User-centric content negotiation for effective adaptation service in mobile computing

We address the challenges of building a good content adaptation service for mobile devices and propose a decision engine that is user-centric with QoS awareness, which can automatically negotiate for the appropriate adaptation decision to use in the synthesis of an optimal adapted version. The QoS-sensitive approach complements the lossy nature of the transcoding operations. The decision engine will look for the best trade off among various parameters in order to reduce the loss of quality in various domains. Quantitative methods are suggested to measure the QoS of the content versions in various quality domains. Based on the particular user perception and other contextual information on the client capability, the network connection, and the requested content, the proposed negotiation algorithm will determine a content version with a good aggregate score. We have built a prototype document adaptation system for PDF documents to demonstrate the viability of our approach.     

Automatic measurement of volume percentage stroma in endometrial images using texture segmentation

The popularity of digital microscopy and tissue microarrays allow the use of high-throughput imaging for pathology research. To coordinate with this new technique, it is essential to automate the process of extracting information from such high amount of images. In this paper, we present a new model called the Subspace Mumford-Shah model for texture segmentation of microscopic endometrial images. The model incorporates subspace clustering techniques into a Mumford-Shah model to solve texture segmentation problems. The method first uses a supervised procedure to determine several optimal subspaces. These subspaces are then embedded into a Mumford-Shah objective function so that each segment of the optimal partition is homogeneous in its own subspace. The method outperforms a widely used method in bioimaging community called k-means segmentation since it can separate textures which are less separated in the full feature space, which confirm the usefulness of subspace clustering in texture segmentation. Experimental results also show that the proposed method is well performed on diagnosing premalignant endometrial disease and is very practical for segmenting image set sharing similar properties.     

Life prediction of stainless steels by cyclic and stable hysteresis curves

Abstract

This study develops an analytical expression to describe the cyclic stress‐strain curve obtained from a series of fully‐reversed fatigue tests. A set of stress‐strain relationships is proposed to simulate the tensile branch of the stable hysteresis loop. The complete shape of the stable hysteresis loop is then constructed and the associated theoretical plastic work calculated by integrating the area within the enclosed curve. The theoretical plastic work is employed to predict the fatigue lives of the investigated materials on the basis of their respective stable plastic work per cyclelife curves. In this paper, the current mathematical derivations are based upon the endochronic theory of plasticity. The accuracy of the proposed set of stress‐strain relationships is verified by conducting fully‐reversed constant strain amplitude fatigue tests on AISI 316 and AISI 304 stainless steels. The experimental and simulation results are found to be in good agreement, hence confirming the accuracy of the proposed analytical stress‐strain relationships. Again, comparing the obverted and predicted fatigue lives, a good agreement is found between the two sets of results.     

Kinetic Monte Carlo approach to modeling dislocation mobility

We describe a kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) approach to modeling dislocation motion, directly linking the energetics of dislocation kink nucleation and migration on the atomistic scale with the experimental data on the microscale. A study of planar glide of screw dislocation in Si, an ideal test-bed for our method is first discussed, followed by preliminary results for a more complicated problem, three-dimensional motion of screw dislocation in BCC metals. We find that accuracy of the model predictions, even in the favorable case of Si, cannot claim to be quantitative because of uncertainties in the atomistic results for kink energetics. On the other hand, the kMC method is useful for qualitatively probing the mechanisms controlling dislocation motion, and it is capable of providing plausible explanation of some puzzling features of the experimental data.     

A Fast Computational Algorithm for the Discrete Sine Transform

A sparse-matrix factorization is developed for the discrete sine transform (DST). This factorization has a recursive structure and leads directly to an efficient algorithm for implementing the DST, a feature most desirable and very similar ot that of the DCT. This algorithm requires fewer arithmetic operations compared to that for the discrete cosine transform (DCT).     

Construction quality in China during transition: A review of literature and empirical examination

Proper management processes were often regarded as the most important factors affecting construction quality, while the availability of capital, plant, and labour were taken for granted and the demands of property users were always ignored. The phenomenon that the construction quality of projects undertaken by State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) was better than that of non-SOEs revealed that in developing countries such as China during transition, the availability of resources could be very important to construction quality. By utilizing regression models to evaluate 550 robust province level data from 1993 to 2001, this paper will offer an insight into the hard factors affecting construction quality. It is found that higher power of machinery per labourer, the use of more plants or machinery per m² of floor space, properties with larger unit areas, the growth of GDP, the higher labour productivity tender to be associated with higher quality.     

The Expression of Active CD11b Monocytes in Blood and Disease Progression in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Monocytes expressing the inflammation suppressing active CD11b, a beta2 integrin, may regulate neuroinflammation and modify clinical outcomes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In this single site, retrospective study, peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 38 individuals living with ALS and 20 non-neurological controls (NNC) were investigated using flow cytometry to study active CD11b integrin classical (CM), intermediate (IM) and non-classical (NCM) monocytes during ALS progression. Seventeen ALS participants were sampled at the baseline (V1) and at two additional time points (V2 and V3) for longitudinal analysis. Active CD11b+ CM frequencies increased steeply between the baseline and V3 (ANOVA repeated measurement, p < 0.001), and the V2/V1 ratio negatively correlated with the disease progression rate, similar to higher frequencies of active CD11b+ NCM at the baseline (R = −0.6567; p = 0.0031 and R = 0.3862; p = 0.0168, respectively). CD11b NCM, clinical covariates and neurofilament light-chain plasma concentration at the baseline predicted shorter survival in a multivariable and univariate analysis (CD11b NCM—HR: 1.05, CI: 1.01–1.11, p = 0.013. Log rank: above median: 43 months and below median: 21.22 months; p = 0.0022). Blood samples with the highest frequencies of active CD11b+ IM and NCM contained the lowest concentrations of soluble CD11b. Our preliminary data suggest that the levels of active CD11b+ monocytes and NCM in the blood predict different clinical outcomes in ALS.     

An epidemiological profile of elderly suicides in Hong Kong

Suicide rates in Hong Kong increased with age, and the highest suicide rate occurred among the oldest age groups. Hong Kong has one of the highest elderly suicide rates in the world. The elderly suicide rate was four to five times above the average. Furthermore, gender differences were observed among different marital status groups. For example, single males had a much higher rate than single females and married males had a higher rate than their widowed counterparts. The suicide rate for an economically inactive person was six times higher than for an active one. Jumping has become increasingly common and seems to substitute for other methods of suicide. Winter months and the Chinese New Year period had the lowest suicide occurrence. Some explanations are given.     

Protein thermostability above 100 degreesC: a key role for ionic interactions

The discovery of hyperthermophilic microorganisms and the analysis of hyperthermostable enzymes has established the fact that multisubunit enzymes can survive for prolonged periods at temperatures above 100 degreesC. We have carried out homology-based modeling and direct structure comparison on the hexameric glutamate dehydrogenases from the hyperthermophiles Pyrococcus furiosus and Thermococcus litoralis whose optimal growth temperatures are 100 degreesC and 88 degreesC, respectively, to determine key stabilizing features. These enzymes, which are 87% homologous, differ 16-fold in thermal stability at 104 degreesC. We observed that an intersubunit ion-pair network was substantially reduced in the less stable enzyme from T. litoralis, and two residues were then altered to restore these interactions. The single mutations both had adverse effects on the thermostability of the protein. However, with both mutations in place, we observed a fourfold improvement of stability at 104 degreesC over the wild-type enzyme. The catalytic properties of the enzymes were unaffected by the mutations. These results suggest that extensive ion-pair networks may provide a general strategy for manipulating enzyme thermostability of multisubunit enzymes. However, this study emphasizes the importance of the exact local environment of a residue in determining its effects on stability.