Priority Allocation Research Articles

Perencanaan Pembangunan Ekonomi Wilayah Berbasis Pertanian dalam Rangka Pengurangan Kemiskinan di Kalimantan Barat

Agriculture-based economic development planning is one of the efforts to reduce poverty in West Kalimantan by synergizing the performance of regional finance and agriculture sectors. The present study aimed at identifying relationship between the performance of regional finance, the performance of agriculture sector and poverty level of West Kalimantan. Analytical tools used to achieve the objectives of this research were descriptive statistics and panel data methods. The results show a positive relationship between the performance of regional finance and agriculture sectors. Gradual reallocation of agricultural budget can be an option for government to determine annual budget. Increase in preparatory investment and reallocation of regional government investment is a necessary policy to give allocation priority for agriculture sectors development. The agriculture sectors, in this case the segment of agriculture sectors on GRDP of West Kalimantan, negatively affect the poverty level. The development of agriculture sectors run by the government should be followed by the increase in human resources quality.

Heart transplantation in selected patients aged 60 years and older: a two-decade retrospective and multicentre analysis.

This study analysed survival and long-term outcomes of heart transplantation in patients aged 60 years and older. We also analysed the impact of a national graft allocation priority [Super Emergency (SE)] and compared survival with younger patients in our centres and in France. We performed a multicentre (University Hospitals in Nantes, Rennes and Tours), 2-decade retrospective study between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 2013. Elderly recipients were placed on the same list as younger patients; the use of marginal donors remained occasional. A total of 212 patients aged between 60 and 68 years were included. The 1-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates were 83.2%, 77.4% and 63.8%, respectively, which were significantly worse than those of recipients aged <60 years (1-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates of 87.3%, 80.4% and 68.0%, respectively). The postoperative course was acceptable. The main cause of death was malignancy (29.8% in our cohort). Survival was similar between the first and second decades and among the SE group. Our population exhibited better survival than patients <60 years transplanted in France during the same period with 1-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates of 76.8%, 68.0% and 56.3%, respectively. Predictors of survival in the multivariate analysis included ischaemic cardiomyopathy [hazard ratio (HR) 4.1] and postoperative complications, such as dialysis (HR 9.5) and mechanical circulatory support (HR 4.2). We report positive postoperative course and long-term outcomes after heart transplantation in older recipients using conventional donors. Our satisfactory outcomes may be explained by the stringent selection of recipients combined with regular follow-up.

A Multi-Objective Model Oriented Mapping Approach for NoC-based Computing Systems

In this paper, a multi-objective, i.e., reliability, communication energy, performance, co-optimization model oriented mapping approach is proposed to find optimal mappings when applications are mapped onto network-on-chip (NoC) based reconfigurable architectures. A co-optimization model, defined as reliability efficiency model (REM), is developed to evaluate the overall reliability efficiency of a mapping. In REM, reliability efficiency is defined as the reliability profit at the same energy latency product. Based on REM, a mapping approach, referred to as priority and compensation factor oriented branch and bound (PCBB), is introduced to figure out the best mapping pattern. Two techniques, priority allocation and compensation factor utilization, are adopted to make a tradeoff between search efficiency and accuracy. Experimental results show that the proposed approach has three major contributions compared to state-of-the-art approaches. (1) PCBB is highly efficient in finding best mappings, with a 3x and 720x speedup compared to branch and bound (BB) and simulated annealing (SA). (2) PCBB is able to dynamically remap after the reconfiguration of the architecture. (3) General quantitative evaluation for reliability, communication energy and performance are made respectively before integrated into the unified model REM, whereas other similar models only touch upon two of them quantitatively.

Key factors that influence government policies and decision making about healthcare priorities: Lessons for the field of eating disorders.

Worldwide, the demand for healthcare exceeds what individuals and governments are able to afford. Priority setting is therefore inevitable, and mental health services have often been given low priority in the decision-making process. Drawing on established economic criteria, and specifically the work of Philip Musgrove, key factors which influence government decision-making about health priorities are reviewed. These factors include the size of the health burden, the availability of cost-effective interventions to reduce the burden, whether private markets can provide the necessary treatment efficiently, whether there are "catastrophic costs" incurred in accessing treatment, whether negative externalities arise from not providing care, and if the "rule of rescue" applies. Beyond setting priorities for resource allocation, governments also become involved where there is a need for regulation to maintain quality in the delivery of healthcare. By providing field-specific examples for each factor, we illustrate how advocates in the eating disorder field may use evidence to inform government policy about resource allocation and regulation in support of individuals with an eating disorder.

Calculated panel-reactive antibody predicts outcomes on the heart transplant waiting list

Sensitized heart transplant candidates spend more time and have higher mortality on the waiting list. Although the calculated panel-reactive antibody (CPRA) value is used to assign allocation priority to kidney transplant candidates in the United States, the relationship between CPRA and outcomes on the heart transplant waiting list is unknown. A data set of patients listed for heart transplant with unacceptable human leukocyte antigens (HLA) entered was obtained from the United Network for Organ Sharing. The study cohort was composed of 3,855 adult candidates listed for heart transplant between 2006 and 2013 with active waiting time. The cohort was divided into 5 groups by increasing CPRA. Outcomes were assessed using competing risks and sub-hazard regression analyses. In each group of successively higher CPRA, the percentage of candidates who received a transplant decreased, whereas the percentage of those who were still waiting for a transplant increased, as did the percentage of those removed from the waiting list or had died. The group of candidates with a CPRA >80% displayed a markedly decreased incidence of transplantation (hazard ratio 0.37) and an increased risk of removal from the waiting list or death (hazard ratio 2.18) as compared to those with CPRA of ≤10%. Sensitized heart transplant candidates are at high risk of adverse outcomes on the heart transplant waiting list. Clinicians should strive to minimize the CPRA by maximizing specificity in the selection of HLA antigens to exclude. The optimal clinical approach for candidates with high CPRA requires further study.

Application of Incident Command Structure to clinical trial management in the academic setting: principles and lessons learned

BackgroundClinical trial success depends on appropriate management, but practical guidance to trial organisation and planning is lacking. The Incident Command System (ICS) is the ‘gold standard’ management system developed for managing diverse operations in major incident and public health arenas. It enables effective and flexible management through integration of personnel, procedures, resources, and communications within a common hierarchical organisational structure. Conventional ICS organisation consists of five function modules: Command, Planning, Operations, Logistics, and Finance/Administration. Large clinical trials will require a separate Regulatory Administrative arm, and an Information arm, consisting of dedicated data management and information technology staff. We applied ICS principles to organisation and management of the Prehospital Use of Plasma in Traumatic Haemorrhage (PUPTH) trial. This trial was a multidepartmental, multiagency, randomised clinical trial investigating prehospital administration of thawed plasma on mortality and coagulation response in severely injured trauma patients.We describe the ICS system as it would apply to large clinical trials in general, and the benefits, barriers, and lessons learned in utilising ICS principles to reorganise and coordinate the PUPTH trial.ResultsWithout a formal trial management structure, early stages of the trial were characterised by inertia and organisational confusion. Implementing ICS improved organisation, coordination, and communication between multiple agencies and service groups, and greatly streamlined regulatory compliance administration. However, unfamiliarity of clinicians with ICS culture, conflicting resource allocation priorities, and communication bottlenecks were significant barriers.ConclusionsICS is a flexible and powerful organisational tool for managing large complex clinical trials. However, for successful implementation the cultural, psychological, and social environment of trial participants must be accounted for, and personnel need to be educated in the basics of ICS.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02303964. Registered on 28 November 2014.

Release of resource constraints allows greater carbon allocation to secondary metabolites and storage in winter wheat.

The atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2 ]) is rapidly increasing, and this may have substantial impact on how plants allocate metabolic resources. A thorough understanding of allocation priorities can be achieved by modifying [CO2 ] over a large gradient, including low [CO2 ], thereby altering plant carbon (C) availability. Such information is of critical importance for understanding plant responses to global environmental change. We quantified the percentage of daytime whole-plant net assimilation (A) allocated to night-time respiration (R), structural growth (SG), nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) and secondary metabolites (SMs) during 8 weeks of vegetative growth in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) growing at low, ambient and elevated [CO2 ] (170, 390 and 680 ppm). R/A remained relatively constant over a large gradient of [CO2 ]. However, with increasing C availability, the fraction of assimilation allocated to biomass (SG + NSC + SMs), in particular NSC and SMs, increased. At low [CO2 ], biomass and NSC increased in leaves but decreased in stems and roots, which may help plants achieve a functional equilibrium, that is, overcome the most severe resource limitation. These results reveal that increasing C availability from rising [CO2 ] releases allocation constraints, thereby allowing greater investment into long-term survival in the form of NSC and SMs.

Social inequalities in the allocation of learning support in a Swedish upper secondary school

The upper secondary school is in Sweden practically mandatory even though attendance is voluntary and today almost all students in Sweden continue their studies at upper secondary school. But not all of them leave this school with a complete certificate of schooling as a result of experiencing a range of difficulties which may be due to cognitive, physical, sensory or social factors. This article uses ethnographic data from a case study to explore how one municipal upper secondary school allocates additional support to students with different social characteristics. The study focussed on students in the following three upper secondary schools programme all in the same school: (1) Individual, (2) Health and Social Care, and (3) Technology. The results show that existing social inequalities are reinforced through everyday activities and interactions. The prevalence and type of additional support that the students are offered is one of the factors reinforcing existing social differentiation, and is closely linked to the type of programme they are studying. Successful support services appear to be focused on Swedish male pupils from higher socio-economic backgrounds on the Technology Programme. Students from lower social backgrounds enrolled in either the Individual or Health and Social Care Programmes receive much less appropriate support. The social justice implications of these priorities for resource allocation are discussed.

A Distributed TDMA Scheduling Algorithm Based on Exponential Backoff Rule and Energy-Topology Factor in Internet of Things

In the Internet of Things scene, the wireless sensor network (WSN) is widely used to monitor and perceive various context environments. The efficient utilization of time division multiple access (TDMA) slot resource has attracted more and more attention, especially for applications with high network performance requirements, for example, vehicular networks. The characteristics of the WSN, which have limited battery volume and variable topology structure, restrict the development of the centralized time slot allocation algorithm. Moreover, the traditional distributed time slot allocation algorithm is helpless to reduce the energy consumption, even if the variable topology is solved to some extent. In this paper, we propose the distributed TDMA scheduling algorithm based on exponential backoff rule and energy-topology factor, namely EB-ET-distributed randomized (DRAND) algorithm. We analyze the typical DRAND time slot assignment algorithm and the distributed TDMA slot scheduling algorithm based on energy-topology factor, which is proposed in our another work. By introducing the idea of Lamport’s bakery algorithm, the priority control algorithm based on exponential backoff rules and energy-topology factor are presented to appropriately adjust the priority of time slot allocation and greatly reduce the probabilities of message collision and time slot allocation failure. Then, we introduce the implementation processes of the EB-ET-DRAND scheduling algorithm in various different states. The time slot structure and frame formats of algorithm are designed in detail. Finally, we implement a mesh network simulation system to evaluate the performance of proposed scheme. The experimental results indicate that the EB-ET-DRAND scheduling algorithm greatly improves the performance of time slot allocation and reduces the message complexity, time complexity, and energy consumption.

Exploring of the Consequences of Human Resources Multitasking in Industrial Automation Projects: A Tool to Mitigate Impacts

Each industrial automation project includes tasks strongly depend on human factor many of which may belong to the critical path or chain of the project. Multitasking affects significantly human productivity. This reduction in productivity has as a direct result the delay of the primary task which may cause an overall delay to the project with cost and time overruns. A project should be seen in a global environment that of the company, where resources are shared among its portfolio of projects. Although multitasking might have negative results, it is something that cannot be eliminated, but it can be mitigated by project managers.This work presents the effects of multitasking in human productivity, especially when the tasks are complex, like PLC/SCADA software development. Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, a simple tool is created to be used by project managers, in order to assist them in decision making. Criteria that influence these decisions are referenced and their priority vectors are proposed. Also, some real examples are given.A project manager faces a complex situation when they asked to decide allocation of resources and priorities among different projects. Parameters that are difficult to predict in real situations may have a significant role in the decision making process.There are a lot of published works based on AHP applications in different fields, but there is a gap in the field of industrial automation projects and the related project manager's decision making. This study focuses on these decision making process which determines which tasks should be paused or not for a better allocation of resources, taking into account the global environment of a technical company. The tool can be implemented with changing criteria and priority vectors to adapt to different type of projects. Future research could identify additional criteria and sub-criteria with different priority vectors, depending on different project specifications.

A Pulmonary Rehabilitation Decisional Score to Define Priority Access for COPD Patients.

This retrospective study aimed to evaluate, through an ad hoc 17-item tool, the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Decisional Score (PRDS), the priority access to PR prescription by respiratory specialists. The PRDS, scoring functional, clinical, disability, frailty, and participation parameters from 0 = low priority to 34 = very high priority for PR access, was retrospectively calculated on 124 specialist reports sent to the GP of subjects (aged 71 ± 11 years, FEV1% 51 ± 17) consecutively admitted to our respiratory outpatient clinic. From the specialist's report the final subject's allocation could be low priority (LP) (>60 days), high priority (HP) (30–60 days), or very high priority (VHP) (<30 days) to rehabilitation. The PRDS calculation showed scores significantly higher in VHP versus LP (p < 0.001) and significantly different between HP and VHP (p < 0.001). Comparing the specialist's allocation decision and priority choice based on PRDS cut-offs, PR prescription was significantly more appropriate in VHP than in HP (p = 0.016). Specialists underprescribed PR in 49% of LP cases and overprescribed it in 46% and 30% of the HP and VHP prescriptions, respectively. A multicomprehensive score is feasible being useful for staging the clinical priorities for PR prescription and facilitating sustainability of the health system.

DLTAP: A Network-efficient Scheduling Method for Distributed Deep Learning Workload in Containerized Cluster Environment

Deep neural networks (DNNs) have recently yielded strong results on a range of applications. Training these DNNs using a cluster of commodity machines is a promising approach since training is time consuming and compute-intensive. Furthermore, putting DNN tasks into containers of clusters would enable broader and easier deployment of DNN-based algorithms. Toward this end, this paper addresses the problem of scheduling DNN tasks in the containerized cluster environment. Efficiently scheduling data-parallel computation jobs like DNN over containerized clusters is critical for job performance, system throughput, and resource utilization. It becomes even more challenging with the complex workloads. We propose a scheduling method called Deep Learning Task Allocation Priority (DLTAP) which performs scheduling decisions in a distributed manner, and each of scheduling decisions takes aggregation degree of parameter sever task and worker task into account, in particularly, to reduce cross-node network transmission traffic and, correspondingly, decrease the DNN training time. We evaluate the DLTAP scheduling method using a state-of-the-art distributed DNN training framework on 3 benchmarks. The results show that the proposed method can averagely reduce 12% cross-node network traffic, and decrease the DNN training time even with the cluster of low-end servers.

Activation effectiveness evaluation of innovation activity processes of the enterprises

Despite the national importance of innovative activity development in Ukraine, clear relationship to the innovative process has not yet formed. There are a number of outstanding issues concerning the methods for activation effectiveness evaluation of innovative activity of the enterprises, identifying priority allocation of financial resources in the course of innovation.The ways of improving analytical methods for activity effectiveness evaluation of innovative activity of the enterprises in different sectors of the national economy are discussed in the article. They are based on the performances of their economic, social and technological development. The practical aspects of implementation of the methodology for effectiveness evaluation of innovative activity are developed. They can be used as the basis for approaches to the formation and evaluation of the implementation of the state industrial policy of Ukraine.It is proved that economy modernization, based on the formation of high-tech resources in the real economy, and effective participation of innovative activities in economic circulation allows economic growth in the conditions of new economy.Technology can effectively develop only under appropriate forms and methods of institutionalization and socialization.The complex nature of the processes of innovative development of domestic enterprises has predetermined the need for effective implementation of innovation level measurement system based on the definition of the integral performance index of their implementation and related sub-indices in its structure, based on a four-level hierarchical model. Integral performance indicator is a vector with the components of the sub-indices by kinds of influence factors.The proposed approach to the analysis of the activation effectiveness of innovative activity of the enterprises can be the basis for approaches to the development and evaluation of the implementation of the state industrial policy of Ukraine, the agrarian policy of Ukraine and social security policy in the system of the national economy, which should ensure the implementation of an innovative model of development.

Methodology development for including environmental water requirement in the water stress index considering the case of Thailand

Environmental water requirement is important for a river or a watershed to maintain the ecosystem functions and services. Thus, it needs to be an essential component in water demand calculations for maintaining water resources. This study proposes to explicitly account the environmental water as a part of water withdrawal in the withdrawal to availability ratio of the water stress index. A revised equation is formulated and calibrated using Thailand as an example. This incorporation allows flexibility in changing different amounts and setting different priorities of environmental water requirement based on a local context. The results obtained are satisfactory for explaining the actual stress situation incorporating environmental water requirement. The method and approach proposed in this paper can also be applied to other countries based on their priorities for water allocation to various water demand sectors. This paper is proposed as a step towards developing a sustainable tool for assessing the impact on freshwater resources.

Implementation of a National Priority Allocation System for Hypersensitized Patients in Spain, Based on Virtual Crossmatch: Initial Results

Access to kidney transplantation for patients with high levels of antibodies against HLA is a major challenge. This issue makes it difficult to detect compatible donors for those patients in a certain geographical area. Consequently, hypersensitized patients remain on the waiting list for long periods and their quality of life deteriorates. Our purpose was to increase access to transplantation for highly sensitized patients by developing a national priority allocation system based on virtual crossmatch. Between June 15, 2015, and May 15, 2016, 675 patients on the kidney transplant waiting list with calculated panel-reactive antibodies ≥98% and undergoing dialysis for at least 12 months were included in the study; 86.1% of the patients had previously received at least one transplant. Solid-phase immunoassays were used to identify class I and II HLA antibodies in all patients. Participating hospitals assigned to the program one of the kidneys of every identified brain-dead real donor between 18 and 70 years old. Survival data were collected for the recipients transplanted between June 15, 2015, and December 31, 2015. In all, 475 (290 male and 185 female) brain-dead donors were assigned to the program. Virtual crossmatch was negative for 191 (41%) donors, 149 offers were accepted, and 102 (21.8%) kidneys were transplanted. At the end of the study, patient and graft survival were both 93.4%. The implementation of a national prioritization system based on virtual crossmatch increased access to transplantation for highly sensitized patients, with excellent results in terms of patient and graft survival.

Recovery following defoliation involves shifts in allocation that favour storage and reproduction over radial growth in black oak

SummaryCarbon allocation to growth, storage, reproduction and the effects of stress and disturbances on these processes remain poorly understood in trees. Non‐structural carbohydrates (NSC) are an important component of the carbon storage pool and are commonly used to assess whether tree growth under various conditions is carbon limited. Carbon limitation is generally assumed to result in reducedNSClevels and allocation, but changes in allocation priorities that favourNSCstorage could also limit carbon available for growth.We defoliated six mature oak trees in June 2010 and explored how defoliation affects the relationship between radial growth and netNSCstorage, estimated by the seasonal increase inNSCconcentration, for several years. We interpret our results in the context of a conceptual model of allocation – developed here – to help understand how allocation changed following defoliation. We also monitored flower and acorn production in 2011, as changes in reproduction could also affect allocation to growth and storage.Defoliation reduced radial growth for 3 years. Stemwood starch levels and storage were also generally reduced, although not as consistently as growth. In contrast, root collarNSCstorage was significantly greater in defoliated trees, allowing below‐ground stores to recover to control levels by November 2011. Defoliation had mixed effects on reproduction in 2011: production of second‐year acorns (initiated before defoliation) was not significantly affected, but there was complete cessation of flower production. Defoliation also changed the relationship betweenNSCallocation and growth in the 2 years following defoliation, indicating a shift in allocation favouring storage.According to our conceptual model, the positive relationship between growth andNSCallocation indicates that the allocation shifts occurred under carbon‐limiting conditions. We, therefore, propose that growth can be carbon limited by two different means: (i) a decrease in plant carbon availability and (ii) allocation shifts that reduce the priority of growth relative to other processes such as storage. Prioritizing storage over both growth and reproduction may be a strategy to protect against further disturbance or stress following storage depletion.Synthesis. Recovery following defoliation can involve substantial shifts in how trees allocate carbon between different functions, with carbohydrate storage and already initiated reproduction cycles being favoured relative to growth and new reproductive cycles.

Acute-on-chronic Liver Failure.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a distinct entity that differs from acute liver failure and decompensated cirrhosis in timing, presence of treatable acute precipitant, and course of disease, with a potential for self-recovery. The core concept is acute deterioration of existing liver function in a patient of chronic liver disease with or without cirrhosis in response to an acute insult. The insult should be a hepatic one and presentation in the form of liver failure (jaundice, encephalopathy, coagulopathy, ascites) with or without extrahepatic organ failure in a defined time frame. ACLF is characterized by a state of deregulated inflammation. Initial cytokine burst presenting as SIRS, progression to CARS and associated immunoparalysis leads to sepsis and multi-organ failure. Early identification of the acute insult and mitigation of the same, use of nucleoside analogue in HBV-ACLF, steroid in severe alcoholic hepatitis, steroid in severe autoimmune hepatitis and/or bridging therapy lead to recovery, with a 90-day transplant-free survival rate of up to 50%. First-week presentation is crucial concerning SIRS/sepsis, development, multiorgan failure and consideration of transplant. A protocol-based multi-disciplinary approach including critical care hepatology, early liver transplant before multi-organ involvement, or priority for organ allocation may improve the outcome. Presentation with extrahepatic organ involvement or inclusion of sepsis as an acute insult in definition restricts the therapy, i.e., liver transplant or bridging therapy, and needs serious consideration. Augmentation of regeneration, cell-based therapy, immunotherapy, and gut microbiota modulation are the emerging areas and need further research.

The Categories, Rules, and Demonstrations of Guanxi in Chinese Society

ABSTRACTPurpose: Guanxi is one of the most important success factors in China. Because of differences in Eastern and Western relationships, it is essential to investigate the system of guanxi in China. Based on the differential mode of association (chaxugeju), the present study aims to construct a framework for the mechanism of guanxi in Chinese society.Methodology/approach: A questionnaire survey of middle and senior managers was conducted to test the proposed hypotheses. A sample consisting of 212 middle or senior managers who worked in China and had direct interactions with business partners was used. The participants were mainly from firms in the pharmaceutical technology, telecommunication, and retailing industries.Findings: Guanxi categories, guanxi rules, and guanxi demonstrations were found to be correspondingly related. Business partners who had family guanxi applied the rule of need and presented intimacy interactions, whereas partners who had acquaintance guanxi often followed the rule of favor and demonstrated higher levels of reciprocity. These two corresponding paths positively influenced the strength of guanxi: The partners were more willing to sacrifice self-interest for and provide high priority in resource allocation to each other. Business partners who had stranger guanxi used the rule of equity and built trust relationships, which had negative impacts on the strength of guanxi.Practical implications: Because guanxi affects the performance of companies in China, maintaining guanxi networks with business partners is an important but challenging task for managers, especially for those from non-eastern cultures. The current study suggests that it is essential for managers to identify different types of guanxi (family, acquaintance, or stranger) by differential intimacy and distance, and to apply different rules when interacting with partners with different guanxi. To be specific, managers should follow the rule of need with business partners who have family guanxi, and their guanxi should be demonstrated as intimacy interaction. When doing business with acquaintances and friends, managers should mainly follow the rule of favor, and their guanxi should be demonstrated as reciprocity interaction. When doing business with strangers, managers should follow the rule of equity and emphasize trust. This correspondence also has an influence on how managers make decisions according to the strength of guanxi with different partners based on the guanxi type. In short, guanxi affects the degree of willingness to sacrifice self-interest for, and to prioritize resource allocations to, business partners.

Cross-Layer Optimization for Efficient Delivery of Scalable Video over WiMAX

Video delivery application over wireless network has become increasingly important in recent years. For achieving more flexible video streams transmission, the scalable extension of the H.264/AVC standard has been developed, as well as which is combined with temporal, spatial and quality scalabilities to adapt efficiently the wireless bandwidth resource. In this paper, a cross-layer optimization for robust H.264 scalable video delivery over WiMAX network is proposed. In order to obtain a better delivery performance, the proposed method is used the hierarchical B-picture approach to classify video packets into different priorities. In the cross-layer optimization, the scalable video and packet classifier are proposed at the application layer, and the packet priority and queue allocation are used at the MAC layer. Finally, it is shown by NS2 simulations that the proposed method provides more stable wireless bandwidth and also achieves a better quality of the video streaming delivery.

What's Hot, What's New From the 2016 American Transplant Congress.

From June 11-15, 2016 the American Transplant Congress, the joint meeting of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, held its annual meeting in Boston, MA. The meeting, attended by 5200 registrants, included pre-meeting conferences, focused topic sessions, and hundreds of high-quality presentations from the transplant field. This meeting report highlights key findings from specific basic science, translational, and clinical research presentations deemed to have notable impact in thematic areas. In particular, there were a number of transformative studies indicating important advances in the understanding of alloimmunity, chronic rejection, tolerance, and organ-specific outcomes. Many of these results are discussed in the context of the published literature to showcase rapid advances in the transplant field.