Partitioning and Offloading for IoT and Video Streaming Applications that Utilize Computing Resources at the Network Edge

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a concept in which physical objects embedded with sensors, actuators, and network connectivity can communicate and react to their surroundings. IoT applications connect physical objects for the purpose of decision making by sensing and analysing generated data from the embedded sensors in physical objects. IoT applications are growing rapidly as sensors become less expensive. Sensors generate large amounts of data that may meaningless unless the data is used to derive knowledge with in a certain period of time. Stream processing paradigm is used by IoT to provide requirements of IoT applications. In a stream processing paradigm, unlike traditional data bases, data is not stored but rather processed as it is generated. To transfer generated data from distributed data sources to a processing center such as cloud may not allow for real-time processing due to the network delay. Another high-demand application is live streaming of video. The performance of live video stream systems is inferior when there is a sudden large demand in the number of users. This thesis addresses some of the limitations of current architectures for video streaming systems and IoT applications based on the use of nearby computing resources (e.g., cloudlet, fog). First, we addressed the degrading performance in video stream systems when a flash crowd occurs. The performance of video streaming systems is affected by flash crowd and degrade the quality of service for subscribers to the content delivery system. A flash crowd happens when there is a sudden large increase in the number of users. Therefore, flash crowds increase network traffic for any particular server. The main challenge is to make sure that the video streaming system has sufficient capacity to handle the occurrence of flash crowds. Second, we address the limitation of current architectures for running mobile applications by introducing a dynamic partitioning and offloading of a mobile application. Mobile devices have limited resources including short battery life, storage capacity and processor performance. This limits the applications that can run on it. Mobile applications can be partitioned so that some of the application runs on a cloud. This works well for applications with relatively little data to be transferred and that do not have a high level of interaction with the user. Challenges with applications that have large amounts of data to be transferred and have a high level interactiveness is the high latency incurred by the network and packet loss of the wireless network. A mobile application can be partitioned so that part of it runs on a nearby computing resource e.g., fog node or cloudlet. This thesis presents a framework that introduces fine-grained offloading approach and support for runtime and dynamic partitioning of an application. Third, we present a solution for placement of stream operators over distributed fog nodes for live processing of data streams from geographically distributed data sources. This placement of stream operators takes place in such a way that it supports applications with a high volume of data that require real-time (or near real-time) analysis To this end, this thesis proposed a set of algorithms for placement of stream operators among fog nodes

The effects of regular exercise program on dialysis efficacy, muscle atrophy and physical performance in hemodialysis patients

زمینه و هدف: سبک زندگی غیر فعال و عوارضی همچون آتروفی عضلانی و ضعف عضلانی از جمله مشکلات بیماران همودیالیزی است. هدف از این مطالعه بررسی اثر تمرینات ورزشی بر کیفیت دیالیز، آتروفی عضلانی و عملکرد جسمانی بیماران همودیالیز می باشد. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه نیمه تجربی، 30 بیمار همودیالیزی به صورت داوطلبانه انتخاب شدند و به صورت تصادفی در دو گروه کنترل و تجربی قرار گرفتند. گروه تجربی تمرینات ورزشی فزاینده را با دوچرخه به مدت 20 هفته، 3 جلسه در هفته و هر جلسه 60 دقیقه انجام دادند. کیفیت دیالیز با نمونه گیری خونی قبل و بعد از دیالیز جهت تعیین شاخص های کیفیت دیالیز (Kt/v) و میزان کاهش اوره (URR)، آتروفی عضلانی به وسیله آنتروپومتری و چربی زیر پوستی و عملکرد جسمانی به وسیله آزمون 2 دقیقه راه رفتن ارزیابی شد. داده ها با استفاده از آزمون های تی و کوواریانس در نرم افزار SPSS تجزیه و تحلیل شدند. یافته ها: در گروه تجربی، آتروفی عضلانی از 57/56 به 37/59 سانتیمتر و عملکرد جسمانی از 87/132 به 27/165 متر افزایش معنی داری نشان داد (05/0>P) اما در گروه کنترل تغییری مشاهده نشد. کیفیت دیالیز در هر دو گروه تفاوت معنی داری را نشان نداد (05/0< P). نتیجه گیری: نتایج این مطالعه نشان داد که انجام تمرین ورزشی منظم در حین دیالیز در بیماران همودیالیزی باعث افزایش عملکرد جسمانی و کاهش آتروفی عضلانی می شود ولی بر کیفیت دیالیز آنها تاثیر معنی داری ندارد. با توجه به نتایج بدست آمده تمرینات ورزشی می تواند در حین دیالیز به عنوان یک فرآیند درمان برای کاهش اثرات دیالیز مورد استفاده قرار گیرد

Screening of common CYP1B1 mutations in Iranian POAG patients using a microarray-based PrASE protocol

Purpose: The gene coding cytochrome P4501B1 (CYP1B1) has been shown to be a major cause of primary congenital glaucoma in the Iranian population. More recently it was shown to also be important in juvenile-onset open angle glaucoma (JOAG). We aimed to further investigate the role of CYP1B1 in a larger cohort of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) patients which included late-onset patients. We also aimed to set up a microarray based protocol for mutation screening with an intent of using the protocol in a future population level screening program. Methods: Sixty three POAG patients, nine affected family members, and thirty three previously genotyped primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) patients were included in the study. Clinical examination included slit lamp biomicroscopy, IOP measurement, gonioscopic evaluation, fundus examination, and measurement of perimetry. G61E, R368H, R390H, and R469W were screened by a protocol that included multiplexed allele specific amplification in the presence of a protease (PrASE), use of sequence tagged primers, and hybridization to generic arrays on microarray slides. The entire coding sequences of CYP1B1 and myocilin (MYOC) genes were sequenced in all individuals assessed by the microarray assay to carry a mutation. Intragenic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) haplotpes were determined for mutated alleles. Results: Genotypes assessed by the array-based PrASE methodology were in 100 concordance with sequencing results. Seven mutation carrying POAG patients (11.1) were identified, and their distribution was quite skewed between the juvenile-onset individuals (5/21) as compared to late-onset cases (2/42). Four of the seven mutation carrying Iranian patients harbored two mutated alleles. CYP1B1 mutated alleles in Iranian PCG and POAG patients shared common haplotypes. MYOC mutations were not observed in any of the patients. Conclusions: The PrASE approach allowed reliable simultaneous genotyping of many individuals. It can be an appropriate tool for screening common mutations in large sample sizes. The results suggest that CYP1B1 is implicated in POAG among Iranians, notably in the juvenile-onset form. Contrary to POAG patients studied in other populations, many mutation harboring Iranian patients carry two mutated alleles. We propose an explanation for this observation. © 2008 Molecular Vision

Visual attention in a fast-paced 3D platformer game

In this study, I investigate different methods of affecting visual attention with environmental art in first-person platformer games, a specific video game genre known for its demanding focus on precise gameplay mechanics. This genre offers a unique context to explore how players distribute their cognitive resources to navigate both the game's mechanics and its narrative and aesthetic aspects. This research highlights the importance of environmental art assets in capturing players' attention. It challenges the assumption that players exclusively concentrate on navigating the game environment and reveals that they naturally allocate cognitive capacity to engage with the game's visual and narrative elements. This nuanced allocation of visual attention prompts a deeper examination of the potential to guide players' focus toward non-gameplay-related visual elements that enhance immersion without disrupting the intended pace of gameplay. Through a case study of the Marmortal game project, a fast-paced platformer game I helped develop at Aalto University, I illustrate the practical application of this research, emphasizing its relevance and significance. This study illustrates that the players will put effort and attention into understanding the game’s environment if the effort required is limited. Additionally, the players show interest in learning about the game world and would feel frustrated if they cannot afford to spend enough time and attend to the story sufficiently. Ultimately, a fine balance is needed for how demanding the environment is for the player to understand, to be able to deliver a good game experience

CYP1B1 Mutation Profile of Iranian Primary Congenital Glaucoma Patients and Associated Haplotypes

The mutation spectrum of CYP1B1 among 104 primary congenital glaucoma patients of the genetically heterogeneous Iranian population was investigated by sequencing. We also determined intragenic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) haplotypes associated with the mutations and compared these with haplotypes of other populations. Finally, the frequency distribution of the haplotypes was compared among primary congenital glaucoma patients with and without CYP1B1 mutations and normal controls. Genotype classification of six high-frequency SNPs was performed using the PHASE 2.0 software. CYP1B1 mutations in the Iranian patients were very heterogeneous. Nineteen nonconservative mutations associated with disease, and 10 variations not associated with disease were identified. Ten mutations and three variations not associated with disease were novel. The 13 novel variations make a notable contribution to the ∼70 known variations in the gene. CYP1B1 mutations were identified in 70% of the patients. The four most common mutations were G61E, R368H, R390H, and R469W, which together constituted 76.2% of the CYP1B1 mutated alleles found. Six unique core SNP haplotypes were identified, four of which were common to the patients with and without CYP1B1 mutations and controls studied. Three SNP blocks determined the haplotypes. Comparison of haplotypes with those of other populations suggests a common origin for many of the mutations