Specification of Real-Time Systems

Inspite of numerous research advancements made in recent years in the area of formal techniques, specification of real-time systems is still proving to be a very challenging and difficult problem. In this context, this paper critically examines state-of-the-art specification techniques for real-time systems and analyzes the emerging trends.

a real-time path planning approach without the computation of cspace obstacles

An important concept proposed in the early stage of robot path planning field is the shrinking of the robot to a point and meanwhile expanding of the obstacles in the workspace as a set of new obstacles. The resulting grown obstacles are called the Configuration Space (Cspace) obstacles. The find-path problem is then transformed into that of finding a collision free path for a point robot among the Cspace obstacles. However, the research experiences obtained so far have shown that the calculation of the Cspace obstacles is very hard work when the following situations occur: 1. both the robot and obstacles are not polygons and 2. the robot is allowed to rotate. This situation is even worse when the robot and obstacles are three dimensional (3D) objects with various shapes. Obviously a direct path planning approach without the calculation of the Cspace obstacles is strongly needed. This paper presents such a new real-time robot path planning approach which, to the best of our knowledge, is the first one in the robotic community. The fundamental ideas are the utilization of inequality and optimization technique. Simulation results have been presented to show its merits.

重离子加速器注入器电源控制器的设计；Design of digital power control system applied in sector focusing cyclotron

设计了一种应用于兰州重离子加速器注入器的电源控制器,该控制器基于微处理器AT-mega128,结合MAX7000系列的复杂可编程器件和RTL8019AS网关芯片来实现对电源系统的控制,并通过RS-232总线实现与上位机的串口通信。应用结果表明,该控制器具有良好的通用性、灵活性、可远程控制及性能稳定等特点,实现了注入器磁铁电源10-4量级的幅度稳定性,使注入器引出的束流强度、束流品质、束流稳定性和供束效率等得到很大的提高。

Optimal kinetics for quantification of antigen-induced cytokines in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells by real-time PCR and by ELISA.

Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has recently been described as a new tool to measure and accurately quantify mRNA levels. In this study, we have applied this technique to evaluate cytokine mRNA synthesis induced by antigenic stimulation with purified protein derivative (PPD) or heparin-binding haemagglutinin (HBHA) in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected individuals. Whereas PPD and HBHA optimally induced IL-2 mRNA after respectively 8 and 16 to 24 h of in vitro stimulation, longer in vitro stimulation times were necessary for optimal induction of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) mRNA, respectively 16 to 24 h for PPD and 24 to 96 h for HBHA. IL-13 mRNA was optimally induced by in vitro stimulation after 16-48 h for PPD and after 48 to 96 h for HBHA. Comparison of antigen-induced Th1 and Th2 cytokines appears, therefore, valuable only if both cytokine types are analysed at their optimal time point of production, which, for a given cytokine, may differ for each antigen tested. Results obtained by real-time PCR for IFN-gamma and IL-13 mRNA correlated well with those obtained by measuring the cytokine concentrations in cell culture supernatants, provided they were high enough to be detected. We conclude that real-time PCR can be successfully applied to the quantification of antigen-induced cytokine mRNA and to the evaluation of the Th1/Th2 balance, only if the kinetics of cytokine mRNA appearance are taken into account and evaluated for each cytokine measured and each antigen analysed.

Performance analysis of 4G wireless networks using system level simulator

In the last decade, mobile wireless communications have witnessed an explosive growth in the user’s penetration rate and their widespread deployment around the globe. In particular, a research topic of particular relevance in telecommunications nowadays is related to the design and implementation of mobile communication systems of 4th generation (4G). 4G networks will be characterized by the support of multiple radio access technologies in a core network fully compliant with the Internet Protocol (all IP paradigms). Such networks will sustain the stringent quality of service (QoS) requirements and the expected high data rates from the type of multimedia applications (i.e. YouTube and Skype) to be available in the near future. Therefore, 4G wireless communications system will be of paramount importance on the development of the information society in the near future. As 4G wireless services will continue to increase, this will put more and more pressure on the spectrum availability. There is a worldwide recognition that methods of spectrum managements have reached their limit and are no longer optimal, therefore new paradigms must be sought. Studies show that most of the assigned spectrum is under-utilized, thus the problem in most cases is inefficient spectrum management rather spectrum shortage. There are currently trends towards a more liberalized approach of spectrum management, which are tightly linked to what is commonly termed as Cognitive Radio (CR). Furthermore, conventional deployment of 4G wireless systems (one BS in cell and mobile deploy around it) are known to have problems in providing fairness (users closer to the BS are more benefited relatively to the cell edge users) and in covering some zones affected by shadowing, therefore the use of relays has been proposed as a solution. To evaluate and analyse the performances of 4G wireless systems software tools are normally used. Software tools have become more and more mature in recent years and their need to provide a high level evaluation of proposed algorithms and protocols is now more important. The system level simulation (SLS) tools provide a fundamental and flexible way to test all the envisioned algorithms and protocols under realistic conditions, without the need to deal with the problems of live networks or reduced scope prototypes. Furthermore, the tools allow network designers a rapid collection of a wide range of performance metrics that are useful for the analysis and optimization of different algorithms. This dissertation proposes the design and implementation of conventional system level simulator (SLS), which afterwards enhances for the 4G wireless technologies namely cognitive Radios (IEEE802.22) and Relays (IEEE802.16j). SLS is then used for the analysis of proposed algorithms and protocols.

Service offloading in adaptive real-time systems

Smartphones and other internet enabled devices are now common on our everyday life, thus unsurprisingly a current trend is to adapt desktop PC applications to execute on them. However, since most of these applications have quality of service (QoS) requirements, their execution on resource-constrained mobile devices presents several challenges. One solution to support more stringent applications is to offload some of the applications’ services to surrogate devices nearby. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an adaptable offloading mechanism which takes into account the QoS requirements of the application being executed (particularly its real-time requirements), whilst allowing offloading services to several surrogate nodes. We also present how the proposed computing model can be implemented in an Android environment

Evaluation Of A Novel Method Of Real Time Computer Assisted Spine Surgery

In this paper the effectiveness of a novel method of computer assisted pedicle screw insertion was studied using testing of hypothesis procedure with a sample size of 48. Pattern recognition based on geometric features of markers on the drill has been performed on real time optical video obtained from orthogonally placed CCD cameras. The study reveals the exactness of the calculated position of the drill using navigation based on CT image of the vertebra and real time optical video of the drill. The significance value is 0.424 at 95% confidence level which indicates good precision with a standard mean error of only 0.00724. The virtual vision method is less hazardous to both patient and the surgeon

Assessment of the food control system in the State of Kuwait

National food control systems are a key element in the protection of consumers from unsafe foods and from other fraudulent practices. International guidance is available and provides a framework for enhancing national systems. However, it is recognized that before reaching decisions on the necessary improvements to a national system, an analysis is required of the current state of key elements in the present system. This paper provides such an analysis for the State of Kuwait. The fragmented nature of the food control system is described. Four key elements of the Kuwaiti system are analyzed: the legal framework, the administrative structures, the enforcement activity and the provision of education and training. It is noted that the country has a dependence on imported foods and that the present national food control system is largely based on an historic approach to food sampling at the point of import and is unsustainable. The paper recommends a more coordinated approach to food safety control in Kuwait with a significant increase in the use of risk analysis methods to target enforcement.

Fast adaptive real-time classification for data streams with concept drift

An important application of Big Data Analytics is the real-time analysis of streaming data. Streaming data imposes unique challenges to data mining algorithms, such as concept drifts, the need to analyse the data on the fly due to unbounded data streams and scalable algorithms due to potentially high throughput of data. Real-time classification algorithms that are adaptive to concept drifts and fast exist, however, most approaches are not naturally parallel and are thus limited in their scalability. This paper presents work on the Micro-Cluster Nearest Neighbour (MC-NN) classifier. MC-NN is based on an adaptive statistical data summary based on Micro-Clusters. MC-NN is very fast and adaptive to concept drift whilst maintaining the parallel properties of the base KNN classifier. Also MC-NN is competitive compared with existing data stream classifiers in terms of accuracy and speed.

Investigation of telomere lengths measurement by quantitative real-time PCR to predict age

Currently DNA profiling methods only compare a suspect’s DNA with DNA left at the crime scene. When there is no suspect, it would be useful for the police to be able to predict what the person of interest looks like by analysing the DNA left behind in a crime scene. Determination of the age of the suspect is an important factor in creating an identikit. Human somatic cells gradually lose telomeric repeats with age. This study investigated if one could use a correlation between telomere length and age, to predict the age of an individual from their DNA. Telomere length, in buccal cells, of 167 individuals aged between 1 and 96 years old was measured using real-time quantitative PCR. Telomere length decreased with age (r = −0.185, P < 0.05) and the age of an individual could be roughly determined by the following formula: (age = relative telomere length −1.5/−0.005). The regression (R2) value between telomere length and age was not, vert, similar0.04, which is too low to be use for forensics. The causes for the presence of large variation in telomere lengths in the population were further investigated. The age prediction accuracies were low even after dividing samples into non-related Caucasians, males and females (5%, 9% and 1%, respectively). Mean telomere lengths of eight age groups representing each decade of life showed non-linear decrease in telomere length with age. There were variations in telomere lengths even among similarly aged individuals aged 26 years old (n = 10) and age 54 years old (n = 9). Therefore, telomere length measurement by real-time quantitative PCR cannot be used to predict age of a person, due to the presence of large inter-individual variations in telomere lengths.

Quality control of sensor network data

A wireless sensor network (WSN) is a group of sensors that are geographically distributed and interconnected by wireless networks. Sensors gather information about the state of physical world. Then, after processing forward them to the main destination. To be able to provide this service, there are many aspects of communication techniques that need to be explored. Supporting quality of service (QoS) will be of critical importance for pervasive WSNs that serve as the network infrastructure of diverse applications. To illustrate new research and development interests in this field, this paper examines and discusses the requirements, critical challenges, and open research issues on QoS management in WSNs. A brief overview of recent progress is given.

Quantitative real-time RT-PCR and chromogenic in situ hybridization: precise methods to detect HER-2 status in breast carcinoma

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Anti-poliovirus activity of Baccharis dracunculifolia and propolis by cell viability determination and real-time PCR

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Periodontal status in smokers and never-smokers: Clinical findings and real-time polymerase chain reaction quantification of putative periodontal pathogens

Background: Smoking is a well-known risk factor for destructive periodontal disease, but its relationship with periodontal status and subgingival microbiota remains unclear. Inherent limitations of microbiological methods previously used may partly explain these mixed results, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been presented as a valid alternative. The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinical condition and microbiological profile of patients with chronic periodontitis as related to the habit of smoking.Methods: Fifty patients (33 to 59 years old), 25 smokers and 25 never-smokers, constituted the sample. The visible plaque index (VPI), gingival bleeding index (GBI), bleeding on probing (BOP), periodontal probing depth (PD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) volume were recorded. Real-time PCR quantified Porphyromonas gingivalis, Micromonas micros, Dialister pneumosintes, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and total bacteria in subgingival samples.Results: Smokers and never-smokers showed similar values for VPI, GBI, and BOP. Smokers had deeper PD in buccal/lingual sites and higher CAL independently of the tooth surface. The GCF volume was smaller in smokers, independent of the PD. Similar amounts of total bacteria and P. gingivalis were observed for both groups. Significantly higher numbers of D. pneumosintes and M. micros were present in smokers and associated with moderate and deep pockets. When heavy smokers were considered, higher counts of total bacteria, M. micros, and D. pneumosintes were observed.Conclusions: Smoking seems to have a detrimental impact on the periodontal status and microbiological profile of patients with periodontitis. Compared to never-smokers, smokers had deeper pockets, greater periodontal destruction, and higher counts of some putative periodontal pathogens.