cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MPLS Based Best Effort Traffic Engineering

The advent of Multi-protocol Label Switching (MPLS) enables traffic engineering by introducing connection-oriented features of forwarding packets over arbitrary non-shortest paths. Our goal in this research is to improve the network utilization for best effort traffic in IP networks. By examining the best effort traffic class, we assume The large volume of research that has been conducted on traffic engineering for assured forwarding and expedited forwarding with admission control allows traffic engineering on those traffic classes. We examine a different and in some sense a "more complex" problem (traffic demands are not known a priori) of traffic engineering for the remaining network bandwidth which is utilized by best effort traffic. We present a generic traffic engineering framework and four specific algorithms. This framework has two prominent features 1) it uses MPLS to encapsulate source-destination aggregate flows within a Label Switched Path (LSP), with multiple LSPs per source-destination. 2) The framework is "stateless", only the topology is used to determine the traffic routing.
Auto tuning of measurement weights in WLS state estimation

This paper describes an approach for choosing and updating measurement weights used in weighted least squares (WLS) state estimation. Since the weights are related to the measurement error variances, sample variances are estimated using historical data from previous measurement scans and the corresponding WLS estimation results. The proposed approach can be implemented as a one-time estimation function for off-line execution or as a recursive function for updating the measurement weights on-line. Simulated measurement data and state estimation results are used to test and verify the accuracy of the proposed method. The proposed method can be integrated into an existing WLS state estimator as an added feature.
Dietary Supplement Use in the Context of Health Disparities: Cultural, Ethnic and Demographic Determinants of Use

Women of African American, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American and Alaskan descent constitute 29% of the female population in the United States but they experience health problems disproportionately. Compared with white women as a group, they are in poorer health and use fewer health services. We know from recent studies that the daily use of multivitamins has been associated with lower risk of coronary disease, colon cancer and breast cancer, particularly for alcohol drinkers. In addition, daily multivitamin and multimineral usage by the elderly can reduce the number of days of illness due to infections by 50%. However, supplement use among women tends to be more prevalent among the middle and older age categories; white, well-educated and higher income women; and those residing in the western part of the United States. This examination of the current health disparities and usage patterns indicates that the women who could benefit most from supplements are not typical users. Qualitative data collected on iron and folic acid supplementation programs in developing countries indicate that diverse cultural practices, attitudes and beliefs among vulnerable populations may influence supplement use. However, data in the U.S literature that describe these factors by culture or ethnicity are sparse. If we are to promote dietary supplements to women who are most vulnerable, more research is warranted in the area of health beliefs, attitudes and sociodemographic determinants of supplement use by culture and or ethnicity, particularly among underprivileged groups.
Self-Reinforcing Activation of a Cell-Specific Transcription Factor by Proteolysis of an Anti-σ Factor in B. subtilis

Abstract The transcription factor σ F , which is activated in a cell-specific manner during sporulation in B. subtilis , is initially held in an inactive complex by the anti-σ factor SpoIIAB. The anti-anti-σ factor SpoIIAA reacts with SpoIIAB·σ F to induce the release of free σ F and free SpoIIAB. We now report that free SpoIIAB is subject to proteolysis and that it is protected from degradation by σ F in the SpoIIAB·σ F complex and by SpoIIAA in an alternative complex. Proteolysis requires residues located near the extreme C terminus of SpoIIAB and is dependent upon the ClpCP protease. The reaction of SpoIIAA with SpoIIAB·σ F and the resulting degradation of newly released SpoIIAB could set up a self-reinforcing cycle that locks on the activation of σ F .
Trajectory analysis and performance for SEP Comet Encke missions

A summary of the performance of Solar Electric Propulsion spacecraft for Comet Encke missions for the 1980, 1984 and 1987 mission opportunities is presented together with a description of the spacecraft trajectory for each opportunity. Included is data for rendezvous trajectories for all three opportunities and data for a slow flyby mission during the 1980 opportunity. A range of propulsion system input powers of 10 to 20 kW are considered together with a constant spacecraft power requirement of 400 watts. The performance presented in this paper is indicative of that using 30 cm Mercury electron bombardment thrusters that are currently being developed. Performance is given in terms of final spacecraft mass and is thus independent of any particular spacecraft design concept.
3D-Integrated SRAM Components for High-Performance Microprocessors

3D integration is an emergent technology that has the potential to greatly increase device density while simultaneously providing faster on-chip communication. 3D fabrication involves stacking two or more die connected with a very high density and low-latency interface. The die-to-die vias that comprise this interface can be treated as regular on-chip metal due to their small size (on the order of 1 mum) and high speed (sub-FO4 die-to-die communication delay). The increased device density and the ability to place and route in the third dimension provide new opportunities for microarchitecture design. In this paper, we focus on the 3D-integrated designs of SRAM structures. We show that the dense die-to-die vias enable 3D-integrated SRAM components that are partitioned at the level of individual wordlines or bitlines. This results in a wire length reduction within SRAM arrays, and a reduction in the area footprint, which reduces the wires required for global routing. The wire length reduction provides simultaneous latency and energy reduction benefits, e.g., 47 percent latency reduction and 18 percent energy reduction for a 4 MB 4-die stacked 3D SRAM array. A 3D implementation of a 128-entry multiported SRAM array achieves a 36 percent latency improvement with a simultaneous energy reduction of 55 percent. As planar designs adapt high-performance techniques such as hierarchical wordlines to improve performance, 3D integration provides even larger benefits, making it a desirable technology for high-performance designs. For the 4 MB SRAM array, the 3D-integrated designs provide additional latency reduction benefit over the planar designs when hierarchical wordlines are implemented in both planar and 3D designs.
Which HIV-infected men who have sex with men in care are engaging in risky sex and acquiring sexually transmitted infections: findings from a Boston community health centre

Objectives The primary objective was to determine the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in a cohort of HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) in their primary care setting, and to identify the demographic and behavioural characteristics of those infected with STI and the correlates of sexual transmission risk behaviour. Methods At study entry, participants (n¼398) were tested for STI and their medical charts were reviewed for STI results in the previous year. Data on demographics, substance use, sexual behaviour and HIV disease characteristics were collected through a computerassisted self-assessment and medical record extraction. Logistic regression analyses assessed characteristics of those with recent STI and recent transmission risk behaviour. Results The sample was predominantly white (74.6%) and college educated (51.7%). On average, participants were 41.5 years old (SD 8.4) and had been HIV infected for 8.6 years (SD 6.7); 9% of the sample had an STI, with 6.4% testing positive for syphilis, 3.1% for gonorrhoea and 0.25% for chlamydia. Age and years since HIV diagnosis were significantly associated with testing positive for an STI, as was engaging in transmission risk behaviour and using methamphetamine, ketamine and inhalants. Substance use, particularly methamphetamine use, and being more recently diagnosed with HIV were each uniquely associated with transmission risk behaviour in a multivariable model. Conclusions These results underscore the need to develop more effective secondary prevention interventions for HIV-infected MSM, tailored to more recently diagnosed patients, particularly those who are younger and substance users.
Novel low temperature hermetic sealing of micropackages

Traditional methods of hermetic packaging are not easily scaled to the task of sealing micropackages, i.e. packages with volumes on the order of one cubic millimeter. Micropackages are fabricated from thin metal shells that are sealed with ceramic or metal covers. They are used to protect MEMS devices, chemical sensors, batteries, and microfluidic components, which all have limited thermal processing tolerance, e.g. less than 150°C. Glass seals are difficult to pattern at this scale and require sealing temperatures in excess of 300°C. Mechanical tolerance issues, fixturing, and electrode design constraints preclude seam sealing. The small size of micropackages makes it difficult to control and remove the heat generated during laser welding. Low temperature soldering is an option for sealing micropackages, but there is a risk of contamination with flux residues and solder wettable metallizations must be provided on both the package and cover. We have successfully sealed ceramic covers to anodized aluminum packages, with internal volumes of one cubic millimeter. The hermetic seal is made by compression of a ring of indium foil between the cover and a flange on the package. The compressive stress on the indium is maintained by an epoxy bond around the perimeter of the package. The seal is made by loading the package into an alignment fixture, placing preforms of indium and epoxy on the package flange, aligning a cover on the package, placing a weight on the cover, and curing the epoxy at 140°C on a hot plate. The process is readily scalable to sealing arrays of packages and covers. It also does not require metalized seal rings on either seal surface as required with soldering. For our application, sealing is conducted within an argon atmosphere, but we believe a dry nitrogen atmosphere would also be adequate.
Investigation of temporal variability of epileptic EEG signals

Temporal characteristics of the EEG have been extensively studied for their relationship to both sleep and epilepsy. In this work, a computational algorithm that quantifies the temporal variability of the signal based on local minima and local maxima is proposed. The temporal variability of elec-trocorticography (ECoG) data obtained from epilepsy patients corresponding to different pathological brain states, i.e., during a non-seizure period and during an epileptic seizure activity, is examined. The computational results show that there are significant differences between temporal features of the epileptic ECoG data during non-seizure periods and during periods with epileptic seizure activity.
Alternative Research Funding to Improve Clinical Outcomes: Model of Prediction and Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death

Although identification and management of cardiovascular risk markers have provided important population risk insights and public health benefits, individual risk prediction remains challenging. Using sudden cardiac death risk as a base case, the complex epidemiology of sudden cardiac death risk and the substantial new funding required to study individual risk are explored. Complex epidemiology derives from the multiple subgroups having different denominators and risk profiles, while funding limitations emerge from saturation of conventional sources of research funding without foreseeable opportunities for increases. A resolution to this problem would have to emerge from new sources of funding targeted to individual risk prediction. In this analysis, we explore the possibility of a research funding strategy that would offer business incentives to the insurance industries, while providing support for unresolved research goals. The model is developed for the case of sudden cardiac death risk, but the concept is applicable to other areas of the medical enterprise.
Climatic and atmospheric teleconnection indices and western Arctic sea ice variability

This study examines the sea ice cover minima in the western Arctic in the context of several climatic mechanisms known to impact its variability. The September latitude of western Arctic sea ice is measured along 11 equally-spaced longitudes extending from 176o W to 126o W in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, 1953–2010. Indices of seasonal atmospheric and oceanic teleconnections and annual mean Northern Hemisphere temperatures (NHT) and CO2 concentration are orthogonalized using rotated principal component analysis, forming predictors regressed onto the sea ice latitude data at each longitude using stepwise multiple linear regression. Prior to 1998, small amounts of September ice edge variance are explained by teleconnections such as the Arctic Dipole, Arctic Oscillation, and Pacific-North American Pattern. NHTs begin explaining large amounts of ice edge variance starting in 1998. For the 1953–2010 period, up to 68% of the ice edge variance is explained at 161° W in the Chukchi Sea, mostly by NHTs. With the ...
Imbedded Markov chains in queueing systems M/G/1 and GI/M/1 with limited waiting room

The queue length process in a queue with limited waiting room capacity can be said to go through two types of periods viz., ‘customer-loss period’ and ‘no-loss period’. For the queueing systems M/G/1 and GI/M/1, a study has been made in this paper, of the imbedded Markov chains of the queue length process with regard to the transitions in a ‘no-loss period’.
Aerodynamic Removal of Native Dust from Cotton

An aerodynamic model is considered to predict variation in the mass of native dust removed from cotton as a function of velocity of the crossflow of air approaching the fiber. The model incorporates the composition of native dust, the aerodynamic shielding of some particles on the fiber from the drag force, and the cross-sectional density of the exposed batt of fibers. Physical representation of the model is based on a limited number of discrete data points graphically depicted by straight lines between the points. Using the model to simulate aerodynamic removal of native dust from cotton, a graphic representation of the mass of dust removed versus air velocity is predicted to reveal a curve with multiple inflection points. These points correspond to release of different components of the dust (e.g., bract and leaf) from the fiber. The model is compared with an experiment. An actual plot of the amount of dust released from "good ordinary" cotton versus the air velocity approaching the fiber reveals the pr...
Experimental analysis of transmission line parameters in high-speed GaAs digital circuit interconnects

Transmission line properties of typical high-speed interconnects were experimentally investigated by fabricating and characterizing coplanar strips on semi-insulating GaAs substrates. The strips have thicknesses of about 2500 AA or 5000 AA and widths of 4, 6, or 8 mu m so as to be representative of on-chip interconnects in high-speed GaAs digital circuits. Measurements are carried out up to 18 GHz, and the pertinent line parameters, such as resistance, capacitance per unit length, and characteristic impedance, are extracted using the measured S-parameters. The measurement results confirm the quasi-TEM properties of such interconnects. In all cases, the measured distributed capacitance and inductance are sensitive to frequency whereas the resistance is found to increase as much as 38% for the widest and thickest conductors. >
Aerodynamic Influence Coefficient Computations Using Euler/Navier-Stokes Equations on Parallel Computers

An efficient procedure to compute aerodynamic influence coefficients (AIC) using high fidelity flow equations such as Euler/Navier- Stokes equations is presented. The AIC's are computed by perturbing structures using mode shapes. The procedure is developed on a multiple-instruction, multiple-data (MIMD) parallel computer. In addition to discipline parallelization and coarse-grain parallelization of the flow domain, embarrassingly parallel implementation of ENS AERO code demonstrates linear speedup for a large number of processors. Demonstration of the AIC computation for static aeroelasticity analysis is made on an arrow wing-body configuration. The computations show that some of the AIC's do not converge at the lower perturbation range since the perturbation is too small to prevail over the initial aerodynamic loads. The effect of initial aerodynamic loads disappears with increasing perturbation amplitude. The demonstrated linear scalability for multiple concurrent analyses shows that the threelevel parallelism in the code is well suited for the computation of the AIC's.