Autonomic Role and Mission Allocation Framework for Wireless Sensor Networks.

Pervasive applications incorporate physical components that are exposed to everyday use and a large number of conditions and external factors that can lead to faults and failures. It is also possible that application requirements change during deployment and the network needs to adapt to a new context. Consequently, pervasive systems must be capable to autonomically adapt to changing conditions without involving users becoming a transparent asset in the environment. In this paper, we present an autonomic mechanism for initial task assignment in sensor networks, an NP-hard problem. We also study on-line adaptation of the original deployment which considers real-time metrics for maximising utility and lifetime of applications and smooth service degradation in the face of component failures. © 2011 IEEE

Phase diagram of YBa2_2Cu3_3O7−y_{7-y} at T<<Tc_c based on Cu(2) transverse nuclear relaxation

Two maxima in transverse relaxation rate of Cu(2) nuclei in YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-y}$ are observed, at T = 35 K and T = 47 K. Comparison of the $^{63}$Cu(2) and $^{65}$Cu(2) rates at T = 47 K indicates the magnetic character of relaxation. The enhancement at T = 47 K of fluctuating local magnetic fields perpendicular to the CuO$_2$ planes is connected with the critical fluctuations of orbital currents. Maximum at T = 35 K is connected with the appearance of inhomogeneous supeconducting phase. Together with data published to date, our experimental results allow to suggest a qualitatively new phase diagram of the superconducting phase.Comment: 4 LaTEX pages + 3 figures in *.ps forma

Minimising makespan of discrete controllers: a qualitative approach

Qualitative controller synthesis techniques produce controllers that guarantee to achieve a given goal in the presence of an adversarial environment. However, qualitative synthesis only produces one controller out of many possible solutions and typically does not provide support for expressing preferences over other alternatives. In this paper, we thus present a formal approach to reason about preferences qualitatively, restricting attention to makespan of discrete eventbased controllers for reachability goals. Time is reasoned upon symbolically, which relieves the user from providing concrete quantitative measures. In particular, we study the scenario in which durations of individual activities are not known up-front. We first show how controllers can be symbolically and fairly compared by fixing the contingencies. Then, we present an algorithm to produce controllers that are makespan-minimising

Dynamic update of discrete event controllers

Discrete event controllers are at the heart of many software systems that require continuous operation. Changing these controllers at runtime to cope with changes in its execution environment or system requirements change is a challenging open problem. In this paper we address the problem of dynamic update of controllers in reactive systems. We present a general approach to specifying correctness criteria for dynamic update and a technique for automatically computing a controller that handles the transition from the old to the new specification, assuring that the system will reach a state in which such a transition can correctly occur and in which the underlying system architecture can reconfigure. Our solution uses discrete event controller synthesis to automatically build a controller that guarantees both progress towards update and safe update

Visualization through magnetic resonance imaging of DNA internalized following "in vivo" electroporation.

The ability to visualize plasmid DNA entrapment in muscle cells undergoing an "in vivo" electroporation treatment was investigated on BALB/c mice using a 7-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner using the paramagnetic Gd–DOTA–spd complex as imaging reporter. Gd–DOTA–spd bears a tripositively charged spermidine residue that yields a strong binding affinity toward the negatively charged DNA chain (6.4 kb, K a = 2.2 × 10 3 M −1 for approximately 2500 ± 500 binding sites). Cellular colocalization of Gd-DOTA-spd and plasmid DNA has been validated by histological analysis of excised treated muscle. In vivo MRI visualization of Gd-DOTA-spd distribution provides an excellent route to access the cellular entrapment of plasmid DNA upon applying an electroporation pulse

Topical, geospatial, and temporal diffusion of the 2015 North American Menopause Society position statement on nonhormonal management of vasomotor symptoms

OBJECTIVE: We sought to depict the topical, geospatial, and temporal diffusion of the 2015 North American Menopause Society position statement on the nonhormonal management of menopause-associated vasomotor symptoms released on September 21, 2015, and its associated press release from September 23, 2015. METHODS: Three data sources were used: online news articles, National Public Radio, and Twitter. For topical diffusion, we compared keywords and their frequencies among the position statement, press release, and online news articles. We also created a network figure depicting relationships across key content categories or nodes. For geospatial diffusion within the United States, we compared locations of the 109 National Public Radio (NPR) stations covering the statement to 775 NPR stations not covering the statement. For temporal diffusion, we normalized and segmented Twitter data into periods before and after the press release (September 12, 2015 to September 22, 2015 vs September 23, 2015 to October 3, 2015) and conducted a burst analysis to identify changes in tweets from before to after. RESULTS: Topical information diffused across sources was similar with the exception of the more scientific terms "vasomotor symptoms" or "vms" versus the more colloquial term "hot flashes." Online news articles indicated media coverage of the statement was mainly concentrated in the United States. NPR station data showed similar proportions of stations airing the story across the four census regions (Northeast, Midwest, south, west; P = 0.649). Release of the statement coincided with bursts in the menopause conversation on Twitter. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study may be useful for directing the development and dissemination of future North American Menopause Society position statements and/or press releases

Historical variation in the normalized difference vegetation index compared with soil moisture in a taiga forest ecosystem in northeastern Siberia

The taiga ecosystem in northeastern Siberia, a nitrogen-limited ecosystem on permafrost with a dry climate, changed during the extreme wet event in 2007. We investigated the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) as a satellite-derived proxy for needle production and compared it with ecosystem parameters such as soil moisture water equivalent (SWE), larch foliar C/N ratio, δ13C and δ15N, and ring width index (RWI) at the Spasskaya Pad Experimental Forest Station in Russia for the period from 1999 to 2019. Historical variations in NDVI showed a large difference between typical larch forest (unaffected) and the sites affected by the extreme wet event in 2007 because of high tree mortality at affected sites under extremely high SWE and waterlogging, resulting in a decrease in NDVI, although there was no difference in the NDVI between typical larch forest and affected sites before the wet event. Before 2007, the NDVI in a typical larch forest showed a positive correlation with SWE and a negative correlation with foliar C/N. These results indicate that not only the water availability (high SWE) in the previous summer and current June but also the soil N availability likely increased needle production. NDVI was also positively correlated with RWI, resulting from similar factors controlling them. However, after the wet event, NDVI was negatively correlated with SWE, while NDVI showed a negative correlation with foliar C/N. These results indicate that after the wet event, high soil moisture availability decreased needle production, which may have resulted from lower N availability. Foliar δ15N was positively correlated with NDVI before 2007, but foliar δ15N decreased after the wet event. This result suggests damage to roots and/or changes in soil N dynamics due to extremely high soil moisture. As a dry forest ecosystem, taiga in northeastern Siberia is affected not only by temperature-induced drought but also by high soil moisture (led by extreme wet events) and nitrogen dynamics.</p

Improvement in right ventricular function during reversibility testing in pulmonary arterial hypertension: a case report

A right heart catheterization with reversibility testing is recommended for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. In this 24 years-old woman, the inhalation of 5 μg iloprost transiently decreased mean pulmonary artery pressure from 62 to 36 mmHg and pulmonary vascular resistance from 11.0 to 4.9 Wood units, meeting the criteria of a "positive response". The echocardiographic examination showed normalization of right heart chamber dimensions and of the right ventricular performance (Tei) index. Pulsed tissue Doppler imaging of the right ventricle showed a decrease in the isovolumic relaxation time from 102 to 73 ms, and an increase of the E/A ratio from 0.72 to 1.38, together with marked improvements in mid-apical free wall systolic strain and strain rate. A positive response to reversibility testing of pulmonary arterial hypertension may be associated with quasi normalization of right ventricular function, in spite of still elevated pulmonary artery pressure