We study a content delivery problem in a K-user erasure broadcast channel such that a content providing server wishes to deliver requested files to users, each equipped with a cache of a finite memory. Assuming that the transmitter has state feedback and user caches can be filled during off-peak hours reliably by the decentralized content placement, we characterize the achievable rate region as a function of the memory sizes and the erasure probabilities. The proposed delivery scheme, based on the broadcasting scheme by Wang and Gatzianas et al., exploits the receiver side information established during the placement phase. Our results can be extended to centralized content placement as well as multi-antenna broadcast channels with state feedback.

BackgroundTo investigate beneficial effects of Pomegranate seeds oil (PSO), leaves (PL), juice (PJ) and (PP) on brain cholinesterase activity, brain oxidative stress and lipid profile in high-fat-high fructose diet (HFD) induced-obese rat.MethodsIn vitro and in vivo cholinesterase activity, brain oxidative status, body and brain weight and plasma lipid profile were measured in control rats, HFD-fed rats and HFD-fed rats treated by PSO, PL, PJ and PP.ResultsIn vitro study showed that PSO, PL, PP, PJ inhibited cholinesterase activity in dose dependant manner. PL extract displayed the highest inhibitory activity by IC50 of 151.85 mg/ml. For in vivo study, HFD regime induced a significant increase of cholinesterase activity in brain by 17.4% as compared to normal rats. However, the administration of PSO, PL, PJ and PP to HDF-rats decreased cholinesterase activity in brain respectively by 15.48%, 6.4%, 20% and 18.7% as compared to untreated HFD-rats. Moreover, HFD regime caused significant increase in brain stress, brain and body weight, and lipid profile disorders in blood. Furthermore, PSO, PL, PJ and PP modulated lipid profile in blood and prevented accumulation of lipid in brain and body evidenced by the decrease of their weights as compared to untreated HFD-rats. In addition administration of these extract protected brain from stress oxidant, evidenced by the decrease of malondialdehyde (MDA) and Protein carbonylation (PC) levels and the increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels.ConclusionThese findings highlight the neuroprotective effects of pomegranate extracts and one of mechanisms is the inhibition of cholinesterase and the stimulation of antioxidant capacity.

IntroductionTunisia has one of the highest burdens of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) among tuberculosis (TB) cases but the contribution of MTBC-mediated human EPTB is unknown. EPTB diagnosis is challenging due to the paucibacillary nature of clinical samples. Therefore, a need of a simplified molecular method for sensitive and specific TB detection and differentiation of MTBC members caused EPTB remains a priority to an early diagnosis, optimize successful anti-TB treatment and minimize transmission. We evaluated the performance of a single tube tetraplex Taq Man real time PCR for EPTB detection and differentiation between MTBC members directly on extrapulmonary samples.Materials and methodsExtrapulmonary samples obtained from clinically suspected EPTB patients from 2013 to April 2015 were tested by Ziehl Neelsen Staining, mycobacterial culture and qPCR assay for RD1, RD9, RD12 and ext-RD9 targets (MTBC-RD qPCR). The performance of qPCR was compared to a reference standard based on MTBC culture and/or at least two criteria of a composite reference standard (CRS) including clinical, radiological, histopathological and therapeutic findings.ResultsEPTB was identified in 157/170 (92.4%) of included patients of whom 99 (63%) were confirmed by culture and 58 (36.9%) by CRS criteria. The sensitivity and specificity of qPCR, in comparison to the reference standard were 100% (157/157) and 92.3% (12/13), respectively. The sensitivity of qPCR was statistically significant as compared to culture and smear microscopy (P< 0.001). QPCR results showed M. bovis identification in 77.1% of extrapulmonary samples in occurrence to lymphadenitis infection. M. tuberculosis and M.bovis BCG were detected in 21.6% and 1.3% of cases, respectively.ConclusionsMTBC–RD qPCR proved to be a rapid and sensitive assay for simultaneously TB detection and MTBC members identification on extrapulmonary samples within 1.5 days after sample receipt. Its high sensitivity could make this method a useful tool in diagnosing TB in addition to routine conventional methods and TB clinical parameters.

This study was undertaken in order to determine heavy metal contents in twelve (n = 12) henna brands and eleven (n = 11) kohl products. An analytical test was performed for Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn in henna and kohl products using atomic absorption spectrophotometery. The overall mean concentrations of heavy metals in henna varied between 1.2 and 8.9 μg g−1 for Pb; 0.8 and 18.6 μg g−1 for Cd; 0.5 μg g−1 and 3.3 μg g−1 for Cu; and 3.7 μg g−1 and 90.0 μg g−1 for Zn. As for kohl products, Pb concentrations ranged between 51.1 μg g−1 and 4839.5 μg g−1, Cd concentrations ranged between 1.0 μg g−1 and 158.6 μg g−1, Cu concentrations ranged between 2.5 μg g−1 and 162.5 μg g−1, and Zn concentrations ranged between 0.7 μg g−1 and 185.0 μg g−1. The results of our study revealed that Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn contents in investigated samples were high, making from the prolonged use of such products a potential threat to human health. Therefore, major quality controls are recommended in order to enforce acceptable limits of potential contaminants in cosmetics and good manufacturing practice.

Abstract-We consider a cache-enabled K-user broadcast erasure packet channel in which a server with a library of N files wishes to deliver a requested file to each user who is equipped with a cache of a finite memory M . Assuming that the transmitter has state feedback and user caches can be filled during off-peak hours reliably by decentralized cache placement, we characterize the optimal rate region as a function of the memory size, the erasure probability. The proposed delivery scheme, based on the scheme proposed by Gatzianas et al., exploits the receiver side information established during the placement phase. Our results enable us to quantify the net benefits of decentralized coded caching in the presence of erasure. The role of state feedback is found useful especially when the erasure probability is large and/or the normalized memory size is small.