Abstract: Integrins are a large family of multidomain α/β cell
signaling receptors. Some integrins contain an additional inserted I
domain, whose earliest expression appears to be with the chordates,
since they are observed in the urochordates Ciona intestinalis (vase
tunicate) and Halocynthia roretzi (sea pineapple), but not in integrins
of earlier diverging species. The domain-s presence is viewed as a
hallmark of integrins of higher metazoans, however in vertebrates,
there are clearly three structurally-different classes: integrins without
I domains, and two groups of integrins with I domains but separable
by the presence or absence of an additional αC helix. For example,
the αI domains in collagen-binding integrins from Osteichthyes
(bony fish) and all higher vertebrates contain the specific αC helix,
whereas the αI domains in non-collagen binding integrins from
vertebrates and the αI domains from earlier diverging urochordate
integrins, i.e. tunicates, do not. Unfortunately, within the early
chordates, there is an evolutionary gap due to extinctions between the
tunicates and cartilaginous fish. This, coupled with a knowledge gap
due to the lack of complete genomic data from surviving species,
means that the origin of collagen-binding αC-containing αI domains
remains unknown. Here, we analyzed two available genomes from
Callorhinchus milii (ghost shark/elephant shark; Chondrichthyes –
cartilaginous fish) and Petromyzon marinus (sea lamprey;
Agnathostomata), and several available Expression Sequence Tags
from two Chondrichthyes species: Raja erinacea (little skate) and
Squalus acanthias (dogfish shark); and Eptatretus burgeri (inshore
hagfish; Agnathostomata), which evolutionary reside between the
urochordates and osteichthyes. In P. marinus, we observed several
fragments coding for the αC-containing αI domain, allowing us to
shed more light on the evolution of the collagen-binding integrins.
Abstract: The technique of k-anonymization has been proposed to obfuscate private data through associating it with at least k identities. This paper investigates the basic tabular structures that
underline the notion of k-anonymization using cell suppression.
These structures are studied under idealized conditions to identify the
essential features of the k-anonymization notion. We optimize data kanonymization
through requiring a minimum number of anonymized
values that are balanced over all columns and rows. We study the
relationship between the sizes of the anonymized tables, the value k, and the number of attributes. This study has a theoretical value through contributing to develop a mathematical foundation of the kanonymization
concept. Its practical significance is still to be
investigated.
Abstract: Recently, most digital systems are designed as GALS (Globally Asynchronous Locally Synchronous) systems. Several architectures have been proposed as bus architectures for a GALS system : shared bus, segmented bus, ring bus, and so on. In this study, we propose a ring segmented bus architecture which is a combination of segmented bus and ring bus architecture with the aim of throughput enhancement. In a segmented bus architecture, segments are connected in series. By connecting the segments at the end of the bus and constructing the ring bus, it becomes possible to allocate a channel of the bus bidirectionally. The bus channel is allocated to the shortest path between segments. We consider a metastable operation caused by asynchronous communication between segments and a burst transfer between segments. According to the result of simulation, it is shown that the GALS system designed by the proposed method has the desired operations.
Abstract: This paper investigates the effects of lubrication on
the quantity of heat emission of two spur gear. System with and
without lubrication effected on the quantity of heat induced on the
gear box (oil - bearings – gears). Both of lubrication and speed of
motor are affected on the performance of gears. Research investigated
the lubrication on the system with and without loading as well as the
wear of gears and bearing's conditions. Gear box investigated
includes the motor, pump, two spur gears, two shafts; speed change
used pulleys and belts. Load used equal one weight ones of gear.
Lubrication mechanism used jet system (upper and lower jet). Gear
box we used system of jet lubrication is perpendicular direction of
the contact line between two teeth. Results appeared in this work that
the lubrication is the vital parameter which is affected on the
performance and durability of gears and bearings. In macroscopic
observation, we noted that damage of bearings happened during the
absence of lubrication as well as abrasive of wear of teeth. Higher
speed of motor without lubrication increased the noise, but in the
presence of lubrication was decreased.
Abstract: This paper regards the phenomena of intensive suburbanization and urbanization in Olomouc city and in Olomouc region in general for the period of 1986–2009. A Remote Sensing approach that involves tracking of changes in Land Cover units is proposed to quantify the urbanization state and trends in temporal and spatial aspects. It actually consisted of two approaches, Experiment 1 and Experiment 2 which implied two different image classification solutions in order to provide Land Cover maps for each 1986–2009 time split available in the Landsat image set. Experiment 1 dealt with the unsupervised classification, while Experiment 2 involved semi- supervised classification, using a combination of object-based and pixel-based classifiers. The resulting Land Cover maps were subsequently quantified for the proportion of urban area unit and its trend through time, and also for the urban area unit stability, yielding the relation of spatial and temporal development of the urban area unit. Some outcomes seem promising but there is indisputably room for improvements of source data and also processing and filtering.
Abstract: Inferring the network structure from time series data
is a hard problem, especially if the time series is short and noisy.
DNA microarray is a technology allowing to monitor the mRNA
concentration of thousands of genes simultaneously that produces
data of these characteristics. In this study we try to investigate the
influence of the experimental design on the quality of the result.
More precisely, we investigate the influence of two different types of
random single gene perturbations on the inference of genetic networks
from time series data. To obtain an objective quality measure for
this influence we simulate gene expression values with a biologically
plausible model of a known network structure. Within this framework
we study the influence of single gene knock-outs in opposite to
linearly controlled expression for single genes on the quality of the
infered network structure.
Abstract: The current paper presents a numerical approach in solving the conjugate heat transfer problems. A heat conduction code is coupled internally with a computational fluid dynamics solver for developing a couple conjugate heat transfer solver. Methodology of treating non-matching meshes at interface has also been proposed. The validation results of 1D and 2D cases for the developed conjugate heat transfer code have shown close agreement with the solutions given by analysis.
Abstract: The aim of this work is to present a multi-objective optimization method to find maximum efficiency kinematics for a flapping wing unmanned aerial vehicle. We restrained our study to rectangular wings with the same profile along the span and to harmonic dihedral motion. It is assumed that the birdlike aerial vehicle (whose span and surface area were fixed respectively to 1m and 0.15m2) is in horizontal mechanically balanced motion at fixed speed. We used two flight physics models to describe the vehicle aerodynamic performances, namely DeLaurier-s model, which has been used in many studies dealing with flapping wings, and the model proposed by Dae-Kwan et al. Then, a constrained multi-objective optimization of the propulsive efficiency is performed using a recent evolutionary multi-objective algorithm called є-MOEA. Firstly, we show that feasible solutions (i.e. solutions that fulfil the imposed constraints) can be obtained using Dae-Kwan et al.-s model. Secondly, we highlight that a single objective optimization approach (weighted sum method for example) can also give optimal solutions as good as the multi-objective one which nevertheless offers the advantage of directly generating the set of the best trade-offs. Finally, we show that the DeLaurier-s model does not yield feasible solutions.
Abstract: The medical data statistical analysis often requires the
using of some special techniques, because of the particularities of
these data. The principal components analysis and the data clustering
are two statistical methods for data mining very useful in the medical
field, the first one as a method to decrease the number of studied
parameters, and the second one as a method to analyze the
connections between diagnosis and the data about the patient-s
condition. In this paper we investigate the implications obtained from
a specific data analysis technique: the data clustering preceded by a
selection of the most relevant parameters, made using the principal
components analysis. Our assumption was that, using the principal
components analysis before data clustering - in order to select and to
classify only the most relevant parameters – the accuracy of
clustering is improved, but the practical results showed the opposite
fact: the clustering accuracy decreases, with a percentage
approximately equal with the percentage of information loss reported
by the principal components analysis.
Abstract: The use of plastic materials in agriculture causes
serious hazards to the environment. The introduction of biodegradable materials, which can be disposed directly into the soil
can be one possible solution to this problem. In the present research results of experimental tests carried out on biodegradable film
fabricated from natural waste (corn husk) are presented. The film was
characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR),
differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis
(TGA) and atomic force microscope (AFM) observation. The film is
shown to be readily degraded within 7-9 months under controlled soil
conditions, indicating a high biodegradability rate. The film
fabricated was use to produce biodegradable pot (BioPot) for
seedlings plantation. The introduction and the expanding use of
biodegradable materials represent a really promising alternative for
enhancing sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural
activities.
Abstract: Researches on the general rules of temperature field
changing and their effects on the bridge in construction are necessary.
This paper investigated the rules of temperature field changing and its
effects on bridge using onsite measurement and computational
analysis. Guanyinsha Bridge was used as a case study in this research.
The temperature field was simulated in analyses. The effects of certain
boundary conditions such as sun radiance, wind speed, and model
parameters such as heat factor and specific heat on temperature field
are investigated. Recommended values for these parameters are
proposed. The simulated temperature field matches the measured
observations with high accuracy. At the same time, the stresses and
deflections of the bridge computed with the simulated temperature
field matches measured values too. As a conclusion, the temperature
effect analysis of reinforced concrete box girder can be conducted
directly based on the reliable weather data of the concerned area.
Abstract: The excessive use of agricultural pesticides and the
resulting contamination of food and beds of rivers have been a
recurring problem nowadays. Some of these substances can cause
changes in endocrine balance and impair reproductive function of
human and animal population. In the present study, we evaluated the
possible effects of the fungicide cuprous copper oxide Sandoz® on
pregnant Wistar rats. They received a daily oral administration of 103
or 3.103 mg/kg of the fungicide from the 6th to the 15th day of
gestation. On day 21 of gestation, the maternal and fetal toxicity
parameters and indices were determined. The administration of
cuprous oxide (Copper Sandoz) in Wistar rats, the period of
organogenesis, revealed no evidence of maternal toxicity or embryo
at the studied doses.
Abstract: This work concerns on experimentally investigation
of surfactant flooding in fractured porous media. In this study a series
of water and surfactant injection processes were performed on
micromodels initially saturated with a heavy crude oil. Eight
fractured glass micromodels were used to illustrate effects of
surfactant types and concentrations on oil recovery efficiency in
presence of fractures with different properties i.e. fracture
orientation, length and number of fractures. Two different
surfactants with different concentrations were tested. The results
showed that surfactant flooding would be more efficient by using
SDS surfactant aqueous solution and also by locating injection well
in a proper position respect to fracture properties. This study
demonstrates different physical and chemical conditions that affect
the efficiency of this method of enhanced oil recovery.
Abstract: Different types of aggregation operators such as the
ordered weighted quasi-arithmetic mean (Quasi-OWA) operator and
the normalized Hamming distance are studied. We introduce the use
of the OWA operator in generalized distances such as the quasiarithmetic
distance. We will call these new distance aggregation the
ordered weighted quasi-arithmetic distance (Quasi-OWAD) operator.
We develop a general overview of this type of generalization and
study some of their main properties such as the distinction between
descending and ascending orders. We also consider different families
of Quasi-OWAD operators such as the Minkowski ordered weighted
averaging distance (MOWAD) operator, the ordered weighted
averaging distance (OWAD) operator, the Euclidean ordered
weighted averaging distance (EOWAD) operator, the normalized
quasi-arithmetic distance, etc.
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to propose a model designed to achieve Total Knowledge Transfer in the public health sector. The Total Knowledge Transfer Model integrated four essential organizational factors which have been under examined in totality in the literature. The research design was inductive in nature and used a case study for accomplishing the research objectives. The researcher investigated the factors that created a base to design a framework for total knowledge transfer in the public health sector. The results of this study are drawn from a fairly large sample in only two hospitals. A further research can be conducted to cover more responses from a wider health sector. The Total Knowledge Transfer Model is essential to improve the transfer and application of total common health knowledge.
Abstract: Slag sample from copper smelting operation in a
water jacket furnace from DRC plant was used. The study intends to
determine the effect of cooling in the extraction of base metals. The
cooling methods investigated were water quenching, air cooling and
furnace cooling. The latter cooling ways were compared to the
original as received slag. It was observed that, the cooling rate of the
slag affected the leaching of base metals as it changed the phase
distribution in the slag and the base metals distribution within the
phases. It was also found that fast cooling of slag prevented
crystallization and produced an amorphous phase that encloses the
base metals. The amorphous slags from the slag dumps were more
leachable in acidic medium (HNO3) which leached 46%Cu, 95% Co,
85% Zn, 92% Pb and 79% Fe with no selectivity at pH0, than in
basic medium (NH4OH). The leachability was vice versa for the
modified slags by quenching in water which leached 89%Cu with a
high selectivity as metal extractions are less than 1% for Co, Zn, Pb
and Fe at ambient temperature and pH12. For the crystallized slags,
leaching of base metals increased with the increase of temperature
from ambient temperature to 60°C and decreased at the higher
temperature of 80°C due to the evaporation of the ammonia solution
used for basic leaching, the total amounts of base metals that were
leached in slow cooled slags were very low compared to the
quenched slag samples.
Abstract: Motion capture devices have been utilized in
producing several contents, such as movies and video games. However,
since motion capture devices are expensive and inconvenient to use,
motions segmented from captured data was recycled and synthesized
to utilize it in another contents, but the motions were generally
segmented by contents producers in manual. Therefore, automatic
motion segmentation is recently getting a lot of attentions. Previous
approaches are divided into on-line and off-line, where on-line
approaches segment motions based on similarities between
neighboring frames and off-line approaches segment motions by
capturing the global characteristics in feature space. In this paper, we
propose a graph-based high-level motion segmentation method. Since
high-level motions consist of several repeated frames within temporal
distances, we consider all similarities among all frames within the
temporal distance. This is achieved by constructing a graph, where
each vertex represents a frame and the edges between the frames are
weighted by their similarity. Then, normalized cuts algorithm is used
to partition the constructed graph into several sub-graphs by globally
finding minimum cuts. In the experiments, the results using the
proposed method showed better performance than PCA-based method
in on-line and GMM-based method in off-line, as the proposed method
globally segment motions from the graph constructed based
similarities between neighboring frames as well as similarities among
all frames within temporal distances.
Abstract: Evapotranspiration (ET) is a major component of the hydrologic cycle and its accurate estimation is essential for hydrological studies. In past, various estimation methods have been developed for different climatological data, and the accuracy of these methods varies with climatic conditions. Reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0) is a key variable in procedures established for estimating evapotranspiration rates of agricultural crops. Values of ET0 are used with crop coefficients for many aspects of irrigation and water resources planning and management. Numerous methods are used for estimating ET0. As per internationally accepted procedures outlined in the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization-s Irrigation and Drainage Paper No. 56(FAO-56), use of Penman-Monteith equation is recommended for computing ET0 from ground based climatological observations. In the present study, seven methods have been selected for performance evaluation. User friendly software has been developed using programming language visual basic. The visual basic has ability to create graphical environment using less coding. For given data availability the developed software estimates reference evapotranspiration for any given area and period for which data is available. The accuracy of the software has been checked by the examples given in FAO-56.The developed software is a user friendly tool for estimating ET0 under different data availability and climatic conditions.
Abstract: In this paper, we present a matrix game-theoretic cross-layer optimization formulation to maximize the network lifetime in wireless ad hoc networks with network coding. To this end, we introduce a cross-layer formulation of general NUM (network utility maximization) that accommodates routing, scheduling, and stream control from different layers in the coded networks. Specifically, for the scheduling problem and then the objective function involved, we develop a matrix game with the strategy sets of the players corresponding to hyperlinks and transmission modes, and design the payoffs specific to the lifetime. In particular, with the inherit merit that matrix game can be solved with linear programming, our cross-layer programming formulation can benefit from both game-based and NUM-based approaches at the same time by cooperating the programming model for the matrix game with that for the other layers in a consistent framework. Finally, our numerical example demonstrates its performance results on a well-known wireless butterfly network to verify the cross-layer optimization scheme.
Abstract: Wireless Sensor Networks consist of inexpensive, low power sensor nodes deployed to monitor the environment and collect
data. Gathering information in an energy efficient manner is a critical aspect to prolong the network lifetime. Clustering algorithms have an advantage of enhancing the network lifetime. Current clustering algorithms usually focus on global re-clustering and local re-clustering separately. This paper, proposed a combination of those two reclustering methods to reduce the energy consumption of the network. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm can apply to homogeneous as well as heterogeneous wireless sensor networks. In addition, the cluster head rotation happens, only when its energy drops below a dynamic threshold value computed by the algorithm. The simulation result shows that the proposed algorithm prolong the network lifetime compared to existing algorithms.