bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interview column
Authors: Riegler Michael Alexander , Engelbrecht Herman , Lux Mathias
Published: October 2017

The interviews in the SIGMM records aim to provide the community with the insights, visions, and views from outstanding researchers in multimedia. With the interviews we particularly try to find out what makes these researchers outstanding and also to a certain extend what is going on in their mind, what are their visions and what are their thoughts about current topics. Examples from the last issues include interviews with Judith Redi, Klara Nahrstedt, and Wallapak Tavanapong.

The interviewers are conducted via Skype or - even better - in person by meeting them at conferences or other community events. We aim to publish three to four interviews a year. If you have suggestions for who to interview, please feel free to contact one of the column editors, which are:
Pulmonary vasodilation by phosphodiesterase 5 inhibition is enhanced and nitric oxide independent in early pulmonary hypertension after myocardial infarction
Authors: van Duin Richard W. B. , Houweling Birgit , Uitterdijk André , Duncker Dirk J. , Merkus Daphne
Published: October 2017

Myocardial infarction (MI) may result in pulmonary hypertension (PH). Inhibition of phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5), the enzyme responsible for the breakdown of cGMP in vascular smooth muscle, has become part of the contemporary therapeutic armamentarium for pulmonary arterial hypertension and may also be beneficial for PH secondary to MI. Nitric oxide (NO) is an important activator of cGMP synthesis and can be enhanced in early PH and decreased in severe PH. In the present study, we investigated if PDE5 inhibition ameliorates pulmonary hemodynamics in swine with PH secondary to MI and whether NO is essential. The PDE5 inhibitor EMD360527 was administered in awake, chronically instrumented swine with or without MI. At rest, PDE5 inhibition produced pulmonary vasodilation as evidenced by a decrease in pulmonary vascular resistance, which was more pronounced in MI ( n = 5) compared with normal swine ( n = 10, P ≤ 0.01) and was accompanied by an increase in stroke volume in MI swine. Both pulmonary vasodilation and increased stroke volume were maintained during exercise, suggesting that this therapy may improve exercise capacity in patients with PH secondary to MI. Interestingly, prior inhibition of NO significantly enhanced ( P ≤ 0.01) pulmonary vasodilation by PDE5 inhibition in both normal ( n = 8) and MI swine ( n = 5, P ≤ 0.05 vs. normal). This suggests that the increased vasodilator responses to PDE5 inhibition after MI were not due to an increase in NO-induced cGMP production. These observations indicate that PDE5 inhibition represents an interesting pharmacotherapeutic approach in early PH after a recent MI to prevent overt PH.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY This research article is the first to describe that pulmonary vasodilation to phosphodiesterase 5 inhibition is enhanced and nitric oxide independent in resting and exercising swine with pulmonary hypertension as a result of myocardial infarction. This suggests that phosphodiesterase 5 inhibition can normalize pulmonary hemodynamics in postcapillary pulmonary hypertension after a recent myocardial infarction and may improve exercise capacity.
Dual effects of hyperglycemia on endothelial cells and cardiomyocytes to enhance coronary LPL activity
Authors: Chiu Amy Pei-Ling , Bierende Denise , Lal Nathaniel , Wang Fulong , Wan Andrea , Vlodavsky Israel , Hussein Bahira , Rodrigues Brian
Published: October 2017

In the diabetic heart, there is excessive dependence on fatty acid (FA) utilization to generate ATP. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL)-mediated hydrolysis of circulating triglycerides is suggested to be the predominant source of FA for cardiac utilization during diabetes. In the heart, the majority of LPL is synthesized in cardiomyocytes and secreted onto cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG), where an endothelial cell (EC)-releasable β-endoglycosidase, heparanase cleaves the side chains of HSPG to liberate LPL for its onward movement across the EC. EC glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored high-density lipoprotein-binding protein 1 (GPIHBP1) captures this released enzyme at its basolateral side and shuttles it across to its luminal side. We tested whether the diabetes-induced increase of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) can influence the myocyte and EC to help transfer LPL to the vascular lumen to generate triglyceride-FA. In response to high glucose and EC heparanase secretion, this endoglycosidase is taken up by the cardiomyocyte (Wang Y, Chiu AP, Neumaier K, Wang F, Zhang D, Hussein B, Lal N, Wan A, Liu G, Vlodavsky I, Rodrigues B. Diabetes 63: 2643–2655, 2014) to stimulate matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression and the conversion of latent to active TGF-β. In the cardiomyocyte, TGF-β activation of RhoA enhances actin cytoskeleton rearrangement to promote LPL trafficking and secretion onto cell surface HSPG. In the EC, TGF-β signaling promotes mesodermal homeobox 2 translocation to the nucleus, which increases the expression of GPIHBP1, which facilitates movement of LPL to the vascular lumen. Collectively, our data suggest that in the diabetic heart, TGF-β actions on the cardiomyocyte promotes movement of LPL, whereas its action on the EC facilitates LPL shuttling.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Endothelial cells, as first responders to hyperglycemia, release heparanase, whose subsequent uptake by cardiomyocytes amplifies matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression and activation of transforming growth factor-β. Transforming growth factor-β increases lipoprotein lipase secretion from cardiomyocytes and promotes mesodermal homeobox 2 to enhance glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored high-density lipoprotein-binding protein 1-dependent transfer of lipoprotein lipase across endothelial cells, mechanisms that accelerate fatty acid utilization by the diabetic heart.
HDL protects against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in a scavenger receptor class B type 1-, PI3K-, and Akt-dependent manner
Authors: Durham Kristina K. , Chathely Kevin M. , Mak Kei Cheng , Momen Abdul , Thomas Cyrus T. , Zhao Yuan-Yuan , MacDonald Melissa E. , Curtis Jonathan M. , Husain Mansoor , Trigatti Bernardo L.
Published: October 2017

Doxorubicin is a widely used chemotherapeutic with deleterious cardiotoxic side effects. HDL has been shown to protect cardiomyocytes in vitro against doxorubicin-induced apoptosis. Scavenger receptor class B type 1 (SR-B1), a high-affinity HDL receptor, mediates cytoprotective signaling by HDL through Akt. Here, we assessed whether increased HDL levels protect against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in vivo and in cardiomyocytes in culture and explored the intracellular signaling mechanisms involved, particularly the role of SR-B1. Transgenic mice with increased HDL levels through overexpression of human apolipoprotein A1 (apoA1Tg/Tg) and wild-type mice (apoA1+/+) with normal HDL levels were treated repeatedly with doxorubicin. After treatment, apoA1+/+mice displayed cardiac dysfunction, as evidenced by reduced left ventricular end-systolic pressure and +dP/d t, and histological analysis revealed cardiomyocyte atrophy and increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis after doxorubicin treatment. In contrast, apoA1Tg/Tgmice were protected against doxorubicin-induced cardiac dysfunction and cardiomyocyte atrophy and apoptosis. When SR-B1 was knocked out, however, overexpression of apoA1 did not protect against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Using primary neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes and human immortalized ventricular cardiomyocytes in combination with genetic knockout, inhibitors, or siRNA-mediated knockdown, we demonstrated that SR-B1 is required for HDL-mediated protection of cardiomyocytes against doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in vitro via a pathway involving phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and Akt1/2. Our findings provide proof of concept that raising apoA1 to supraphysiological levels can dramatically protect against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity via a pathway that is mediated by SR-B1 and involves Akt1/2 activation in cardiomyocytes.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY We have identified an important role for the scavenger receptor class B type 1 in facilitating high-density lipoprotein-mediated protection of cardiomyocytes against stress-induced apoptosis and shown that increasing plasma high-density lipoprotein protects against the deleterious side effects of the chemotherapeutic and cardiotoxic drug doxorubicin.
Use of proper statistical techniques for research studies with small samples
Authors: Morgan Charity J.
Published: October 2017

In this review I discuss the appropriateness of various statistical methods for use with small sample sizes. I review the assumptions and limitations of these methods and provide recommendations for figures and statistical tests.
ACE-modulated adiposity is related to higher energy expenditure and independent of lipolysis and glucose incorporation into lipids in adipocytes
Authors: Fonseca-Alaniz Miriam Helena , Higa Talita Sayuri , Ferraz-de-Campos Tarcila Beatriz , Takada Julie , Torres-Leal Francisco Leonardo , Evangelista Fabiana Sant’Anna , Lima Fabio Bessa , Krieger José Eduardo
Published: October 2017

Emerging evidence suggests that both systemic and white adipose tissue-renin-angiotensin system components influence body weight control. We previously demonstrated that higher angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene expression is associated with lower body adiposity in a rodent model. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that a higher ACE gene dosage reduces fat accumulation by increasing energy expenditure and modulating lipolysis and glucose incorporation into lipids in adipocytes. After a 12 wk follow-up period, transgenic mice harboring three ACE (3ACE) gene copies displayed diminished WAT mass, lipid content in their carcasses, adipocyte hypotrophy, and higher resting oxygen uptake (V̇o2) in comparison with animals with one ACE gene copy (1ACE) after long fasting (12 h). No differences were found in food intake and in the rates of lipolysis and glucose incorporation into lipids in adipocytes. To assess whether this response involves increased angiotensin II type I receptor (AT1R) activation, AT1R blocker (losartan) was used in a separate group of 3ACE mice with body weight and adiposity comparable to that in the other 3ACE animals. We suggest that fasting-induced lower adiposity observed in animals with 3ACE gene copies might be associated with a higher expense of energy reserves; this response did not involve AT1R activation.
Potential mechanisms of hypothalamic renin-angiotensin system activation by leptin and DOCA-salt for the control of resting metabolism
Authors: Sapouckey Sarah A. , Deng Guorui , Sigmund Curt D. , Grobe Justin L.
Published: October 2017

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS), originally described as a circulating hormone system, is an enzymatic cascade in which the final vasoactive peptide angiotensin II (ANG) regulates cardiovascular, hydromineral, and metabolic functions. The RAS is also synthesized locally in a number of tissues including the brain, where it can act in a paracrine fashion to regulate blood pressure, thirst, fluid balance, and resting energy expenditure/resting metabolic rate (RMR). Recent studies demonstrate that ANG AT1Areceptors ( Agtr1a) specifically in agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons of the arcuate nucleus (ARC) coordinate autonomic and energy expenditure responses to various stimuli including deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt, high-fat feeding, and leptin. It remains unclear, however, how these disparate stimuli converge upon and activate this specific population of AT1Areceptors in AgRP neurons. We hypothesize that these stimuli may act to stimulate local expression of the angiotensinogen (AGT) precursor for ANG, or the expression of AT1Areceptors, and thereby local activity of the RAS within the (ARC). Here we review mechanisms that may control AGT and AT1Aexpression within the central nervous system, with a particular focus on mechanisms activated by steroids, dietary fat, and leptin.
Copper Chelation Inhibits BRAFV600E-Driven Melanomagenesis and Counters Resistance to BRAFV600E and MEK1/2 Inhibitors
Authors: Brady Donita C. , Crowe Matthew S. , Greenberg Danielle N. , Counter Christopher M.
Published: October 2017

MEK1/2 and BRAFV600E inhibitors are used to treat BRAFV600E-positive melanoma, with other cancers under evaluation. Genetic perturbation of copper import or pharmacologic reduction of copper with the clinical copper chelator TTM inhibits MEK1/2 kinase activity and reduces BRAFV600E-driven tumorigenesis. In this study, we report that TTM inhibited transformed growth of melanoma cell lines resistant to BRAF or MEK1/2 inhibitors and enhanced the antineoplastic activity of these inhibitors. TTM also provided a survival advantage in a genetically engineered mouse model of melanoma, and when accounting for putative overdosing, trended toward an increase in the survival benefit afforded by BRAF inhibition. This effect was phenocopied by genetically inhibiting copper import in tumors, which was linked to a reduction in MAPK signaling. Thus, TTM reduces copper levels and MAPK signaling, thereby inhibiting BRAFV600E-driven melanoma tumor growth. These observations inform and support clinical evaluation of TTM in melanoma. Cancer Res; 77(22); 6240–52. ©2017 AACR.
Loss of FOXO1 Cooperates with TMPRSS2–ERG Overexpression to Promote Prostate Tumorigenesis and Cell Invasion
Authors: Yang Yinhui , Blee Alexandra M. , Wang Dejie , An Jian , Pan Yunqian , Yan Yuqian , Ma Tao , He Yundong , Dugdale Joseph , Hou Xiaonan , Zhang Jun , Weroha S. John , Zhu Wei-Guo , Wang Y. Alan , DePinho Ronald A. , Xu Wanhai , Huang Haojie
Published: October 2017

E26 transformation-specific transcription factor ERG is aberrantly overexpressed in approximately 50% of all human prostate cancer due to TMPRSS2-ERG gene rearrangements. However, mice with prostate-specific transgenic expression of prostate cancer–associated ERG alone fail to develop prostate cancer, highlighting that ERG requires other lesions to drive prostate tumorigenesis. Forkhead box (FOXO) transcription factor FOXO1 is a tumor suppressor that is frequently inactivated in human prostate cancer. Here, we demonstrate that FOXO1, but not other FOXO proteins (FOXO3 and FOXO4), binds and inhibits the transcriptional activity of prostate cancer–associated ERG independently of FOXO1 transcriptional activity. Knockdown of endogenous FOXO1 increased invasion of TMPRSS2–ERG fusion–positive VCaP cells, an effect completely abolished by ERG knockdown. Patient specimen analysis demonstrated that FOXO1 and ERG protein expression inversely correlated in a subset of human prostate cancer. Although human ERG transgene expression or homozygous deletion of Foxo1 alone in the mouse prostate failed to promote tumorigenesis, concomitant ERG transgene expression and Foxo1 deletion resulted in upregulation of ERG target genes, increased cell proliferation, and formation of high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia. Overall, we provide biochemical and genetic evidence that aberrantly activated ERG cooperates with FOXO1 deficiency to promote prostate tumorigenesis and cell invasion. Our findings enhance understanding of prostate cancer etiology and suggest that the FOXO1–ERG signaling axis can be a potential target for treatment of prostate cancer. Cancer Res; 77(23); 6524–37. ©2017 AACR.
Chemotherapeutic Dose Scheduling Based on Tumor Growth Rates Provides a Case for Low-Dose Metronomic High-Entropy Therapies
Authors: West Jeffrey , Newton Paul K.
Published: October 2017

We extended the classical tumor regression models such as Skipper's laws and the Norton–Simon hypothesis from instantaneous regression rates to the cumulative effect over repeated cycles of chemotherapy. To achieve this end, we used a stochastic Moran process model of tumor cell kinetics coupled with a prisoner's dilemma game-theoretic cell–cell interaction model to design chemotherapeutic strategies tailored to different tumor growth characteristics. Using the Shannon entropy as a novel tool to quantify the success of dosing strategies, we contrasted MTD strategies as compared with low-dose, high-density metronomic strategies (LDM) for tumors with different growth rates. Our results show that LDM strategies outperformed MTD strategies in total tumor cell reduction. This advantage was magnified for fast-growing tumors that thrive on long periods of unhindered growth without chemotherapy drugs present and was not evident after a single cycle of chemotherapy but grew after each subsequent cycle of repeated chemotherapy. The evolutionary growth/regression model introduced in this article agrees well with murine models. Overall, this model supports the concept of designing different chemotherapeutic schedules for tumors with different growth rates and develops quantitative tools to optimize these schedules for maintaining low-volume tumors. Cancer Res; 77(23); 6717–28. ©2017 AACR.
Astrocytes Promote Medulloblastoma Progression through Hedgehog Secretion
Authors: Liu Yongqiang , Yuelling Larra W. , Wang Yuan , Du Fang , Gordon Renata E. , O'Brien Jenny A. , Ng Jessica M.Y. , Robins Shannon , Lee Eric H. , Liu Hailong , Curran Tom , Yang Zeng-Jie
Published: October 2017

Astrocytes, the most abundant type of glial cells in the brain, play critical roles in supporting neuronal development and brain function. Although astrocytes have been frequently detected in brain tumors, including medulloblastoma (MB), their functions in tumorigenesis are not clear. Here, we demonstrate that astrocytes are essential components of the MB tumor microenvironment. Tumor-associated astrocytes (TAA) secrete the ligand sonic hedgehog (Shh), which is required for maintaining MB cell proliferation despite the absence of its primary receptor Patched-1 (Ptch1). Shh drives expression of Nestin in MB cells through a smoothened-dependent, but Gli1-independent mechanism. Ablation of TAA dramatically suppresses Nestin expression and blocks tumor growth. These findings demonstrate an indispensable role for astrocytes in MB tumorigenesis and reveal a novel Ptch1-independent Shh pathway involved in MB progression. Cancer Res; 77(23); 6692–703. ©2017 AACR.
Emerging Trends in Family History of Breast Cancer and Associated Risk
Authors: Shiyanbola Oyewale O. , Arao Robert F. , Miglioretti Diana L. , Sprague Brian L. , Hampton John M. , Stout Natasha K. , Kerlikowske Karla , Braithwaite Dejana , Buist Diana S.M. , Egan Kathleen M. , Newcomb Polly A. , Trentham-Dietz Amy
Published: October 2017

Background: Increase in breast cancer incidence associated with mammography screening diffusion may have attenuated risk associations between family history and breast cancer.

Methods: The proportions of women ages 40 to 74 years reporting a first-degree family history of breast cancer were estimated in the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium cohort (BCSC: N = 1,170,900; 1996–2012) and the Collaborative Breast Cancer Study (CBCS: cases N = 23,400; controls N = 26,460; 1987–2007). Breast cancer (ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive) relative risk estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CI) associated with family history were calculated using multivariable Cox proportional hazard and logistic regression models.

Results: The proportion of women reporting a first-degree family history increased from 11% in the 1980s to 16% in 2010 to 2013. Family history was associated with a >60% increased risk of breast cancer in the BCSC (HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.55–1.66) and CBCS (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.57–1.72). Relative risks decreased slightly with age. Consistent trends in relative risks were not observed over time or across stage of disease at diagnosis in both studies, except among older women (ages 60–74) where estimates were attenuated from about 1.7 to 1.3 over the last 20 years (P trend = 0.08 for both studies).

Conclusions: Although the proportion of women with a first-degree family history of breast cancer increased over time and by age, breast cancer risk associations with family history were nonetheless fairly constant over time for women under age 60.

Impact: First-degree family history of breast cancer remains an important breast cancer risk factor, especially for younger women, despite its increasing prevalence in the mammography screening era. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(12); 1753–60. ©2017 AACR.
Deep Learning–Based Multi-Omics Integration Robustly Predicts Survival in Liver Cancer
Authors: Chaudhary Kumardeep , Poirion Olivier B. , Lu Liangqun , Garmire Lana X.
Published: October 2017

Identifying robust survival subgroups of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) will significantly improve patient care. Currently, endeavor of integrating multi-omics data to explicitly predict HCC survival from multiple patient cohorts is lacking. To fill this gap, we present a deep learning (DL)–based model on HCC that robustly differentiates survival subpopulations of patients in six cohorts. We built the DL-based, survival-sensitive model on 360 HCC patients' data using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq), miRNA sequencing (miRNA-Seq), and methylation data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), which predicts prognosis as good as an alternative model where genomics and clinical data are both considered. This DL-based model provides two optimal subgroups of patients with significant survival differences (P = 7.13e−6) and good model fitness [concordance index (C-index) = 0.68]. More aggressive subtype is associated with frequent TP53 inactivation mutations, higher expression of stemness markers (KRT19 and EPCAM) and tumor marker BIRC5, and activated Wnt and Akt signaling pathways. We validated this multi-omics model on five external datasets of various omics types: LIRI-JP cohort (n = 230, C-index = 0.75), NCI cohort (n = 221, C-index = 0.67), Chinese cohort (n = 166, C-index = 0.69), E-TABM-36 cohort (n = 40, C-index = 0.77), and Hawaiian cohort (n = 27, C-index = 0.82). This is the first study to employ DL to identify multi-omics features linked to the differential survival of patients with HCC. Given its robustness over multiple cohorts, we expect this workflow to be useful at predicting HCC prognosis prediction. Clin Cancer Res; 24(6); 1248–59. ©2017 AACR.
Identity Analysis of Egg Based on Digital and Thermal Imaging: Image Processing and Counting Object Concept
Authors: Sunardi Sunardi , Yudhana Anton , Saifullah Shoffan
Published: October 2017

This Research was conducted to analyze the identification of eggs. The research processes use two tools, namely thermal imaging camera and smartphone camera. The identification process was done by using Matlab prototype tools. The image has been acquired by means of proficiency level, then analyzed and applied several methods. Image acquisition results of thermal imaging camera are processed using morphological dilation and do the complement in black and white (BW). While the digital image uses the merger method of morphological dilation and opening, and it doesn't need to be complemented. Labeling process is done, and the process of determining centroid and bounding box. The process has been done and it can be applied for identifying of chicken eggs with the accuracy rate of 100%. There are different methods of both images is obtained area (pixels) which is equivalent to the difference is very small as 6 x 10-3.
A Three-Point Directional Search Block Matching Algorithm
Authors: Paramkusam A.V. , Reddy D. Laxma
Published: October 2017

This paper proposes compact directional asymmetric search patterns, which we have named as three-point directional search (TDS). In most fast search motion estimation algorithms, a symmetric search pattern is usually set at the minimum block distortion point at each step of the search. The design of the symmetrical pattern in these algorithms relies primarily on the assumption that the direction of convergence is equally alike in each direction with respect to the search center. Therefore, the monotonic property of real-world video sequences is not properly used by these algorithms. The strategy of TDS is to keep searching for the minimum block distortion point in the most probable directions, unlike the previous fast search motion estimation algorithms where all the directions are checked. Therefore, the proposed method significantly reduces the number of search points for locating a motion vector. Compared to conventional fast algorithms, the proposed method has the fastest search speed and most satisfactory PSNR values for all test sequences.
Comparison of Three Segmentation Methods for Breast Ultrasound Images based on Level Set and Morphological Operations
Authors: Lestari Dewi Putrie , Madenda Sarifuddin , Ernastuti Ernastuti , Wibowo Eri Prasetyo
Published: October 2017

Breast cancer is one of the major causes of death among women all over the world. The most frequently used diagnosis tool to detect breast cancer is ultrasound. However, to segment the breast ultrasound images is a difficult thing. Some studies show that the active contour models have been proved to be the most successful methods for medical image segmentation. The level set method is a class of curve evolution methods based on the geometric active contour model. Morphological operation describes a range of image processing technique that deal with the shape of features in an image. Morphological operations are applied to remove imperfections that introduced during segmentation. In this paper, we have evaluated three level set methods that combined with morphological operations to segment the breast lesions. The level set methods that used in our research are the Chan Vese (C-V) model, the Selective Binary and Gaussian Filtering Regularized Level Set (SBGFRLS) model and the Distance Regularized Level Set Evolution (DRLSE) model. Furthermore, to evaluate the method, we compared the segmented breast lesion that obtained by each method with the lesion that obtained manually by radiologists. The evaluation is done by four metrics: Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC), True-Positive Ratio (TPR), True-Negative Ratio (TNR), and Accuracy (ACC). Our experimental results with 30 breast ultrasound images showed that the C-V model that combined with morphological operations have better performance than the other two methods according to mean value of DSC metrics.
GIS-MAP based Spatial Analysis of Rainfall Data of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana States Using R
Authors: Nagendra Kumar Y. Jeevan , Rajini Kanth T. V.
Published: October 2017

The rainfall conditions across wide geographical location and varied topographic conditions of India throw challenge to researchers and scientists in predicting rainfall effectively. India is Agriculture based country and it mainly depends on rainfall. Seasons in India are divided into four, which is winter in January and February, summer is from March to May, monsoon is from June to September and post monsoon is from October to December. India is Agriculture based country and it mainly depends on rainfall. It is very difficult to develop suitable rainfall patterns from the highly volatile weather conditions. In this Paper, it is proposed that Map based Spatial Analysis of rainfall data of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states is made using R software apart from Hybrid Machine learning techniques. A Study will be made on rainfall patterns based on spatial locations. The Visual analytics were also made for effective study using statistical methods and Data Mining Techniques. This paper also introduced Spatial mining for effective retrieval of Remote sensed Data to deal with retrieval of information from the database and presents them in the form of map using R software.
Counselove: Marital Counseling Android-based Application to Promote Marital Satisfaction
Authors: Budiharto Widodo , Meliana Meliana , C.B. Rumondor Pingkan
Published: October 2017

This paper presents the development of Android-based framework for improving marital satisfaction. Classic research in psychology found that stability of marriage is based on the ability to create and maintain a positive interaction ratio five times more than negative interactions. Based on that, we present Counselove, a mobile application intended to record information of daily positive behaviors (joking, showing affection) of couples who use the application. We propose a method where the apps can determine users’ marital satisfaction level and also can help users increasing their marital satisfaction based on the relationship satisfaction questionnaire and the assessment of user’s self reported behaviors to their partners using fuzzy logic. The experimental results shown the application is running well on mobile devices based on Android platform. Lastly, we provide result of in depth interview with two users. Further research and development of the Counselove apps are discussed.
Credal Fusion of Classifications for Noisy and Uncertain Data
Authors: Karem Fatma , Dhibi Mounir , Martin Arnaud , Bouhlel Med Salim
Published: October 2017

This paper reports on an investigation in classification technique employed to classify noised and uncertain data. However, classification is not an easy task. It is a significant challenge to discover knowledge from uncertain data. In fact, we can find many problems. More time we don't have a good or a big learning database for supervised classification. Also, when training data contains noise or missing values, classification accuracy will be affected dramatically. So to extract groups from  data is not easy to do. They are overlapped and not very separated from each other. Another problem which can be cited here is the uncertainty due to measuring devices. Consequentially classification model is not so robust and strong to classify new objects. In this work, we present a novel classification algorithm to cover these problems. We materialize our main idea by using belief function theory to do combination between classification and clustering. This theory treats very well imprecision and uncertainty linked to classification. Experimental results show that our approach has ability to significantly improve the quality of classification of generic database.
Modeling and Simulation of VSI Fed Induction Motor Drive in Matlab/Simulink
Authors: Uma D. , Vijayarekha K.
Published: October 2017

The theory of reference frames and switching functions are effective in analyzing the performance of the induction motor fed from VSI (Voltage Source Inverter). In this work, mathematical model of Adjustable Speed Drive (ASD) is developed by taking synchronous reference frame equations for induction motor, switching function concept for VSI and non-switching concept for diode bridge rectifier.  The developed model is implemented using MATLAB/Simulink as it is an important tool for the validation of the proposed model. The performance of induction motor is analysed for different frequencies. The developed model is tested for the steady state behavior of machine drive. The proposed mathematical model is validated by the simulation results.
Dielectric Strength Improvement of Natural Ester Insulation Oil via Mixed Antioxidants: Taguchi Approach
Authors: Ab Ghani Sharin , Ahmad Noorden Zulkarnain , Asiah Muhamad Nor , Zainuddin Hidayat , Chua Abdullah Muhammad Ilman Hakimi , Sutan Chairul Imran
Published: October 2017

Recently, natural ester insulation (NEI) oils are found to be the best candidates to replace mineral-based insulation oils for oil-immersed transformer applications. However, NEI oils are prone to oxidation due to their poor oxidative stability which can be improved by adding antioxidants into the oils. Latest studies have also shown that the use of selected antioxidants improves the AC breakdown voltage (BdV) of NEI oils. However, the experiments in previous studies were designed using the conventional one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) method, which requires a large number of samples to be tested in order to determine the optimum response. Thus, a Taguchi-based designed experiment is introduced in this study in replacement of the OFAT method. It is found that this method is capable of determining the optimum concentrations of propyl gallate (PG) and citric acid (CA) which will maximize the AC BdV and improve the oxidative stability of the NEI oil. An AC breakdown voltage test is conducted in accordance with the ASTM D1816 standard using Megger OTS60PB portable oil tester, in which the electrode gap distance is kept fixed at 1 mm. The results indicate that the addition of PG and CA antioxidants increases the AC BdV of the rapeseed-based NEI oil. It is found that the optimum concentrations of PG and CA antioxidant is 0.05 and 0.25 wt.%, respectively. Lastly, the model developed in this study is analysed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Validation test is also conducted on the optimized NEI oil to determine its dielectric strength and oxidative stability.
Integrated Coordination of Electric Vehicle Operations and Renewable Energy Generation in a Microgrid
Authors: Lee Junghoon , Park Gyung-Leen
Published: October 2017

This paper designs a microgrid energy controller capable of creating a charging or discharging schedule for electric vehicles (EVs), aiming at leveraging the integration of renewable energy and shaving the peak load in the microgrid. Dynamically activated on each time slot to cope with the prediction error for the power consumption and the renewable energy generation, the controller calculates the number of EVs to charge or make discharge first. Then, a greedy algorithm-based scheduler selects EVs according to the expected energy potential during their stays. The potential is the integral of a supply-demand margin function from the current time to the expected departure time. A simulator is implemented for performance evaluation, comparing with uncoordinated scheduling, according to the number of EVs as well as the behavior of energy load and production. The experiment result shows that the proposed scheme can reduce the energy waste by 16.9 %, cut down the microgrid-level energy insufficiency by 12.2 %, and enhance the amount of electricity supplied to EVs by 37.3 %, respectively, for given parameter setting.
Fabrication and Analysis of Amorphous Silicon TFT
Authors: G Srikanth , R Yadhuraj S , T K Subramanyam , Gandla Satheesh Babu , B V Uma
Published: October 2017

The display technology and large area electronics got momentum with the introduction of TFT devices. TFTs can be made using different semiconducting materials or organic conducting materials as the active layer. Each one of them differ in their performance depending on the material used for the active layer. In this paper, fabrication of amorphous silicon TFT using PECVD is carried out. Simulation of the a-Si: H TFT is also carried out with the dimensions similar to that of the masks used for the fabrication. The Id-Vd plot for both the simulation and fabrication is obtained and studied.
A New Compact and Miniaturized GCPW-fed Slotted Rectangular antenna for Wideband UHF FIRD Applications
Authors: Dakir Rachid , Zbitou Jamal , Mouhsen Ahmed , Tribak A. , Latrach M. , Sanchez A. M.
Published: October 2017

This paper presents the development of a new miniaturized and compact GCPW-fed slotted rectangular antenna structure reader for wideband UHF RFID applications. The optimized proposed antenna is suitable to operate a large frequency-band range from 0.8GHz to 1.3GHz with a bandwidth of 500MHz with a return loss less than -10dB. The antenna is based on a 1.6mm thickness FR4 epoxy substrate with a reduce dimensions compared to the simple rectangular antenna and size of proposed antenna is 47*40mm2. The new design consists of a compact rectangular patch with symmetric U-shaped slots and I-shaped include a partial ground plan and fed by 50 Grounded coplanar line. The antenna parameters have been investigated and optimized by   using   CST Microwave Studio. To validate the CST Microwave Studio results before the   antenna achievement,   we   have   conducted another study by using ADS. The   final circuit   achieved, measured and validated. Experimental results show that the proposed antenna has good radiation characteristics and operating in UHF-RFID applications.
Compact Digital Television (DTV) Antenna for Indoor Usage
Authors: Mohd Shaufi Mohamad Aasyraaf , A. Majid Huda , Zainal Abidin Zuhairiah , Haimi Dahlan Samsul , A. Rahim Mohamad Kamal , Bin Ayop Osman
Published: October 2017

A compact indoor digital antenna for digital terrestrial television is proposed. The design of the antenna begins with the material selection to construct the antenna by using CST software with a standard monopole antenna design. The antenna is then simulated and optimized. A bandwidth of 290 MHz (46.14%) between 500 MHz and 790 MHz is achieved with the antenna gain more than 3 dBi. Simulated results is used to demonstrate the performance of the antenna. The simulated return losses, together with the radiation patterns and gain are presented and discussed.
Parametric Comparison of K-means and Adaptive K-means Clustering Performance on Different Images
Authors: Sahu Madhusmita , Parvathi K. , Krishna M. Vamsi
Published: October 2017

Image segmentation takes a major role to analyzing the area of interest in image processing. Many researchers have used different types of techniques to analyzing the image. One of the widely used techniques is K-means clustering. In this paper we use two algorithms K-means and the advance of K-means is called as adaptive K-means clustering. Both the algorithms are using in different types of image and got a successful result. By comparing the Time period, PSNR and RMSE value from the result of both algorithms we prove that the Adaptive K-means clustering algorithm gives a best result as compard to K-means clustering in image segmentation.    
Improved Timing Estimation Using Iterative Normalization Technique for OFDM Systems
Authors: Suyoto Suyoto , Iskandar Iskandar , Sugihartono Sugihartono , Kurniawan Adit
Published: October 2017

Conventional timing estimation schemes based on autocorrelation experience performance degradation in the multipath channel environment with high delay spread. To overcome this problem, we proposed an improvement of the timing estimation for the OFDM system based on statistical change of symmetrical correlator. The new method uses iterative normalization technique to the correlator output before the detection based on statistical change of symmetric correlator is applied. Thus, it increases the detection probability and achieves better performance than previously published methods in the multipath environment. Computer simulation shows that our method is very robust in the fading multipath channel
An Accurate Performance Analysis of Hybrid Efficient and Reliable MAC Protocol in VANET under Non-saturated Conditions
Authors: A. Almohammedi Akram , K. Noordin Nor , Sali A. , Hashim Fazirulhisyam , Al-Hemyari Abdulmalek
Published: October 2017

Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) is a technology supporting two types of applications, safety and service applications with higher and lower priorities respectively. Thereby, Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol is designed to provide reliable and efficient data broadcasting based on prioritization. Different from the IEEE 1609.4 (legacy), HER-MAC protocol is a new multi-channel MAC proposed for VANETs, offering remarkable performance with regards to safety applications transmission. This paper focuses on the analysis of packet delivery ratio of the HER-MAC protocol under non-saturated conditions. 1-D and 2-D Markov chains have been developed for safety and non-safety applications respectively, to evaluate mathematically the performance of HER-MAC protocol. The presented work has taken into account the freezing of the backoff timer for both applications and the backoff stages along with short retry limit for non-safety applications in order to meet the IEEE 802.11p specifications. It highlights that taking these elements into consideration are important in modeling the system, to provide an accurate estimation of the channel access, and guarantees that no packet is served indefinitely. More precise results of the system packet delivery ratio have been yield. The probability of successful transmission and collisions were derived and used to compute the packet delivery ratio. The simulation results validate the analytical results of our models and indicate that the performance of our models outperformed the existing models in terms of the packet delivery ratio under different number of vehicles and contention window.
Optimise Energy Cost for Air Conditioning based on the Market Price under Demand Side Response Model
Authors: Marwan Marwan , Syafaruddin Syafaruddin
Published: October 2017

The increasing contribution of air conditioning (AC) to energy consumption has received considerable attention in the past and will continue to do so in the coming years, from Indonesian government, state electricity company and consumers. Managing demand on the electricity system in peak sessions is the most direct way to address the AC peak demand issue. The aim of this research is to developed a consumer demand side response (DSR) model to assist both electricity consumers/aggregator and electricity provider to minimise energy cost if peak price occured in the peak season. The proposed model allows consumers to independently and proactively manage air conditioning load through an aggregator. This research examines how the control system applies DSR model if a price spike may occur at 18.00 during one hour. The results indicate, consumer and aggregator could gain collective benefits when the consumer controls the air conditioning under the DSR program. The model was tested in Makassar City South Sulawesi considering to the caharacteristic of the room and air conditioning in a residential house.
Comparison of Accuracy Measures for RS Image Classification using SVM and ANN Classifiers
Authors: Prasad S.V.S. , Savithri T. Satya , V. Murali Krishna Iyyanki
Published: October 2017

The accurate land use land cover (LULC) classifications from satellite imagery are prominent for land use planning, climatic change detection and eco-environment monitoring. This paper investigates the accuracy and reliability of Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier for classifying multi-spectral image of Hyderabad and its surroundings area and also compare its performance with Artificial Neural Network (ANN) classifier. In this paper, a hybrid technique which we refer to as Fuzzy Incorporated Hierarchical clustering has been proposed for clustering the multispectral satellite images into LULC sectors. The experimental results show that overall accuracies of LULC classification of the Hyderabad and its surroundings area are approximately 93.159% for SVM and 89.925% for ANN. The corresponding kappa coefficient values are 0.893 and 0.843. The classified results show that the SVM yields a very promising performance than the ANN in LULC classification of high resolution Landsat-8 satellite images.
Node Disjoint Random and Optimal Path Selection (NDROPS) Algorithm for Security in MANETS
Authors: Suma P. , Nagaraju O. , Hussain Md. Ali
Published: October 2017

Mobile Adhoc Networks are shortly called MANETs. In these types of networks, fixed infrastructures are absent and are dynamic in nature. Nodes are movable, and they are not connected with any wires. For monitoring or supervising the transmissions in MANETS, no central supervision is present. Moving nodes, dynamic topology, and absence of infrastructure are the features of MANETs. These features are advantageous where wires cannot be used and where nodes are supposed to move. But there is a problem of security. Networks are highly prone to attacks where finding the root of the cause is very hard. Many nodes disjoint routing algorithms are proposed to balance the load, to cope up with link failures, etc. This paper proposes an algorithm called Node Disjoint Random and Optimal Path Selection (NDROPS) algorithm which uses the concept of dynamic routing and node disjoint routing to provide all the above-stated advantages along with security. Routing of data packets is done through few paths which are node disjoint. The main essence of this algorithm is to distribute the data among different routes. So, a malicious node in a path can retrieve only a few packets in random.  The simulation of the proposed NDROPS algorithm is performed and the performance is compared using throughout and packet drop probability.
Optimization of Energy Aware Path Routing Protocol in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Vamsi Krishna M. Naga , Harsha N. Sai , Kiran K.V.D , Swain Gandharba
Published: October 2017

Strength conservation is one of the biggest challenges to the successful WSNs since the tiny  very limited resource nodes  such as energy, memory space| as well as communication and computation capabilities. the sensors are unattended Implemented  and battery recharge is almost impossible. So  many investigations have be done in redirecting energy efficient algorithms or protocols for WSNs. Our reasons behinds the study of number is based on the following three aspects. Initially of all First, we see That immediate transmittal is employed under small scale while multi-hop network transmittal network is employed under mass. All of us want to find the Which factors influence the transmittal manner. Second, it is Commonly That multi-hop agree transmitting more energy efficient than Usually transmitting When the average solitary source to destination distance is large. Yet ,}how to look for the optimal hop number in order That the overall energy consumption is  nominal is not well  tackled. Third, the hot location phenomenon the networking lifetime influences directly. After that all of us recommend to Optimization of energy aware routing path (OEAPR) algorithm, Which incorporate the overall routing mechanism With hop-based direction-finding nature During process in WSNs.
Frequency Dependence of Electroluminescence Measurement in LDPE
Authors: Bani Nurul Aini , Abdul-Malek Zulkurnain , Aris Siti Armiza Mohd , Jalil Siti Zura A. , Muhtazaruddin Mohd Nabil , Kaidi Hazilah Mad , Rahman Sharipah Alwiah Syed Abd , Muhammad-Sukki Firdaus , Mas’ud Abdullahi Abubakar , Abu-Bakar Siti Hawa , Rey Jorge Alfredo Ardilla
Published: October 2017

A good insulator for high voltage cable has low dielectric loss, reasonable flexibility and thermo-mechanically stable. However, prolonged application of electrical stresses on the cable will degraded the cable; physically and morphologically. Electrical degradation in high voltage cable can be detected using electroluminescence (EL) method. Electroluminescence is a phenomenon that occurs when the atoms of a material are being excited due to the application of and external high electrical stresses. There are several external factors that affect the behaviour of electroluminescence emission such as, applied voltage, applied frequency, ageing of material and types of materials. . In this paper, the EL measurement is employed to determine the effect of applied frequency on virgin LDPE at fixed and varying applied voltage. It can be observed that EL emission increases as applied frequency increases with increasing voltage applied. However, interesting EL behaviour is observed when varying frequency is applied from 10 Hz to 100 Hz.
VLSI Design of a Fast Pipelined 8x8 Discrete Cosine Transform
Authors: Zabidi Nurulnajah Mohd , Rahman Ab Al-Hadi Ab
Published: October 2017

This paper presents a Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) design and implementation of a fixed-point 8x8 multiplierless Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) using the ISO/IEC 23002-2 algorithm. The standard DCT algorithm, which is mainly used in image and video compression technology, consists of only adders, subtractors, and shifters, therefore making it efficient for hardware implementation. The VLSI implementation of the algorithm given in this paper further enhances the performance of the transform unit. Furthermore, circuit pipelining has been applied to the base design of the DCT, which significantly improves the performance by reducing the longest path in the non-pipeline design. The DCT has been implemented using semi-custom VLSI design methodology using the TSMC 0.13um process technology. Results show that our DCT designs can run up to around 1.7 Giga pixels/s, which is well above the timing required for real-time ultra-high definition 8K video.