Quantifying Self-Organization with Optimal Wavelets

The optimal wavelet basis is used to develop quantitative, experimentally applicable criteria for self-organization. The choice of the optimal wavelet is based on the model of self-organization in the wavelet tree. The framework of the model is founded on the wavelet-domain hidden Markov model and the optimal wavelet basis criterion for self-organization which assumes inherent increase in statistical complexity, the information content necessary for maximally accurate prediction of the system's dynamics. At the same time the method, presented here for the one-dimensional data of any type, performs superior denoising and may be easily generalized to higher dimensions.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

RELIABILITY OF THE BICAUDATE PARAMETER IN THE REVEALING OF THE ENLARGED LATERAL VENTRICLES IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS

Introduction: In schizophrenia patients the lateral ventricle enlargement has mostly been reported in relationship with smaller cortical and/or subcortical brain volumes; and it has been observed that ventricular system growth may be a consequence of the smaller caudate nucleus volume. Bicaudate parameters have been used in the Alzheimer dementia and Huntington’s chorea diagnosing in order to evaluate brain changes and the enlargement of the lateral ventricles. Subjects and methods: This study has been carried out on 140 patients out of which 70 patients (30 men and 40 women) who met the ICD 10 criteria for schizophrenia and 70 healthy controls (30 men and 40 women) matched on sex and age with the studied group. All of them underwent direct caudatometry and volume computation based on MRI scans. Results: Except for the bicorporal line, for all the parameters were obtained the statistically highly significant differences between the examined and control groups. Significant correlation was established for the majority of bicaudate parameters and volumes of the caudate nuclei and lateral ventricles. Discussion: Enlargement of the lateral ventricles is one of the most frequent MRI finding in schizophrenia patients. Ventricles are enlarging gradually and frontal horns are more affected than other parts. The increased volumes of the caudate nuclei signalized that ventricular enlargement is not the consequence of the caudate atrophy. Conclusion: Bicaudate parameters are reliable parameters for the quick orientation in order to assess the enlarged ventricles in schizophrenia patients

Array Requirements for Scientific Applications and an Implementation for Microsoft SQL Server

This paper outlines certain scenarios from the fields of astrophysics and fluid dynamics simulations which require high performance data warehouses that support array data type. A common feature of all these use cases is that subsetting and preprocessing the data on the server side (as far as possible inside the database server process) is necessary to avoid the client-server overhead and to minimize IO utilization. Analyzing and summarizing the requirements of the various fields help software engineers to come up with a comprehensive design of an array extension to relational database systems that covers a wide range of scientific applications. We also present a working implementation of an array data type for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 to support large-scale scientific applications. We introduce the design of the array type, results from a performance evaluation, and discuss the lessons learned from this implementation. The library can be downloaded from our website at http://voservices.net/sqlarray

Transaction processing core for accelerating software transactional memory

Submitted for review to MICRO-40 conference the 9th of June 2007This paper introduces an advanced hardware based approach for accelerating Software Transactional Memory (STM). The proposed solution focuses on speeding up conflict detection that grows polynomially with the number of concurrently running transactions and shared to transaction-local address resolution, which is the most frequent STM operation. This is achieved by logic split in two hardware units: Transaction Processing Core and Transactional Memory Look-Aside Buffer. The Transaction Processing Core is a separate hardware unit which does eager conflict detection and address resolution by indexing transactional objects based on their virtual addresses. The Transactional Memory Look-aside Buffer is a per-processor extension that caches the translated addresses by the Transaction Processing Core. The effect of its function is a reduced bus traffic and the time spent for communication between the CPUs and the Transaction Processing Core. Compared with other existing solutions, our approach mainly differs in proposing an implementation that is not based on the processor cache but a separate on-chip core, uses virtual addresses, does not require application modification and is further enhanced by Transactional Memory Look-Aside Buffer. Our experiments confirm the potential of the Transaction Processing Core to dramatically speed up STM systems.Postprint (published version

Determination of Optimal Locations and Parameters of Passive Harmonic Filters in Unbalanced Systems Using the Multiobjective Genetic Algorithm

This paper discusses the problem of optimal placement and sizing of passive harmonic filters to mitigate harmonics in unbalanced distribution systems. The problem is formulated as a nonlinear multiobjective optimisation problem and solved using the multiobjective genetic algorithm. The performance of the proposed algorithm is tested on unbalanced IEEE 13- and 37-bus three-phase systems. The optimal solutions are obtained based on the following objective functions: 1) minimisation of total harmonic distortion in voltage, 2) minimisation of costs of filters, 3) minimisation of voltage unbalances, and 4) a simultaneous minimisation of total harmonic distortion in voltage, costs of filters, and voltage unbalances. Finally, an analysis of the influence of uncertainties of load powers and changes in system frequency and filter parameters on filter efficiency was performed

Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis and Mid-Upper Arm Muscle Circumference Can Be Used to Detect Low Muscle Mass in Clinical Practice

Identification of low muscle mass becomes increasingly relevant due to its prognostic value in cancer patients. In clinical practice, mid-upper arm muscle circumference (MAMC) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) are often used to assess muscle mass. For muscle-mass assessment, computed tomography (CT) is considered as reference standard. We investigated concordance between CT, BIA, and MAMC, diagnostic accuracy of MAMC, and BIA to detect low muscle mass and their relation with the clinical outcome malnutrition provided with the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment Short Form (PG-SGA SF). This cross-sectional study included adult patients with advanced esophageal and gastrointestinal cancer. BIA, MAMC, and PG-SGA-SF were performed. Routine CT-scans were used to quantify psoas muscle index (PMI) and skeletal muscle area. Good concordance was found between CT(PMI) and both BIA(FFMI (fat free mass index)) (ICC 0.73), and BIA(ASMI (appendicular skeletal muscle index)) (ICC 0.69) but not with MAMC (ICC 0.37). BIA(FFMI) (94%), BIA(ASMI) (86%), and MAMC (86%) showed high specificity but low sensitivity. PG-SGA-SF modestly correlated with all muscle-mass measures (ranging from −0.17 to −0.43). Of all patients with low muscle mass, 62% were also classified with a PG-SGA-SF score of ≥4 points. Although CT remains the first choice, since both BIA and MAMC are easy to perform by dieticians, they have the potential to be used to detect low muscle mass in clinical practice

Practical experience with Nebelung: the runtime support for transactional memory and OpenMP

Transactional Memory (TM) is a key future technology for emerging many-cores. On the other hand, OpenMP provides a vast established base for writing parallel programs, especially for scientific applications. Combining TM with OpenMP provides a rich, enhanced programming environment and an attractive solution to the many-core software productivity problem. In this paper, we discuss the runtime environment for supporting our combined TM and OpenMP framework. Through motivating examples, we briefly illustrate how the combined TM/OpenMP can facilitate writing parallel programs. We then discuss issues in runtime environment design. In another contribution, we introduce a set of applications that we specifically developed for our combined TM/OpenMP framework. Using those applications, we show how we can use the rich features provided by TM such as retry to support efficient TM/OpenMP programs. We also include an initial performance analysis of the runtime using the applications.Postprint (published version

Tagging, Recognition, Acknowledgment of Informal Learning experiences (TRAILER)

[EN] Learners do not only learn in the institutions, they learn during their live in different contexts, with different resources and from the interaction with different persons. This kind of learning that is not always intentionally carried out is known as informal learning. The application of Information and Communication Technologies to learning and teaching processes facilitates making visible such kind of learning for the institutions. However the nature of formal and non-formal, coursebased, approaches to learning has made it hard to accommodate these informal processes satisfactorily. The project aims to facilitate first the identification by the learner (as the last responsible of the learning process), and then the recognition by the institution, in dialogue with the learner, of this learning. To do so a methodology and a technological framework to support it have been implemented and tested

Enhancing informal learning recognition through TRAILER project

Conde, M. A., García-Peñalvo, F. J., Zangrando, V., García-Holgado, A., Seoane-Pardo, A. M., Alier, M., Galanis, N., Griffiths, D., Johnson, M., Janssen, J., Brouns, F., Vogten, H., Finders, A., Sloep, P. B., Marques, M. A., Viegas, M. C., Alves, G. R., Waszkiewicz, E., Mykowska, A., Minovic, M., & Milovanovic, M. (2013). Enhancing informal learning recognition through TRAILER project. In F. J. García-Peñalvo, M. Á. Conde, & D. Griffiths (Eds.), Proceedings of the Workshop on Solutions that Enhance Informal Learning Recognition (WEILER 2013) (pp. 21-30). September, 18, 2013, Paphos, Cyprus. http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1039/The evolution of new technology and its increasing use, has for some years been making the existence of informal learning more and more transparent, especially among young and older adults in both Higher Education and workplace contexts. However, the nature of formal and non-formal, coursebased, approaches to learning has made it hard to accommodate these informal processes satisfactorily. The project aims to facilitate first the identification by the learner (as the last responsible of the learning process), and then the recognition by the institution, in dialogue with the learner, of this learning. To do so a methodology and a technological framework to support it have been implemented. This project has been tested in several contexts showing that an informal learning dialogue between learners and people in charge of the institutions is possible.Tagging, Recognition and Acknowledgment of Informal Learning ExpeRiences project (TRAILER) that is funded by the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme. Ref. 519141-LLP-1-2011-1-ES-KA3-KA3MP [http:// trailerproject.eu]. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein