bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DFT STUDIES ON ELECTRONIC STRUCTURES AND THIRD-ORDER NONLINEAR OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF A SERIES OF Pt–Pt BOND-CONTAINING METAL COMPLEXES
Authors: LIU CHUN-GUANG , GUAN XIAO-HUI , SU ZHONG-MIN
Published: April 2012

In this paper, electronic structures and third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of a series of Pt–Pt bond-containing metal complexes have been calculated by using the density functional theory (DFT) combining with the sum-over-states (SOS) method. In order to check the reliability of this method, the electron correlations and basis sets have been compared. Our calculated results show that introduction of electron donor, thiophene ring and lengthing of organic conjugated ligand can enhance third-order NLO responses. The electronic structure analysis shows that the [Pt–Pt(H2P(CH2)PH2)2] fragment displays strong electron-withdrawing character in these systems. Meanwhile, the third-order NLO response of Pt–Pt bond also has been estimated by using TDDFT–SOS method. An enhancement of third-order NLO response has been observed because of the introduction of the Pt–Pt bond. This is mainly due to the intense and low-lying metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) and intraligand (IL) CT transitions.
Arabic Text Mining Using Rule Based Classification
Authors: Thabtah Fadi , Gharaibeh Omar , Al-Zubaidy Rashid
Published: April 2012

A well-known classification problem in the domain of text mining is text classification, which concerns about mapping textual documents into one or more predefined category based on its content. Text classification arena recently attracted many researchers because of the massive amounts of online documents and text archives which hold essential information for a decision-making process. In this field, most of such researches focus on classifying English documents while there are limited studies conducted on other languages like Arabic. In this respect, the paper proposes to investigate the problem of Arabic text classification comprehensively. More specifically the study measures the performance of different rule based classification approaches adopted from machine learning and data mining towards the problem of text Arabic classification. In particular, four different rule based classification approaches: Decision trees (C4.5), Rule Induction (RIPPER), Hybrid (PART) and Simple Rule (One Rule) are evaluated against the published Corpus of Contemporary Arabic Arabic text collection. This experimentation is carried out by employing a modified version of WEKA business intelligence tool. Through analysing the produced results from the experimentation, we determine the most suitable classification algorithms for classifying Arabic texts.
NO-CLONING THEOREM IN THERMOFIELD DYNAMICS
Authors: PRUDÊNCIO T.
Published: April 2012

We discuss the relation between the no-cloning theorem from quantum information and the doubling procedure used in the formalism of thermofield dynamics (TFD). We also discuss how to apply the no-cloning theorem in the context of thermofield states defined in TFD. Consequences associated to mixed states, von Neumann entropy and thermofield vacuum are also addressed.
SHARING OF D-DIMENSIONAL QUANTUM STATES
Authors: JIMÉNEZ OMAR , MUÑOZ CARLOS , KLIMOV ANDREI B. , DELGADO ALDO
Published: April 2012

We propose a scheme for the deterministic sharing arbitrary qudit states among three distant parties and characterize the set of ideal quantum channels. We also show that the use of non-ideal quantum channels for quantum state sharing can be related to the problem of quantum state discrimination. This allows us to formulate a protocol which leads to perfect quantum state sharing with a finite success probability.
COHERENT CONTROL OF MESOSCOPIC SUPERPOSITIONS IN A DIATOMIC MOLECULE
Authors: GHOSH SURANJANA
Published: April 2012

A phase controlled wave packet, recently used in experiment of wave packet interferometry of a diatomic molecule, is investigated to obtain mesoscopic superposition structures, useful in quantum metrology. This analysis provides a new way of obtaining sub-Planck scale structures at smaller time scale of revival dynamics. We study a number of situations for delineating the smallest interference structures and their control by tailoring the relative phase between two subsidiary wave packets. We also find the most appropriate state, so far, for high precision parameter estimation in a system of diatomic molecule.
QUANTUM STATE TOMOGRAPHY AND QUANTUM LOGICAL OPERATIONS IN A THREE QUBITS NMR QUADRUPOLAR SYSTEM
Authors: ARAUJO-FERREIRA A. G. , BRASIL C. A. , SOARES-PINTO D. O. , DEAZEVEDO E. R. , BONAGAMBA T. J. , TELES J.
Published: April 2012

In this work, we present an implementation of quantum logic gates and algorithms in a three effective qubits system, represented by a (I = 7/2) NMR quadrupolar nuclei. To implement these protocols we have used the strong modulating pulses (SMP) and the various stages of each implementation were verified by quantum state tomography (QST). The results for the computational base states, Toffolli logic gates, and Deutsch–Jozsa and Grover algorithms are presented here. Also, we discuss the difficulties and advantages of implementing such protocols using the SMP technique in quadrupolar systems.
STOCHASTIC ANTI-RESONANCE IN THE TIME EVOLUTION OF INTERACTING QUBITS
Authors: GHIKAS DEMETRIS P. K. , TZEMOS ATHANASIOS C.
Published: April 2012

We investigate the possibility of appearance of new phenomena derived from the influence of noise on quantum systems. As a starting point we study the entanglement evolution of two coupled qubits in interaction with an external environment and in the presence of an external magnetic field with a stochastic component. The results show the expected degradation of entanglement due to the noise. The new effect is that for particular initial states the time of disentanglement depends in a non-monotonous way on the strength of the noise. We find that it is shortest for an intermediate strength value of the noise. This we call "stochastic anti-resonance." Our new result indicates that there are noise values which are particularly harmful and should be avoided. This could lead to a better understanding of noisy perturbations and their role for optimal designing of quantum devices.
QUANTUM HIERARCHIC MODELS FOR INFORMATION PROCESSING
Authors: ALTAISKY MIKHAIL V. , KAPUTKINA NATALIA E.
Published: April 2012

Both classical and quantum computations operate with the registers of bits. At nanometer scale the quantum fluctuations at the position of a given bit, say, a quantum dot, not only lead to the decoherence of quantum state of this bit, but also affect the quantum states of the neighboring bits, and therefore affect the state of the whole register. That is why the requirement of reliable separate access to each bit poses the limit on miniaturization, i.e. constrains the memory capacity and the speed of computation. In the present paper we suggest an algorithmic way to tackle the problem of constructing reliable and compact registers of quantum bits. We suggest accessing the states of a quantum register hierarchically, descending from the state of the whole register to the states of its parts. Our method is similar to quantum wavelet transform, and can be applied to information compression, quantum memory, quantum computations.
DETECTION OF WEB SERVER ATTACKS USING PRINCIPLES OF IMMUNOCOMPUTING
Authors: KOTOV VADIM , VASILYEV VLADIMIR
Published: April 2012

A new approach to web server attacks detection based on the statistical analysis of HTTP requests and principles of immunocomputing is proposed. We use a set of legitimate HTTP requests to the server as the training data. Each request is represented as its byte frequency distribution. Immunocomputing is used to calculate the binding energy between the training data and sampled HTTP requests. Our system gives the fuzzy output which allows us to give different kinds of response. The proposed approach has been tested with use of the DARPA data set and the data set collected from the vulnerable web server. It is shown that the given approach detects various attacks with a high degree of accuracy.
OUTLIER DETECTION USING HUMORAL-MEDIATED CLUSTERING (HAIS)
Authors: AHMAD WASEEM , NARAYANAN AJIT
Published: April 2012

Outlier detection has important applications in various data mining domains such as fraud detection, intrusion detection, customers' behavior and employees' performance analysis. Outliers are characterized by being significantly or "interestingly" different from the rest of the data. In this paper, a novel cluster-based outlier detection method is proposed using a humoral-mediated clustering algorithm (HAIS) based on concepts of antibody secretion in natural immune systems. The proposed method finds meaningful clusters as well as outliers simultaneously. This is an iterative approach where only clusters above threshold (larger sized clusters) are carried forward to the next cycle of cluster formation while removing small sized clusters. This paper also demonstrates through experimental results that the mere existence of outliers severely affects the clustering outcome, and removing those outliers can result in better clustering solutions. The feasibility of the method is demonstrated through simulated datasets, current datasets from the literature as well as a real-world doctors' performance evaluation dataset where the task is to identify potentially under-performing doctors. The results indicate that HAIS has capabilities of detecting single point as well as cluster-based outliers.
AISTTP: AN ARTIFICIAL IMMUNE ALGORITHM TO SOLVE TRAVELING TOURNAMENT PROBLEMS
Authors: CÁCERES LESLIE PÉREZ , RIFF MARÍA CRISTINA
Published: April 2012

The traveling tournament problem is a well-known and important problem within the collective sports communities. This is a NP-hard problem which makes difficult finding quality solutions in a short amount of time. In this paper, we include new components to the Clonal Selection Algorithm to tackle the Traveling Tournament Problem. We introduce a new selection procedure focused on improving diversity of the selected cells set. The algorithm also uses a new move which is based on the team home/away patterns. We have tested the algorithm with well-known benchmarks of the problem, and the results obtained are very encouraging. A statistical analysis is also reported. The results obtained show a new application of an artificial immune algorithm based on the CLONALG framework.
A SEMANTIC-BASED APPROACH FOR HANDLING INCOMPLETE AND INACCURATE PROVENANCE IN RESERVOIR ENGINEERING
Authors: ZHAO JING , PRASANNA VIKTOR K. , GOMADAM KARTHIK
Published: April 2012

Provenance is becoming an important issue as a reliable estimator of data quality. However, provenance collection mechanisms in the reservoir engineering domain often result in incomplete provenance information. In this paper, we address the problem of predicting missing provenance information in reservoir engineering. Based on the observation that data items with specific semantic “connections” may share the same provenance, our approach annotates data items with domain entities defined in a domain ontology, and represent these “connections” as sequences of relationships (also known as semantic associations) in the ontology graph. By analyzing annotated historical datasets with complete provenance information, we capture semantic associations that may imply identical provenance. A statistical analysis is applied to assign probability values to the discovered associations, which indicate the confidence of each association when it is used for future provenance prediction.

We develop a voting algorithm which utilizes the semantic associations and their confidence measures to predict the missing provenance information. Because the existing provenance information can be incorrect due to errors during the manual provenance annotation procedure, as an extension of the voting algorithm, we further design an algorithm for prediction which takes into account both the confidence measures of semantic associations and the accuracy of the existing provenance. A probability value is calculated as the trust of each prediction result. We develop the ProPSA (Provenance Prediction based on Semantic Associations) system which uses our proposed approaches to handle incomplete and inaccurate provenance information in reservoir engineering. Our evaluation shows that the average precision of our approach is above 85% when one-third of the provenance information is missing.
SEISMIC SOIL–FOUNDATION–STRUCTURE INTERACTION ANALYSIS OF DEEPLY EMBEDDED VENTILATION STACK
Authors: JAYA V. , DODAGOUDAR G. R. , BOOMINATHAN A.
Published: April 2012

In this paper, the seismic response analysis of deeply embedded ventilation stack is addressed by considering the effects of soil–foundation–structure interaction (SFSI). Seismic SFSI analysis of the stack subjected to a site-specific design ground motion is carried out using finite element method. A parametric sensitivity analysis is made to investigate the effect of embedment and shear wave velocity ratio of the subsurface profile on the seismic response of the stack. The first series of the SFSI analysis is carried out for the stack with surface footing using computer program SASSI 2000. The second set of analysis incorporates the effect of embedment on the seismic response of the stack. The flexible volume substructure method is used to analyze the seismic SFSI effects. It has been found that the seismic response at the various levels of the stack shows a strong dependence on stiffness of the subsurface profile and the depth of embedment. The spectral acceleration and relative displacement at the top of the stack decrease with increase in embedment ratio and these are the important parameters to be given a due consideration during design process of the stack structures.
SEISMIC LATERAL FORCE DISTRIBUTION FOR DUCTILITY-BASED DESIGN OF STEEL PLATE SHEAR WALLS
Authors: KHARMALE SWAPNIL B. , GHOSH SIDDHARTHA
Published: April 2012

The thin unstiffened steel plate shear wall (SPSW) system has now emerged as a promising lateral load resisting system. Considering performance-based design requirements, a ductility-based design was recently proposed for SPSW systems. It was felt that a detailed and closer look into the aspect of seismic lateral force distribution was necessary in this method. An investigation toward finding a suitable lateral force distribution for ductility-based design of SPSW is presented in this paper. The investigation is based on trial designs for a variety of scenarios where five common lateral force distributions are considered. The effectiveness of an assumed trial distribution is measured primarily on the basis of how closely the design achieves the target ductility ratio, which is measured in terms of the roof displacement. All trial distributions are found to be almost equally effective. Therefore, the use of any commonly adopted lateral force distribution is recommended for plastic design of SPSW systems.
EFFECTS OF ANGLE OF INCIDENCE OF SH-WAVE AT THE BASIN-EDGE ON THE CHARACTRISTICS OF BASIN-EDGE INDUCED LOVE WAVE
Authors: NARAYAN J. P.
Published: April 2012

This paper presents the effects of angle of incidence of SH-wave at the basin-edge on the characteristics of basin-edge induced Love waves and associated strain and aggravation factor (aggravation factor is simply the extra spectral amplification due to complex 2D site effects over the 1D response of the soil column). The linear seismic responses of basin-edge model with various edge-slopes were computed using SH-wave finite difference algorithm with second-order accuracy in time and fourth-order accuracy in space. The analysis of simulated results revealed an increase of amplitude of induced Love waves, differential ground motion (strain), and aggravation factor with decrease of basin-edge slope and increase of angle of incidence of SH-wave at the basin-edge. Maximum strain of the order of 9.23 × 10-4(for 1.0 cm peak ground displacement at the bedrock) was obtained at an offset of 60.0 m (0.47λF0, where λF0is the fundamental wavelength), in case of 84.4° angle of incidence of SH-wave. Further, the percentage increase of strain with respect to the strain in case of normal incidence of SH-wave was almost equal to the angle of incidence of SH-wave at the basin-edge.
HYBRID DECOMPOSITION AND ENSEMBLE FRAMEWORK FOR STOCK PRICE FORECASTING: A COMPARATIVE STUDY
Authors: XIONG TAO , BAO YUKUN , HU ZHONGYI , ZHANG RUI , ZHANG JINLONG
Published: April 2012

In this study, a hybrid decomposition and ensemble framework incorporating Ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) and selected modeling methodologies are proposed for stock price forecasting. Under the framework, the original stock price series was first decomposed into several subseries including a number of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) and a residue using EEMD technique. Then, extracted subseries was modeled to generate forecasts respectively. Finally, the forecasts of all extracted subseries were aggregated to produce an ensemble forecasts for the original stock price series. An extensive experiment was conducted to compare the feasibility and validity of the proposed hybrid framework employing different modeling methodologies, such as support vector machines (SVMs) (in the formulation of support vector regression (SVR), feed forward neural networks (FNN), and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA). The real daily closing price series of Thirty Dow Jones industrial stocks from New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) was used for experimental evaluation. The results demonstrate that significant improvement can be achieved with the proposed hybrid decomposition and ensemble framework across all the three modeling methodologies, particularly, hybrid EEMD-based FNN modeling framework achieved the most significant improvement but hybrid EEMD-based SVMs modeling framework performed best in terms of root mean squared error (RMSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and directional symmetry (DS).
A NEW APPLICATION OF ENSEMBLE EMD AMELIORATING THE ERROR FROM INSUFFICIENT SAMPLING RATE
Authors: HUANG DISHAN , XU YULIN
Published: April 2012

The objective of this paper is to apply an assisted noise method for ameliorating the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) error from insufficient sampling rate for a vibration signal. When the intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) are extracted from a signal mixed noise at a certain level on the sifting algorithm, an extraordinary phenomenon, where noise submerges the EMD error, is discovered. Thus, noise-assisted data is proposed to disturb the EMD error in the sifting process. In order to cancel out noise after serving its purpose, the IMFs are processed with an ensemble mean. As a result, the noise-assisted data ameliorates the EMD error from insufficient sampling rate, and the method treats the mean as the final true result. An EMD example of ball bearing vibration is presented to illustrate the validity of the approach. This paper recommends implementing the noise-assisted method in the EMD on vibration and acoustic signals with broad band.
A SURVEY OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF VECTOR SPACE PARTITIONS
Authors: HEDEN OLOF
Published: April 2012

A vector space partition is here a collection [Formula: see text] of subspaces of a finite vector space V(n, q), of dimension n over a finite field with q elements, with the property that every non-zero vector is contained in a unique member of [Formula: see text]. Vector space partitions relate to finite projective planes, design theory and error correcting codes. In the first part of the paper I will discuss some relations between vector space partitions and other branches of mathematics. The other part of the paper contains a survey of known results on the type of a vector space partition, more precisely: the theorem of Beutelspacher and Heden on T-partitions, rather recent results of El-Zanati et al. on the different types that appear in the spaces V(n, 2), for n ≤ 8, a result of Heden and Lehmann on vector space partitions and maximal partial spreads including their new necessary condition for the existence of a vector space partition, and furthermore, I will give a theorem of Heden on the length of the tail of a vector space partition. Finally, I will also give a few historical remarks.
A SURVEY ON UNDIRECTED CIRCULANT GRAPHS
Authors: MONAKHOVA E. A.
Published: April 2012

Circulant graphs have been extensively investigated over the past 30 years because of their broad application to different fields of theory and practice. Two known surveys on circulant networks including a survey on undirected circulants have been published: by Bermond et al. [Distributed loop computer networks: A survey, J. Parallel Distributed Comput.24 (1995) 2–10] and by Hwang [A survey on multi-loop networks, Theoret. Comput. Sci.299 (2003) 107–121]. The present paper includes the results which have not been presented there, in particular the works of Russian researchers, and also a lot of new results obtained in the area of research of circulant networks. We focus on the survey connected with study of structural and communicative properties of circulant networks.
SIGNED TOTAL {K}-DOMINATION AND {K}-DOMATIC NUMBERS OF GRAPHS
Authors: SHEIKHOLESLAMI S. M. , VOLKMANN L.
Published: April 2012

Let k be a positive integer, and let G be a simple graph with vertex set V(G). A function f : V(G) → {±1, ±2, …, ±k} is called a signed total {k}-dominating function if ∑u∈N(v) f(u) ≥ k for each vertex v ∈ V(G). A set {f1, f2, …, fd} of signed total {k}-dominating functions on G with the property that [Formula: see text] for each v∈V(G), is called a signed total {k}-dominating family (of functions) on G. The maximum number of functions in a signed total {k}-dominating family on G is the signed total {k}-domatic number of G, denoted by [Formula: see text]. Note that [Formula: see text] is the classical signed total domatic number dS(G). In this paper, we initiate the study of signed total k-domatic numbers in graphs, and we present some sharp upper bounds for [Formula: see text]. In addition, we determine [Formula: see text] for several classes of graphs. Some of our results are extensions of known properties of the signed total domatic number.
A SIMPLE WAY TO ESTABLISH NON-EXISTENCE OF DIFFERENCE SETS
Authors: OSIFODUNRIN ADEGOKE S.
Published: April 2012

We illustrate that the combination of the variance technique and factorization in the cyclotomic rings is sufficient to establish non-existence of difference sets.
CONSTRAINED RELAY NODE DEPLOYMENT FOR UNDERWATER ACOUSTIC WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS
Authors: LI DEYING , LI ZHENG , MA WENKAI , CHEN WENPING
Published: April 2012

An underwater acoustic wireless sensor network (UA-WSN) consists of many resource-constrained underwater sensor nodes (USNs), which are deployed to perform collaborative monitoring tasks over a given region. One way to preserve network connectivity while guaranteeing other network QoS is to deploy some relay nodes (RNs) in the networks. Although RNs' function is more powerful than USNs, but they can lead to more interference and their cost is more expensive. This paper addresses constrained low-interference relay node deployment problem for 3-D UA-WSNs in which the RNs are placed at a subset of candidate locations to ensure connectivity between the USNs such that the number of RNs deployed and the value of total incremental interference are minimized. We first prove that it is NP-hard, then propose a general approximation algorithm framework. Based on the framework, we get two polynomial time O(1)-approximation algorithms.
OPTIMAL ONLINE ALGORITHMS ON TWO HIERARCHICAL MACHINES WITH RESOURCE AUGMENTATION
Authors: JIANG YIWEI , ZHANG AN , HU JUELIANG
Published: April 2012

This paper investigates an online hierarchical scheduling problem with resource augmentation, i.e., the resources of the online algorithms are different from those of the offline algorithms. The machines are provided with different capacity according to their hierarchies. One with the hierarchy 1 has a speed of s(q) in the online (offline) algorithms and can process all the jobs. The other with hierarchy 2 has a speed of 1 in the online/offline algorithms and can only process partial jobs. The objective is to minimize makespan. For any 0 < q, s < ∞, we present optimal online algorithms with parametric competitive ratios.
A threshold based approach to technical debt
Authors: Eisenberg Robert J.
Published: April 2012

Nearly two decades ago, Ward Cunningham introduced us to the term "technical debt" as a means of describing the long term costs associated with a suboptimal software design and implementation. For most programs, especially those with a large legacy code baseline, achieving zero absolute debt is an unnecessary and unrealistic goal. It is important to recall that a primary reason for managing and eliminating debt is to drive down maintenance costs and to reduce defects. A sufficiently low, manageable level of debt can minimize the long-term impact, i.e., "low debt interest payments". In this article, we define an approach for establishing program specific thresholds to define manageable levels of technical debt.
Interoperability of constrained finite state automata
Authors: Majumdar Dipankar , Bhattacharya Swapan
Published: April 2012

Finite State Automata have been extended in a number of ways with varied additional constraints with an objective of modeling varied real life problems. The current paper commonly refers to such extensions as constrained automata. It aims at defining a generic mathematical model for the constrained automata targeted towards interoperability and possible integration amongst them. The paper proposes and demonstrates usage of hyper complex symbols that realizes the objective.
Empirical studies of global volunteer collaboration in the development of free and open source software
Authors: P. M. Krishna Raj , K. G. Srinivasa
Published: April 2012

Sourceforge.net is the largest portal hosting Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). Among the projects available in sourceforge.net, six top ranked projects are selected for studying global volunteer collaboration patterns over a period of 6 years (2005-2011). It is found that a small set of volunteers do most of the work in these projects. The growth rate of volunteers, identification of core developers, join and drop rate of volunteers, task allocation and rate of task completion, movement of existing volunteers among different projects and the rate of new volunteer inclusion are also studied.
Effectiveness of refactoring metrics model to identify smelly and error prone classes in open source software
Authors: Singh Satwinder , Kahlon K. S.
Published: April 2012

In order to improve software maintainability, possible improvement efforts must be made measurable. One such effort is refactoring the code which makes the code easier to read, understand and maintain. It is done by identifying the bad smell area in the code. This paper presents the results of an empirical study to develop a metrics model to identify the smelly classes. In addition, this metrics model is validated by identifying the smelly and error prone classes. The role of two new metrics (encapsulation and information hiding) is also investigated for identifying smelly and faulty classes in software code. This paper first presents a binary statistical analysis of the relationship between metrics and bad smells, the results of which show a significant relationship. Then, the metrics model (with significant metrics shortlisted from the binary analysis) for bad smell categorization (divided into five categories) is developed. To develop the model, three releases of the open source Mozila Firefox system are examined and the model is validated on one version of Mozila Sea Monkey, which has a strong industrial usage. The results show that metrics can predict smelly and faulty classes with high accuracy, but in the case of the categorized model, not all categories of bad smells can adequately be identified. Further, few categorised models can predict the faulty classes. Based on these results, we recommend more training for our model.
Reflection on Turkish aspect-oriented software development workshop series
Authors: Tekinerdogan Bedir
Published: April 2012

In the last decade aspect-oriented software development (AOSD) has gained a broad interest in both academic institutions and industry. Likewise, several international conferences and workshops have been organized around the topic of AOSD. This paper summarizes the results of the national Turkish Aspect-Oriented Software Development Workshop series that have been organized in the last decade with the goal to stimulate the research and education on AOSD in Turkey. The fifth workshop was organized in December 2011. Aspects identified and demonstrated during the workshops have been collected in the so-called Aspect Browser. We report both on the experiences from the workshop series and the resulting aspect browser.
Evaluating and understanding the usability of a pen-based command system for interactive paper
Authors: Liao Chunyuan , Guimbretièere Françcois
Published: April 2012

To combine the affordances of paper and computers, prior research has proposed numerous interactive paper systems that link specific paper document content to digital operations such as multimedia playback and proofreading. Yet, it remains unclear to what degree these systems bridge the inherent gap between paper and computers when compared to existing paper-only and computer-only interfaces. In particular, given the special properties of paper, such as limited dynamic feedback, how well does an average new user learn to master the interactive paper system? What factors affect the user performance? And how does the paper interface work in a typical use scenario?

To answer these questions, we conducted two empirical experiments on a generic pen-gesture-based command system, called PapierCraft [Liao et al. 2008], for paper-based interfaces. With it, people can select sections of printed document and issue commands such as copy and paste, linking and in-text search. The first experiment focused on the user performance of drawing pen gestures on paper. It proves that users can learn the command system in about 30 minutes and achieve a performance comparable to a table PC-based interface supporting the same gestures. The second experiment examined the application of the command system in active reading tasks. The results show promise for seamless integration of paper and computers in active reading for their combined affordances. In addition, our study identifies some key design issues, such as the pen form factor and feedback of gestures. This article contributes to better understanding on pros and cons of paper and computers, and sheds light on the design of future interfaces for document interaction.
End-user debugging strategies
Authors: Grigoreanu Valentina , Burnett Margaret , Wiedenbeck Susan , Cao Jill , Rector Kyle , Kwan Irwin
Published: April 2012

Despite decades of research into how professional programmers debug, only recently has work emerged about how end-user programmers attempt to debug programs. Without this knowledge, we cannot build tools to adequately support their needs. This article reports the results of a detailed qualitative empirical study of end-user programmers' sensemaking about a spreadsheet's correctness. Using our study's data, we derived a sensemaking model for end-user debugging and categorized participants' activities and verbalizations according to this model, allowing us to investigate how participants went about debugging. Among the results are identification of the prevalence of information foraging during end-user debugging, two successful strategies for traversing the sensemaking model, potential ties to gender differences in the literature, sensemaking sequences leading to debugging progress, and sequences tied with troublesome points in the debugging process. The results also reveal new implications for the design of spreadsheet tools to support end-user programmers' sensemaking during debugging.
Experiencing coincidence during digital music listening
Authors: Leong Tuck W. , Vetere Frank , Howard Steve
Published: April 2012

People have reported encountering coincidences when using particular technologies to interact with personal digital content. However, to date, there is a paucity of research to understand these experiences. This article applies McCarthy and Wright's [2004; 2005] experiential framework to analyze these kinds of technology-mediated coincidences. By focusing upon encounters of coincidence during people's digital music listening, we identified the elements at play, elucidated the properties of the individual elements, their inter-relationships, and an understanding of how coincidences can arise. We also reveal how, under particular conditions, such elements provide people with opportunities to encounter coincidence. This understanding of coincidence demonstrates how McCarthy and Wright's [2004; 2005] framework can be usefully applied to an empirical investigation of user experience.
Using context to reveal factors that affect physical activity
Authors: Li Ian , Dey Anind K. , Forlizzi Jodi
Published: April 2012

There are many physical activity awareness systems available in today's market. These systems show physical activity information (e.g., step counts, energy expenditure, heart rate) which is sufficient for many self-knowledge needs, but information about the factors that affect physical activity may be needed for deeper self-reflection and increased self-knowledge. We explored the use of contextual information, such as events, places, and people, to support reflection on the factors that affect physical activity. We present three findings from our studies. First, users make associations between physical activity and contextual information that help them become aware of factors that affect their physical activity. Second, reflecting on physical activity and context can increase people's awareness of opportunities for physical activity. Lastly, automated tracking of physical activity and contextual information benefits long-term reflection, but may have detrimental effects on immediate awareness.
WindowScape
Authors: Tashman Craig , Edwards W. Keith
Published: April 2012

People frequently experience difficulty switching between computer-mediated tasks. To help address this, we created WindowScape, a zooming window manager that uses implicit grouping to help users sort windows according to task. WindowScape was intended to provide a more flexible and intuitive grouping model than prior systems. We report on the design process leading up to the system, and alternative designs we explored. We describe a series of formative evaluations that resulted in significant modifications to our initial prototype, as well as a deployment study of the final version, where users lived with WindowScape on a day-to-day basis. Our results from this study reveal how users react to novel aspects of our system, including its particular uses of miniaturization and its approach to grouping. We also discuss the impact of a task-oriented approach to window management on other aspects of user behavior, and the implications of this for future system design.
Phase and Antiphase Synchronization between 3‐Cell CNN and Volta Fractional‐Order Chaotic Systems via Active Control
Authors: Yaghoubi Zahra , Zarabadipour Hassan
Published: April 2012

Synchronization of fractional‐order chaotic dynamical systems is receiving increasing attention owing to its interesting applications in secure communications of analog and digital signals and cryptographic systems. In this paper, a drive‐response synchronization method is studied for “phase and antiphase synchronization” of a class of fractional‐order chaotic systems via active control method, using the 3‐cell and Volta systems as an example. These examples are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the synchronization method.
Experimental Validation of Methods for Prophylaxis against Deep Venous Thrombosis: A Review and Proposal
Authors: Agutter Paul S. , Malone P. Colm , Silver Ian A.
Published: April 2012

The experimental procedure by which the valve cusp hypoxia (VCH) hypothesis of the etiology of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) was confirmed lends itself to testing of methods of prophylaxis. Similar animal experiments could end the present exclusive reliance on statistical analysis of data from large patient cohorts to evaluate prophylactic regimes. The reduction of need for such (usually retrospective) analyses could enable rationally-based clinical trials of prophylactic methods to be conducted more rapidly, and the success of such trials would lead to decreased incidences of DVT-related mortality and morbidity. This paper reviews the VCH hypothesis (“VCH thesis”, following its corroboration) and its implications for understanding DVT and its sequelae, and outlines the experimental protocol for testing prophylactic methods. The advantages and limitations of the protocol are briefly discussed.
Antibody-Mediated Rejection in Kidney Transplantation: A Review
Authors: Puttarajappa Chethan , Shapiro Ron , Tan Henkie P.
Published: April 2012

Antibody mediated rejection (AMR) poses a significant and continued challenge for long term graft survival in kidney transplantation. However, in the recent years, there has emerged an increased understanding of the varied manifestations of the antibody mediated processes in kidney transplantation. In this article, we briefly discuss the various histopathological and clinical manifestations of AMRs, along with describing the techniques and methods which have made it easier to define and diagnose these rejections. We also review the emerging issues of C4d negative AMR, its significance in long term allograft survival and provide a brief summary of the current management strategies for managing AMRs in kidney transplantation.
Temporal Lobe Epilepsy after Refractory Status Epilepticus: An Illustrative Case and Review of the Literature
Authors: Gordon Boyd J. , Debicki Derek B. , Young G. Bryan
Published: April 2012

New onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) is a relatively newly defined disease entity, where otherwise healthy individuals develop unrelenting seizures that do not respond to conventional anticonvulsant therapy and may require months of therapy with anesthetic drugs. We have described a case of NORSE who subsequently developed mesial temporal lobe sclerosis (MTS) and recurrent temporal lobe seizures. We discuss the possible pathophysiological mechanisms by which refractory seizures may contribute to the development of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).
Biphasic Osteogenic Characteristics of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Cultured on TiO2 Nanotubes of Different Diameters
Authors: Moon Kyung-Suk , Yu Sang-Hui , Bae Ji-Myung , Oh Seunghan
Published: April 2012

We cultured human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) on TiO2 nanotubes with
diameters of 30–100 nm to assess the size‐effect of TiO2 nanotubes on the behavior and
osteogenic functionality of hMSCs. Most studies of the expression of genes encoding alkaline
phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin (OCN), osteopontin (OPN), and integrin‐β (INT‐B), after 1
week of incubation, supported the results of cell viability and MTT assays at 48 hrs of plating.
However, after 2 weeks of incubation, expression of ALP, OPN, INT‐B, and protein kinase R‐like
ER kinase (PERK) genes were significantly higher in cells cultured on 70 nm TiO2
nanotubes than that in cells cultured on other TiO2 nanotubes and Ti. This biphasic osteogenic
characteristic of hMSCs is supposed to relating to the nature of the hMSCs adhering to the
substrate at the beginning of incubation, and the nanostructural stimulation caused by the
topography of TiO2 nanotubes at a later stage of incubation. The discovery of these biphasic
characteristics of hMSCs cultured on different‐sized TiO2 nanotubes may contribute to
resolving the discrepant results relating to the size‐effect of TiO2 nanotubes on the adhesion,
proliferation, and functionality of cells.
Current Situation and Perspectives of Clinical Study in Integrative Medicine in China
Authors: Wang Jie , Xiong Xingjiang
Published: April 2012

Integrative medicine is not only an innovative China model in clinical practice, but also the bridge for TCM toward the world. In the past thirty years, great achievements have been made in integrative medicine researches, especially in clinical practice. The clinical achievements mainly include the following three: innovating methodology of disease-syndrome combination, excavating the classical theory in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), preventing and curing refractory diseases. The development ideas and strategies of integrative medicine for future mainly include (a) standing on frontier field of international medicine and improving the capability of preventing and curing refractory diseases; (b) moving prevention and control strategy forward and improving the curative effect of common and frequent disease; (c) excavating the classical theory of TCM and broadening the treatment system of modern medicine; (d) improving the innovation level of new high effective drugs on the basis of classical prescriptions and herbs in TCM; (e) rerecognizing the theory of formula corresponding to syndrome in TCM and enhancing the level of clinical research evidence based on evidence-based medicine. Integrative medicine will do obtain greater achievements in creating new medicine and pharmacology and make more tremendous contributions for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and human health care.
Medical Therapy of Acromegaly
Authors: Plöckinger U.
Published: April 2012

This paper outlines the present status of medical therapy of acromegaly. Indications for permanent postoperative treatment, postirradiation treamtent to bridge the interval until remission as well as primary medical therapy are elaborated. Therapeutic efficacy of the different available drugs—somatostatin receptor ligands (SRLs), dopamine agonists, and the GH antagonist Pegvisomant—is discussed, as are the indications for and efficacy of their respective combinations. Information on their mechanism of action, and some pharmakokinetic data are included. Special emphasis is given to the difficulties to define remission criteria of acromegaly due to technical assay problems. An algorithm for medical therapy in acromegaly is provided.
Quantitative Proteomic (iTRAQ) Analysis of 1st Trimester Maternal Plasma Samples in Pregnancies at Risk for Preeclampsia
Authors: Kolla Varaprasad , Jenö Paul , Moes Suzette , Lapaire Olav , Hoesli Irene , Hahn Sinuhe
Published: April 2012

A current major obstacle is that no reliable screening markers exist to detect pregnancies at risk for preeclampsia. Quantitative proteomic analysis employing isobaric labelling (iTRAQ) has been suggested to be suitable for the detection of potential plasma biomarkers, a feature we recently verified in analysis of pregnancies with Down syndrome foetuses. We have now examined whether this approach could yield biomarkers to screen pregnancies at risk for preeclampsia. In our study, we used maternal plasma samples obtained at 12 weeks of gestation, six from women who subsequently developed preeclampsia and six with uncomplicated deliveries. In our analysis, we observed elevations in 10 proteins out of 64 proteins in the preeclampsia study group when compared to the healthy control group. These proteins included clusterin, fibrinogen, fibronectin, and angiotensinogen, increased levels of which are known to be associated with preeclampsia. An elevation in the immune-modulatory molecule, galectin 3 binding protein, was also noted. Our pilot study, therefore, indicates that quantitative proteomic iTRAQ analysis could be a useful tool for the detection of new preeclampsia screening markers.
Series Solutions for Marangoni Convection on a Vertical Surface
Authors: Bognár Gabriella , Hriczó Krisztián
Published: April 2012

The problem of steady, laminar, thermal Marangoni convection flow of Newtonian fluid over a flat surface is investigated. The boundary layer equations for the momentum and energy equations are transformed with the similarity solutions to ODEs to obtain the analytical approximate solutions. The analysis assumes that the temperature variation is a power law function of the location. The approximate solutions to the similarity equations are obtained by exponential series. The effects of the power law exponent and Prandtl number on the velocity and temperature profiles are presented.
In VitroPropagation of Pink Lapacho: Response Surface Methodology and Factorial Analysis for Optimisation of Medium Components
Authors: Larraburu Ezequiel Enrique , Apóstolo Nancy Mariel , Llorente Berta Elizabet
Published: April 2012

Handroanthus impetiginosus, pink lapacho, is a timber, ornamental, and medicinal tree. Experiments on thein vitropropagation ofH. impetiginosuswere conducted using nodal segments cultivated in both Murashige and Skoog salts with Gamborg vitamins (MSG) and Woody Plant Medium (WPM) with different concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BA) and indole butyric acid (IBA). Morphogenic responses were differentially affected by salt compositions and their interactions with plant growth regulators in each micropropagation stage. According to response surface analysis, the optimum multiplication rate with 1 μM IBA ranged from 16.7 to 21.3 μM BA in WPM, and the inhibitors of endogenous auxins could increase multiplication rates. A pulse with 50 μM IBA in1/2MSG produced 83% rooting with 3.2 roots per shoots and higher fresh and dry weights of shoots and roots. In the acclimatisation stage, 50% of plants survived after 1 year. This methodology optimised the culture media for thein vitropropagation of theH. impetiginosusclonal pool and could be applied to related species, several of which are categorised as vulnerable on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List.
Declining Bark Beetle Densities (Ips typographus, Coleoptera: Scolytinae) from Infested Norway Spruce Stands and Possible Implications for Management
Authors: Angst Alexander , Rüegg Regula , Forster Beat
Published: April 2012

The eight-toothed spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) is the most serious insect pest in Central European forests. During the past two decades, extreme meteorological events and subsequent beetle infestations have killed millions of cubic meters of standing spruce trees. Not all the infested stands could be cleared in time, and priorities in management had to be set. Natural or man-made buffer zones of about 500 meters in width are frequently defined to separate differently managed stands in Central Europe. While the buffer zones seem to be effective in most of the cases, their impact has not been studied in detail. Beetle densities were therefore assessed in three case studies using pheromone traps along transects, leading from infested stands into spruce-free buffer zones. The results of the trap catches allow an estimation of the buffer zone influence on densities and the dispersal ofIps typographus. Beetle densities were found to decrease rapidly with increasing distance from the infested spruce stands. The trap catches were below high-risk thresholds within a few hundred meters of the infested stands. The decrease in catches was more pronounced in open land and in an urban area than in a broadleaf stand. Designed buffer zones of 500 m width without spruce can therefore very probably help to reduce densities of spreading beetles.
On the Stability of an m‐Variables Functional Equation in Random Normed Spaces via Fixed Point Method
Authors: Ebadian A. , Gordji M. Eshaghi , Khodaei H. , Saadati R. , Sadeghi Gh.
Published: April 2012

At first we find the solution of the functional equation where m ≥ 2 is an integer number. Then, we obtain the generalized Hyers‐Ulam‐Rassias stability in random normed spaces via the fixed point method for the above functional equation.