{VOXEL}: {C}ross-Layer Optimization for Video Streaming with Imperfect Transmission

Delivering videos under less-than-ideal network conditions without compromising end-users' quality of experiences is a hard problem. Virtually all prior work follow a piecemeal approach - -either "tweaking"the fully reliable transport layer or making the client "smarter."We propose VOXEL, a cross-layer optimization system for video streaming. We use VOXEL to demonstrate how to combine application-provided "insights"with a partially reliable protocol for optimizing video streaming. To this end, we present a novel ABR algorithm that explicitly trades off losses for improving end-users' video-watching experiences. VOXEL is fully compatible with DASH, and backward-compatible with VOXEL-unaware servers and clients. In our experiments emulating a wide range of network conditions, VOXEL outperforms the state-of-the-art: We stream videos in the 90th-percentile with up to 97% less rebuffering than the state-of-the-art without sacrificing visual fidelity. We also demonstrate the benefits of VOXEL for small-buffer regimes like the emerging use case of low-latency and live streaming. In a survey of 54 real users, 84% of the participants indicated that they prefer videos streamed using VOXEL compared to the state-of-the-art

GRADES: Gradient descent for similarity caching

A similarity cache can reply to a query for an object with similar objects stored locally. In some applications of similarity caches, queries and objects are naturally represented as points in a continuous space. Examples include 360° videos where user's head orientation - expressed in spherical coordinates - determines what part of the video needs to be retrieved, and recommendation systems where the objects are embedded in a finite-dimensional space with a distance metric to capture content dissimilarity. Existing similarity caching policies are simple modifications of classic policies like LRU, LFU, and qLRU and ignore the continuous nature of the space where objects are embedded. In this paper, we propose Grades, a new similarity caching policy that uses gradient descent to navigate the continuous space and find the optimal objects to store in the cache. We provide theoretical convergence guarantees and show Grades increases the similarity of the objects served by the cache in both applications mentioned above

GRADES: Gradient descent for similarity caching

International audienceA similarity cache can reply to a query for an object with similar objects stored locally. In some applications of similarity caches, queries and objects are naturally represented as points in a continuous space. Examples include 360° videos where user's head orientation-expressed in spherical coordinates determines what part of the video needs to be retrieved, and recommendation systems where the objects are embedded in a finite-dimensional space with a distance metric to capture content dissimilarity. Existing similarity caching policies are simple modifications of classic policies like LRU, LFU, and qLRU and ignore the continuous nature of the space where objects are embedded. In this paper, we propose GRADES, a new similarity caching policy that uses gradient descent to navigate the continuous space and find the optimal objects to store in the cache. We provide theoretical convergence guarantees and show GRADES increases the similarity of the objects served by the cache in both applications mentioned above

Effects of thirty and sixty minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on postprandial lipemia and inflammation in overweight men: a randomized cross-over study

Citation: Emerson, S. R., Kurti, S. P., Snyder, B. S., Sitaraman, K., Haub, M. D., & Rosenkranz, S. K. (2016). Effects of thirty and sixty minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on postprandial lipemia and inflammation in overweight men: a randomized cross-over study. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 13, 12. doi:10.1186/s12970-016-0137-8Background: The transient rise in blood lipids following a high-fat meal (HFM), known as postprandial lipemia, is linked to systemic inflammation and cardiovascular disease, but can be blunted by exercise. However, minimal research has investigated the effects of realistic exercise bouts on postprandial lipemia and inflammation in at-risk individuals. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise lasting 30 or 60 min performed the evening before a HFM, on postprandial lipemia and inflammation in overweight, insufficiently active men. Methods: In this randomized-crossover study, twelve participants remained sedentary (CON), or performed a brisk walk on a treadmill at 60 % VO2peak for either 30 min (EX-30) or 60 min (EX-60), after which they consumed a small snack (270 kcal) to partially replace exercise energy expenditure. Following a 12-h overnight fast, participants consumed a standard HFM (1 g fat/kg; 1 g CHO/kg; 1117.8 +/- 117.0 kcal). Blood draws were performed at baseline (pre-HFM) and 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 h post-HFM to assess glucose, insulin, lipids, and systemic inflammation. Results: There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in fasting triglycerides between EX-60 (118.7 +/- 68.3 mg/dL), CON (134.8 +/- 66.2 mg/dL) or EX-30 (135.5 +/- 85.4 mg/dL). There were no differences in peak, time-to-peak, total or incremental area-under-the-curve between trials for triglyceride response (p > 0.05). There was no significant main effect of time (p > 0.05) in IL-1ra, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10 or TNF-alpha from baseline to 8 h post-HFM in any trial. Conclusions: In summary, we found that in overweight, insufficiently active men, neither 30 nor 60 min of moderate-intensity exercise performed 12 h prior to a HFM attenuated postprandial lipemia or inflammation, which could potentially be explained by the partial caloric replacement of exercise energy expenditure

Income and Poverty in a Developing Economy

We present a stochastic agent-based model for the distribution of personal incomes in a developing economy. We start with the assumption that incomes are determined both by individual labour and by stochastic effects of trading and investment. The income from personal effort alone is distributed about a mean, while the income from trade, which may be positive or negative, is proportional to the trader's income. These assumptions lead to a Langevin model with multiplicative noise, from which we derive a Fokker-Planck (FP) equation for the income probability density function (IPDF) and its variation in time. We find that high earners have a power-law income distribution while the low income groups have a Levy IPDF. Comparing our analysis with the Indian survey data (obtained from the world bank website) taken over many years we obtain a near-perfect data collapse onto our model's equilibrium IPDF. The theory quantifies the economic notion of "given other things". Using survey data to relate the IPDF to actual food consumption we define a poverty index, which is consistent with traditional indices, but independent of an arbitrarily chosen "poverty line" and therefore less susceptible to manipulation

Blockade of adenosine A2B receptors ameliorates murine colitis

Background and purpose: The adenosine 2B (A2B) receptor is the predominant adenosine receptor expressed in the colon. Acting through the A2B receptor, adenosine mediates chloride secretion, as well as fibronectin and interleukin (IL)-6 synthesis and secretion in intestinal epithelial cells. A2B receptor mRNA and protein expression are increased during human and murine colitis. However, the effect of the A2B receptor in the activation of the intestinal inflammatory response is not known. In this study, we examined the effect of A2B receptor antagonism on murine colitis. Experimental approach: Dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-treated mice and piroxicam-treated IL-10/ mice were used as animal models of colitis. The A2B receptor-selective antagonist, ATL-801, was given in the diet. Key results: Mice fed ATL-801 along with DSS showed a significantly lower extent and severity of colitis than mice treated with DSS alone, as shown by reduced clinical symptoms, histological scores, IL-6 levels and proliferation indices. The administration of ATL-801 prevented weight loss, suppressed the inflammatory infiltrate into colonic mucosa and decreased epithelial hyperplasia in piroxicam-treated IL-10/ mice. IL-6 and keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC) concentrations in the supernatants of colonic organ cultures from colitic mice were significantly reduced by ATL-801 administration. Conclusions and implications: Taken together, these data demonstrate that the intestinal epithelial A2B receptor is an important mediator of pro-inflammatory responses in the intestine and that A2B receptor blockade may be an effectiv

Steering hyper-giants' traffic at scale

Large content providers, known as hyper-giants, are responsible for sending the majority of the content traffic to consumers. These hyper-giants operate highly distributed infrastructures to cope with the ever-increasing demand for online content. To achieve 40 commercial-grade performance of Web applications, enhanced end-user experience, improved reliability, and scaled network capacity, hyper-giants are increasingly interconnecting with eyeball networks at multiple locations. This poses new challenges for both (1) the eyeball networks having to perform complex inbound traffic engineering, and (2) hyper-giants having to map end-user requests to appropriate servers. We report on our multi-year experience in designing, building, rolling-out, and operating the first-ever large scale system, the Flow Director, which enables automated cooperation between one of the largest eyeball networks and a leading hyper-giant. We use empirical data collected at the eyeball network to evaluate its impact over two years of operation. We find very high compliance of the hyper-giant to the Flow Director’s recommendations, resulting in (1) close to optimal user-server mapping, and (2) 15% reduction of the hyper-giant’s traffic overhead on the ISP’s long-haul links, i.e., benefits for both parties and end-users alike.EC/H2020/679158/EU/Resolving the Tussle in the Internet: Mapping, Architecture, and Policy Making/ResolutioNe

Use of Spatial Information and Search Strategies in a Water Maze Analog in Drosophila melanogaster

Learning the spatial organization of the environment is crucial to fitness in most animal species. Understanding proximate and ultimate factors underpinning spatial memory is thus a major goal in the study of animal behavior. Despite considerable interest in various aspects of its behavior and biology, the model species Drosophila melanogaster lacks a standardized apparatus to investigate spatial learning and memory. We propose here a novel apparatus, the heat maze, conceptually based on the Morris water maze used in rodents. Using the heat maze, we demonstrate that D. melanogaster flies are able to use either proximal or distal visual cues to increase their performance in navigating to a safe zone. We also show that flies are actively using the orientation of distal visual cues when relevant in targeting the safe zone, i.e., Drosophila display spatial learning. Parameter-based classification of search strategies demonstrated the progressive use of spatially precise search strategies during learning. We discuss the opportunity to unravel the mechanistic and evolutionary bases of spatial learning in Drosophila using the heat maze