Process control of a laboratory combustor using artificial neural networks Active process control of nitric oxide (NO) emissions from a two-stage combustor burning ethylene (doped with ammonia) in air is demonstrated using two clusters of feed-forward multi-layer-perceptron neural networks. Steady-state experimental data are used for static back-propagation network training. The first cluster consists of two neural networks. The first network identifies the amount of ammonia in the feed. Based on that value and the NO set point, the second network adjusts the first-stage fuel equivalence ratio phi(1). The second cluster also consists of two neural networks. It is the process emulator and serves as a Smith time-delay compensator. A VISUAL BASIC interface control program accepts incoming concentration and flow rate data signals, accesses the neural networks, and outputs feedback control signals to selected electronic valves. Closed-loop results are compared to the open-loop results. The neural network-based controller successfully brought NO emissions into control after a step disturbance in the feed composition stream (ammonia dopant). The neural network-based controller shows a superior performance over the conventional proportional-integral-derivative controller. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

B I O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

combustion system
model-based control
feed-forward neural networks
time-delay compensation


A decision support system for project portfolio selection A decision support system (DSS) is developed to help managers select the most appropriate sequences of plans for product research and development (R&D) projects that have strict constraints on budget, time, and resources. The primary objective of the DSS is to provide an optimal combination of R&D projects. The DSS consists of several subsystems, each of which has a specific function. At the core of the DSS are a cost model, which covers time-cost tradeoff analysis, and a strategic selection algorithm, which, based on dynamic programming, provides an optimal development plan for managing R&D projects. A working board supports an interactive environment between managers and the DSS. A data checking system eliminates inconsistent data and plans in advance. This paper identifies key issues in the arrangement of R&D projects and describes various systems that have been interlinked to make the DSS a success. It also reveals that the DSS can be expanded to a decision support system shell to support similar types of problems.

O B I I O O B I O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O

decision support system
research and development
portfolio selection


Evolving spiking neural networka survey This paper provides a comprehensive literature survey on the evolving Spiking Neural Network (eSNN) architecture since its introduction in 2006 as a further extension of the ECoS paradigm introduced by Kasabov in 1998. We summarize the functioning of the method, discuss several of its extensions and present a number of applications in which the eSNN method was employed. We focus especially on some proposed extensions that allow the processing of spatio-temporal data and for feature and parameter optimisation of eSNN models to achieve better accuracy on classification/prediction problems and to facilitate new knowledge discovery. Finally, some open problems are discussed and future directions highlighted.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

evolving connectionist systems
spatio-temporal pattern recognition


Electrical contacts to nanorod networks at different length scales: From macroscale ensembles to single nanorod chains All-inorganic hybrid metalsemiconductor networks with controlled size are synthesized. We demonstrate different approaches to selectively contact the networks and single chains with planar electrodes. Charge transport characterization of networks on different size from macroscopic to nanometer scale.

O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O B I O O B O O O O O O O O

cdse nanorods
au nanoparticles
schottky junction
self-assembly
schottkyrichardson model
thermionic emission


Stability analysis of Delta Sigma modulators using wavelets A new method is presented to predict the occurrence of unstable behavior as a function of the input amplitude in Delta-Sigma modulators using wavelets. By careful analysis it is shown that popular global analysis methods like Fourier transformation are useless in predicting unstable behavior in Delta-Sigma modulators. This necessitates the use of more time-localized analysis methods, such as wavelets. Using wavelets it is possible to calculate a number of open loop gain factors at different frequencies. These gain factors can then be used to construct a Nyquist plot, that can be used to predict whether the system is stable or not. Since only a small number of data points need to be calculated, this method is much faster than the traditional approach of long transient simulations, with only a very small error. The method works for both single-bit and multi-bit topologies and for ideal as well as non-ideal structures as is illustrated by the experimental results.

O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Some properties and construction of multiwavelets related to different symmetric centers in this paper we are interested in discuss the symmetry property and construction of an in-band compactly supported orthonormal multiwavelets related to the filters with different symmetric centers. With the development of the several equivalent conditions on this type of symmetry in terms of filter sequences and polyphase matrices, we derive several necessary constraints on the number of symmetric filters of the system, which is crucial for the construction of multiwavelets associated with given multiscaling functions with different symmetry centers. Then, we show how to construct multiwavelets with desired symmetric property by matrix extensions. Finally, to illustrate our proposed general scheme, we give two examples in this paper. (c) 2005 IMACS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

orthogonality
multiscaling function
matrix extension
multiwavelet


Depth and depthcolor coding using shape-adaptive wavelets ? We present a novel depth and depthcolor codec aimed at free-viewpoint 3D-TV. The proposed codec uses a shape-adaptive wavelet transform and an explicit encoding of the locations of major depth edges. Unlike the standard wavelet transform, the shape-adaptive transform generates small wavelet coefficients along depth edges, which greatly reduces the bits required to represent the data. The wavelet transform is implemented by shape-adaptive lifting, which enables fast computations and perfect reconstruction. We derive a simple extension of typical boundary extrapolation methods for lifting schemes to obtain as many vanishing moments near boundaries as away from them. We also develop a novel rate-constrained edge detection algorithm, which integrates the idea of significance bitplanes into the Canny edge detector. Together with a simple chain code, it provides an efficient way to extract and encode edges. Experimental results on synthetic and real data confirm the effectiveness of the proposed codec, with PSNR gains of more than 5dB for depth images and significantly better visual quality for synthesized novel view images.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

3d-tv
free-viewpoint video
depth map
depth image
shape-adaptive wavelet transform
boundary wavelets
edge coding
rate-distortion optimization


A combined SMOTE and PSO based RBF classifier for two-class imbalanced problems This contribution proposes a powerful technique for two-class imbalanced classification problems by combining the synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE) and the particle swarm optimisation (PSO) aided radial basis function (RBF) classifier. In order to enhance the significance of the small and specific region belonging to the positive class in the decision region, the SMOTE is applied to generate synthetic instances for the positive class to balance the training data set. Based on the over-sampled training data, the RBF classifier is constructed by applying the orthogonal forward selection procedure, in which the classifier's structure and the parameters of RBF kernels are determined using a PSO algorithm based on the criterion of minimising the leave-one-out misclassification rate. The experimental results obtained on a simulated imbalanced data set and three real imbalanced data sets are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

imbalanced classification
orthogonal forward selection
particle swarm optimisation


shared text input for note taking on handheld devices Shared text input is a technique we implemented into a note taking system for facilitating text entry on small devices. Instead of writing out words on the tedious text entry interfaces found on handheld computers, users can quickly reuse words and phrases already entered by others. Sharing notes during a meeting also increases awareness among note takers. We found that filtering the text to share was appropriate to deal with a variety of design issues such as screen real estate, scalability, privacy, reciprocity, and predictability of text location.

B I I O B I O B I B I I O O O O O O O B I O O O B O O O O O O B O O O O O B O B O O O O B O O B O O O O O O O B O O O B O O B O O O O O O B O B O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O B B O O O O B O

sharing
reuse
meeting
handheld devices
users
scalability
shared text input
design
text
awareness
interfaces
privacy
note taking
filtering
writing

reciprocation
systems
locatability
device
text input
text entry
handheld computer
predict


Designing attacks for SMTP servers Electronic mail is today's most widely used method of communication. In recent years, if e-mail had not been there, communication would not have been possible. Because of SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is an old communication protocol used for electronic mail. It has various bugs arising from its design. In this study, several malicious attacks which can be made on the SMTP protocol have been investigated and classified. Various forms of software have been developed in Visual Basic 6.0 to deal with these attacks. Finally we have tried to suggest some rules for preventing these attacks. The results were examined and measures to be taken explained.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

smtp service
dos attacks
smtp attacks
spam


Safe worst-case execution time analysis by abstract interpretation of executable code To verify that a safety-critical application meets all requirements lies in the responsibility of the system designers. Classical software validation methods like code review and testing with debugging are expensive and cannot really guarantee the absence of errors. In constrast, abstract interpretation provides a methodology for static program analysis that yields statements valid for all program runs with all inputs. Employing static analyzers is thus orthogonal to classical testing. A possible cause of catastrophic failure is the violation of timing constraints. Recent trends, e. g. in automotive industries ( X-by-wire, time-triggered protocols) require knowledge on the Worst-Case Execution Time (WCET) of each task. Yet WCET determination is a difficult problem because of the characteristics of modern software and hardware. This talk focuses on AbsInt's tool aiT that combines abstract interpretation and integer linear programming to determine upper bounds for the WCETs of code snippets given as routines in executables. The hardware architecture of the underlying processor is precisely taken into account, including cache and pipeline behavior. Bounds are determined without the need to change the code and hold for all executions. aiT is used among others by Airbus in the development of various safety-critical applications for the A380.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Controlling ERP consultants: Client and provider practices Hiring consultants to implement the multiple components of an ERP installation is a common practice for securing expertise not found in client organizations. Ensuring the consultants work to the benefit of their client is potentially problematic as the consultants must adopt the goals of the client, coordinate with stakeholders within the client organization, and coordinate with those installing other components of the ERP. Controls are mechanisms that keep consultants on track with the objectives of client organizations. Control forms vary depending on the nature of the activity and the levels of expertise across clients and consultants. Just what forms of control are typically employed over consultants to promote the likelihood of a successful ERP implementation is not identified in the prior literature. Control theory is employed by this study to formulate an expectation of control, which is then examined through a multiple case study. Interviews of consultants, project managers in the client organizations, and project managers in the consulting firms confirm that client organizations employ performance controls on specified outcomes while the provider firms employ both outcome controls and behavioral controls to keep the ERP implementation project in line with client goals.

O O B O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O


A real-time warehouse operations planning system for small batch replenishment problems in production environment A factory consists of numerous production workstations, multiple production lines and many production floors. Due to the characteristics of just-in-time and make-to-order mode manufacturing, small batches of production materials are required for production lines within a short period of time in order to facilitate daily production operations. In this paper, a real-time warehouse operation planning system (R-WOPS) for solving small batch replenishment problems is described. Through using R-WOPS, real-time production and warehouse operations are monitored by radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, and a genetic algorithm (GA) technique is applied to formulate feasible small batch replenishment solutions. Simulation tests show that R-WOPS generates pick-up and delivery route plans for small batch replenishment orders very efficiently.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

radio frequency identification (rfid) technology


A novel method based on realistic head model for EEG denoising It is necessary to remove the noise in EEG before further EEG analysis and processing. For EEG is deeply masked in the noise background, it is very difficult to denoise EEG effectively. Proposed in this paper is a novel realistic head model based sparse decomposition algorithm to denoise EEG, which is an iterative procedure combining the subject's physiology of EEG generation into the denoising procedure. In this algorithm, the lead field overcomplete dictionary is numerically calculated according to the realistic head model firstly, and then the instantaneous EEG spatial potential is decomposed into one sparse combination of atoms in the lead field matrix by matching pursuit, and the sparse combination of atoms is to be regarded as the denoised EEG signal. The realistic head based sparse decomposition was tested by the simulated noisy potential and a real EEG recording collected in an oddball stimulus experiment, the results consistently confirmed the new method removed the uncorrelated noise in EEG effectively.

O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

eeg denoising
overcomplete dictionary
sparse decomposition
matching pursuit


Uncovering distinct protein-network topologies in heterogeneous cell populations Cell biology research is fundamentally limited by the number of intracellular components, particularly proteins, that can be co-measured in the same cell. Therefore, cell-to-cell heterogeneity in unmeasured proteins can lead to completely different observed relations between the same measured proteins. Attempts to infer such relations in a heterogeneous cell population can yield uninformative average relations if only one underlying biochemical network is assumed. To address this, we developed a method that recursively couples an iterative unmixing process with a Bayesian analysis of each unmixed subpopulation.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O B I O O O O

cluster analysis
intercellular variability
network analysis
protein networks
reverse engineering


A mobility management scheme for wireless mesh networks based on a hybrid routing protocol Recent advances in wireless mesh networks (WMNs) have overcome the drawbacks of traditional wired networks and wireless ad hoc networks. WMNs will play a leading role in the next generation of networks, and the question of how to provide seamless mobility management for WMNs is the driving force behind the research. The inherent characteristics of WMNs, such as relatively static backbones and highly mobile clients, require new mobility management solutions to be designed and implemented. In this paper, a hybrid routing protocol for forwarding packets is proposed: this involves both link layer routing and network layer routing. Based on the hybrid routing protocol, a mobility management scheme for WMNs is presented. Both intra-domain and inter-domain mobility management have been designed to support seamless roaming in WiFi-based WMNs. During intra-domain handoff, gratuitous ARP messages are used to provide new routing information, thus avoiding re-routing and location update. For inter-domain handoff, redundant tunnels are removed in order to minimize forwarding latency. Comprehensive simulation results illustrate that our scheme has low packet latency, low packet loss ratio and short handoff latency. As a result, real-time applications over 802.11 WMNs such as VolP can be supported. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

O B I O O B I I O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O B I O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

mobility management
wireless mesh networks
handoff
seamless roaming


A nonisolated optimal solution of general linear multiplicative programming problems ? This article presents a finite branch-and-bound algorithm for globally solving general linear multiplicative programming problems (GLMP). The proposed algorithm is based on the recently developed theory of monotonic optimization. The proposed algorithm provides a nonisolated global optimal solution, and it turns out that such an optimal solution is adequately guaranteed to be feasible and to be close to the actual optimal solution. It can be shown by the numerical results that the proposed algorithm is effective and the computational results can be gained in short time.

O B I I O B I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

global optimization
nonconvex optimization
branch-and-bound


External landmark and head-shape-based functional data normalization Functional data, as obtained from magnetoencephalography (MEG) techniques, is frequently transformed to a template brain space for pooling data across the population. This transformation is often performed via an intermediate magnetic resonance image (MRI) of the subjects brain that is first registered to the template brain MRI. However, in many instances, it is difficult, expensive or undesirable to acquire MRIs, and since reconstructed functional data is lower resolution, the full information in MRIs is not required for registration. We present here two alternative options for computing the transformation of functional data to a common template space. These alternatives compute the registration based on external landmarks placed on the head, and the external shape of the head, features that are considerably simpler and inexpensive to acquire than MRIs. We present quantification of the accuracy of using these alternative features for registration, and show that they give accuracy for functional data registration that is sufficient given the functional data resolution, and is comparable to existing methods that are commonly used.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O B O O O O O O O B B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

functional imaging
computational anatomy


Tree metrics and edge-disjoint \(S\)-paths Given an undirected graph \(G=(V,E)\) with a terminal set \(S \subseteq V\), a weight function on terminal pairs, and an edge-cost \(a: E \rightarrow \mathbf{Z}_+\), the \(\mu \)-weighted minimum-cost edge-disjoint \(S\)-paths problem (\(\mu \)-CEDP) is to maximize \(\sum \nolimits _{P \in \mathcal{P}} \mu (s_P,t_P) - a(P)\) over all edge-disjoint sets \(\mathcal{P}\) of \(S\)-paths, where \(s_P,t_P\) denote the ends of \(P\) and \(a(P)\) is the sum of edge-cost \(a(e)\) over edges \(e\) in \(P\). Our main result is a complete characterization of terminal weights \(\mu \) for which \(\mu \)-CEDP is tractable and admits a combinatorial minmax theorem. We prove that if \(\mu \) is a tree metric, then \(\mu \)-CEDP is solvable in polynomial time and has a combinatorial minmax formula, which extends Maders edge-disjoint \(S\)-paths theorem and its minimum-cost generalization by Karzanov. Our minmax theorem includes the dual half-integrality, which was earlier conjectured by Karzanov for a special case. We also prove that \(\mu \)-EDP, which is \(\mu \)-CEDP with \(a = 0\), is NP-hard if \(\mu \) is not a truncated tree metric, where a truncated tree metric is a weight function represented as pairwise distances between balls in a tree. On the other hand, \(\mu \)-CEDP for a truncated tree metric \(\mu \) reduces to \(\mu '\)-CEDP for a tree metric \(\mu '\). Thus our result is best possible unless P=NP. As an application, we obtain a good approximation algorithm for \(\mu \)-EDP with near tree metric \(\mu \) by utilizing results from the theory of low-distortion embedding.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Projection-based visualization of tangential deformation of nonrigid surface by deformation estimation using infrared texture In this paper, we propose a projection-based mixed reality system that visualizes the tangential deformation of a nonrigid surface by superimposing graphics directly onto the surface by projected imagery. The superimposed graphics are deformed according to the surface deformation. To achieve this goal, we develop a computer vision technique that estimates the tangential deformation by measuring the frame-by-frame movement of an infrared (IR) texture on the surface. IR ink, which can be captured by an IR camera under IR light, but is invisible to the human eye, is used to provide the surface texture. Consequently, the texture does not degrade the image quality of the augmented graphics. The proposed technique measures individually the surface motion between two successive frames. Therefore, it does not suffer from occlusions caused by interactions and allows touching, pushing, pulling, and pinching, etc. The moving least squares technique interpolates the measured result to estimate denser surface deformation. The proposed method relies only on the apparent motion measurement; thus, it is not limited to a specific deformation characteristic, but is flexible for multiple deformable materials, such as viscoelastic and elastic materials. Experiments confirm that, with the proposed method, we can visualize the surface deformation of various materials by projected illumination, even when the users hand occludes the surface from the camera.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

projection-based mixed reality
user interaction
deformable surface


Interactive solution of partial differential equations by the Method-of-lines A convenient, generally applicable technique for programming Method-of-lines solutions of linear or nonlinear partial differential equations employs a new implementation of W. Schiesser's general-purpose differentiation operators. A novel vector compiler reads a vector equation or differential equation and produces efficient code for n corresponding scalar equations without causing any runtime loop overhead. Simulations can combine partial and ordinary differential equations. Programs compile and run immediately on a mouse click to permit truly interactive modeling and simulation. Originally designed for experiments with Monte Carlo simulation, neural networks, and fuzzy logic, the new runtime compiler easily generates many different Method-of-lines algorithms for partial-differential equation systems. As a simple example, we exhibit the complete solution of a heat-conduction problem with one space dimension. (C) 1999 IMACS/Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

desire simulation program
method-of-lines


Fuzzy Lattice Neurocomputing (FLN) models In this work it is shown how fuzzy lattice neurocomputing (FLN) emerges as a connectionist paradigm in the framework of fuzzy lattices (FL-framework) whose advantages include the capacity to deal rigorously with: disparate types of data such as numeric and linguistic data, intervals of values, missing and don't care data. A novel notation for the FL-framework is introduced here in order to simplify mathematical expressions without losing content. Two concrete FLN models are presented, namely ?-FLN for competitive clustering, and FLN with tightest fits (FLNtf) for supervised clustering. Learning by the ?-FLN, is rapid as it requires a single pass through the data, whereas learning by the FLNtf, is incremental, data order independent, polynomial (n3), and it guarantees maximization of the degree of inclusion of an input in a learned class as explained in the text. Convenient geometric interpretations are provided. The ?-FLN is presented here as fuzzy-ART's extension in the FL-framework such that ?-FLN widens fuzzy-ART's domain of application to (mathematical) lattices by augmenting the scope of both of fuzzy-ART's choice (Weber) and match functions, and by enhancing fuzzy-ART's complement coding technique. The FLNtf neural model is applied to four benchmark data sets of various sizes for pattern recognition and rule extraction. The benchmark data sets in question involve jointly numeric and nominal data with missing and/or don't care attribute values, whereas the lattices involved include the unit-hypercube, a probability space, and a Boolean algebra. The potential of the FL-framework in computing is also delineated.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

lattice theory
fuzzy set theory
self-organization
adaptive resonance theory
fast learning
database mining
hybrid computing
computational learning


ON A PARTIAL AFFIRMATIVE ANSWER FOR A PAUN'S CONJECTURE At the beginning of 2005, Gheorghe Paun formulated a conjecture stating that in the framework of recognizer P systems with active membranes (evolution rules, communication rules, dissolution rules and division rules for elementary membranes), polarizations cannot be avoided in order to solve computationally hard problems efficiently (assuming that P 6 not equal NP). At the middle of 2005, a partial positive answer was given, proving that the conjecture holds if dissolution rules are forbidden. In this paper we give a detailed and complete proof of this result modifying slightly the notion of dependency graph associated with recognizer P systems.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

polarizationless p systems
computational complexity
tractability


A Novel Mobility Management Scheme for Integration of Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks and Fixed IP Networks Integration of vehicular ad hoc network and fixed IP network is important to provide Internet connection and mobile data service for vehicles. However, the unique characteristics of vehicular networks, such as linear topology and constrained movements of vehicles, are not considered in the conventional mobility management schemes. Using conventional schemes, unnecessary management messages are generated and the connections to roadside-installed base stations are not fully utilized. As the results, bandwidth is wasted and data delivery ratio is not maximized. In this paper, we propose a novel mobility management scheme to integrate vehicular ad hoc network and fixed IP networks more efficiently. The proposed scheme manages mobility of vehicles based on street layout as well as the distance between vehicles and base stations. Utilizing the unique characteristics of vehicular networks, the proposed scheme has substantially less mobility management overhead and higher data delivery ratio. The proposed scheme is simulated by SUMO (a vehicular traffic simulator) and QualNet (a data network simulator). The simulation results show that the proposed scheme reduced the mobility management overhead up to 63% and improved the data delivery ratio up to 90%.

O O B I O O B O B I I I O B I I B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O

vehicular networks
integration
vehicular ad hoc networks
fixed ip networks
mobility management


extended features of gpss/h This tutorial describes many of GPSS/H's powerful additions to, and extensions of, traditional GPSS, and shows how modelers can take advantage of them to build simulations that are more sophisticated in their gathering of statistics, more modeler- and user-friendly, and significantly easier to build, modify, and debug.

O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O

extensibility simulation feature user debugging


To be fair or efficient or a bit of both ? Introducing a new concept of (?,?) ( ? , ? ) -fairness, which allows for a bounded fairness compromise, so that a source is allocated a rate neither less than 0???1 0 ? ? ? 1 , nor more than ??1 ? ? 1 , times its fair share, this paper provides a framework to optimize efficiency (utilization, throughput or revenue) subject to fairness constraints in a general telecommunications network for an arbitrary fairness criterion and cost functions. We formulate a non-linear program (NLP) that finds the optimal bandwidth allocation by maximizing efficiency subject to (?,?) ( ? , ? ) -fairness constraints. This leads to what we call an efficiencyfairness function, which shows the benefit in efficiency as a function of the extent to which fairness is compromised. To solve the NLP we use two algorithms. The first is a well-known branch-and-bound-based algorithm called Lipschitz Global Optimization and the second is a recently developed algorithm called Algorithm for Global Optimization Problems (AGOP). We demonstrate the applicability of the framework to a range of examples from sharing a single link to efficiency fairness issues associated with serving customers in remote communities.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O

non-linear programming
utility optimization
efficiencyfairness tradeoff


Concept comparison engines: A new frontier of search In a traditional search engine interaction scenario, a user begins with a certain concept and finds documents that are similar to their concept. However, the user may wish to compare alternatives and a search capability should compare concepts and present the best alternatives. This task can be difficult without proper decision aids. We propose a concept comparison engine as a decision support tool that may be used to compare attributes of different alternatives and aid in making an informed selection. We describe an architecture and an interaction scenario and implement a prototype. We propose a number of evaluation metrics for measuring the viability of different terms for the purpose of comparing concepts. In scripted experiments, orderings for candidate terms from the prototype are compared to gold standard ranking lists from structured external sources. Our results indicate that a Rankor analysis may be promising as a measure of the differentiating power of candidate terms a user might choose to support concept comparison.

O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


MEASURES OF UNCERTAINTY IN RULE-BASED SYSTEMS: ONE IS NOT ENOUGH The solution of most commercial rule-based expert systems consists of two components - the conclusion reached and its calculated measure of belief, expressed as a single number. In non-deterministic domains, this number is often the most critical factor in analyzing the solution. However, as this paper reviews, a robust calculus for this number has yet to be documented. Thus reliance on it alone poses a risk to users of commercial systems. This paper demonstrates how supplemental statistics can be calculated and used to decrease this risk. We hope these ideas will lead to better commercial expert systems and better user decision. making.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O

confidence factors
probability
certainty factors
bayesian systems
rules


how does partitioning matter for 3d floorplanning? The recent hierarchical design framework[8] for 3D floorplan-ning suggests a better performance than previous flat design framework. Under this framework, the layer assignment of the blocks is accomplished by some partitioning algorithms which are assumed to be critical[8]. In this paper, we provide an empirical study on the impact of such partitioning algorithms on the total wire length. By generating various partitions and running our floorplanner based on these partitions, we obtain the statistic of the resultant wire length. We observe that when the design instance has a large number of blocks which are uniformly sized, different partitions with the same cut size lead to roughly the same wire length. By another experiment, we find out that the cut size of the partition has the major influence on the wire length. Therefore, we argue that cut size is a metric good enough for the wire length optimization of 3D floorplanning and suggest that future research focus on other problems such as thermal effect, signal delay, etc.

O O B O O O B O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


A novel rate control algorithm for video coding based on fuzzy-PID controller Rate control algorithms (RCAs) aim to achieve the best visual quality under the minimum bit rate and the limited buffer size. A self-parameter-tuning fuzzy-PID controller is proposed to reduce the deviation between the target buffer level and the current buffer fullness. Fuzzy logic is used to tune each parameter of the proportional-integral-derivative controller by selecting appropriate fuzzy rules through simulation in H.264/advanced video coding (AVC). To control the quality fluctuation between consecutive frames, a quality controller is adopted. The proposed RCA has been implemented in an H.264/AVC video codec, and our experimental results show that the proposed algorithm achieves smooth target bits while enabling better buffer control and visual quality.

O O B I O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


GPU Prefilter for Accurate Cubic B-spline Interpolation Achieving accurate interpolation is an important requirement for many signal-processing applications. While nearest-neighbor and linear interpolation methods are popular due to their native GPU support, they unfortunately result in severe undesirable artifacts. Better interpolation methods are known but lack a native GPU support. Yet, a particularly attractive one is prefiltered cubic-spline interpolation. The signal it reconstructs from discrete samples has a much higher fidelity to the original data than what is achievable with nearest-neighbor and linear interpolation. At the same time, its computational load is moderate, provided a sequence of two operations is applied: first, prefilter the samples, and only then reconstruct the signal with the help of a B-spline basis. It has already been established in the literature that the reconstruction step can be implemented efficiently on a GPU. This article focuses on an efficient GPU implementation of the prefilter, on how to apply it to multidimensional samples (e.g. RGB color images), and on its performance aspects.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

cubic interpolation
b-spline
gpu acceleration


a framework for multi-valued reasoning over inconsistent viewpoints In requirements elicitation, different stakeholders often hold different views of how a proposed system should behave, resulting in inconsistencies between their descriptions. Consensus may not be needed for every detail, but it can be hard to determine whether a particular disagreement affects the critical properties of the system. In this paper, we describe the Xbel framework for merging and reasoning about multiple, inconsistent state machine models. Xbel permits the analyst to choose how to combine information from the multiple viewpoints, where each viewpoint is described using an underlying multi-valued logic. The different values of our logics typically represent different levels of agreement. Our multi-valued model checker, Xchek, allows us to check the merged model against properties expressed in a temporal logic. The resulting framework can be used as an exploration tool to support requirements negotiation, by determining what properties are preserved for various combinations of inconsistent viewpoints.

O B O O B O O O O B O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O B O B O B O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O B O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B O O O O O B B O O B O O O O O B B O B B B O O O O O O O O O O O O

requirements
negotiation
framework
merging
reasoning
views
values
tool
support
temporal
logic
model
paper
state machine
exploration
consensus

requirements elicitation
systems
affect
critic
informal
stakeholder


Methamphetamine-Induced Selective Dopaminergic Neurotoxicity Is Accompanied by an Increase in Striatal Nitrate in the Mouse Exposure to high doses of methamphetamine (METH), a major drug of abuse, may cause neuronal damage. Previous studies have implicated the role of peroxynitrite, produced by nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species, in dopaminergic neurotoxicity produced by METH in mice. The present article was undertaken to investigate if a neurotoxic regimen of METH is associated with changes in tissue levels of nitrate and nitrite, which are the stable products of NO. Administration of METH (5 mg/kg 3) to Swiss Webster mice resulted in marked depletion of dopamine (DA) and DA transporter (DAT) binding sites but no change in 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and 5-HT transporter (5-HTT) binding sites in the striatum, amygdala, frontal cortex, and hippocampus, suggesting that METH causes selective neurotoxicity to DA nerve terminals. The concentration of nitrate in the striatum was increased by about two-fold after METH administration; however, no changes in nitrate concentration were detected in other brain regions that endured dopaminergic neurotoxicity. These findings suggest that (a) a neurotoxic regimen of METH produces selective increase in NO in the striatum, which may generate toxic species such as peroxynitrite, and (b) toxins other than NO-related derivatives may mediate dopaminergic neurotoxicity in the amygdala and frontal cortex

O O O B O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O

methamphetamine dopamine neurotoxicity nitrate nitrite peroxynitrite


MONOTONIC ERROR ELIMINATION IN SUBRANGE A/D CONVERTERS Monotonic errors cause severe errors and are inherent in several A/D Converter (ADC) architectures. Moreover, several error correcting and ADC output processing methods require a monotonic behavior for a successful operation. Based on the features of asynchronous ADCs, an architecture for the elimination of monotonic errors is presented. This monotonic error correcting module is connected at the output of an ADC and does not require any modification in its internal circuits. It controls an output buffering stage that discards output codes with monotonic errors and this correcting procedure is triggered by changes in specific output bits of the ADC. Simulation results show an improvement by 8 dB or 25% maximum, in the signal-to-noise and distortion ratio (SNDR) of an 8-bit ADC if this monotonic error elimination method is used alone and a further improvement by 1-5 dB if it is combined with a post processing method developed by the authors. Similar improvement can also be achieved in several other architectures like Subrange or Folding ADCs that operate in relatively high oversampling ratio and suffer from monotonic errors with specific features.

O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O


Video streaming over IEEE 802.11ac downlink multiuser: A learning-based approach Ever-increasing proliferation of the multimedia applications on the wireless LANs (WLANs) demands high-throughput transmission support from these networks which in turn necessitates efficient resource allocation approaches. The latest standard of the WLANs is the IEEE 802.11ac that leverages several physical layer techniques including downlink (DL) multiuser (MU) transmission to provide throughput requirement of the multimedia applications. This paper addresses video-cognizant joint scheduling and link adaptation problem in the IEEE DL MU 802.11ac. This problem is formulated according to the network utility maximization framework taking into account multimedia applications requirements and physical layer specification of the IEEE 802.11ac DL MU. The formulated problem is a non-convex problem due to the non-concave objective function and also non-convex constraints. A two-staged approach is proposed to solve it. In the first stage, the objective function is successively approximated by a concave function. In the second stage, in spite of the non-convex constraints, exploiting zero duality gap the problem is solved in the dual domain by means of a stochastic learning method. Since solving the dual problem involves an NP NP -hard subproblem, we design an ant colony based meta-heuristic to conquer it. The simulation results generated by the IEEE 802.11ac channel and physical layer models under the high efficiency video coding (HEVC) traffic substantiate the convergence of the proposed scheme to the required throughput of each video stream.

B I O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

video streaming
downlink multiuser
stochastic learning


semantic type qualifiers We present a new approach for supporting user-defined type refinements, which augment existing types to specify and check additional invariants of interest to programmers. We provide an expressive language in which users define new refinements and associated type rules. These rules are automatically incorporated by an extensible typechecker during static typechecking of programs. Separately, a soundness checker automatically proves that each refinement's type rules ensure the intended invariant, for all possible programs. We have formalized our approach and have instantiated it as a framework for adding new type qualifiers to C programs. We have used this framework to define and automatically prove sound a host of type qualifiers of different sorts, including pos and neg for integers, tainted and untainted for strings, and nonnull and unique for pointers, and we have applied our qualifiers to ensure important invariants on open-source C programs.

B B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O B O O O O O O B O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O B I O O O O O O O B O O O O O B O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

framework
type qualifiers
sound
users
semantic
language
types
pointers
strings
rules

extensible typechecking
type soundness
program
open-source
invariance
association
express
refine
user
programmer


Systolic product-sum circuit for GF((2(2))(m)) using neuron MOSFETs A quaternary systolic product-sum computation circuit for GF((2(2))(m)) using voltage-mode vMOSFETs is presented. The design is composed of four basic cells connected in a pipelined fashion. Each basic cell is composed of 2 Galois field adders, 2 Galois field multipliers, and 7 flip-flops. The circuit was simulated using Affirma Analog Circuit Design Environment tool supplied by Cadence, and it has shown to perform correctly. The quaternary circuit for GF((2(2))(2)) shows a significant amount of savings in both transistor count and number of connections compared to the one that uses the binary field GF(24). (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

composite and binary galois fields
mvl
quaternary logic
neuron mosfet


A multi-plane approach for text segmentation of complex document images This study presents a new method, namely the multi-plane segmentation approach, for segmenting and extracting textual objects from various real-life complex document images. The proposed multi-plane segmentation approach first decomposes the document image into distinct object planes to extract and separate homogeneous objects including textual regions of interest, non-text objects such as graphics and pictures, and background textures. This process consists of two stageslocalized histogram multilevel thresholding and multi-plane region matching and assembling. Then a text extraction procedure is applied on the resultant planes to detect and extract textual objects with different characteristics in the respective planes. The proposed approach processes document images regionally and adaptively according to their respective local features. Hence detailed characteristics of the extracted textual objects, particularly small characters with thin strokes, as well as gradational illuminations of characters, can be well-preserved. Moreover, this way also allows background objects with uneven, gradational, and sharp variations in contrast, illumination, and texture to be handled easily and well. Experimental results on real-life complex document images demonstrate that the proposed approach is effective in extracting textual objects with various illuminations, sizes, and font styles from various types of complex document images.

O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I

text extraction
multilevel thresholding
complex document images

document image processing
image segmentation
region segmentation


Advances on sorting by reversals The problem of sorting signed permutations by reversals is inspired by genome rearrangement problems in computational molecular biology. Given two genomes represented as signed permutations of the same elements (e.g. orthologous genes), the problem consists in finding a most parsimonious scenario of reversals that transforms one genome into the other. Following the first polynomial solution of this problem, several improvements, simplifications, generalizations, tutorials or surveys have been published on the subject. While the reversal distance problemi.e. the problem of computing the minimum number of reversals in a sorting sequence, without giving the sequence itselfseems to be well explored, the problem of giving a scenario realizing the distance still raises some open questions, one of which by Ozery-Flato and Shamir about whether an algorithm with subquadratic time complexity could ever be achieved for solving the problem. We give a positive answer to this question by describing an algorithm of time complexity O ( n 3 / 2 log n ) .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


A Markov decision process approach to multi-category patient scheduling in a diagnostic facility To develop a mathematical model for multi-category patient scheduling decisions in computed tomography (CT), and to investigate associated tradeoffs from economic and operational perspectives. We modeled this decision-problem as a finite-horizon Markov decision process (MDP) with expected net CT revenue as the performance metric. The performance of optimal policies was compared with five heuristics using data from an urban hospital. In addition to net revenue, other patient-throughput and service-quality metrics were also used in this comparative analysis. The optimal policy had a threshold structure in the two-scanner case it prioritized one type of patient when the queue-length for that type exceeded a threshold. The net revenue gap between the optimal policy and the heuristics ranged from 5% to 12%. This gap was 4% higher in the more congested, single-scanner system than in the two-scanner system. The performance of the net revenue maximizing policy was similar to the heuristics, when compared with respect to the alternative performance metrics in the two-scanner case. Under the optimal policy, the average number of patients that were not scanned by the end of the day, and the average patient waiting-time, were both nearly 80% smaller in the two-scanner case than in the single-scanner case. The net revenue gap between the optimal policy and the priority-based heuristics was nearly 2% smaller as compared to the first-come-first-served and random selection schemes. Net revenue was most sensitive to inpatient (IP) penalty costs in the single-scanner system, whereas to IP and outpatient revenues in the two-scanner case. The performance of the optimal policy is competitive with the operational and economic metrics considered in this paper. Such a policy can be implemented relatively easily and could be tested in practice in the future. The priority-based heuristics are next-best to the optimal policy and are much easier to implement.

O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

patient scheduling in diagnostic facilities


Fuzzy reliability analysis of concrete structures This paper presents a methodological approach of wide generality for assessing the reliability of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures. As known, the numerical values of the parameters which define the geometrical and mechanical properties of this kind of structures, are affected by several sources of uncertainties. In a realistic approach such properties cannot be considered as deterministic quantities. In the present study all these uncertainties are modeled using a fuzzy criterion in which the model is not defined through a set of fixed values, but through bands of values, bounded between suitable minimum and maximum extremes. The reliability problem is formulated at the load level, with reference to several serviceability and ultimate limit states. For the critical interval associated to each limit state, the membership function of the safety factor is derived by solving a corresponding anti-optimization problem. The strategic planning of this solution process is governed by a genetic algorithm, which generates the sampling values of the parameters involved in the material and geometrical non-linear structural analyses. The effectiveness of the proposed approach and its capability to handle complex structural systems are shown by carrying out a reliability assessment of a prestressed concrete continuous beam and of a cable-stayed bridge.

O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

structural reliability
non-linear analysis
uncertainty
fuzzy criteria
anti-optimization
genetic algorithms


creating collaboration and training opportunities for it staff Have you ever had a computer project and didn't think you had enough staff to implement on time? Ever tried to get IT staff from different campuses or departments to work together? Ever tried to find innovative ways to provide training opportunities for the IT staff? Pima Community College developed a couple of different plans to address the needs of the institution and offer training opportunities to IT technicians and specialists. At any one time, one or more campuses may be have a staff vacancy making it difficult or impossible to meet the demands of supporting computers, printers, projectors and all of those other pieces of equipment in classrooms, labs and offices. One location may struggle to configure and install new computer systems in a timely manner, while another has staff to deploy new systems as they are needed. We needed to find a way to encourage collaboration among campus IT staff to help their peers when these issues take place. We also needed a method to build current skill levels, which were not consistent across the district. This presentation will demonstrate a couple of different methods we used at Pima Community College to provide cross-training opportunities to staff from different campuses and departments. These activities helped build relationships among the staff and provided extra hands to help departments and campuses manage technology at their respective locations

O B O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Eliciting visual primitives for detection of elongated shapes This paper deals with the problem of eliciting visual primitives for visual search with the aim of detecting 2D objects characterized, primarily, by an elongated shape. The paper proposes a new visual primitive obtained by combining in a suitable correlation, a basic set of standard local features. This primitive is able to synthesize the information associated with local features and, as a more effective ensemble of proprieties of the considered model, enhance detection. The paper discusses the approach, presents the new primitive and evaluates its robustness in the case of non-ideal and noisy images. Finally an application to the context of visual inspection is presented.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

shape detection
focus of attention
feature extraction


Designing governance for shared services organizations in the public service As shared services organizations (SSO) become more popular as a service management and delivery option in government, properly defining and setting up the governance structure continues to be a key success factor. This paper explores the options and issues to consider when selecting and implementing shared services governance including topics such as oversight, accountability, culture, management of resources, and of day-to-day operations. Shared services organizations are increasingly common in private sector companies and the particular challenges involved in the governance of an SSO in a public service context are highlighted and discussed.

O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O

public service
shared services governance
governance structure

service level agreement (sla)
governance model


protecting source privacy in federated search Many information sources contain information that can only be accessed through search-specific search engines. Federated search provides search solutions of this type of hidden information that cannot be searched by conventional search engines. In many scenarios of federated search, such as the search among health care providers or among intelligence agencies, an individual information source does not want to disclose the source of the search results to users or other sources. Therefore, this paper proposes a two-step federated search protocol that protects the privacy of information sources. As far as we know, this is the first attempt to address the research problem of protecting source privacy in federated text search.

O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O


Crack propagation modelled by T-elements Purpose - To provide more convenient tools for the investigation of real objects with different forms and positions of cracks, which requires fracture analysis of engineering structures. Design/methodology/approach - A method which uses the Trefftz-type finite elements (T-elements) was applied as an efficient tool to deal with various problems of fracture mechanics. Findings - Numerical examples compare the results of the T-element procedures with the commercial systems ALGOR (R) and ANSYS (R), showing the advantages of using the former codes. Their effectiveness is especially visible in the solution of a crack propagation problem. Research limitations/implications - Limitation to linear fracture mechanics. Practical implications - A proposal of effective codes for engineering analysis of structures with cracks. Originality/value - This paper presents the feasibility of the application of the T-element method to a wider field of fracture analysis - crack propagation in engineering structures.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O


Plasma nitridation of very thin gate dielectrics The performance of NMOSFET devices with nitrided gate oxides has been compared using two plasma-based nitridation techniques. Specifically, remote plasma nitridation (RPN) and decoupled plasma nitridation (DPN) of 1.4 nm base oxides were evaluated. It is found that both nitridation techniques give comparable leakage current performance, where 410 leakage current reduction can be achieved compared to un-nitrided oxides. The flatband voltages of the DPN-nitrided gate dielectric are larger (more negative) than those of RPN-nitrided gate dielectric, possibly indicating more fixed charge for the DPN process conditions used. The normalized peak transconductance of RPN and DPN-nitrided gate dielectrics depends on the detailed nitridation conditions, but can be comparable to that of un-nitrided oxides. The normalized drive currents are largest for the DPN-nitrided oxides, most likely because of the smaller threshold voltage measured after DPN nitridation. The results suggest that for NMOSFET devices, the two nitridation processes (RPN and DPN), if properly optimized, can give comparable device performance.

O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O B B O O O B B O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B B O O O O O O O O O B O B O B O O O O O O O O


Sources of inspiration: a language of design Sources of inspiration play an important role in the design process, both in defining the context for new designs and in informing the creation of individual designs. Previous designs and other sources of ideas furnish a vocabulary both for thinking about new designs and for describing designs to others. In a study of knitwear design, a process in which the use of sources of inspiration is explicitly acknowledged, we have observed that designers communicate with each other about new designs, styles and moods, largely by reference to the sources of their ideas. In this paper we discuss why this style of communication is so important, and what information it is used to convey. We view it as the use of a language to describe regions in the space of possible designs.

B I I O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

sources of inspiration
communication
knitwear


On the fixed parameter complexity of graph enumeration problems definable in monadic second-order logic We discuss the parametrized complexity of counting and evaluation problems on graphs where the range of counting is definable in monadic second-order logic (MSOL). We show that for bounded tree-width these problems are solvable in polynomial time. The same holds for bounded clique width in the cases, where the decomposition, which establishes the bound on the clique-width, can be computed in polynomial time and for problems expressible by monadic second-order formulas without edge set quantification. Such quantifications are allowed in the case of graphs with bounded tree-width. As applications we discuss in detail how this affects the parametrized complexity of the permanent and the hamiltonian of a matrix, and more generally, various generating functions of MSOL definable graph properties. Finally, our results are also applicable to SAT and ?SAT.

O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Routing on networks of optical crossbars We describe routing algorithms on networks composed of optical busses. Using networks with short busses and small degree we are able to give very fast routing algorithms. First, we describe a leveled optical network and a routing algorithm for it. Next, we show how to simulate this network on high-dimensional meshes of optical busses (MOBs). We present algorithms for routing, e.g., h-relations with runtime being linear in h, doubly logarithmic in size and polynomial in the dimension of the mesh. Previous results are exponential in the dimension. E.g., routing an h-relation on a d-dimensional MOB of size N requires O(d(5) log d log log N + d(3)h) steps, with high probability. (C) 1998-Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

parallel algorithms
randomized algorithms
optical networks
adaptive routing
multibutterflies


Effect of vertical grid variability on a free surface flow model A previously developed numerical model that solves the incompressible, non-hydrostatic, Navier-Stokes equations for free surface flow is analysed on a non-uniform vertical grid. The equations are vertically transformed to the sigma-coordinate system and solved in a fractional step manner in which the pressure is computed implicitly by correcting the hydrostatic flow field to be divergence free. Numerical consistency, accuracy and efficiency are assessed with analytical methods and numerical experiments for a varying vertical grid discretization. Specific discretizations are proposed that attain greater accuracy and minimize computational effort when compared to a uniform vertical discretization. Published in 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

navier-stokes equations
numerical models
flow simulation
wave propagation


On asymmetric Hermitian and skew-Hermitian splitting iteration methods for weakly nonlinear systems For the large sparse system of weakly nonlinear equations, based on separable property and strong dominance between the linear and the nonlinear terms and on the asymmetric Hermitian and skew-Hermitian splitting (AHSS) of the coefficient matrix, we establish two nonlinear composite iteration schemes, called Picard-AHSS and nonlinear AHSS-like methods. The advantage of these methods is that they only need to solve the linear sub-systems of constant coefficient matrices. In addition, these methods can also take full advantage of the dominance of Hermitian part. Therefore, computational workloads and computer storage may be saved in actual implementations. Theoretical analysis show that these new iteration methods are local convergent under suitable conditions. Numerical results show that both Picard-AHSS and nonlinear AHSS-like iteration methods are feasible and effective for the large scale system of weakly nonlinear equations, especially when the Hermitian part of the coefficient matrix is dominant.

O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

ahss iteration method
hss iteration method
inner/outer iteration scheme


A model for the proteolytic regulation of LpxC in the lipopolysaccharide pathway of Escherichia coli Simulation of the first two reactions in the LPS pathway. Kinetic parameters were obtained from the literature whilst others were estimated from our simulations. The possibility of the unfavourable equilibrium constant in the first step of the LPS pathway was analyzed. The mechanism of LpxC regulation by FtsH activation was investigated using differential time trigger in our model. Under extreme increases in LpxC concentration, FtsH is incapable of regulating production of excess end-product.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


glsim: A general library for numerical simulation We describe glsim, a C++ library designed to provide routines to perform basic housekeeping tasks common to a very wide range of simulation programs, such as reading simulation parameters or reading and writing self-describing binary files with simulation data. The design also provides a framework to add features to the library while preserving its structure and interfaces.

O O O B O B I O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O


Visualization of concept formation and learning Purpose - To discuss some of the work of Heinz von Foerster with regard to multidimensional visualization. Design/methodology/approach - An introduction to multidimensional visualization, followed with the connections derived from the Biological Computer Laboratory. Findings - Visualization provides insight through images. Considers the steps involved in interacting and learning so that this will lead the individual into their own "concept formation". Originality/value - Studies aspects of Heinz von Foerster's work that are of importance for understanding multidimensional visualization.

O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Energy-efficient Relay MAC with Dynamic Power Control in Wireless Body Area Networks Wireless body area network (WBAN) is an emerging short-range wireless communication network with sensor nodes located on, in or around the human body for healthcare, entertainment and ubiquitous computing. In WBANs, energy is severely constrained which is the prime consideration in the medium access control (MAC) protocol design. In this paper, we propose a novel MAC protocol named Energy-efficient Relay MAC with dynamic Power Control (ERPC-MAC) to save energy consumption. Without relying on the additional devices, ERPC-MAC employs relaying nodes to provide relay service for nodes which consume energy fast. Accordingly the superframe adjustment is performed and then the network topology can be smoothly switched from single-hop to multi-hop. Moreover, for further energy saving and reliability improvement, the dynamic power control is introduced to adjust the power level whenever a node transmits its packets to the coordinator or the relaying node. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first effort to integrate relay, topology adjustment and power control to improve the network performance in a WBAN. Comprehensive simulations are conducted to evaluate the performance. The results show that the ERPC-MAC is more superior to the existing standard and significantly prolongs the network lifetime.

O B B O O B I O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B O O O B B O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O B I O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Can Internalism and Externalism be Reconciled in a Biological Epistemology of Language? This paper is an attempt at exploring the possibility of reconciling the two interpretations of biolinguistics which have been recently projected by Koster (Biolinguistics 3(1):6192, 2009). The two interpretationstrivial and nontrivialcan be roughly construed as non-internalist and internalist conceptions of biolinguistics respectively. The internalist approach boils down to a conception of language where language as a mental grammar in the form of I-language grows and functions like a biological organ. On the other hand, under such a construal consistent with Kosters (Biolinguistics 3(1):61-92, 2009), the non-internalist version does not necessarily have to be externalist in nature; rather it is a matter of mutual reinforcement of biology and culture under the rubric of a co-evolutionary dynamics. Here it will be argued that the apparent dichotomy between these two conceptions of biolinguistics can perhaps be resolved if we have a richer synthesis that accounts for both internalism and non-internalism.

O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O


Control and data flow structural testing criteria for aspect-oriented programs Although it is claimed that, among other features, aspect-oriented programming (AOP) increases understandability and eases the maintenance burden, this technology cannot provide correctness by itself, and thus it also requires the use of systematic verification, validation and testing (VV&T) approaches. With the purpose of producing high quality software, many approaches to apply structural testing criteria for the unit testing of procedural and object-oriented (OO) programs have been proposed. Nevertheless, until now, few works have addressed the application of such criteria to test aspect-oriented programs. In this paper we define a family of control flow and data flow based testing criteria for aspect-oriented programs inspired by the implementation strategy adopted by AspectJ an aspect-oriented extension of the Java language and extending a previous work proposed for Java programs. We propose the derivation of a control and data flow model for aspect-oriented programs based upon the static analysis of the object code (the Java bytecode) resulted from the compilation/weaving process. Using this model, called aspect-oriented def-use graph (AODU AODU ), traditional and also aspect-oriented testing criteria are defined (called Control and Data Flow Structural Testing Criteria for Aspect-Oriented Programs CDSTC-AOP). The main idea is that composition of aspect-oriented programs leads to new crosscutting interfaces in several modules of the system, which must be considered for coverage during structural testing. The implementation of a prototype tool the JaBUTi/AJ tool to support the proposed criteria and model is presented along with an example. Also, theoretical and practical questions regarding the CDSTC-AOP criteria are discussed.

O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

software testing
aspect-oriented programming
testing aspect-oriented programs


Eigenvectors of tensors and algorithms for Waring decomposition A Waring decomposition of a (homogeneous) polynomial f is a minimal sum of powers of linear forms expressing f. Under certain conditions, such a decomposition is unique. We discuss some algorithms to compute the Waring decomposition, which are linked to the equations of certain secant varieties and to eigenvectors of tensors. In particular we explicitly decompose a cubic polynomial in three variables as the sum of five cubes (Sylvester Pentahedral Theorem). (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

tensor decomposition
waring problem
eigenvector of tensor


A fractal model for characterizing fluid flow in fractured rock masses based on randomly distributed rock fracture networks A fractal model that represents the geometric characteristics of rock fracture networks is proposed to link the fractal characteristics with the equivalent permeability of the fracture networks. The fracture networks are generated using the Monte Carlo method and have a power law size distribution. The fractal dimension DT is utilized to represent the tortuosity of the fluid flow, and another fractal dimension Df is utilized to represent the geometric distribution of fractures in the networks. The results indicate that the equivalent permeability of a fracture network can be significantly influenced by the tortuosity of the fluid flow, the aperture of the fractures and a random number used to generate the fractal length distribution of the fractures in the network. The correlation of fracture number and fracture length agrees well with the results of previous studies, and the calculated fractal dimensions Df are consistent with their theoretical values, which confirms the reliability of the proposed fractal length distribution and the stochastically generated fracture network models. The optimal hydraulic path can be identified in the longer fractures along the fluid flow direction. Using the proposed fractal model, a mathematical expression between the equivalent permeability K and the fractal dimension Df is proposed for models with large values of Df. The differences in the calculated flow volumes between the models that consider and those that do not consider the influence of fluid flow tortuosity are as high as 17.6419.51%, which emphasizes that the effects of tortuosity should not be neglected and should be included in the fractal model to accurately estimate the hydraulic behavior of fracture networks.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O B O O O O O O B I O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O B O O B I O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

fracture network
permeability
fractal dimension
geometric distribution
tortuosity


Information transfer rates in spin quantum channels We analyze the communication efficiency of quantum information transfer along unmodulated spin chains by computing the communication rates of various protocols. The effects of temporal correlations are discussed, showing that they can be exploited to boost the transmission efficiency.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Asymptotic global confidence regions in parametric shape estimation problems We introduce confidence region techniques for analyzing and visualizing the performance of two-dimensional parametric shape estimators. Assuming an asymptotically normal and efficient estimator for a finite parameterization of the object boundary, Cramer-Rao bounds are used to define an asymptotic confidence region, centered around the true boundary. Computation of the probability that an entire boundary estimate lies within the confidence region is a challenging problem, because the estimate is a two-dimensional nonstationary random process. We derive lower bounds on this probability using level crossing statistics. The same bounds also apply to asymptotic confidence regions Formed around the estimated boundaries, lower-bounding the probability that the entire true boundary lies within the confidence region. The results make it possible to generate asymptotic confidence regions for arbitrary prescribed probabilities. These asymptotic global confidence regions conveniently display the uncertainty in various geometric parameters such as shape, size, orientation, and position of the estimated object, and facilitate geometric inferences, Numerical simulations suggest that the new bounds are quite tight.

O O B I O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

confidence regions
parametric shape estimation
random process

cramer-rao bounds
geometric inference
imaging
level crossing probability
maximum-likelihood estimation


GeoSENS: geo-based sensor network secure communication protocol Secure pairwise communication is an important issue on which a lot of other sensor network services are based. Because of limitations on wireless transmission range, previous protocols may either be very inefficient or even do not work at all. We designed GeoSENS, a fully distributed pairwise key establishment protocol using the zone information of the region in which sensor networks are deployed. GeoSENS can be used in a region that is substantially larger than sensors' wireless transmission area with an overhead of storing more keys in sensors. We showed that GeoSENS will have very nice properties as well as in Eschenauer and Gligor [L. Eschenauer and V. D. Gligor, A key-management scheme for distributed sensor networks, in: Ninth ACM Conference on Computer and Communication Security, November 2002, pp. 41-47], as the theory of random graphs can also be applied. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

B O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

geosens
secure communication
sensor networks


Software Bertillonage Deployed software systems are typically composed of many pieces, not all of which may have been created by the main development team. Often, the provenance of included componentssuch as external libraries or cloned source codeis not clearly stated, and this uncertainty can introduce technical and ethical concerns that make it difficult for system owners and other stakeholders to manage their software assets. In this work, we motivate the need for the recovery of the provenance of software entities by a broad set of techniques that could include signature matching, source code fact extraction, software clone detection, call flow graph matching, string matching, historical analyses, and other techniques. We liken our provenance goals to that of Bertillonage, a simple and approximate forensic analysis technique based on bio-metrics that was developed in 19th century France before the advent of fingerprints. As an example, we have developed a fast, simple, and approximate technique called anchored signature matching for identifying the source origin of binary libraries within a given Java application. This technique involves a type of structured signature matching performed against a database of candidates drawn from the Maven2 repository, a 275GB collection of open source Java libraries. To show the approach is both valid and effective, we conducted an empirical study on 945 jars from the Debian GNU/Linux distribution, as well as an industrial case study on 81 jars from an e-commerce application.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Pervasive Healthcare - Selected papers from the Pervasive Healthcare 2008 Conference, Tampere, Finland Objective: Introducing the Special Topic of Methods of Information in Medicine on pervasive healthcare, with selected papers from the Pervasive Healthcare Conference at Tampere, Finland, January 30 to February 1, 2008. Methods. Describing pervasive healthcare as field. Reporting about the content of the selected papers in this Special Topic. Developing and evaluating physiological measurement techniques, assistive care ambient notification and reminding systems, ambulatory monitoring, architectures and platforms for personalized home-health tele-monitoring, means of privacy-protecting health-sensitive information, and establishing a clinical proof-of-concept methodology. Results and Conclusions. Pervasive healthcare is an emerging field with considerable technological breadth and expected strong impact for the quality and efficiency of healthcare in an aging society. However, this field is still a nascent one, with a good deal of exploratory research. There is also hypothesis-based and empirical research, which tests the assumptions or feasibility of a solution using clinical evidence, but most such trials at this time are preliminary and small. The emergence of a truly evidence-based outcomes assessment will take some time, but is in the making.

B I O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

pervasive computing
ubiquitous computing


Web based multilayered distributed SCADA/HMI system in refinery application The paper describes system synthesis and architecture of a multilayered distributed SCADA/HMI system. The system is used for monitoring and control of refinery terminals for truck loading and oil products pipeline shipping. Network-centered, distributed PLC system with SCADA functions and several levels of fieldbuses, interconnected with the HMI part of the system is described first. Following is a brief description of the software tools used in the system design. Configuration and PLC controllers programming, data server configuration, operator panels design and way of managing the control system using a standard Web browser, e.g. Internet Explorer, are addressed. After examining the way specific customization is done, the paper focuses on establishing the link with icons on graphic panels that integrates all three levels of process control from Operators panels.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

scada/hmi
opc protocols
real time systems


Sliding mode control of coupled tanks The paper deals with the level control of two coupled tanks. A static sliding mode control scheme is proposed for the system. To greatly reduce the chattering problem associated with the static sliding mode control scheme, two different dynamic sliding mode control schemes are proposed. The proposed control schemes guarantee the asymptotic stability of the closed loop system. To illustrate the developed control schemes, the performance of the closed loop system is simulated using MATLAB. Moreover the proposed control schemes are implemented using an experimental setup. The simulation as well as the implementation results indicate that the proposed control schemes work very well. In addition, robustness of the control schemes to change in system's parameters as well as to disturbances are investigated. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

B I I O B I O O O O O B I O O B I O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

coupled tanks
level control
sliding mode control


PACAP Stimulates the Release of Interleukin-6 in Cultured Rat Mller Cells We have investigated the in vivo effect of PACAP on rat Mller cells that are the predominant glial element in the retina. Mller cells were treated with PACAP38, either alone or in the presence of the PACAP-selective antagonist, PACAP638. Cellular proliferation was determined by measuring the incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine, while interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in the culture medium were examined using a B9 cell bioassay. In cultured rat Mller cells, the expression of PACAP receptor (PAC1-R) was assessed with immunohistochemistry using a PAC1-R-specific antiserum. PACAP stimulated IL-6 production in Mller cells at a concentration as low as 10?12 M, which was not sufficient to induce cell proliferation. This elevation of IL-6 production was significantly inhibited by PACAP638. These data suggest that Mller cells are one of the target cells for PACAP, stimulating the release of IL-6, and providing a mechanism whereby PACAP exerts a significant neuroprotective effect in the retina

B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O B O O O B I O O O