ABSTRACT:
An effect of flow on cell culture has been studied in vitro. A silicone disk was placed in the center of culture dish of 52 mm internal diameter to make a doughnut-shaped canal. The dish was placed on a tilted plate, which rotates to make a vortex flow around the silicone disk with a swing motion. Variations were made on the diameter (20 mm, 30 mm, and 40 mm) of the silicone disk and the rotational speed (2.1 rad/sec, 5.2 rad/sec) of the swinging plate, which tilts with 0.1 rad from the horizontal plane. Five kinds of cells were cultured in the vortex flow of Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium for seven days: C2C12 (mouse myoblast), L6 (rat skeletal muscle cell), A7r5 (rat aortic smooth muscle cell), CS-2P2-C75 (primary normal porcine aortic endothelial cell), and L929 (mouse fibroblast). The experiments show the following results. The orientation of cells depends on flow and on kinds of cells. A7r5 and CS-2P2-C75 line along the streamline of the flow. C2C12 and L6 adhere along the direction of the flow in the first stage, and tilt to the perpendicular direction to the flow differentiating to myotubes with fusion in the second stage.

ABSTRACT:
Searching for points of interest (POI) in large-volume imagery is a challenging problem with few good solutions. In this work, a neural engineering approach called rapid image triage (RIT) which could offer about a ten-fold speed up in POI searching is developed. It is essentially a cortically-coupled computer vision technique, whereby the user is presented bursts of images at a speed of 6–15 images per second and then neural signals called event-related potential (ERP) is used as the ‘cue’ for user seeing images of high relevance likelihood. Compared to past efforts, the implemented system has several unique features: (1) it applies overlapping frames in image chip preparation, to ensure rapid image triage performance; (2) a novel common spatial-temporal pattern (CSTP) algorithm that makes use of both spatial and temporal patterns of ERP topography is proposed for high-accuracy single-trial ERP detection; (3) a weighted version of probabilistic support-vector-machine (SVM) is used to address the inherent unbalanced nature of single-trial ERP detection for RIT. High accuracy, fast learning, and real-time capability of the developed system shown on 20 subjects demonstrate the feasibility of a brainmachine integrated rapid image triage system for fast detection of POI from large-volume imagery.

ABSTRACT:
An integrative methodology is developed to characterize the complex patterns of change in highly variable dynamic biological processes. The method permits estimatation of the population mean profile, multiple change points and length of time-windows defined by any two change points of interest using a semi-/non-parametric stochastic mixed effect model and a Bayesian Modeling Average (BMA) approach to account for model uncertainty. It also allows estimation of the mean rate of change of sub-processes by fitting piecewise linear mixed effect models. The methodology is applied to characterize the stages of female ovarian aging and the menopausal transition defined by hormone measures of estradiol (E2) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) from two large-scale epidemiological studies with community-based longitudinal designs and ethnic diversity.

ABSTRACT:
Home health care system and long term physiologic parameters monitoring system are important for elevating the living quality of chronic disease patients and elderly. Elaborating towards a sophisticated and comprehensive home health care system, Intra-Body Communication (IBC) is believed to have advantages in power consumption, electromagnetic radiation, interference from external electromagnetic noise, security, and restriction in spectrum resource. In this article, we start from quasi-static Maxwell

ABSTRACT:
In this paper, we develop an extension of the newsvendor model with initial inventory. In addition to the usual quantity ordered at the beginning of the horizon and the usual quantity salvaged at the end of the horizon, we introduce a new decision variable: a salvage opportunity at the beginning of the horizon, which might be used in the case of high initial inventory level. We develop the expression of the optimal policy for this extended model, for a general demand distribution. The structure of this optimal policy is particular and is characterized by two threshold levels. Some managerial insights are given via numerical examples.

ABSTRACT:
Several techniques such as Neural Networks, Genetic Algorithms, Decision Trees and other statistical or heuristic methods have been used to approach the complex non-linear task of predicting Alpha-helicies, Beta-sheets and Turns of a proteins secondary structure in the past. This project introduces a new machine learning method by using an offline trained Multilayered Perceptrons (MLP) as the likelihood models within a Bayesian Inference framework to predict secondary structures proteins. Varying window sizes are used to extract neighboring amino acid information and passed back and forth between the Neural Net models and the Bayesian Inference process until there is a convergence of the posterior secondary structure probability.

ABSTRACT:
In Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) operations, canine teams are deployed to find live patients, and save lives. US&R may benefit from increased levels of situational awareness, through information made available through the use of embedded systems attached to the dogs. One of these is the Canine Pose Estimation (CPE) system. There are many challenges faced with such embedded systems including the engineering of such devices for use in disaster environments. Durability and wireless connectivity in areas with materials that inhibit wireless communications, the safety of the dog wearing the devices, and form factor must be accommodated. All of these factors must be weighed without compromising the accuracy of the application and the timely delivery of its data. This paper discusses the adaptive engineering process and how each of the unique challenges of emergency response embedded systems can be defined and overcome through effective design methods.

ABSTRACT:
Geographically distributed development has consistently had to deal with the challenge of intense awareness extensively more than locally concentrated development. Awareness marks the state of being informed incorporated with an understanding of project-related activities, states or relationships of each individual employee within a given group as a whole. In multifarious offices, where social interaction is necessary in order to distribute and locate information together with experts, awareness becomes a concurrent process which amplifies the exigency of easy routes for staff to be able to access this information, deferred or decentralized, in a formalized and problem-oriented way. Although the subject of Awareness has immensely increased in importance, there is extensive disagreement about how this transparency can be conceptually and technically implemented [1]. This paper introduces a model in order to visualize and navigate this information in three tiers using semantic networks, GIS and Web3D.

ABSTRACT:
This paper explores the right balance of human and technical resources in the design of Just-in-Time knowledge delivery. It also examines and analyzes the case study: “Teltech: The business of Knowledge Management” by Davenport. It further attempts to depict the characteristics of the hybrid. The paper describes how the hybrid can be applied to Just-In-Time knowledge delivery. It also seeks to analyze and explore its interplay with knowledge splits with a view to designing Just-In- Time Knowledge Management. These include: “tacit versus explicit knowledge”, “in-process” versus “after action” documentation, “process-centered versus product-centered approach”, “knowledge versus information” and the “culture of sharing versus hoarding.”

ABSTRACT:
In this paper, we present a framework that gives the user a tool at hand to explore large data sets from built infrastructure. In a first step we describe the integration of fully detailed product models of constructions delivering the geometric and auxiliary information we build up our data exploration from. The main part of this paper follows by presenting the application of a hierarchical data structure, an octree, that is capable of holding building information for a whole region or even a country and the development of complexity reduction algorithms that allow the visualisation of those data. To exploit the full performance of modern hardware platforms, the application of parallelisation techniques is inevitable and we present the implementation of these techniques to the data processing steps performed in the framework. After introducing the framework, we show possible applications to various disciplines such as environmental and civil engineering, architecture, or disaster management.

ABSTRACT:
A fast-paced process of hybridization of man and technology, organization and technology and society and technology is currently sweeping the world. This process requires a way of (scientific) thinking that takes hybrid systems as the starting point. This way of thinking gives hybrid systems an increasing need to be interlinked, which enables them to exchange and share information through these links. This development of linking (hybrid) systems to enable them to exchange and share information, can also be denoted as the realization of interoperability between (hybrid) systems. Five principles from Luhmann’s systems theory can be of help to understand interoperability. Interoperability enables (hybrid) systems to join random coalitions and networks. The network centric warfare concept is currently the basis for international efforts for the development and application of interoperability that would enable armed forces to act effectively and efficiently. In this paper is demonstrated what Luhmann’s system’s theory can learn us.

ABSTRACT:
In an attempt to quantify the dynamical complexity of power systems, we introduce the use of a non-linear time series technique to detect complex dynamics in a signal. The technique is a significant reinterpretation of the Approximate Entropy (ApEn) introduced by Pincus, as an approximation to the Eckmann- Ruelle entropy. It is examined in the context of power systems, and several examples are explored.

ABSTRACT:
A software tool has been developed in order to evaluate bioelectrical currents. The tool is able to provide a graphical representation of the behaviour of small currents emitted by characteristic points of the human body and captured through a non invasive probe previously developed. The software implementation combines a variety of graphical techniques to create a powerful system that will enable users to perform an accurate and reliable analysis of the emitted currents and to easily go on to further applications and research. This paper introduces the design and the main characteristics of the tool and shows significant measurement results.

ABSTRACT:
According to theory, innovative activity gives a chance to increase a competitiveness and economic growth of nation. The purpose of this paper is validation of that assumption using the latest data available for EU countries. Data set of indicators include: global innovation index, (GII), European Summary Innovative Index (SII), Ranking of Competitiveness of Nations (in a form of summary as well as subsidiary data ) and set of macro economy data (GDP, labor productivity, export, export of high-tech, R&D expenditure as [as % of GDP] etc as measures of economic growth. Various regression models: liner, curvilinear, planar or spatial with one or two dependent variables will be calculated and explained. In addition the appropriate 2 D and 3 D-graphs will be used and presented to strengthen verbal arguments and explanation. The main result of this paper is relationship between innovative activity, competitive ability and growth measured as GDP per capita. Such relationship is shown as fairy good linear span of countries. Only two of them: Luxemburg and Norway due to higher than average growth value are outliers. The valuable outcome of this paper is classification of nation into groups: highly innovative- highly competitive, highly competitive-non innovative, highly innovative- non competitive and non innovative – non competitive. The last group of nations fall into trap of low competitiveness.