CORE: Augmenting Regenerating-Coding-Based Recovery for Single and Concurrent Failures in Distributed Storage Systems

Data availability is critical in distributed storage systems, especially when node failures are prevalent in real life. A key requirement is to minimize the amount of data transferred among nodes when recovering the lost or unavailable data of failed nodes. This paper explores recovery solutions based on regenerating codes, which are shown to provide fault-tolerant storage and minimum recovery bandwidth. Existing optimal regenerating codes are designed for single node failures. We build a system called CORE, which augments existing optimal regenerating codes to support a general number of failures including single and concurrent failures. We theoretically show that CORE achieves the minimum possible recovery bandwidth for most cases. We implement CORE and evaluate our prototype atop a Hadoop HDFS cluster testbed with up to 20 storage nodes. We demonstrate that our CORE prototype conforms to our theoretical findings and achieves recovery bandwidth saving when compared to the conventional recovery approach based on erasure codes.Comment: 25 page

ALTERATIONS IN LANDING MECHANICS DURING FORWARD JUMP IN INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC ANKLE INSTABILITY

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different distance forward jump among the healthy control, coper, and CAI groups. Participants were asked to perform a single-leg forward hop and followed with a single-leg landing on the force plate. The forward jump distance was standardized to 50%, 100%, and 150% of leg length from the center of the force platform. Results from the current study indicated two major findings: the CAI group were use greater ankle external rotation to avoid the possibility of ankle sprains during single-leg landings. During descending phase of landing, the CAI group demonstrated a greater medio-lateral GRF compared to healthy group. Our findings indicated that different landing strategy of ankle joints exist among 3 groups

Steroid hormone-dependent transformation of polyhomeotic mutant neurons in the Drosophila brain

Polyhomeotic (Ph), which forms complexes with other Polycomb-group (PcG) proteins, is widely required for maintenance of cell identity by ensuring differential gene expression patterns in distinct types of cells. Genetic mosaic screens in adult fly brains allow for recovery of a mutation that simultaneously disrupts the tandemly duplicated Drosophila ph transcriptional units. Distinct clones of neurons normally acquire different characteristic projection patterns and can be differentially labeled using various subtype-specific drivers in mosaic brains. Such neuronal diversity is lost without Ph. In response to ecdysone, ph mutant neurons are transformed into cells with unidentifiable projection patterns and indistinguishable gene expression profiles during early metamorphosis. Some subtype-specific neuronal drivers become constitutively activated, while others are constantly suppressed. By contrast, loss of other PcG proteins, including Pc and E(z), causes different neuronal developmental defects; and, consistent with these phenomena, distinct Hox genes are differentially misexpressed in different PcG mutant clones. Taken together, Drosophila Ph is essential for governing neuronal diversity, especially during steroid hormone signaling

Experimental Study on Minimum Depth of Interior Joints for Special Moment Frames with High-Strength Reinforcement and Concrete

ACI 318-19 permits the use of Grade 690 bars for primary reinforcement of special structural walls, but not for special moment frames because of insufficient experimental evidence of frame joints. Where Grade 690 bars are used for longitudinal reinforcement, the bond and anchorage at beam-column joints become crucial in the design of special moment frames. Due to paucity of experimental evidence, ACI 318 set a minimum joint depth that is proportional to bar diameter and grade without accounting for effects of high-strength concrete and other parameters. In practice, higher-grade reinforcement may be used together with high-strength concrete, particularly for columns with limited architectural dimensions and high axial load at the lower levels of high-rise buildings. Therefore, the authors designed and conducted an experimental program of four interior beam-column joints reinforced with Grade 420 or 690 bars to investigate the beneficial effect of concrete strength on the bond of beam longitudinal bars passing through an interior joint. Cyclic test results show that the minimum joint depth could be reduced with the use of high-strength concrete for Grade 690 bars

Enhanced Thermoelectric Power in Dual-Gated Bilayer Graphene

Thermoelectric power of a material, typically governed by its band structure and carrier density, can be varied by chemical doping that is often restricted by solubility of the dopant. Materials showing large thermoelectric power are useful for many industrial applications, such as the heat-to-electricity conversion and the thermoelectric cooling device. Here we show a full electric field tuning of thermoelectric power in a dual-gated bilayer graphene device resulting from the opening of a band-gap by applying a perpendicular electric field on bilayer graphene. We uncover a large enhancement in thermoelectric power at low temperature, which may open up a new possibility in low temperature thermoelectric application using graphene-based device.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

Minimum Joint Depth for Moment Frames with High-Strength Materials

This paper reports results from four large-scale interior beam column connections without transverse beams or slabs tested under reversed cyclic displacements. The specimens, which included the first of interior beam-column connections constructed with Grade 100 (690) reinforcement with bar deformations similar to those available in U.S. practice, had Grade 60 or 100 (420 or 690) bars, 4 or 10 ksi (28 or 69 MPa) concrete, and varied column depthto-beam bar diameter ratios. The specimens all exhibited strengths greater than the nominal strength, retained at least 80% of their strength to drift ratios exceeding 5%, and exceeded ACI 374 acceptance criteria at a 3% drift ratio for components of special moment frames, demonstrating that well-detailed joints constructed with high-strength materials behave satisfactorily. The data add evidence that joints constructed with high-strength concrete exhibit less bond decay, and recommendations are made for accounting for this effect in design. Results from the specimen constructed with normal-strength materials, considered in the context of prior tests, suggest a need to increase the minimum joint depth for special moment frames. Considerable improvement in behavior associated with reduced bond damage within the joint is obtained from a 20% increase in the minimum column depth-to-beam bar diameter ratio required in ACI 318-19

Amyloidosis cutis dyschromica in two female siblings: cases report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cutaneous amyloidosis has been classified into primary cutaneous amyloidosis (PCA, OMIM #105250), secondary cutaneous amyloidosis and systemic cutaneous amyloidosis. PCA is the deposition of amyloid in previously apparent normal skin without systemic involvement. Amyloidosis cutis dyschromica (ACD) is a rare distinct type of PCA. Here, the unique clinical and histological findings of two Chinese female siblings with ACD were described.</p> <p>Cases presentations</p> <p>Patient 1 was a 34-year-old female, presented with mildly pruritic, diffuse mottled hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation. The lesions involved all over the body since she was 10 years old. There were a few itchy blisters appearing on her arms, lower legs and truck, especially on the sun-exposed areas in summer. Some hypopigmented macules presented with slight atrophy. Patient 2 was 39-year-old, the elder sister of patient 1. She had similar skin lesions since the same age as the former. The atrophy and blisters on the skin of the patient with amyloidosis cutis dyschromica have not been described in previous literature. Histological examinations of the skin biopsies taken from both patients revealed amyloid deposits in the whole papillary dermis. Depending on the histological assessment, the two cases were diagnosed as amyloidosis cutis dyschromica.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The two cases suggest that the atrophy and blisters may be the uncommon manifestations of amyloidosis cutis dyschromica. It alerts clinicians to consider the possibility of ACD when meeting patients with cutaneous dyschromia. Skin biopsy is essential and family consultation of genetic investigation is very important in such cases.</p