Efficient solution of a stochastic SI epidemic system

One of the side-effects of the climate changes that are upon us is that infectious diseases are adapting, evolving and spreading to new geographic regions. It is, therefore, imperious to develop epidemic models that shed light on the interplay between the dynamics of the spread of infectious diseases and the combined effects of various vaccination and prevention regimens. With this in mind, in this work we propose a epidemic model operating on a large population; we restrict our attention to strains of infectious diseases that resist treatment. The time-dependent epidemic accounts, among others, for the effects of improved sanitation, education and vaccination. Our first main contribution is to derive the time-dependent probability mass function of the number of infected individuals in such a system. Our derivation does not use probability generating functions and partial differential equations. Instead, we develop an iterative solution that is conceptually simple and easy to implement. Somewhat surprisingly, the epidemic model also provides insight into various stochastic phenomena noticed in sociology, macroeconomics, marketing, transportation and computer science. Our second main contribution is to show, by extensive simulations, that suitably instantiated, our epidemic model be used to model phenomena describing the adoption of durable consumer goods, the spread of AIDS and the dissemination of mobile worm spread.     

Work-time optimal k-merge algorithms on the PRAM

For 2⩽k⩽n, the k-merge problem is to merge a collection of ksorted sequences of total length n into a new sorted sequence. The k-merge problem is fundamental as it provides a common generalization of both merging and sorting. The main contribution of this work is to give simple and intuitive work-time optimal algorithms for the k-merge problem on three PRAM models, thus settling the status of the k-merge problem. We first prove that Ω(n log k) work is required to solve the k-merge problem on the PRAM models. We then show that the EREW-PRAM and both the CREW-PRAM and the CRCW require Ω(log n) time and Ω(log log n+log k) time, respectively, provided that the amount of work is bounded by O(n log k). Our first k-merge algorithm runs in Θ(log n) time and performs Θ(n log k) work on the EREW-PRAM. Finally, we design a work-time optimal CREW-PRAM k-merge algorithm that runs in Θ(log log n+log k) time and performs Θ(n log k) work. This latter algorithm is also work-time optimal on the CREW-PRAM model. Our algorithms completely settle the status of the k-merge problem on the three main PRAM models     

Determination of bone mineral volume fraction using impedance analysis and Bruggeman model

Measurements by impedance spectroscopy and Bruggeman effective medium approximation model were employed in order to determine the mineral volume fraction of dry bone. This approach assumes that two or more phases are present into the composite: the matrix (environment) and the other ones are inclusion phases. A fragment of femur diaphysis dense bone from a young pig was investigated in its dehydrated state. Measuring the dielectric properties of bone and its main components (hydroxyapatite and collagen) and using the Bruggeman approach, the mineral volume filling factor was determined. The computed volume fraction of the mineral volume fraction was confirmed by a histogram test analysis based on the SEM microstructures. In spite of its simplicity, the method provides a good approximation for the bone mineral volume fraction. The method which uses impedance spectroscopy and EMA modeling can be further developed by considering the conductive components of the bone tissue as a non-invasive in situ impedance technique for bone composition evaluation and monitoring.     

Betulinic Acid in Complex with a Gamma-Cyclodextrin Derivative Decreases Proliferation and in Vivo Tumor Development of Non-Metastatic and Metastatic B164A5 Cells

Betulinic acid, a very promising anti-melanoma agent, has very low water solubility that causes low bioavailability. To overcome this inconvenience, a highly water-soluble cyclodextrin was used (octakis-[6-deoxy-6-(2-sulfanyl ethanesulfonic acid)]-γ-cyclodextrin). The complex was physico-chemically analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods and then in vitro tested for its antiproliferative activity by the MTT assay and by cell cycle analysis. Finally, the complex was tested in vivo using an animal model of murine melanoma developed in C57BL/6J mice, where it caused a reduction in tumor volume and weight. The study revealed the beneficial influence of betulinic acid inclusion into the cyclodextrin in terms of antiproliferative activity and in vivo tumor development.     

Single-Row Transformation of Complete Graphs

A complete graph is a fully-connected graph where every node is adjacent to all other nodes in the graph. Very often, many applications in science and engineering are reducible to this type of graph. Hence, a simplified form of a complete graph contributes in providing the solutions to these problems. In this paper, we present a technique for transforming a complete graph into a single-row routing problem. Single-row routing is a classical technique in the VLSI design that is known to be NP-complete. We solved this problem earlier using a method called ESSR, and, the same technique is applied to the present work to transform a complete graph into its single-row routing representation. A parallel computing model is proposed which contributes in making the problem modular and scalable. We also discuss the application of this work on the channel assignment problem in the wireless cellular telephone networks.     

Enhanced Simulated Annealing Technique for the Single-Row Routing Problem

This paper presents ESSR (Enhanced Simulated annealing for Single-row Routing) model for solving the single-row routing problem. The main objective in this problem is to produce a realization that minimizes both the street congestion and the number of doglegs. Simulated annealing (SA) is a stochastic, hill-climbing and gradient-descent technique based on the statistical properties of particles undergoing thermal annealing. By performing slow cooling, the nets in the single-row routing problem align themselves according to a configuration with the lowest energy. The model has been known to produce reasonably good solutions for many NP-complete optimization problems, such as the single-row routing problem. In ESSR, our strategy is to minimize both the street congestion and the number of interstreet crossings (doglegs) by expressing a single energy function as their collective properties. This objective is achieved by representing the energy as the absolute sum of the heights of the net segments. To speed up convergence, we pivot the street congestion value while having the energy drops directly proportional to the number of doglegs. This action has the effect of minimizing the number of doglegs as the energy stabilizes. Our simulation work on ESSR produces optimal results in most cases for both the street congestion and the number of doglegs. Our experimental results compare well against results obtained from our earlier model (SRR-7) and two other methods reported in the literature.     

ANSWER: AutoNomouS netWorked sEnsoR system

Sensor networks are expected to evolve into long-lived, open, ubiquitous, multi-purpose networked systems. We propose a new concept called AutoNomouS netWorked sEnsoR system (ANSWER) whose mission is to provide in situ users with real-time, secure information that enhances their situational and location awareness. To the best of our knowledge, solutions that accomplish this goal do not yet exist. ANSWER finds immediate applications to both overt and covert operations ranging from tactical battlefield surveillance to crisis management and homeland security. The architectural model of ANSWER is composed of a large number of sensors and of a set of (mobile) aggregation-and-forwarding nodes that organize and manage the sensors in their vicinity. In this paper we present the main features that enable ANSWER to effectively and efficiently provide secure, QoS-aware information services to in situ mobile users; namely, secure dynamic task-based networking and in-network storage to support application-level tasks and queries (each specified with desired QoS and security attributes), while hiding network-level details; and a model-based methodology exploiting QoS and security trade-offs for smart AFN mobility subject to application and network requirements and constraints. This new concept is in sharp departure from the prevalent view in NSS design that networking is independent of the task(s) at hand and information processing and storage are, primarily, the responsibility of remote entities.     

Thermal and electrical behavior of polyimide/silica hybrid thin films

Silica‐containing polyimide films were prepared by sol‐gel technique using a poly(amic acid) and tetraethoxysilane. The poly(amic acid) was synthesized by solution polycondensation reaction of 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride with 2,6‐bis(3‐aminophenoxy)benzene and an aminosilane coupling agent, 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane. The properties of these films, such as water vapors sorption capacity, dynamic contact angles and contact angle hysteresis, thermal, and electrical behavior have been evaluated with respect to their structure. The polymer films exhibited good thermal stability having the initial decomposition temperature above 450°C, glass transition temperature in the range of 223?228°C, and low‐dielectric constant in the range of 2.64?3.16. Two subglass transitions, γ and β, were evidenced by dynamic mechanical analysis and dielectric spectroscopy. The surface morphology and the roughness were investigated by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers