Reference structure tomography

Reference structure tomography (RST) uses multidimensional modulations to encode mappings between radiating objects and measurements. RST may be used to image source-density distributions, estimate source parameters, or classify sources. The RST paradigm permits scan-free multidimensional imaging, data-efficient and computation-efficient source analysis, and direct abstraction of physical features. We introduce the basic concepts of RST and illustrate the use of RST for multidimensional imaging based on a geometric radiation model.     

Interactive Graphical Minimax Location of Multiple Facilities with General Constraints

An optimal algorithm for solving constrained minimax location problems has been previously reported, with the major limitation that only a single new service facility is allowed. Algorithmic extensions have now been developed and implemented on an advanced color-graphics system for the location of any number of new facilities to collectively serve the set of existing facilities. The minimax criterion is again considered for the optimization, and nonconvex constraint sets are permitted.     

Temperature measurement in fire test furnaces

A study of errors associated with temperature measurement in fire endurance test furnaces has shown that conventionally used thermocouples are subject to large time constant errors in the first 20 minutes of a standard test.     

CVT-313, a specific and potent inhibitor of CDK2 that prevents neointimal proliferation

The activity of cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) is essential for progression of cells from G1 to the S phase of the mammalian cell cycle. CVT-313 is a potent CDK2 inhibitor, which was identified from a purine analog library with an IC50 of 0.5 microM in vitro. Inhibition was competitive with respect to ATP (Ki = 95 nM), and selective CVT-313 had no effect on other, nonrelated ATP-dependent serine/threonine kinases. When added to CDK1 or CDK4, a 8.5- and 430-fold higher concentration of CVT-313 was required for half-maximal inhibition of the enzyme activity. In cells exposed to CVT-313, hyperphosphorylation of the retinoblastoma gene product was inhibited, and progression through the cell cycle was arrested at the G1/S boundary. The growth of mouse, rat, and human cells in culture was also inhibited by CVT-313 with the IC50 for growth arrest ranging from 1.25 to 20 microM. To evaluate the effects of CVT-313 in vivo, we tested this agent in a rat carotid artery model of restenosis. A brief intraluminal exposure of CVT-313 to a denuded rat carotid artery resulted in more than 80% inhibition of neointima formation. These observations suggest that CVT-313 is a promising candidate for evaluation in other disease models related to aberrant cell proliferation.     

Sexual preference biases in counseling: An information processing approach.

Used an illusory correlation paradigm to measure the effect of stereotyping by mental health professionals on processing information about individuals identified according to sex and sexual preference (SP). 34 23–58 yr old mental health professionals (17 males and 17 females) rated themselves on an SP scale, were presented a series of cards that identified hypothetical persons according to sex and SP, and ascribed to these persons 2 randomly selected stereotypic characteristics associated with 1 of the SP groups. After studying the cards, Ss were asked to make judgments about the relationship between SP and sex and the stereotypic characteristics. Fewer errors were made on those items for which a stereotypic response was congruent with prevailing stereotypes than on those items for which the stereotypic response was incongruent, indicating that stereotyping did affect the processing of information relative to the sex and SP group. Ss had more difficulty correctly processing information attributed to gay men and lesbian women than information attributed to heterosexual men and women. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Histometric study of meat products. A literature review

In the present paper, the literature on the development of methods for histometric monitoring the quality of meats is reviewed. The value of specific techniques, statistical interpretation of results and the practicability of automation of histometric analysis are examined more closely. It is concluded from the study of the literature that histometric examination of meats allows an objective assessment of volume percentages of tissue components. When a distinct difference in contrast between various tissues is achieved by specific staining methods, developments in the field of image analysis systems will allow automation of the quantitative histological examination of meats.     

A bayesian approach to real-time obstacle avoidance for a mobile robot

Real-time obstacle avoidance is essential for the safe operation of mobile robots in a dynamically changing environment. This paper investigates how an industrial mobile robot can respond to unexpected static obstacles while following a path planned by a global path planner. The obstacle avoidance problem is formulated using decision theory to determine an optimal response based on inaccurate sensor data. The optimal decision rule minimises the Bayes risk by trading between a sidestep maneuver and backtracking to follow an alternative path. Real-time implementation is emphasised here as part of a framework for real world applications. It has been successfully implemented both in simulation and in reality using a mobile robot.     

Experiences building a communication‐oriented JavaOS

Mobile code makes it easier to maintain, debug, update, and customize a system. Active networks are one of the more interesting applications of mobile code: code is injected into the nodes of a network to customize the network's functionality, such as routing, and to add new features, such as special‐purpose congestion control and filtering algorithms. The challenge is to develop a communication‐oriented platform for such systems. We refer to mobile code targeted at low‐level, communication‐oriented systems like active networks as liquid software, the key distinction being that liquid software is focused on the efficient transfer of data, not high‐performance computation. To this end, we have designed and implemented Joust, which consists of a complete re‐implementation of the Java virtual machine (including both the runtime system and a just‐in‐time compiler), running on the Scout operating system (a configurable, communication‐oriented OS). The result is a configurable, high‐performance platform for running liquid software. We present the results of implementing two different applications of liquid software on Joust, including a prototype architecture for active networks. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluating improvements to a meta-heuristic search for constrained interaction testing

Combinatorial interaction testing (CIT) is a cost-effective sampling technique for discovering interaction faults in highly-configurable systems. Constrained CIT extends the technique to situations where some features cannot coexist in a configuration, and is therefore more applicable to real-world software. Recent work on greedy algorithms to build CIT samples now efficiently supports these feature constraints. But when testing a single system configuration is expensive, greedy techniques perform worse than meta-heuristic algorithms, because greedy algorithms generally need larger samples to exercise the same set of interactions. On the other hand, current meta-heuristic algorithms have long run times when feature constraints are present. Neither class of algorithm is suitable when both constraints and the cost of testing configurations are important factors. Therefore, we reformulate one meta-heuristic search algorithm for constructing CIT samples, simulated annealing, to more efficiently incorporate constraints. We identify a set of algorithmic changes and experiment with our modifications on 35 realistic constrained problems and on a set of unconstrained problems from the literature to isolate the factors that improve performance. Our evaluation determines that the optimizations reduce run time by a factor of 90 and accomplish the same coverage objectives with even fewer system configurations. Furthermore, the new version compares favorably with greedy algorithms on real-world problems, and, though our modifications were aimed at constrained problems, it shows similar advantages when feature constraints are absent.