Content Distribution by Multiple Multicast Trees and Intersession Cooperation: Optimal Algorithms and Approximations

In traditional massive content distribution with multiple sessions, the sessions form separate overlay networks and operate independently, where some sessions may suffer from insufficient resources even though other sessions have excessive resources. To cope with this problem, we consider the universal swarming approach, which allows multiple sessions to cooperate with each other. We formulate the problem of finding the optimal resource allocation to maximize the sum of the session utilities and present a subgradient algorithm which converges to the optimal solution in the time-average sense. The solution involves an NP-hard subproblem of finding a minimum-cost Steiner tree. We cope with this difficulty by using a column generation method, which reduces the number of Steiner-tree computations. Furthermore, we allow the use of approximate solutions to the Steiner-tree subproblem. We show that the approximation ratio to the overall problem turns out to be no less than the reciprocal of the approximation ratio to the Steiner-tree subproblem. Simulation results demonstrate that universal swarming improves the performance of resource-poor sessions with negligible impact to resource-rich sessions. The proposed approach and algorithm are expected to be useful for infrastructure-based content distribution networks with long-lasting sessions and relatively stable network environment

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT ACCORDING TO THEIR GRADE AND FAMILY INCOME AT BASIC EDUCATION HIGH SCHOOL, KWANTHAIR VILLAGE, CHAUNGZON TOWNSHIP, MON STATE, MYANMAR

The primary purpose of this research study was to compare students’ perceptions of community involvement, according to their grade and family income, in Kwanthair Village High School, Chaungzon Township, Mon State, Myanmar. The study was conducted with grades 10 and 11, a total of 136 students, during the academic year 2016-2017. It was designed as a quantitative and comparative study. A questionnaire was used for data collection which was adopted from Rivera (2001) based on Epstein’s (1995) six types of framework of involvement. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: Part I investigated the participants’ grade and family income, and Part II compared students’ perceptions of community involvement. The data collected from the survey was analyzed by Descriptive Statistics, Frequency and Percentage, Mean and Standard Deviation, t-test and One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).Although the research finding results showed that there were no significant differences with students’ perceptions of community involvement, according to their grade and family income, students had positive views for continued community involvement in their education. The findings of this study could be helpful to administrators, teachers, parents and future researchers as to the importance of students’ perceptions of community involvement, and how it impacts on their achievement and educational performance

Water Quality Assessment Along Lower Hlaing River

In this study, water quality of Hlaing River was monitored along the downstream reach during low flow periods and water samples were collected once a week during January and February. Stations for sample collection were fixed after site survey. There are altogether 14 stations to analyse water quality of the study river reach. The monitoring program includes collection of samples from seven locations along the river into which seven streams discharge. These samples were analysed for a number of water quality parameters such as temperature, total dissolve solid,  total suspended solid, Conductivity, Salinity, pH, BOD, COD and Arsenic. The results of water quality parameters showed significant variation in water quality of the river and the water quality monitoring data were compared to the water quality standards for different uses. It is found that water quality of Hlaing River deteriorates and doesn’t meet the requirements for conserving of living environment due to the pollution from the tributary streams which received wastewater from adjacent industrial zones and newly Satellite town

From Face-to-Face to Distance Learning

Technology-driven methods have become very popular in the past fifteen years. And they gradually replace the traditional face-to-face mode, the prevailing pedagogy for many decades. This paper explores the implementation of a distance learning technique in the classroom. Students in general, and students from the information technology and computer science departments in particular, felt that this method helped them develop business skills and provided them with practical insights into the learning phenomena and thus, created a major impact on this class. One of the results was better rating for the online course, compared to those which employ face-to-face interaction

A survey on generalizations of Forelli's theorem and related pluripotential methods

We present a survey on recent developments of generalizations of Forelli's analyticity theorem and related pluripotential methods.Comment: 11 pages. Comments welcome. The final version is to appear in Proceedings of CCGA2022 and KSCV1

Localization of Forelli's theorem

The main purpose of this article is to present a localization of Forelli's theorem for the functions holomorphic along a standard suspension of linear discs. This generalizes one of the main results of \cite{CK21} and the original Forelli's theorem.Comment: 10 pages, 0 figur

Quantum Transport and Band Structure Evolution under High Magnetic Field in Few-Layer Tellurene

Quantum Hall effect (QHE) is a macroscopic manifestation of quantized states which only occurs in confined two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) systems. Experimentally, QHE is hosted in high mobility 2DEG with large external magnetic field at low temperature. Two-dimensional van der Waals materials, such as graphene and black phosphorus, are considered interesting material systems to study quantum transport, because it could unveil unique host material properties due to its easy accessibility of monolayer or few-layer thin films at 2D quantum limit. Here for the first time, we report direct observation of QHE in a novel low-dimensional material system: tellurene.High-quality 2D tellurene thin films were acquired from recently reported hydrothermal method with high hole mobility of nearly 3,000 cm2/Vs at low temperatures, which allows the observation of well-developed Shubnikov-de-Haas (SdH) oscillations and QHE. A four-fold degeneracy of Landau levels in SdH oscillations and QHE was revealed. Quantum oscillations were investigated under different gate biases, tilted magnetic fields and various temperatures, and the results manifest the inherent information of the electronic structure of Te. Anomalies in both temperature-dependent oscillation amplitudes and transport characteristics were observed which are ascribed to the interplay between Zeeman effect and spin-orbit coupling as depicted by the density functional theory (DFT) calculations

Essential gene pathways for glioblastoma stem cells: clinical implications for prevention of tumor recurrence.

Glioblastoma (World Health Organization/WHO grade IV) is the most common and most aggressive adult glial tumor. Patients with glioblastoma, despite being treated with gross total resection and post-operative radiation/chemotherapy, will almost always develop tumor recurrence. Glioblastoma stem cells (GSC), a minor subpopulation within the tumor mass, have been recently characterized as tumor-initiating cells and hypothesized to be responsible for post-treatment recurrence because of their enhanced radio-/chemo-resistant phenotype and ability to reconstitute tumors in mouse brains. Genome-wide expression profile analysis uncovered molecular properties of GSC distinct from their differentiated, proliferative progeny that comprise the majority of the tumor mass. In contrast to the hyperproliferative and hyperangiogenic phenotype of glioblastoma tumors, GSC possess neuroectodermal properties and express genes associated with neural stem cells, radial glial cells, and neural crest cells, as well as portray a migratory, quiescent, and undifferentiated phenotype. Thus, cell cycle-targeted radio-chemotherapy, which aims to kill fast-growing tumor cells, may not completely eliminate glioblastoma tumors. To prevent tumor recurrence, a strategy targeting essential gene pathways of GSC must be identified and incorporated into the standard treatment regimen. Identifying intrinsic and extrinsic cues by which GSC maintain stemness properties and sustain both tumorigenesis and anti-apoptotic features may provide new insights into potentially curative strategies for treating brain cancers