University of Massachusetts Boston

About: University of Massachusetts Boston is a education organization based out in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 6541 authors who have published 12918 publications receiving 411731 citations. The organization is also known as: UMass Boston.

Introducing English Linguistics

Abstract: Introduction English Linguistics accomplishes this goal in two ways. Unlike traditional text, it takes a top-down approach to language, beginning with the largest unit of linguistic structure, the text, and working it way down through successively smaller structure.

On optimal design of multitier wireless cellular systems

Abstract: We present a general cell-design methodology for the optimal design of a multitier wireless cellular network. Multitier networks are useful when there are a multitude of traffic types with drastically different parameters and/or different requirements, such as different mobility parameters or quality-of-service requirements. In such situations, it may be cost-effective to build a multitude of cellular infrastructures, each serving a particular traffic type. The network resources (e.g., the radio channels) are then partitioned among the multitude of tiers. In general terms, we are interested in quantifying the cost reduction due to the multitier network design, as opposed to a single-tier network. Our study is motivated by the expected proliferation of personal communication services, which will serve different mobility platforms and support multimedia applications through a newly deployed infrastructure based on the multitier approach.

A Housing Affordability Standard for the UK

Abstract: Since 1990 there has been extensive exploration of the meaning of housing affordability by members of the academic, professional and advocacy communities in Britain. These debates have revealed weaknesses in the traditional ratio standard of affordability and led to arguments in support of an alternative, residual income concept of affordability. However, so far there has been only limited success in operationalising and applying the residual income approach in the UK. In the US, by contrast, arguments in support of a residual income approach to housing affordability emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s, culminating in the formulation of operational standards utilising normative family budgets. This paper draws upon the US experience to formulate a residual income housing affordability standard for the UK that utilises the non-shelter components of the Family Budget Unit (FBU) 'Low Cost but Acceptable' budgets as the normative standard for minimum adequate residual income. The paper concludes by suggesting how use of such a 'shelter' poverty standard to assess housing affordability problems and needs in the UK might yield results that differ from those based on the ratio standard.

Estrogen and Progesterone Control of Gene Expression in the Mouse Meibomian Gland

Abstract: PURPOSE. The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis that estrogen and progesterone regulate gene expression in the meibomian gland. METHODS. Meibomian glands were obtained from young adult, ovariectomized mice that were administered 17-estradiol, progesterone, 17-estradiol plus progesterone, or vehicle for 14 days. Glands were pooled according to treatment, processed for the extraction of RNA, and analyzed for differentially expressed mRNAs by using mouse gene microarrays. Bioarray data were evaluated with sophisticated bioinformatics software and statistical programs. The expression of selected genes was confirmed with gene chips and quantitative realtime PCR techniques. RESULTS. The findings show that 17-estradiol, progesterone, or both hormones administered together significantly influenced the expression of numerous genes in the mouse meibomian gland. Notable were the effects of 17-estradiol on genes related to lipid metabolism, tyrosine kinases, immune factors, extracellular matrix components, steroidogenesis, and prolactin dynamics. Also very significant were the actions of progesterone or 17-estradiol plus progesterone on ribosome or localization gene ontologies, respectively. The various hormone treatments led to many analogous, opposite, or unique effects on gene expression. CONCLUSIONS. These findings support the study hypothesis that estrogen and progesterone modulate gene expression in the meibomian gland. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008;49: 1797‐1808) DOI:10.1167/iovs.07-1458

A middleware platform for a biologically inspired network architecture supporting autonomous and adaptive applications

Abstract: This work describes and empirically evaluates the middleware platform of a new network architecture called the Bio-Networking Architecture. The Bio-Networking Architecture is inspired by the observation that the biological systems (e.g., bee colonies) have already developed mechanisms necessary to achieve future network requirements such as autonomy, scalability, adaptability, and simplicity. In the Bio-Networking Architecture, a network application is implemented as a group of distributed, autonomous and diverse objects called cyber-entities (CEs) (analogous to a bee colony consisting of multiple bees). Each CE implements a functional service related to the application and follows simple behaviors similar to biological entities (e.g., reproduction and migration). In the Bio-Networking Architecture, beneficial application characteristics (e.g., autonomy, scalability, adaptability, and simplicity) arise from the autonomous interaction of CEs. The middleware platform in the Bio-Networking Architecture, the bionet platform, provides reusable software components for developing, deploying, and executing CEs. The components abstract low-level operating and networking details, and implement high-level runtime services that CEs use to perform their services and behaviors. The components in the bionet platform are designed based on several biological concepts (e.g., energy exchange and pheromone emission). This work describes key designs of the bionet platform and empirically demonstrates that the bionet platform is efficient, scalable, reusable, and significantly simplifies development of network applications.