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

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

Female Sex Worker Social Networks and STI/HIV Prevention in South China

Reducing harm associated with selling and purchasing sex is an important public health priority in China, yet there are few examples of sustainable, successful programs to promote sexual health among female sex workers. The limited civil society and scope of nongovernmental organizations circumscribe the local capacity of female sex workers to collectively organize, advocate for their rights, and implement STI/HIV prevention programs. The purpose of this study was to examine social networks among low-income female sex workers in South China to determine their potential for sexual health promotion.Semi-structured interviews with 34 low-income female sex workers and 28 health outreach members were used to examine how social relationships affected condom use and negotiation, STI/HIV testing and health-seeking behaviors, and dealing with violent clients. These data suggested that sex worker's laoxiang (hometown social connections) were more powerful than relationships between women selling sex at the same venue in establishing the terms and risk of commercial sex. Female sex workers from the same hometown often migrated to the city with their laoxiang and these social connections fulfilled many of the functions of nongovernmental organizations, including collective mobilization, condom promotion, violence mitigation, and promotion of health-seeking behaviors. Outreach members observed that sex workers accompanied by their laoxiang were often more willing to accept STI/HIV testing and trust local sexual health services.Organizing STI/HIV prevention services around an explicitly defined laoxiang social network may provide a strong foundation for sex worker health programs. Further research on dyadic interpersonal relationships between female sex workers, group dynamics and norm establishment, and the social network characteristics are needed