A Variable Diagonal Loading Beamformer with Joint Uncertainties of Steering Vector and Covariance Matrix In this paper, a novel robust adaptive beamforming is proposed in which both the uncertainties of steering vector and covariance matrix are taken into account. First we develop a minmax optimization problem which aims to find a steering vector with the maximum output power under the worst-case covariance mismatch. Then we relax this minmax optimization problem to a maxmin optimization problem which can be solved by using the KarushKuhnTucker optimality conditions. It is also shown that the proposed technique can be interpreted in terms of variable diagonal loading where the optimal loading factors are related to both the correlations (between the eigenvectors and the signal of interest) and the eigenvalues of the data covariance matrix. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is supported by computer simulation results.

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 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

covariance matrix uncertainty
robust adaptive beamforming (rab)
worst-case performance optimization


Profit refiner of futures trading using clustering algorithm Lowering psychological pressure of investors and increasing the futures trading profit are the main purposes of this paper. First of all, this study aims to transfer profit curve (PC) generated by a non-AI-based trading strategy into technical indices, and enable clustering of high-low points of PC to display highlow point signals through some AI-based methods such as Grey Clustering, SOM and K-mean. Next, it attempts to close the transaction with high-point signal, and then open a position at low-point one, thus constructing three groups of profit refiners: GCR (Grey Clustering Refiner), SOMR (SOM Refiner) and KMR (K-Mean Refiner). Finally, the features of these refiners are analyzed to evaluate the test results using some performance indices. SOMR could improve the profit to the greatest possible extent, followed by GCR and KMR; on the other hand, KMR could lower psychological pressure, followed by SOMR and GCR. As a whole, three groups of refiners can really improve the profit and alleviate psychological burden of investors.

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

future trading
self-organizing map
k-mean
technical index


Channel waveguides fabricated in 2D photonic crystals of Si nanopillars Two-dimensional photonic crystal (PC) slabs were fabricated by arranging Si nanopillars into square lattices with period of 490 nm. The fabrication process of nanopillars used iron clusters as nuclei for self-formation of etching masks to obtain high-aspect-ratio structures. The PC slabs were embedded in grooves (1.2 ?m deep200 ?m wide4 mm long), sandwiched between the two silver layers whose refractive index is less than 1 for light confinement. Two kinds of line defects, a missing row of pillars and a reduced-diameter-pillar row, were introduced into the PC. The photonic band gap (PBG) was clearly observed in transmittance spectra for wavelength ? of 9001000 nm. In the PBG, a sharp peak corresponding to the defect mode was observed at ?=935 nm, which indicates the line defect acted as an optical waveguide.

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 B

transmission spectrum
metal cluster
si pillar
nanofabrication


Specification of Service Level Agreements: Problems, principles and practices Software intensive systems (SIS) increasingly influence the ability of enterprises to be competitive in continuously changing market situations. The integration of these systems into organizations, and in particular the subsequent exploitation, maintenance and service activities, have become of utmost importance. Unfortunately the area of exploitation and operation, also known as service management, is still rather immature. Service management covers services such as performance and availability support, end-user and help desk support, education, and maintenance. One of the main concepts of service management is the Service Level Agreement (SLA). The goal of an SLA is to bridge the gap between service provider and users or customers. However, there exist many problems and unsolved questions regarding the specification and the quantification of SLAs. This paper addresses the specification of SLAs on the basis of three well-founded service management principles, respectively: 'continuity in service management,' the pit/shell principle of a service, and the principle of specifying the quality of both a service process and a service object. Finally, the paper addresses the validation of these principles in practice.

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

service level agreements
service object
service process

quality characteristics
case study results


Using Co-Lab to build System Dynamics models: Students' actions and on-line tutorial advice Modeling offers a promising form of constructivist learning for students. By making and executing models of dynamic systems in a computer environment, students are stimulated to learn about the specific domain that is modeled as well as about the process of modeling in general. However, learning by modeling also leads to characteristic student mistakes, based on a combination of faulty domain knowledge and insufficient modeling skills. In this article, we describe a method of generating advice to students during their modeling process. The on-line advice system was informed by our observations of a teacher who gave advice via a textual communication tool to students building models with a System Dynamics model editor. The first version of the on-line advice system was evaluated in two ways: first, three teachers evaluated the advice the system generated for students' final solutions; second, we analyzed the advice the system provided as it was used by a sample of students who were building a physics model. These evaluations showed that the overall approach, including matching a student solution to a family of reference solutions together with the other mechanisms of the advice system, is valid. However, they also highlighted the difficulty of building 'intelligent' support to help students to improve their models and gain modeling expertise. The article concludes with a discussion of our current efforts to improve the advice system based on the lessons learnt, which suggest extension of the range of solution representations and of the operations of the advice method. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. 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 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

inquiry learning
system dynamics modeling
solution analysis
intelligent tutoring systems


What sort of community is the European Conference on Information Systems? A social network analysis 1993-2005 This paper presents a social network analysis ( SNA) of the European Conference on Information Systems ( ECIS) community based on patterns of co- authorship. ECIS contributions are separated into research papers and panels to create social networks that are then analyzed using a range of global network level and individual ego ( co- author, panellist) measures. The research community is found to have few properties of the ` small world' and to represent an agglomeration of co- authorships. The panels network has the properties of a ` small world' and displays a stronger sense of social cohesion. An analysis of individual actors ( egos) provides insight into who is central to the ECIS community. Based on the SNA, a range of possible interventions are proposed that could aid the future development of the ECIS community. The paper concludes by considering the usefulness of SNA as a method to support IS research.

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

social network analysis
information systems


Stability of the classification of returns to scale in FDH models This paper deals with the estimation of returns to scale (RTS) in free disposal hull (FDH) models and provides some stability intervals for preserving the RTS classification. It has been shown that the proposed stability intervals can be obtained via a polynomial-time algorithm based on the calculation of certain ratios of inputs and outputs, without solving any mathematical programming problem. The results of the study have been proved via some lemmas and theorems and have been illustrated by numerical examples and a real application.

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

dea
returns-to-scale
polynomial-time algorithms


a game tree strategy for automated negotiation Chess playing programs running on small computers, such as PocketPCs,can beat most human players. This paper reports a feasibility studyto determine if the techniques programs use to play chess can beapplied to the more economically interesting problem of negotiation.This study allowed us to identify the essential differences betweenplaying chess and negotiating and to demonstrate possible solutions tothe problems we encountered.

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


Time dependent solution for acceleration of tau-leaping The tau-leaping method is often effective for speeding up discrete stochastic simulation of chemically reacting systems. However, when fast reactions are involved, the speed-up for this method can be quite limited. One way to address this is to apply a stochastic quasi-steady state assumption. However we must be careful when using this assumption. If the fast subsystem cannot reach a steady distribution fast enough, the quasi-steady-state assumption will propagate error into the simulation. To avoid these errors, we propose to use the time dependent solution rather than the quasi-steady-state. Generally speaking, the time dependent solution is not easy to derive for an arbitrary network. However, for some common motifs we do have time dependent solutions. We derive the time dependent solutions for these motifs, and then show how they can be used with tau-leaping to achieve substantial speed-ups, including for a realistic model of blood coagulation. Although the method is complicated, we have automated it.

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

stochastic simulation
time dependent solution


Homogenization of a space frame as a thick plate: Application of the Bending-Gradient theory to a beam lattice The Bending-Gradient theory for thick plates is the extension to heterogeneous plates of ReissnerMindlin theory originally designed for homogeneous plates. In this paper the Bending-Gradient theory is extended to in-plane periodic structures made of connected beams (space frames) which can be considered macroscopically as a plate. Its application to a square beam lattice reveals that classical ReissnerMindlin theory cannot properly model such microstructures. Comparisons with exact solutions show that only the Bending-Gradient theory captures second order effects in both deflection and local stress fields.

B 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

plate theory
higher-order models
periodic plates


Reserve Constrained Dynamic Environmental/Economic Dispatch: A New Multiobjective Self-Adaptive Learning Bat Algorithm This paper proposes a new multiobjective self-adaptive learning bat-inspired algorithm to solve practical reserve constrained dynamic environmental/economic dispatch that considers realistic constraints such as valve-point effects, transmission losses, and ramp rate limits over a short-term time period. Furthermore, to ensure secure real-time power system operations, the system operator must schedule sufficient resources to meet energy demand and operating reserve requirements simultaneously. The proposed problem is a complex nonlinear nonsmooth and nonconvex multiobjective optimization problem whose complexity is increased when considering the above constraints. To this end, this paper utilizes a newly developed meta-heuristic bat inspired algorithm to achieve the set of nondominated (Pareto-optimal) solutions. This algorithm is equipped with a novel self-adaptive learning to increase the population diversity and amend the convergence criteria. The initial population of the proposed framework is generated by a chaos-based strategy. In addition, a tournament crowded selection approach is implemented to choose the population such that the Pareto-optimal front is distributed uniformly, while the extreme points of the tradeoff surface are achieved simultaneously. Numerical results evaluate the performances of the framework for real-size test 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 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O


Thomassen's conjecture implies polynomiality of 1-Hamilton-connectedness in line graphs A graph G is 1-Hamilton-connected if G?x is Hamilton-connected for every x?V(G), and G is 2-edge-Hamilton-connected if the graph G+ X has a hamiltonian cycle containing all edges of X for any X?E+(G) = {xy| x, y?V(G)} with 1?|X|?2. We prove that Thomassen's conjecture (every 4-connected line graph is hamiltonian, or, equivalently, every snark has a dominating cycle) is equivalent to the statements that every 4-connected line graph is 1-Hamilton-connected and/or 2-edge-Hamilton-connected. As a corollary, we obtain that Thomassen's conjecture implies polynomiality of both 1-Hamilton-connectedness and 2-edge-Hamilton-connectedness in line graphs. Consequently, proving that 1-Hamilton-connectedness is NP-complete in line graphs would disprove Thomassen's conjecture, unless P = NP. 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 69: 241250, 2012

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

line graph
hamiltonian
dominating cycle
snark

4-connected
hamilton-connected
thomassen's conjecture


Relaxin Signaling in Uterine Fibroids Uterine fibroid is the most common tumor of female reproductive organs. The role of relaxin signaling in leiomyoma development was analyzed. We used 23 matched pairs of leiomyoma and normal myometrium samples to compare the expression of relaxin family peptide receptors RXFP1 and RXFP2, caveolin 1, desmin, and steroid receptors and their cofactors, NCOR1 and NCOR2. The expression of RXFP1, evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, was downregulated in fibroid tissues. Relaxin or insulin-like peptide 3 treatment suppressed transforming growth factor ?-induced phosphorylation of SMAD2 in rat leiomyoma ELT-3 cells in vitro, suggesting a possible involvement of relaxins in the etiology of leiomyoma.

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

leiomyoma
transforming growth factor
relaxin


A Note on Parameters of Random Substitutions by gamma-Diagonal Matrices Random substitutions are very useful and practical method for privacy-preserving schemes. In this paper we obtain the exact relationship between the estimation errors and three parameters used in the random substitutions, namely the privacy assurance metric gamma, the total number n of data records, and the size N of transition matrix. We also demonstrate some simulations concerning the theoretical result.

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

randomization
data perturbation
random substitution
privacy-preserving data mining


Analysis of the Respiratory Dynamics During Normal Breathing by Means of Pseudophase Plots and Pressure-Volume Loops This paper reports on the analysis of tidal breathing patterns measured during noninvasive forced oscillation lung function tests in six individual groups. The three adult groups were healthy, with prediagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and with prediagnosed kyphoscoliosis, respectively. The three children groups were healthy, with prediagnosed asthma, and with prediagnosed cystic fibrosis, respectively. The analysis is applied to the pressure-volume curves and the pseudophase-plane loop by means of the box-counting method, which gives a measure of the area within each loop. The objective was to verify if there exists a link between the area of the loops, power-law patterns, and alterations in the respiratory structure with disease. We obtained statistically significant variations between the data sets corresponding to the six groups of patients, showing also the existence of power-law patterns. Our findings support the idea that the respiratory system changes with disease in terms of airway geometry and tissue parameters, leading, in turn, to variations in the fractal dimension of the respiratory tree and its dynamics.

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

correlation
delay
geometrical mapping
homothety factor
lung function test
phase plot
respiratory impedance


an efficient filter for approximate membership checking We consider the problem of identifying sub-strings of input text strings that approximately match with some member of a potentially large dictionary. This problem arises in several important applications such as extracting named entities from text documents and identifying biological concepts from biomedical literature. In this paper, we develop a filter-verification framework, and propose a novel in-memory filter structure. That is, we first quickly filter out sub-strings that cannot match with any dictionary member, and then verify the remaining sub-strings against the dictionary. Our method does not produce false negatives. We demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of our filter over real datasets, and show that it significantly outperforms the previous best-known methods in terms of both filtering power and computation time.

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 B O O O O

approximate membership checking
filtering


A simulation framework for energy-consumption analysis of OS-driven embedded applications Energy consumption has become a major focus in the design of embedded systems (e.g., mobile computing and wireless communication devices). In particular, a shift of emphasis from hardware-oriented low-energy design techniques to energy-efficient embedded software design has occurred progressively in the past few years. To that end, various techniques have been developed for the design of energy-efficient embedded software. In operating system (OS)-driven embedded systems, the OS has a significant impact on the system's energy consumption directly (energy consumption associated with the execution of the OS functions and services), as well as indirectly (interaction of the OS with the application software). As a first step toward designing energy-efficient OS-based embedded systems, it is important to analyze the energy consumption of embedded software by taking the OS energy characteristics into account. To facilitate such studies, we present, in this work, an energy simulation framework that can be used to analyze the energy consumption characteristics of an embedded system featuring the embedded Linux OS running on the StrongARM processor. The framework allows software designers to study the energy consumption of the system software in relation to the application software, identify the energy hot spots, and perform design changes based on the knowledge of the OS energy consumption characteristics as well as application-OS interactions.

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

embedded system
energy simulation
operating system


GLCM Based Extraction of Flame Image Texture Features and KPCA-GLVQ Recognition Method for Rotary Kiln Combustion Working Conditions According to the pulverized coal combustion flame image texture features of the rotary-kiln oxide pellets sintering process, a combustion working condition recognition method based on the generalized learning vector (GLVQ) neural network is proposed. Firstly, the numerical flame image is analyzed to extract texture features, such as energy, entropy and inertia, based on grey-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) to provide qualitative information on the changes in the visual appearance of the flame. Then the kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) method is adopted to deduct the input vector with high dimensionality so as to reduce the GLVQ target dimension and network scale greatly. Finally, the GLVQ neural network is trained by using the normalized texture feature data. The test results show that the proposed KPCA-GLVQ classifier has an excellent performance on training speed and correct recognition rate, and it meets the requirement for real-time combustion working condition recognition for the rotary kiln process.

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 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 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

texture features
kernel principal component analysis

generalized learning vector quantization


A state-space model for chemical production scheduling We express a general mixed-integer programming (MIP) scheduling model in state-space form, and show how common scheduling disruptions, which lead to rescheduling, can be modeled as disturbances in the state-space model. We also discuss how a wide range of scheduling models, with different types of decisions and processing constraints, can be expressed in state-space form. The proposed framework offers a natural representation of dynamic systems, thereby enabling researchers in the chemical process control area to study scheduling problems. It also facilitates the application of known results for hybrid systems, as well as the development of new tools necessary to address scheduling applications. We hope that it will lead to the development of scheduling solution methods with desired closed-loop properties, a topic that has received no attention in the process operations literature. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

mixed-integer programming
closed-loop solution


a hybrid genetic algorithm with pattern search for finding heavy atoms in protein crystals One approach for determining the molecular structure of proteins is a technique called iso-morphous replacement, in which crystallographers dope protein crystals with heavy atoms, such as mercury or platinum. By comparing measured amplitudes of diffracted x-rays through protein crystals with and without the heavy atoms, the locations of the heavy atoms can be estimated. Once the locations of the heavy atoms are known, the phases of the diffracted x-rays through the protein crystal can be estimated, which in turn enables the structure of the protein to be estimated. Unfortunately, the key step in this process is the estimation of the locations of the heavy atoms, and this is a multi-modal, non-linear inverse problem. We report results of a pilot study that show that a 2-stage hybrid algorithm, using a stochastic genetic algorithm for stage 1 followed by a deterministic pattern search algorithm for stage 2, can successfully locate up to 5 heavy atoms in computer simulated crystals using noise free data. We conclude that the method may be a viable approach for finding heavy atoms in protein crystals, and suggest ways in which the approach can be scaled up to larger problems.

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

phase problem
hybrid evolutionary algorithms
genetic algorithms
heavy atom method
crystallography
crystallographic phasing


a 900 mhz ism band mash-12 fractional-n frequency synthesizer for 5-mbps data transmission The design of a fractional-N PLL in the 900 MHz ISM band is presented to enable 5-Mbps data transmission for neuro application using GMSK modulation. The frac-N PLL consists of a phase frequency detector (PFD), charge pump (CP), loop filter, LC-VCO, and a prescaler. To minimize the CP current, the VCO control node capacitance is used to realize the on-chip loop filter's 3rd pole. Measured results of the MASH-12 frac-N synthesizer at 925 MHz show a phase noise of -104dBc/Hz at 22.5 KHz offset, in-band rms phase error of 0.7deg over 2.25 MHz bandwidth and out-of-band rms phase error of 2.3 deg. The measured phase noise spectrum correlates well with behavioral noise model predictions, including noise due to CP and PFD non-linearities. The chip was designed in 1.8V TSMC0.18?m Mixed Signal and RF process.

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

charge pump
vco
phase noise
frequency synthesizer
rms phase error
phase frequency detector

gain mismatch
thermal noise
spurs
fractional-n
delta-sigma


Secure information embedding into 1D biomedical signals based on SPIHT A quality-preserving coding for 1D biomedical signals attaching metadata is proposed. It permits embedding a big amount of metadata with the SPIHT-coded signal. Security items are also embedded to provide security and Role-Based Access Control. High compression ratios (35) are achieved despite of the embedding. The overall delay of the encoding-access system is 23.3s in real-time transmission.

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


Speaker attribution of successive utterances: The role of discontinuities in voice characteristics and prosody ? In our work we attempted to answer the following question: How do listeners identify two sentences as spoken by one or by two persons when they can take into consideration only acoustic speaker characteristics and intonation? We used successive utterance portions forming a single turn or two subsequent turns in a dialogue, the lexical structure of which was held constant. The experiments are based on sentence combinations varying with respect to speakers, sentence types, and types of communicative coherence. Pairs of sentences with and without constant intervening pauses were presented to subjects with the task of ascribing them to one of three categories: dialogue, monologue and metadialogue (i.e., the imitation of dialogue by a single voice). The results showed that the following factors influence the decision of the listeners: voice properties, presence or absence of pause, and the communicative types of the sentences. Two principles involved in processing the input signals are supposed. One of them is applied to the case when two sentences are represented without a pause. Under these circumstances, the continuity or discontinuity of the acoustic input is likely to be the main criterion used by the listener to decide between monologue and dialogue. If the sentences are separated by a pause, a comparison of the auditory voice properties of the two portions may take place.

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

speaker attribution
voice characteristics
intonation

auditory processing
perceptual organization


The effects of disruption in attention on driving performance patterns: Analysis ofjerk-cost function and vehicle control data This study analyzes the effects of attention disruption factors, such as sending text messages (STM) and performing searching navigation (SN) on driving performance patterns while actively driving, centering on motion signals. To this end, it analyzes not only data on control of the vehicle including the Anterior-Posterior Coefficient of Variation (APCV), Medial-Lateral Coefficient of Variation (MLCV), and Deviation of Vehicle Speed but also motion data such as the Jerk-Cost function (JC). A total of 55 drivers including 28 males (age: 24.11.5, driving experience: 1.8years1.7 years) and 27 females (age: 23.82.6, driving experience: 1.51.0) participated in this study. All subjects were instructed to drive at a constant speed (90km/h) for 2min while keeping a distance of 30m from the front car also running at a speed of 90km/h. They were requested to drive for the first 1min and then drive only (Driving Only) or conduct tasks while driving for the subsequent 1min (Driving+STM or Driving+SN). The information on APCV, MLCV, and deviation of speed were delivered by a driving simulator. Furthermore, the motion signal was measured using 4 high-speed infrared cameras and based on the measurement results, JCs in a total of 6 parts including left shoulder (L.shoulder), left elbow (L.elbow), left hand (L.hand), right knee (R.knee), right ankle (R.ankle), and right toe (R.toe) were calculated. Differences among the results of 3 conditions of experiment, Driving Only, Driving+STM, and Driving+SN, were compared and analyzed in terms of APCV, MLCV, Deviation of Vehicle Speed, and JC. APCV and Deviation of Vehicle Speed increased in Driving+SN, rather than in Driving Only. MLCV increased in Driving+STM and Driving+SN, rather than in Driving Only. In the case of most JCs except that of L.hand, the values increased in Driving+SN, compared to Driving Only. This study indicated that JC could be a reliable parameter for the evaluation of driving performance patterns. In addition, it was discovered that additional tasks under driving, such as STM and SN, impaired smoothness or proficiency in driving motion, thereby increasing anterior-posterior and medio-lateral variability and deviation of speed.

O O O O O O O B I 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 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 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 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

attention disruption factors
driving performance
motion signal


On the performance of bandwidth and storage sharing in information-centric networks Information Centric Network (ICN) proposals, have recently emerged to define new network architectures where content, and not its location, becomes the core of the communication model. Such new paradigms push data storage and delivery at network layer and are designed to cope with current Internet usage, mainly centered around content dissemination and retrieval. In this paper, we develop an analytical model of ICN storage and bandwidth sharing under fairly general assumptions on total demand, topology, content popularity and limited network resources. Our study applies to a class of content oriented networks identified by receiver-driven packet-based communication with in-network storage. We derive a closed-form expression for expected stationary delivery time as a function of hit/miss probabilities at network caches, content popularity and cache sizes. Our analytical results, supported by packet level simulations, can be used to analyze fundamental trade-offs of ICN architectures. They also provide an essential building block for the design and evaluation of ICN protocols.

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

information-centric networking
performance analysis
transport


unconstrained endpoint profiling (googling the internet) Understanding Internet access trends at a global scale, i.e., what do people do on the Internet, is a challenging problem that is typically addressed by analyzing network traces. However, obtaining such traces presents its own set of challenges owing to either privacy concerns or to other operational difficulties. The key hypothesis of our work here is that most of the information needed to profile the Internet endpoints is already available around us - on the web. In this paper, we introduce a novel approach for profiling and classifying endpoints. We implement and deploy a Google-based profiling tool, which accurately characterizes endpoint behavior by collecting and strategically combining information freely available on the web. Our 'unconstrained endpoint profiling' approach shows remarkable advances in the following scenarios: (i) Even when no packet traces are available, it can accurately predict application and protocol usage trends at arbitrary networks; (ii) When network traces are available, it dramatically outperforms state-of-the-art classification tools; (iii) When sampled flow-level traces are available, it retains high classification capabilities when other schemes literally fall apart. Using this approach, we perform unconstrained endpoint profiling at a global scale: for clients in four different world regions (Asia, South and North America and Europe). We provide the first-of-its-kind endpoint analysis which reveals fascinating similarities and differences among these regions.

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 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 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

google
traffic classification
traffic locality
clustering


On the topological modeling and analysis of industrial process data using the SOM In this paper, we overview and discuss the implementation of topology-based approaches to modeling and analyzing industrial process data. Emphasis is given to the representation of the data obtained with the self-organizing map (SOM). The methods are used in visualizing process measurements and extracting relevant information by exploiting the topological structure of the observations. Benefits of the SOM with industrial data are presented for a set of process measurements measured in an industrial gas treatment plant. The practical goal is to identify significant operational modes and most sensitive process variables before developing an alternative control strategy. The results confirmed that the SOM-based approach is capable of providing valuable information and offers possibilities for direct application to other process monitoring tasks. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. 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 O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O

process supervision
self-organizing maps


FO(ID) as an extension of DL with rules There are many interesting Knowledge Representation questions surrounding rule languages for the Semantic Web. The most basic one is of course: which kind of rules should be used and how do they integrate with existing Description Logics? Similar questions have already been addressed in the field of Logic Programming, where one particular answer has been provided by the language of FO(ID). FO(ID) is an extension of first-order logic with a rule-based representation for inductive definitions. By offering a general integration of first-order logic and Logic Programs, it also induces a particular way of extending Description Logics with rules. The goal of this paper is to investigate this integration and discover whether there are interesting extensions of DL with rules that can be arrived at by imposing appropriate restrictions on the highly expressive FO(ID).

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 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 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

description logics
logic programming
knowledge representation


Design characterization and automatic identification of character lines in automotive field Design style and designer role get a great importance in the success of a new product launched in the marketplace. In particular, in the automotive domain a deep connection arises from the created shapes and the users emotional states. For this reason the designer role is commonly considered as twofold, being both a technician and an artist. The methodology proposed in this paper does define a design support tool for the definition of shapes in the automotive sector. This methodology is based on the study of the most relevant character lines. These lines are automatically selected by means of CAD tools and then analysed to identify mathematical relations between such lines and other geometrical features typical of the car. This part of the methodology originates a mathematical definition of the style that is associated to a qualitative definition of the style itself, which is based on data coming from user interviews analysed through statistical tools. Based on mathematical and qualitative definitions, a methodology to connect geometrical and emotional data has been developed. This methodology has been applied to a set of cars showing the results presented in this paper. Cars appearances and the emotional feelings they produce are linked together; some relationships are deduced to create a support tool in the early design phase.

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


empirical study on dotcom firms survival in china In the recent rapidly changing environment of the digital economy, the survival phenomena of dotcom firms have been observed by the electronic commerce industry and academic researchers. This paper aims to develop formal theory-based understanding of the dotcom firms survival. We analyze the factors that affect the dotcom firms survival using the logistic regression model. We employ data from various secondary sources and argue that firm DNA structure affects the survival probabilities of the dotcom firms and the firm DNA structure is formed by the capabilities of entrepreneur, raised funding, information capital, human capital, social capital and the technology capital. DNA structure will change with the environment to fit the demand of competition. Our results indicate that the empirical model is fit the above assumption.

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

logistic regression
dna structure
dotcom
survival


Planar branch decompositions II: The cycle method This is the second of two papers dealing with the relationship of branchwidth and planar graphs. Branchwidth and branch decompositions, introduced by Robertson and Seymour, have been shown to be beneficial for both proving theoretical results on graphs and solving NP-hard problems modeled on graphs. The first practical implementation of an algorithm of Seymour and Thomas for computing optimal branch decompositions of planar hypergraphs is presented. This algorithm encompasses another algorithm of Seymour and Thomas for computing the branchwidth of any planar hypergraph, whose implementation is discussed in the first paper. The implementation also includes the addition of a heuristic to decrease the run times of the algorithm. This method, called the cycle method, is an improvement on the algorithm by using a "divide-and-conquer" approach.

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

planar graph
branch decomposition
carvingwidth


Already up? using mobile phones to track & share sleep behavior We monitor sleep duration by measuring users explicit interaction with a mobile app. Using the app, we successfully monitor users' sleep duration without on-body sensing. Tracking sleep behavior empowers users to engage in healthier sleep habits. Sharing sleep information with social networks impacts awareness and connectedness. Users intend to share their sleep data with individuals whovalue that information

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


A Full-Reference Quality Metric for Geometrically Distorted Images In multimedia applications, there has been an increasing interest in the use of quality measures based on human perception; however, research has not dealt with distortions due to geometric transformations. In this paper, we propose a method to objectively assess the perceptual quality of geometrically distorted images, based on image features processed by human vision. The proposed approach is a full-reference image quality metric focusing on the problem of local geometric distortions and is based on the use of Gabor filters that have received considerable attention because the characteristics of certain cells in the visual cortex of some mammals can be approximated by these filters. The novelty of the proposed technique is that it considers both the displacement field describing the distortion and the structure of the image. The experimental results show the good performances of the proposed metric.

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

geometric distortions
perceptual quality

human visual system (hvs)
image quality assessment


Ensemble one-class support vector machines for content-based image retrieval In order to narrow semantic gap between user query concept and low-level features in content-based image retrieval, SVM-based relevance feedback techniques are developed to learn users query concept by labeling some samples. The major difficulty in relevance feedback is to estimate the support of target image in high-dimensional feature space with small number of training samples. To overcome this limitation, we propose an ensemble method to boost image retrieval accuracy and to improve its generalization performance. Images are segmented into multiple instances. A set of moderate accurate one-class support vector machine classifiers are trained separately by using different sub-features extracted from instances. The ensemble method results in a highly accurate by combining moderately accurate weak classifiers. Our propose ensemble scheme not only provides a robust mechanism in selecting strong query concept related images for relevant feedback, but also achieves a generalization performance in image retrieval.

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

relevance feedback
ensemble
support vector machines


Two-dimensional cache-oblivious sparse matrix-vector multiplication In earlier work, we presented a one-dimensional cache-oblivious sparse matrix-vector (SpMV) multiplication scheme which has its roots in one-dimensional sparse matrix partitioning. Partitioning is often used in distributed-memory parallel computing for the SpMV multiplication, an important kernel in many applications. A logical extension is to move towards using a two-dimensional partitioning. In this paper, we present our research in this direction, extending the one-dimensional method for cache-oblivious SpMV multiplication to two dimensions, while still allowing only row and column permutations on the sparse input matrix. This extension requires a generalisation of the compressed row storage data structure to a block-based data structure, for which several variants are investigated. Experiments performed on three different architectures show further improvements of the two-dimensional method compared to the one-dimensional method, especially in those cases where the one-dimensional method already provided significant gains. The largest gain obtained by our new reordering is over a factor of 3 in SpMV speed, compared to the natural matrix ordering. (C) 2011 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 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 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

matrix-vector multiplication
recursive bipartitioning
fine-grain
cache-oblivious


An Improved DFA for Fast Regular Expression Matching Modern network devices need to perform deep packet inspection at high speed for security and application-specific services. Finite Automata (FAs) are used to implement regular expressions matching, but they require a large amount of memory. Many recent works have proposed improvements to address this issue. This paper presents a new representation for deterministic finite automata (orthogonal to previous solutions), called Delta Finite Automata (delta FA), which considerably reduces states and transitions and requires a transition per character only, thus allowing fast matching. Moreover, a new state encoding scheme is proposed and the comprehensive algorithm is tested for use in the packet classification area.

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

security
dfa
deep packet inspection
regular expressions
packet classification


Fair circulation of a token Suppose that a distributed system is modeled by an undirected graph G = (V. E), where V and E, respectively, are the sets of processes and communication links. Israeli and Jalfon [6] proposed a simple self-stabilizing mutual exclusion algorithm: A token is circulated among the processes (i.e., vertices) and a process can access the critical section only when it holds the token. In order to guarantee equal access chance to all processes, the token circulation is desired to be fair in the sense that all processes have the same probability of holding the token. However, the Israeli-Jalfon token circulation scheme does not meet the requirement. This paper proposes a new scheme for making it fair. We evaluate the average of the longest waiting times in terms of the cover time and show an O(deg(G) n(2)) upper bound on the cover time for our scheme, where n and deg(G) are the number of processes and the maximum degree of G, respectively, The same (tight) upper bound is known for the Israeli-Jalfon scheme.

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

distributed systems
self-stabilizing systems
random walk


on the relationship between functional size and software code size SLOC (Source Lines-Of-Code) has been used extensively as a Code Size Measure, and as input to parametric software cost and effort estimation tools. SLOC is obtained by measuring FP (Function Points) on the requirements and multiplying by the SLOC/FP ratio from similar projects. This is done even though several studies show large variations in this ratio, due to weak correlation between FP and SLOC. However, in our previous experiments we have obtained strong correlation between CFP (COSMIC Function Points) and Bytes compiled code as Code Size Measure. The experiments were conducted in the automotive industry using software components developed by GM (General Motors). In this paper we explain the reasons behind the strong correlation. The main reasons are that we apply the COSMIC method on software components of similar type, with a 1-to-1 mapping to COSMIC. A strong correlation between the Functional Size Measure and the Code Size Measure is required to obtain accurate Code Size estimation results. To estimate the Code Size before the software is available, is important both for Cost/Effort estimation and design of electronic hardware.

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 B I I 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

bytes
software code size
cosmic function points

source lines-of-code
functional size measurement
uml components
system architecture


dominance hierarchies and social diversity in multi-agent systems In this study, we investigate self-organizing social hierarchies in multi-agent systems. Agents occupy the nodes of a small-world network and interact exclusively with other agents in their local neighbourhood. Here, the interactions represent competition for a limited resource. Monte-Carlo simulations show that the changes in a network's structure can alter the steady-state attributes for fixed reward/penalty mechanisms. The results suggest that the expected phase transition from a homogeneous to a hierarchical society depends on: (a) the relative strengths of the feedback mechanisms employed, (b) the underlying communication topology, and (c) whether previously dominated agents are replaced in the population by agents with higher social status. A key contribution of this paper is the coherent picture painted of the relationship between social differentiation and spatial structure in a multi-agent system.

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

hierarchy
multi-agent systems
small-world network
self-organization
socio-physics


Auditing associative relations across two knowledge sources This paper proposes a novel semantic method for auditing associative relations in biomedical terminologies. We tested our methodology on two Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) knowledge sources. We use the UMLS semantic groups as high-level representations of the domain and range of relationships in the Metathesaurus and in the Semantic Network. A mapping created between Metathesaurus relationships and Semantic Network relationships forms the basis for comparing the signatures of a given Metathesaurus relationship to the signatures of the semantic relationship to which it is mapped. The consistency of Metathesaurus relations is studied for each relationship. Of the 177 associative relationships in the Metathesaurus, 84 (48%) exhibit a high-degree of consistency with the corresponding Semantic Network relationships. Overall, 63% of the 1.8M associative relations in the Metathesaurus are consistent with relations in the Semantic Network. The semantics of associative relationships in biomedical terminologies should be defined explicitly by their developers. The Semantic Network would benefit from being extended with new relationships and with new relations for some existing relationships. The UMLS editing environment could take advantage of the correspondence established between relationships in the Metathesaurus and the Semantic Network. Finally, the auditing method also yielded useful information for refining the mapping of associative relationships between the two sources.

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 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 B I 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 B I O O O O

biomedical terminologies
associative relationships

auditing methods
unified medical language system (umls)


Putting the Cognitive Mediation Networks Theory to the test: Evaluation of a framework for understanding the digital age The Cognitive Mediation Networks Theory (CMNT) is a novel approach to human intelligence that, among other things, attempts to understand the cognitive changes associated to the emergence and dissemination of information and communication technologies throughout the last few decades. The present paper aims to investigate a central claim of the model, which is that the greater interaction of individuals with the changes emanating from the Digital Revolution and its implications (Hyperculture) tends to, in and of itself, produce psychological changes that lead to enhanced Cognitive Performance. For that purpose, a total of 1291 Brazilian adults and adolescents were investigated by means of an especially prepared form and cognitive tests. The results obtained indicated that a greater degree of Hyperculture is positively associated to Cognitive Performance and Sociability, regardless of sex, age, income, and level of education. These findings, taken together with those from other studies, strongly support the predictions of the CMNT, which emerges in this paper as a valid model of human cognition, at least when applied to the impacts of the Digital Revolution.

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

cognition
digital age
hyperculture
mediation


Multivariate image analysis in biomedicine In recent years, multivariate imaging techniques are developed and applied in biomedical research in an increasing degree. In research projets and in clinical studies as well m-dimensional multivariate images (MVI) are recorded and stored to databases for a subsequent analysis. The complexity of the m-dimensional data and the growing number of high throughput applications call for new strategies for the application of image processing and data mining to support the direct interactive analysis by human experts. This article provides an overview of proposed approaches for MVI analysis in biomedicine. After summarizing the biomedical MVI techniques the two level framework for MVI analysis is illustrated. Following this framework, the state-of-the-art solutions from the fields of image processing and data mining are reviewed and discussed. Motivations for MVI data mining in biology and medicine are characterized, followed by an overview of graphical and auditory approaches for interactive data exploration. The paper concludes with summarizing open problems in MVI analysis and remarks upon the future development of biomedical MVI analysis.

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

multimodal imaging
optical microscopy
medical imaging
explorative data analysis
artificial neural networks
manmachine interaction
multimodal display


Receding horizon control for multi-UAVs close formation control based on differential evolution Close formation flight is one of the most complicated problems on multi-uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs) coordinated control. Based on the nonlinear model of multi-UAVs close formation, a novel type of control strategy of using hybrid receding horizon control (RHC) and differential evolution algorithm is proposed. The issue of multi-UAVs close formation is transformed into several on-line optimization problems at a series of receding horizons, while the differential evolution algorithm is adopted to optimize control sequences at each receding horizon. Then, based on the Markov chain model, the convergence of differential evolution is proved. The working process of RHC controller is presented in detail, and the stability of close formation controller is also analyzed. Finally, three simulation experiments are performed, and the simulation results show the feasibility and validity of our proposed control algorithm.

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 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 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 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

uninhabited aerial vehicle (uav)
receding horizon control (rhc)
differential evolution (de)


A simple bit allocation scheme based on adaptive coding for MIMO-OFDM systems with V-BLAST detector We present a simple bit allocation scheme based on adaptive coding for MIMO-OFDM (Multiple Input Multiple Output - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) systems with V-BLAST (Vertical-Bell laboratories LAyered Space-Time) detector. The proposed scheme controls the code rate of the channel coding and assigns the same modulation and coding to the set of selected sub-channels, which greatly reduces the feedback burden while achieving good performance. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme with minimal feedback provides significant performance improvement over other 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 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

mimo-ofdm
v-blast
simplified bit allocation
adaptive coding bit allocation


Analysis of an infinite-server queue with batch Markovian arrival streams This paper considers an infinite-server queue with multiple batch Markovian arrival streams. The service time distribution of customers may be different for different arrival streams, and simultaneous batch arrivals from more than one stream are allowed. For this queue, we first derive a system of ordinary differential equations for the time-dependent matrix joint generating function of the number of customers in the system. Next assuming phase-type service times, we derive explicit and numerically feasible formulas for the time-dependent and limiting joint binomial moments. Further, some numerical examples are provided to discuss the impact of system parameters on the performance.

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

infinite-server queue
markovian arrival stream
time-dependent analysis
limiting distribution


Discontinuous Petrov-Galerkin method based on the optimal test space norm for steady transport problems in one space dimension We revisit the finite element analysis of convection-dominated flow problems within the recently developed Discontinuous Petrov-Galerkin (DPG) variational framework. We demonstrate how test function spaces that guarantee numerical stability can be computed automatically with respect to the optimal test space norm. This makes the DPG method not only stable but also robust, that is, uniformly stable with respect to the Peclet number in the current application. We employ discontinuous piecewise Bernstein polynomials as trial functions and construct a subgrid discretization that accounts for the singular perturbation character of the problem to resolve the corresponding optimal test functions. We also show that a smooth B-spline basis has certain computational advantages in the subgrid discretization. The overall effectiveness of the algorithm is demonstrated on two problems for the linear advection-diffusion equation. (C) 2011 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 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

convection-diffusion
discontinuous petrov-galerkin
finite element method
unconditional stability


Perturbation analysis of an M/M/1 queue in a diffusion random environment We study in this paper an M / M / 1 queue whose server rate depends upon the state of an independent Ornstein-Uhlenbeck diffusion process (X(t)) so that its value at time t is mu phi(X(t)), where phi(x) is some bounded function and mu > 0. We first establish the differential system for the conditional probability density functions of the couple (L(t), X(t)) in the stationary regime, where L(t) is the number of customers in the system at time t. By assuming that phi(x) is defined by phi(x) = 1 - epsilon((x boolean AND a/epsilon) boolean OR (-b/epsilon)) for some positive real numbers a, b and e, we show that the above differential system has a unique solution under some condition on a and b. We then show that this solution is close, in some appropriate sense, to the solution to the differential system obtained when phi is replaced with phi(x) = 1 - epsilon x for sufficiently small epsilon. We finally perform a perturbation analysis of this latter solution for small epsilon. This allows us to check at the first order the validity of the so-called reduced service rate approximation, stating that everything happens as if the server rate were constant and equal to mu(1 - epsilon E(X(t))).

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 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 I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

perturbation analysis
reduced service rate

m / m / 1 queue
self-adjoint operators
power series expansion


Probabilistic load flow with wind production uncertainty using cumulants and CornishFisher expansion This paper proposes a method for probabilistic load flow in networks with wind generation, where the uncertainty of the production is non-Gaussian. The method is based on the properties of the cumulants of the probability density functions (PDF) and the CornishFisher expansion, which is more suitable for non-Gaussian PDF than other approaches, such as GramCharlier series. The paper includes examples and comparisons between different methods proposed in literature.

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

probabilistic load flow
wind generation
cumulants


On quicker convergence towards Ruler's constant In this paper, we deduced the following new asymptotic series H-n - ln n similar to gamma + 1/2(n + 1) + 5/12n(n + 1) (1 + 1/5/n + 1/50/n(2) - 1/50/n(3) + 59/52500/n(4) + 437/37500/n(5) - ...) which faster converge to the Euler's constant with the increase in the terms considered, where H-n is the harmonic number. Also, we presented the following double inequality 1/2 + 5/12n(1+1/5/n+1/50/n(2)) / n + 1 < H-n - ln n - gamma < 1/2 + 5/12n(1+1/5/n) / n + 1; n = 1, 2, 3, ... , which improved some known inequalities of the sequence H-n - ln n - gamma.

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

euler's constant
speed of convergence
asymptotic expansion
approximations


Bayesian neural network learning for repeat purchase modelling in direct marketing We focus on purchase incidence modelling for a European direct mail company. Response models based on statistical and neural network techniques are contrasted. The evidence framework of MacKay is used as an example implementation of Bayesian neural network learning, a method that is fairly robust with respect to problems typically encountered when implementing neural networks. The automatic relevance determination (ARD) method, an integrated feature of this framework, allows us to assess the relative importance of the inputs. The basic response models use operationalisations of the traditionally discussed Recency, Frequency and Monetary (RFM) predictor categories. In a second experiment, the RFM response framework is enriched by the inclusion of other (non-RFM) customer profiling predictors. We contribute to the literature by providing experimental evidence that: (1) Bayesian neural networks offer a viable alternative for purchase incidence modelling; (2) a combined use of all three RFM predictor categories is advocated by the ARD method; (3) the inclusion of non-RFM variables allows to significantly augment the predictive power of the constructed RFM classifiers; (4) this rise is mainly attributed to the inclusion of customer/company interaction variables and a variable measuring whether a customer uses the credit facilities of the direct mailing company.

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 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 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

bayesian learning
response modelling
input ranking


On the Use of a Fuzzy Object-Relational Database for Flexible Retrieval of Medical Images This paper introduces a novel approach to medical image retrieval using a fuzzy object-relational database management system (FORDBMS). The system stores medical images along with information about the content of the image, such as the presence or absence of certain indicators of pathologies. It allows us to flexibly retrieve them on the basis of these indicators, making it possible to obtain images from patients with similar diagnosis and thus, following a common visual pattern. To illustrate the capabilities of the FORDBMS, this paper focuses on X-ray images of patients suffering from scoliosis (a medical condition in which the patient's spine is curved) from which spine descriptions are obtained. Then queries are performed to obtain a set of images with a certain curvature pattern. Results show high accuracy when evaluated by medical experts. Compared with other ad hoc content-based image retrieval systems, the one presented here is easily adaptable to other application domains, customizable, and very scalable.

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

content-based image retrieval
fuzzy object-relational databases


Behaviors from an electrically stimulated spinal cord neuronal network cultured on microelectrode arrays The spontaneous electrophysiological activity of neural networks seems to play an important role in the Central Nervous System (CNS) developing, subsequent maturation and learning. Learning a new behavior is an exploration process that involves the modulation and the formation of association set between stimuli and responses. Here, we analyze how the electrophysiological activity of cultured spinal cord neurons (14 DIV) from the chick embryo is affected by electrical stimulation. Active neurons show a typical high frequency activity pattern called burst. Induced changes in the patterns of electrophysiological activity are described.

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

microelectrode array
spinal cord network
burst activity
network dynamics


Hidden potentialities The search for "complexity signatures" in natural laws is a main concern for researchers working in many different fields, going from physics to biology. Very simple laws are able to produce unforeseen behaviors, and from their "simplicity" sometimes it is not possible to predict anything about the potential complexities they are able to produce when applied to random initial conditions. Here elementary cellular automata (ECA) are used to illustrate this idea. In fact, using a recently developed approach to establish a correspondence between ECA rules and logical functions that constitute their structure (logical spectra) we analyzed ECA groups represented by automata 120 and 164. The automaton governed by rule 120 generates complex patterns under certain random initial conditions, whereas the one corresponding to rule 164 is known as a simple law when it is evaluated at random initial conditions. However, slight changes in the initial conditions of both ECA produce dramatic "simplicity-complexity transitions", as it is shown here. These examples show that complexity, even in very simple formal systems, results from a subtle interplay between the structure of the laws and the initial conditions. Moreover, they draw attention to the importance of investigating if analogous comportments hold in large-scale natural phenomena as the yet enigmatic genotype-phenotype mapping.

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 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 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

rules 120, 164, 30, 45 and 110
genotype
phenotype


economies with non-convex production and complexity equilibria The convexity assumptions required for the Arrow-Debreu theorem are reasonable and realistic for preferences; however, they are highly problematic for production because they rule out economies of scale. We take a complexity-theoretic look at economies with non-convex production. It is known that in such markets equilibrium prices may not exist; we show that it is an intractable problem to achieve Pareto efficiency, the fundamental objective achieved by equilibrium prices. The same is true for core efficiency or any one of an array of concepts of stability, with the degree of intractability ranging from F ? 2 P -completeness to PSPACE-hardness. We also identify a novel phenomenon that we call complexity equilibrium in which agents quiesce, not because there is no way for any one of group of them to improve their situation, but because discovering the changes necessary for (individual or group) improvement is intractable. In fact, we exhibit a somewhat natural distribution of economies that has an average-case hard complexity equilibrium.

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

computation of market equilibrium
non-convex production
market equilibrium


Visualization of Flow Past a Square Prism with Cut-Corners at the Front-Edge Flow past a square prism with cut-corners at the front-edge is numerically and experimentally visualized to investigate a mechanism of drag reduction. An adaptive numerical scheme based on the vortex method is implemented for two values of the Reynolds number between 200 and 1,250, and the results are compared with experiments. Experimental visualization techniques include the hydrogen-bubble technique at Re = 4, 000 and the oil-flow technique at Re = 10,000 for a global wake formation, and the aluminum-flake technique for transient flow at the early stage of motion at Re = 1,250. A similar reattachment flow pattern is shown in a wide range of the Reynolds number between 200 and 10,000, which implies a possibility of the drag reduction in the Reynolds number being approximately lower than 8,000 unlike the previous findings.

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

drag reduction
square prism
vortex method

hydrogen-bubble technique
aluminum-flake technique
oil-flow technique


CONSTRUCTION OF SELF-DUAL CODES WITH AN AUTOMORPHISM OF ORDER p We develop a construction method for finding self-dual codes with an automorphism of order p with c independent p-cycles. In more detail, we construct a self-dual code with an automorphism of type p - (c; f + 2) and length n + 2 from a self-dual code with an automorphism of type p - (c, f) and length n, where an automorphism of type p (c; f) is that of order p with c independent cycles and f fixed points. Using this construction, we find three new inequivalent extremal self-dual [54, 27, 10] codes with an automorphism of type 7 - (7, 5) and two new inequivalent extremal self-dual [58; 29; 10] codes with an automorphism of of type 7 - (8; 2). We also obtain an extremal self-dual [40, 20; 8] code with an automorphism of type 3 - (10; 10), which is constructed from an extremal self-dual [38; 19; 8] code of type 3 - (10; 8), and at least 482 inequivalent extremal self-dual [58; 29; 10] codes with an automorphism of type 3 (18, 4), which is constructed from an extremal self-dual [54, 27, 10] code of type 3 (18, 0), we note that the extremality is preserved.

O O 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 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 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 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 O O O O O O O O O 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

self-dual code
extremal code
weight enumerator


Detecting mismatches among experts' ontologies acquired through knowledge elicitation We have constructed a set of ontologies modelled on conceptual structures elicited from several domain experts. Protocols were collected from various experts, who advise on the selection/specification and purchase of personal computers. These protocols were analysed from the perspective of both the processes and the domain knowledge to reflect each expert's inherent conceptualisation of the domain. We are particularly interested in analysing discrepancies within and among such experts' ontologies, and have identified a range of ontology mismatches. A systematic approach to the analysis has been developed; subsequently, we shall develop software tools to support this process.

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

knowledge elicitation
ontology mismatches


a fast ray casting algorithm using adaptive isotriangular subdivision Ray casting is a popular method of rendering high quality images from volume data. Its main shortcoming has been the high computational expense. This paper proposes a method of subdividing the image plane with isosceles triangles instead of quadrants as is usually done, resulting in fewer rays being fired without sacrificing image quality. A brief theoretical analysis of the algorithm in comparison with other methods is given.

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

data
ray casting
image
quality
method
paper
algorithm
subdivision
rendering
analysis


On transaction processing with partial validation and timestamp ordering in mobile broadcast environments Conventional concurrency control protocols are inapplicable in mobile broadcast environments due to a number of constraints of wireless communications. Previous studies are focused on efficient processing of read-only transactions at the mobile clients, neglecting update transactions. In this paper, we design a new protocol for processing both read-only and update mobile transactions. The protocol can detect data conflicts at an early stage at the mobile clients and resolve data conflicts flexibly using dynamic adjustment of timestamp ordering. Early data conflict detection saves processing and communication resources, while dynamic adjustment of timestamp ordering allows more schedules of transaction executions such that unnecessary transaction aborts can be avoided. We performed extensive simulation studies to evaluate the effectiveness of these two features for the performance of the new protocol. The analysis of simulation results showed that both features are effective and contribute differently to the satisfactory performance of the protocol.

O B I O B I O 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 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 B I 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

transaction processing
concurrency control
partial validation
timestamp ordering
mobile clients


Projective alignment with regions We have recently proposed an approach to recognition that uses regions to determine the pose of objects while allowing for partial occlusion of the regions. Regions introduce an attractive alternative to existing global and local approaches, since, unlike global features, they can handle occlusion and segmentation errors, and unlike local features they are not as sensitive to sensor errors, and they are easier to match. The region-based approach also uses image information directly, without the construction of intermediate representations, such as algebraic descriptions, which may be difficult to reliably compute. In this paper, we further analyze properties of the method for planar objects undergoing projective transformations. In particular, we prove that three visible regions are sufficient to determine the transformation uniquely and that for a large class of objects, two regions are insufficient for this purpose. However, we show that when several regions are available, the pose of the object can generally be recovered even when some or all regions are significantly occluded. Our analysis is based on investigating the flow patterns of points under projective transformations in the presence of fixed points.

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

object recognition
pose estimation with regions


A completeness analysis of frequent weighted concept lattices and their algebraic properties Frequent weighted concept lattice (FWCL) is an interesting version of the WCL (weighted concept lattice), which helps realize knowledge extraction in a more efficient way. One of the open issues is that the completeness of FWCL cannot be ensured (namely, some nodes would be removed since their intent weights are lower than intent importance thresholds specified by the user, so that it can occur that the supremum of their parent nodes or the infimum of their child nodes might not exist). In this study, we first introduce a virtual node into the structure of FWCL to retain the completeness of FWCL. Next, an algebraic system of FWCL is presented by introducing two operations, which form the least frequent upper bound and the greatest frequent lower bound of the FWCL. Finally, we discuss some algebraic properties of FWCL and prove its completeness of knowledge representation in this way providing the theoretical foundations for applications of WCL.

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

knowledge representation
frequent weighted concept lattice
algebraic system
completeness


Investigation of effects of virtual reality environments on learning performance of technical skills Practical training is what brings imagination and creativity to fruition, which relies significantly on the relevant technical skills needed. Thus, the current study has placed its emphasis on strengthening the learning of technical skills with emerging innovations in technology, while studying the effects of employing such technologies at the same time. As for the students who participated in the study, technical skills had been cultivated in the five dimensions of knowledge, comprehension, simulation, application, and creativity, in accordance to the set teaching objectives and the taxonomy for students learning outcome, while the virtual reality learning environment (VRLE) has also been developed to meet different goals as the various technical skills were being examined. In terms of the nature of technology, operation of machines, selection of process parameters, and process planning in technical skills, VRLE has also designed the six modules of learning resource, digital content, collaborative learning, formative evaluation, simulation of manufacturing process, and practical exercise in particular for providing students with assistance in the development on their technical skills on a specific, gradual basis. After assessing the technical skills that have been developed for the time period of one semester, the students have reported finding VRLE to be a significantly effective method when considering the three dimensions of operation of machines, selection of process parameter, and process planning, though not so much so when it came to the dimension of nature of technology. Among the six modules, simulation of manufacturing process and practical exercise were the two that were most preferred by students for the three dimensions considered.

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

imagination and creativity
technical skills

virtual reality learning environments
learning effectiveness


Social Web mining and exploitation for serious applications: Technosocial Predictive Analytics and related technologies for public health, environmental and national security surveillance This paper explores Technosocial Predictive Analytics (TPA) and related methods for Web data mining where users posts and queries are garnered from Social Web (Web 2.0) tools such as blogs, micro-blogging and social networking sites to form coherent representations of real-time health events. The paper includes a brief introduction to commonly used Social Web tools such as mashups and aggregators, and maps their exponential growth as an open architecture of participation for the masses and an emerging way to gain insight about people's collective health status of whole populations. Several health related tool examples are described and demonstrated as practical means through which health professionals might create clear location specific pictures of epidemiological data such as flu outbreaks.

B I O O O O O O B I I 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 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 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

social web
technosocial predictive analytics


Elongation cutoff technique: low-order scaling SCF method The elongation cutoff technique at restricted Hartree-Fock (HF) level of theory in conventional type of calculations, i.e., with two electron integrals (TEI) stored on a disc, is presented for two model systems. It is demonstrated that the number of TEI in the elongation cutoff calculations increases linearly with the system size thus, allowing to extend the conventional type of calculations to bigger systems. The step CPU (central processing unit) time in the elongation cutoff calculations is much lower than in the HF reference calculations. Such behavior reduces significantly the prefactor in the quadratic scaling relation. The total CPU time in the elongation calculation is about 40% lower than in the conventional HF calculations or comparable to direct type of calculations with the quantum fast multipoles method employed. It is shown that by introducing the interaction radius one can obtain linear scaling in the SCF calculations. Figure: The structure of density matrix and total CPU timings for polyglycine clusters in the elongation cutoff calculations.

B I I 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

elongation method
fragmentation techniques
linear scaling scf calculations


The discrete age-structured SEIT model with application to tuberculosis transmission in China Age plays an important role in the transmission of some infectious diseases. A discrete SEIT model with age-structure is formulated and studied. The basic reproduction number, R-0, of the model is defined. It is proved that R-0 = 1 is a threshold to determine the disease extinction or persistence. The disease- free equilibrium is globally stable (unstable) if R-0 1). There exists an endemic equilibrium, and the system is uniformly persistent if R-0 > 1. The numerical simulation demonstrates that the endemic equilibrium may be globally asymptotically stable. The model is applied to describe tuberculosis (TB) transmission in China. The total number of the population, the incidence rate, the prevalent rate and its age structure match the statistical data well. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

the discrete epidemic model
the reproduction number


Heterogeneous Receptor Distribution in Autonomic Neurons The central nervous system components for baroreflex regulation of sympathetic outflow include specific sets of neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Critical nuclei containing sympathetic baroreceptive neurons are the nuclei of the solitary tract, regions of the caudal and rostral ventrolateral medulla, and the intermediolateral cell column in the spinal cord. While many other brain regions project to these nuclei, cells in these areas appear to form the minimal required pathway for baroreflex control of sympathetic outflow. Synaptic connections have been identified between cells in these nuclei that are consistent with a serial relay from baroreceptor afferents through the brain stem and to sympathetic preganglionic neurons in the spinal cord. In recent years, we have examined the distribution of receptor proteins in these neurons, with a focus on receptors that are most likely to modulate the activity of these cells. In three studies examining the distribution of different receptors on distinct neurons, each study found some type of heterogeneity in the distribution of each receptor within a particular type of neuron. This heterogeneity was seen with regard to the distribution of receptor protein within the dendritic tree of individual neurons, as well as between pre- and postsynaptic sites on the same cell. This heterogeneous distribution of receptors suggests that receptors undergo dendritic targeting within autonomic neurons. This receptor trafficking may be regulated by heterogeneous afferent input to autonomic neurons and could be changed under conditions where afferent activity is significantly altered.

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

intermediolateral cell column
rostral ventrolateral medulla

blood pressure
cardiovascular
electron microscopy
ultrastructure
opioid receptors
glutamate receptors
nucleus tractus solitarius


Manufacturability aspects in low-temperature nickel silicidation: Temperature control and repeatability In this paper, results obtained on nickel silicidation and nickel?platinum silicidation in a RTA system based on conductive heating are presented. It is shown that with the Levitor system, it is possible to obtain silicide uniformities <1% at temperatures as low as 240C. Next to these, within-wafer results, run-to-run uniformity results are presented. The run-to-run results, monitored over 18 weeks, show that with the Levitor system the temperature repeatability is within a band of 1.5C. It can be concluded that with the Levitor system excellent within-wafer and run-to-run, uniformities can be obtained at temperatures well within the process window for nickel silicidation.

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

nisi
production monitoring
ni(pt)si
reproducibility


Stretch-minimising stream surfaces ? We study the problem of finding stretch-minimising stream surfaces in a divergence-free vector field. These surfaces are generated by motions of seed curves that propagate through the field in a stretch minimising manner, i.e., they move without stretching or shrinking, preserving the length of their arbitrary arc. In general fields, such curves may not exist. However, the divergence-free constraint gives rise to these stretch-free curves that are locally arc-length preserving when infinitesimally propagated. Several families of stretch-free curves are identified and used as initial guesses for stream surface generation. These surfaces are subsequently globally optimised to obtain the best stretch-minimising stream surfaces in a given divergence-free vector field. Our algorithm was tested on benchmark datasets, proving its applicability to incompressible fluid flow simulations, where our stretch-minimising stream surfaces realistically reflect the flow of a flexible univariate object.

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

divergence-free vector field
arc-length preservation
flow visualisation