Mobility profiler: A framework for discovering mobility profiles of cell phone users

Mobility path information of cell phone users play a crucial role in a wide range of cell phone applications, including context based search and advertising, early warning systems, city-wide sensing applications such as air pollution exposure estimation and traffic planning. However, there is a disconnect between the low level location data logs available from the cell phones and the high level mobility path information required to support these cell phone applications. In this paper, we present formal definitions to capture the cell phone users’ mobility patterns and profiles, and provide a complete framework, Mobility Profiler, for discovering mobile cell phone user profiles starting from cell based location data. We use real-world cell phone log data (of over 350 K h of coverage) to demonstrate our framework and perform experiments for discovering frequent mobility patterns and profiles. Our analysis of mobility profiles of cell phone users expose a significant long tail in a user’s location-time distribution: A total of 15% of a cell phone user’s time is spent on average in locations that each appears with less than 1% of total time.     

Genetic Algorithm for the Multiple-Query Optimization Problem

Producing answers to a set of queries with common tasks efficiently is known as the multiple-query optimization (MQO) problem. Each query can have several alternative evaluation plans, each with a different set of tasks. Therefore, the goal of MQO is to choose the right set of plans for queries which minimizes the total execution time by performing common tasks only once. Since MQO is an NP-hard problem, several, mostly heuristics based, solutions have been proposed for solving it. To the best of our knowledge, this correspondence is the first attempt to solve MQO using an evolutionary technique, genetic algorithms     

Mitochondria-targeted disruptors and inhibitors of cytochrome c/cardiolipin peroxidase complexes: a new strategy in anti-apoptotic drug discovery

The critical role of mitochondria in programmed cell death leads to the design of mitochondriotropic agents as a strategy in regulating apoptosis. For anticancer therapy, stimulation of proapoptotic mitochondrial events in tumor cells and their suppression in surrounding normal cells represents a promising paradigm for new therapies. Different approaches targeting regulation of components of mitochondrial antioxidant system such as Mn-SOD demonstrated significant antitumor efficiency, particularly in combination therapy. This review is focused on a newly discovered early stage of mitochondria-dependent apoptosis - oxidative lipid signaling involving a mitochondria-specific phospholipid cardiolipin (CL). Cytochrome c (cyt c) acts as a CL-specific peroxidase very early in apoptosis. At this stage, the hostile events are still secluded within the mitochondria and do not reach the cytosolic targets. CL oxidation process is required for the release of pro-apoptotic factors into the cytosol. Manipulation of cyt c interactions with CL, inhibition of peroxidase activity, and prevention of CL peroxidation are prime targets for the discovery of anti-apoptotic drugs acting before the "point-of-no-return" in the fulfillment of the cell death program. Therefore, mitochondria-targeted disruptors and inhibitors of cyt c/CL peroxidase complexes and suppression of CL peroxidation represent new strategies in anti-apoptotic drug discovery.     

Encapsulation of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in poly-(lactide-co-glycolic acid) microspheres for biomedical applications

Magnetic microspheres were prepared using a single step coaxial electrohydrodynamic atomization technique at ambient temperature and pressure, with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) as the coating and iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles dispersed in polyethylene glycol as the encapsulated material. The morphology and particle size distributions of the prepared magnetic microspheres were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The particles were spherical with mean diameters ranging from ~ 2 μm to 18 μm, depending on the combination of processing parameters (flow rate and applied voltage). Analysis by infrared spectroscopy and focused ion-beam sectioning confirmed incorporation of iron oxide nanoparticles into the microspheres and the prepared samples were shown to be responsive to an applied magnetic field. This study demonstrates a convenient method for the preparation of nanoparticle loaded microspheres, which could be used potentially as transverse relaxation contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging, as well as for magnetically guided drug delivery.     

Methacrylate based side chain liquid crystalline polymers with pendant cholesterol group: Preparation and investigation of electrical conductivity mechanism

Methacrylate based side‐chain liquid crystalline polymers (SCLCP) bearing cholesterol pendant moieties with various lengths of aliphatic spacer were synthesized and their electrical conductivity mechanism was studied for their possible applications in elastic microelectronic devices. All the polymers exhibited liquid crystalline behavior of broken focal‐conic fan texture of smectic phase. The dielectric properties of polymers were investigated by impedance spectroscopic technique in the frequency range of 100 Hz to 15 MHz at room temperature. Alternating current (AC) conductivity ( ) of the liquid crystalline polymeric films was observed to vary with angular frequency, ω as ω^S with s < 2. Detailed conductivity analysis revealed that the conductivity of the polymeric films follows quantum mechanical tunneling and correlated barrier hoping conductivity mechanisms at low frequency regime, whereas it obeys super linear power law and direct current conductivity mechanisms at high frequency region. The investigation of the SCLC polymeric films helped to propose a model system for their possible potential applications. In the light of this study, the SCLC polymers will be employed as the gate insulator for organic field effect transistor applications, such as large area flexible arrays or as other advanced microelectronic devices that have superior performance. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45207.     

Real-time condition monitoring and fault diagnosis in switched reluctance motors with Kohonen neural network

The faults in switched reluctance motors （SRMs） were detected and diagnosed in real time with the Kohonen neural network. When a fault happens, both financial losses and undesired situations may occur. For these reasons, it is important to detect the incipient faults of SRMs and to diagnose which faults have occurred. In this study, a test rig was realized to determine the healthy and faulty conditions of SRMs. A data set for the Kohonen neural network was created with implemented measurements. A graphical user interface （GUI） was created in Matlab to test the performance of the Kohonen artificial neural network in real time. The data of the SRM was transferred to this software with a data acquisition card. The condition of the motor was monitored by marking the data measured in real time on the weight position graph of the Kohonen neural network. This test rig is capable of real-time monitoring of the condition of SRMs, which are used with intermittent or continuous operation, and is capable of de- tecting and diagnosing the faults that may occur in the motor. The Kohonen neural network used for detection and diagnosis of faults of the SRM in real time with Matlab GUI was embedded in an STM32 processor. A prototype with the STM32 processor was developed to detect and diagnose the faults of SRMs independent of computers.