ON MULTIMEDIA CONTENT DELIVERY AND MULTICASTING

Multimedia content now contribute to a huge amount of the Internet traffic due to the popularity and availability of anytime anywhere Internet connection. Unlike the circuit-switched telephone network - in which necessary resources are reserved for communication between two parties at the time the connection is established, a packet-switched network, like the Internet, only guarantees the reachability when the connection between two parties is established. In other words, the end-to-end delay and available bandwidth between two hosts depend on the amount of traffic on the network. The communication paths between the participating hosts are also determined by the routing policies and hence are not under control of the participating hosts. Hence how to improve the performance of delivering multimedia content on the Internet has become an interesting research topic.In this dissertation, we consider the problem of delivering multimedia contents using multicast wherein a group of participants are participating in the same com- munication session. We assume the networks are flexible such that the end hosts can specify the communication paths. A few examples of this type of networks are overlay networks and IPv6 network with source routing support. This problem is addressed from both routing and network traffic perspectives.First, we assume a two-layer approach which includes a well-provisioned service overlay network and the regular Internet. The participants in the multimedia group communication can take the advantage of the service overlay network by connecting to the nodes in the service overlay network through the Internet. We consider two major assignment problems - Server and Client Assignment Problem (SCAP, Client- Server model) and Client Assignment Problem (CAP, Peer-to-Peer model) as well as several variants of these problems. These problems are NP-hard and we have developed polynomial-time heuristic algorithms to assign the participants to appropriate service nodes such that some real-time constraint(s) are satisfied and the number of service nodes involved are minimal. Integer programming (IP) models for solving these problems are also developed for performance evaluation purpose. Empirical results show that the solution quality of the proposed algorithms compares favorably with the optimal ones obtained from the execution of IP models, while keeping the execution times significantly low.We have also considered the Multi-stream Multi-source Multicast Routing Prob- lem ( MMMRP). Given a network and a set of multicast sessions, each with one or more sources and multiple destinations. The goal of MMMRP is to determine mul- tiple multicast tree for these multicast sessions on the given network in such a way that the overall residual bandwidth on the links that are shared among the trees is maximized. We prove that MMMRP is NP-hard and apart from providing an IP formulation, we have also provided a heuristic algorithm MMForests which runs in polynomial-time. We compared and contrasted the performance of MMMRP with known algorithms for the multicast tree packing problem. Our exhaustive empirical evaluations show that our heuristic has a very low execution-time while achieving the optimal residual bandwidth. In addition, our heuristic is very scalable as it is able to produce results for networks with thousands of nodes, unlike the other ones which are based on Steiner tree heuristics

Acute effect of electroacupuncture at the Zusanli acupoints on decreasing insulin resistance as shown by lowering plasma free fatty acid levels in steroid-background male rats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Insulin sensitivity has been enhanced by electroacupuncture (EA) in rats, but the EA phenomenon in an insulin resistant state is still unclear. This study reports the use of a large dose of prednisolone to evaluate the effects of EA in a state of insulin resistance.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The plasma levels of free fatty acids (FFAs) were estimated in steroid-background rats (SBRs) and compared with those in healthy rats treated with normal saline. In addition, plasma glucose and endogenous insulin levels were assayed to calculate the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index. Intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) was carried out to compare glucose tolerance. The SBRs were randomly divided into EA-treatment and non-EA treatment groups and 15-Hz EA was applied to the bilateral Zusanli acupoints to investigate its effects on insulin resistance. In addition to an insulin challenge test (ICT) and IVGTT, the plasma levels of FFAs were measured and western blot was performed to help determine the effects of EA on the insulin resistant state.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The plasma levels of FFAs increased markedly in SBRs, the HOMA index was markedly higher, and glucose tolerance was impaired. EA improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity by decreasing the plasma levels of FFAs. Further, the insulin signaling proteins (IRS1) and glucose transporter isoform protein (GLUT4) in skeletal muscle inhibited by prednisolone recovered after EA.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Insulin resistance was successfully induced by a large dose of prednisolone in male rats. This insulin resistance can be improved by 15 Hz EA at the bilateral Zusanli acupoints, as shown by decreased plasma levels of FFAs.</p

Automatic Morphological Subtyping Reveals New Roles of Caspases in Mitochondrial Dynamics

Morphological dynamics of mitochondria is associated with key cellular processes related to aging and neuronal degenerative diseases, but the lack of standard quantification of mitochondrial morphology impedes systematic investigation. This paper presents an automated system for the quantification and classification of mitochondrial morphology. We discovered six morphological subtypes of mitochondria for objective quantification of mitochondrial morphology. These six subtypes are small globules, swollen globules, straight tubules, twisted tubules, branched tubules and loops. The subtyping was derived by applying consensus clustering to a huge collection of more than 200 thousand mitochondrial images extracted from 1422 micrographs of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells treated with different drugs, and was validated by evidence of functional similarity reported in the literature. Quantitative statistics of subtype compositions in cells is useful for correlating drug response and mitochondrial dynamics. Combining the quantitative results with our biochemical studies about the effects of squamocin on CHO cells reveals new roles of Caspases in the regulatory mechanisms of mitochondrial dynamics. This system is not only of value to the mitochondrial field, but also applicable to the investigation of other subcellular organelle morphology

A Case Study for International Remote Machining

Owing to the more enhanced networking, the designed data for manufacturing can be transmitted internationally. Therefore, the production of the potential product at one side of the world according to the design requirement at the other side of the world is possible and quicker than ever before. The shipment can be eliminated by producing the product at the potential market place. This paper demonstrates the development of a machining system showing the manufacture of a product based on this idea. Unix, Microsoft Windows and NFS under the LAN and internet environment are adopted for the data communication and message passing in the devised international remote machining system. The personal computer is the server of the machining centre. A C program is developed for the direct control of the machining centre through DNC2 interface. The command of machining process is issued from Sun Sparc station to the personal computer through internet. The devised system structure can also be extende..

Phylogenetic and molecular characterization of the splicing factor RBM4.

The mammalian multi-functional RNA-binding motif 4 (RBM4) protein regulates alterative splicing of precursor mRNAs and thereby affects pancreas and muscle cell differentiation. RBM4 homologs exist in all metazoan lineages. The C-terminal unstructured domain of RBM4 is evolutionarily divergent and contains stretches of low-complexity sequences, including single amino acid and/or dipeptide repeats. Here we examined the splicing activity, phosphorylation potential, and subcellular localization of RBM4 homologs from a wide range of species. The results show that these RBM4 homologs exert different effects on 5' splice site utilization and exon selection, and exhibit different subnuclear localization patterns. Therefore, the C-terminal domain of RBM4 may contribute to functional divergence between homologs. On the other hand, analysis of chimeric human RBM4 proteins containing heterologous sequences at the C-terminus revealed that the N-terminal RNA binding domain of RBM4 could have a dominant role in determining splicing outcome. Finally, all RBM4 homologs examined could be phosphorylated by an SR protein kinase, suggesting that they are regulated by a conserved mechanism in different species. This study offers a first clue to functional evolution of a splicing factor

Surgical result of pterygium extended removal followed by fibrin glue-assisted amniotic membrane transplantation

To report the recurrence rate and cosmetic results of conjunctival wound edge and caruncle, and complications after pterygium extended removal followed by fibrin glue-assisted amniotic membrane transplantation. Methods: A prospective interventional cohort study enrolled 57 (58 eyes) patients undergoing pterygium extended removal followed by fibrin glue-assisted amniotic membrane transplantation. All patients received postoperative follow-up for at least 12 months. Recurrence rate was graded from 1 to 4, and cosmetic results of conjunctival edge and caruncle were graded from 1 to 5. Results: The cohort included 48 eyes with nasal pterygium, 5 eyes with temporal pterygium, and 5 eyes with double pterygium. There were 81.0% (n=47), 0% (n=0), 12% (n=7), and 7% (n=4) of eyes with Grades 1–4 recurrence, respectively. The cosmetic results of conjunctival wound edge and caruncle in cases with nasal pterygium showed 59.3% (n=32), 14.8% (n=8), 9.3% (n=5), 16.6% (n=9), and 0% (n=0) of eyes with Grades 1–5 morphology, respectively. Overall, 5.1% (n=3), 3.4% (n=2), 3.4% (n=2), 3.4% (n=2), 1.7% (n=1), 6.9% (n=4), and 1.7% (n=1) of patients suffered from postoperative pyogenic granuloma, transient diplopia, permanent motility restriction, steroid glaucoma, fat prolapse, subamniotic membrane hemorrhage, and early detachment of amniotic membrane, respectively. Conclusion: Pterygium extended removal followed by fibrin glue-assisted amniotic membrane transplantation results in low recurrence, satisfactory cosmetic results and a low incidence of additional complications

DEEP NECK INFECTION: ANALYSIS OF 185 CASES

Abstract: Purpose. This study reviews our experience with deep neck infections and tries to identify the predisposing factors of life-threatening complications. Methods. A retrospective review was conducted of patients who were diagnosed as having deep neck infections in the Department of Otolaryngology at National Taiwan University Hos-pital from 1997 to 2002. Their demographics, etiology, associated systemic diseases, bacteriology, radiology, treatment, duration of hospitalization, complications, and outcomes were reviewed. The attributing factors to deep neck infections, such as the age and systemic diseases of patients, were also analyzed. Results. One hundred eighty-five charts were recorded; 109 (58.9%) weremen, and 76 (41.1%) were women, with amean age of 49.5 F 20.5 years. Ninety-seven (52.4%) of the patients were older than 50 years old. There were 63 patients (34.1%) who ha