyte counts as well as hematocrit, hemoglobin, and differential blood counts were collected at admission and after weight restoration in 88 female adolescent patients with the diagnosis of AN according to DSM-IV. These were then compared to clinical parameters.At admission, there were mild changes in the blood count, most of which, however, were reversible after weight gain. Patients with a greater weight loss, a lower age-adjusted BMI, and a history of taking psychotropic drugs were more likely to develop hematological abnormalities.Although most of the hematological changes in adolescent patients with AN were mild, patients with high weight loss and/or low age-adjusted BMI as well as those on psychotropic medication should be monitored carefully in order to avoid severe medical complications. An altered immune function in adult patients with chronic AN might contribute to a higher rate of infections and thus to an increased mortality.Fragestellung: Hämatologische Veränderungen sind ein häufiges Phänomen der akuten Anorexia nervosa (AN). Dennoch ist der Zusammenhang mit klinischen Parametern noch unzureichend untersucht. Methodik: Bei 88 Patientinnen mit AN nach DSM-IV wurden bei stationärer Aufnahme und nach Gewichtsrehabilitation die Konzentration der Leukozyten, Erythrozyten und Thrombozyten, der Hämoglobingehalt, der Hämatokrit und ein Differenzialblutbild bestimmt und ein Zusammenhang mit verschiedenen klinischen Parametern untersucht. Ergebnisse: Bei Aufnahme zeigten sich milde Veränderungen der Blutwerte, die zumeist mit der Gewichtsrehabilitation reversibel waren. Patientinnen mit einem großen Gewichtsverlust vor Aufnahme und einem niedrigen altersadjustierten BMI sowie diejenigen, die Psychopharmaka einnahmen, hatten ein größeres Risiko, hämatologische Veränderungen aufzuweisen. Schlussfolgerungen: Auch wenn die hämatologischen Veränderungen bei jugendlichen Patientinnen mit AN zumeist milde sind, sollte bei Patientinnen mit niedrigem altersadjustiertem BMI und/oder ausgeprägter Gewichtsabnahme oder begleitenden Psychopharmakotherapie, auf ein sorgfältiges Monitoring des Blutbildes geachtet werden. Eine Veränderung der leukozytenabhängigen Immunantwort scheint bei erwachsenen chronifizierten Patientinnen zu einer gesteigerten Infektionsgefahr und damit einer erhöhten Mortalität beizutragen.