Machine learning paradigms for modeling spatial and temporal information in multimedia data mining

Multimedia data mining and knowledge discovery is a fast emerging interdisciplinary applied research area. There is tremendous potential for effective use of multimedia data mining (MDM) through intelligent analysis. Diverse application areas are increasingly relying on multimedia under-standing systems. Advances in multimedia understanding are related directly to advances in signal processing, computer vision, machine learning, pattern recognition, multimedia databases, and smart sensors. The main mission of this special issue is to identify state-of-the-art machine learning paradigms that are particularly powerful and effective for modeling and combining temporal and spatial media cues such as audio, visual, and face information and for accomplishing tasks of multimedia data mining and knowledge discovery. These models should be able to bridge the gap between low-level audiovisual features which require signal processing and high-level semantics. A number of papers have been submitted to the special issue in the areas of imaging, artificial intelligence; and pattern recognition and five contributions have been selected covering state-of-the-art algorithms and advanced related topics. The first contribution by D. Xiang et al. “Evaluation of data quality and drought monitoring capability of FY-3A MERSI data” describes some basic parameters and major technical indicators of the FY-3A, and evaluates data quality and drought monitoring capability of the Medium-Resolution Imager (MERSI) onboard the FY-3A. The second contribution by A. Belatreche et al. “Computing with biologically inspired neural oscillators: application to color image segmentation” investigates the computing capabilities and potential applications of neural oscillators, a biologically inspired neural model, to gray scale and color image segmentation, an important task in image understanding and object recognition. The major contribution of this paper is the ability to use neural oscillators as a learning scheme for solving real world engineering problems. The third paper by A. Dargazany et al. entitled “Multibandwidth Kernel-based object tracking” explores new methods for object tracking using the mean shift (MS). A bandwidth-handling MS technique is deployed in which the tracker reach the global mode of the density function not requiring a specific staring point. It has been proven via experiments that the Gradual Multibandwidth Mean Shift tracking algorithm can converge faster than the conventional kernel-based object tracking (known as the mean shift). The fourth contribution by S. Alzu’bi et al. entitled “3D medical volume segmentation using hybrid multi-resolution statistical approaches” studies new 3D volume segmentation using multiresolution statistical approaches based on discrete wavelet transform and hidden Markov models. This system commonly reduced the percentage error achieved using the traditional 2D segmentation techniques by several percent. Furthermore, a contribution by G. Cabanes et al. entitled “Unsupervised topographic learning for spatiotemporal data mining” proposes a new unsupervised algorithm, suitable for the analysis of noisy spatiotemporal Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) data. The new unsupervised algorithm depicted in this article is an efficient data mining tool for behavioral studies based on RFID technology. It has the ability to discover and compare stable patterns in a RFID signal, and is appropriate for continuous learning. Finally, we would like to thank all those who helped to make this special issue possible, especially the authors and the reviewers of the articles. Our thanks go to the Hindawi staff and personnel, the journal Manager in bringing about the issue and giving us the opportunity to edit this special issue

Enhanced superconducting proximity effect in strongly correlated heterostructures

The electronic properties of a strongly correlated heterostructure consisting of t-J layer and metallic layer have been investigated by using the Gutzwiller projected mean-field approximation. Considering the proximity effect due to the large pseudogap energy scale of t-J layer, a large superconducting gap could be induced on the metallic layer. This enhanced superconducting gap may be even larger than that of the t-J layer. Related physical quantities including spectral functions and density of states are obtained. The consequences of these results on experiments are discussed. © 2010 The American Physical Society.published_or_final_versio

Retarding Progression of Myopia with Seasonal Modification of Topical Atropine

Purpose: To investigate whether seasonal modification in the concentration of atropine drops is effective in retarding the progression of myopia. Methods: Two hundred and forty eyes of 120 healthy preschool- and school-age children in Chiayi region, Taiwan were recruited. The treatment group consisted of 126 eyes of 63 children who received atropine eye drops daily for one year and the control group included 114 eyes of 57 children who received nothing. The concentration of atropine eye drops was modified by seasonal variation as follows: 0.1% for summer, 0.25% for spring and fall, and 0.5% for winter. Refractive error, visual acuity, intraocular pressure (IOP), and axial length were evaluated before and after intervention. Results: Mean age was 9.1±2.8 years in the atropine group versus 9.3±2.8 years in controls (P=0.88). Mean spherical equivalent, refractive error and astigmatism were -1.90±1.66 diopters (D) and -0.50±0.59 D in the atropine group; corresponding values in the control group were -2.09±1.67 D (P=0.97) and -0.55±0.60 D (P=0.85), respectively. After one year, mean progression of myopia was 0.28±0.75 D in the atropine group vs 1.23±0.44 D in controls (P<0.001). Myopic progression was significantly correlated with an increase in axial length in both atropine (r=0.297, P=0.001) and control (r=0.348, P<0.001) groups. No correlation was observed between myopic progression and IOP in either study group. Conclusion: Modifying the concentration of atropine drops based on seasonal variation, seems to be effective and tolerable for retarding myopic progression in preschool- to school-age children

Vortex charges in high-temperature superconductors

The vortex charge in high-temperature superconductors was investigated. It was found that the vortex charge was negative when a sufficient strength of antiferromagnetic (AF) order was induced inside the vortex core. The vortex charge at optimal doping was studied as a function of magnetic field. The results showed that the AF order was absent inside the vortex core for small Coulomb repulsion.published_or_final_versio

Gibbsian Method for the Self-Optimization of Cellular Networks

In this work, we propose and analyze a class of distributed algorithms performing the joint optimization of radio resources in heterogeneous cellular networks made of a juxtaposition of macro and small cells. Within this context, it is essential to use algorithms able to simultaneously solve the problems of channel selection, user association and power control. In such networks, the unpredictability of the cell and user patterns also requires distributed optimization schemes. The proposed method is inspired from statistical physics and based on the Gibbs sampler. It does not require the concavity/convexity, monotonicity or duality properties common to classical optimization problems. Besides, it supports discrete optimization which is especially useful to practical systems. We show that it can be implemented in a fully distributed way and nevertheless achieves system-wide optimality. We use simulation to compare this solution to today's default operational methods in terms of both throughput and energy consumption. Finally, we address concrete issues for the implementation of this solution and analyze the overhead traffic required within the framework of 3GPP and femtocell standards.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures, to appear in EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking 201

Cooperative contractility: the role of stress fibres in the regulation of cell-cell junctions.

We present simulations of cell-cell adhesion as reported in a recent study [Liu et al., 2010, PNAS, 107(22), 9944-9] for two cells seeded on an array of micro-posts. The micro-post array allows for the measurement of forces exerted by the cell and these show that the cell-cell tugging stress is a constant and independent of the cell-cell junction area. In the current study, we demonstrate that a material model which includes the underlying cellular processes of stress fibre contractility and adhesion formation can capture these results. The simulations explain the experimentally observed phenomena whereby the cell-cell junction forces increase with junction size but the tractions exerted by the cell on the micro-post array are independent of the junction size. Further simulations on different types of micro-post arrays and cell phenotypes are presented as a guide to future experiments.WR and PMcG acknowledge Science Foundation Ireland grant 10/RFP/ENM2960 and Short Term Travel Fellowship (STTF 11).This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021929014006137

Failure to activate the IFN-beta promoter by a paramyxovirus lacking an interferon antagonist

It is generally thought that pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) responsible for triggering interferon (IFN) induction are produced during virus replication and, to limit the activation of the IFN response by these PAMPs, viruses encode antagonists of IFN induction. Here we have studied the induction of IFN by parainfluenza virus type 5 (PIV5) at the single-cell level, using a cell line expressing GFP under the control of the IFN-β promoter. We demonstrate that a recombinant PIV5 (termed PIV5-VΔC) that lacks a functional V protein (the viral IFN antagonist) does not activate the IFN-β promoter in the majority of infected cells. We conclude that viral PAMPs capable of activating the IFN induction cascade are not produced or exposed during the normal replication cycle of PIV5, and suggest instead that defective viruses are primarily responsible for inducing IFN during PIV5 infection in this syste

Lipid consumption in coral larvae differs among sites: a consideration of environmental history in a global ocean change scenario

The success of early life-history stages is an environmentally sensitive bottleneck for many marine invertebrates. Responses of larvae to environmental stress may vary due to differences in maternal investment of energy stores and acclimatization/adaptation of a population to local environmental conditions. In this study, we compared two populations from sites with different environmental regimes (Moorea and Taiwan). We assessed the responses of Pocillopora damicornis larvae to two future co-occurring environmental stressors: elevated temperature and ocean acidification. Larvae from Taiwan were more sensitive to temperature, producing fewer energy-storage lipids under high temperature. In general, planulae in Moorea and Taiwan responded similarly to pCO(2). Additionally, corals in the study sites with different environments produced larvae with different initial traits, which may have shaped the different physiological responses observed. Notably, under ambient conditions, planulae in Taiwan increased their stores of wax ester and triacylglycerol in general over the first 24 h of their dispersal, whereas planulae from Moorea consumed energy-storage lipids in all cases. Comparisons of physiological responses of P. damicornis larvae to conditions of ocean acidification and warming between sites across the species\u27 biogeographic range illuminates the variety of physiological responses maintained within P. damicornis, which may enhance the overall persistence of this species in the light of global climate change