Call and Connections Times in ASON/GMPLS Architecture, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2013, nr 3

It is assumed that demands of information society could be satisfied by architecture ASON/GMPLS comprehended as Automatically Switched Optical Network (ASON) with Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) protocols. Introduction this solution must be preceded by performance evaluation to guarantee society expectations. Call and connections times are in ASON/GMPLS architecture important for real-time applications. Practical realization is expensive and simulations models are necessary to examine standardized propositions. This paper is devoted to the simulation results of ASON/GMPLS architecture control plane functions in OMNeT++ discrete event simulator. The authors make an effort to explore call/connection set-up times, connection release times in a single domain of ASON/GMPLS architecture

The Realization of NGN Architecture for ASON/GMPLS Network, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2011, nr 3

For the last decades huge efforts of telecommunication, Internet and media organizations have been focusing on creating standards and implementing one common network delivering multimedia services – Next Generation Network. One of the technologies which are very likely to be used in NGN transport layer is ASON/GMPLS optical network. The implementation of ASON/GMPLS technology using open source software and its results are the subject of this paper. The ASON/GMPLS architecture and its relation to the proposed ITU-T NGN architecture are described. The concept, functional structure and communication among architecture elements as well as the implementation of laboratory testbed are presented. The results of functional tests confirming proper software and testbed operation are stated

Evaluation of Local Matching Methods in Image Analysis for Mineral Grain Tracking in Microscope Images of Rock Sections

Modern geological techniques have resulted in vast and growing databases of digital images and video sequences of rocks, which are available for the use of researchers. The number of database images continues to increase exponentially, creating a need for techniques that will enable the automation of data set management. Desired techniques include query by image, a topic that has been extensively elaborated on in the literature recently. Unfortunately, using such techniques in the geological sciences has been very sporadic and insufficient. This paper presents the evaluation of characteristic local features within rock images for tracking objects on images or video sequences. It also discusses the possibilities for using selected local feature descriptors for content-based image retrieval (CBIR) in the area of geological sciences. The evaluation was performed for the Speeded Up Robust Features (SURF), Binary Robust Invariant Scalable Keypoints (BRISK), Harris–Stephens Algorithm (HSA), Minimum Eigenvalue Algorithm (MEA), and Features from Accelerated Segment Test algorithm (FAST) methods, which are widely known and appreciated in the computer vision field. These methods were analysed for their application to microscopic images of rocks. Five functional cases of geological grain tracking were investigated, based on a selected non-transformed query image, as well as a computer-rotated, acquisitive-rotated, computer-magnified, and an acquisitive-magnified query image. The results demonstrated that these methods can be successfully used for geological applications

The Data Exploration System for Image Processing Based on Server-Side Operations

Part 4: Pattern Recognition and Image ProcessingInternational audienceIn this paper the possibilities for construction of an ad hoc search system to examine large-sized raster image data sets, e.g. rock images or medical images, for analysis of its characteristic parameters are presented. A new solution for image exploration based on any attributes extracted with computer image analysis by using extensions for server-side operations is proposed

Konstrukcja systemów eksploracji danych dla obrazów rastrowych

The following article deals with possibilities for retrieving information from raster images stored in a database. An author’s approach for the possibility of a support system construction for the process of exploration of such data is proposed. The following article describes construction and implementation aspects.Poniższy artykuł porusza tematykę możliwości wydobywania wiedzy zawartej w obrazach rastrowych, magazynowanych w bazie danych. Zaproponowano autorskie podejście do możliwości konstrukcji systemu wspomagającego proces eksploracji takich danych. Omówione zostały aspekty konstrukcyjne oraz implementacyjne

Mapserver – Information Flow Management Software for The Border Guard Distributed Data Exchange System

In this paper the architecture of the software designed for management of position and identification data of floating and flying objects in Maritime areas controlled by Polish Border Guard is presented. The software was designed for managing information stored in a distributed system with two variants of the software, one for a mobile device installed on a vessel, an airplane or a car and second for a central server. The details of implementation of all functionalities of the MapServer in both, mobile and central, versions are briefly presented on the basis of information flow diagrams

Pioglitazone, a PPAR-gamma ligand, exerts cytostatic/cytotoxic effects against cancer cells, that do not result from inhibition of proteasome

Thiazolidinediones are oral antidiabetic agents that activate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) and exert potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It has also been shown that PPAR-γ agonists induce G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis of malignant cells. Some of these effects have been suggested to result from inhibition of proteasome activity in target cells. The aim of our studies was to critically evaluate the cytostatic/cytotoxic effects of one of thiazolidinediones (pioglitazone) and its influence on proteasome activity. Pioglitazone exerted dose-dependent cytostatic/cytotoxic effects in MIA PaCa-2 cells. Incubation of tumor cells with pioglitazone resulted in increased levels of p53 and p27 and decreased levels of cyclin D1. Accumulation of polyubiquitinated proteins within cells incubated with pioglitazone suggested dysfunction of proteasome activity. However, we did not observe any influence of pioglitazone on the activity of isolated proteasome and on the proteolytic activity in lysates of pioglitazone-treated MIA PaCa-2 cells. Further, treatment with pioglitazone did not cause an accumulation of fluorescent proteasome substrates in transfected HeLa cells expressing unstable GFP variants. Our results indicate that pioglitazone does not act as a direct or indirect proteasome inhibitor

Cellular Distribution and Ultrastructural Changes in HaCaT Cells, Induced by Podophyllotoxin and Its Novel Fluorescent Derivative, Supported by the Molecular Docking Studies

Podophyllotoxin (PPT) is an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) with established antitumor potential. However, due to its systemic toxicity, its use is restricted to topical treatment of anogenital warts. Less toxic PPT derivatives (e.g., etoposide and teniposide) are used intravenously as anticancer agents. PPT has been exploited as a scaffold of new potential therapeutic agents; however, fewer studies have been conducted on the parent molecule than on its derivatives. We have undertaken a study of ultrastructural changes induced by PPT on HaCaT keratinocytes. We have also tracked the intracellular localization of PPT using its fluorescent derivative (PPT-FL). Moreover, we performed molecular docking of both PPT and PPT-FL to compare their affinity to various binding sites of tubulin. Using the Presto blue viability assay, we established working concentrations of PPT in HaCaT cells. Subsequently, we have used selected concentrations to determine PPT effects at the ultrastructural level. Dynamics of PPT distribution by confocal microscopy was performed using PPT-FL. Molecular docking calculations were conducted using Glide. PPT induces a time-dependent cytotoxic effect on HaCaT cells. Within 24 h, we observed the elongation of cytoplasmic processes, formation of cytoplasmic vacuoles, progressive ER stress, and shortening of the mitochondrial long axis. After 48 h, we noticed disintegration of the cell membrane, progressive vacuolization, apoptotic/necrotic vesicles, and a change in the cell nucleus’s appearance. PPT-FL was detected within HaCaT cells after ~10 min of incubation and remained within cells in the following measurements. Molecular docking confirmed the formation of a stable complex between tubulin and both PPT and PPT-FL. However, it was formed at different binding sites. PPT is highly toxic to normal human keratinocytes, even at low concentrations. It promptly enters the cells, probably via endocytosis. At lower concentrations, PPT causes disruptions in both ER and mitochondria, while at higher concentrations, it leads to massive vacuolization with subsequent cell death. The novel derivative of PPT, PPT-FL, forms a stable complex with tubulin, and therefore, it is a useful tracker of intracellular PPT binding and trafficking