Multi-objective genetic algorithms based automated clustering for fuzzy association rules mining

Researchers realized the importance of integrating fuzziness into association rules mining in databases with binary and quantitative attributes. However, most of the earlier algorithms proposed for fuzzy association rules mining either assume that fuzzy sets are given or employ a clustering algorithm, like CURE, to decide on fuzzy sets; for both cases the number of fuzzy sets is pre-specified. In this paper, we propose an automated method to decide on the number of fuzzy sets and for the autonomous mining of both fuzzy sets and fuzzy association rules. We achieve this by developing an automated clustering method based on multi-objective Genetic Algorithms (GA); the aim of the proposed approach is to automatically cluster values of a quantitative attribute in order to obtain large number of large itemsets in less time. We compare the proposed multi-objective GA based approach with two other approaches, namely: 1) CURE-based approach, which is known as one of the most efficient clustering algorithms; 2) Chien et al. clustering approach, which is an automatic interval partition method based on variation of density. Experimental results on 100 K transactions extracted from the adult data of USA census in year 2000 showed that the proposed automated clustering method exhibits good performance over both CURE-based approach and Chien et al.’s work in terms of runtime, number of large itemsets and number of association rules.     

On Low Latency Uplink Scheduling for Cellular Haptic Communication to Support Tactile Internet

Haptic communication is a form of non-verbal communication involving touch and feel. Haptic communication is a major requirement for the Tactile Internet that deals with mechanism to transmit touch, feel, and skills between two geographically distant entities, in realtime. Lately, haptic communication has become an essential requirement for variety of realtime robotic and Augmented/Virtual Reality applications. With very stringent delay and reliability requirements, haptic communication poses significant challenges for network engineers. This becomes further complicated when the cellular technology is used as the access medium for haptic communication. Since cellular networks are resource constrained, accommodating haptic users along with existing non-haptic users become a hard scheduling problem. In this paper, we propose an efficient latency-aware uplink resource allocation scheme satisfying end-to-end delay requirements of haptic users in a Long Term Evolution based cellular network. The proposed scheme first predicts the downlink and processing delays for users’ transmission flows. Subsequently, the model apply an optimal scheduling scheme for the uplink transmissions which satisfies expected end-to-end latency constraint. Our extensive simulations indicate that the proposed algorithm outperforms some of the widely used state-of-the-art scheduling schemes.

     

Anionic coloration of acrylic fibre. Part 1: Efficient pretreatment and dyeing with acid dyes

Anionic dyeable acrylic fibre has been obtained by a viable and efficient pretreatment process using hydroxylamine hydrochloride in the presence of acetate salt. The chemical modification relies on an amidoximation reaction that partially converts cyano groups present in the fibre to amidoxime groups. Different factors that may affect the pretreatment process have been investigated. The pretreated fabrics were dyed with CI Acid Red 1 and CI Acid Green 16 and gave improved dyeability over untreated fabrics due to the ion–ion interactions between the sulphonic groups present in the dye molecules and the protonated amino groups present in the fibres. The treated dyed fabrics also showed excellent fastness properties. Fibre characterisation (nitrogen content, tensile strength, shrinkage, infrared spectra and X-ray diffraction) proved the success of the amidoximation reaction.     

Ocular poloxamer-based ciprofloxacin hydrochloride in situ forming gels

The purpose of this study was to develop poloxamer-based in situ gelling formulations of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (HCl) aiming at prolonging corneal contact time, controlling drug release, enhancing ocular bioavailability, and increasing patient compliance. The in situ forming gels were prepared using different concentrations of poloxamer 407 (P407) and poloxamer 188 (P188). Mucoadhesives such as hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) or hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) were added to the formulations to enhance the gel bioadhesion properties. The prepared formulations were evaluated for their in vitro drug release, sol-gel transition temperature, rheological behavior, and mucoadhesion force. The in vivo antimicrobial efficacy of selected ciprofloxacin HCl in situ gelling formulations was studied on infected rabbit's eyes and compared with that of the marketed conventional eye drops. The gelation temperature of the prepared formulations ranged from 28.00 to 34.03 degrees C. Increasing the concentrations of P407, HPMC, and HEC increased the viscosity and mucoadhesion force of the preparations and decreased the in vitro drug release. Ciprofloxacin HCl in situ forming gel formulae composed of P407/P188/HPMC (18/13/1.5%, wt/wt), and P407/P188/HEC (18/13/0.5%, wt/wt) showed optimum release and mucoadhesion properties and improved ocular bioavailability as evidenced by an enhanced therapeutic response compared with the marketed conventional eye drops.     

Influence of oxide-based sintering additives on densification and mechanical behavior of tricalcium phosphate (TCP)

In this research, we studied and analyzed the effects of four different oxide-based sintering additives on densification, mechanical behavior, biodegradation and biocompatibility of tricalcium phosphate (TCP) bioceramics. Selective sintering additives were introduced into pure TCP ceramics, in small quantities, through homogeneous mixing, using a mortar and pestle. The consequent powders of different compositions were pressed into cylindrical compacts, uniaxially and sintered at elevated temperatures, 1150°C and 1250°C, separately in a muffle furnace. X-ray powder diffraction technique was used to analyze the phase-purity of TCP after sintering. Hardness of these sintered specimens was evaluated using a Vickers hardness tester. Sintered cylindrical samples were tested under uniaxial compressive loading, as a function of composition to determine their failure strength. Biodegradation studies conducted using simulated body fluid under dynamic environment, revealed that these additives could control the rate of resorption and hardness degradation of TCP ceramics.     

Quasi-Balanced Failure Approach for Evaluating Moment Capacity of FRP Underreinforced Concrete Beams

Failure of concrete beam sections underreinforced with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) is initiated by FRP rupture before concrete crushing. In such a case, the typical rectangular stress block based on the balanced failure mechanism may not apply. In the present study, rigorous sectional analyses are performed implementing existing concrete stress-strain models for a wide range of values of design parameters. Based on the results of the numerical analyses, the variation of parameters of equivalent stress block of concrete was investigated, and an alternative, yet simple, design method for evaluating moment-carrying capacity of FRP underreinforced concrete beam using quasi-balanced failure approach was developed. The proposed design method was verified by comparing the predicted moment-carrying capacity with existing test results.     

Effectiveness of NAQ-tree as index structure for similarity search in high-dimensional metric space

Similarity search (e.g., k-nearest neighbor search) in high-dimensional metric space is the key operation in many applications, such as multimedia databases, image retrieval and object recognition, among others. The high dimensionality and the huge size of the data set require an index structure to facilitate the search. State-of-the-art index structures are built by partitioning the data set based on distances to certain reference point(s). Using the index, search is confined to a small number of partitions. However, these methods either ignore the property of the data distribution (e.g., VP-tree and its variants) or produce non-disjoint partitions (e.g., M-tree and its variants, DBM-tree); these greatly affect the search efficiency. In this paper, we study the effectiveness of a new index structure, called Nested-Approximate-eQuivalence-class tree (NAQ-tree), which overcomes the above disadvantages. NAQ-tree is constructed by recursively dividing the data set into nested approximate equivalence classes. The conducted analysis and the reported comparative test results demonstrate the effectiveness of NAQ-tree in significantly improving the search efficiency.     

Acid dyeing isotherms of cotton fabrics pretreated with mixtures of reactive cationic agents

Reactive cationic agents, phenylmonochlorotriazinyl and epoxypropyl, are used for cotton pretreatment using a pad–dry–curing technique. The dyeability of cationised cotton fabrics using CI Acid Red 1, determined spectrophotometrically for the residual dyebath, has been dependent on the cationic agent concentration and the appropriate mixture used. Comparative sorption isotherms, rate of dyeing at different temperatures, standard affinity, entropy and heat of dyeing for three different pretreated fabrics have been calculated and discussed. The equilibrium data obtained were fitted by the Langmuir isotherm model, allowing the corresponding sorption parameters to be determined.     

Selecting moisture reference years using a Moisture Index approach

Recent history has documented the premature failures of building envelopes in various regions—in North America most notably on the West Coast and the East Coast. The MEWS Consortium, a project undertaken by IRC and its partners, has addressed this issue in detail. The strategy for answering these questions was based on predicting the moisture management performance of wall systems as a function of climate, wall construction, and material properties through mathematical modeling. A key task was to determine what years to use as input for the simulations. Moisture Reference Years were selected using a Moisture Index approach developed for MEWS. This paper will develop the approach and compare it with other methods of selecting moisture reference years for hygrothermal simulations.     

Modeling the design quality competition for durable products

In this paper we model the design quality competition in durable product markets. We use a duopolistic non-cooperative game theoretic framework. Each firm controls the design quality level and the price of its product. The resulting control theoretic model is solved under certain functional assumptions to describe the Nash equilibrium design quality and pricing strategies of the two competitors. We compare open and closed loop design quality and pricing strategies. We use an extensive set of numerical experiments to investigate the effects of various parameters of the model on the optimal policies. We conclude with a brief summary of our results and some useful managerial insights derived from the model.