Adaptive load balancing algorithm for multiple homing mobile nodes

In places where mobile users can access multiple wireless networks simultaneously, a multipath scheduling algorithm can benefit the performance of wireless networks and improve the experience of mobile users. However, existing literature shows that it may not be the case, especially for TCP flows. According to early investigations, there are mainly two reasons that result in bad performance of TCP flows in wireless networks. One is the occurrence of out-of-order packets due to different delays in multiple paths. The other is the packet loss which is resulted from the limited bandwidth of wireless networks. To better exploit multipath scheduling for TCP flows, this paper presents a new scheduling algorithm named Adaptive Load Balancing Algorithm (ALBAM) to split traffic across multiple wireless links within the ISP infrastructure. Targeting at solving the two adverse impacts on TCP flows, ALBAM develops two techniques. Firstly, ALBAM takes advantage of the bursty nature of TCP flows and performs scheduling at the flowlet granularity where the packet interval is large enough to compensate for the different path delays. Secondly, ALBAM develops a Packet Number Estimation Algorithm (PNEA) to predict the buffer usage in each path. With PNEA, ALBAM can prevent buffer overflow and schedule the TCP flow to a less congested path before it suffers packet loss. Simulations show that ALBAM can provide better performance to TCP connections than its other counterparts.     

Performance of TZCD-MBOK watermarking scheme in T-DMB systems

Recently, watermarking based data transmission techniques using terrestrial digital TV signal have been proposed since they are also cost-free and can overcome the limitations of GPS. However, in the previous watermarking based methods, the detection accuracy is low and additional data rate is too low. Thus, we propose the throughput enhancement method by employing the TZCD-MBOK watermarking technique in T-DMB system. By applying the proposed scheme to T-DMB, it allows additional data transmission for disaster broadcasting and improves efficiency of data transmission in shadow region and indoor to mobile environment through watermarking spread code. From the simulation results, we confirm the proposed watermarking scheme affected on the existing T-DMB signal. Moreover, it was also confirmed that the system capacity increases as the power of additional watermarking signal rose. The results of the paper can be applied to wireless multimedia digital broadcasting systems.     

Power- and time-aware buffer cache management for real-time embedded databases

Due to the explosive increases of data from both the cyber and physical worlds, the demand for database support in embedded systems is increasing. Databases for embedded systems, or embedded databases, are expected to provide timely in situ data services under various resource constraints, such as limited energy. However, traditional buffer cache management schemes, in which the primary goal is to minimize the number of I/O operations, is problematic since they do not consider the constraints of modern embedded devices such as limited energy and distinctive underlying storage. In particular, due to asymmetric read/write characteristics of flash memory-based storage of modern embedded devices, minimum buffer cache misses neither coincide with minimum power consumption nor minimum I/O deadline misses. In this paper we propose a novel power- and time-aware buffer cache management scheme for embedded databases. A novel multi-dimensional feedback control architecture is proposed and the characteristics of underlying storage of modern embedded devices is exploited for the simultaneous support of the desired I/O power consumption and the I/O deadline miss ratio. We have shown through an extensive simulation that our approach satisfies both power and timing requirements in I/O operations under a variety of workloads while consuming significantly smaller buffer space than baseline approaches.     

Signal tracking method of GNSS receivers for spinning vehicles

A signal tracking method of GNSS receivers for spinning vehicles is proposed in order to eliminate the influence of spinning to the GNSS signal of a vehicle. In the proposed method, a rotation tracking loop is added into the carrier tracking loop of a conventional GNSS receiver. The proposed method was verified through computer simulations and an experiment for live GPS signals. The results show that the proposed method gives an accurate tracking performance.     

Electric field-induced concentration and capture of DNA onto microtips

Simple, high-yield concentration of DNA is important for high-throughput genetic analysis and disease diagnosis. Glass-based microfilters are popular but the process requires centrifugation steps with cumbersome chemical processes. As an alternative, a concentration method using an electric field has been explored previously, but with limited efficiency. In this paper, electric field-induced concentration and capture of DNA are studied by using high-aspect-ratio microtips coated with a gold layer. The microtips are immersed longitudinally into a solution of 100???L containing ??-phage DNA. After DNA concentration using an electric field, the microtips are withdrawn from the solution. Under AC- and biased AC fields, DNA is concentrated by electrophoresis (EP), dielectrophoresis (DEP), and electroosmotic flow (EOF). To reduce capillary effects in the withdrawal process, the microtips are coated with positively charged poly-l-lysine (PLL). The pattern of captured DNA is analyzed by fluorescence microscopy. DEP attracts DNA molecules at the edges of microtips, where the highest gradient of electric field exists. EP attracts DNA onto the surface of microtips following the vectors of an electric field. EOF generates vortexes that deliver DNA onto microtips. Using this method, 85% of DNA is captured on the PLL-coated microtips after three sequential captures. The concentration mechanism can potentially facilitate rapid and simple preparation of DNA for downstream analysis.     

Minimal-drift heading measurement using a MEMS gyro for mobile robots: Fused with odometry

To achieve the goal of low-cost MEMS gyros for the precise self-localization of mobile robots, this paper presents a simple, yet effective method to minimize drifts on the heading angle by combining measurements from a gyro with measurements from wheel encoders (odometry). The main idea of the proposed approach is to estimate the accuracy of both sensors as a function of the actual maneuver being carried out, and then the output of both sensors are fused by the complementary filter taking into account the maneuvering conditions. The proposed method is applied to a mobile robot and the experimental data demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.     

Activation of Nrf2/HO-1 by Peptide YD1 Attenuates Inflammatory Symptoms through Suppression of TLR4/MYyD88/NF-κB Signaling Cascade

In this study, we investigate the immunomodulatory effects of a novel antimicrobial peptide, YD1, isolated from Kimchi, in both in vitro and in vivo models. We establish that YD1 exerts its anti-inflammatory effects via up-regulation of the Nrf2 pathway, resulting in the production of HO-1, which suppresses activation of the NF-κB pathway, including the subsequent proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. We also found that YD1 robustly suppresses nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE₂) production by down-regulating the expression of the upstream genes, iNOS and COX-2, acting as a strong antioxidant. Collectively, YD1 exhibits vigorous anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity, presenting it as an interesting potential therapeutic agent.     

Ubiquitin-Specific Protease 29 Regulates Cdc25A-Mediated Tumorigenesis

Cell division cycle 25A (Cdc25A) is a dual-specificity phosphatase that is overexpressed in several cancer cells and promotes tumorigenesis. In normal cells, Cdc25A expression is regulated tightly, but the changes in expression patterns in cancer cells that lead to tumorigenesis are unknown. In this study, we showed that ubiquitin-specific protease 29 (USP29) stabilized Cdc25A protein expression in cancer cell lines by protecting it from ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation. The presence of USP29 effectively blocked polyubiquitination of Cdc25A and extended its half-life. CRISPR-Cas9-mediated knockdown of USP29 in HeLa cells resulted in cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. We also showed that USP29 knockdown hampered Cdc25A-mediated cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells in vitro. Moreover, NSG nude mice transplanted with USP29-depleted cells significantly reduced the size of the tumors, whereas the reconstitution of Cdc25A in USP29-depleted cells significantly increased the tumor size. Altogether, our results implied that USP29 promoted cell cycle progression and oncogenic transformation by regulating protein turnover of Cdc25A.