Worst-Case Asymmetric Distributed Source Coding

We consider the asymmetric distributed source coding problem, where the recipient interactively communicates with N correlated informants to gather their data. We are mainly interested in minimizing the worst-case number of informant bits required for successful data-gathering at recipient, but we are also concerned with minimizing the number of rounds as well as the number of recipient bits. We provide two algorithms, one that optimally minimizes the number of informant bits and other that trades-off the number of informant bits to efficiently reduce the number of rounds and number of recipient bits.

Exploring privacy for ubiquitous computing: Tools, methods and experiments

Ubiquitous computing is about making computers and computerized artefacts a pervasive part of our everyday lifes, bringing more and more activities into the realm of information. The computationalization, informationalization of everyday activities increases not only our reach, efficiency and capabilities but also the amount and kinds of data gathered about us and our activities. In this thesis, I explore how information systems can be constructed so that they handle this personal data in a reasonable manner. The thesis provides two kinds of results: on one hand, tools and methods for both the construction as well as the evaluation of ubiquitous and mobile systems---on the other hand an evaluation of the privacy aspects of a ubiquitous social awareness system. The work emphasises real-world experiments as the most important way to study privacy. Additionally, the state of current information systems as regards data protection is studied. The tools and methods in this thesis consist of three distinct contributions. An algorithm for locationing in cellular networks is proposed that does not require the location information to be revealed beyond the user's terminal. A prototyping platform for the creation of context-aware ubiquitous applications called ContextPhone is described and released as open source. Finally, a set of methodological findings for the use of smartphones in social scientific field research is reported. A central contribution of this thesis are the pragmatic tools that allow other researchers to carry out experiments. The evaluation of the ubiquitous social awareness application ContextContacts covers both the usage of the system in general as well as an analysis of privacy implications. The usage of the system is analyzed in the light of how users make inferences of others based on real-time contextual cues mediated by the system, based on several long-term field studies. The analysis of privacy implications draws together the social psychological theory of self-presentation and research in privacy for ubiquitous computing, deriving a set of design guidelines for such systems. The main findings from these studies can be summarized as follows: The fact that ubiquitous computing systems gather more data about users can be used to not only study the use of such systems in an effort to create better systems but in general to study phenomena previously unstudied, such as the dynamic change of social networks. Systems that let people create new ways of presenting themselves to others can be fun for the users---but the self-presentation requires several thoughtful design decisions that allow the manipulation of the image mediated by the system. Finally, the growing amount of computational resources available to the users can be used to allow them to use the data themselves, rather than just being passive subjects of data gathering.

Correlation, Coding, and Cooperation in Wireless Sensor Networks

We consider a single-hop data-gathering sensor network, consisting of a set of sensor nodes that transmit data periodically to a base-station. We are interested in maximizing the lifetime of this network. With our definition of network lifetime and the assumption that the radio transmission energy consumption forms the most significant portion of the total energy consumption at a sensor node, we attempt to enhance the network lifetime by reducing the transmission energy budget of sensor nodes by exploiting three system-level opportunities. We pose the problem of maximizing lifetime as a max-min optimization problem subject to the constraint of successful data collection and limited energy supply at each node. This turns out to be an extremely difficult optimization to solve. To reduce the complexity of this problem, we allow the sensor nodes and the base-station to interactively communicate with each other and employ instantaneous decoding at the base-station. The chief contribution of the paper is to show that the computational complexity of our problem is determined by the complex interplay of various system-level opportunities and challenges.

Enhancing sensor network lifetime using interactive communication

We are concerned with maximizing the lifetime of a data-gathering wireless sensor network consisting of set of nodes directly communicating with a base-station. We model this scenario as the m-message interactive communication between multiple correlated informants (sensor nodes) and a recipient (base-station). With this framework, we show that m-message interactive communication can indeed enhance network lifetime. Both worst-case and average-case performances are considered.

Relationships in food chains: an empirical examination of trust, commitment and communication

This report derives from the EU funded research project “Key Factors Influencing Economic Relationships and Communication in European Food Chains” (FOODCOMM). The research consortium consisted of the following organisations: University of Bonn (UNI BONN), Department of Agricultural and Food Marketing Research (overall project co-ordination); Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe (IAMO), Department for Agricultural Markets, Marketing and World Agricultural Trade, Halle (Saale), Germany; University of Helsinki, Ruralia Institute Seinäjoki Unit, Finland; Scottish Agricultural College (SAC), Food Marketing Research Team - Land Economy Research Group, Edinburgh and Aberdeen; Ashtown Food Research Centre (AFRC), Teagasc, Food Marketing Unit, Dublin; Institute of Agricultural & Food Economics (IAFE), Department of Market Analysis and Food Processing, Warsaw and Government of Aragon, Center for Agro-Food Research and Technology (CITA), Zaragoza, Spain. The aim of the FOODCOMM project was to examine the role (prevalence, necessity and significance) of economic relationships in selected European food chains and to identify the economic, social and cultural factors which influence co-ordination within these chains. The research project considered meat and cereal commodities in six different European countries (Finland, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Spain, UK/Scotland) and was commissioned against a background of changing European food markets. The research project as a whole consisted of seven different work packages. This report presents the results of qualitative research conducted for work package 5 (WP5) in the pig meat and rye bread chains in Finland. Ruralia Institute would like to give special thanks for all the individuals and companies that kindly gave up their time to take part in the study. Their input has been invaluable to the project. The contribution of research assistant Sanna-Helena Rantala was significant in the data gathering. FOODCOMM project was coordinated by the University of Bonn, Department of Agricultural and Food Market Research. Special thanks especially to Professor Monika Hartmann for acting as the project leader of FOODCOMM.

Computationally efficient optical tomographic reconstructions through waveletizing the normalized quadratic perturbation equation - art. no.61640R

In this paper, we present a wavelet - based approach to solve the non-linear perturbation equation encountered in optical tomography. A particularly suitable data gathering geometry is used to gather a data set consisting of differential changes in intensity owing to the presence of the inhomogeneous regions. With this scheme, the unknown image, the data, as well as the weight matrix are all represented by wavelet expansions, thus yielding the representation of the original non - linear perturbation equation in the wavelet domain. The advantage in use of the non-linear perturbation equation is that there is no need to recompute the derivatives during the entire reconstruction process. Once the derivatives are computed, they are transformed into the wavelet domain. The purpose of going to the wavelet domain, is that, it has an inherent localization and de-noising property. The use of approximation coefficients, without the detail coefficients, is ideally suited for diffuse optical tomographic reconstructions, as the diffusion equation removes most of the high frequency information and the reconstruction appears low-pass filtered. We demonstrate through numerical simulations, that through solving merely the approximation coefficients one can reconstruct an image which has the same information content as the reconstruction from a non-waveletized procedure. In addition we demonstrate a better noise tolerance and much reduced computation time for reconstructions from this approach.

Lessons from the Sparse Sensor Network Deployment in Rural India

We discuss the key issues in the deployment of sparse sensor networks. The network monitors several environment parameters and is deployed in a semi-arid region for the benefit of small and marginal farmers. We begin by discussing the problems of an existing unreliable 1 sq km sparse network deployed in a village. The proposed solutions are implemented in a new cluster. The new cluster is a reliable 5 sq km network. Our contributions are two fold. Firstly, we describe a. novel methodology to deploy a sparse reliable data gathering sensor network and evaluate the ``safe distance'' or ``reliable'' distance between nodes using propagation models. Secondly, we address the problem of transporting data from rural aggregation servers to urban data centres. This paper tracks our steps in deploying a sensor network in a village,in India, trying to provide better diagnosis for better crop management. Keywords - Rural, Agriculture, CTRS, Sparse.

Lean Thinking in Software Development : Impacts of Kanban on Projects

The history of software development in a somewhat systematical way has been performed for half a century. Despite this time period, serious failures in software development projects still occur. The pertinent mission of software project management is to continuously achieve more and more successful projects. The application of agile software methods and more recently the integration of Lean practices contribute to this trend of continuous improvement in the software industry. One such area warranting proper empirical evidence is the operational efficiency of projects. In the field of software development, Kanban as a process management method has gained momentum recently, mostly due to its linkages to Lean thinking. However, only a few empirical studies investigate the impacts of Kanban on projects in that particular area. The aim of this doctoral thesis is to improve the understanding of how Kanban impacts on software projects. The research is carried out in the area of Lean thinking, which contains a variety of concepts including Kanban. This article-type thesis conducts a set of case studies expanded with the research strategy of quasi-controlled experiment. The data-gathering techniques of interviews, questionnaires, and different types of observations are used to study the case projects, and thereby to understand the impacts of Kanban on software development projects. The research papers of the thesis are refereed, international journal and conference publications. The results highlight new findings regarding the application of Kanban in the software context. The key findings of the thesis suggest that Kanban is applicable to software development. Despite its several benefits reported in this thesis, the empirical evidence implies that Kanban is not all-encompassing but requires additional practices to keep development projects performing appropriately. Implications for research are given, as well. In addition to these findings, the thesis contributes in the area of plan-driven software development by suggesting implications both for research and practitioners. As a conclusion, Kanban can benefit software development projects but additional practices would increase its potential for the projects.

Ultrasound-modulated optical tomography: direct recovery of elasticity distribution from experimentally measured intensity autocorrelation

Based on an ultrasound-modulated optical tomography experiment, a direct, quantitative recovery of Young's modulus (E) is achieved from the modulation depth (M) in the intensity autocorrelation. The number of detector locations is limited to two in orthogonal directions, reducing the complexity of the data gathering step whilst ensuring against an impoverishment of the measurement, by employing ultrasound frequency as a parameter to vary during data collection. The M and E are related via two partial differential equations. The first one connects M to the amplitude of vibration of the scattering centers in the focal volume and the other, this amplitude to E. A (composite) sensitivity matrix is arrived at mapping the variation of M with that of E and used in a (barely regularized) Gauss-Newton algorithm to iteratively recover E. The reconstruction results showing the variation of E are presented. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America

PICES-GLOBEC International Program on Climate Change and Carrying Capacity

Introduction [pdf, 0.27 MB] Methods [pdf, 0.15 MB] Results and discussion [pdf, 2.1 MB] Conclusions [pdf, 0.12 MB] Appendix A: Data gathering review, results and balancing [pdf, 0.3 MB] Appendix B: Data tables [pdf, 0.35 MB] Appendix C: BASS Workshop on the "Development of a conceptual model of the subarctic Pacific Basin ecosystems" [pdf, 0.16 MB] Appendix D: BASS/MODEL Workshop on "Higher trohic level modeling" [pdf, 0.24 MB] Appendix E: BASS/MODEL Workshop to review ecosystem models for the subarctic Pacific gyres [pdf, 4.39 MB] Appendix F: BASS/MODEL Workshop on "Perturbation analysis" on subarctic Pacific gyre ecosystem models using ECOPATH/ECOSIM" [pdf, 0.37 MB] Appendix G: Proposal for a BASS Workshop on "Linkages between open and coastal systems" [pdf, 0.15 MB] References [pdf, 0.14 MB] (97 page document)

Technology for Single Cell Protein Analysis in Immunology and Cancer Prognostics

The first chapter of this thesis deals with automating data gathering for single cell microfluidic tests. The programs developed saved significant amounts of time with no loss in accuracy. The technology from this chapter was applied to experiments in both Chapters 4 and 5.

The second chapter describes the use of statistical learning to prognose if an anti-angiogenic drug (Bevacizumab) would successfully treat a glioblastoma multiforme tumor. This was conducted by first measuring protein levels from 92 blood samples using the DNA-encoded antibody library platform. This allowed the measure of 35 different proteins per sample, with comparable sensitivity to ELISA. Two statistical learning models were developed in order to predict whether the treatment would succeed. The first, logistic regression, predicted with 85% accuracy and an AUC of 0.901 using a five protein panel. These five proteins were statistically significant predictors and gave insight into the mechanism behind anti-angiogenic success/failure. The second model, an ensemble model of logistic regression, kNN, and random forest, predicted with a slightly higher accuracy of 87%.

The third chapter details the development of a photocleavable conjugate that multiplexed cell surface detection in microfluidic devices. The method successfully detected streptavidin on coated beads with 92% positive predictive rate. Furthermore, chambers with 0, 1, 2, and 3+ beads were statistically distinguishable. The method was then used to detect CD3 on Jurkat T cells, yielding a positive predictive rate of 49% and false positive rate of 0%.

The fourth chapter talks about the use of measuring T cell polyfunctionality in order to predict whether a patient will succeed an adoptive T cells transfer therapy. In 15 patients, we measured 10 proteins from individual T cells (~300 cells per patient). The polyfunctional strength index was calculated, which was then correlated with the patient's progress free survival (PFS) time. 52 other parameters measured in the single cell test were correlated with the PFS. No statistical correlator has been determined, however, and more data is necessary to reach a conclusion.

Finally, the fifth chapter talks about the interactions between T cells and how that affects their protein secretion. It was observed that T cells in direct contact selectively enhance their protein secretion, in some cases by over 5 fold. This occurred for Granzyme B, Perforin, CCL4, TNFa, and IFNg. IL- 10 was shown to decrease slightly upon contact. This phenomenon held true for T cells from all patients tested (n=8). Using single cell data, the theoretical protein secretion frequency was calculated for two cells and then compared to the observed rate of secretion for both two cells not in contact, and two cells in contact. In over 90% of cases, the theoretical protein secretion rate matched that of two cells not in contact.

Valor da marca: um estudo sobre a problemática de sua evidenciação contábil no Brasil.

O presente estudo, como investigação acadêmica de abordagem multidisciplinar, tem como objetivo geral contribuir para a identificação de possíveis caminhos que minimizem as discrepâncias verificadas entre os valores contábil e econômico das marcas. Neste contexto, em que o Brasil vivencia a transição para o International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), faz-se mister investigar a relação destas normas com a evidenciação da significância econômica desses bens, com o intuito de analisar as restrições normativas à contabilização das marcas, e identificar causas e impactos dessas discrepâncias. A pesquisa, de características essencialmente exploratória e qualitativa, aborda os conceitos teóricos de Ativos Intangíveis, Marcas, Brand Equity, Brand Value e Normativa Contábil, e utiliza a consulta bibliográfica e a entrevista presencial como formas de coleta de dados. No estudo, foram comparados os valores contábil e econômico das 31 marcas brasileiras listadas nos rankings de marcas mais valiosas divulgados em 2011 pelas três principais consultorias especializadas em avaliação de marcas; e entrevistadas 11 pessoas entre acadêmicos e profissionais das áreas Contábil, Econômica, Administrativa e Financeira, com o propósito primário de entender a essência da problemática da evidenciação contábil da marca. Como resultado, identificou-se que a questão basilar para a solução desse problema reside na confiabilidade da mensuração do valor monetário da marca, e que, como ainda não há consenso científico sobre a aplicabilidade dos métodos disponíveis na literatura aos diferentes propósitos de avaliação desse bem, é preciso que se desenvolvam novos e contínuos estudos a fim de identificar um padrão metodológico consistente, uniforme e objetivo que melhor se aplique aos interesses da Contabilidade como instrumento de gestão.

Salmon action plan. River Ribble - June 2000

In February 1996 A Strategy for the Management of Salmon in England and Wales was launched by the National Rivers Authority. The strategy concentrates on four main objectives for the management of salmon fisheries in England and Wales: (i) Optimise the number of salmon returning to home water fisheries, (ii) Maintain and improve the fitness and diversity of salmon stocks, (iii) Optimise the total economic value of surplus stocks, (iv) Ensure necessary costs are met by beneficiaries. These four objectives will be addressed through local Salmon Action Plans (SAPs) which will be produced for each of the principle salmon rivers in England and Wales by the year 2001. A consultation report was produced for the River Ribble and released publicly in October 1999. This document determined an egg deposition figure of 8.5 million eggs for the Ribble, that would allow maximum gain from the net and rod fisheries; raised a number of issues which are thought to currently limit salmon production; identified actions which may be undertaken by the Environment Agency and other bodies to improve stocks. This action plan re-addresses the issues raised in the consultation document, taking into account the comments received, and also identifies areas of possible improvement in data gathering that would allow more accurate estimation of the spawning target and compliance in future years. The progress of this plan will be monitored and reported annually.

O trabalho do enfermeiro: reconhecimento e valorização profissional

A presente pesquisa tem como objeto de estudo [re]conhecimento que os usuários de um hospital geral detêm sobre o trabalho do enfermeiro. Seu objetivo geral é discutir o entendimento dos usuários de um hospital geral do Rio de Janeiro sobre o trabalho do enfermeiro, à luz do seu reconhecimento profissional, e seus objetivos específicos são: identificar o [re]conhecimento que os usuários possuem sobre o trabalho do enfermeiro e analisar o [re]conhecimento dos usuários sobre o trabalho dos enfermeiros, buscando aproximações e distanciamentos das competências do enfermeiro. Esta pesquisa apoia-se nas concepções teóricas da psicodinâmica do trabalho desenvolvidas por Dejours, se apropriando mais profundamente, da discussão sobre a dinâmica do reconhecimento, na qual acredita que o reconhecimento pode ser um meio que possibilita a transformação do sofrimento no trabalho em prazer. Com o intuito de respeitar os princípios éticos e a Resolução 196/96, essa pesquisa foi encaminhada ao Comitê de Ética e Pesquisa com Seres Humanos/SR-2/UERJ e obteve parecer favorável com protocolo n 49.3.2012. Trata-se de um estudo exploratório-descritivo de abordagem quantitativa e desenho transversal. A população foram clientes internados nas enfermarias cirúrgicas e clínicas do referido hospital. Para melhor caracterizar o perfil da clientela internada foi utilizado o Sistema de Classificação de Pacientes elaborado por Perroca (1996) que baseia-se nas necessidades individualizadas de cuidado de enfermagem, com o intuito de identificar o grau de dependência que o sujeito apresenta da equipe de enfermagem. Os 65 participantes da pesquisa foram selecionados por meio de uma amostra intencional. O instrumento de coleta de dados utilizado foi um formulário contendo 22 perguntas, sendo 18 fechadas e 04 abertas. As informações foram coletadas no período de agosto a outubro de 2012 e analisadas utilizando-se da estatística descritiva simples. A apresentação dos dados foi através de tabelas e a sua discussão teve quatro tópicos, são eles: Perfil sociodemográfico da população; Experiências hospitalares anteriores; Conhecimento da população sobre o enfermeiro e o seu trabalho; O trabalho do enfermeiro e seu reconhecimento. Os resultados mostraram que o perfil sociodemográfico da população é composta por uma maioria feminina; a faixa etária predominante é de 55 a 64 anos e o grau de escolaridade da população é baixo. Para 75,4% dos sujeitos a atual internação hospitalar não é a primeira. No que se refere ao conhecimento que o participante tem sobre o enfermeiro, constatou-se que eles relatam saber quem é o profissional, qual é o seu grau de escolaridade, porém um número significativo não conhecia a composição da equipe de enfermagem (41,5%), demonstrando ser esse um fato contraditório. No que se refere ao reconhecimento conferido ao enfermeiro e seu trabalho, os participantes consideraram importante tanto o trabalho desenvolvido pelo enfermeiro, como também a sua atuação na equipe de saúde, e declararam a pouca valorização social que é imputada à profissão. As principais formas de reconhecimento atribuídas nesta pesquisa estavam relacionadas a sentimentos afetuosos positivos que a figura do enfermeiro gera e a excelência na prestação de cuidados de enfermagem.

Estudo sobre o manejo dos resíduos biológicos classe A4.

A complexidade na implantação de processos seguros para o manejo dos resíduos biológicos em diversas classes de riscos, conforme a Resolução RDC no. 306/2004 ANVISA, é um desafio para administrações públicas e Unidades de Serviços de Saúde (USS) do país. O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar o atual manejo destes resíduos, em particular os da classe de risco A4. A pesquisa tem caráter exploratório e qualitativo consistindo de revisão bibliográfica do estado da arte sobre o tema e de levantamento de dados. A coleta das informações foi realizada em Unidades de Serviços de Saúde (USS); órgãos ambientais; nas visitas técnicas em empresas tratadoras de resíduos; em gerenciadores de aterros sanitários; e através de entrevistas com especialistas no assunto. A título de exemplo, dois casos sobre o manejo dos resíduos biológicos foram estudados: no Rio de Janeiro (RJ) e em Orlando (Flórida - USA). A relevância da pesquisa está na constatação das mudanças em andamento no setor de saneamento no país, como o passo importante que esta sendo dado com a aprovação da Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos (PNRS). Para se atingir melhores indicadores de saúde e meio ambiente, torna-se imprescindível o gerenciamento integrado dos resíduos com a incorporação de métodos, técnicas e abordagens atuais. Quanto aos resíduos biológicos, existe aqui uma tendência em se adotar o modelo americano, mais rígido, que considera vários resíduos, comuns para nós, como sendo infectantes, e não separa estes resíduos biológicos em classes, colocando-os todos no mesmo grau de risco. Para a realidade brasileira tal rigidez de conceitos aumenta o risco no manejo para todos os envolvidos na cadeia e o custo da operação como um todo, tornando-a impraticável na maior parte do país. No Brasil a gestão inadequada dos resíduos em muitas USS e a grande quantidade de lixões existentes, com a presença de catadores de materiais recicláveis, são processos inseguros e para melhorar este quadro, é fundamental a implementação da PNRS. Nossa legislação se mostra eficiente, mas necessitamos de maior monitoramento e avaliação, e uma consequente ação educativa. Em complemento deve haver maior determinação de responsabilidades, aplicação de punições e empreender reformas substanciais nas áreas de educação e saúde pública. Espera-se que este trabalho contribua com a construção de um modelo de manejo adequado dos resíduos biológicos, sobretudo os de classe A4, de forma mais sustentável e segura. Para estudos futuros, indica-se uma avaliação estratégica sobre a sustentabilidade técnica e econômica do modelo de gerenciamento destes resíduos a ser realizada em contexto mais amplo. Para tal, recomenda-se a extensão da pesquisa a outros estados da federação, assim como o acompanhamento das tendências mundiais para classificação dos riscos dos Resíduos de Serviços de Saúde e de sua destinação mais adequada, principalmente em países com realidades semelhantes à nossa.