Scalable Peer-to-Peer Streaming for Live Entertainment Content

We present a system for streaming live entertainment content over the Internet originating from a single source to a scalable number of consumers without resorting to centralized or provider-provisioned resources. The system creates a peer-to-peer overlay network, which attempts to optimize use of existing capacity to ensure quality of service, delivering low startup delay and lag in playout of the live content. There are three main aspects of our solution: first, a swarming mechanism that constructs an overlay topology for minimizing propagation delays from the source to end consumers; second, a distributed overlay anycast system that uses a location-based search algorithm for peers to quickly find the closest peers in a given stream; and finally, a novel incentive mechanism that encourages peers to donate capacity even when the user is not actively consuming content

Markers of neural degeneration and regeneration in Down syndrome patients

On the trisomy Down syndrome Critical Region (DSCR1) is located the APP gene, which accelerates amyloid peptide protein (APP) expression leading to cerebral accumulation of APP-derived amyloid-beta peptides (Ab) and age-dependent cognitive sequelae. Also DSCR1 attenuates endothelial cell proliferation and angiogenesis required for tissue repair. The aim of the present work is to determine markers of neural degeneration and regeneration in the blood of young and adolescent Down syndrome (DS) patients as well as controls. Markers of regeneration were measured in terms of circulating mononuclear cells expressing Nestin and CD34, while markers of degeneration were measured in terms of plasma Ab42 and advanced glycation end products receptors (RAGES). Results showed a significant increase in plasma Ab42 (20 ± 5.1 vs. 11.9 ± 3.4) and RAGES leucocytes mRNA relative expression (1.9 ±0.2 vs. 1.1 ±0.6) in adolescentDS patients compared to young DS. Both parameters were also significantly increased in DS compared to controls: Ab42 (15.4 ± 5.9 vs. 12. 3± 4.5); RAGES (1.4 ± 0.5 vs. 0.7± 0.2). Nestin (5.2 ± 1.4 vs. 6.3± 0.6) and CD34 (52 ± 2.5 vs. 53± 4.7) were non-significantly lower in adolescent DS patients compared to young DS, but significantly lower in DS patients compared to controls: Nestin (6.3 ± 1.5 vs. 9±4.4); CD34 (54 ± 3.4 vs. 60± 4.8). The significant decrease in the number of mononuclear cells bearing Nestin and CD34 markers accompanied by a significantincrease in Ab42 and RAGES indicate that degeneration in DS is an ongoing process, which is not counterbalanced by the regenerative mechanism

Ensemble Habitat Suitability Modeling to Guide Conservation of Black-Backed Woodpeckers

Conservation of black-backed woodpecker (Picoides arcticus), a burned-forest specialist, is challenged by the unpredictable availability of suitable habitat. Habitat models calibrated with data from previous wildfires can be used to predict habitat suitability in newly fire-affected areas. Predictive accuracy of habitat models depends on how well statistical relationships reflect actual ecological relationships. We predicted habitat suitability for Black-backed Woodpecker at Montana post-wildfire forests (? 6 years postfire) east of the continental divide using models calibrated with nest location data from wildlfire locations in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. We developed 6 habitat models, including one partitioned Mahalanobis model, two Maxent models, and 3 weighted logistic regression models with combinations of seven environmental variables describing burn severity, topography, and pre-fire canopy cover. We converted continuous habitat suitability indices (HSIs) into binary predictions (suitable or unsuitable) and combined predictions using and ensemble approach; we compiled the number of models (0–6) predicting locations (30×30-m pixels) as suitable. Habitat models represented different hypotheses regarding true ecological relationships, making inferences from ensemble predictions robust to uncertainties in the form of these relationships. Thirty-five percent of the area burned by eastside Montana wildfires was predicted suitable by either all seven habitat models or none of them (i.e. complete agreement among models). We recommend conservation of areas (e.g., exclusion of post-fire salvage logging) that were consistently predicted suitable by most models, e.g., 32 percent of burned areas predicted suitable by ? 5 models. Additionally, we recommend surveying areas where models disagree to help validate and refine models

Arctic sea ice area changes in CMIP3 and CMIP5 climate models’ ensembles

The shrinking Arctic sea ice cover observed during the last decades is probably the clearest manifestation of ongoing climate change. While climate models in general reproduce the sea ice retreat in the Arctic during the 20th century and simulate further sea ice area loss during the 21st century in response to anthropogenic forcing, the models suffer from large biases and the results exhibit considerable spread. Here, we compare results from the two last generations of climate models, CMIP3 and CMIP5, with respect to total and regional Arctic sea ice change. Different characteristics of sea ice area (SIA) in March and September have been analysed for the Entire Arctic, Central Arctic and Barents Sea. Further, the sensitivity of SIA to changes in Northern Hemisphere (NH) temperature is investigated and dynamical links between SIA and some atmospheric variability modes are assessed. CMIP3 (SRES A1B) and CMIP5 (RCP8.5) models not only simulate a coherent decline of the Arctic SIA but also depict consistent changes in the SIA seasonal cycle. The spatial patterns of SIC variability improve in CMIP5 ensemble, most noticeably in summer when compared to HadISST1 data. A better simulation of summer SIA in the Entire Arctic by CMIP5 models is accompanied by a slightly increased bias for winter season in comparison to CMIP3 ensemble. SIA in the Barents Sea is strongly overestimated by the majority of CMIP3 and CMIP5 models, and projected SIA changes are characterized by a high uncertainty. Both CMIP ensembles depict a significant link between the SIA and NH temperature changes indicating that a part of inter-ensemble SIA spread comes from different temperature sensitivity to anthropogenic forcing. The results suggest that, in general, a sensitivity of SIA to external forcing is enhanced in CMIP5 models. Arctic SIA interannual variability in the end of the 20th century is on average well simulated by both ensembles. To the end of the 21st century, September variability is strongly reduced in CMIP5 models under RCP8.5 scenario, whereas variability changes in CMIP3 and in both ensembles in March are relatively small. The majority of models in both CMIP ensembles demonstrate an ability to capture a negative correlation of interannual SIA variations in the Barents Sea with North Atlantic Oscillation and sea level pressure gradient in the western Barents Sea opening serving as an index of oceanic inflow to the Sea

Some q-analogues of Hermite–Hadamard inequality of functions of two variables on finite rectangles in the plane

Preliminaries of q-calculus for functions of two variables over finite rectangles in the plane are introduced. Some q-analogues of the famous Hermite–Hadamard inequality of functions of two variables defined on finite rectangles in the plane are presented. A q1q2-Hölder inequality for functions of two variables over finite rectangles is also established to provide some quantum estimates of trapezoidal type inequality of functions of two variables whose q1q2-partial derivatives in absolute value with certain powers satisfy the criteria of convexity on co-ordinates

Generalization of Some Inequalities for Differentiable Co-ordinated Convex Functions With Applications

Abstract In this paper, a new weighted identity for functions defined on a rectangle from the plane is established. By using the obtained identity and analysis, some new weighted integral inequalities for the classes of co-ordinated convex, co-ordinated wright-convex and co-ordinated quasi-convex functions on the rectangle from the plane are established which provide weighted generalization of some recent results proved for co-ordinated convex functions. Some applications of our results to random variables and 2D weighted quadrature formula are given as well.</jats:p

Bidirectional Antenna for 2.4-ghz WLAN Application Inside Train

In this paper, a bidirectional antenna is presented for a WLAN application inside monorail train. The Yagi Uda antenna has directional characteristic that is suitable for the long path service area. The design concept of the proposed antenna has two directional antennas combined pointed in opposite direction which only involves the driven element and directors. The Yagi Uda design of bidirectional antenna operates in the frequency band of 2.4 GHz. The antenna is proposed with a thickness of 1.6mm and relative permittivity of 4.3 on FR4 substratum. Resonant frequency is set at 2.42 GHz with a bandwidth of 390 MHz from simulation work. The proposed antenna also met the estimated antenna bandwidth at a range of 2.23 GHz-2.63 GHz, and the bidirectional pattern. Both simulated and measured result are well matched

Antioxidant potential of extracts from peels and stems of yellow-fleshed and white cassava varieties

Open Access Article; Published online: 24 Sep 2020This study focused on the exploration of the potentials of extracting antioxidants from peels and stems of yellow‐fleshed and white cassava varieties. The effect of particle size (0.2 and 0.5 mm) and variety on the phenolic content and antioxidant activity was assessed. The peels of the yellow‐fleshed cassava variety with a particle size of 0.2 mm showed the highest phenolic content with 681.5 GAE mg 100 g−1 and antioxidant activity of 19% and 425 μM TE g−1 dry matter using DPPH and FRAP assays respectively. The stems of the white cassava with a particle size of 0.2 mm exhibited high phenolic content (442.4 GAE mg 100 g−1) and antioxidant activity of 12.8% and 234 μM TE g−1, better than the stem of the yellow‐fleshed cassava. These results indicate that phenolic and antioxidant extractions were influenced by variety, the plant parts and particle size for the antioxidant assays

Genetic Dissection of Sympatric Populations of Brown Planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), Using DALP-PCR Molecular Markers

Direct amplified length polymorphism (DALP) combines the advantages of a high-resolution fingerprint method and also characterizing the genetic polymorphisms. This molecular method was also found to be useful in brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens species complex for the analysis of genetic polymorphisms. A total of 11 populations of Nilaparvata spp. were collected from 6 locations from Malaysia. Two sympatric populations of brown planthopper, N. lugens, one from rice and the other from a weed grass (Leersia hexandra), were collected from each of five locations. N. bakeri was used as an out group. Three oligonucleotide primer pairs, DALP231/DALPR′5, DALP234/DALPR′5, and DALP235/DALPR′5 were applied in this study. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) dendrogram based on genetic distances for the 11 populations of Nilaparvata spp. revealed that populations belonging to the same species and the same host type clustered together irrespective of their geographical localities of capture. The populations of N. lugens formed into two distinct clusters, one was insects with high esterase activities usually captured from rice and the other was with low esterase activities usually captured from L. hexandra. N. bakeri, an out group, was the most isolated group. Analyses of principal components, molecular variance, and robustness also supported greatly to the findings of cluster analysis