Optimization of ATM Telecommunication Networks

ATM network optimization problems defined as combinatorial optimization problems are considered. Several approximate algorithms for solving such problems are developed. Results of their comparison by experiments on a set of problems with random input data are presented.

Neural Approach in Multi-Agent Routing for Static Telecommunication Networks

The problem of multi-agent routing in static telecommunication networks with fixed configuration is considered. The problem is formulated in two ways: for centralized routing schema with the coordinator-agent (global routing) and for distributed routing schema with independent agents (local routing). For both schemas appropriate Hopfield neural networks (HNN) are constructed.

A Taxonomy of Big Data for Optimal Predictive Machine Learning and Data Mining

Big data comes in various ways, types, shapes, forms and sizes. Indeed, almost all areas of science, technology, medicine, public health, economics, business, linguistics and social science are bombarded by ever increasing flows of data begging to be analyzed efficiently and effectively. In this paper, we propose a rough idea of a possible taxonomy of big data, along with some of the most commonly used tools for handling each particular category of bigness. The dimensionality p of the input space and the sample size n are usually the main ingredients in the characterization of data bigness. The specific statistical machine learning technique used to handle a particular big data set will depend on which category it falls in within the bigness taxonomy. Large p small n data sets for instance require a different set of tools from the large n small p variety. Among other tools, we discuss Preprocessing, Standardization, Imputation, Projection, Regularization, Penalization, Compression, Reduction, Selection, Kernelization, Hybridization, Parallelization, Aggregation, Randomization, Replication, Sequentialization. Indeed, it is important to emphasize right away that the so-called no free lunch theorem applies here, in the sense that there is no universally superior method that outperforms all other methods on all categories of bigness. It is also important to stress the fact that simplicity in the sense of Ockham’s razor non-plurality principle of parsimony tends to reign supreme when it comes to massive data. We conclude with a comparison of the predictive performance of some of the most commonly used methods on a few data sets.

Modular Digital Watermarking for Image Verification and Secure Data Storage in Web Applications

Our modular approach to data hiding is an innovative concept in the data hiding research field. It enables the creation of modular digital watermarking methods that have extendable features and are designed for use in web applications. The methods consist of two types of modules – a basic module and an application-specific module. The basic module mainly provides features which are connected with the specific image format. As JPEG is a preferred image format on the Internet, we have put a focus on the achievement of a robust and error-free embedding and retrieval of the embedded data in JPEG images. The application-specific modules are adaptable to user requirements in the concrete web application. The experimental results of the modular data watermarking are very promising. They indicate excellent image quality, satisfactory size of the embedded data and perfect robustness against JPEG transformations with prespecified compression ratios. ACM Computing Classification System (1998): C.2.0.

Classification of Texts' Authorship Using a Regression Model on Compressed Data

2010 Mathematics Subject Classification: 68T50,62H30,62J05.

Contributions to HEVC Prediction for Medical Image Compression

Medical imaging technology and applications are continuously evolving, dealing with images of increasing spatial and temporal resolutions, which allow easier and more accurate medical diagnosis. However, this increase in resolution demands a growing amount of data to be stored and transmitted. Despite the high coding efficiency achieved by the most recent image and video coding standards in lossy compression, they are not well suited for quality-critical medical image compression where either near-lossless or lossless coding is required. In this dissertation, two different approaches to improve lossless coding of volumetric medical images, such as Magnetic Resonance and Computed Tomography, were studied and implemented using the latest standard High Efficiency Video Encoder (HEVC). In a first approach, the use of geometric transformations to perform inter-slice prediction was investigated. For the second approach, a pixel-wise prediction technique, based on Least-Squares prediction, that exploits inter-slice redundancy was proposed to extend the current HEVC lossless tools. Experimental results show a bitrate reduction between 45% and 49%, when compared with DICOM recommended encoders, and 13.7% when compared with standard HEVC.

An IP capable data link layer protocol for narrow band half-duplex packet data radio networks

The wide adaptation of Internet Protocol (IP) as de facto protocol for most communication networks has established a need for developing IP capable data link layer protocol solutions for Machine to machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) networks. However, the wireless networks used for M2M and IoT applications usually lack the resources commonly associated with modern wireless communication networks. The existing IP capable data link layer solutions for wireless IoT networks provide the necessary overhead minimising and frame optimising features, but are often built to be compatible only with IPv6 and specific radio platforms. The objective of this thesis is to design IPv4 compatible data link layer for Netcontrol Oy's narrow band half-duplex packet data radio system. Based on extensive literature research, system modelling and solution concept testing, this thesis proposes the usage of tunslip protocol as the basis for the system data link layer protocol development. In addition to the functionality of tunslip, this thesis discusses the additional network, routing, compression, security and collision avoidance changes required to be made to the radio platform in order for it to be IP compatible while still being able to maintain the point-to-multipoint and multi-hop network characteristics. The data link layer design consists of the radio application, dynamic Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) optimisation daemon and the tunslip interface. The proposed design uses tunslip for creating an IP capable data link protocol interface. The radio application receives data from tunslip and compresses the packets and uses the IP addressing information for radio network addressing and routing before forwarding the message to radio network. The dynamic MTU size optimisation daemon controls the tunslip interface maximum MTU size according to the link quality assessment calculated from the radio network diagnostic data received from the radio application. For determining the usability of tunslip as the basis for data link layer protocol, testing of the tunslip interface is conducted with both IEEE 802.15.4 radios and packet data radios. The test cases measure the radio network usability for User Datagram Protocol (UDP) based applications without applying any header or content compression. The test results for the packet data radios reveal that the typical success rate for packet reception through a single-hop link is above 99% with a round-trip-delay of 0.315s for 63B packets.

Iis--integrated Interactome System: A Web-based Platform For The Annotation, Analysis And Visualization Of Protein-metabolite-gene-drug Interactions By Integrating A Variety Of Data Sources And Tools.

High-throughput screening of physical, genetic and chemical-genetic interactions brings important perspectives in the Systems Biology field, as the analysis of these interactions provides new insights into protein/gene function, cellular metabolic variations and the validation of therapeutic targets and drug design. However, such analysis depends on a pipeline connecting different tools that can automatically integrate data from diverse sources and result in a more comprehensive dataset that can be properly interpreted. We describe here the Integrated Interactome System (IIS), an integrative platform with a web-based interface for the annotation, analysis and visualization of the interaction profiles of proteins/genes, metabolites and drugs of interest. IIS works in four connected modules: (i) Submission module, which receives raw data derived from Sanger sequencing (e.g. two-hybrid system); (ii) Search module, which enables the user to search for the processed reads to be assembled into contigs/singlets, or for lists of proteins/genes, metabolites and drugs of interest, and add them to the project; (iii) Annotation module, which assigns annotations from several databases for the contigs/singlets or lists of proteins/genes, generating tables with automatic annotation that can be manually curated; and (iv) Interactome module, which maps the contigs/singlets or the uploaded lists to entries in our integrated database, building networks that gather novel identified interactions, protein and metabolite expression/concentration levels, subcellular localization and computed topological metrics, GO biological processes and KEGG pathways enrichment. This module generates a XGMML file that can be imported into Cytoscape or be visualized directly on the web. We have developed IIS by the integration of diverse databases following the need of appropriate tools for a systematic analysis of physical, genetic and chemical-genetic interactions. IIS was validated with yeast two-hybrid, proteomics and metabolomics datasets, but it is also extendable to other datasets. IIS is freely available online at: http://www.lge.ibi.unicamp.br/lnbio/IIS/.

[gait Speed, Grip Strength And Self-rated Health Among The Elderly: Data From The Fibra Campinas Network, São Paulo, Brazil].

The article seeks to investigate patterns of performance and relationships between grip strength, gait speed and self-rated health, and investigate the relationships between them, considering the variables of gender, age and family income. This was conducted in a probabilistic sample of community-dwelling elderly aged 65 and over, members of a population study on frailty. A total of 689 elderly people without cognitive deficit suggestive of dementia underwent tests of gait speed and grip strength. Comparisons between groups were based on low, medium and high speed and strength. Self-related health was assessed using a 5-point scale. The males and the younger elderly individuals scored significantly higher on grip strength and gait speed than the female and oldest did; the richest scored higher than the poorest on grip strength and gait speed; females and men aged over 80 had weaker grip strength and lower gait speed; slow gait speed and low income arose as risk factors for a worse health evaluation. Lower muscular strength affects the self-rated assessment of health because it results in a reduction in functional capacity, especially in the presence of poverty and a lack of compensatory factors.

Correlation Between Cephalometric Data And Severity Of Sleep Apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome has a high prevalence among adults. Cephalometric variables can be a valuable method for evaluating patients with this syndrome. To correlate cephalometric data with the apnea-hypopnea sleep index. We performed a retrospective and cross-sectional study that analyzed the cephalometric data of patients followed in the Sleep Disorders Outpatient Clinic of the Discipline of Otorhinolaryngology of a university hospital, from June 2007 to May 2012. Ninety-six patients were included, 45 men, and 51 women, with a mean age of 50.3 years. A total of 11 patients had snoring, 20 had mild apnea, 26 had moderate apnea, and 39 had severe apnea. The distance from the hyoid bone to the mandibular plane was the only variable that showed a statistically significant correlation with the apnea-hypopnea index. Cephalometric variables are useful tools for the understanding of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The distance from the hyoid bone to the mandibular plane showed a statistically significant correlation with the apnea-hypopnea index.

Censored Linear Regression Models For Irregularly Observed Longitudinal Data Using The Multivariate-t Distribution.

In acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) studies it is quite common to observe viral load measurements collected irregularly over time. Moreover, these measurements can be subjected to some upper and/or lower detection limits depending on the quantification assays. A complication arises when these continuous repeated measures have a heavy-tailed behavior. For such data structures, we propose a robust structure for a censored linear model based on the multivariate Student's t-distribution. To compensate for the autocorrelation existing among irregularly observed measures, a damped exponential correlation structure is employed. An efficient expectation maximization type algorithm is developed for computing the maximum likelihood estimates, obtaining as a by-product the standard errors of the fixed effects and the log-likelihood function. The proposed algorithm uses closed-form expressions at the E-step that rely on formulas for the mean and variance of a truncated multivariate Student's t-distribution. The methodology is illustrated through an application to an Human Immunodeficiency Virus-AIDS (HIV-AIDS) study and several simulation studies.

[evaluation Of Data On Live Birth Certificates From The Information System On Live Births (sinasc) In Campinas, São Paulo, 2009].

To assess the completeness and reliability of the Information System on Live Births (Sinasc) data. A cross-sectional analysis of the reliability and completeness of Sinasc's data was performed using a sample of Live Birth Certificate (LBC) from 2009, related to births from Campinas, Southeast Brazil. For data analysis, hospitals were grouped according to category of service (Unified National Health System, private or both), 600 LBCs were randomly selected and the data were collected in LBC-copies through mothers and newborns' hospital records and by telephone interviews. The completeness of LBCs was evaluated, calculating the percentage of blank fields, and the LBCs agreement comparing the originals with the copies was evaluated by Kappa and intraclass correlation coefficients. The percentage of completeness of LBCs ranged from 99.8%-100%. For the most items, the agreement was excellent. However, the agreement was acceptable for marital status, maternal education and newborn infants' race/color, low for prenatal visits and presence of birth defects, and very low for the number of deceased children. The results showed that the municipality Sinasc is reliable for most of the studied variables. Investments in training of the professionals are suggested in an attempt to improve system capacity to support planning and implementation of health activities for the benefit of maternal and child population.

Augmented Mixed Models For Clustered Proportion Data.

Often in biomedical research, we deal with continuous (clustered) proportion responses ranging between zero and one quantifying the disease status of the cluster units. Interestingly, the study population might also consist of relatively disease-free as well as highly diseased subjects, contributing to proportion values in the interval [0, 1]. Regression on a variety of parametric densities with support lying in (0, 1), such as beta regression, can assess important covariate effects. However, they are deemed inappropriate due to the presence of zeros and/or ones. To evade this, we introduce a class of general proportion density, and further augment the probabilities of zero and one to this general proportion density, controlling for the clustering. Our approach is Bayesian and presents a computationally convenient framework amenable to available freeware. Bayesian case-deletion influence diagnostics based on q-divergence measures are automatic from the Markov chain Monte Carlo output. The methodology is illustrated using both simulation studies and application to a real dataset from a clinical periodontology study.

Cephalometric And Anthropometric Data Of Obstructive Apnea In Different Age Groups.

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome usually present with changes in upper airway morphology and/or body fat distribution, which may occur throughout life and increase the severity of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome with age. To correlate cephalometric and anthropometric measures with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome severity in different age groups. A retrospective study of cephalometric and anthropometric measures of 102 patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome was analyzed. Patients were divided into three age groups (≥20 and <40 years, ≥40 and <60 years, and ≥60 years). Pearson's correlation was performed for these measures with the apnea-hypopnea index in the full sample, and subsequently by age group. The cephalometric measures MP-H (distance between the mandibular plane and the hyoid bone) and PNS-P (distance between the posterior nasal spine and the tip of the soft palate) and the neck and waist circumferences showed a statistically significant correlation with apnea-hypopnea index in both the full sample and in the ≥40 and <60 years age group. These variables did not show any significant correlation with the other two age groups (<40 and ≥60 years). Cephalometric measurements MP-H and PNS-P and cervical and waist circumferences correlated with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome severity in patients in the ≥40 and <60 age group.

Two Novel Mutations In The Thyroid Hormone Receptor β In Patients With Resistance To Thyroid Hormone (rth β): Clinical, Biochemical, And Molecular Data.

The syndrome of resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH β) is an inherited disorder characterized by variable tissue hyposensitivity to 3,5,30-l-triiodothyronine (T3), with persistent elevation of free-circulating T3 (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) levels in association with nonsuppressed serum thyrotropin (TSH). Clinical presentation is variable and the molecular analysis of THRB gene provides a short cut diagnosis. Here, we describe 2 cases in which RTH β was suspected on the basis of laboratory findings. The diagnosis was confirmed by direct THRB sequencing that revealed 2 novel mutations: the heterozygous p.Ala317Ser in subject 1 and the heterozygous p.Arg438Pro in subject 2. Both mutations were shown to be deleterious by SIFT, PolyPhen, and Align GV-GD predictive methods.