Estelle verification of ATM available bit rate (ABR) control protocol

This major report specifies and verifies the ATM Available Bit Rate (ABR) control protocol using a standard network specification language, Estelle. This verification is based on the English description of ABR protocol in the ATM Traffic Management Specification Version 4.0, and the published PEFSM model of ABR protocol. The Estelle simulation model that we used to verify the ATM ABR protocol consists of two identical module instances of network station module. Connections between the two station nodes make a closed-loop feedback control system. We have defined Estelle observers to observe the behavior of the ABR protocol. Seven test cases have been designed and carried out. The results of all these test cases have shown that the protocol meets the functional specification for ABR protocol outlined in the ATM Traffic Management Specification

Global well-posedness and optimal time decay rates of solutions to the pressureless Euler-Navier-Stokes system

In this paper, we present a new framework for the global well-posedness and large-time behavior of a two-phase flow system, which consists of the pressureless Euler equations and incompressible Navier-Stokes equations coupled through the drag force. To overcome the difficulties arising from the absence of the pressure term in the Euler equations, we establish the time decay estimates of the high-order derivative of the velocity to obtain uniform estimates of the fluid density. The upper bound decay rates are obtained by designing a new functional and the lower bound decay rates are achieved by selecting specific initial data. Moreover, the upper bound decay rates are the same order as the lower one. Therefore, the time decay rates are optimal. When the fluid density in the pressureless Euler flow vanishes, the system is reduced into an incompressible Navier-Stokes flow. In this case, our works coincide with the classical results by Schonbek \cite{M.S3} [JAMS,1991], which can be regarded as a generalization from a single fluid model to the two-phase fluid one

Global well-posedness and large-time behavior of classical solutions to the Euler-Navier-Stokes system in R^3

In this paper, we study the Cauchy problem of a two-phase flow system consisting of the compressible isothermal Euler equations and the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations coupled through the drag force, which can be formally derived from the Vlasov-Fokker-Planck/incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. When the initial data is a small perturbation around an equilibrium state, we prove the global well-posedness of the classical solutions to this system and show the solutions tends to the equilibrium state as time goes to infinity. In order to resolve the main difficulty arising from the pressure term of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, we properly use the Hodge decomposition, spectral analysis, and energy method to obtain the $L^2$ time decay rates of the solution when the initial perturbation belongs to $L^1$ space. Furthermore, we show that the above time decay rates are optimal.Comment: 33 page

Early Detection of Mandible Osteoradionecrosis Risk in a High Comorbidity Veteran Population

OBJECTIVE: Osteoradionecrosis (ORN) of the mandible is a devastating complication of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We sought to ascertain ORN risk in a Veteran HNSCC population treatment with definitive or adjuvant EBRT and followed prospectively. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of prospective cohort. SETTING: Tertiary care Veterans Health Administration (VHA) medical center. METHODS: Patients with HNSCC who initiated treatment at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center (MEDVAMC) are prospectively tracked for quality of care purposes through the end of the cancer surveillance period (5 years post treatment completion). We retrospectively analyzed this patient cohort and extracted clinical and pathologic data for 164 patients with SCC of the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, and hypopharynx who received definitive or adjuvant EBRT (2016-2020). RESULTS: Most patients were dentate and 80 % underwent dental extractions prior to EBRT of which 16 (16 %) had complications. The rate of ORN was 3.7 % for oral cavity SCC patients and 8.1 % for oropharyngeal SCC patients. Median time to ORN development was 156 days and the earliest case was detected at 127 days post EBRT completion. All ORN patients were dentate and underwent extraction prior to EBRT start. CONCLUSION: ORN development can occur early following EBRT in a Veteran population with significant comorbid conditions but overall rates are in line with the general population. Prospective tracking of HNSCC patients throughout the post-treatment surveillance period is critical to early detection of this devastating EBRT complication

NY-ESO-1 antigen-antibody interaction process based on an TFBG plasmonic sensor.

peer reviewedAutoantibodies against New York esophageal squamous cell cancer 1 (NY-ESO-1) play a crucial role in the diagnosis of esophageal cancer. In this work, a surface plasmonic tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) biosensor is proposed for the detection of NY-ESO-1 antibody, as well as the investigation of the hook effect (which refers to the false negative result in some immunoassays when the concentration of antibodies in the sample is very high) during biomolecular binding between NY-ESO-1 antigen and antibody. The biosensor is made by an 18° TFBG coated with a 50-nm-thick gold film over the fiber surface together with NY-ESO-1 antigens attached to the metallic surface serving as bio-receptors. This biosensor can provide a limit of detection at a concentration of 2 × 10-7 µg/ml with a good linearity in the range from 2 × 10-7 to 2 × 10-5 µg/ml. For a concentration higher than 2 × 10-3 µg/ml, the performance of the sensor probe is reduced owing to the hook effect. Furthermore, experimental results have also demonstrated the repeatability of the proposed biosensor. This proposed biosensor features label-free, compactness, and fast response, which could be potentially applied in the diagnosis of esophageal cancer

Mapping white matter structural and network alterations in betel quid-dependent chewers using high angular resolution diffusion imaging

BackgroundTo evaluate brain white matter diffusion characteristics and anatomical network alterations in betel quid dependence (BQD) chewers using high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI).MethodsThe current study recruited 53 BQD chewers and 37 healthy controls (HC) in two groups. We explored regional diffusion metrics alternations in the BQD group compared with the HC group using automated fiber quantification (AFQ). We further employed the white matter (WM) anatomical network of HARDI to explore connectivity alterations in BQD chewers using graph theory.ResultsBQD chewers presented significantly lower FA values in the left and right cingulum cingulate, the left and right thalamic radiation, and the right uncinate. The BQD has a significantly higher RD value in the right uncinate fasciculus than the HC group. At the global WM anatomical network level, global network efficiency (p = 0.008) was poorer and Lp (p = 0.016) was greater in the BQD group. At the nodal WM anatomical network level, nodal efficiency (p < 0.05) was lower in the BQD group.ConclusionOur findings provide novel morphometric evidence that brain structural changes in BQD are characterized by white matter diffusivity and anatomical network connectivity among regions of the brain, potentially leading to the enhanced reward system and impaired inhibitory control

Comprehensively Characterizing the Cytological Features of Saccharum spontaneum by the Development of a Complete Set of Chromosome-Specific Oligo Probes

Chromosome-specific identification is a powerful technique in the study of genome structure and evolution. However, there is no reliable cytogenetic marker to unambiguously identify each of the chromosomes in sugarcane (Saccharum spp., Poaceae), which has a complex genome with a high level of ploidy and heterozygosity. In this study, we developed a set of oligonucleotide (oligo)-based probes through bioinformatic design and massive synthetization. These probes produced a clear and bright single signal in each of the chromosomes and their eight homologous chromosomes in the ancient species Saccharum spontaneum (2n = 8x = 64). Thus, they can be used as reliable markers to robustly label each of the chromosomes in S. spontaneum. We then obtained the karyotype data and established a nomenclature based on chromosomal sizes for the eight chromosomes of the octoploid S. spontaneum. In addition, we also found that the 45S and 5S rDNAs demonstrated high copy number variations among different homologous chromosomes, indicating a rapid evolution of the highly repeated sequence after polyploidization. Our fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay also demonstrated that these probes could be used as cross-species markers between or within the genera of Sorghum and Saccharum. By comparing FISH analyses, we discovered that several chromosome rearrangement events occurred in S. spontaneum, which might have contributed to the basic chromosome number reduction from 10 in sorghum to 8 in sugarcane. Consistent identification of individual chromosomes makes molecular cytogenetic study possible in sugarcane and will facilitate fine chromosomal structure and karyotype evolution of the genus Saccharum

Global incidence trends of early-onset colorectal cancer and related exposures in early-life: an ecological analysis based on the GBD 2019

BackgroundThe incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) is increasing globally. This study aims to describe the temporal trends of incidence and explore related risk exposures in early-life at the country level based on the GBD 2019.MethodsData on the incidence and attributable risk factors of EOCRC were obtained from the GBD 2019. Temporal trends of age-standardized incidence were evaluated by average annual percentage change (AAPC). Early-life exposures were indicated as summary exposure values (SEV) of selected factors, SDI and GDP per capita in previous decades and at ages 0–4, 5–9, 10–14 and 15–19 years. Weighted linear or non-linear regressions were applied to evaluate the ecological aggregate associations of the exposures with incidences of EOCRC.ResultsThe global age-standardized incidence of EOCRC increased from 3.05 (3.03, 3.07) to 3.85 (3.83, 3.86) per 100,000 during 1990 and 2019. The incidence was higher in countries with high socioeconomic levels, and increased drastically in countries in East Asia and Caribbean, particularly Jamaica, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. The GDP per capita, SDI, and SEVs of iron deficiency, alcohol use, high body-mass index, and child growth failure in earlier years were more closely related with the incidences of EOCRC in 2019. Exposures at ages 0–4, 5–9, 10–14 and 15–19 years were also associated with the incidences, particularly for the exposures at ages 15–19 years.ConclusionThe global incidence of EOCRC increased during past three decades. The large variations at regional and national level may be related with the distribution of risk exposures in early life