New Architecture for EIA-709.1 Protocol Implementation

This paper proposes a new architecture for EIA-709.1protocol implementation. The protocol is conventionallyimplemented with the proprietary processor and language,Neuron chip and Neuron C, respectively, where the Neuron chipconsists of 3 processors inside. The proposed architecture usesonly one general purpose processor and general ANSI C toimplement the layers of EIA-709.1 except the physical layer. Thedata link, network, and other layers are implemented onto oneRISC processor, ARM. Specifically, the data link layer of theEIA-709.1 based on predictive p-persistent CSMA/CA isimplemented. The interface between the transceiver based onpower line communication and the data link layer based on theARM is described. As a conclusion, this research shows theimprovement of performance and the compatibility with theexisting Neuron chip

Connecting Land Use and Transportation Toward Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Houston-Galveston Metropolitan Area

How do land use characteristics affect individual and household travel behavior in a regional context? Can the investigation justify the land use policies to reduce automobile dependence and achieve the goals of sustainable development in the metropolitan areas? Previous research enhanced our understanding of the connections between land use and travel behavior. It also provided implications for managing automobile-dependent travel behavior. However, there are questions still left unanswered about the causal connections between them, and the effectiveness of the land use policies to manage travel demand. To address the issues, attention is focused on the effects of land use measures on travel behavior outcomes from different modeling perspectives. The travel demand modeling explores the associations between land use and travel behavior. In addition, the causal modeling helps clarify the causal connections between them. It includes the structural equation models (SEMs) and the directed acyclic graphs (DAGs). The study focuses on six counties of the Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC) area. Travel behavior outcomes contain individual mode choice, household automobile trip generation and household total vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Three dimensions (i.e., density, diversity and design) of six land use measures are considered, which are computed using quarter-mile buffers for both trip origins and destinations. Different travel outcomes and modeling strategies are examined for different travel purposes. The significance of land use measures in affecting travel behavior is found to be evident, while varying to a certain degree according to trip purposes, travel outcomes and methodologies. For individual model choice, multinomial logit (MNL) models, the SEMs and the DAGs for different trip purposes support the hypothesis that land use measures directly affect individual mode choice behavior when other factors are kept constant. There is also evidence from causal models that land use factors indirectly influence it through travel time. For household automobile trip generation, there is no evidence to assert that land use measures at origin significantly affect household automobile trip rates when travel cost and socioeconomic variables are controlled. However, it is confirmed that land use measures have indirect causal connections with automobile trips through travel costs for all trip purposes. For household total VMT, it is found that land use patterns around residential locations are not only significantly associated, but also causally connected with household VMT. To summarize, compact development with high density and improved network design generally contribute to the reduction in automobile dependent travel patterns in the HGAC region

Inelastic scattering in a monolayer graphene sheet; a weak-localization study

Charge carriers in a graphene sheet, a single layer of graphite, exhibit much distinctive characteristics to those in other two-dimensional electronic systems because of their chiral nature. In this report, we focus on the observation of weak localization in a graphene sheet exfoliated from a piece of natural graphite and nano-patterned into a Hall-bar geometry. Much stronger chiral-symmetry-breaking elastic intervalley scattering in our graphene sheet restores the conventional weak localization. The resulting carrier-density and temperature dependence of the phase coherence length reveal that the electron-electron interaction including a direct Coulomb interaction is the main inelastic scattering factor while electron-hole puddles enhance the inelastic scattering near the Dirac point.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, submitted to PR

PKCε-mediated ERK1/2 activation involved in radiation-induced cell death in NIH3T3 cells

AbstractProtein kinase C (PKC) isoforms play distinct roles in cellular functions. We have previously shown that ionizing radiation activates PKC isoforms (α, δ, ε, and ζ), however, isoform-specific sensitivities to radiation and its exact mechanisms in radiation mediated signal transduction are not fully understood. In this study, we showed that overexpression of PKC isoforms (α, δ, ε, and ζ) increased radiation-induced cell death in NIH3T3 cells and PKCε overexpression was predominantly responsible. In addition, PKCε overexpression increased ERK1/2 activation without altering other MAP-kinases such as p38 MAPK or JNK. Co-transfection of dominant negative PKCε (PKCε-KR) blocked both PKCε-mediated ERK1/2 activation and radiation-induced cell death, while catalytically active PKCε construction augmented these phenomena. When the PKCε overexpressed cells were pretreated with PD98059, MEK inhibitor, radiation-induced cell death was inhibited. Co-transfection of the cells with a mutant of ERK1 or -2 (ERK1-KR or ERK2-KR) also blocked these phenomena, and co-transfection with dominant negative Ras or Raf cDNA revealed that PKCε-mediated ERK1/2 activation was Ras–Raf-dependent. In conclusion, PKCε-mediated ERK1/2 activation was responsible for the radiation-induced cell death