Application of particle swarm optimization in epileptic spike EEG source localization

Surgical therapy has become an important therapeutic alternative for patients with medically intractable epilepsy. Correct and anatomically precise localization of an epileptic focus is essential to decide if resection of brain tissue is possible. The inverse problem in EEG-based source localization is to determine the location of the brain sources that are responsible for the measured potentials at the scalp electrodes. We propose a new global optimization method based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) to solve the epileptic spike EEG source localization inverse problem. In a forward problem a modified subtraction method is proposed to reduce the computational time. The good accuracy and fast convergence are demonstrated for 2D and 3D cases with realistic head models. The results from the new method are promising for use in the pre-surgical clinic in the future.     

Fixed-Parameter Complexity of Minimum Profile Problems

The profile of a graph is an integer-valued parameter defined via vertex orderings; it is known that the profile of a graph equals the smallest number of edges of an interval supergraph. Since computing the profile of a graph is an NP-hard problem, we consider parameterized versions of the problem. Namely, we study the problem of deciding whether the profile of a connected graph of order n is at most n−1+k, considering k as the parameter; this is a parameterization above guaranteed value, since n−1 is a tight lower bound for the profile. We present two fixed-parameter algorithms for this problem. The first algorithm is based on a forbidden subgraph characterization of interval graphs. The second algorithm is based on two simple kernelization rules which allow us to produce a kernel with linear number of vertices and edges. For showing the correctness of the second algorithm we need to establish structural properties of graphs with small profile which are of independent interest. A preliminary version of the paper is published in Proc. IWPEC 2006, LNCS vol. 4169, 60–71.     

Shaping stable periodic motions of inertia wheel pendulum: theory and experiment

We consider an underactuated two‐link robot called the inertia wheel pendulum. The system consists of a free planar rotational pendulum and a symmetric disk attached to its end, which is directly controlled by a DC‐motor. The goal is to create stable oscillations of the pendulum, which is not directly actuated. We exploit a recently proposed feedback‐control design strategy based on motion planning via virtual holonomic constraints. This strategy is shown to be useful for design of regulators for achieving orbitally exponentially stable oscillatory motions. The main contribution is a step‐by‐step procedure on how to achieve oscillations with pre‐specified amplitude from a given range and an arbitrary independently chosen period. The theoretical results are verified via experiments with a real hardware setup. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society     

Additive Manufacturing of Hard Magnetic Passive Shims to Increase Field Homogeneity of a Halbach Magnet

Obtaining a highly homogeneous magnetic field is desired for field-controlled applications. For example, the resolution of magnetic analysis methods can be improved by generating a stronger and more homogeneous field over the region of interest (ROI). A set of 3D-printed passive shims is fabricated using additive manufacturing to improve the magnetic field homogeneity of a Halbach magnet assembly. The feedstock is a custom acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)-hard magnet composite filament filled with 60% wt. isotropic NdFeB. Additionally, a method for investigating the remanence is developed and validated. The result reveals a good agreement between the new method and existing measurement techniques for the remanence of permanent magnets. It is also shown that the additive manufacturing procedure has negligible effects on the magnetic properties. Performing a parametric study over a rectangular ROI, an optimized shim configuration is achieved. In the optimized and 3D-printed configuration, the average norm of the magnetic flux density, B_norm, is increased by 13% and, more importantly, a 43% increase in the magnetic uniformity is obtained. These results highlight the great potential of freeform manufacturing, namely, additive manufacturing, to tailor the properties of magnet structures.     

Automated extraction of DNA from blood and PCR setup using a Tecan Freedom EVO liquid handler for forensic genetic STR typing of reference samples

We have implemented and validated automated protocols for DNA extraction and PCR setup using a Tecan Freedom EVO liquid handler mounted with the Te-MagS magnetic separation device (Tecan, M?nnedorf, Switzerland). The protocols were validated for accredited forensic genetic work according to ISO 17025 using the Qiagen MagAttract DNA Mini M48 kit (Qiagen GmbH, Hilden, Germany) from fresh whole blood and blood from deceased individuals. The workflow was simplified by returning the DNA extracts to the original tubes minimizing the risk of misplacing samples. The tubes that originally contained the samples were washed with MilliQ water before the return of the DNA extracts. The PCR was setup in 96-well microtiter plates. The methods were validated for the kits: AmpF?STR Identifiler, SGM Plus and Yfiler (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA), GenePrint FFFL and PowerPlex Y (Promega, Madison, WI). The automated protocols allowed for extraction and addition of PCR master mix of 96 samples within 3.5h. In conclusion, we demonstrated that (1) DNA extraction with magnetic beads and (2) PCR setup for accredited, forensic genetic short tandem repeat typing can be implemented on a simple automated liquid handler leading to the reduction of manual work, and increased quality and throughput.     

Betweenness parameterized above tight lower bound

We study ordinal embedding relaxations in the realm of parameterized complexity. We prove the existence of a quadratic kernel for the Betweenness problem parameterized above its tight lower bound, which is stated as follows. For a set V of variables and set C of constraints “vi is between vj and vk”, decide whether there is a bijection from V to the set {1,…,|V|} satisfying at least |C|/3+κ of the constraints in C. Our result solves an open problem attributed to Benny Chor in Niedermeier's monograph “Invitation to Fixed-Parameter Algorithms”. The betweenness problem is of interest in molecular biology. An approach developed in this paper can be used to determine parameterized complexity of a number of other optimization problems on permutations parameterized above or below tight bounds.     

A new heuristic to solve the one-warehouse N-retailer problem

We deal with a multi-echelon inventory system in which one warehouse supplies an item to multiple retailers. Customer demand arrives at each retailer at a constant rate. The retailers replenish their inventories from the warehouse that in turn orders from an outside supplier. It is assumed that shortages are not allowed and lead times are negligible. The goal is to determine replenishment policies that minimize the overall cost in the system. We develop a heuristic to compute efficient policies, which also can easily be used in a spreadsheet application. The main idea consists of finding a balance between the replenishment and the inventory holding costs at each installation. This new heuristic we compare with two other approaches proposed in the literature; the computational studies show that in most of the instances generated the new method provides lower costs.     

The manpower allocation problem with time windows and job-teaming constraints: A branch-and-price approach

In this paper, we consider the manpower allocation problem with time windows, job-teaming constraints and a limited number of teams (m-MAPTWTC). Given a set of teams and a set of tasks, the problem is to assign to each team a sequential order of tasks to maximize the total number of assigned tasks. Both teams and tasks may be restricted by time windows outside which operation is not possible. Some tasks require cooperation between teams, and all teams cooperating must initiate execution simultaneously. We present an integer programming model for the problem, which is decomposed using Dantzig–Wolfe decomposition. The problem is solved by column generation in a branch-and-price framework. Simultaneous execution of tasks is enforced by the branching scheme. To test the efficiency of the proposed algorithm, 12 realistic test instances are introduced. The algorithm is able to find the optimal solution in 11 of the test instances. The main contribution of this article is the addition of synchronization between teams in an exact optimization context.     

Measuring the coolness of interactive products: the COOL questionnaire

Coolness has recently started to be explored as a design goal for interactive products from practitioners as well as researchers within human–computer interaction (HCI), but there is still a need to further operationalise the concept and explore how we can measure it. Our contribution in this paper is the COOL questionnaire. We based the creation of the questionnaire on literature suggesting that perceived coolness is decomposed to outer cool (the style of a product) and inner cool (the personality characteristics assigned to it). In this paper, we focused on inner cool, and we identified 11 inner cool characteristics. These were used to create an initial pool of question items and 2236 participants were asked to assess 16 mobile devices. By performing exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, we identified three factors that can measure the perceived inner coolness of interactive products: desirability, rebelliousness and usability. These factors and their underlying 16 question items comprise the COOL questionnaire. The whole process of creating the questionnaire is presented in detail in this paper and we conclude by discussing our work against related work on coolness and HCI.