Dynamic replication factor model for Linux containers-based cloud systems

The Journal of Supercomputing - Infrastructure-as-a-service container-based virtualization is gaining interest as a platform for running distributed applications. With increasing scale of cloud...     

Differences of behaviour in electrooxidation of 3,3′-dimethoxybenzidine and its N,N,N′,N′-tetraalkylated derivatives: a further example of potential inversion

The anodic oxidation of 3,3′-dimethoxybenzidine and its derivatives were studied by cyclic voltammetry, voltammetry at a rotating platinum electrode, chronopotentiometry and constant potential coulometry. The exhaustive oxidation of 3,3′-dimethoxybenzidine led at the potential of the first oxidation peak and second oxidation peak, respectively, to a stable cation radical salt (characterized by ESR spectroscopy) and to a quinone-diimine. Whereas, 3,3′-dimethoxy-N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylbenzidine afforded directly a dication salt owing to potential inversion 3,3′-dimethoxy-N,N,N′,N′-tetraethylbenzidine gave the corresponding soluble cation radical salt.     

Analysis of information exchange activities to actualize and validate situation awareness during shift changeovers in nuclear power plants

Shift work situations occur in almost all safety‐critical organizations, and the investigations of some catastrophes like Chernobyl, Exxon Valdez, and the Gol/Legacy mid‐air collision indicated that shift work information exchange played an important role during the evolution of the situation before the accidents. Inadequate communications during shift changeovers challenged operators' work in the moments that preceded these accidents, because they got inadequate information about the current situation. Our research focuses on the information exchange activities (verbal, written, and nonverbal) of nuclear power plant control operators during shift changeovers. Our aim is to investigate how verbal exchanges and other representations enable operator crews to share information regarding the events that occurred in the previous shift to achieve adequate situation awareness. Our findings indicated the importance and richness of the information exchange during the shift changeover process to update and validate individual and collective situation awareness, showing that information adequately shared enables the ad hoc configurations of regulation loops and a safer use of simplified strategies that can be understood and be validated by other operators, reducing the occurrence of cognitive overloads and contributing to the construction of a common cognitive ground that enhances system resilience. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

FPGA-based IP cores implementation for face recognition using dynamic partial reconfiguration

This paper presents a combination of novel feature vectors construction approach for face recognition using discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based intellectual property (IP) core implementation of transform block in face recognition systems. Initially, four experiments have been conducted including the DWT feature selection and filter choice, features optimisation by coefficient selections and feature threshold. To examine the most suitable method of feature extraction, different wavelet quadrant and scales have been evaluated, and it is followed with an evaluation of different wavelet filter choices and their impact on recognition accuracy. In this study, an approach for face recognition based on coefficient selection for DWT is presented, and the significant of DWT coefficient threshold selection is also analysed. For the hardware implementation, two architectures for two-dimensional (2-D) Haar wavelet transform (HWT) IP core with transpose-based computation and dynamic partial reconfiguration (DPR) have been synthesised using VHDL and implemented on Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGAs. Experimental results and comparisons between different configurations using partial and non-partial reconfiguration processes and a detailed performance analysis of the area, power consumption and maximum frequency are also discussed in this paper.     

Structural hidden Markov models for biometrics: Fusion of face and fingerprint

The goal of this paper is threefold: (i) propose a novel face and fingerprint feature modeling using the structural hidden Markov models (SHMMs) paradigm, (ii) explore the use of some feature extraction techniques such as ridgelet transform, discrete wavelet transform with various classifiers for biometric identification, and (iii) determine the best method for classifier combination. The experimental results reported in both fingerprint and face recognition reveal that the SHMMs concept is promising since it has outperformed several state-of-the-arts classifiers when combined with the discrete wavelet transform. Besides, this study has shown that the ridgelet transform without principal components analysis (PCA) dimension reduction fits better with the support vector machines (SVMs) classifier than it does with the SHMMs in the fingerprint recognition task. Finally, these results also reveal a small improvement of the bimodal biometric system over unimodal systems; which suggest that a most effective fusion scheme is necessary.     

An Efficient Mobile Data Gathering Method with Tree Clustering Algorithm in Wireless Sensor Networks Balanced and Unbalanced Topologies

Wireless Personal Communications - Electroencephalography (EEG) is a technique of Electrophysiology used in a wide variety of scientific studies and applications. Inadequately, many commercial...     

An efficient VLSI architecture and FPGA implementation of the Finite Ridgelet Transform

In this paper, an efficient architecture for the Finite Ridgelet Transform (FRIT) suitable for VLSI implementation based on a parallel, systolic Finite Radon Transform (FRAT) and a Haar Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) sub-block, respectively is presented. The FRAT sub-block is a novel parametrisable, scalable and high performance core with a time complexity of O(p ²), where p is the block size. Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) implementations are carried out to analyse the performance of the FRIT core developed.

Plasma lipids are affected similarly by dietary lauric or palmitic acid in gerbils and monkeys

To compare the relative impact of dietary lauric acid (12∶0) and palmitic acid (16∶0) on plasma lipids, two fat-sensitive species, Mongolian gerbils and cebus monkeys, were fed cholesterol-free, purified diets enriched with either 12∶0-rich or 16∶0-rich fats, while all other fatty acids were held constant by selective blending of up to five natural fats or oils. The two gerbil diets (40 en% from fat) allowed for an 8 en% exchange between 12∶0 and 16∶0, and the monkey diets (31 en% from fat) allowed for 6 en% exchange beteen these two fatty acids. Eight gerbils received the diets for eight weeks, and 12 cebus monkeys were fed each diet in a cross-over design for up to 22 wk. Both diets resulted in similar plasma cholesterol, triglyceride, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations within each species. Additionally, separation of cebus lipoproteins by discontinuous density-gradient ultracentrifugation failed to show any dietary differences in concentration or composition of the three major lipoprotein classes (d<1.019, 1.019–1.055, and 1.055–1.168 g/mL). Thus, in two species sensitive to manipulations in dietary fat while consuming cholesterol-free diets, 16∶0 was not hypercholesterolemic relative to 12∶0. Based on a paper presented at the PORIM International Palm Oil Congress (PIPOC) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, September 1993.     

Development of a simulation model for a three-dimensional wind velocity field using Ténès Algeria as a case study

A mathematical simulation model was developed that can determine the three-dimensional wind velocity field over a complex terrain. The Ténès area in the Valley of Cheliff in Algeria was used as a case study. This region is exposed to south-west circulation that makes it favorable to the use of wind energy. Knowledge of wind fields is crucial for predicting the dispersion of pollutants, for forecasting meteorological weather, for fire spread prediction and in the design and implementation of wind turbines. By means of a mass consistent model, an in-house program was developed to calculate the three-dimensional wind velocity field in the study region. The model was supported by a numerical box in which flow through is allowed for in the upper and lateral boundaries. The bottom boundary through which no flow through occurs was determined by the topographic relief at the surface. From measured wind velocities, observed values were calculated by interpolation-extrapolation. Using an optimization method, the adjusted velocities were obtained from constraints, observed velocities and the continuity equation. The model was verified with wind point data, the relative error did not exceed 6%.