bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
PIP
Authors: Gabale Vijay , Chebrolu Kameswari , Raman Bhaskaran , Bijwe Sagar 
Published: September 2012

In this article, we consider the goal of achieving high throughput in a wireless sensor network. Our work is set in the context of those wireless sensor network applications which collect and transfer bulk data. We present PIP (Packets in Pipe), a MAC primitive for use by the transport module to achieve high throughput. PIP has a unique set of features: (a) it is a multihop connection-oriented primitive, (b) it is TDMA based, (c) it uses multiple radio channels, and (d) it is centrally controlled. This represents a significant shift from prior MAC protocols for bulk data transfer.
PIP has several desirable properties: (a) its throughput degrades only slightly with increasing number of hops, (b) it is robust to variable wireless error rates, (c) it performs well even without any flow control, and (d) requires only small queue sizes to operate well. We substantiate these properties with a prototype implementation of PIP on the Tmote-Sky CC2420-based platform. PIP achieves about eleven times better throughput than the state-of-the-art prior work, over a network depth of 24 hops. We also show that PIP can be interagted with duty cycling, and that PIP can support streaming data from/to flash at little overhead.
Making middleboxes someone else's problem
Authors: Sherry Justine , Hasan Shaddi , Scott Colin , Krishnamurthy Arvind , Ratnasamy Sylvia , Sekar Vyas 
Published: September 2012

Modern enterprises almost ubiquitously deploy middlebox processing services to improve security and performance in their networks. Despite this, we find that today's middlebox infrastructure is expensive, complex to manage, and creates new failure modes for the networks that use them. Given the promise of cloud computing to decrease costs, ease management, and provide elasticity and fault-tolerance, we argue that middlebox processing can benefit from outsourcing the cloud. Arriving at a feasible implementation, however, is challenging due to the need to achieve functional equivalence with traditional middlebox deployments without sacrificing performance or increasing network complexity.
In this paper, we motivate, design, and implement APLOMB, a practical service for outsourcing enterprise middlebox processing to the cloud.
Our discussion of APLOMB is data-driven, guided by a survey of 57 enterprise networks, the first large-scale academic study of middlebox deployment. We show that APLOMB solves real problems faced by network administrators, can outsource over 90% of middlebox hardware in a typical large enterprise network, and, in a case study of a real enterprise, imposes an average latency penalty of 1.1ms and median bandwidth inflation of 3.8%.
PaDIS emulator
Authors: Poese Ingmar , Frank Benjamin , Knight Simon , Semmler Niklas , Smaragdakis Georgios 
Published: September 2012

We present PaDIS Emulator, a fully automated platform to evaluate CDN-ISP collaboration for better content delivery, traffic engineering, and cost reduction. The PaDIS Emulator enables researchers as well as CDN and ISP operators to evaluate the benefits of collaboration using their own operational networks, configuration, and cost functions.
The PaDIS Emulator consists of three components: the network emulation, the collaboration mechanism, and the performance monitor. These layers provide scalable emulation of the interaction between an ISP or a number of ISPs with multiple CDNs and vice versa. PaDIS Emulator design is flexible in order to implement a wide range of collaboration mechanisms on virtualized or real hardware, and evaluate them before introduction to operational networks.
Anatomy of a large european IXP
Authors: Ager Bernhard , Chatzis Nikolaos , Feldmann Anja , Sarrar Nadi , Uhlig Steve , Willinger Walter 
Published: September 2012

The largest IXPs carry on a daily basis traffic volumes in the petabyte range, similar to what some of the largest global ISPs reportedly handle. This little-known fact is due to a few hundreds of member ASes exchanging traffic with one another over the IXP's infrastructure. This paper reports on a first-of-its-kind and in-depth analysis of one of the largest IXPs worldwide based on nine months' worth of sFlow records collected at that IXP in 2011.
A main finding of our study is that the number of actual peering links at this single IXP exceeds the number of total AS links of the peer-peer type in the entire Internet known as of 2010! To explain such a surprisingly rich peering fabric, we examine in detail this IXP's ecosystem and highlight the diversity of networks that are members at this IXP and connect there with other member ASes for reasons that are similarly diverse, but can be partially inferred from their business types and observed traffic patterns. In the process, we investigate this IXP's traffic matrix and illustrate what its temporal and structural properties can tell us about the member ASes that generated the traffic in the first place. While our results suggest that these large IXPs can be viewed as a microcosm of the Internet ecosystem itself, they also argue for a re-assessment of the mental picture that our community has about this ecosystem.
Measuring and fingerprinting click-spam in ad networks
Authors: Dave Vacha , Guha Saikat , Zhang Yin 
Published: September 2012

Advertising plays a vital role in supporting free websites and smartphone apps. Click-spam, i.e., fraudulent or invalid clicks on online ads where the user has no actual interest in the advertiser's site, results in advertising revenue being misappropriated by click-spammers. While ad networks take active measures to block click-spam today, the effectiveness of these measures is largely unknown. Moreover, advertisers and third parties have no way of independently estimating or defending against click-spam.
In this paper, we take the first systematic look at click-spam. We propose the first methodology for advertisers to independently measure click-spam rates on their ads. We also develop an automated methodology for ad networks to proactively detect different simultaneous click-spam attacks. We validate both methodologies using data from major ad networks. We then conduct a large-scale measurement study of click-spam across ten major ad networks and four types of ads. In the process, we identify and perform in-depth analysis on seven ongoing click-spam attacks not blocked by major ad networks at the time of this writing. Our findings highlight the severity of the click-spam problem, especially for mobile ads.
Up, down and around the stack
Authors: Bischof Zachary S. , Otto John S. , Bustamante Fabián E. 
Published: September 2012

Broadband characterization has recently attracted much attention from the research community and the general public. Given this interest and the important business and policy implications of residential Internet service characterization, recent years have brought a variety of approaches to profiling Internet services, ranging from Web-based platforms to dedicated infrastructure inside home networks. We have previously argued that network-intensive applications provide an almost ideal vantage point for broadband service characterization at sufficient scale, nearly continuously and from end users. While we have shown that the approach is indeed effective at characterization and can enable performance comparisons between service providers and geographic regions, a key unanswered question is how well the performance characteristics captured by these network-intensive applications can predict the overall user experience with other applications.
In this paper, using BitTorrent as an example network-intensive application, we present initial results that demonstrate how to obtain estimates of bandwidth and latency of a network connection by leveraging passive monitoring and limited active measurements from network intensive applications. We then analyze user experienced web performance under a variety of network conditions and show how estimated metrics from this network intensive application can serve as good web performance predictors.
Skin-Test Infiltrating Lymphocytes Early Predict Clinical Outcome of Dendritic Cell–Based Vaccination in Metastatic Melanoma
Authors: Aarntzen Erik H.J.G. , Bol Kalijn , Schreibelt Gerty , Jacobs Joannes F.M. , Lesterhuis W. Joost , Van Rossum Michelle M. , Adema Gosse J. , Figdor Carl G. , Punt Cornelis J.A. , De Vries I. Jolanda M. 
Published: September 2012

Abstract
The identification of responding patients early during treatment would improve the capability to develop effective new immunotherapies more rapidly. Here, we describe a bioassay that may link early T-cell–mediated immune responses to later clinical benefits. This bioassay rests upon the tenet of immunotherapy that tumor-specific effector T cells capable of invading peripheral tissue can recognize tumor antigens and exert cytotoxic functions there. To show its utility, we conducted a retrospective study of a large cohort of metastatic melanoma patients (n = 91) enrolled in dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccination protocols to examine a hypothesized correlation of posttreatment skin-infiltrating lymphocytes (SKIL) with overall survival (OS). Stringent immunologic criteria were defined to identify long-term survivors. The presence of tumor-associated antigen (TAA)-specific CD8+ T cell populations within SKILs (criterion I) was highly predictive for long-term survival. Further restriction by selecting for the presence of TAA-specific CD8+ T cells specifically recognizing tumor peptide (criterion II) was also associated with improved OS. Recognition of naturally processed antigen (criterion III) maximized the accuracy of the test, with a median OS of 24.1 versus 9.9 months (P = 0.001). Our results show that detailed characterization of SKILs can permit an accurate selection of metastatic melanoma patients who benefit most from DC-based vaccination. This simple and robust bioassay integrates multiple aspects of cellular functions that mediate effective immune responses, thereby offering an effective tool to rapidly identify patients who are responding to immunotherapy at an early stage of treatment. Cancer Res; 72(23); 6102–10. ©2012 AACR.
Prostate Cancer Mortality following Active Surveillance versus Immediate Radical Prostatectomy
Authors: Xia Jing , Trock Bruce J. , Cooperberg Matthew R. , Gulati Roman , Zeliadt Steven B. , Gore John L. , Lin Daniel W. , Carroll Peter R. , Carter H. Ballentine , Etzioni Ruth 
Published: September 2012

Abstract
Propose: Active surveillance has been endorsed for low-risk prostate cancer, but information about long-term outcomes and comparative effectiveness of active surveillance is lacking. The purpose of this study is to project prostate cancer mortality under active surveillance followed by radical prostatectomy versus under immediate radical prostatectomy.
Experimental design: A simulation model was developed to combine information on time from diagnosis to treatment under active surveillance and associated disease progression from a Johns Hopkins active surveillance cohort (n = 769), time from radical prostatectomy to recurrence from cases in the CaPSURE database with T-stage ≤ T2a (n = 3,470), and time from recurrence to prostate cancer death from a T-stage ≤ T2a Johns Hopkins cohort of patients whose disease recurred after radical prostatectomy (n = 963). Results were projected for a hypothetical cohort aged 40 to 90 years with low-risk prostate cancer (T-stage ≤ T2a, Gleason score ≤ 6, and prostate-specific antigen level ≤ 10 ng/mL).
Results: The model projected that 2.8% of men on active surveillance and 1.6% of men with immediate radical prostatectomy would die of their disease in 20 years. Corresponding lifetime estimates were 3.4% for active surveillance and 2.0% for immediate radical prostatectomy. The average projected increase in life expectancy associated with immediate radical prostatectomy was 1.8 months. On average, the model projected that men on active surveillance would remain free of treatment for an additional 6.4 years relative to men treated immediately.
Conclusions: Active surveillance is likely to produce a very modest decline in prostate cancer-specific survival among men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer but could lead to significant benefits in terms of quality of life. Clin Cancer Res; 18(19); 5471–8. ©2012 AACR.
Association of Myocardial Deformation With Outcome in Asymptomatic Aortic Stenosis With Normal Ejection Fraction
Authors: Yingchoncharoen Teerapat , Gibby Conrad , Rodriguez L. Leonardo , Grimm Richard A. , Marwick Thomas H. 
Published: September 2012

Background—
Current guidelines recommend intervention for symptomatic aortic stenosis, but the management of asymptomatic aortic stenosis remains controversial. As left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) has been shown to predict cardiovascular outcome, we sought to find whether its use could guide the assessment of risk in these patients.

Methods and Results—

We prospectively followed 79 patients with severe asymptomatic aortic stenosis (39 men; mean age, 77 ± 12 years; aortic valve [AV] area index, 0.36 cm
2
/m
2
). In addition to standard echocardiography, speckle strain was measured to assess GLS. Patients were followed for cardiac death and AV replacement driven by symptom development. A multivariable Cox regression was performed to identify associations with events. During 23 ± 20 months, 3 patients had cardiac death and 49 underwent AV replacement. Event-free survival was 72 ± 5% at 1 year, 50 ± 5% at 2 years, and 24 ± 5% at 4 years. Death and AV replacement were predicted by GLS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.14 [95% CI, 1.01–1.28];
P
=0.037), as well as extent of AV calcification (HR, 2.44 [95% CI, 1.17–5.12];
P
=0.018), peak transaortic pressure gradient (HR, 1.03 [95% CI, 1.01–1.04];
P
<0.001), valvulo-arterial impedance (HR, 1.32 [95% CI, 1.04–1.67];
P
=0.045), and Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Morbidity and Mortality (HR, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.90–1.00];
P
=0.052). A mean absolute GLS <15% was associated with a significant excess mortality, and this measurement added incremental prognostic value to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Morbidity and Mortality, transaortic peak pressure gradient, AV calcification, and valvulo-arterial impedance.

Conclusions—
GLS is associated with outcomes in patients with severe asymptomatic aortic stenosis, incremental to other clinical and echocardiographic variables.
Use of a Novel Endoscopic Catheter for Direct Visualization and Ablation in an Ovine Model of Chronic Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Betensky Brian P. , Jauregui Miguel , Campos Bieito , Michele John , Marchlinski Francis E. , Oley Leslie , Wylie Bryan , Robinson David , Gerstenfeld Edward P. 
Published: September 2012

Background—
Defining the arrhythmogenic substrate is essential for successful ablation of scar-related ventricular tachycardia. The visual characteristics of endocardial ischemic scar have not been described in vivo. The goal of this study was (1) to quantify the visual characteristics of normal tissue, scar border zone, and dense scar in vivo with the use of a novel endoscopic catheter that allows direct endocardial visualization and (2) to correlate visual attributes of myocardial scar with bipolar voltage.

Methods and Results—

Percutaneous transient balloon occlusion (150 minutes) of the mid left anterior descending coronary artery was performed in an ovine model. Animals survived for 41.5±0.7 days. Detailed bipolar voltage maps of the left ventricle were acquired with the use of NavX. Video snapshots of the endocardium were acquired at sites distributed throughout the left ventricle. Visual tissue characteristics of normal (>1.5 mV), border (0.5–1.5 mV), and dense scar (<0.5 mV) were quantified with the use of image processing. Radiofrequency lesions (10–20 W, 30 seconds) were delivered under direct visualization. Mean white-threshold pixel area was lowest in normal tissue (189 969±41 478 pixels
2
), intermediate in scar border zone (255 979±36 016 pixels
2
), and highest in dense scar (324 452±30 152 pixels
2
;
P
<0.0001 for all pairwise comparisons). Tissue whiteness, characteristic of scar, was inversely correlated with bipolar voltage (
P
<0.0001). During radiofrequency lesions, there was a significant increase in white-thresholded pixel area of the visual field after ablation (average increase, 85 381±52 618 pixels
2
;
P
<0.001).

Conclusions—
Visual characteristics of chronic infarct scar in vivo observed with the use of a novel endoscopic catheter correlate with bipolar electrogram voltage. Irrigated radiofrequency lesions in normal endocardial tissue and postinfarction zone can be visualized and quantified with the use of image processing. This technology shows promise for visually based delivery of radiofrequency lesions for the treatment of scar-based ventricular tachycardia.
Impact of a Bone Conduction Communication Channel on Multichannel Communication System Effectiveness
Authors: Blue Misty , McBride Maranda , Weatherless Rachel , Letowski Tomasz 
Published: September 2012

Objective: In this study, the impact of including a bone conduction transducer in a three-channel spatialized communication system was investigated. Background: Several military and security forces situations require concurrent listening to three or more radio channels. In such radio systems, spatial separation between three concurrent radio channels can be achieved by delivering separate signals to the left and right earphone independently and both earphones simultaneously. This method appears to be effective; however, the use of bone conduction as one channel may provide both operational and performance benefits. Method: Three three-channel communication systems were used to collect speech intelligibility data from 18 listeners (System 1, three loudspeakers; System 2, stereo headphones; System 3, stereo headphones and a bone conduction vibrator). Each channel presented signals perceived to originate from separate locations. Volunteers listened to three sets of competing sentences and identified a number, color, and object spoken in the target sentence. Each listener participated in three trials (one per system). Each trial consisted of 48 competing sentence sets. Results: Systems 2 and 3 were more intelligible than System 1. Systems 2 and 3 were overall equally intelligible; however, the intelligibility of all three channels was significantly more balanced in System 3. Conclusion: Replacing an air conduction transducer with a bone conduction transducer in a multichannel audio device can provide a more effective and balanced simultaneous monitoring auditory environment. Application: These results have important design and implementation implications for spatial auditory communication equipment.
Politicization within the European Commission’s bureaucracy
Authors: Bauer Michael W. , Ege Jörn 
Published: September 2012

Against a background of institutional change and organizational reform, we analyze the politicization of the European Commission’s bureaucracy. Politicization can generally be defined as the substitution of bureaucratic neutrality by introducing political considerations into the human resource management and behaviour of civil servants. The concepts of direct and professional politicization serve as vantage points for our analysis. The empirical data are taken from documentary analysis and recent online and semi-structured surveys of Commission officials. We show that Commission bureaucrats, although they are highly sensitive to the political side of their job, are less politicized since the Kinnock reforms than before. While the College of the Commission seems to have indeed become more politically responsive to its supranational peers and national governments, the Commission’s bureaucracy can be characterized as weakly politicized or, according to current debates, as quite instrumental in a Neo-Weberian sense. Points for practitioners Distinction between ‘direct’ and ‘professional’ politicization. We see de-politicization at service level but a stronger political role for the College of the Commission. Evidence for the high quality and high professionalism of the Commission service.
The pattern and challenges to multisectoral HIV/AIDS coordination in Tanzania
Authors: Hellevik Siri Bjerkreim 
Published: September 2012

Multisectoral coordination of HIV/AIDS work has been the leading governance strategy for most sub-Saharan African countries since the early 2000s, institutionalized with national multisectoral coordinating bodies within the central government. This article reveals how such efforts have been practiced in Tanzania. An assessment framework based on theoretical elements from organization theory and elements central to aid coordination/global health coordination policy and strategy literature serves as the basis for data collection and structures the presentation of findings. The article finds that the pattern and challenges to coordination in Tanzania can be summed up as a politics of coordination, with priorities determined by global health initiatives while the national AIDS commission lacks political authority. Together with other factors, such a situation presents severe challenges to multisectoral coordination. Point for practitioners Successful multisectoral coordination of HIV/AIDS/global health in aid-dependent countries requires careful consideration of labour divisions and coordination initiatives among involved actors, including the central government, bilateral/multilateral donors, and NGOs. Ensuring horizontal-internal and vertical-internal as well as external coordination of a cross-sectoral issue requires the highest office of government to provide continuous political support to the coordinating bodies; otherwise, ministries will not give priority to cross-sectoral issues, resulting in failure. Moreover, understanding the larger political economy of the sector within which coordination takes place is pertinent to explain why multisectoral coordination faces severe challenges in Tanzania.
The politicization of the EU Commission: democratic control and the dynamics of executive selection
Authors: Wille Anchrit 
Published: September 2012

Since the rise of the narrative on the ‘democratic deficit’, at the beginning of the 1990s, EU governance is expected to be democratic and its executive is expected to be democratically legitimated. Since this issue was forced onto the European agenda, the EU has been in a process of continuous polity building in which the Treaties have been revised every few years by the member states to make – among other things – the holders of political power in the institutions more accountable. This article links the changes in the legal and political framework governing the appointment and tasks of the EU Commission to changes in executive recruitment. It explains how strengthened democratic control and accountability over this part of the EU executive has politicized the selection of EU commissioners. This has become visible in the access and exit procedures of this part of the EU executive, but also in shifts in the demand and supply factors in the process of EU executive recruitment. This change is best characterized as a response and adaptation to the increasingly demanding political environment within which the EU Commission finds itself entrenched – one where the highest political personnel of the EU executive need to address the modern problems of a democratic polity. Points for practitioners The expansion of democratic accountability arrangements in the EU has politicized the appointment of EU commissioners in three respects: in the procedures of appointing commissioners; in the composition of the College; and in the career pathways of commissioners. Democratization has meant that representation and political professionalization have become very significant in the selection of the EU executive.